I lingered awkwardly at the bottom of the stairs while Chase ignored Paul completely, making his way past him toward the front door.
He jutted his chin, his tone taking on an edge. “Heard you were shooting off your mouth about me, Carter.”
Chase stopped and turned to face him with the box still in his arms. He smirked. “I said you can’t fucking skate, in case your girlfriend failed to relay the entire message.”
Paul paused like he had expected Chase to deny it.
“Fuck you.”
He must have stolen this sad excuse for a comeback from Luke.
“Fuck you for talking shit to Bailey.” Chase stepped closer, dark brow drawn into a harsh line.
“Nothing that wasn’t true.”
Chase’s jaw tightened, and he glared at him, shaking his head. Pretty sure he was going to clobber his ass next time he was anywhere near the puck.
Or possibly now.
“Chase.” I stepped closer, touching his arm.
“Brave words,” Chase said. “Stupid, but brave. See how that plays out for you on the ice in a couple weeks.”
Paul scoffed. “You didn’t even hit me last game. I’m not scared of you.” He probably should have been, but no one ever accused him of being smart.
“That’s right.” Chase snorted. “Why would I bother when you did such a good job of taking yourself out?”
Dallas strolled up to the open door then, giving me a friendly smile. It faded when he caught sight of Chase and Paul standing face to face. His hands fisted, square jaw tensing.
“What’s up, Carter?” Dallas asked sharply. “Is there a problem?”
Chase glanced over at him and rolled his shoulders back. “Nothing worth your time. Let’s get James moved the fuck out of here, shall we?”
OceanofPDF.com
CHAPTER 43
OceanofPDF.com
SAY IT
Bailey
Several trips up and down the elevator later, I was moved into our new place. Not even remotely unpacked, but all my boxes were stowed away in my room, along with my bed, dresser, and desk. Siobhan had, thankfully, already purchased furniture for the shared areas with her rental insurance payout. It was a good thing too, because I didn’t have any other furniture. Or money.
Everything Shiv purchased coordinated perfectly. A sleek navy blue sectional, modern light-colored wood kitchen table set, plus a few accent pieces. The pieces were stylish and looked distinctly grown-up; a definite improvement over the second-hand furnishing situation at my old place, complete with battered coffee table and worn, dirt-brown couch oozing stuffing at the seams.
Factoring in the much nicer roommate, significantly newer building, and the ability to finally have Chase over, the move was an upgrade in every sense of the word.
Including the monthly rent. But who needs groceries?
After we brought up the last set of boxes, Chase followed me into the kitchen to get a glass of water. I filled my cup under the fridge dispenser while he leaned against the counter, reading a text.
“Dallas and Shiv are going to Penner’s for drinks.” He locked his phone and slid it back into his pocket. “He’s a guy on our team. Ty and a few other people will be there too. Do you want to go?”
“Sure. What time?” I set my empty glass on the black granite countertop, glancing up at him.
“Whenever. They’re heading there now. But if you want to chill for a bit, we can leave in half an hour or something.”
“I wonder what we should do till then.” I tilted my head and smirked. “There’s a game on. Chicago versus Boston?”
“Fuck the game. Let’s circle back to my list.” Chase pivoted to face me and took a step forward, eyes darkening. Warmth radiated from his body as he fenced me in against the cupboard with his arms, gripping the edge of the counter behind my back.
“Sadly, all my skirts are packed. And I don’t think your truck will fit inside this apartment. Guess you’re out of luck.”
His smoldering expression cracked, his mouth tugging. “Watch it, or I’ll make a point to tease you even longer.”
“You already teased me once today.”
“Oh, I was just getting started.” He nudged my legs apart with his knee. I drew in a soft gasp as he pressed against me, igniting a flicker of desire within my core.
“Really?” I wasn’t sure how much of that my brain could take. Or other parts of me.
“I’ve got all kinds of plans for you.” He leisurely traced a finger along my collarbone, dipping over top of my dark green T-shirt between my breasts. A tingle ran down my spine. His tone softened, losing its edge. “But you can always tell me to stop if it’s too much.”
“I know.” Never needed to, but I knew he would in a heartbeat.
“How about this? Say red if you want me to stop…” Chase ducked his head, and his soft lips met mine. I gripped his upper arms as his tongue pushed inside my mouth. One hand nimbly unbuttoned my jeans, and he pulled back slightly, breaking the kiss. “Yellow for wait or slow down,” he murmured against my lips, tugging at my zipper. “And green for keep going.”
“Mmm…” I ran a hand through his silky hair. “Green.”
One rough palm skimmed down the side of my ribcage, then paused.
“You are so fucking gorgeous.” He ran the pad of his thumb along my cheek, tilting my chin up. His voice turned stern. “But you’re still in trouble.”
My breath caught. “For what?”
“Not calling me.”
I should have known he wouldn’t let it go so easily.
“I didn’t want you to worry.”
“I was worried anyway.”
“Er…red?”
He shook his head, jaw tight. “Doesn’t work for that, James.” His deep brown eyes scanned my face. “You downplay things. Why?”
“I don’t know.” It was an instinct. I didn’t know how not to. If I dug deep enough, I could probably come up with a few theories—but none that I particularly wanted to discuss.
“Turns out,” he said, “I was right to worry.”
“Guess so.”
“I don’t want anything to happen to you.” Strong, broad hands spanned my hips, thumbs stroking the bare skin above my waistband.
“It won’t.”
He raised his dark eyebrows. “Sounds like it almost did.”
It was hard to say. Did Luke actually pose a threat? He would never have bothered to show up and behave like he did when we were dating, so it made even less sense now that we weren’t.
Chase watched me, waiting for a response. My tongue darted out, licking my lip, and his gaze fell to my mouth, his pupils dilating.
“Lucky for you,” he said, eyes snapping back up to meet mine, “I’m way too worked up to get into this right now. But we’re not done.”
“Okay.”
He pressed his body against me again and murmured in my ear. “You’re wet for me already, aren’t you, baby?”
“Maybe.”
“Let’s see.” He slipped his hand beneath the waistband of my underwear and stroked me, setting off an explosion of pleasure. “Knew it. You’re soaked.”
I drew in a shuddering breath as he continued to touch me, pushing every button in exactly the right way.