“Chase . . .”

“That first night, I did realize I would never meet another girl like you. But you deserve someone who has waited for you as long as you have waited for them. And no matter how much I wish I could be that guy, I can’t, Harper.” I leaned back, and she collapsed onto the bed with a hard sigh. I couldn’t stop myself then, and I leaned over her and kissed her soft throat. That was all I could allow myself. “You’re amazing, Harper. There will never be anyone good enough for you.”

I started to stand up again when her hands were in my hair and holding my head just inches from hers. Her breathing was heavy, and I knew mine matched it. I waited to see what she would do, but as I waited, her eyes told me everything her lips weren’t. Her indecision, her worry. Good girl. Smart girl. She’d kiss Brandon without a second thought but couldn’t bring herself to kiss me without already feeling the fear of what a guy like me would do to her. Though she was making the better decision for her, it didn’t crush me any less; and I knew if she rejected me, it would kill me. So I stopped it before she could. I let my nose trail up the inside of her forearm as I took in her subtle vanilla scent and kissed her wrist before removing her hands and walking out the door. I rubbed at the ache in my chest and shook my head as I went to crash on Brad’s floor for a couple hours before work. That guy Bree had brought with her last night had been standing with her when I walked in, which meant I’d have to buy new sheets a-freakin’-gain before I could sleep on my bed. If I didn’t bring girls in my room, she had to stop bringing guys.

“CHASE”—MY BODY ROCKED to the side once, and I groaned as it flopped back down—“get up. Your phone’s going off.”

“Breanna. Go. Away.”

A tiny foot jammed into my ribs, and I grunted hard. Bitch. “Fine, miss work, but don’t act like I didn’t try to help you out.”

Aw hell. I rolled over and yawned as she dropped my phone on my stomach. “I’m up. How’d you have my phone?”

“Fell out of your pocket when Brandon punched you in your room. I turned the alarm off, but you better get up.”

“Okay, Mom.” I snickered as I stood and hugged her loosely. “Gonna take a shower before I head out. If anything happens to you or Harper tonight, you call me, and I’ll come back.”

“Pft. I can handle myself, and Harper’s got a date tonight.”

My body went rigid.

“Oh, and Harper’s just about to get in your shower to get ready for it, so use Brad’s,” she called over her shoulder as she left Brad’s room.

She was going on a date with him? Not like I expected anything else—okay, that’s a lie, yes I did. I still half expected her to realize she felt the same way for me that I felt for her and leave Brandon to find someone else. Anyone else. I hurried through my shower, got dressed, and paced the floor of my room for all of two minutes before I couldn’t wait any longer. I found the key sitting on my desk and went to my bathroom. The shower was still running, and I swear, my pants got smaller. I went over to sit on top of the toilet seat as her shaky voice filled the small bathroom.

“Uh . . . Bree?”

“Nope, just me.”

“Chase! What the heck are you doing in here?”

Um, good question. What am I doing in here? Right now, all I can think about is the water running all over her naked body. I groaned and ran my hands over my face. “Calm down, Princess, I won’t peek.” I don’t know if I was trying to reassure her or force myself to stay sitting.

“I could’ve sworn I locked that door.”

“You do realize how easy it is to unlock my bathroom door when I have the key, right?”

“Can you please leave so I can get out of here?”

As soon as the water turned off, I grabbed a towel and shoved it through the side of the curtain, forcing myself not to look in that direction. “Answer one thing first, and I’ll leave.” She didn’t say anything, so I took that as confirmation she would answer. “Are you going out with him tonight?”

“Yes, Chase, I am.”

“Is that what you want to do, or are you trying to get back at me for telling you not to?”

“I thought I only had to answer one question?”

Snarky brat! God, she drove me crazy. “Harper.”

“Ugh, no, I’m not doing it to get back at you. Yes, I really want to go out with Brandon tonight. And if he asks me out again after tonight, I’m telling you right now I will say yes. I don’t see why I shouldn’t go out with him, and since you clearly don’t want me, I don’t think you’re allowed to have a say in the matter.”

Whoa, what? How the hell did she get anything I’d said as not wanting her? I grabbed the side of the curtain and hoped for her sake she’d put the damn towel on as I slid the curtain across the bar. “I didn’t say I don’t want you. I said I don’t deserve you.”

“That’s practically the same thing. We both know how you are, Chase. You screw every female you come in contact with. I don’t want to be just another girl to someone, and when it comes to Brandon, I won’t be. If you can convince me right now that I have a reason to not be with him, then start talking. Otherwise, you and your confusing words need to stop.”

She really thought she was just another girl to me? Sure, I told everyone that, but she had to know that wasn’t true. And it’s not like I’d told her that—I told her the opposite! I’d never felt anything like this for anyone, and she thought she was just another girl for me? I thought about all the girls she’d seen me with since meeting her and wanted to curse myself for ever trying to push her away; I’d done this to myself. Until I showed her differently, she’d always think she didn’t matter to me. And other than wanting her to be with me, I didn’t have a legitimate thing to say against Brandon. He was the best guy I knew, the only guy I’d trust her with. “As long as he is what you want, I’ll stop bothering you.”

I thought about the way he’d come after me that morning because I’d bruised her. Yeah, he was in just as deep as I was. I let my fingers trail across the biggest bruise on her arm and wanted to kill myself. I leaned over the tub and kissed that bruise, moved up to kiss the smaller one on her shoulder, then across to kiss the identical one on her right shoulder. If only that could make them go away. “I’m so sorry, Harper,” I whispered, just before kissing the corner of her mouth. She’d never know how sorry I was for everything that I’d done to her in just two weeks of knowing her. “Get my number from Bree. I have to go in to work tonight, but if anything happens, call me, and I’ll be there.”

Before I could do anything else, like take her in my arms and never let her leave, I made myself turn and walk out of the room. I was already running late getting to the shop—not like anyone would care—but I needed to get there and clear my mind of my princess. I snorted as I cranked the engine of my truck. Yeah, like that was possible.

“HEY, MY MAN! Wasn’t sure if we’d be expecting you or not after our convo last night!”

I laughed and slapped Brian on the back as I went to my station. “Yeah, well, you got me tonight, so stop your bitching.”

“I’m so serious, bro, you missed some crazy hotties last night, and all they wanted was a piece of Chase.”

“Yeah—about that. I’m pretty sure I’m done with other women.”

His back straightened, and he spun around in his chair to face me, “Uh, ’scuse me?”

“You ever have a problem with someone else wanting your wife? Not just wanting her, because, Marissa’s hot, and we all know that. But I mean someone really wanting her, and her wanting him? Before you guys got married or anything like that?”

“Swear, bro, you should have started with that, because I thought you were going to start batting for the other team.”

I narrowed my eyes at him and went back to setting up my station.

“All right, fine, uh, not really. I mean guys have gone after her, chicks, too, but it’s always been me and Marissa . . . err, well, except for that one time.”

“Yeah”—I huffed out a laugh and repeated his words—“except for that one time. But that was you, Bri, not her.”

“Whatever. You know I’m making up for that shit. Why’d you ask anyway?”

Sighing loudly, I put a couple sketchpads back down and looked over to see the lobby empty, “There’s this girl—”

“Oh, no way! Chase Grayson is whipped!”

“Do you want to hear this or not?”

He nodded as he chuckled and grabbed his phone. “I gotta tell Riss. Keep talking.”

“Bastard,” I whispered, and shook my head as I dragged my chair closer to his station. “I don’t know what it is about her; I can’t stop thinking about her, and I’m telling you I don’t even care about other girls anymore. At first, I just wanted a go at her because she was a challenge, but that didn’t even last two hours before all I could think about was protecting her and keeping her with me.”

“Oh, shit, you love her.”

I looked up at Brian and flinched back, “No way. I mean, she’s different. So different. You know I don’t get like this over women. And there are things about her that drive me crazy in the best ways possible, yeah, but I don’t love her.”

“Yeah, you do. I can see it all over your face when you talk about her. Man, you’re not whipped, you are straight up in love with this chick.”

Love her? Hell no. I just met her. There are things she does that I love, but I don’t love her. “Nah, Brian you’re taking this too far.”

“Whatever, I’m not gonna argue with you. So what’s the problem, then? You asked if guys went after Marissa. Someone going after your girl?”

“Well, she’s not my girl. She’s too good for me, she deserves someone that’s the exact opposite of me. So, I’ve been trying to make her realize that, too. But now, too late, I’m realizing I don’t want her anywhere except with me. And now she and Brandon are dating, I guess. You remember Brandon?”