Crazy Love(12)

“You can save the charm, rock star.”

“Krista…” His body moved without permission from his brain. He stepped towards her, reaching out his hand, but she took a step back just as the door opened.

Chase turned his head, looking over his shoulder to see a brunette nurse coming in through the doorway, backlit by the bright fluorescent lighting in the hallway.

“Oh, good. You’re up. I was just making sure.”

The young nurse smiled sweetly at Krista. Her eyes traveled up to his as she turned to leave, but then she didn’t just do a double take, but a triple take. Chase saw the moment that she recognized him. It was something he was used to by now. Sometimes he even counted it down in his head. Five, four, three, two, and there it is… They know.

Luckily, this nurse did not make a big deal about it and was actually already headed back out the door when Krista stopped her by making introductions.

“Jamie, this is Abby’s son.” Then, turning to Chase, Krista said, “This is Alex’s wife Jamie.”

A smile instantly spread across Chase’s face. Alex Sloan had been the closest thing Chase had ever had to a best friend. Chase reached out his hand. “It’s so nice to meet you, Jamie. I’m Chase.”

She shook his hand as she tilted her head with a knowing expression. “Yeah, I knew that.”

Chase had only just met this girl, but he liked her. Over the years, after meeting thousands of people, Chase considered himself a fairly good judge of character. Not only was this girl beautiful, but she didn’t play games. Alex was a lucky man, and he was happy that his friend had found someone like Jamie.

Releasing her hand, Chase realized he had already been here for a few minutes but had been so sidetracked by seeing Krista, he hadn’t even asked how his mom was doing. He’d merely glanced in her direction when he’d first entered the room.

“How is she?” Chase asked quietly, turning to look at his mom.

As he took his first real look at her, he immediately noted that she looked frail, fragile. His mom had always had a slender frame. Whenever she had been under the weather or ‘not feeling well’—usually at the hand of his father—her fair skin and dark hair had always magnified her pale appearance. This time was no different.

“She is doing much better. She woke up around five thirty and was asking for pudding. Let me go check and see if I can grab a doctor to give you an update.” Jamie opened the door but then pivoted back and lifted her hand in a wave. “It was nice meeting you, Chase.”

“You too. Tell Alex I’d love to grab a beer with him while I’m in town.”

“I will.” With that, Jamie was out the door, closing it quietly behind her. Chase turned back to Krista.

When he did, she asked in complete monotone, “How long are you planning on being in town?”

It might very well have been over a decade since he’d laid eyes on Krista, but Chase knew her. He knew her tells. He knew her tricks. He knew when she was trying to hide the way she really felt, and he knew when she was being totally honest and raw.

Right now, she was trying desperately to camouflage her reaction to him. His first instinct was to call her on it. That was what they did. They called each other on their bullshit. But things were different now. They weren’t an ‘us.’ They were just Krista and Chase. Separate people leading separate lives.

“I don’t know. I haven’t really made any plans yet. After I got your messages last night, I drove straight here.”

Krista’s left eyebrow rose in challenge. “You drove straight here.”

Okay, so maybe they did still call each other out after all. “Chip drove the bus here,” Chase clarified, and he saw Krista’s lips tug at the corners of her mouth.

She’d always loved to be right. It was probably her favorite thing, next to winning.

“So you did get my messages? Good to know.” Krista pursed her lips as she began to move around him.

On instinct, he reached out and wrapped his fingers around her delicate wrist. The moment his skin touched hers, heat unlike he’d felt in years spread through his body. He’d had every intention of speaking before his hand had made contact with her, but now he was having a hard time remembering his name.

He froze, overwhelmed by the sensations crashing over him like waves. His breathing became choppy as his eyes lifted to meet hers. He saw it there in her green-blue eyes—she felt it too. Her eyes widened and the dark circles of her pupils grew larger.

“Damn,” he whispered reverently.

That’s how it had always been between him and Krista. Their insane chemistry had been combustible. As a teen, it had scared the crap out of Chase. He’d wanted her so bad it had felt like he would die without her. Now, as an adult, he knew that he could survive without her touch, without her smile, without her laugh, but it wasn’t really living.