She nodded as she bit into her slice. "I count it as my one and only treat during the week. Something I can look forward to and not feel guilty about."
"And you're really serious about pepperoni? Seriously, it's so good. You really should try it. Live a little," I said, laughing as I took a bite.
With her mouth full, she shook her head and smiled. "Uh-huh."
She was adorably cute as she sat there shoving food in her face. "What is it about it? I really couldn't imagine ever having pizza without it."
"It's the taste. The whole entire pizza ends up tasting like it. Not to mention the pool of grease that sits in your stomach afterward, along with all the extra calories that I don't need added to an already high-calorie meal."
"So, are you telling me you won't kiss me tonight because of pepperoni?" I leaned forward, blowing kisses her way. She shoved me away as she laughed out loud.
"I never said that."
"Well, that's a good thing, because I don't know how the hell I would help you work off all those extra calories you just consumed if you won't kiss me." I winked at her, leaned in, and met her lips.
Once I was finished, I set my plate on the small table in front of us and leaned back, kicking my feet up on the coffee table. I dropped my head back and closed my eyes for a moment, then I looked over to Sophie to see her face had grown serious.
"Is something wrong?"
Sophie shook her head and cleared her throat. "I have something I want to ask you," she bit out.
"Okay."
I studied her face as the difficulty of whatever it was that she was going to ask etched over it. "Don't feel pressured to say it’s okay. If you are pissed off and upset with me, just tell me okay.”
I frowned. I had no clue what she was talking about. I had literally left her in bed naked, writhing from a third orgasm this morning, when that call had come in, and I had spent the afternoon at the office. "Sophie, what is it?"
"Before all this started, before I had signed the agreement and the NDA, I sort of told Jenna about this. It's been eating at me since the other night. That was why I was so stuck on taking our own vehicles and why I was somewhat upset when we had gotten home."
I tipped my head back and closed my eyes tightly as she spoke. It certainly wasn't what I wanted to hear, to know that someone knew what was going on between us.
"I'm sorry. I needed her help to shop and things. I was so nervous, and I never really thought that you would make me sign anything, but now I'm afraid that if you were to find out any other way, you'll be even more pissed off with me than you probably are right now. Please, Chase, don't hate me."
I sat there with my eyes closed trying to contemplate why I wasn't severely pissed off with her at this moment. I wasn't angry that her best friend knew. I also wasn't pissed that Matt probably knew too. I was shocked that with that revelation there was still nothing more that I wanted to do than to still be here with her. I let out the breath I was holding and looked over to her. She sat there, completely unsure of herself, biting on her thumb as I considered what I should tell her. When I saw the tear leave her eye, I quickly decided I needed to say something to her to calm her nerves.
I sat forward and placed my hand on her knee. "It's okay. Don't worry about it. I am sure that the information isn't going to go anywhere." I shrugged.
"So you aren't going to sue me?"
I let out a loud laugh. "No, Sophie, I'm not. However, you are going to owe me."
Her eyes lit up with surprise, catching me off guard. "What...what do you want?" she asked, biting her lower lip. "I have a little bit of money in investments. You can have that."
I let out a laugh at her suggestion. "I don't want money.” I laughed. “Instead, I'd like it if you join me Sunday night."
"What for?"
"Sunday night is family dinner night. You, my dear, are going to join me."
She let out a laugh as she shook her head. "I don't think so, Chase."
"You don't think so?"
She shook her head. "I don't want to give your brothers the wrong idea."
"The wrong idea? Hell. But it’s okay you told Jenna?"
She thought for a few moments, every once in a while glancing at me. "Okay, you might be able to sway me."
"What might you want?" I questioned, studying the playful look in her eyes.
She didn't say anything. Instead, she got up off the couch, turned the TV off, peeled off her shirt, throwing it to the floor, and started walking down the hall to the bedroom, stopping to turn and look back at me as she reached behind her and unclasped her bra. Instantly, my cock hardened and I reached for the lamp, shutting it off, and ran down the hall after her.
17
Sophie
I trailed behind Chase as he climbed up the front steps of Hunter's home and rang the bell. We heard a loud commotion inside, and then the door opened and Kaylee and Paige came bounding out the front door. They grabbed Chase by the legs, hugging him. I couldn't help but laugh at the excitement in their faces as they hugged their uncle. My heart warmed as he bent down and wrapped his arms around them both, tickling them. They squealed with laughter, and once he had let them go, they both looked up at me.
"Who's that, Uncle Chase?"
"This, girls, is my friend Sophie. Do you remember her? She came and helped me get the gum out of your hair?" Both of the girls laughed and laughed, and then they went running into the house calling out that we had arrived.
"Come on, in you go," Chase said, as he walked down the stairs, placed his hand on my lower back, and guided me in.
"Hey, Chase," Autumn called and came over to greet us. On her hip she carried the newest addition to the family.
Chase leaned in for a hug, kissing her on the cheek. "How is Jessica feeling?" he asked, leaning down, and kissing the forehead of the baby she was carrying.
"A little better. No fever today," she said, brushing the baby’s hair off her forehead.
"That's good."
"You must be Sophie," she greeted me with a smile, and then looked between Chase and me. "Would you mind holding Jessica while I get dinner on the table?"
"Oh no, I'm completely—" I couldn't even get the words out of my mouth before Jessica was plopped into my arms. I looked to Chase and then to the baby, and then to the back of Autumn who was already disappearing into the kitchen.
"Chase, I—I don't know...Here, you take her," I begged, holding Jessica out to him.
"No way. It will be good practice for you. You've got this." He grinned.
I could feel the panic starting to climb inside of me when we heard a booming hello from behind us. I turned in time to see Hunter come around the corner and shake hands with his brother. They exchanged a few words, while I stood paralyzed looking down at Jessica.
"Hey, Sophie, how you doing?" Hunter asked.
"I'm good, and you?"
"Good. Sorry, it’s pretty crazy around here today. Are you ready to eat? Autumn has been cooking all day."
"Starved," I said, repositioning a wiggling Jessica in my arms just in time for her to throw up right down the front of my shirt.
"Oh, God, so sorry about that," Hunter said, stepping in and taking her from me as I fought back puking myself.
Autumn came out of the kitchen carrying two bowls and took one look at me. "Oh, dear...come with me. I will get you another shirt." Autumn set the bowls down on the table and signaled for me to follow her as she started climbing the stairs.
Chase smiled at me and nodded as I followed Autumn upstairs. By the time I had gotten to the top of the landing, she had already found me a T-shirt, grabbed a towel from the hall closet, and showed me to the washroom. "Come on down when you are ready. I am so sorry about that. She has been feeling unwell for a few days."
"It's okay, no worries."
Autumn smiled at me and went back downstairs. I walked into the washroom and shut the door behind me and turned to look at myself in the mirror. My hands shook as I undid the buttons of my
blouse. I ran the cloth under the water and cleaned my chest, then I filled the sink with warm water and soaked the blouse, working at the spot to get it clean. I slipped the T-shirt Autumn had loaned me on, rang the blouse out, and looked at my reflection in the mirror.
Who the hell was I kidding? I had no clue what the hell I was going to do with a baby. I was completely uncomfortable even holding her, and if I couldn’t even hold a baby, what the hell was I going to do with my own. I slammed my hands down on the counter and without warning the tears began to fall. I closed my eyes, and for the first time ever I began silently praying that I didn't end up getting pregnant.
A knock on the door startled me. I swallowed hard and turned the tap on, filling my hand with water and taking a sip. "Be out in a minute," I called, wiping the tears from my cheeks.
"Sophie, it’s just me. Everything okay?" Chase called out. "You've been up here a while. Everyone was getting concerned."
I took a deep breath and opened the door. Chase stood there, smiling, looking sexy as hell. As soon as he took a look at me and saw I'd been crying, the smile disappeared from his face. "What is wrong?"
He pushed me back and stepped into the bathroom, shutting the door behind him to give us privacy. As soon as he turned back to face me, I lunged forward, wrapping my arms around him and burying my face in his neck.
"Hey...hey...what is it?" he soothed as he wrapped his arms around me and pulled me against him, trying his best to comfort me.
I couldn't answer him. My throat was tight, and all I could do was cry. I cried because, no matter what anyone said, I was going to miss having Chase around the house. I was going to miss our nights together, our days together. I couldn't truthfully say I'd miss him because he was my best friend and he would always play a strong part in my life. I was more upset with myself, that I had allowed my feelings to take hold, and that in some strange way, I had fallen for him, and somewhere in those few minutes that I had held that baby, the realization came to me: I had decided to have a baby and deny that baby his father. Even though he said he wanted no part of it, I still didn't feel that it was fair. Regardless, Chase held me while I cried, and when I finally pulled away, he looked down into my eyes.
"Are you okay?"
"I will be. Sorry, I guess I was just feeling a little panicked. I was embarrassed," I lied.
"Hey, no problem. I get it. Hunter and Autumn get it. But I came up to tell you dinner is ready. So come on. You can leave your blouse soaking and come up and get it afterward."
"No, no, it’s okay. I will just fold it up and ask Autumn for a bag. You'll have to return her shirt to her."
"No worries. Come on." He waited until I folded my wet blouse, took my hand, and together we walked downstairs.
We drove back from Hunter and Autumn's in silence. We had enjoyed a great meal and talked for hours afterward, ending the evening with a game of cards. Chase pulled into the parking lot and cut the engine. He climbed out of the car and came around to open my door.
"Come, I'll walk you to the door," he said, holding his hand out for me to take. We walked hand in hand, and when we stopped outside the main door, I leaned in and kissed his cheek.
As soon as I backed away, he quickly stepped in and met my lips, kissing me hard. He was supposed to be going home tonight, but instead it only took me a few moments before I invited him up for a good-bye drink. As soon as the elevator opened on my floor, I found myself pressed up against the wall and Chase pressed into me. With his hands in my hair, his lips on mine, I eventually guided him down the hall and into my condo. The minute the door was shut, he took over, pulling my shirt over my head, picking me up, and wrapping my legs around his waist and carrying me to the bedroom.
I lay on my left side staring out at the lights of the city. We had made love long into the wee hours of the morning. I still hadn't slept—I couldn't—and I glanced at the clock to see that it was almost five. I would have to get up soon.
Chase lay beside me snoring gently, his one arm under my neck, his other resting gently across my waist. I hadn't been able to stop thinking about the feel of his hands as they caressed my body, or the way he gripped me tighter as he sank himself deeply into me. I couldn't forget the way he looked at me, the words he had whispered or the way he called my name as his muscles tightened, for the first time, as he came.
I smiled to myself at the memory and laced my fingers between his, bringing his hand up to my lips, kissing him. He stirred and pulled me closer to him. "What is it? Everything okay?" he whispered, placing a kiss on my bare shoulder, pulling me back tighter against him.
"Yes. Go back to sleep," I whispered, snuggling against him. Within seconds, he was breathing against my shoulder, lightly snoring again. As soon as I said those words, it hit me like a train.
In a few short hours, we would be over. Even though I knew the single Chase, I also knew that no matter what type of relationship he was in at the time, he was totally committed. I started wondering what it would be like to be with him like this forever. Every night coming home after a long day and curling against him. I couldn't help but watch him with his nieces tonight, how much they loved him, and how much he loved them. He had gotten down on the floor with them after dinner and allowed them to crawl all over him until Hunter had finally called them off.
I wondered what he would be like as a father, wondered if he would change and be like his brothers if someone really caught his eye. I let out a deep breath. There was no point in wishing it were me who caught his eye because it would never become reality. We had made the agreement. There was no going back on it now.
In the morning, Chase would be gone and our lives would return to normal. He would go back home, back to his single life, and to the women who waited for him. I would go back to tax returns and boring dates, and perhaps in nine months the pitter-patter of tiny feet. I had no right to be sad; this was what I had wanted. Yet when I closed my eyes, I had to fight all the thoughts out of my mind and try to get at least a half hour of sleep before I had to get up and start my day.
18
Chase
It had been six weeks since I had left Sophie's. Life had returned to a new normal for me. I sat in my office, files sprawled all over my desktop. I was trying to work my way through the pile before I left for the afternoon. I had been busy and had spent the better part of the last few weeks in client meetings. I had been in contract negotiations with two clients who seemed to take joy in not being able to agree on anything.
"Fuck," I said out loud with a huff as I slapped the file down on my desk, hung up my phone, and checked my watch. I'd have loved to blame my clients for all of my stress, but that wouldn't have been fair because they weren't the reason I was stressing. As a matter of fact, I should be thanking them because they had kept me busy enough to keep my mind off the true stressor: Sophie. I had been thankful at first, but now it seemed both were getting on my nerves.
I got up and shut the door to my office. It was loud in the hall, and I was just about to make a call to my three o'clock appointment to reschedule, since I still didn't have all of the information from them that I had requested. I had just begun to dial when someone knocked on my door.
"Come in," I called, sitting the phone back into the cradle.
"Hey, man. How are things?" Hunter asked as he sat down across from me.
"They're fine, I guess," I answered, letting out an irritated huff.
"What's wrong? Is it the case you're working on?" he asked, spinning the file around and taking a look.
"That and a few other things. I swear these clients just revel in agreeing to disagree, and the other ones haven't provided me with all the information I asked for over a week ago."
"Come on, you aren't new. You know what people are like. If everyone agreed, we wouldn't have a job. As for the information, just keep billing them for every hour that they waste. They will eventually get tired of paying your fee and get you what you need. However, I don't think that is the only thing that i
s bothering you." He spun the file back around and sat back in his chair.
"It's not."
"Well, what is it?"
I let out a breath and put my hands behind my head. "How long does it normally take to find out if you're pregnant?"
Hunter let out a laugh. "It’s not something you should be worrying about, Chase. You won't ever be pregnant."
I looked at Hunter as he continued to laugh at his own poor excuse of a joke. "You know what I mean. Shouldn't Sophie know by now? I mean her medical appointment was this morning, and it’s been almost four weeks."
"She might know, she may not. Have you asked her?"
I shook my head, running my hand over my face. "No."
"Well, instead of sitting here torturing yourself, you should try that. In my experience, that is the best way to get an answer. What are you doing for lunch?"
"I already ate. I ordered in."
"All right, man, I'll talk with you later. Call her, ask her, and put an end to your suffering."
"Yep, I'm calling," I said, picking up the phone.
Hunter waved at me and shut the door behind him, leaving me with a quiet office and my own thoughts. I dialed her cell phone and sat there listening to it ring. "Come on, pick up," I whispered. I jumped when I heard her voice, but the excitement eased when I realized it was her voice mail requesting that I leave a message and she would return my call within a day. I threw my cell phone down on the desk and ran my hand over my face. Fuck, I couldn't wait a day. I dialed her home line instead, only to arrive to the same conclusion—a damn voice mail.
I let out a huff, picked up my coffee cup, and made my way down the hall to the employee lounge. A fresh pot of coffee had just finished brewing, thanks to my wonderful assistant, and I poured myself a fresh cup.
"Hey, Chase. How have you been?" I heard a familiar voice ask.
I turned in time to see Chelsea walk into the lounge and sit down at the table. Chelsea and I had dated once or twice over the past year—nothing serious, just a fun romp or two when we were both lonely. Not one of my wisest moves, since we had a rule at our firm that we didn't mix business with pleasure.
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