Enjoying the Chase (8 page)

I shook my head, smiling. “I
’
m sweet enough.” 

“Of course you are, I should have guessed.”
She heaped two spoonfuls in hers.

“And you obviously need more sweetening to
take off that hard, defensive edge,” I
noted
.

She laughed and rolled her eyes. “Come on,
flirt, let
’
s go sit down.” She
headed into the lounge and plopped herself onto the two-seater sofa. I could
have sat on one of the chairs, but I decided just to go for it, so I sat on the
opposite end of the sofa to her, making her shift slightly and turn towards me a
little more, tucking her legs up under her body. “So, did you make it to work
on time the other day? You obviously got the train okay,” she asked, sipping
her coffee, watching me.

“Yeah, but I had a pretty bad day that day
so I kind of wish I
’
d missed the
train,” I admitted.

Her head cocked to the side curiously.
“Yeah? What happened?” 

“I killed someone,” I answered, waiting for
her reaction.

She gasped and set her mug down onto the
side unit, looking at me intently. “Really? How?”

“It
’
s a long story that I don
’
t want to bore you with.” I shrugged.

She shifted awkwardly in her seat. “Sorry,
you probably don
’
t want to talk
about it. I shouldn
’
t have asked;
you just looked a little stressed about it…” she trailed off, wincing
apologetically. I could see the worry on her face and it actually made her look
adorable. I
’
d never really had
anyone that wanted to listen to me talk about my day before. 

“It
’
s not that I don
’
t want
to talk about it,” I assured her. “It
’
s just that I don
’
t
want you to think I
’
m a bad person
because of my job,” I explained, watching for her reaction.

She frowned and shook her head. “
Nate, I won
’
t think you
’
re a bad person. Someone has to do that job,
and you just so happen to be the guy with the stomach, the guts, and the determination
to be able to see and do horrific things every day. I
’
d never look at that as a bad thing. People like you keep the
streets safer. How could anyone possibly think that a bad thing?” she asked,
her eyes not leaving mine.

I smiled gratefully. This girl was
incredible, unlike any other girl I
’
d met before.

“It
’
s not a bad thing, but sometimes it just feels like one.”

“Because you had to kill someone?”

“Yeah. I needed to do it otherwise he would
have killed one of my team, but that doesn
’
t stop me thinking about it after. It
’
s hard because the guy was a drug dealer and all round bad dude, but
I was the one to kill him, and part of me still feels bad about it. That
’
s the worst part of my job.” I frowned down at
my cup.

Her hand moved across the sofa slowly and
took mine. My heart sped at the casual touch. This was actually the first time
she
’
d willingly touched me, and it
made me feel a little strange inside.

“Nate, not everyone can do a job like
yours; most people just aren
’
t
strong enough. I don
’
t know what
to say to make you feel better about it, and maybe there
’
s nothing I can say, but you did the right thing. You might not like
that part of your job, and you wouldn
’
t be human if you didn
’
t
feel guilty, but don
’
t ever lose
sight of the fact that you
’
re one
of the good guys. You took a life, but you saved at least one life because of
it. Who knows how many other people that guy might have killed in his lifetime,
even just by accident because of the drugs he sold. Don
’
t ever forget that your job is important. It makes people like me
feel safer to know that there are people like you out there in the world,” she
said fiercely.

My mood and guilt lifted instantly at her
words. That was the most perfect thing she could have said.

“
Thanks, Rose.
”

Her breath seemed to catch in her throat as
she looked at me, and I desperately wanted to lean in and
kiss her
, just to see what she
’
d
do. Would she push me off and scream at me to get out, or would she kiss me
back now that she
’
d started to get
to know me? She was just looking at me, as I was
at
her. Neither of us spoke, and I didn
’
t want to be the one to break the silence. I could almost feel the
little sparks of electricity in the air. The hair on the back of my neck was
standing up on end, and my whole body was trying to force me to reach out and
touch her.

It seemed like an age that we sat there in
silence, but in reality was probably only a few seconds. She cleared her throat
nervously and looked away from me. “It
’
s getting late, you should probably go. Thanks for the ride home. I
had a really nice time tonight,” she said quietly, pushing herself up off the
sofa.

I nodded, getting to my feet and not even
mentioning the fact that I hadn
’
t
even had time to drink my coffee before she was asking me to leave. I had a
feeling that the little silence after that heavy discussion had made her feel a
little uncomfortable, so I didn
’
t
want to make it worse.

“So, how are you celebrating your first day
on the job tomorrow? Going out with someone?” I asked, mentally crossing my
fingers that she
’
d say no. This
was the last time I was asking her out. I couldn
’
t keep being rejected by this girl.

She shook her head. “
Nope.
I don’
t know that many people. Anna
’
s got Cameron, so I can
’
t ask her, and my sister
’
s busy, so…” she trailed off, shrugging.

My spirits lifted instantly. “Great. I
’
ll pick you up at around seven thirty.”

She looked at me, shocked, and then a
sarcastic smile spread across her face, as if she thought it was some kind of
joke. “Okay, player, I
’
ll see you
then,” she replied.

“Yeah? Sweet.”

Her smile faltered as a frown lined her
forehead. Before she had a chance to take back her acceptance, I strutted to
the door. “Wait, Nate, that was a joke, right?” she called to my back as I
reached for the door handle.

“No way, muffin, you
’
ve agreed now. I
’
ll be
here at seven thirty on the dot,” I answered, grinning over my shoulder.

“Nate, I can
’
t.” Her mouth carried on moving after she spoke, but nothing else
came out.

“Sure you can. You said you have no one to
go out with tomorrow. You need to celebrate your first day at work. Your man
’
s still in Barstow; you
’
ll be eating alone. I
’
ll
be eating alone too, so it makes sense for us to go out. Just as friends if you
want to.” I shrugged, giving her my puppy dog face, girls literally went crazy
for it, so I didn
’
t pull it out
very often, but then again, I wasn
’
t used to not getting my own way.

She sighed, looking a little pained before
she finally nodded in agreement. “Okay, yeah, sure. I can
’
t let you eat on your own, can I? But just as friends though. This
isn
’
t a date.”

I bit back a growl of victory. I actually
wanted to fist-pump the air chanting she-said-yes over and over, but I resisted
the urge. She said it wasn
’
t a
date, but hopefully by the end of the night tomorrow, I
’
d be able to convince her that it
was
a date, and not just a
friendly dinner.

“See now, that wasn
’
t so hard, and I didn
’
t
even have to embarrass you for you to agree. We really are on the up and up,” I
teased, winking at her and pulling open the door, wanting to run away as
quickly as I could before she could change her mind. 

She laughed and leant against the
doorframe, pressing her forehead against it, closing her eyes. “Hmm, well I
’
ll see you tomorrow.”

“Try not to dream about me too much
tonight, huh? I don
’
t want you
having hot, inappropriate dream flashbacks while you
’
re teaching tomorrow.” I
smirked
at her as she laughed and shook her head.

“I
’
ll try, but it
’
s gonna
be hard,” she answered sarcastically.

“Oh, it
’
s always hard, but maybe that
’
s just around you.”

She groaned. “Just leave, slut, before I
change my mind. You really are talking yourself into reheated lasagne for one
tomorrow.”

I practically skipped back to my car. For
the first time since I met her, I felt like I could properly relax. I didn
’
t realise how on edge I
’
d been all week. I actually couldn
’
t wait for tomorrow night; she
’
d finally conceded, well, slightly conceded because she insisted it
was a friendly thing. I had all night to work on her tomorrow; at least there
was a slight chance I
’
d be getting
some tomorrow night. Once I
’
d had
her, my life would fall back into place, and I
’
d be able to go about everything as business as usual. I sighed
confidently and drove home with a smile on my face.

Chapter Six

Throughout the following day, I
couldn’t stop thinking about her. It annoyed the hell out of me that she was so
hot and unavailable. I’d always wanted what I couldn’t have.

My mind flicked to Rosie again, and a
strange excitement resided in the base of my stomach. I knew tonight was just a
friendly dinner, of course, but I was seriously hoping to sweep her off her
feet and make her change her mind by the end of the night.

My preparations were already made. A table
had been booked at a fairly nice and romantic restaurant, the flowers and
chocolates had been bought – I was all set. All I needed before I went was to
get my game back, and then I
’
d be
able to charm her straight into bed.

A punch to my shoulder made me wince, and I
looked up at Russell, frowning. I
’
d
been off in my own little world thinking about her again, and forgotten I was
in the middle of a training, sparring session with one of my teammates. Shaking
my head to clear it, I brought my hands up to protect my face again. A black
eye wouldn
’
t help my chances of
bedding Rosie.

As his gloved fist came at me again, I
jumped back and scowled at him. “Not the face, dude, I have a date tonight.”

“When
don
’
t
you have a date?” he teased, blocking
another of my punches.

I smiled at that. “True, but I really want
this one. She
’
s a total fox. Man,
you should see her. She
’
s going to
taste good.” I winked at him, laughing at his disapproving face.

He dropped his guard and shook his head.
“You need to learn how to respect women, Nate. You
’
re never going to get a girlfriend if you only see women as sex
objects.”

“
I don’
t want a girlfriend.” As I said the words, my mind settled on Rosie
again and how we looked in the mirror together, and how she
’
d held my hand when I was talking to her about
the worst aspect of my job
the other day. For some
reason, I liked that.

Russell sighed and
dropped
his guard, pulling off his training gloves and throwing them into a pile in the
corner. “You
’
ll grow up soon. I
can
’
t wait to see the girl who
makes the player settle down. Damn, you
’
re in for a serious shock when you meet the girl who turns your
head. You won
’
t know what
’
s hit you; it
’
s gonna be hilarious to watch.”

Three hours later, I pulled up at her
apartment. Before climbing out of my car, I picked up the flowers and
chocolates from the passenger seat. As I got to the external door of her
apartment, I pressed the buzzer.

“
Hello?
”
Her voice
crackled through the intercom.

“Hey, pumpkin, it
’
s me.”

The door buzzed, and I heard the lock click
so I pulled it open and practically ran up the stairs to her door eager to see
her again. I
’
d made a conscious
effort tonight, so was decked out in black dress pants and a blue short sleeve
shirt.

When she opened her door, I fought hard
against myself not to drop my jaw on the floor. She looked so damn hot that my
mouth watered and my dick was doing a little happy dance.

Rosie was wearing a lacy, sleeveless, black
dress that clung to her in all the right places and cut off about her
mid-thigh. I could barely breathe. Now I didn
’
t even want to go out. I wanted nothing more than to strip that
gorgeous dress off her because I had a feeling that it would look even better
in a pile on the floor.

“Shit, you look… damn… you bring a whole
new meaning to the word edible,” I said before I could stop myself. My eyes
raked down her body, greedily drinking in every inch of her.

A subtle blush covered her cheeks. “Do you
need a few more minutes to complete that fantasy or are we good to go?” she
asked, leaning on the doorframe.

“No, I
’
m done for now. I
’
ll
finish my fantasy later when we can both enjoy it.” I grinned at her as she
rolled her eyes.

“Oh, really? You
’
re pretty confident I
’
d
enjoy it. Not overestimating your skills there are you?”

I couldn
’
t help but laugh at how cool and calm she was being at the moment.

“I
’
ll let you be the judge of that,” I replied, winking playfully.

She smiled and shook her head before
turning to walk off. As she strutted away from me, my eyes dropped down to her
pert little derriere
. A little groan escaped my
lips. The back view was just as good as the front. She grabbed her purse from
the side, and I silently congratulated God for creating something so fucking
breathtaking. I
’
d never longed for
anything more in my life. She was beautiful.

“So, where are we headed tonight? I
’
m not overdressed, am I?” she questioned,
looking down at herself and nervously smoothing down her skirt.

Wow, she walked straight into this!

“You
’
re extremely overdressed. Take off the hot little black outfit, go
to the bedroom, and then we
’
ll be
closer to what I had planned for tonight,”
I replied.

“Jeez, you
’
ve only been here two minutes and you
’
ve already made me regret agreeing to this.”

Ignoring her comment, I brought my hands
from behind my back and held out the flowers and chocolates to her.

Her face softened instantly. Her teeth sank
into her bottom lip as she looked up at me through her eyelashes. I wasn
’
t sure if she was trying to be sexy, but she
was totally pulling it off.

“You bought me flowers?” she whispered,
seeming both grateful and shocked as she took them from my hand and raised them
to her nose so she could smell them. I frowned, wondering why she was so
grateful for a stupid bunch of cheap flowers. Did her man not treat her nicely?

I shrugged. “I told you I would if you
agreed to come on a date with me.” Thankfully, she didn
’
t seem to pick up on the word date.

“Thank you, Nate, these are beautiful. That
’
s so sweet of you,” she mumbled, touching the
petals of the pink rose that was in the middle of the bunch.

“You
’
re welcome. Here, I got you these too.” I handed her the chocolates.
She smiled gratefully and laughed to herself a little.

“Thanks. You really are shaping up to be a
great friend,” she teased, turning towards the kitchen.

Friend. Ouch.
My heart sank. She clearly wasn
’
t even going to try and give me a shot tonight. I wasn
’
t sure why I was expecting her to, after all, she
had a boyfriend, she
’
d freely
admitted that to me, and she
’
d
told me on more than one occasion that this was a friendly thing, yet I was
still expecting to win her over. I really had no rights to be here trying to
steal her from her man for one night of passion, but I couldn
’
t force myself to stop pursuing her.

I followed her into the kitchen, watching
as she ran some water in a vase and put her flowers in. My eyes were glued to
her behind. “Your ass is going to keep me awake tonight. Damn,” I admitted,
biting my lip.

She chuckled and turned on the spot. “Look,
Nate, you don
’
t need to keep
flirting with me all the time. How about we just agree to stop with the
flirting and the pick-up lines for the night, huh?”

Looks like I
’
ll just have to impress her with my sparkling personality instead
then.

“Fine, I guess I can live with that.”

Smiling, she walked off towards the front
door. “Let
’
s go eat then, I
’
m hungry,
” she called
over her shoulder, not even bothering to look back to see if I was following. I
couldn
’
t help but admire her
confidence; that was like something I would do.

“Whatever you say, sweetness.”

I smiled and followed her out of the
building, nodding to my car that was parked just off to one side. This time, I
remembered to open her car door for her. She grinned, biting her lip.

“Well you
’
re being very gentlemanly again tonight. Are you always like this?”

I smiled and decided
to
go for the truth. “Actually no, so you should make the most of it. I
’
m going to great lengths to try and impress you.
Is it working yet?”

A smile twitched at the corner of her full
lips as she slid into the seat. “A little.”

I smiled happily and closed her door,
heading around to my side. When I started the car I smiled at her. “I booked an
Italian restaurant for tonight, that alright?”

“Sounds good. I eat anything, I
’
m not fussy.”

“You
’
re easy
, then
.”

“If that
’
s what you
’
re thinking
then you
’
re in for a big shock,”
she joked, flashing her perfectly white, straight teeth as she smiled.

Christ, why does everything about this
girl have to be so annoyingly perfect? Can
’
t she have just one flaw to stop me from wanting her so freaking
badly?

“So how was your first day?” I questioned,
wanting to change the subject and keep my mind off how her dress rode up a
little when she sat down.

“It was
so
good. The kids are really
great. I had no idea what I was doing though. I got lost about five times
because the school was so much bigger than I was expecting, but I think I
’
m really going to like it there. My classroom
’
s so cute, and we have this little reading
area off in the corner,” she stopped talking abruptly and frowned over at me
apologetically. “I
’
m sorry, I
’
m rambling.”

I laughed at how adorable she was. Rosie
got so lost in what she was saying when she spoke about things she was
passionate about. It was terribly cute.

“I like to listen to you talk. Ramble away,
bunny.”

She cringed and shook her head. “
I don’
t like bunny. Don
’
t call me that.”

“Duly noted,” I replied. She smiled and
leant in, turning up the music a little and humming along to The Script. “Most
girls hate my music,” I mused.

She shrugged. “I
’
m not most girls.”

“I can see that.”

When we finally arrived at the restaurant,
we were shown to a fairly nice table. The waitress took our drinks order almost
immediately. While we ordered, Rosie sat there with an amused smile on her face
and
chuckled
as the lady walked
away.

I raised a quizzical eyebrow. “What
’
s funny?”

She shook her head
in
amusement.
“So, do you just do it on purpose?”

“Do what on purpose?”

“Make all the girls fall for you,” she
replied, nodding towards the table a couple away from us. As I glanced in that
direction, I saw two girls whispering and casting glances over to me.

Understanding washed over me. I got that
reaction a lot so didn
’
t even pay
attention to it anymore. Turning my attention back to Rosie, I decided to be
honest for a change. “If I were doing it on purpose then you
’
d have fallen for me by now.” I leant in a
little closer, watching for her reaction. She didn
’
t even react to my best sexy smoulder. She was made of stone, for
sure.

She put her hand over her heart, faking
shock. “Oh, I
’
m sorry, are you
trying to make me fall for you? Is
that
what this is?”