“Babe,” he said as he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her against him. She turned her face into his neck, breathing in the scent that was him, wanting it to bring her back to a place where she was sure about everything in her life.
“I’m glad you’re here,” he said, bringing his mouth to hers for a brief kiss before taking her bags. He placed them in front of the closet before lying across the bed and propping his head up on his hand, his eyes on the television screen.
Andie went to work unpacking her things, glancing at him every few seconds as he watched the game on television. He was so handsome. After all this time, there were still days she would catch herself marveling at him. She had missed him. She really had. And that acknowledgement put her frazzled mind somewhat at ease.
After she unpacked, she laid next to him on the bed. “Did you eat?” she asked, snuggling into him.
He absently draped his arm over her. “I had a big lunch. The room service menu is on the table if you want to order something,” he said, nodding in the direction of the table, his eyes still on the screen.
Andie turned to follow his gaze. It was only the start of the second quarter; this game would be on for a while.
“Do you want to rent a movie or something?” she asked, running her hand over his side.
“Hmm?” he asked, glancing down at her. “Oh, um, maybe after this game, okay? I have money on it,” he said, kissing her forehead before bringing his eyes back to the television.
“Okay,” Andie said softly.
“How was the drive? Besides the traffic.”
Andie bit her lip before she said, “It wasn’t bad.”
Colin ran his hand over her hair, his eyes still on the game. “You sound tired. Why don’t you eat and then rest a little bit?”
She nodded, lying next to him for another moment before she finally sat up and pushed herself off the bed. She sat on the windowsill as she looked through the room service menu, finally deciding to order a Greek salad and a glass of wine. As she called and placed her order, she found herself wondering what Chase was doing—if he was still at the bar, whether or not he had eaten yet. She should have just gotten something to eat with him downstairs, she thought. Colin wouldn’t have missed her for another hour or so, not with the game on. And then she was immediately chagrined by her line of thinking, sitting four feet away from her boyfriend as she tried to figure out how she could have spent time with someone else.
About ten minutes later her dinner arrived, and she sat up against the headboard, her salad balanced delicately on her thighs as she stared without seeing at the game, sipping her wine, her mind a million miles away from first downs and extra points.
Somewhere around the start of the fourth quarter, Andie showered, changed into her pajamas, and brushed her teeth before settling under the covers next to Colin. She wasn’t sure how long she’d been asleep before she felt him snuggle up behind her, pressing the length of his body against the back of hers. His hand came to her hip, squeezing it gently, and as he nuzzled her hair, his breath fanned hot across the back of her neck.
She knew what would happen next. She could script it. He would start by kissing her neck, and when she began to respond, his hand would move from her hip to her lower stomach, sliding up the length of her abdomen until he reached her breasts. He would spend some time there, first with his hands, and then with his mouth, before his hand made its way back down her body and settled between her legs. And after she climaxed, he would make love to her, beginning below her but ending on top of her. And then she’d rest her head on his chest, and he’d wrap his arm around her shoulder, and they’d fall asleep.
Yes, with Colin, she always knew exactly what to expect.
And for the first time in their relationship, she suddenly found herself wishing she didn’t.
CHAPTER EIGHT
“Another?” the bartender asked, and Chase turned his attention to the man standing behind the bar.
“Yeah, thanks.”
“Seven and Seven, right?” the man asked, reaching for Chase’s empty glass.
“Yeah,” he said, watching the bartender begin to mix the third one Chase had consumed in the past hour. He knew he should probably slow down, but he needed something to keep him occupied. Certainly nothing else so far that night had succeeded in doing so. Not the ceremony. Not the onslaught of people he had talked with and been introduced to since the reception began. Not the music blasting from the DJ’s booth or the dance floor full of people. Nothing could keep his attention for long. He’d be in the middle of a conversation with someone, laughing and having a good time, and without his permission, his eyes would begin to wander, combing through the crowd until he found her. There had to be over three hundred people in the room, and yet it would only take him seconds to do it. Every time. Like she was some sort of goddamned beacon.
They hadn’t spoken to each other at all that day, although they had made eye contact several times during the ceremony and a few times since the reception began. Whenever it happened, one of them would smile or hold up a hand in greeting, and the other would follow suit, but Chase could see there was a slight uneasiness in her actions. What was worse, though, was that he could feel the same awkwardness in his own, and it drove him crazy. He didn’t want things to be uncomfortable between them again, yet he felt himself contributing to it.
The bartender placed his drink down in front of him, and Chase tossed a tip on the bar as he picked it up and took a slow sip, turning to face the room full of people.
And there she was, talking with one of the bridesmaids by a table near the balcony on the other side of the room. He hadn’t even been trying that time. At least not consciously.
Ever since that moment on Tybee Island, when he had asked her what would make her happy, the dynamic between them had changed. That was the moment things stopped being innocent, the moment his conscience took a backseat and it was just the two of them, just Andie and Chase and the palpable, rousing tension between them, charged with inaccessible possibilities. At least, that’s how it had been for him. He had no idea what she had been thinking.
But then she lied.
She told Colin they’d be late because they were stuck in traffic, and he knew then that she was feeling what he was, at least on some level.
It was all so fucking wrong.
Chase took another long swallow of his drink, trying to focus on the swaying bodies littering the dance floor. All night long he’d been holding on to the notion that at some point in every guy’s life, he’s been guilty of looking at a friend’s girl and thinking things that were less than appropriate. He could be a good guy, he could be a good friend, but when it came down to it, guys were guys, and shit happens. The subconscious is an impossible thing to control. A guy wasn’t considered an asshole unless he acted on those involuntary thoughts.
Chase brought his drink to his lips again, shaking his head, because as much as he wanted to rationalize what was happening, the truth was, his thoughts weren’t involuntary. They weren’t even superficial, run-of-the-mill sexual musings.
They were so much worse than that.
It wasn’t like he found himself wondering what she looked like naked, or whether or not she gave good head. No, he would think about what it would feel like to run his palms over every inch of her, and whether or not the rest of her was as soft as her hands. He would imagine pressing his face into the side of her neck, or burying his nose in her hair, breathing in the scent that made him feel like he was turning inside out. He would think about making her laugh, the musical cadence of it, or the way she would feel pressed up against him as they lay in bed together watching some juvenile movie. He’d imagine skinny-dipping with her in some remote, clandestine pond, or cooking breakfast with her, side by side, Andie wearing nothing but one of his T-shirts, her hair up in that sloppy bun that managed to make her look innocent and sexy at the same time.