A noise down the hall drew her attention and she saw Chase pull a tight corner. Putting the photo back where she found it, she jetted down the hall in her heels. She was going to figure out what was going on with this mysterious Chase, but at the moment, she really just wanted to find him and explain herself.
Chapter Ten
“Chase,” Tarrah called.
He kept walking.
She quickly caught up and grabbed his arm. He whipped around and shrugged. She could tell he was pissed.
“What, Tarrah? You got my attention. Now what do you want?”
He spoke so stoically that it took Tarrah back, but he had a right to be upset, she supposed. She was sleeping with his brother on the holidays, so she gave him the benefit of the doubt. “I just… I just wanted to explain—”
He gave a short laugh. “Explain what, Tarrah? My brother’s your hook-up. What’s to explain about that?”
His voice was so cold. “Chase…at the bank you said this wasn’t a big deal.” She didn’t know what else to say. It was true.
His brows shot up. “Yeah, well, Tarrah, that’s before I found out you were fucking my brother.”
She actually cringed at his stinging words. “Why are you calling it that?” she whispered.
His lips formed a hard line. “Because that’s what it is, Tarrah, when you have sex with someone without attachment. It’s fucking and that’s all it is.”
She swallowed hard. He made it sound so dirty. She didn’t understand. Earlier, he said it wasn’t a big deal. He’d been so nice to her, and now, he was acting like the biggest d-bag on the planet. She knew her situation was bad, but she didn’t deserve this. Not one bit, and she was going to let him know that. “You know, what? Screw you!”
“Screw me?” He pointed to himself.
Tarrah’s face blazed molten. “Yeah. You come across as this nice guy when, in reality, you’re just a huge asshole. It was probably all an act so you could get in my pants.” Tarrah didn’t mean that last bit, but she was so mad she said it before she could stop herself.
He shook his head at her. “No, Tarrah, and I think Swan has that covered and whoever your other lays are for your other holidays.”
Tarrah gasped.
“You probably have New Year’s covered, Halloween, and god only knows how many you have for Valentine’s Day.”
It took all Tarrah had in her not to slap him across his face. “You don’t know the first fucking thing about me.”
He cocked his head to the side. “Actually, fucking is about the only thing I do know about you.”
Tarrah’s eyes watered and before she said something she was going to regret, she turned on her heels and fled the room.
Chapter Eleven
Tarrah washed the tears from her eyes in the Stewart’s bathroom. Chase didn’t know the first thing about her, not the first fucking thing. He didn’t know her situation. He didn’t know her at all, and he’d already summed up that she was a whore. Well, she didn’t care what he thought. She was going to bang his brother and it was going to be damn good too, like it was every year.
She left the bathroom with her head held high and heard Missy make the call for dinner. Swanson and the others left the great room down the hall and she quickly stepped up to him. She witnessed Chase coming from the hall he just bitched her out in and she gave him a smug look before placing her hand on Swanson’s shoulder.
“Hey, girl.” He kissed her neck and grabbed her ass again, leading her into the dining room.
She got great satisfaction when she saw Chase’s cheeks flame red and his lips purse. She’d gotten the upper hand and she was going to bask in it.
Swanson led her into the dining room where the whole Stewart clan sat at the grandiose table. The spread was just as amazing as last year, but Tarrah barely took notice of it. She was too busy putting her hands all over Swanson under the table.
“God, you’re feisty this year, Tarrah,” he whispered in her ear, giving her lobe a brief nibble.
She giggled obnoxiously, noticing Chase’s eyes were anywhere but where she and Swanson were at the moment. She knew his attention was there, though. Every time she let out a giggle his jaw clenched and his eyes narrowed a fraction more.
“Beverages?”
Missy came into the room with two platters. The first was frosted glasses of frothy cider with a cinnamon stick and a sprig of holly. The second were mugs of hot chocolate with whipped cream on the top and a chocolate chip cookie stick sitting inside.
Tarrah reached for her usual cider.
“Are you sure you want that, Tarrah?”
Her eyes shot to Chase’s smug grin across the table.
“It might be a little too chilled for you. I bet you prefer your beverages hot, right? Like everything you do. I think the hot chocolate would be best.”
She bit her lip, her nostrils flaring. But then, she smiled. “You know what, Chase?” She reached for the hot chocolate. “You’re right. I much prefer hot chocolate.” She slightly nodded to Swanson. “But my problem with the cider isn’t the chill. I just don’t really care for the apple flavoring. Perhaps,” she said, shrugging, “it’s the apples. Red. A rather off-putting color. Don’t you think?”
His expression remained stoic. “Actually, I thought you liked red. Not only is your dress the color, but I believed you tended to enjoy it in other ways.” He ran his hand through his hair, then scanned her lips, just biting his own.
Tarrah’s heart leaped. How did she go from completely hating him to wanting to jump him in 2.5 seconds flat?
Having got the reaction he seemed to be looking for, Chase smiled and started in on his stuffing.
Huh, well two can play this game. She placed her fingers to her lips and slid her hand casually down her breast, giving it the slightest of squeezes before taking her hand down under the table. She didn’t touch herself at all, but she gave the illusion that she was. With every fake touch she pulled her lip in between her teeth, her eyes lidded and her body simulating breathlessness.
Chase took notice. She could tell he was breathing rapidly. His chest was going in and out so quickly she thought he might pass out. He would glance away from her, but then his eyes would quickly veer back. As she continued her “touches” she grew just as turned on as he was. It was then she realized something. They were having mental sex. They were both mentally banging each other across the table in a crowded room of Stewarts! But hell if the two of them cared at the moment. They continued to watch each other, both of them breathing rapidly. When his eyes would close, hers would, too. When her breaths would hike, his would, as well. And when he leaned back, watching her with fire in his eyes, she knew he was about to “touch” himself, too.
Tarrah gulped hard. It took all she had in herself not to run over to other side of the table, grab Chase, and go have her way with him. She was about to stand to snatch him up, when she felt Swanson’s lips at her ear.
“Fruitcake time, girl.”
Chapter Twelve
Tarrah didn’t even hear the call for fruitcake. Hell, she didn’t even know she missed dinner. All she knew was that she just had the greatest sex in her life and she wasn’t even really having sex! And now she was being dragged out to the shed by Swanson to go get the “ice cream” that he always got to go with the fruitcake. He took his leave to get it and then she left a few moments later, like they always did, so no one would notice that they were headed to the same destination.
Tarrah was so confused. She didn’t know what was happening. One moment she was wonderfully, mentally indulged with Chase and now she was physically with Swanson. Chase probably thought she broke their erotic holiday dinner moment to go “finish herself,” so he didn’t look suspicious at all when she left. Could she really do this? Could she really go through with this with Swanson? Chase clearly wanted her, right? He sure was acting like he did. Nevertheless, the things he said earlier couldn’t escape her mind. He pretty much called her a whore. Why would he want
to be with a whore? No. He didn’t want her and she didn’t want him, either. She wanted her lay. That was all she wanted. She and Swanson had an understanding, just as he’d said, and nothing more. She liked it that way. That was how it was supposed to be every Christmas Eve. Nothing more.
Swanson quickly got to work on her the minute the shed door was closed. It was nice and toasty in there. He must have gotten the space heater going earlier.
His strong hands ran up her thighs and slid her dress up until the material was bunched above her tummy. “God, these are so hot, Tarrah.” He breathed against her neck, his hand inside one of her thigh highs.
That was the compliment she wanted, right? That was why she wore them, because she knew he liked them. She never usually wore stuff like that. Georgia was right. Tarrah was a nerd. A big ole’ nerd who wore sweater-sets and flats, not stilettos and thigh highs. Why did she feel she had to impress him with these outfits? Why did these things matter? Would they matter to Chase?
“I have no idea why no one has snatched you up yet. You taste so sweet.” Swanson nipped at her ear, sucking her lobe.
Why wasn’t she with someone yet? Because she didn’t want to be. She stayed away from guys. She stayed in her books. She was a good girl. In fact, it was so rare she went out these days that Georgia was growing frustrated with her. Tarrah always said there was time for relationships after she graduated. But now graduation was around the corner. What would she do then?
Swanson propped her up on the white deep freezer, grasping her thighs, and pushing himself into her through his jeans. “God, you drive me crazy, Tarrah.”
He didn’t drive her crazy. Chase did. And, by god, she liked it. In fact, she loved that he drove her crazy. He was a challenge. He wasn’t easy and she adored that about him. Why was she out here with Swanson? Why was she doing this? She wanted Chase. She wanted him.
She grabbed Swanson’s hands, pulling them from her body. “Swan?”
He lifted his head from her neck. “What? What’s wrong?”
She sighed and hopped off the chest, pulling her dress back down. “I don’t want to do this, this year, Swan. Actually, I don’t want to do this anymore, at all.”
His brows knit and he stood there breathy. “Why? Did I do something?”
She shook her head. “It’s just…I think I met someone…or something.” Honestly, Tarrah didn’t know. She did know that he wasn’t the one she wanted to be with in that moment.
He nodded once. “I was wondering when this was going to happen.” And then he smiled.
*
Tarrah threw those stupid thigh highs in the trash, then ran through the Stewart’s once again, looking for Chase, but once again, she couldn’t find him. She found Georgia though, and what was weird was…she was holding Chase’s shirt.
Tarrah grabbed her arm. “Georgia, why do you have Chase’s shirt?”
She jumped and put her hand on her chest. “Oh, jeez, Tarrah.” She laughed. Taking her hand away, she then glanced at the shirt. “He took it off and gave it to me. Told me to give it to Swan.”
Tarrah squinted. “Why?”
Georgia shrugged. “I don’t know. He came from out back in a hurry, took the shirt off, gave it to me, then left.”
Tarrah felt like she was going to be sick. He’d seen her out there with Swanson. She and Chase had an intimate moment and then she smacked him in the face with it by going out back to bang his brother. “Where did he go, Georgia?”
“No idea. I actually thought he’d stay this year.” She frowned. “Aunt Sam is going to be pissed.”
Georgia started to walk off, but Tarrah grabbed her arm. “What do you mean?”
“Well, there’s a reason he’s never here. No one’s been very supportive of his decisions around here. We don’t mean to be that way, it’s just…” She huffed. “If you haven’t noticed we’re all a bunch of basketball freaks.”
Tarrah noticed.
“We just feel it’s a shame, I guess. He’s got the height and the game, but never desired to play. He was always into his science stuff.”
His pictures.
“Anyway, he pretty much ran away from us to get away from all the nagging. I’m guessing he’s probably headed to a hotel or something.”
Tarrah breathed hard. No wonder he didn’t want to talk about California. He left to go there to get away and the one time he finally came back, she’d sent him running for the hills. “Georgia, I made a huge mistake and I need your help.”
Chapter Thirteen
After explaining the whole situation to Georgia, the two quickly got to work on finding Chase. Georgia wasn’t mad about Swanson just like Tarrah had hoped she wouldn’t be. Georgia was just cool like that and said she’d suspected it for quite some time. Tarrah taking over thirty minutes to go to the “restroom” while Swanson conveniently took the same amount of time to get the “ice cream” was kind of a given, but Georgia knew they were just having fun and didn’t question either of them about it. Georgia really was a great roommate.
After pretty much calling every hotel in the area, they found him at number twenty-two on their list. Tarrah now stood outside Chase’s hotel room about to regurgitate everything she managed to eat at dinner. It wasn’t much, but it sure as hell felt like it was coming up now. She didn’t know what she was going to say to him. She just knew that this was where she was supposed to be and wherever this went she would run with it.
Tarrah knocked and waited in anticipation, trying to mentally calm herself with Christmas tunes. All thoughts left from her mind as she heard movement behind the door, but no motion was being made to open it. He was there. But he wasn’t letting her in.
She breathed in deeply. “Chase? Chase, I know you’re in there. I just want to talk. Please?”
She waited what felt like hours before the door opened. She smiled inside, pushing the door open the rest of the way. But when she opened it, he was nowhere in sight. He let her in, just didn’t bother staying at the door to see her. Tarrah grew even more nervous. He must have been furious at her. She’d done this to herself, though, so she bucked up and went inside.
She found him watching television on the sofa near the bed, and he was watching A Christmas Story…her favorite holiday movie.
She set her purse down, then took her coat off. After placing it on the back of the sofa, she sat down next to him. They watched the movie for a bit before he spoke.
“How was your lay?”
She deserved that. She knew she did. It still stung, though. “Chase?”
He glanced her way. “Why are you here, Tarrah?”
She turned so she faced him. She went to open her mouth, but then grabbed the remote and turned off the television. She wanted his complete attention. It was only after the T.V. was off that he finally gave it to her. “I want to spend Christmas Eve with you.”
He sighed. “So you get done with my brother and now you want me?”
She hated that he assumed the worst. She didn’t know exactly what he saw out in the shed, but she did know she wasn’t returning any of Swanson’s advances. “What do you think you know?”
He smirked. “Enough.”
“Do you really? Because if you did, you might not have run off so quickly. Why don’t you try asking me what happened before accusing me of something?”
He squinted at her, his brows knit. The longer he stared, the more his expression settled. “You didn’t sleep with him.” He let out a breath and put his head back.
Well, at least he knew the truth now. And now that he did, she no longer wanted to grovel for his attention. She told him what she wanted. He could do with it what he wished. She stood up, grabbed her stuff, then started to walk away.
His hand touched her wrist and she stopped. He stood slowly, his height well over hers like before.
She stared at him, seeing those beautiful sapphire eyes scan hers.
He slid his fingers to her wrists and looked down at them. “I just don’t understand what you
want.”
“I already told you. I want—”
“To spend Christmas Eve with me. I got that.”
Her eyebrows furrowed. “Then what do you mean?”
He sighed, gazing up at her from their hands. “As what?”
She shook her head, not understanding what he was getting at.
He put his hand to his chest. “I’m not going to be your next holiday fling, Tarrah. I could never settle for that, so what do you want with me?”
She thought about what he said and now understood. “That’s not what I want… for you to be my fling. I just… I just don’t know.”
He let go of her wrist. “Well, if you don’t know then we should just leave it at that.”
She tossed her stuff on the sofa. “Chase, I don’t know. I just don’t. I mean we’ve known each other for five hours at best. I had every intention of waking up this morning, dolling up, going to the Stewarts, and doing what I always do.”
He left her, walking over to the dresser. “Which is to get your lay.”
She joined him. “Yeah… but then I met you and things changed.”
“Have things really changed, Tarrah? Have they? Because it still seems to me like you don’t know what you want. Why do you do this every Christmas Eve? Why do you have to have your lay?”
She glanced away. “It’s… I just don’t know.” She had no straight answers to any of his questions.
He turned toward her, crossing her arms.
She rubbed her face, beyond frustrated. “I just know that here is where I’m supposed to be. I’m supposed to be with you because…”
“Because what?”
She closed her eyes. “Because on Christmas Eve you should be with the one you want to be with the most. And I want to be here. Where you are.”
Holiday Fling Page 3