Second Chances (32 page)

“What do you mean by that, Hayles?” he asks, obviously perplexed.

“I mean, you've been with so many women. Do you really believe that I'll be enough now, especially considering my inexperience?” My face is absolutely blazing.

He takes my right hand in both of his and holds it in his lap while he lowers his head to look me in the eyes. “Haylee, you're all I think about. I think about you as soon as I wake up in the morning. I think about you so much during the day that it's actually distracting. I dream about you at night. It's always been that way, even the four years we spent apart. I never stopped thinking about you from the time I first met you when my family moved into the house across the street. You've always been more than just my best friend. I was just too young then to do anything about it. Your inexperience is refreshing and endearing, but it certainly doesn't hold you back,” the corner of his mouth tilts up at that. “I know you can't understand because you didn't make the stupid mistakes that I did, but making love to you is so profoundly different and new to me. I honestly didn't know that it could be that way. I've never felt so close to anyone before as I do when I'm with you that way. There just aren't words deep enough to describe what I feel for you. So yes, to answer your question, you're all I want and need. I just hope that
I'm
enough for
you
.”

His ice blue eyes are searing right through my soul, and my heart is pounding in my chest as he says those words. I feel beautiful, special, cherished, and I feel tears stinging my eyes at the happiness inside of me. The waitress returns to our table then with two small platters of sushi rolls. I'm not even hungry anymore.

Once she leaves, Chase picks up his chopsticks and drops one of the pieces onto my plate for me. At least I know how to use chopsticks. I've eaten a lot of Chinese takeout in my life, mostly when Mom isn't home or when she is home but isn't really with it. “That's a California roll. It's really mild and most people start out with that.” I watch as he picks up one of the pieces with his chopsticks and dips it into a soy-wasabi mixture, and then pops the entire thing into his mouth. I do what he does, and after I stick the thing in my mouth, I realize just how large it actually is. I must have looked like a hamster with its cheeks stuffed to capacity. I'm trying to chew, but it's just so big. I start to snicker and Chase looks over at me. I can tell he is trying not to, but a laugh escapes his lips, and then I'm laughing and half choking on the giant wad of rice in my mouth. I get to laughing so hard that tears are rolling down my cheeks and I have to cover my mouth with my hand in case anything happens to fly out. I finally get the thing chewed and swallowed, all the while we are both laughing so hard that people are looking over at us.

“Isn't there a knife to cut these suckers in half with?” I finally ask once my laughter has settled some. 

He shakes his head and just smiles at me. I'm glad I can be so entertaining. “You'll get used to it. What did you think though? Did you like it?”

I have to think for a second. Had I really tasted it while I was fighting so hard to keep it from spraying out of my mouth? “It's good,” I tell him, and he places another piece on my plate and tells me what it is, because looking at it, you would never have a clue.

“You can be honest, and if you don't really like it, we can go somewhere else,” he tells me. He's so sweet to take me somewhere to try something new and to offer to take me somewhere else if I don't care for it. 

“No, it's really good,” I tell him after I manage to fit another piece into my mouth and chew it up without spewing it all over. When we finally finish and the waitress brings over the check, still only looking at Chase with her little come-hither eyes. As soon as she turns, I reach out and grab the check. Chase leans over me trying to grab it from me. He thinks I'm trying to pay the bill.

“This is a date, Haylee! I asked you and I plan to pay for it,” he hisses and, once again, patrons are looking our way. With Chase grabbing on either side of my body, it occurs to me that people probably think he's the one who gave me the black eye. I find myself wanting to shout at them that Chase would
never
do something like that, but I don't, I just glance at the back of the paper check.

“Exactly,” I reply as I bring the paper back around in front of me. “This is a date, but she still felt it necessary to give you her name and number.” He looks surprised as he glances down at the back of the paper. Sure enough, our waitress is a grade A bitch.

“That doesn't mean anything, Hayles,” he insistes. “I'm not interested.”

“It's just rude,” I mutter, and I'm starting to feel like a petulant child. I'm jealous. I had been even when we were kids and some other girl would come up to him at the playground. He was my friend and I didn't want to lose him. I can remember thinking that sooner or later he would find a girl who was cuter than me or more feminine than me and he would stop hanging out with me. I guess the fact that he's sitting here beside me when I'm almost nineteen and he's twenty-one speaks volumes of his feelings for me and his trustworthiness. 

“But I'm leaving with you and that's all that matters,” he whispers right beside my ear making my shiver. As we stand to leave, I watch him set the paper down with the waitress' number on it and walk away. My heart warms and I remind myself that I am being foolish. I guess all the drama with Lexi has set me on edge.

He helps me into his truck again and once he's inside, he pulls me over next to him. “I don't blame you for the way you feel,” he starts. “I know that if some waiter had done that to you with me sitting right there, I take his ass outside and beat the tar out of him.”

I laugh, relieved that he can see my perspective and doesn't think I'm a total nutjob. “Thank you for dinner,” I smile and lean in to kiss him. I feel the warmth of his palm against my cheek, but I pull back slightly. He looks confused. “Now can I see the surprise?” I ask with a hopeful grin. I haven't forgotten.

His head falls back a bit as he laughs at me. “Yes, Hayles, now the surprise,”

I'm paying attention to where we're going. He's driven back toward the lake the same way that we had come, holding my hand in his lap as he drives. I have no idea what he could be surprising me with, and that makes the suspense even worse. Suddenly, before he turns onto the lake road, he pulls the truck over onto the shoulder. I look around quickly, but there's nothing around here. Chase turns toward me and unties the scarf from around my neck. My mind is racing, right along with my heart. 

“Do you trust me?” he asks in a soft, sexy voice with that half smile that lures every woman in. 

“Of course I trust you,” I tell him. It seems like a silly question, but I guess not so much in light of everything that has happened the last few days. He leans forward and places the scarf over my eyes, tying it behind my head. Oh. . . “Okay, that's not quite what I expected.”

I can hear him chuckle beside me, and I flinch when the truck starts moving again. Being without sight makes simple things seem so different. “I just didn't want you to see until we actually get there,” he tells me, taking my hand into his lap again. We drive for a few more mintues. I can't say for sure how long, and I feel completely turned around. I've tried to keep track of which direction we've turned but it is impossible. The truck comes to a stop and he cuts the engine. My stomach knots. We must be wherever it is we're going. 

“I'm gonna come around and help you out,” he tells me and I hear his door open. Like a flash, I hear my door open, and he puts his hands on my thighs. “Ready?”

“Yeah, but if I fall you better catch me,” I tell him, grinning. As I slide toward the door, he slips his arms around my waist and lifts me right out of the truck. 

“How's that?” he asks softly, his breath tickling my ear as he spins me around and then takes my left hand. We walk a few steps slowly. I can tell that we're walking on gravel as it crunches beneath my sandals, and we're walking down a slight decline. I think I can hear and smell the lake air, but I'm not sure about that. We stop walking, and I feel his body behind me. I bite down on my bottom lip as his fingers come up to untie my blindfold. The anticipation is coiling tightly inside of me. 

The blindfold slides free from my eyes and I have to blink a few times to adjust to the light. It's evening and almost dark, but we are standing in front of a house and a floodlight is pointed right at us. I don't recognize the house, and I look around a bit with narrowed eyes trying to determine what it is I'm looking for. I feel Chase move from behind me and come around where he can see my face. I'm sure I look confused as I look at him with one eyebrow lifted. I don't want to disappoint him, but I have no idea what I'm looking for here.

He slides his hands into the front pockets of jeans, and his expression is pure pride. I'm dying here waiting for him to say something. “Surprise, Hayles. This is my house.”

My eyes fly wide as I really begin to look at the house. It's a small, two-story, cottage-type house in excellent shape, painted a deep, barn-red color. I furrow my brow at him, and he smiles at my confusion.

“How did you. . . ?” I start to ask. This is so far beyond anything that I had been thinking of as a surprise!

“I looked into some real estate when I was here a month ago and kept in touch with a real estate agent when I got back to LA. I saw this place online, and I had Griff come over to check it out with my agent. I bought it and ordered all the furnishings online. I had Griff come over one day to unlock it when the stuff got delivered.”

I am in shock for sure. I had absolutely no idea he was doing this! I guess I've never really given any thought to the fact that he wouldn't live in Griff's brother's bedroom forever. “Chase. . .that's. . .this is. . .amazing,” I whisper, still taking it all in. He takes a step closer, bringing him right in front of me. He reaches his hands up and places them on my arms.

“I have a place here now. I'm here to stay, Hayles,” his light blue eyes are searching mine, but I find a lump forming in my throat. “I haven't shown you the best part though.” I don't think his face could beam anymore, but he lights up when he says it. He takes my hand, and we walk down a path to the back of the house. I'm trying to take it all in as we go. Since I don't have a clue where we are because of being blindfolded, I'm surprised to see the lake in his backyard. I shouldn't have been though. “You can't see it so well at night, but out there is a huge, partially covered dock and three separate lifts.” He's talking quickly and excitedly. I can tell that the backyard is large for a lake house, flatter than over where Griff lives and quite open. “I'm going to start a business here, Hayles. In my backyard. I'm opening a ski and wakeboard school.”

I spin to face him, utterly floored. I don't know where to look first, what to think first. . .I just throw my arms around his neck and start to cry. I feel his chest shaking; he's laughing at me, but I can tell it's in a good way. I step back a fraction. “I'm in shock. . .I. . . this. . .holy shit.”

He laughs again and pulls me back against his chest. “This was always my dream, and I'm finally making it happen. I want you and Griff to help me too. Brynn too, if she wants. I have my own place now. In Wake Forest.”

I'm crying and laughing, and when I pull back again, I can tell that he is too. He wipes the tears from my cheeks with his thumbs and the look on his face melts my heart. He's so happy, so alive, so proud. ”Wanna see inside?” I nod my head frantically. He takes my hand and we hurry back to the small front porch. His new truck is sitting in the driveway to his new house. I feel like I'm in the twilight zone.

I unlock the front door to my house; it's going to take some getting used to, saying that. I flick on the light beside the front door and look immediately to see Haylee's reaction. Her eyes are wide and wet from crying. I've never known her to be so speechless. She looks all around the living room, which is where you enter from the front door. I can't believe that Haylee is actually standing in my house. All of a sudden, my dog comes charging at us and I quickly grab his collar before he knocks Haylee right over. 

“Colt!” she gasps as she kneels down to stroke his fur. Haylee is the reason I have Colt. She'd found him with a bullet wound and had Dr. Michaels fix him up. She'd batted those long lashes of her baby blues at me and, like always, I caved and offered to give the dog a home.

“He was my only friend for a while out in LA,” I tell her as she stands up again and begins to look around.

“Chase, it's. . .beautiful,” she whispers, and I pull her along to the office and then into the kitchen. The place is newly remodeled, so the kitchen is all granite and stainless steel, sleek and modern. I had been nervous about ordering all the furniture online without seeing it to decide how it would fit, but I'm not a patient man, and I wanted it perfect when Haylee walked in. Everything had worked out well, and I still have a few things to get yet. Haylee releases my hand as she walks slowly around the small island in the kitchen, her hand trailing along the granite surface. 

“There's a small bathroom down the hall here, and then there's the upstairs,” I tell her as I hold my hand out to her. I'm so enjoying the many different expressions on her face as she tries to absorb everything I'm throwing at her. I lead her up the open, wooden staircase that's in the hall across from the bathroom and I hit a light switch when we get to the top. “It has two bedrooms and a bathroom up here,” I flick on another light. Of course Colt is right on her heels, almost as eager for her attention as I am. “This is one bedroom.” I plan for it to be the spare, so it only has a bed in there for now. “And down here is the master bedroom,” I lead her down the hall and turn the light on in the other bedroom as we step in. It's a really large room with big, beautiful windows overlooking the lake. I've choosen a dark wood bedroom set, and grey and white bedding. “And then the master bath,” I say and turn on the light in there. It's right off the bedroom and fairly spacious, all done in grey tiles and tones. The shower is large and framed in tile and glass. 

Haylee stands frozen, just looking around the bathroom. “Holy crap, Chase! This place is unreal!” she finally speaks, and I relax a little. “I don't know how you did all of this from LA.”

“Griff helped me out a lot.”

“So obviously he knows. What about Brynn?” she asks.

I shake my head. “Just Griff. I wanted to surprise you,” I tell her stepping in front of her and framing her face with my hands. “I wanted you to know that I'm staying this time.” She looks up at me with wonder in her eyes and I lean down to kiss her firmly on the lips. Her hands come up to cover mine and the kiss turns urgent fast. I pull back a bit finally to catch my breath. “So I take it you like it?”

She laughs out loud. “What's not to like? Where on earth did you get the money for all of this?”

I shrug. “My folks put a bunch of money for me into stocks and it's done really well. Mostly though, it's from competitions and sponsorships. I didn't spend much while I lived in the apartment with Dylan,” I explain. Money isn't important to me like it is to my parents. They let their greed devour them, and I don't want to end up like that. I need a place to live, a vehicle, and the only thing I am really taking a chance on is the business I plan to open. 

I think about how I had planned to bring her here the night I got back into town. Things had blown up because of Lexi's bullshit, but she's here now and I couldn't have been happier. 

“I don't even know what to say, Chase,” she says quietly, as she walks around looking at the bedroom furniture. “I'm so happy for you.”

“This is your place too,” I tell her and she spins to face me with a shocked expression. “I mean, I'm not asking you to move in or anything if you're not ready. I just want you to know that you're welcome here anytime.” I can hear the blood rushing in my ears. I don't know if I've said that correctly. I don't know if she is going to run out the front door screaming. I bought this place though with her in mind, and if it were up to me, she would move in tonight. 

She walks a little unsteadily until she's sitting down on the edge of the bed. I like the image of her there way more than I probably should. I'm having visions of pushing her backwards and showing her right here and now how very serious I am. “You just got back in town. . .and we just had a huge fight. . .or whatever you want to call it.” She looks up at me with the eyes of a scared child as I walk over and sit down beside her. “I don't think I should move in with you yet. . .I didn't even know. . .I don't want to ruin what we just got started. . .”

“Hayles, it's okay,” I insist. “I'm not trying to pressure you or anything. I need a place to live, and this is perfect for what I have in mind, for what I want to do now. I love you, and I just want you to know that you can come here anytime. We can decide on the rest later.” She visibly relaxes beside me. I have to remind myself that I'm two years older than she is, and I've just sprung so much on her. 

We end up watching a movie down in the living room. She's curled up against my side on the new sofa, and I can't remember the last time I've felt so. . .content. We talked about my business plan, and I tell her that I have a great lead on a slightly used wakeboarding boat here in the area. I'm going to use my King of Wake title to advertise for the place. She ends up falling asleep snuggled up against me, and I have all these visions of our future flashing through my mind. It's overwhelming, but in the very best way. 

I finally wake her up when the movie has finished. She yawns and stretches beside me, and she looks so beautiful in that moment. “Stay with me here tonight?” I ask her and she freezes. “Just tonight. It's late, and I'd love nothing more than to spend my first night here with you.”

“Okay,” she smiles and my heart swells. 

“What about your mom? Will you get in trouble?” I don't want to cause any problems between her and her mom.

She shakes her head though. “No, my car is there, and my bedroom door is closed. When she gets home, she'll be tired, and she'll just assume that I'm already asleep in my room.”

I grab her hand and tow her upstairs to the bedroom. “I don't have anything to sleep in,” she tells me as she looks around. She's still wearing that sexy dress from dinner.

I can't stop myself. I walk over to her and put my hands on either side of her neck, careful to avoid the bruises. “You don't need anything,” I whisper and I hear her gasp before I lean down and claim her mouth with mine. I pull the straps of her dress down over her shoulders until it pools at her feet. I reach back and unclasp the strapless, black bra she's wearing and then step back a bit. “There. . .perfect.” I smile at her flawlessness standing before me in only a pair of lacy black panties. The moonlight is reflecting off the ripples of the lake and dancing in through the windows, highlighting her perfect body.

She bites down on her bottom lip. “Then you have way too many clothes on,” she grins and steps forward, her fingers working on the buttons of my shirt. I just watch her as she unbuttons my shirt, her eyes hooded, her fingers trembling slightly. She reaches up and pushes the shirt off over my shoulders. I reach back and pull the t-shirt I'm wearing off as her fingers move down to the button of my jeans. Once she has the button and zipper open, she shoves the denim down my legs and stands back up to look at me. I brush her hair back from her face and then she leans in, pressing the warmth of her lips along the skin of my shoulder and then down to my chest. She kisses right over the tattoo with her intial on it and glances up at me with a playful grin as she does. I didn't realize that I'd been holding my breath until she trails her tongue over my nipple and I suck in a quick gulp of air. She kisses her way down my chest and abs until she's on her knees in front of me. I'm sure my legs will give out as I groan loudly and grip my fist in her soft hair. This is one of those fantasies that has been in my head for years, and I seriously cannot believe we are here like this right now. Her large, round eyes are trained up on me and I'm sure I've never seen anything more beautiful. With one of her small hands wrapped around the base of my cock, she begins licking my tip with her hot, little tongue. She quickly realizes that the area beneath the crown is wicked sensitive and she's killing me with her teasing. When she finally takes my length slowly into her mouth, I can't keep my eyes open any longer. I let my head fall back as she sucks in my entire length. I lose track everything around me as she slides me in and out of her mouth and swirls her tongue around the end. I can't hold my hips still but I at least try to keep the rocking motion to a minimum. I don't want to hurt her or take things too far.

Before I lose it completely, I reach down to her arms and pull her back up to me. Her big, desire-filled eyes look at me, worried that she's done something wrong. Problem, is she's too 'right.' “I'm just not ready to finish yet,” I tell her and her face relaxes. She is so worried that she isn't enough for me when there can't be anything further from the truth. She is all I'll ever want. I kiss her then, moving us backward until we both topple onto the bed, laughing. I take my time exploring her entire body with my mouth and my hands, trying to recover a little bit from what she's just done to me. After a while she's writhing and panting as I settle myself between her thighs. 

“Chase. . .please. . .” she pants, those long lashes of hers fluttering heavily over her eyes.  

“Please what?” I ask her softly, my fingers trailing all around where I know she wants me. Her hips are lifting to meet me, but I won't give her what she is so desperately searching for.

“Please. . . I need you inside me,” she pleads. I stretch up to kiss her mouth as I move myself to her entrance. Her fingers are digging into my shoulder blades, trying to pull me deeper.

I can't wait anymore, and I know she can't either. I slide slowly inside of her as she arches her back and groans in pleasure. I keep going until I'm buried to the hilt. “I love you with all my heart, Hayles,” I whisper and then I begin to move a bit faster. 

“I love you too,” she whispers and wraps her legs around my waist. I have never felt so close, so connected to another person as I do right now. She cries out my name as we both go over the edge together. Neither of us moves until our breathing has settled down some. I shift so that I'm lying on my side, and I pull her back against my chest, wrapping my arms around her. I pull the sheet up over us and kiss her shoulder and neck.

“Your new bed is amazing,” she whispers, and we both chuckle. 

Waking up the next morning in my new house, in my new bed, with Haylee wrapped in my arms is enough to put a lump in my throat. I could die now and I would be a very happy man, but I am ever thankful to have survived a near-death experience in order to make it to this day.