Abby happily took the device from Krista’s hands.
“We’ll be right out in the hall,” Krista told her as she began moving towards the door.
“Take your time. I’ll be fine,” Abby said as she lifted her hand and shooed them out the door.
“We’ll just be a minute.” Krista began walking faster.
The second they cleared the doorway, Krista faced him in all his sexy glory and in a quiet voice whispered, “You can’t stay.”
Mimicking her whisper, Chase asked, “Why not? Vickey said it would be fine.”
Of course she had. Krista was pretty sure that soon Vickey was going to start wearing wings, carry a bow and arrow, and change her name to Cupid. “Vickey isn’t conducting your mom’s PT. I am, and I say that you can’t stay.”
“Why not?” he asked, seeming genuinely confused.
Crossing her arms, she stared at him. There was no way she was going to spell it out for him. Not when she knew that he knew exactly why he couldn’t stay. After a few seconds, his lips parted, showcasing his perfect white teeth in his breathtaking smile.
“I’m glad you think this is amusing.” Krista rolled her eyes as she began to walk around him. He didn’t move out of the way, and she brushed against him as she did.
“I think you’re amusing.” His voice dropped an octave and the sexy tone caused an answering shiver to spread through her from head to toe.
Damn. She really understood why thousands of people paid good money to hear that voice.
Crap. His voice. How could she have forgotten? He’d been at her house yesterday for hours hanging out with her and her sisters and she hadn’t asked him about the benefit concert.
Looking up, she was suddenly aware of just how close they were. That awareness did nothing to calm her racing heart, but it did make her completely lose her train of thought.
Benefit.
She needed to ask him about the benefit. “Um…” She swallowed hard, watching his pupils dilate with need as he stared down at her. “There is a benefit for the women’s shelter on the twenty-eighth. Yesterday, your name was brought up to be the musical guest. Not by me,” she quickly corrected.
Without batting an eye, he said, “Okay. On one condition.”
Seriously? The Chase she knew would not have conditions to perform for the shelter. The Chase she knew would be more than happy to help out. Over these past few days, she’d been starting to feel like he was still the same Chase—her Chase. Maybe she’d been dead wrong.
“We can’t pay you,” she snapped defensively.
“That wasn’t my condition.” He didn’t seemed phased at all by her snippy response.
“Oh.” She felt a little silly for having jumped to conclusions, but that was definitely a pattern she felt herself falling back into from being around Chase. She reacted first and asked questions later. Trying to display maturity that had been seriously lacking since his arrival, she did something that, although she was not a big fan of doing, was warranted in this situation. She apologized.
“I’m sorry. What’s your condition?”
Now he really looked amused. Krista didn’t even care if he looked smug. She wasn’t the same teenage girl who couldn’t admit when she was wrong. She was an adult now. A grown woman.
“Have dinner with me.”
Not wanting to make the same mistake and jump the gun, she clarified, “That’s your condition?”
“Yes.”
“Seriously?”
“Yes.”
“We had dinner. Last night.”
And it had been with the safety of chaperones, thank God. If not, she was pretty sure she would have ripped his clothes off and done all the naughty things her mind had fantasized about doing to him over the past ten years that they’d been apart. Actually, she knew that would have been the outcome because she’d been about two seconds away from doing just that when her sisters had walked in.
“No. We hung out. With your sisters. I want to have dinner. With you. Only you.” His eyes darkened as he said the last two words, causing her core to clench with need.
“One dinner. With me. And you’ll perform at the benefit. For free.” Krista’s heart was beating so hard she was sure that Chase could see it pounding beneath her pale-yellow scrubs.
He nodded. “Yes.”
“Where?” she asked, her voice trembling, “When?”
“My house. Tonight. Seven o’clock.”
“Fine,” she said, trying to keep her voice steady as she felt her face flushed with arousal.
“I’ll cook,” he said.
Krista remembered how many times her mom had tried to teach Chase to cook and how the food had tasted when she had.