“Chase… I have nothing to offer you.”
His arm snakes around my waist, pulling me in closer.
“Don’t ever say something so cruel aboutmybest friend.” Deep blue eyes with a hint of gray burn into mine. There’s a storm raging inside them, and it’s staring right at me. “If you thought the only thing you could give to me for now was a smile a day, I’d be perfectly content with that. Just being in your orbit and existing in your world is enough for me, Bookworm.”
“Your money is not what makes me smile,” I whisper.
You do.
“The job at Ink and Print? I’ll admit I was bummed but none of that matters because I understand now that it served its intended purposes,” I say, shaking my head.
“What do you mean?”
“Look at where we are, Chase. Look at whereyouare,” I say proudly, and I notice the sheen in his eyes the second he understands. “I don’t think the job came to me because it was meant to bemynext move. It came to me to help get you back to whereyoubelong. Right here,” I say, gesturing around us.
“You are something special, you know that?” His voice turns hoarse. “I wanted you to be able to do what you love without restriction. I signed a check and made a phone call. No biggie.” He shrugs and gives me a smirk as he uses my own words against me.
Smartass.
“Thank you, Eighty-Seven. This is… I don’t even know what to say.”
He has a habit of making me speechless.
“Say you’ll think about that date.”
He bends to pick up his bag before placing his hand on the small of my back and guiding me to his truck when we exit the building.
The drive is quiet and comfortable. It always is. I stare out the window as I think back on his words.
Say you’ll think about that date.
I shouldn’t but I do.
What would it even look like? Me changing outfits a dozen times? Us sharing burgers and milkshakes? Him walking me home and hovering at my door, wondering if I’ll let him kiss me?
My thoughts come to a halt when he kills the engine and rounds the truck. And because he’s a perfect gentleman, he walks me to my door.
I shove my key into the hole and twist it a few times until it unlocks. Turning around, giving my back to the door, I look up at his handsome face.
“In case I haven’t said it already—thank you.”
“You’ve said it plenty. Your dreams are just as important as mine, and if I can help you reach them, I want to. If you’ll let me.”
“No more money, okay? What you offered is way more than I needed or could have imagined. It’s probably not a huge amount to a hotshot hockey star like you, but that amount is crazy huge to someone like me, and I promise you, I won’t pocket it.”
“You think I’m hot?” he teases, and I close my eyes. “No need to be embarrassed, sweetheart. You tell me at least once every other day.”
I roll my eyes, and he laughs. A dance we seem to easily fall into a few times a day.
His eyes drop to my lips again. When he looks up, his gaze darkens, a burning need swimming in them, and I know he’s caught me looking.
“You can’t look at me like that, baby.” His voice is rough, and then his eyes are back on my mouth again.
“Like what?”
“Like your only desire in this moment is to know exactly what it feels like to be kissed by someone who craves and thinks about you, and only you, every single minute of the day.”
I don’t mean to do it, but I lick my dry lips, and his nostrils flare.
