Chasing Chelsea (NSFW Book 4)

by C. C. Wood

  Landen took my weight, wrapping his arms around me tightly. His mouth grew more insistent, seeking something else from me, but I wasn’t sure what. He wasn’t asking, he was demanding once again, but I didn’t understand what he wanted. I was too lost in the sensations taking over my body, the warmth that flooded my veins, and the tingling that infused my limbs.

  Somewhere below us a door slammed, yanking me out of the fog of yearning that surrounded me.

  And it was yearning rather than desire. It was more poignant than mere lust. The ache wasn’t just within my body, but within my heart.

  Slowly, Landen lifted his head, his eyes glittering in the fluorescent lights as he stared down at me. I could hear steps echoing as the person descended the stairs below us, a reminder that we were no longer alone, or I might have yanked his head back down and demanded he finish what he started.

  Gradually, he released me, his arms loosening around my waist and his body inching away from mine.

  “You’re going to be late getting back to work,” he murmured. He took my hand and opened the door to the hall, pulling me in front of him so that I walked out first. As we approached the glass doors to the office, he said, “I have a business dinner tomorrow night, but I want to see you Wednesday.”

  I swallowed hard and tried to lighten the mood. I couldn’t read his expression and he seemed to have shut down once again. “I have standing plans, but you’re welcome to join me.”

  Landen twisted his head to look at me in surprise. “Standing plans? With who?”

  I smiled. “Lt. Joe Kenda. The new episode of Homicide Hunter will be on.”

  Just as I hoped, my words made him return my smile. “You prefer to spend time with him instead of me?”

  “I was hoping I could see you both. Think you could put aside your dislike of sharing for an hour? I’ll feed you.”

  “What time?”

  “Be there at six-thirty. The show starts at seven.”

  His grin widened. “Dinner and a show?”

  I elbowed him playfully. “Not that kind of show. Unless you’re ready to admit I’ll win the bet.”

  His eyes lit with challenge. “Never, but I look forward to seeing you try.”

  Landen opened the door for me and pulled me close for the light touch of his lips to mine. I was beginning to understand that this was how he said good-bye to me.

  “I’ll see you Wednesday,” he promised.

  As I watched him walk away, it hit me that I was in way over my head. Instead of scaring the crap out of me, as it probably should, I looked forward to the challenge that Landen presented.

  I understood that even if I lost, I would win.

  Chapter Thirteen

  I hated working out. Unfortunately, at twenty-nine, I knew it was only a matter of time before my love of food translated itself on my hips and thighs.

  So I compromised.

  Two or three times a week, Grier and I would meet for a long walk after work. Three or four miles seemed a lot less daunting when I had someone to talk to.

  With my schedule being nuts last week, Grier and I had skipped our walks, but now it was Tuesday and we wouldn’t have many more days to meet this week. Especially since it was supposed to rain on Thursday. When she texted me last night, I knew it was time to get back in the saddle. The knowledge that Landen would possibly see me naked very soon was added motivation.

  Then there was the fact that Grier had been noticeably preoccupied at brunch on Sunday. I hadn’t been able to chat with her that day, or Monday, and an hour-long walk was the perfect opportunity to see if I could find out what was bothering her.

  That was the thing about Grier. She always listened. Always. And she gave great advice. Despite the fact that she was several years younger than me, I often felt like she was the older sister I’d never had. Grier never sugarcoated things but she also wasn’t as blunt as I was. She was steel clad in velvet. She had the ability to tell you what you needed to hear but in a way that didn’t hurt.

  I really could learn from her. I tended to speak my mind first and regret it later, especially if my words unintentionally hurt someone I loved. For whatever reason, I had difficulty tempering my thoughts.

  After work, I quickly changed into a pair of yoga pants, sports bra, baggy t-shirt, and a pair of worn cross trainers. I carried my things to my car in the parking garage and drove to a nearby park. A walking path wound its way through the trees and picnic areas, providing a pretty scenic view while we chatted. I arrived at five-thirty on the dot to find Grier already parked and waiting for me.

  I pulled into the spot next to hers and climbed out of my car. She smiled at me, but it was hazy and distracted, as though she couldn’t quite work up the energy for the expression. That worried me even more.

  As we started off, I wracked my brain for the words I needed. I knew that if I didn’t figure out how to handle this delicately that Grier would shut down. For all her willingness to help her friends with their problems, she was an extremely private person. She rarely talked about her childhood and I don’t think I’d ever heard her mention her parents at all. It took some getting used to when we first became friends, but now it was just how she was.

  However, I did consider her a close friend and I wanted to help her the way that she helped me time and time again. It was clear that something was bothering her and she wasn’t talking about it with me. And I doubted that she was discussing it with anyone else.

  After we walked in silence for a good three minutes, Grier finally spoke, “What are you thinking about?”

  I glanced at her, seeing that her eyes were more focused as they met mine, and decided to be honest. “You.”

  She blinked rapidly then asked, “What?”

  I sighed and decided that my usual way would be the best. I didn’t want her to shut down but Grier was too perceptive by half. She would immediately see through my attempts to tone down my bluntness and she wouldn’t hesitate to call me on it.

  “I’m worried about you,” I answered. “And I want to talk to you about it, but I’m also worried that you’ll shut me down instead of sharing what’s on your mind.”

  Once again Grier just blinked at me. Then she queried, “You’re worried about me? Why?”

  My eyebrows lifted. Had she thought that none of us would notice that something was going on with her? “Grier, you’re not yourself. You seem distracted and,” I paused, looking for the right words. “Tired. No, not tired, exhausted. I know something is going on and I want to help, but I can’t do that if you don’t talk to me.” She opened her mouth, but before she could speak, I continued on. “Or if you don’t want to talk to me about it, maybe talk to Tanya. Or Yancy. Lucy. Hell, anyone if it will help you. It doesn’t have to be me.”

  Grier’s steps slowed so I dropped my pace to match hers until we were strolling rather than taking the brisk strides we usually kept.

  “It’s complicated,” she murmured, rubbing her forehead. “I don’t even know where to start.”

  I laid a hand on her arm. “You can start wherever you want. At the beginning, in the middle. It doesn’t matter. I’m here to listen.”

  “It’s nothing specific,” she began. “Just…I feel like I’m stuck. Like I’m moving through life without long-term goals or plans for my future. I go to work, I take walks with you, I have lunch with you and the rest of our friends, and I go home. I’m—” she trailed off, her eyes now focused on the path ahead of us. “Drifting and I’m ready for something more than that.”

  It broke my heart a little to hear her say that. Grier was an amazing person and the fact that she felt lost, well, it hurt me to hear it. There had been so many times that she was the rock of our group. She kept us grounded, made us think. She had an innate understanding of people and what made them tick.

  “You don’t have plans for your future?” I asked.

  Her eyes moved from the path in front of us to me, but they were sad. Almost bleak. She was killing me because I’d never s
een her look so lost. “For a long time, the only thing I worried about was surviving. Making it through school, getting a job, building a life. I wanted a home so badly, but now that I have one, I just feel like there’s something missing.” She laughed but it was a harsh sound. “And I feel like an asshole for wanting more, especially since I don’t know exactly what I want. I have a wonderful life, you and my other friends. I have more than I ever dreamed I would have when I was bouncing from place to place as a kid.”

  Grier rarely talked about her childhood but I knew that she spent time in foster care. It was obvious that she didn’t like talking about it, so I never pushed.

  “It’s okay to want more out of your life, Grier. It’s okay to have dreams and goals. To want everything.” I stopped walking and faced her. “And, honestly, it isn’t like you were just given what you have. You earned every bit of it through hard work. If you want more, you can have it. No one is going to tell you otherwise. Or if they do, they’re an asshole.”

  A smile tugged at the corner of her mouth. “All valid points.”

  I nodded. “I know. I’m actually pretty smart sometimes.”

  Her smile widened. “I’d say you’re smart all of the time.”

  “I wouldn’t say that,” I hedged. “I did something kinda stupid this weekend.”

  “What’s that?”

  I shook my head. “We talk about my stuff all the time. We should continue talking about you.”

  Grier groaned. “No, I want to think about something else for a while. I’ve been brooding too much lately as it is.” Her eyes twinkled. “Besides, you usually make me laugh when you tell me your stories about how you’ve been stupid.”

  “Oh, really?” I asked. When she nodded, I sighed. “Well, in this case, I don’t know if you’re going to laugh or smack me upside the head.”

  “I would never smack you, even if you deserved it. Now, tell me what happened.”

  She took several steps and I followed her lead. We settled back into the brisk pace we usually held when we walked together.

  “Well, I made a bet with Landen. A…sexy bet.” Her brows raised but she didn’t say anything, so I continued. “He wants to take things slow when it comes to the, uh, physical aspect of our relationship. Of course he decided this after we made out in a partially naked state. And he wants to be in control of all this.” Grier snorted and I nodded at her. “Exactly. By that time, my brain was offline and my libido was in charge, so I told him that I bet I could make him lose that control he so desperately wants.”

  I glanced at Grier out of the corner of my eye and saw her smirking and shaking her head, but she still remained silent.

  “The terms of the bet are that we wait two weeks before we…uh…” I stopped talking, unsure of how to word what I wanted to say. I was already sharing way too much information, but I also wanted to make that sad look in Grier’s eyes vanish.

  “Had sex?” she supplied.

  “Well, yeah. He wants to wait a couple of weeks and I’m planning to make sure we don’t.” When I said the words out loud, I realized how crazy that sounded. Before Landen, two weeks would have seemed like I was rushing things. “And I’m freaking crazy because I would never sleep with a man I just met two weeks ago if I was dating him!”

  Grier laughed out loud. “Maybe, but you didn’t meet Landen two weeks ago. You’ve known him over a year. He’s not exactly a stranger.”

  “This is true,” I murmured.

  “Chelsea, only you and Landen can decide what course your relationship should take and what timing is right for you. Any of us can give you advice, but if you think you’re ready for the next step, that’s great. But make sure Landen is on the same page. Bet or no bet.”

  Crap. She had an extremely valid point. Was I pushing Landen for something he wasn’t ready for? Was I jumping in before I was ready? Now, the entire situation seemed more complicated than it had before she and I talked.

  “Talk to him,” she encouraged.

  My eyes slid sideways so I could look at her. “You say that a lot, you know.”

  She grinned. “I’ve had enough therapy over the years to know that communication is the key to success in any relationship, whether it’s romantic, familial, or friendship. It’s something that’s easy to forget when you’re caught up in the moment or that initial period of excitement and nervousness, but it’s still necessary.”

  “You sound like a therapist right now, you know,” I grumbled. “And you’re also right, which makes it even more annoying. Aren’t you supposed to be young and dumb?”

  Her smile faded away but she didn’t look at me. “I haven’t felt young in a long, long time. Though there are plenty of days I feel stupid.”

  “I think we both know you’re anything but stupid, especially when it comes to interpersonal relationships.”

  The corner of her mouth quirked up as if she was about to smile. “Just because I know doesn’t mean that I’m the best at following my own advice.”

  “Well, you should because you give awesome advice.”

  “Thank you,” she replied. “I hope you take it.”

  “I will,” I sighed. “Now, we should keep walking. I may be naked in front of a man someday soon and I want to look hot.”

  Grier laughed. “You always look hot.”

  “Thank you. I try.”

  We both giggled and quickened our pace. Grier looked lighter and less distracted but my mind kept veering back toward Landen Weber and what was happening between us.

  Chapter Fourteen

  I rushed into my apartment, my hair damp with rain. I’d stopped by the grocery store on my way home from work to pick up a few things I needed for dinner that night and as soon as I carried my bags outside, the skies had opened up and heavy sheets of rain fell from the heavens. I should have expected that.

  Since the forecast called for rain, I’d planned dinner accordingly, even if I hadn’t been smart enough to remember my umbrella earlier. I was making comfort food in the slow cooker. Slow cooker recipes were something I’d mastered when I started working for Chris. He often had me stay late at the office and it was nice to come home to a hot meal without having to actually prepare said meal at seven, eight, or even nine o’clock at night.

  We were having cheesy chicken and potatoes with salad, garlic bread, and apple pie topped with ice cream for dessert. When I’d texted Landen yesterday to ask for his food preferences, he said he would bring Chinese take-out. Instead, I told him that I would cook and we could go out to dinner another night. I’d expected an argument, but he agreed easily. Maybe too easily.

  I wasn’t a great cook by any means, but I could follow a recipe and this was one of my favorites. I threw together a salad and glanced at the clock. Landen would be here in a few minutes and I was still in my work clothes. While I didn’t mind dressing up for work, when I was home, I liked to be comfortable.

  Working quickly, I slid the garlic bread into the oven and set the timer. Then I headed into my bedroom and stripped out of my dress and heels. Though it was early May, the temperatures in Texas were rising, so I slipped into a tank top and stood in front of my dresser, staring down into a drawer, wearing nothing but the tank and my underwear. I wanted to be comfortable but I also wanted to look cute. If Landen weren’t coming over, I would have grabbed a loose pair of cotton shorts. Instead, I pulled out a pair of denim cutoffs that would show off my legs and made my ass look great. They were perfect for hanging out at home but still a little sexy, which was exactly what I was going for.

  I gathered my hair up into a messy knot. There were a few stray curls too short to fit into the bun, but I liked how they looked framing my face. I also hurried into the bathroom and dusted just a bit of powder on my face and swished some mouthwash. Then I forced myself to leave the bedroom. If I didn’t, I would end up changing my outfit at least two more times.

  I was just pulling the garlic bread out of the oven when there was a knock at the door. Frowning, I tugged off the
oven mitt and moved to the door. When I put my eye to the peephole, I saw Landen standing in the hallway with his hands tucked in his pockets. How in the heck had he gotten in without using the buzzer?

  My heart thudded in my chest and I wondered if I would ever get to a point where Landen wouldn’t affect me like this. Logically, I knew I would, eventually, but right now my body went haywire as soon as I saw him. Or his name on my cell screen when he called or texted. Or his knock at my door.

  Taking a deep breath, I opened the door to let him in. When I opened the door, his eyes swept over my body from head to toe and back again until his eyes met mine. Then he grinned.

  “You look comfortable,” he teased as I moved back to allow him inside.

  I was too busy giving him the once over, okay the twice over, to respond. Landen typically wore jeans and tees when he came into the office. He might own several companies, but he was a casual kind of guy. If he had meetings with someone other than Chris, he might wear a nice button-down shirt and slacks.

  Today he was dressed in a sharp black suit that was tailored to fit him…perfectly. Other than the tux he wore to Chris and Lucy’s wedding, I’d never seen him dressed like this. And it was just as distracting as it had been at the reception a few weeks ago.

  “You look hot,” I replied, my mouth running without input from my brain. Then I gave myself an mental shake. “How did you get in without buzzing me?”

  Landen stopped just inside the apartment and turned to look at me as I busied myself closing and locking my door. His eyes focused intently on my face and I felt my cheeks grow warm. Not for the first time, I cursed my fair skin and the fact that Landen had such a strong effect on me that I was blushing. Again. I never blushed unless I was around him. I’d always thought I was impervious to embarrassment.

  He waited until I turned toward him, my back to the door, before he stepped into me, his palm pressing to the side of my waist before sliding around to the small of my back. He tugged me closer and used his hold on my back to lift me to my toes.