“What’s the real question?” she managed, her voice soft.
“What do you want, Andie? Which of those scenarios would make you happy?”
She needed to look away, but she couldn’t. And if he wanted to, it didn’t show. He kept his eyes on hers, the air heavy with unspoken words as he waited for her answer.
The sharp sound of her phone ringing pierced the silence, and Andie jolted upright, fumbling in her purse for it as her heart crashed against her ribs.
“Hello?” she said as she brought the phone to her ear, her voice somewhat shaky.
“Hey, babe.”
“Colin,” she said, his name sounding more like a statement than a greeting. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Chase sit up slowly, running his hand through his hair as he looked off in the opposite direction.
“Where are you? Are you almost here?” he asked.
“Um, well, not quite. It’s gonna be a few more hours,” she said as she sat up straight and smoothed out her shirt.
“Really? What happened?”
“We hit traffic.”
She saw Chase turn to look at her then, and she caught his eyes for just a moment before she looked away. But in that instant, she saw in them exactly what she herself was thinking: they weren’t doing anything wrong. What they were doing was completely innocent, wasn’t it?
So then what reason did she have to lie?
By the time they got to the hotel in Tampa, it was after eight, and as they walked into the lobby of the Westin Tampa Harbour Island, the place where the wedding would be held the following evening, Andie lingered near the front desk where Chase approached the concierge. She knew Colin was in room 516. There was no reason for her to go to the front desk, and no good reason for her to wait.
Yet she found herself doing it anyway.
Chase glanced over at her, forcing a tiny smile. “You can go up. I still need to get a room, and then I’m probably gonna hit the bar and have a drink.”
“Oh…okay,” Andie said, taking a tiny step away from him.
“Go ahead,” he said, nodding toward the elevators. “I’m sure Colin can’t wait to see you.”
Andie nodded. “So…I’ll see you tomorrow?”
Chase nodded with a smile. “Good night, Andie,” he said before turning his attention to the concierge as she started asking him for information. Andie began walking over to the elevators, wondering if he was watching her leave and fighting the urge to turn around and find out. She hit the button and waited anxiously for the elevator, and as soon as she was inside and the doors closed, she exhaled heavily, her shoulders dropping as she leaned against the mirrored wall. She turned then, catching sight of her reflection.
“What’s happening to you?” she asked her likeness softly, just as the doors dinged open. She stood up and adjusted the bag on her shoulder, taking a deep breath before she stepped out into the hallway.
Andie approached the door of room 516 and knocked gently. A few seconds later, the door swung open and Colin smiled widely.
“Babe,” he said as he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her against him. She turned her face into his neck, breathing in the scent that was him, wanting it to bring her back to a place where she was sure about everything in her life.
“I’m glad you’re here,” he said, bringing his mouth to hers for a brief kiss before taking her bags. He placed them in front of the closet before lying across the bed and propping his head up on his hand, his eyes on the television screen.
Andie went to work unpacking her things, glancing at him every few seconds as he watched the game on television. He was so handsome. After all this time, there were still days she would catch herself marveling at him. She had missed him. She really had. And that acknowledgement put her frazzled mind somewhat at ease.
After she unpacked, she laid next to him on the bed. “Did you eat?” she asked, snuggling into him.
He absently draped his arm over her. “I had a big lunch. The room service menu is on the table if you want to order something,” he said, nodding in the direction of the table, his eyes still on the screen.
Andie turned to follow his gaze. It was only the start of the second quarter; this game would be on for a while.
“Do you want to rent a movie or something?” she asked, running her hand over his side.
“Hmm?” he asked, glancing down at her. “Oh, um, maybe after this game, okay? I have money on it,” he said, kissing her forehead before bringing his eyes back to the television.
“Okay,” Andie said softly.
“How was the drive? Besides the traffic.”
Andie bit her lip before she said, “It wasn’t bad.”
Colin ran his hand over her hair, his eyes still on the game. “You sound tired. Why don’t you eat and then rest a little bit?”
She nodded, lying next to him for another moment before she finally sat up and pushed herself off the bed. She sat on the windowsill as she looked through the room service menu, finally deciding to order a Greek salad and a glass of wine. As she called and placed her order, she found herself wondering what Chase was doing—if he was still at the bar, whether or not he had eaten yet. She should have just gotten something to eat with him downstairs, she thought. Colin wouldn’t have missed her for another hour or so, not with the game on. And then she was immediately chagrined by her line of thinking, sitting four feet away from her boyfriend as she tried to figure out how she could have spent time with someone else.
About ten minutes later her dinner arrived, and she sat up against the headboard, her salad balanced delicately on her thighs as she stared without seeing at the game, sipping her wine, her mind a million miles away from first downs and extra points.
Somewhere around the start of the fourth quarter, Andie showered, changed into her pajamas, and brushed her teeth before settling under the covers next to Colin. She wasn’t sure how long she’d been asleep before she felt him snuggle up behind her, pressing the length of his body against the back of hers. His hand came to her hip, squeezing it gently, and as he nuzzled her hair, his breath fanned hot across the back of her neck.
She knew what would happen next. She could script it. He would start by kissing her neck, and when she began to respond, his hand would move from her hip to her lower stomach, sliding up the length of her abdomen until he reached her breasts. He would spend some time there, first with his hands, and then with his mouth, before his hand made its way back down her body and settled between her legs. And after she climaxed, he would make love to her, beginning below her but ending on top of her. And then she’d rest her head on his chest, and he’d wrap his arm around her shoulder, and they’d fall asleep.
Yes, with Colin, she always knew exactly what to expect.
And for the first time in their relationship, she suddenly found herself wishing she didn’t.
CHAPTER EIGHT
“Another?” the bartender asked, and Chase turned his attention to the man standing behind the bar.
“Yeah, thanks.”
“Seven and Seven, right?” the man asked, reaching for Chase’s empty glass.
“Yeah,” he said, watching the bartender begin to mix the third one Chase had consumed in the past hour. He knew he should probably slow down, but he needed something to keep him occupied. Certainly nothing else so far that night had succeeded in doing so. Not the ceremony. Not the onslaught of people he had talked with and been introduced to since the reception began. Not the music blasting from the DJ’s booth or the dance floor full of people. Nothing could keep his attention for long. He’d be in the middle of a conversation with someone, laughing and having a good time, and without his permission, his eyes would begin to wander, combing through the crowd until he found her. There had to be over three hundred people in the room, and yet it would only take him seconds to do it. Every time. Like she was some sort of goddamned beacon.
They hadn’t spoken to each other at all that day, although they had made eye contact several
times during the ceremony and a few times since the reception began. Whenever it happened, one of them would smile or hold up a hand in greeting, and the other would follow suit, but Chase could see there was a slight uneasiness in her actions. What was worse, though, was that he could feel the same awkwardness in his own, and it drove him crazy. He didn’t want things to be uncomfortable between them again, yet he felt himself contributing to it.
The bartender placed his drink down in front of him, and Chase tossed a tip on the bar as he picked it up and took a slow sip, turning to face the room full of people.
And there she was, talking with one of the bridesmaids by a table near the balcony on the other side of the room. He hadn’t even been trying that time. At least not consciously.
Ever since that moment on Tybee Island, when he had asked her what would make her happy, the dynamic between them had changed. That was the moment things stopped being innocent, the moment his conscience took a backseat and it was just the two of them, just Andie and Chase and the palpable, rousing tension between them, charged with inaccessible possibilities. At least, that’s how it had been for him. He had no idea what she had been thinking.
But then she lied.
She told Colin they’d be late because they were stuck in traffic, and he knew then that she was feeling what he was, at least on some level.
It was all so fucking wrong.
Chase took another long swallow of his drink, trying to focus on the swaying bodies littering the dance floor. All night long he’d been holding on to the notion that at some point in every guy’s life, he’s been guilty of looking at a friend’s girl and thinking things that were less than appropriate. He could be a good guy, he could be a good friend, but when it came down to it, guys were guys, and shit happens. The subconscious is an impossible thing to control. A guy wasn’t considered an asshole unless he acted on those involuntary thoughts.
Chase brought his drink to his lips again, shaking his head, because as much as he wanted to rationalize what was happening, the truth was, his thoughts weren’t involuntary. They weren’t even superficial, run-of-the-mill sexual musings.
They were so much worse than that.
It wasn’t like he found himself wondering what she looked like naked, or whether or not she gave good head. No, he would think about what it would feel like to run his palms over every inch of her, and whether or not the rest of her was as soft as her hands. He would imagine pressing his face into the side of her neck, or burying his nose in her hair, breathing in the scent that made him feel like he was turning inside out. He would think about making her laugh, the musical cadence of it, or the way she would feel pressed up against him as they lay in bed together watching some juvenile movie. He’d imagine skinny-dipping with her in some remote, clandestine pond, or cooking breakfast with her, side by side, Andie wearing nothing but one of his T-shirts, her hair up in that sloppy bun that managed to make her look innocent and sexy at the same time.
Chase squeezed his eyes shut and pinched the bridge of his nose. He would have felt better about himself if he’d had fantasies of fucking her in the coat closet and never calling her again.
“Ladies and gentleman,” the DJ said over the microphone, and Chase opened his eyes and turned his head in his direction. “At this time, we’d like to ask Justin and Stella and their bridal party to step out onto the terrace for a few photos.”
Chase turned his attention back to the other side of the room where Colin was now approaching Andie. He kissed her on the cheek as he passed, making his way toward the terrace doors, and the bridesmaid that Andie had been talking to handed off her drink as she followed Colin outside. Andie turned then, taking a delicate sip of her wine as her eyes scanned the dance floor, and as much as he hated to admit it, he was briefly overcome with the hope that she was looking for him.
She took a few steps over to her table, placing her friend’s drink on it before she sat down, trailing the tip of her finger along the rim of her own wine glass as she watched the people moving on the dance floor. She crossed her legs then, and the slit in her dress parted to reveal the length of one leg, from toe to mid-thigh.
Chase closed his eyes before turning toward the bartender. “Can I get a shot of Johnnie Walker?”
“You got it, pal,” he said with a wary look, bending to reach below the bar, and Chase turned his eyes back to the other side of the room as he finished his drink. That fucking dress. He could barely stand it before he realized it had a slit as long as her leg up the side. He didn’t know anything about dresses, or fashion at all for that matter, but this dress was deep green and looked like it was made of some type of silk. Every goddamn curve of her body looked softer and fuller in this thing. And when she had turned to leave the ceremony earlier that night, he nearly choked on his gum when he saw that her entire back was exposed.
She looked up then, making eye contact with him, and he froze. A small smile curved her lips as she held up her hand to say hello, and he smiled back at her just as the bartender said, “Here you go.”
Chase turned, placing his empty glass on the bar and reaching for the shot, stopping before he took it. He didn’t know if it was the three consecutive Seven and Sevens, or the smile she just gave him, but at that moment, he made a decision.
“Actually, can I get a Lemon Drop too?”
The bartender quirked his brow at him. “You gonna be okay, buddy?”
Chase smiled. “I won’t puke on your bar, if that’s what you’re asking.”
The bartender shook his head with a tiny laugh, reaching below for the bottle. He poured the shot, giving Chase the sugar-coated lemon chaser.
“Hang in there,” he said, and Chase could tell by the look in his eyes that he wasn’t referencing Chase holding his liquor.
He grabbed the two shots and crossed the dance floor, careful not to spill any as he maneuvered his way through the dancing bodies. Just as he emerged from the crowd, she lifted her eyes, smiling at him again.
“Hi,” she said as he approached her table, the awkwardness between them seemingly gone, and he hoped it wasn’t just his hazy alcohol-induced perception.
“Hi,” he said, pulling up a seat next to her. “Having fun?”
She nodded. “I think I’ve met more people in the past few hours than I have in the past few years. But big weddings are always fun. I’m surprised to see you milling around, though. I figured you’d be glued to your camera.”
“Nah, I’m off tonight. Here, I brought you something.”
She glanced down, catching sight of the shot glass he placed in front of her, and she shook her head. “I don’t think so,” she said, looking back up at him and scrunching her nose adorably. “I’m not really a liquor kind of girl.”
Being this close to her again, Chase felt suddenly bold. “Well two days ago, you weren’t the kind of girl who let anyone else drive her car.” Andie smirked as he continued. “And yesterday, you weren’t the kind of girl to pull off the road and jump fully clothed into a lake.”
“I didn’t really have a choice about that one,” she said through laughter, and Chase grinned.
“Breaking out of your shell,” he said as he slid the shot closer to her. He raised his eyes to hers, his voice playful. “I say we make it the theme for the weekend.”
Andie glanced down at the shot, nibbling on the corner of her lip. He could tell she was thinking about it, so he added, “It’s a pretty tame shot. Girly, even.”
She laughed, taking a deep breath before she picked up the small glass, holding it up to him. “To breaking out of your shell.”
Chase smiled, holding his shot up and clinking it to hers. “Cheers.”
He tilted his head back slightly as he took his shot, keeping his eyes on her as she tossed her head back and drained the glass. She immediately whipped her head back up, her eyes wide as she placed the empty glass back on the table and brought her other hand to her mouth. Chase laughed as she squeezed her eyes shut before she finally swallowed.
“Oh my God,” she said, her voice muffled before she dropped her hand from her lips. “Was that straight vodka?”
“Well, lemon flavored, but yeah.”
“How exactly is that girly?” she asked, still horrified.
“Because now you get this,” he said, handing her the lemon wedge covered in sugar.
She grabbed it like it was a lifeline, taking it between her lips as her cheeks hollowed out with the force of her sucking, and Chase couldn’t help but laugh again.
“Lesson learned,” she said, tossing the expended lemon rind on the table. “That’s the last time I trust you.”
“Aw, come on,” he said, taking her empty shot glass and stacking it on top of his. “It wasn’t that bad. You can admit it.”
She licked her lips, removing the last remaining granules of sugar. “Fine. The sugared lemon part wasn’t that bad. I could have done without the vodka before.”
Chase watched the shiver ripple through her shoulders as she added, “Even though I kind of like the warm feeling I have right now.”
He grinned at her as the music changed around them, the opening notes to some ballad filling the room.
The words fell from Chase’s lips with surprising ease. “Will you dance with me?”
Her eyebrows lifted in surprise before she dropped her gaze, clearing her throat awkwardly. After what seemed like forever, he heard her soft voice. “Um…yeah, okay.”
Chase stood immediately, wanting to do whatever he could to remove the awkwardness that was starting to reappear between them. “After you,” he said, sweeping his hand in front of them, and Andie smiled up at him tentatively as she stood and made her way to the dance floor.
Just as she reached the edge, Chase grabbed her hand and put his other on her hip, giving her a tiny push and spinning her away from him. She laughed loudly as her twirling came to a stop, her arm extended toward his and their hands still clasped. She cupped her hand to her mouth to muffle her laughter.
Emancipating Andie Page 10