9
“Ican’t believeyou’re rushing me out.”
“I’m not,” Larke lied. “I’m only telling you I have to go.”
Riva gave her a sideways glance and slanted her lips. “Well, yeah I see that. But why did you go to the bathroom and put on makeup?”
“It’s only eye makeup. Not even a lot.” She hoped it wasn’t too much.
“Aha. So, you admit it. Who is he? I know it’s not Kevin because I saw him the other day and he was confused as to why you didn’t want a second date.”
Oh, Lord. Larke rolled her eyes. “Seriously? Did he think I liked having him grope me inside a bowling alley?”
Riva shrugged. “I told him that. Whatever. Forget Kevin. When I came back from the bathroom I caught you grinning and texting. Tell me who it is. Another writer? Where’d you meet him and why are you being so secretive?”
She dabbed her lips with lip gloss and laughed. Riva was fishing for info. But Larke was smarter than that, she wasn’t going to slip and talk about Chase. Her friend wouldn’t understand. No one would. To be honest she didn’t even want to try and explain her feelings for Chase to anyone only to be judged and told she was insane.
“You’re imagining things. I was messaging my dad. He has a new phone and was trying out some of the messaging features. Just being silly.” The worst lie in the history of lies.
“Liar,” Riva muttered. “I’ll let you off this time. I get it. Anyways. We’ll catch up soon and then you’re gonna tell me all about this mystery man.” She grabbed up her handbag and threw Larke a teasing glance from the doorway. “Have fun and I hope he’s good looking.”
“Thanks,” Larke said, trying hard to contain the excitement bubbling inside her.
On the way to the park, her skin tingled and the butterflies inside her stomach did somersaults each time she thought about last night. Chase’s kisses. She could still feel his mouth on hers, hot, scorching her with the intensity of his lips. How she’d nervously climbed into the bed, fully aware he would join her.
First time being so close to a man. That had been awkward, but oh so wonderful once he’d lain beside her and stroked her face. Somewhere deep inside, Larke knew she should feel guilty and bad for allowing Chase into her heart. She couldn’t. No one was perfect, and he wasnota horrible person.
Last night, after seeing the way he’d hung his head after questioning him about his beliefs, Larke knew any sane person would say he deserved the shame he obviously felt. Still, it wasn’t something she’d taken pleasure in witnessing. Not at all. If anything, his behavior had further proven to her that he was no beast. Beneath the hardened exterior and hate, was a person with real feelings and emotions that went far beyond race. That was something she couldn’t and would not ignore.
Once she’d reached the park and found a spot near the pond, Larke exited her car. She smoothed her skirt, gave her braids a quick pat although they were held back in a brightly colored wrap, tied from the back to the front with an off-centered bow. By the time she arrived at the pond, her entire body was rippling with anticipation. Chase had made it there before her and was seated with his bare arms stretched across the back of a bench. Larke glanced around making sure there weren’t too many people. She didn’t wish for anyone to feel uncomfortable. Thankfully, they were alone.
Her cheeks heated the moment he looked her way and rose to greet her. She drew in a deep breath, battling the mounting urgency to squeeze her legs together and quell the pulsating need building between her thighs.
“Hey.” His voice, deep and gruff made her breath catch.
“You beat me here.”
“Thought I’d impress you by showing up early.”
Larke laughed softly, drawn in by the way his blue eyes appeared more vivid than before. “You impress me. But not because you arrived here before me.” She settled next to him. “You said in your note that you had to meet with someone this morning. Did it go well?”
“Yeah, it was my stepfather.” He gazed at her and rubbed the bottom of his chin. “I found out he’s dying of cancer. Only has a couple of months to live.”
Larke searched her mind for the right thing to say. What did one say to the news that a horrible racist was dying? She sighed. Racist bastard or not, he probably meant something to Chase, so she forced herself to say, “I’m sorry. Is he suffering a lot?”
Chase chuckled without humor. “He’s got lung cancer and still smoking like five packs a day. It’s sick.”
The lack of emotion in his voice confused her. “Won’t you miss your stepfather when he dies? I remember you mentioned him to me when we were kids.”
His eyes went cold. “When you clip a fingernail, do you ever miss it? I mean it was a part of you for a while, right?”
Ouch. Larke kept her tone neutral. “Isn’t this different? He’s a human being. He helped raised you, didn’t he?”
“Yeah, that’s true. But your thinking is wrong. He didn’t raise me out of the goodness of his heart after my mother left. Trevor was all about getting in good with my grandfather. He practically moved right in after my father died when I was three. He used my mother to get himself lined up in a good position to take over when my grandfather couldn’t handle the work anymore. Trevor wanted and needed my loyalty as I got older. Nothing more, nothing less.”
“Doeshe have your loyalty?”
Chase shrugged. “To an extent. Just how it is. We’ve got our ways and the rest of the world have theirs.”
