He snuggled in closer. "So tell me everything about you."
"Oh, that's all?" I teased.
"You can start with the smallest details of your childhood."
"Or how about I start with where I'm from."
"That could help too."
"Florence, South Carolina. Where are you from?" I rested my head on his chest. My head felt so amazing right there.
"New York. The suburbs."
"New York? Is that where you live when you're not on tour?"
"Yup. I have this crappy place in Brooklyn."
"I've always thought it would be cool to live in New York City."
"You'll have to come visit me there sometime."
"Definitely." I closed my eyes, taking in the feel of being in Chase's arms. I felt so safe and comfortable. That reality hit me like a sledge hammer. I wasn't supposed to feel that way. I could have fun with Chase, but I couldn't fall for him.
"What year are you in college?"
"Sophomore."
"Are you nineteen or twenty?"
"I turn twenty in April. How old are you?"
"I'm twenty-five."
"Wow, I'm sleeping with an older guy."
"I've never robbed the cradle before. That makes you my first blonde and first younger woman."
"That's an honor."
"Am I your first older guy?"
"My ex is twenty-two, so not that much older." I hated even thinking about Aaron while with Chase.
"Is he your only ex?" Chase rubbed my back.
"I dated a few guys in high school, but I never slept with them."
"So I'm guessing this guy goes to your school then?"
"Uh huh. And he's in the same frat as both of my best friends' boyfriends. Talk about awkward." I wondered how the mixer had gone. It was the first Delta Mu event I'd missed since pledging first semester freshman year.
"For him maybe, not you."
"How do you figure?"
"He's the idiot who lost you. You're the winner who found someone better." Chase grinned.
I laughed into his chest. "You can say that again."
"So, am I really only the second guy you've been with?"
"Yeah … I guess that makes me really inexperienced."
"You make that sound like a bad thing." His hand roamed down to my breasts.
"Aaron said I was too uptight about sex. That's probably why he went elsewhere for more."
"Whoa. Your boyfriend cheated on you and told you it was because you were boring?"
"Not exactly. He told me I was boring before he went back to his ex-girlfriend."
"Well, you're not boring."
"I'm not?"
"Nope. But then again, we've only had sex in one position so far."
"Are you trying to get lucky again?" I ran a hand down his chest.
"Is it wrong that I want a double feature? I need to get my fill."
"Double feature? You are so weird."
"As long as it's a sexy weird, we're good."
"Sexy weird? Well, then what does that make me?"
"Sexy hot. There's no weird about you." He ran his hand down my stomach.
"I'm on top this time." I offset his hand, moving on top of him.
"And I thought I was going to have to beg for more."
I positioned us, wanting more of him. "I happen to want to get some more from this weird sexy guy I'm currently in bed with."
"You can have all you want from me." He cupped my breasts.
"Good, because I wasn't asking a question." I eased him inside, ready to take control this time.
Chapter Five
"I guess we fell asleep." Chase's lips tickled my ear as I woke up tangled in his arms.
"What time is it?" I struggled to push off the sleep.
"It's around seven thirty." He shielded his eyes from the sunlight streaming in through the gap in the blinds. "The last thing you said before you fell asleep was that you needed to be home for your nine am today. I set an alarm."
"That's the last thing I said?"
"Okay." He pulled me back against him. "The absolute last thing you said was good night, but I didn't count that one."
"I don't want to go to class." Clearly Chase wasn't the one making me go, but he was the one leaving. If I'd have had another chance to see him maybe getting out of bed wouldn't seem so hard. All I wanted to do was stay curled up in his arms for another few hours. I'd done some thinking while I lay in bed with Chase. Falling for him hard would be a mistake, but seeing him when he was in town wasn't necessarily a bad thing. The trick would be forgetting about him when he was away, and not picturing him with other women.
"I don't want you to go either, but who am I to promote truancy?"
I laughed. "I'll go. Will you promise to call me when you're in town again?"
He kissed my neck. "I'll call you tonight."
"Come on, you don't have to do that."
"But I want to. Don't you want to know we made it to Charlotte in one piece?"
"It's a three and a half hour drive."
"Well, I'll call you anyway. Besides, you'll have to fill me in on your day."
"You don't have to do this, Chase." I sat up, pulling the sheet with me.
"Do what?"
"Make more effort than you would normally. I'm a big girl, I can handle reality." I got up to start searching for my clothes.
He pulled me back on the bed. "Hold on."
"Yes?"
"Did you listen to anything we talked about last night? I want to keep seeing you. "
"I know." He'd also mentioned he wouldn't be in the area until March when he played a festival in Savannah. Evidently his use of the words ‘seeing me' was in the very loose sense.
"Are you sure? You realize I'm not using you? I really want to see where this goes." He searched my face.
"I just don't want you changing your life for me. Okay?"
"Well, that's too bad. It's already happened."
I smiled before getting dressed.
"I know you're running late, but do you want to grab something quick for breakfast?"
"Oh, I'm fine." Saying goodbye to him wasn't going to be easy. Getting the moment over with might have the ripping off the band aid effect.
"You sure?"
"You bought me pancakes last night. We're good." I kissed him on the lips. "Have a safe trip."
"How are you getting home? Want me to call you a cab?"
"I'm going to walk."
"Want company?" He sat up.
"Thanks, but enjoy your morning. I'll talk to you soon." I needed to leave before I lost my resolve.
I scooped up my purse and headed for the door.
"Cara?" he called after me.
"Yes?"
"Thanks for staying this time."
"You mean you enjoyed last night better than my fuck and run?"
I heard laughter, and it wasn't from Chase.
I turned and nearly collided with Riley. "You leaving, Cara?"
"Yeah. I have class."
"Great, I'll head down with you." He was dressed in a suit and was holding a briefcase, so I assumed he was on his way to work.
Awkward. "Okay, sure." I waved to Chase one more time before following Riley down the stairs.
"Have a good night?" Riley asked as we reached the ground floor.
"Yes. It was nice to see Chase again."
He chuckled. "Yeah, I'm sure seeing him was fun."
I tried to laugh. "I don't know what you're implying."
He walked down the street with me. "You've definitely got Chase's attention."
"Yeah." I looked at the rows of restaurants and stores that we passed. If I'd had more time, I would have taken a stroll along the battery again, but I had to put that off until later.
"You're not the typical girl he sees, but that's a good thing. Give him a chance. I think he may surprise you."
"I'm giving him a chance, but is he really acting differently with me? I mean, when he says he doesn't hook up with lots of girls, is that really the truth?"
"Listen, can I be completely honest with you?" Riley gave me a serious look.
"Of course."
"I love both of my brothers. They both love music, but other than that they live different lifestyles. If you were getting involved with Len, I'd tell you to be careful."
"I guess I should be glad that Jade left."
"He's not a jerk. She's seriously young and he wouldn't have taken advantage of her, but he does go through girls. Chase is different though. He's had a few relationships, but otherwise he just flies solo. Sex isn't his vice."
"You make it sound like he has another vice." Thoughts of alcohol and drugs came to mind.
"He's obsessed with his music. When he's writing an album, he'll sometimes spend days locked away."
"That's not such a bad vice." Not bad at all. At least it wasn't hazardous to his health and those around them.
"No, and it's not any worse than any of mine. I'm just making sure you don't keep your distance out of misconceptions. Chase might be a musician, but that's not who he is. You understand?"
"I get that." I stopped in front of my street. "This is me."