Then I remember that this isn’t real. I threw myself at the quarterback because I could no longer take watching the situation with Brielle. I had to do something drastic.
But I admit that I snapped because of all the dates I endured until today. All the women fawning over Chase, pawing at him, making him smile—even if it did seem forced.
I take his hand and run headlong through the crowd, shouting, “He’s mine. All mine!” The only thing I can think of is to meet crazy with crazy.
To my surprise, Chase goes along with it.
Hand in hand, we race out of the park and don’t stop until we’re back on his street with the maple trees casting dappled light on the sidewalk.
Chase glances over his shoulder. “It doesn’t look like she followed us. That was a close call.”
We stop so I can catch my breath. “I’m sorry.”
He hits me hard with his flirtatious grin. “I’m not.” His eyes dip to my lips and he leans in.
The space between us starts to shrink, inch by inch, until we’re only dealing with fractions. The city sounds go quiet. The earth beneath my feet disappears.
He pulls me in, and like before in the park, I feel his heart beating under his shirt. Mine pounds so madly, I’m not sure where it ends and his begins.
The whooshing in and out of my breath ceases, and it’s only the kiss that’s sustaining me as our mouths move together.
Chase’s arms are around me and he steps forward. Like when we danced at the Smythe’s, I follow his lead and take a step back. We slowly move like this until I’m pinned against his car parked in front of the brownstone.
It’s like we both want to run away from all this madness, but the kiss keeps us rooted because we don’t want it to end.
His giant hands press against the back of my neck as mine knot into his hair—it’s definitely soft.
Chase pulls away for one second and whispers, “It’s just us.”
And for a few more moments, as the kiss continues, that’s all that matters.
The kiss deepens as his breath and the wind whisper across my skin, sending the heart fluffies shivering through me in the best kind of way. I’m warm and floaty inside and out.
This is better than I imagined kissing Chase would be like. It’s an equal give and take. A balance of man and woman. Of desire and devotion.
When we part, he says, “This is unreal.”
My expression slowly flattens as reality returns—and beeps with messages on my phone. I’m not sure exactly what rule I just broke, pulling Chase off theCrush or Cupidlocation, but it was probably a big one. “It was very real and very wrong.” I duck under his arm, moving away from the car.
He steps closer. “What do you mean? That was right. So right.”
He’s not wrong, but the rules! “I’m your teacher. I can’t—we have to go.”
“Go where? Go inside? Kiss again?” His lips form the flirtiest smile.
I tell myself to resist it. My career and his depend on it.
“Chase, that was caught on film. We have to fix this.” I smooth my hand along my hair and then twist it nervously. “What are we going to do? I’ve ruined everything.”
“You potentially saved me from a zombie robot programmed to ruin my life.”
I wrinkle my nose with confusion. “What?”
“Never mind. You have no idea the mental gymnastics I’ve had to do to make it through this week.”
“Your last date is this afternoon. We can come back from this.”
“I don’t want to go on another date, Pippa. I want?—”
