Page 9 of The Chase

I sighed. “With another person? Not since Charlie.”

Keiana pulled me into a warm hug, and I melted into her embrace. “Oh, Max, you know he would have wanted you to be happy.”

“I know.”

“It’s not your fault.”

I nodded again, but I didn’t believe her. “I know, but I’m exhausted, so I’m gonna go to bed.”

She didn’t let me go. “Who was it?”

I tried to wiggle out of her grasp, but the girl was strong. “Kei, please.”

“Tell me!”

“Don’t judge me.”

She let me go and lifted her hands up as if in surrender. “No judging from me, ever. You know that.”

“Yeah, yeah, I know. It wasn’t terrible. He was a good kisser. I think he wanted to go for a second round.”

“Why didn’t you? Maybe he would have gone down on you.”

I wrinkled my nose at that. TJ Desjardins was a jerky hockey player, and there was no way he liked doing that. I wasn’t even sure if I liked that being done to me. None of the jerks I slept with before ever offered, even though they expected me to go down on them.

“Better to be one and done,” I told her.

“Okay, but tell me who it was.”

I sighed. “TJ Desjardins.”

Her dark eyes were saucers.

“I said don’t judge me!”

She tipped her head back in a laugh. “The one who asked for your number and never called you?”

I gritted my teeth. “Yes.”

“Damn, girl, he’s kinda fine. Not Benny or Mac fine, but he’s pretty to look at.”

“Benny’s very much taken by my boss.”

She laughed. “I know. They’re like the hottest sports couple in all of Philadelphia. Too bad TJ was a disappointment.”

I shrugged. “I better get to bed. I have work in the morning.”

“Sorry about the date, but glad you got laid, even if you didn’t get yours.”

“S’okay.”

She fixed me with a glare. “It’s not, Max. Even if it’s a hookup, tell them when something isn’t working for you. You shouldn’t be afraid to speak up.”

I gave her a sour face before heading up to my room. I knew Keiana was only trying to help, but I wasn’t good at expressing my needs. I never have been; that was just my personality.

I wasn’t sure the problem was TJ. Maybe it was me. Maybe I was one of those women who couldn’t come from penetration. It felt good when he was touching and kissing me, but when he was inside me, I froze up. Maybe I could only get there if I loved the person. I didn’t have that problem with Charlie. Maybe it was because, like always, it reminded me of Charlie, and I felt guilty.

As I was changing for bed, I heard my phone vibrate in my purse. I took it out and checked the screen.