Chasing Strength: A Harper Family Romance

by Stopper, Nancy

  “I wasn’t as bad as that asshole, but I was a lot like guys at FitzGeralds. Looking for a good time, drinking beer, and hooking up with women.” Shoot, that had been his modus operandi until not too long ago. Until Robin’s death had given him insight he hadn’t had before… and a new mission.

  “Sounds like most guys under thirty, and quite a few over thirty, too. You grew up. I would hope that most people do… eventually.”

  Except maybe the asshole at FitzGeralds. And the one on the sidewalk today. There just weren’t enough nice guys in the world for his liking. But that Alexis saw him as more than that meant something. In the little time he had spent with Alexis, she’d wiggled her way into his life in a way no one had in a long time. He wanted to share more with her, to unburden himself from the pain that he had been carrying. “It wasn’t just that.” He stopped as the pain behind his sternum grew. This was harder than he thought. “I have, um, I had a sister.”

  She picked up immediately on his word choice and pain etched her features, as if she knew what was coming.

  “Her name was Robin.” He couldn’t keep the smile from his face as he remembered his sister, her honey-blond hair curling around her face and her eyes twinkling with excitement. It had taken a while, but he could finally picture some of the good times they’d shared without them being colored by the ugly way in which her life ended. “She was great. It was just the two of us after my, er, our parents died. But then… she died.”

  “Oh, Chris. I’m so sorry.”

  The raw pain that pierced his heart each time he talked about her death was a big reason he kept Robin to himself. But the genuineness of her sympathy had him spilling his guts. “Let’s just say after she died, I reevaluated a lot of things about my life. Every time I see a guy acting like that toward a woman, I picture Robin… and I get angry. I can’t sit by and watch a man abuse a woman. Not anymore.”

  She rested her other hand on their joined ones, wrapping them in her comfort. He hadn’t realized how much he needed that touch until he felt her strength flowing through him. Robin had been a hugger and while he’d rolled his eyes each time she insisted on a clutch, he missed those moments of physical connection.

  For now, with Alexis, this would have to do. No promises when he had her on his bike again or when he dropped her off at home tonight. He had been fighting his erection from the moment she’d pressed her back to his on the bike and taken the long way to West Chester just so he could feel her against him longer.

  A few minutes later, he settled up their bill and led Alexis out of the patio. He reached for her and she slipped her hand in his, their fingers folding together as though it was the most natural thing in the world. Hand in hand, they took their sweet time strolling the streets of West Chester, while he looked for any excuse to extend their time together before they headed back to Cedar Hill.

  Eventually, as the sun dipped toward the horizon, coloring the sky in a rainbow of reds and pinks, he led Alexis to his bike. She climbed on behind him, her legs hugging his, her hands on his waist, and his cock twitched. Damn, it was gonna be a long ride... and he was gonna enjoy every fucking minute of it.

  But she was still too far away from him. He wanted to feel every part of her. He hooked his hand behind her ass, tugging her until she was snug against him, her breasts pillowed against his back and her arms teasing his belly. Her chuckle filled the air as he fired up the engine and pointed the bike toward home.

  Her arms tightened around him with every curve, her hands brushing against his abs. He could feel the heat of her skin through his T-shirt and it stirred a feeling deep in his gut.

  With the sun gone and the crisp air turning cool, he kicked the bike up a gear. The trip back didn’t take nearly as long, and before he knew it, he was coasting to a stop in front of her house. She stayed on the bike after he shut off the engine, as if she wanted to extend their day as much as he did. He searched his mind for something, anything to say, but he finally felt her weight shift as she climbed off.

  He followed suit and she linked her fingers with his, squeezing tight before she led him down the walk and onto the stoop. There was no traffic on her small street, and the only sounds filling the air were the gentle calls of the spring peepers in the trees that were silhouetted in the moonlight.

  He wasn’t complaining.

  When she reached the door, she stopped. Each move felt as if the world had slowed until it was just the two of them.

  He didn’t want the day to end like this, saying goodbye on the porch. But it was important for her to decide how and when she wanted more from their relationship. She needed to trust that he would never do anything to hurt her. But his body hadn’t gotten the message, and he sucked in a breath to calm his growing erection.

  He stood one step down on her porch and when she turned to him, her eyes were perfectly lined up with his. Her gaze dropped to his mouth as she reached for him, and that was all the invitation he needed. His arms slid to her waist and her arms snaked around his neck as their mouths met. Their kiss was a clash of lips and tongues, giving and taking, an explosion between them. He poured all of the tension that had been building from the moment Alexis had opened the door today into that kiss.

  One kiss turned into two, and he tilted his head to gain better access. Her hands tightened around his neck, and it took everything he had to keep from lifting her up and carrying her into the house, not stopping until he laid her on her bed and made love to her.

  He’d never thought twice about sleeping with a woman he was attracted to before now. But it was too soon, and he didn’t want to ruin what was turning out to be a good thing. She deserved better. After one more heated kiss, he reluctantly pulled away, his lips aching to feel her against him again. He stepped down to the sidewalk, putting much needed distance between them. “Good night, Alexis.”

  Chapter 8

  The thump of the basketball on the pavement soothed Chris’s raw nerves—the steady rhythm, the slap against his palm as he debated breaking right or left. Zach bounced on the balls of his feet, ready to pounce either way. Chris faked left, caught Zach off balance, and then sprinted right. One bounce and two strides later and he was laying the ball into the hoop, leaving Zach behind.

  His buddy rested his hands on his knees, sweat dripping off his forehead as he heaved in a deep breath. “We’re getting too old for this, man.”

  “You, maybe,” Chris quipped as he dribbled. “Too many drinks and not enough sleep will do that to you every time.”

  Zach straightened, pulled his T-shirt off, and mopped at his brow. “Speaking of which, what happened to you the other night? I mean, we finally get you to come out, and I turn around and you’re just gone.”

  “What do you mean?” Chris knew exactly what Zach was alluding to, but he hadn’t expected to get the third degree when he met up with his buddy for their weekly basketball game. Usually it was four to six of them, and he figured Zach wouldn’t bring it up. But the rest of the guys had begged off, leaving Chris to fend for himself.

  Zach pointed at Chris. “I knew it, man. You hooked up. Who was it? Was it the brunette that was eyeing you from the end of the bar?”

  “I did not hook up.” But he had met a woman, one who had him turned completely upside down. Zach was one of the few who knew everything about Robin and how Chris had changed since she was murdered. If anyone could help him sort through the jumble of feelings in his mind right now, it was Zach. “But I did meet someone.”

  Zach grabbed a towel out of his duffel and scrubbed over his face. He motioned for Chris to sit, but he was too antsy. Pacing helped him organize his thoughts.

  “Do you remember the blond on the dance floor?”

  “The one with the douche who couldn’t keep his hands off of her?” A crude but accurate description.

  Chris’s blood still boiled when he pictured that asshole manhandling Alexis with little regard to what she actually wanted. “That’s the one. I saw him dragging her toward the door. She
didn’t look like she wanted to go… Carl was out back so Dylan asked me to intervene.”

  “Man, you should have grabbed me. I would have had your back.”

  “I know you would have, but it wasn’t necessary. I got her away from him.” Chris didn’t mention that the asshole had taken a swing and Chris had flattened him in the process. “And then I took her home.”

  Zach’s head snapped up. “You drove her home? Why didn’t you call her an Uber?”

  “There was something about her… a fear in her eyes. I just couldn’t hand her over and hope she’d be okay. She passed out as soon as she walked in the door, so I wrote her a note and left.” The short recitation of events didn’t even scratch the surface of the impact that night had had on him.

  “I sense an ‘and’ coming.” Zach threw him a Gatorade and Chris chugged half the bottle.

  “She called me. The next day.” Okay, he’d eased into this long enough. It was time to rip off the bandage in a single stroke. “We met for lunch and yesterday I took her out on the bike.”

  Zach hopped to his feet. “I thought you didn’t let anyone ride with you.”

  Chris threw Zach a “well, duh” look. “There is something about her that’s, I don’t know, wounded. But she’s so much more than that. She’s got this great laugh and she’s a writer. She actually used to intern at the paper when she was in high school.”

  “Wow, I think you actually like this girl.” A huge smile grew on his buddy’s face as he mocked Chris and laid his hand over his heart. “Aw, our little boy is growing up.”

  Chris chucked his towel at his buddy. “I do, but nothing can come of it. I mean, it would probably be good for a while, but in the end, she’ll want more from me than I can give and it’ll end badly, so why should I bother?”

  “Man, that’s messed up. Sure, you’ve had more than your share of shit happen and add to that what we see on the job, it’s no wonder you’re jaded. But there is a lot of good in the world and it sounds as though you found someone you should take a chance on.”

  “I don’t know. I’m just not sure it’s worth it.”

  Zach flung the towel back at Chris’s face. “I consider it my mission to show you that it is. I don’t know about you, but I could use some caffeine. How about we head over to Java? Maybe that cute barista is working today.” Zach waggled his eyebrows as he stood and slung his duffel over his shoulder.

  Chris chuckled. Leave it to his friend to lighten the mood.

  Thirty minutes later, Chris fiddled with the collar around his paper cup while he waited for Zach. His buddy had indeed run into the barista of his dreams. Chris wished he could be like that again—chatting up a woman as if he didn’t have a care in the world.

  Isn’t that what he’d done with Alexis? Somehow, being around her reminded him of how he used to be before; as Zach had so deftly put it, he’d become jaded. He’d opened up and talked about things he rarely shared with anyone. He trusted her in a way he didn’t trust many people.

  Zach collapsed into the chair opposite him, his feet spread wide, and brought his cup to his mouth.

  “Did you get her number?” Chris asked as he sipped from his own cup, his gaze landing on a couple walking toward him from the next block. He couldn’t quite make out the woman, but she reminded him of Alexis. Shoot, now random women on the street were making him think of Alexis. Was this a sign?

  “Not yet, but I’m getting closer. I think she’s stringing me along for a while, but I’ll get it.” Zach grinned.

  “Or maybe she just doesn’t like you.”

  Zach slapped his hand to his chest. “Me? Never.”

  Chris’s gaze darted over Zach’s shoulder again to that couple he spotted. He wasn’t imagining things. That was Alexis… smiling and laughing with a man. And then she slipped her hand through his elbow and leaned into his side.

  A pain grew in his chest as he recognized the intimate gesture. Alexis had a boyfriend. He should have known. A woman that sexy, that easy to talk to… Of course, she was dating someone. But if she was, why had she gone on a date with him? Or kissed him!

  Zach spun around and then turned back. “Man, what is up with you? I can’t remember the last time I saw that look on your face.”

  “That’s her.”

  “That’s who?” Zach’s eyes widened as he connected the dots. He craned his neck. “Who’s she with?”

  “How in the hell should I know?” Chris raised his hand, expecting at least an acknowledgement of his presence. She shot him a curious look but didn’t return the wave. Of course, she didn’t want her boyfriend to know that she’d been out with someone else. Dammit, he’d been played—and he’d fallen for it. Hook, line, and sinker. He’d let her in and told her things he didn’t share with anyone. And all the while, she was dating someone else.

  The couple walked closer, and he waved again. She was going to at least acknowledge him. She didn’t have to tell the other man that they’d shared a steamy kiss on the porch. Or that she’d had her body wrapped around his for hours yesterday. What she did in her other relationship was her own business.

  Alexis tilted her head, as though considering something, and then offered a weak wave. As she passed him, he called out. “Alexis?”

  She and the man stopped short and her eyes widened... and then she flashed him a huge smile. “Oh… I’m Serena. Alexis is my twin sister.”

  Chris’s jaw dropped and he leapt to his feet. Alexis had talked about her family… a lot. Not once did she mention that little tidbit. A twin? Imagine the irony.

  He studied the woman in front of him. Up close, he could tell that she wasn’t Alexis. Oh, yeah, they looked alike. But Alexis wore her hair a bit longer. And they carried themselves differently. Plus, Serena was obviously involved with the man at her side, if the sparkling diamond on her finger was any indication.

  Holy shit. Zach was right. No way would Chris have reacted this way if he didn’t really like Alexis.

  The woman’s eyes widened. “You’re the—”

  He nodded, not sure what Alexis had told her sister about him, and wanting to cut her off before she revealed too much to his buddy.

  Her excitement palpable, she thrust out her hand. “I’m Serena. Serena Harper. And this is my fiancé Chase Foster.”

  Chris shook Serena’s hand and then offered his to Chase. “Chris Kennedy. I work at the Gazette. Nice to meet you, Chase. I’ve been following your work for years.”

  “Thanks. Good to meet you. Serena told me about—”

  Serena slapped Chase across the chest. That answered his question. Clearly Alexis had shared something about Chris with her twin. And she’d told her fiancé.

  “We were just going to grab a coffee, but it was really nice to meet you, Chris.” Serena dragged Chase toward the door.

  “You, too, Serena.”

  Serena had her phone out of her pocket before she’d taken two steps. No doubt Alexis would be hearing about this meeting in no time.

  “She’s hot, man. If she looks like that, I wouldn’t kick her out of bed.”

  Chris’s heart slammed in his chest. Zach had no business objectifying anyone, especially Alexis, that way. “Why do you talk about women like that?”

  Zach shrugged. “Like what? I was just saying that if her sister looks anything like that woman, she’s hot.”

  “There’s a lot more to her than her appearance. If you took fifteen minutes to actually talk to a woman about something other than how sexy she is and what you want to do to her in bed, you’d figure that out for yourself. What if Robin’s killer talked to her that way? What if he picked her up by flattering her? What if he treated her as though she was just a piece of meat?” Chris clenched and unclenched his fists as the words poured out.

  Zach raised both hands in surrender. “Sorry. I didn’t think. You’re right. But…” He hesitated, like the words coming next tasted bitter on his tongue. “We used to be the dynamic duo. Love ‘em and leave ‘em.”

  “W
ell, I’ve changed. And you should, too. Right now, the only woman I’m interested in is Alexis.” There, he’d said it. And the words didn’t stick in his throat.

  Zach slapped his hand on Chris’s back. “This is good. If Alexis can pull you out of that funk and get you back out there again, then I like her already. Who knows… maybe you two will fall in love.”

  Chris downed the last drop of coffee and crumpled the cup. Love? Maybe, maybe not. But it was a possibility.

  Chapter 9

  Dark ink still colored the night sky when the muse nudged Alexis awake early the next morning. It had been so long since she’d been inspired to put words on paper that she hopped out of bed, showered and fed Bandit, and was in her chair before the sun crested the trees.

  She opened up her manuscript and scrolled to the last chapter she’d written. It had been more than a week and she felt pretty detached from the story. If she didn’t immerse herself in her scene, become one with her characters, there was no chance she could continue where she’d left off. Today, it wasn’t long before her fingers took flight as a scene unfolded in front of her.

  Nighttime slithered up on Sarah like a venomous snake when she stepped out of her broken-down car, stranded on the side of a road. Recent news of a serial killer on the loose lingered at the forefront of her mind. Long shadows darkened the pavement, the wind giving them life like spirits of the dead. She looked left, then right, contemplating which direction to head. Damn her cell phone battery—it had died a few miles back.

  As the words landed on the page, darkness crept into her mind. When she was a child, she’d loved reading mysteries and thrillers—the rapid pace of the suspense when a villain chased a character, the hero who always prevailed at the end.

  But when her own life had taken on the darkness like the stories she read, she had set them aside. The irony wasn’t lost on her that the cathartic pouring out of her issues on the page in the form of a dark thriller had been the story that sold.