After I shut and locked his bedroom door, I froze where I was, taking in the remarkable sight of Brandon. God he was sexy. His tanned upper body was bare, trailing my eyes down, I bit my bottom lip as I looked at his muscled V, leading down to his loose shorts, all but the waistband hidden by the comforter. My body started warming just looking at him, and all I could think about was running my hands and lips all over him. Looking down at myself, I made a decision to start this weekend off right. I slipped off my shorts and tank top, grabbing the gray and white button down shirt he’d been wearing last night, I pulled it on leaving all but one of the middle buttons undone. Glancing in the mirror, I decided to keep my hot pink satin underwear on, and pulled my hair out of the bun, giving it some fluff. Before I could talk myself out of it, I crawled onto the bed, one knee on either side of Brandon’s body, and placed my lips to his muscled stomach. His body twitched and I pressed my lips a little higher up the next time, smiling when he moaned in his sleep. I kissed my way up his body, he opened his eyes wide when I sat firmly on his lap and nipped at his throat.

“Harper.” He breathed as he stared into my eyes.

“Good morning.” I whispered and covered his mouth with mine.

He gripped my hips and moved slightly, trying to get more comfortable, he moaned and I gasped when his arousal pressed against me. I rocked my hips against him and my eyelids fluttered shut from the incredible feel of it. I had no idea what I was doing, but I didn’t want to stop. There was a slow burning that started low in my stomach and with each rock of my hips it grew greater. Brandon’s hands slid up my bare stomach, undoing the one button when he reached it, and continuing to my chest. He sat up, pressing his lips to the swell of my breast, exploring it before making his way to the other. My breaths were embarrassingly loud, but I couldn’t seem to care enough to try and stop it as he caught my nipple between his teeth. I arched my back and let my head fall back as I experienced each sensation for the first time. One of his hands trailed back to my hip to assist in my rocking, but I grabbed his hand in mine, grasping the side of my underwear and tugging on it. Realizing what I was doing, he slid me off his body and onto my back, he barely hovered above my side as he propped himself up on an elbow.

Brandon’s lips were on mine, his free hand trailing from my jaw to my underwear. When his fingers stopped at the top, I took his hand and moved them just inside of the satin, to let him know exactly what I wanted. I couldn’t even continue to kiss him as the burning in my stomach instantly increased when his fingers moved against me. A pressure I can’t explain started building between my legs and I moaned loudly when he slid a finger inside me, moving it in rhythm with my hips.

Minutes past and the sensation got to be too much, I didn’t know what was happening and part of me wanted him to stop, but the other part wasn’t ready yet, “God. Baby…I.”

His lips hovered over mine as he spoke softly, “It’s okay sweetheart, let go for me.”

I didn’t understand what he was talking about, but when I arched against his hand one more time, my entire body racked with an intense, exhilarating explosion. Brandon’s mouth on mine muted most of my pleasured cry as I gave over to the mind-blowing spasms continuing throughout my body.

That’s what he meant by let go. Oh. My. Word.

Brandon wrapped his arms around me and pulled me so I was half-lying on his chest. He kissed my temple and rubbed soft circles into my back. “I love you Harper.”

I nodded against his chest, still trying to get my breathing back to normal, “I…love you…so…oh wow.”

His silent laugh shook my body and he squeezed me tighter while bringing the comforter up around us. He peppered my cheek and jaw with kisses as he held me until my already completely relaxed body succumbed to sleep. Just before I gave in, I swear I heard him vow to love me forever.

6

“Why are you being like this?” I hissed.

He just continued to look at me like I was the biggest inconvenience possible, and I had no idea why.

“Did I do something to offend you? You haven’t said a word to me since Sunday.” And it was freaking Thursday, “You have been so bipolar lately, I don’t even know what to expect from you.”

Keeping his mouth shut, he raised one brow causing it to disappear under his shaggy hair. Chase and I had been having the most bizarre relationship lately and it was making my head spin. Bree had been taking me to her parent’s house for family day every Sunday for a month, and though it had been awkward at first when Claire, their mom, had hugged me as soon as I stepped in the door; I soon fell in love with her and her husband Robert. They were extremely loving, funny, and honestly I liked spending time with their family more than the parties at Chase’s house. Especially if they were like last week’s with Carter’s declaration of love.

What was frustrating, was Chase’s drastic mood swings. Over the last three weeks, he’d started talking to me less and less during the week, but if we were at his parent’s house, he wouldn’t leave my side and you wouldn’t believe he was the same guy I’d met my second night in California. He was hilarious, sweet and an incredible artist. Listening to him banter back and forth with his dad usually left the rest of us in tears and he treated his mom, Bree and I with such respect, it was mind blowing. If anyone’s drinks started getting low, he was already refilling it, he always made sure we were comfortable and had everything we needed, and his kisses on his mom’s cheeks had to be the most loving thing I’d ever seen come from him.

The biggest shock was when I’d gone to Chase’s room in his house to tell Bree I was ready to leave, and stumbled upon a sketch book. I confronted him about it later at his parent’s, and he ran upstairs for a minute and brought down an armful of them. He was extremely talented and I shouldn’t have been surprised when he told me he was a tattoo artist at the shop Bree had taken me for our piercings. The way his eyes lit up as I gushed over each drawing tugged at my heart, and I tried desperately to push those feelings away. I’d spent a couple hours last Sunday watching him work on a few new pieces he wanted on his forearms while the whole family watched a couple movies in the living room. At some point I must have fallen asleep on the couch I’d been sharing with Chase because an explosion on the TV jerked me awake.

~~~

“It’s just the movie,” he whispered in my direction and ran his fingers over my cheek, “don’t move yet Princess.”

“Don’t move? Why?”

“I’m almost done, give me another minute or two.”

I heard his hand moving back and forth across the paper slowly and waited until he kneeled down in front of the couch so his face was directly in front of mine. My breath caught and his electric blue eyes glanced down to my barely parted lips. His tongue absently wetted his lips and his teeth lightly bit down on his bottom one as his gaze roamed my face.

“Why couldn’t I move?” I managed to ask when he started closing the distance between us.

He abruptly stopped and blinked a few times, “Oh, um. Well…here. Just don’t freak out, okay? I wasn’t trying to be creepy.”

“You’re not supposed to tell someone not to freak out, those words alone cause them to freak out.”

Chase smirked, “Okay, well then don’t hit me or use your pressure point training on me again.”

Before I could roll my eyes at him, he brought his sketch pad up in front of me and my jaw dropped. I felt my cheeks burn and he took that the wrong way. Snatching the pad of paper back up, he cursed softly.

“I knew it was creepy.”

“Chase,” I breathed and shook my head in an attempt to clear my thoughts, “that wasn’t creepy. Can I see it again?” When he didn’t make an attempt to move I reached my arm toward the book, “Please.”

He handed it over with a sigh and looked at me with a sad smile, “I’m sorry, but you looked too perfect. I couldn’t let that opportunity pass.”

My stupid blush came back with force when he said that and I focused at his drawing. It was amazing, somewhat embarrassing, but remarkable none the less. With the shading and the detail he’d captured of my upper body and face, it almost looked like a black and white photo. It was perfect. From my chest, throat and slightly open mouth to the way my hair fell around my face and my eyelashes rested against my cheeks, it was one hundred percent me. He even had my hand clutching the pillow under my head that was resting on his leg, as well as the blanket that had been pulled up to the swell of my breasts. Goose bumps covered my body as I realized he’d spent however long staring at, and replicating, every part of me while I’d been completely unaware. He was wrong, it wasn’t creepy, it was beautiful and strangely intimate.

“Chase, it–” I cleared my throat and tried again, “It’s incredible.” Incredible didn’t cover it.

“Yeah?”

I looked up into his eyes and smiled, “Yeah.”

We stayed there staring at each other, my mind and heart completely torn in two. One half desperately wanted to act on the feelings his drawing had stirred up in me, and the other was screaming at me to sit up and scoot away from him. Before I could try to make a decision, another series of explosions came from the TV and we both jolted away from each other.

~~~

My face heated again as the memory of last Sunday played through my mind, and Chase’s annoyed look turned bemused. I pushed aside my awe and longing for that rare side of Chase and let my anger take forefront again. I don’t know why he was so different on Sundays, but at least during the week he would usually say hi to me. Not that I expected him to spend more time with me since I was always with Bree or Brandon during the week, but after that moment on Sunday I was dumbfounded as to why he’d avoided me like a leper since.

“Whatever. I’m done trying to figure you out. If you want to be an asshole, go right ahead. But don’t keep acting like there’s nothing wrong between us on Sundays.”