The Choice (5 page)

After Sophie, Drake and Ana leave, I try to focus on visiting with my parents and Emily, but my mind is elsewhere. I’m so happy to see them, but not knowing what Sophie has been thinking since I proposed earlier is driving me crazy.

A couple of hours later, I’m moved into a bigger room on another floor. Emily lets everyone know where I am
, but I know I won’t be settled until they’re back and I know Sophie can find me.

Once I’m set up, my family decide
s to walk to the cafeteria to get coffee and make some phone calls so I can rest and I finally manage to fall asleep. My shoulder hurts like a bitch and my breathing still isn’t where it needs to be, but it’s definitely improved.

When I wake from a dreamless sleep, I’
m happy to find Sophie curled up in the chair next to my bed reading. She’s changed her clothes and is wearing yoga pants, a tank top and a hoodie that she left unzipped. Her hair is braided the way I like and the reading glasses I’d only seen her in twice in the five months we’ve known each other are perched on her nose now.

“You’re
just beautiful, Sophie,” I say quietly, breaking her focus from her reading.

Her head raises and as
her eyes meet me, her cheeks redden with a blush and she smiles at me sweetly.

“Thanks
, Baby,” she answers. “So are you. How did you sleep?”

“Okay
, I guess.”

“Are you uncomfortable? Do you need me to get you something?”

“No, I was lonely. I missed you,” I admit. “Where is everyone?”

“They went to Drake’s to sleep. It’s nearly midnight and your parents were beat,” she says with a yawn.

“Have you slept?” I ask and she shakes her head at me. “Come here,” I say
, pulling the covers back for her.

“Okay,” she says, turning her e-reader off and tossing her hoodie into the chair before careful
ly climbing into bed beside me to face me and rest gently on my good arm. As she nuzzles into my chest, we both release a sigh that says this is exactly where we’ve wanted to be all day. I kiss her on the forehead and the same time she places her lips to my chest. “I missed you, too.”

“Have you thought about what I asked you?” I say after a few minutes of silence.

“Of course I have. I’ve thought of little else,” she admits guardedly.

“Have you made a decision?”

“Chase,” she starts and my heart falls a little. “I think we should have this conversation once you’re feeling a little better.”

“I already told you, Baby. Time isn’t going to change anything for me, Sophie.”

“I know that and I feel the same way,” she says, placing her hand gently on my chest and meeting my eyes. “But you were just in an accident. Not to mention, up until this morning we were at a pretty rocky point in our relationship. Between that and the medication you’re on…”

“Do you really think I asked you to marry me because I’m on pain medicine?”

“No,” she says with a little blush warming her cheeks. “I just think we’ve bot
h been through a lot. This is a huge step that we should talk more about when everything has settled down a little bit. I’m not saying no,” she says quietly when she notices my disappointment. “I’m just saying I don’t think tonight’s the best time to make such a serious decision.”

Staring down at Sophie, I’m at a complete loss for words
so I simply nod my understanding. I’m not really sure what I thought would happen when we talked, but it sure as hell wasn’t this. Seeming to sense my struggle, Sophie bites on her lip nervously and I let out a staggered sigh.

“Don’t bite your lip, Baby,” I whisper and lean down to kiss her gently on the forehead. I hear her
breathing waver and pull away to meet her gaze.

“I’m so sorry, Chase. I love you so much and hurting you is the last thing I ever want to do,” she says quietly as her green eyes fill with tears.
“You’re going to break up with me now, aren’t you?”

“What?” I ask, shocked that she would think that. “No, Baby. I already told you your answer wouldn’t change my feelings for you and it hasn’t.”

“Are you sure?”

“Of course, Sophie,” I whisper. “I love you, Sweetheart.”

“I love you, too. I love you so much, Chase. I’m not saying no,” she promises again.

“I know,” I whisper
, rubbing the small of her back with my fingertips. With limited mobility on my left side, I am barely able to move my arm, but she manages to wrap her arms around my side easily enough. This is the closest to Heaven I’ve ever been. “Give me some love, Baby,” I whisper and she raises her face to meet me and kisses me chastely on the lips before pulling away again quickly.

“If you have any pain you have to promise to tell me,” she says
, worried.

“I will,” I smile.

“Say you promise, Chase!”

“This must be some kiss you have planned!” I chuckle and she pulls away, blushing again.

“I’m serious! You just had surgery you can’t be getting all worked up.”

“Then you should’ve worn a snowsuit, Princess,” I joke and ca
use her to giggle. “Come on, Baby. Work me up.”

As Sophie’s lips touch mine, I immediately want more. She starts the kiss slow, but I surprise her by pushing my tongue hungrily into her mouth and swallowing her whimpers. Drowning them out with my own
quiet, pleasurable noises, I press against her with my front and pull her as closely as I can with the arm cradling her from underneath.

Her hands move up my chest to find my neck and she wraps her arm around my
good shoulder, gripping gently onto the spot that always drives me crazy while the other rests on my chest. Consumed in the kiss and surrounded by her touch and smell, one tug to my hair is all it takes to make my cock throb with need for her.

Rolling us gently so that she’s slightly beneath me, I push my hips forward enough to let her feel the effects she’s having on me. She gasps, breaking the kiss for just a moment before her eyes meet mine again.

“I want you, Sophie,” I whisper into her mouth and begin kissing her again roughly. She lets out another moan of pleasure as I bite into her lip and rasps my name out.

“Chase,” she manages. “We can’t”

“Why?” I say, pulling away slightly to meet her eyes.

“You’re in the hospital, that’s why!”

“I don’t care,” I say running my lips up her neck again.

“You just had surgery,” she manages weakly.

“I feel great,” I say making my way up the other side of her neck. “Take off your pants.”

“Ch
ase!” her laugh is a whisper as she gently pulls away again. “You
can’t
be serious right now!”

“Baby, I’m fine. Please stop worrying about me, okay? The doctor said they’re
only keeping me as a precaution,” I explain. She eyes me warily as she begins chewing on her lip, deep in thought. “You doing that isn’t helping your case, Princess.”

The combination of
my words and husky tone has her cheeks blazing again immediately.

“You promise
we’ll go really slow and you’ll stop if it’s too much?”

“I promise,” I say, my lips already on her neck again. “Take your pants off, Baby.”

“Okay,” she says as she pushes them down her legs beneath the blanket. Before I can ask, she’s pulling my sweats down my legs gently, freeing me. “Lay on your back.”

Shifting as quickly as I can
to accommodate her, I hide the discomfort and watch her run her hands up my legs until she’s gripping onto my hard shaft. Her tongue runs slowly from base to tip and I shudder at the sensation. Her hot breath on me is almost more than I can take after not having her for so long. As she closes her full lips over the head of my cock, I let out a guttural moan and my hand instinctively moves to her neck.

“Look at me, Princess
,” I whisper and as she moves her mouth slowly over me, her gaze meets mine and she lowers herself, taking me in her mouth as far as she can. “Oh my God, Baby,” I groan from behind clenched teeth and her eyes flutter closed in pleasure momentarily before she meets my heavy gaze again. Pumping me slowly at the base, she tightens her lips around me and sucks her way back up at a teasing pace a few times. Before long, I’m teetering on the edge of sanity. “I’m gonna come in your mouth, Sophie,” I rasp out. Her eyes flutter in pleasure again at my words and almost end me, but I manage to speak again. “I need to be inside you, Baby. Come here.”

Sitt
ing up slowly, she moves to straddle me and positions herself. I move my hand down to cup her sex and holding her gaze, I slip a finger into her, letting out a groan when I feel how wet she is. Leaning over me, she props herself up on one hand over my shoulder and runs her tongue across my lips. Kissing me harder than before, I slip a second finger into her drenched opening and swallow her whimpers as she stars grinding her hips against my hand, fucking my fingers slowly.

“Y
our pussy’s dripping for me,” I ground out and she moans into my mouth.

“I want you inside me so bad, Chase,” she whispers desperately
.

Slipping my fingers out of her, I
move her hips back and slide into her slowly as her eyes roll back in ecstasy.

“Fuck!” I gasp at her tightness and watch her mouth fall open stunned
, but no noise escapes her lips. Her head rolls forward slowly and finding my eyes, she slowly begins to move, using the rails on my bed to balance herself. Sucking her juices from my fingers as she grinds over me, I can feel her clenching her walls tightly around me. When she raises and allows herself to fall as roughly as she thinks I can manage, I’m already nearing the edge after weeks without her. “You taste so fucking good, Baby.”

“Oh my God!” she gasps and bites down on her lips as her eyes close briefly.

Pushing into her from below as she rides me, I can feel her starting to pulse around me.

“
Raise your shirt,” I order her and immediately, she does as she’s told and I see her bare breasts for the first time in weeks. I begin pinching one nipple at the same time that I bite down on the other and she lets out a sharp gasp. “I can already feel you getting close, Princess.”

“Yes!” she whimper
s as her gaze stays locked with mine.

“Touch yourself,” I whisper against her chest before taking more of her into my mouth. Although she blushes slightly, she places her finger into her mouth before movi
ng it lower and rubbing it over her clit, letting out another stifled groan as I watch her pleasure herself. “Feel good, Baby?”

“Yes!” she says, increasing her pace and pulling me to the brink with her in seconds.

I move my hand down to her hip and squeeze tightly, watching her bite back down onto her lip, desperate for release. “Sophie …” I start, but she knows what I need.

“I’m yours, Chase,” she says, her eyes boring into mine.

“Good girl,” I growl, pushing into her as deeply and quickly as I can. “Give me what’s mine, Sophie.”

“Chase
!” she gasps, squeezing her eyes shut tightly.

“Look at me, Sophie,” I strain the order as I begin to throb inside her. Her eyes snap open immediately. “Tell me you love me.”

“I love you!” she says breathlessly as she clenches around me again.

Squeez
ing her ass as hard as I can in this position, I swiftly release my grip on her hip and wind her long braid around my fist and pull her face to mine and speak the words I know she’s been waiting to hear.

“
Give yourself to me, Sophie,” I ground out as she gasps. “Go Baby!” I order as I empty into her.

In the next second, my girl’s gone.

“Are you sure you’ve got the date right?” Jack asked me in a frantic whisper. Ana wasn’t far from the other side of his bedroom door doing laundry. Since it was raining, we couldn’t leave to have the discussion that couldn’t wait.

“Yes, I’m sure! It’s been the same day for years and it’s never wrong, Jack. Never.”

“Okay, Baby. I’m sorry. I’m just making sure,” he said, sitting down on the bed beside me. I watched him put his head in his hands and release a deep breath. After a moment, he reached his arm behind him to rest his hand reassuringly on my thigh and his gaze shifted to mine. “Okay, well we need to get you a test then.”

“
How are we going to do that without everyone finding out?”

“Baby, who are you so worried about finding out?” Jack asked me.

“Well for starters, Ana, my aunt, my mother, everyone in Camden!” He examined my expression carefully before speaking his next words in a shaky tone.

“Are you embarrassed
?”

“What? No! Why would you ask me that?”

“Why else would you be so worried about what other people think?”

“God no, Jack! It’s nothing like that at all, I swear. I just don’t want something so personal to spread like wildfire. Not to mention, do you really want to stress everyone out for nothing? Ana would totally freak
out and be worried as hell. If it’s negative, it would all be for no reason. It has nothing to do with being embarrassed.”

“Sorry,” Jack said, leaning over to pull me to him and kiss me on the temple. “I just know there are guys out there that could offer you more, especially in this kind of situation.”

“I don’t want them, Jack,” I promised. “I’ll never want anyone the way I want you.”

“Sophie.”

Waking somewhat quietly for the first time in weeks, I begin to stretch slightly until I feel Chase starting to stir behind me. His uninjured hand is resting underneath the top of my tank top and cupping my breast. As he begins to wake, I feel him squeezing it and swiveling his hips into my backside with a sleepy groan. Running his tongue up the back of my neck, he bites me roughly at the nape and starts sucking hard and jolting me awake with the sensation. I let out a deep moan of pleasure as he continues to squeeze and grind me awake.

“Good morning,
Baby,” Chase whispers against my neck hungrily before taking my earlobe into his mouth and gently pushing my knees apart with his foot. “Spread your legs for me, Princess.”

“Sophie!” Ana’
s harsh, panicked whisper surprises us both, causing us to instantly still our movements. Warily, I raise my gaze to find her standing in front of me, but having just turned the other way with her hands over her ears and her eyes squeezed shut. “Oh my God Sophie, please wake up! This is so awkward!” 

“Oh my God!”
I groan in embarrassment, causing Chase’s chest to shake with laughter and Ana to squirm even more.

“No! No! No! No! Sophie! Stop right now for the love of God
! Please don’t do this to me!” Ana begs, no doubt thinking I meant something completely different with my words.

I’m trying desperately to free myself of Chase’s grip
, but he’s laughing so hard, he doesn’t even notice at first.

“Chase!” I gasp in an attempt to get his attention, making it worse
.

“I’m leaving!” Ana exclaims, making her retreat and causing Chase to go into an all out belly laugh. Right as she’s approaching the door she stops and turns with one eye open and catches my humiliated expression. “Oh thank God! I thought you two were about to traumatize me for life!”

Shaking my head at Chase’s still shaking form next to me I sit up on my elbows and look at my friend.

“I’m sorry,” I say, my cheeks still blazing.

“Not as sorry as you’re about to be,” Ana starts, motioning to Chase. “His parents are headed up the hallway as we speak. The nurse came in and saw Grabby McGee over there this morning and has already let it slip to me and Drake. I’d say if you’re lucky enough for that nurse to not stop them, you have about forty five seconds before they walk in here.”

“Are you freaking k
idding me right now?” I yell out, jumping from the bed in a panic and launching myself across the room to my bag. Picking up Chase’s discarded sweats from the floor, I toss them across the bed at his stunned face, ignoring the amusement there as I run towards the bathroom. “What the hell are you doing, Baby? Put your fucking pants on!”

After cleaning up, changing and brushing my hair out as quickly as possible, I make my way back out to the room where I hear Chase’s booming laughter mixed with the voices of Chase’s family and Ana. Another unfamiliar voice is present and as soon as I round the corner, I recogn
ize the short, stocky man in front of me as Chase’s doctor.

“Well my boy, if you’re feeling good enough for that I’d say you’re goo
d to go on home,” I hear him chuckle as my eyes meet Chase’s.

“Oh my God, Chase! You told them
we had sex in here?” I blurt out loud enough for everyone in the room to hear before thinking, clamping my hand over my mouth seconds too late.

Shocked expressions instantly fill the faces of the people su
rrounding Chase’s bed, but his is calm and amused as he shakes his head in my direction.

“Actually, Baby I was just telling Doctor Ellington that I was anxious to get back to work soon,” he explains with
a smirk and a wink. “You make one hell of an entrance, though.”

I’m sure I’ve never been more humiliated in my life. While Ana, Drake and Emily erupt with laughter at my expression, I slowly shrink further into myself.

“Oh,” I say in a small voice as my cheeks flare. Hiding my face behind my hands, I hear the doctor clear his throat uncomfortably before continuing where I’d rudely cut him off.

“Well, Mr. Mitchell, since you’re
obviously
feeling better, I’ll send up the nurse with your discharge papers,” he says with a nervous chuckle. Shaking his hand and giving him a few more instructions, he nodded to all of us as he turned to leave the room. Meeting my guilty expression, he smiles, pats me gently on the shoulder and snickers before shaking his head, leaving the room focused on me.

“Good morning, Sophie,” Drake says, not bothering to hide his amusement.
“Sleep well?”

Gently elbowing him in the ribs, Ana comes to my defense.

“You want some coffee, Honey?” she asks, chuckling as she makes her way over to me. Still unable to speak, I nod, refusing to meet the eyes of Chase’s parents who are trying desperately not to not laugh in the corner of the room. “Come on,” she says wrapping her arm around my shoulders and steering me from the room, still shaking gently with laughter. “Jeez, way to play it cool, Soph!”

Once we reach the
cafeteria and settle at a table, some of the humiliation has worn off and we slip into an easy conversation about nothing in particular. We’d decided to get away and let the guys have some alone time with their family while we do some catching up of our own, avoiding the subject of the proposal I’d still not mentioned.

“So when did you and Drake work things out?” I ask, my heart warming when I notice the large smile forming over her cheeks.

“Yesterday morning,” she admits. “We’d talked about things some the night before, but nothing was settled until yesterday.”

“I’m so happy you’ve worked things out with him,” I say, squeezing her hand. “I’ve never seen you so miserable over a man.”

“You’re one to talk,” she winks. “I’m happy for you, too, Soph.”

“Thanks,” I smile.

“Well, I know you mentioned moving in with Chase before everything happened,” she starts. “Do you think you might do that now?”

“We haven’t talked about it,” I confess. “I’m sure it will come up, though. I’m sure eventually we will, but I’
m not sure assuming anything is a good idea. Things have just started back up and I really think we should talk about things before I make a decision. What do you think?”

“I don’t think you should do anything you’re not sure of,” she agrees before growing quiet for a moment.

“What are you trying to work up the courage to tell me, Ana?”

“I want to move in with Drake,” she says quietly. “He asked me last night. I told him I’d talk to you. I really want to do it, Sophie, but I won’t if you need me to stay at the apartment.”

“Ana,” I say softly, overwhelmed by her devotion to our friendship and the promises we’d made as I pull her close to me. “You’ve put your life on hold for me long enough. Move in with Drake. Be happy.”

“I love you so much, Sophie,” she says into my hair
, gripping me tightly in a sisterly embrace.

“I love you, too.”

***