“I do too. If I hear from him, I’ll let you know.”
“Thank you. Listen, your dad’s back, and we have dinner with the captain, so we need to get going. Love you, Chase.”
“Love you, son,” Dad calls from the background.
“Love you guys too. Have a good time. Enjoy yourselves.”
“We will. We’ll be home in a little over a week.”
“I’m a big boy, Mom,” I remind her. Something I feel as though I do more often than not. She then reminds me no matter how old I am, I’m still her baby and she’ll worry.
“I know that. Just wait until you’re a father. You’ll understand,” she says sassily.
“Bye.” I grin when she chuckles and hangs up the phone. I busy myself getting back to work on dinner. I told Gabby thirty minutes, and I’m behind. I get lost in cooking, something Mom made sure Colt and I both knew how to do. She also insisted we learn how to do laundry and clean up after ourselves. She used to say she was preparing us for our wives, and that one day said wives would thank her. She still says it actually. Just not as often.
I’m just plating up two large helpings when I hear Gabby behind me. “Can I help?” she offers.
“Nope. We’re good. Have a seat.” I place the plates side by side on the island. “All set for tomorrow?”
“Yeah, as much as I can be. I unpacked my toiletries, some nightclothes, and what I’m going to wear tomorrow. I’ll do the rest later. I’m just going to unpack enough to get me by the next couple of weeks. I don’t see the point in completely unpacking and then packing it all back up in a few weeks.”
She’s been here less than two hours, and already I’m dreading the day she moves out. Unless maybe I can change her mind. Do I want that? Am I ready for that? I turn to look at her as she takes her first bite. She closes her eyes and hums in satisfaction, making me instantly hard. That only ever happens with Gabby. So, yeah, I’m ready for it. I’m ready for that and so much more. I’ve danced around this attraction, these feelings I have for her, and I’m done with that.
“You could stay, you know.”
“Stay?” she asks, taking a drink of water.
“Yeah, I have more than enough space. There’s no rush for you to leave.”
“Right.” She laughs. “It’s been what, a hot minute since I moved in? You’ll be ready to kick my ass to the curb in no time. How are you going to last the next few weeks without your harem?” she asks innocently, but I can see through her façade.
“No harem, Gabs. Just you.” No truer words have been spoken. I was sad for my buddy when he and Gwen got divorced, and I hated that for them. We all knew they were meant for each other. Beyond that, I was sad for myself. Gwen not hanging around, not being in his life meant Gabby was no longer in mine. They got their second chance, and now I’m taking mine.
“Come on, Chase. Be real.”
“You want real?” I ask her. I turn on my stool and twist her so she’s facing me. I cup her face in my hands. “Real is the way my heart races when you walk into a room. Real is the way I can’t seem to stop thinking about you. Real is the worry I felt when I thought you were going to be living in that shithole. Real is this. Me right here, in front of you. Real is how much I want you.”
“I-I told you. I’m not just another—” I place my finger over her lips to stop her.
“You will never be,” I assure her. “It’s more than that.”
“We’re friends,” she whispers. “You promised me.”
“That doesn’t have to change. We can be more than that. If you’d just give us a chance.”
“I can’t.”
“Why?” My eyes bore into hers. “Tell me why, Gabby, do you hate me that much?”
She shakes her head. “We don’t fit. All we do is argue.”
“Sexual tension. We have it in spades, babe.”
“You’re my boss.”
“Technically, Harrison is your boss. I’m just a coworker.” Sure, I’m a manager, but she’s Gabby, and it doesn’t count. Not with matters of the heart. Something I’m just starting to realize is that my heart’s in it.
“Sure, we sleep together, you get your taste, and then this all goes away. I move out. It’s not over then. We’re godparents to Sophia. Your best friend is married to my sister. We’ll have to see each other, and it will be awkward and tense.”
“It could be,” I admit. “Or it could be amazing. We could go the distance.”
“We could crash and burn. Look, I’m flattered, really, I am. But this”—she points between the two of us—“can’t happen. There is too much at stake, including my heart. I wouldn’t be able to come back from you,” she confesses.
“Then don’t.” I lean in close, our lips just mere inches apart. “I want you, Gabrielle.”
She swallows hard. “Your dinner’s getting cold.” She turns to face the counter, and I lean back into my space, letting her.
Before I can reply, my phone rings. Reaching across the counter, I see it’s a private number, and I slide to answer the call immediately. “Hello.”
“Chase,” my brother, Colton, says over the static of the line.
“Colton,” I say with relief. “How the hell are you, man?”
“Good. Just checking in. I tried to call Mom and Dad, but no answer. Everything okay?”
“Yeah, they’re on a cruise. They have about a week and a half left.”
“Shit,” he murmurs. “I forgot about that.”
“How are you?”
“All good,” he says evasively, just like he always does when deployed. We have no idea where he is, and he’s not allowed to tell us.
“You’re safe?” I ask him. For my peace of mind and my mother’s. I know she’s going to ask me that exact question once she finds out that I talked to him.
“Yeah, all good. It’s… hot as hell,” he says again, hiding any real details about his location.
“When you coming home?”
“Don’t know. I doubt I’ll be home for Mom’s birthday next month. Can you help me out there?” he asks.
“I’ve got you.”
“Thanks. So, I don’t have much time. Tell me what’s going on in your world?”
“Well, Gabby is living with me now.”
“Chase!” she gasps from beside me and hits my arm.
“Gabby? Gwen’s sister?”
“That’s the one.”
“She’s living with you?” he asks. I can tell he’s confused.
“Yep.” I don’t bother to tell him the reason; I like toying with him. It’ll give him something to occupy his mind.
“Don’t listen to him, Colton!” Gabby yells so he can hear her.
“Is that her?”
“Yeah, I just made us some dinner.”
“You cooked for her?” he asks, astonished. “We don’t cook for women unless we love them or we’re trying to get laid,” he says matter-of-factly.
My brother knows me too well. “And?”
“So which is it?”
“Let me.” Gabby grabs the phone from my hands. She’s only met Colt a couple of times. “Hey, Colton.” I can’t hear what he says to her. “Yeah, it’s temporary. My place is being torn down, and I was in a pinch. Chase is helping me out. My options were a drug house, or here. I took my chances.” She laughs. She listens to whatever it is he’s saying and nods. “Definitely. Hey, stay safe over there. I’ll give you back to Chase. I’m sure your time is limited.” She laughs again and hands me the phone.
“Hello.”
He whistles. “You in over your head, brother?” he asks.
“Probably,” I admit.
“What happened to playing the field? My little brother is getting all domesticated on me.”
“It only takes one to make you change your ways.” I don’t tell him that my one, the beautiful woman sitting next to me, has had me off my usual path for longer than I care to admit, even to myself. Sure, I might have been the man she thinks I am. I was young and had
no attachments. But people change. I changed. All because of her. I just have to prove it to her.
“Fuck, do I wish I were there to see it happen,” he says with a laugh.
“We’ll be here when you get home.”
“You sound sure of yourself.”
“Optimistic.” I chuckle.
“I need to go. Tell Mom and Dad hello and that I love them. Let them know all is good here. I don’t know when I’ll get to call again. Service is shit, and internet is scarce. I’ll do what I can to keep in touch.”
I swallow around the lump in my throat. “I’ll tell them. You just worry about getting home.”
“We’re working on it,” he assures me. “Love you, brother.”
“Love you too,” I croak. The words are barely out of my mouth when the line goes dead. I keep the phone pressed to my ear a little longer, just in case. When nothing happens, I place it on the counter next to me.
“You okay?” Gabby asks softly.
“Yeah,” I say, clearing my throat. “It’s just hard not knowing where he is and when he’s coming home. I fucking hate it.”
“I can’t imagine.”
I nod because I’m too choked up to do anything else. Grabbing my bottle of water, I down half of it before picking up my fork and finishing my dinner. I don’t even taste it, but I choke it down anyway. Gabby finishes hers as well, and I take our plates to the sink, rinse them off, and start the dishwasher.
“You want to watch some TV?” she asks.
I know she’s trying to distract me. No way would she be willing to spend time with me otherwise. She’s made her stance known. “Sure,” I agree. One, I’ll never pass up time with her, and two, I’m hoping it shakes this dread I feel after talking to Colt. I’m proud of my brother, but I worry about him. I’m usually able to push it down, but every time he calls or sends an email, the worry works its way to the surface. He’s a lifer as far as the military goes. He’s told us that many times. He’s never been one to want to settle down in one place. He likes experiencing new areas, and apparently the danger of it all.
“What do you want to watch?” Gabby asks when I walk into the living room. She’s sitting on the couch with her feet curled under her.
There are several places I can sit, but I choose the spot next to her. “Anything with noise,” I confess. I need the distraction.
She roams through the channels until she finds an old episode of Gilmore Girls. “This okay?” she asks.
“Sure.” My mom used to watch this show all the time.
“Really?”
“It’s noise. Besides, I like this one. I think this is the episode where Rory gets her diploma.”
“What?” Her mouth drops open. “You watch this?”
“Yeah, my mom loved this show.”
“Okay then.” She nods slowly and turns back to the TV. She settles into the couch and leans toward me just a little. I do the same, closing some of the distance between us. My head is a jumbled mess after talking to Colt. The worry is front and center in my mind. Then there’s Gabby and the fact that she’s here and I want her to be. But more than as just a guest. I’ve finally admitted that to myself, and I don’t know how to show her after all our years of banter and cutting on one another. I can’t shut it all off as I stare blankly at the screen.
“Chase,” she says softly, placing her hand over mine. I turn to face her. “He’s going to be okay.”
I nod, lacing her fingers with mine. She surprises me when she doesn’t pull away. No, instead, she rests her head on my shoulder while we watch re-runs of Gilmore Girls. It’s not at all how I thought this night would turn out, but I’ll take it.
Chapter 5
Gabby
I make my way into the gym just before eight on Monday morning. The weekend went surprisingly well, considering I was suddenly living with a man who looks at me like I’m his last meal. Even with the crazy sexual tension floating around the house like helium balloons, it wasn’t that uncomfortable, which is just confusing. It should be highly awkward, right? I mean, roommates aren’t supposed to devour each other with their eyes when they think the other one isn’t looking.
Saturday, we got all my furniture out of the apartment and into Chase’s garage. It’s weird that he wouldn’t let me rent a storage room, but I guess if he’s got the room, I’m not going to complain about not spending the extra money. I need to save for the first and last month’s rent payments I’m going to have to make on my new place. My landlord had told me not to worry about cleaning the apartment, considering the building is going to be torn down shortly. It’s not like it’s necessary to scrub the grout between the tiles in the bathroom or make sure the fridge is free of sticky syrup. Plus, he gave me my deposit back, which will go a long way toward what I’ll need for a new place to live.
My commute is slightly shorter, which is nice. Not that there’s a long commute in Fair Lakes; I mean, you could live just about anywhere in town and still get to where you need to be in under ten minutes. But Chase’s neighborhood is closer to work than mine was, so that’s a plus. Not to mention the fact that he’s just down the road from my favorite coffee shop, and that makes stopping for my morning jolt of caffeine a lot easier.
By the time I get to the office, Harrison is already on the phone. He’ll be gearing up for his Monday morning managers’ meeting, which consists of conference calls from all the on-site assistant managers. Chase technically manages the locations and travels between the gyms throughout the week, but they both agreed that having an on-site assistant, who can make calls when Chase isn’t around, is best for the company.
“Good morning,” Harrison says through a yawn as he steps out of his office and stretches. The bottom of his T-shirt creeps up, revealing hard abs and tanned skin. I quickly glance away, not because my brother-in-law showed me something he shouldn’t, but out of respect for my sister. Harrison’s a good-looking guy with a body most women would maim to touch, but that doesn’t mean I should be gawking.
Besides, as hot as my brother-in-law is, he has nothing on his best friend…
“Good morning,” I reply, taking a sip of my latte and watching him yawn for the second time in ten seconds. “Rough night?”
“Sophia is teething,” he answers, staring at my coffee with longing eyes.
Grinning over my cup, I offer, “Can I get you a cup of coffee?” We have a small coffee pot in the break room, but it’s rarely used.
“No, thanks.” Then, he reaches forward and steals the very cup from my hands, taking a long, leisurely sip. “God, that’s good,” he groans before thieving a second drink.
“Really?” I ask, placing my hands on my hips and glaring at my boss.
“Sorry,” he whispers, handing me back my drink. “Desperate times call for desperate measures. It was a long night. By the time the princess and Winnie finally fell back asleep, it was about time for me to get up. I love that little girl with my entire heart, but sometimes, I’d consider selling her for just a few hours of shut-eye,” Harrison adds, though with a smile on his face. I know the second he says it that he wouldn’t actually sell his daughter. From what I’ve gathered, most new parents—or seasoned ones—think the same thing at one time or another.
“You better not be talking about my sweet, perfect little niece,” Chase growls as he enters the office, and my entire body charges to life.
“Your sweet, perfect little niece is cutting a tooth and was up fussing all night,” Harrison tells him.
I can feel the warmth of his body as Chase comes and stands right next to me, his arm brushing against my shoulder. The slightest touch jolts my lady parts, a reaction I try to ignore, but it’s hard, considering the man is tall, hard, and smells so amazing.
“She probably just misses her uncle,” Chase adds, taking my cup from my hand and putting his lips on the lid. “Ew, what is this shit?”
I glare at him. “That shit is a mocha, which is apparently a community drink at this point.”
&nbs
p; “Too sweet,” Chase grumbles, yet takes a second drink from the cup before handing it back to me.
Without giving it a second thought, I put my own lips on the lid and take a drink. I swear I can feel where his mouth touched right before mine, making my lips tingle. Pushing that thought away, I reply with a little sass, “You could get your own damn coffee, you know.”
He just smirks. “I could, but then how would I irritate you?”
Harrison laughs. “And how is the roommates situation going?”
“Fine,” I grumble at the same time Chase replies, “Great.”
My brother-in-law glances back and forth between the two of us, assessing our replies and probably reading way too much into the situation. Ignoring the question in his eyes, I head around to my desk and fire up my computer. First thing I always do is check out today’s schedule. I know Mondays are busy office days for Harrison, while Chase uses a big part of his day to visit one of the chain locations.
While my computer boots, I listen to Harrison and Chase’s conversation. If they intended for it to be private, I guess they’d go into Harrison’s office, right? “How’s Joe’s progress coming along?”
“Slow and steady,” Chase replies. The reason my new roommate was up before the birds was for his early training appointment with Joe Adams. Joe is a local police officer who was in an on-duty car accident this winter. After he completed his physical therapy, Joe felt he was still a little slow and wanted to return to the peak physical performance he had before the accident, so he started training with Chase three times a week.
“Good. I’m glad you’re not overdoing it with him,” Harrison replies, thumbing through the stack of mail from Saturday.
“Nope. He’s trying to push it for quicker results, but I won’t let him. I’m not taking the chance at aggravating old injuries,” Chase states.
When my computer finally fires to life, I pull up today’s schedule. Harrison’s is just how I left it on Friday, with the managers’ meeting this morning and a few other phone calls throughout the day. The rest of the time is blocked out for office work, as well as two midafternoon training appointments.
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