The Backup Plan

by Jen McLaughlin

  I glared toward Chase’s car. “I have to go. He’s here, and I don’t need you blowing my cover and ruining my parents lives…sir.”

  He hung up on me, and I slid my broken phone into my purse.

  Chase pulled up, grinning and looking blissfully unaware of the fact that I’d just been threatened by his father. It needed to stay that way. If he knew that his dad was holding my parents’ employment and possible impending homeless status over my head, he would explode in his father’s face, and my parents could end up paying the price.

  So…I had to keep my mouth shut.

  Play my part.

  And then, when the time was right, I had to move along like I promised. Chase was great. I liked him a lot. Could probably even love him, if I was stupid enough to do so. But was he really worth the risk he posed to me and my parents? This thing between us wasn’t forever. It wasn’t even serious. We were just having fun.

  Could I risk losing everything for a little bit of fun?

  He rolled the window down, still grinning at me. He looked so happy. So very different from his father. “Hey, Tay.”

  “H-Hey,” I said, forcing a smile.

  When I didn’t get in, or move, he frowned and shifted the car into park. “Is something wrong?”

  I hesitated. He looked at me with a deep frown, the concern he felt for me shining in his green eyes. There was something about the way he looked at me—like he was terrified that I’d come to my senses and decided not to be with him—that broke me. It was like he expected me to reject him, to stop fighting for him, much like Amanda had.

  I couldn’t do that to him.

  Couldn’t give up on him.

  Shaking my head, I walked toward the passenger door. “Nothing’s wrong.”

  As I slid into my seat, he sagged against his for a second, and the relief he showed punched me in the chest. Without a word, he leaned over, cupped my cheek, and kissed me. There was desperation to this kiss, a desperation I felt, too. It was like we were both all too aware of the fact that this kiss, that every kiss, could be our last one.

  It was heartbreaking.

  He pulled back, running his thumb over my lower lip. Staring deep into my eyes, he took a deep breath. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

  “Yep.” I nodded, my heart aching as I pulled away and shut my car door. “Let’s go eat. I’m starving.”

  Without another word, he pulled away from the curb, his jaw tight and his grip on the wheel even tighter. It was perfectly clear that he wasn’t buying a word I was selling.

  To be honest?

  Neither was I.

  Chapter Twelve

  Chase

  Something was up.

  I didn’t know what that something was, but I knew Taylor well enough to be able to tell when something was bothering her. I pulled up to a local pizza place, parking in the only open spot. When I shut the car off, I turned to her, studying her. She was playing with the hem of her shorts, studying them like they held the secrets of the universe.

  “How’d you break your phone?” I asked into the silence, hoping it would snap her out of whatever was going on inside her head.

  “I dropped it down the stairs of my dorm,” she answered, her voice hollow. She looked at me. “I was carrying it and my books, and it just slipped.”

  “That sucks,” I said, reaching into my pocket, closing my fingers around the object inside. “I’m sorry I was late.”

  “It’s okay,” she answered dismissively. “I was actually talking to someone. I made a friend.”

  “That’s nice,” I said, my heart pounding. “Can I see your phone?”

  She blinked at me, then pulled it out. “Why?”

  I took it from her, glanced at the broken screen, and then tossed it into the back seat.

  “Hey!” she called out. “What the—?”

  “What would you say if I told you I got you a new one?” I held the phone out, unsure whether or not this purchase would be welcomed or not. “And before you yell at me, it was on sale, and I got a sweet deal on it.”

  She stared. “Is that an iPhone?”

  “Yes.” I pulled mine out. Hers was rose gold, mine was black. “I got one, too.”

  She said nothing.

  Just stared.

  “I like texting you too much to just stop, Taylor. Those little good morning texts, and the silly pictures you send me, they might seem like nothing, but to me, it’s everything, so I added a line to my plan.” I swallowed hard. “Me buying you this is really for me, not you. I need you too damn much to do without. I’m too selfish.”

  She licked her lips. “Chase…I can’t…”

  “Please?” I smiled. “I mean, if you don’t, how can we sext each other before bed?”

  Choking on a laugh, she shook her head. “We never sext.”

  “Yet.” I wiggled my brows. “But now we could.”

  She reached for it but then pulled back. “I just can’t accept this.”

  “Yes, you can.” I took her hand, slipped the phone inside her palm, and curled her fingers around it. Her skin was so soft. “I already paid and can’t return it. You might as well use it so the money isn’t wasted. They gave you a new number, but if you want your old one instead, we could go in and change it. I couldn’t do that without you there.”

  She stared down at it, biting on her lower lip. “I—”

  A scream shattered the silence, and I jerked, searching for the cause of it. I found it right away. A woman was backed against a wall by an angry man who might be drunk, high, or both. He loomed over her and reared his arm back to strike her.

  Without hesitation, without second-guessing, I threw my door open and ran toward the pair. I heard Taylor curse behind me then call out: “Chase, wait!”

  There was no time.

  My feet pounded on the pavement, and I closed the distance between us, praying I wasn’t too late to save her. As I ran, another scene played out in my head, and I was running toward Joey’s car, racing against the flames consuming it.

  I’d been too late then.

  I wouldn’t be too slow this time.

  The man hauled back his fist and struck the woman in the nose, the sickening crunch making my stomach clench. Rage blinded me.

  Consumed me.

  Growling, I lunged at the man, taking him down with me, and the woman screamed again, sobbing as a deafening boom filled the air. Taylor screamed my name, a phone pressed to her ear. “Chase!”

  “I’m okay,” I said immediately. “I’m okay.”

  Relief filled her beautiful features as she rambled into her new phone—presumably to 911. Guess that purchase already paid off. “Please, you have to hurry… He has a gun… He shot his gun…”

  Is that what that noise had been? A gun?

  I turned my attention back to the fucker who dared to hit a woman, pull out a gun, and put my woman in danger, too. I rolled him onto his stomach, trapping his hands behind his back by the wrists. Breathing heavily, I sat up straight, still on top of him, and spotted the gun Taylor had spoken of. It lay on the concrete a few feet away.

  The woman against the wall sobbed into her hands, and Taylor stood by her with her phone still pressed to her wet cheek. The man on the ground shifted beneath me, and I growled, “If you try to get up, I’ll fucking kill you.”

  He stopped moving immediately.

  “Are you okay?” I asked the woman who stared at me with awe.

  “You saved my life,” she whispered. “He tracked me down, and told me he was going to kill me. I—”

  She broke off, sobbing again.

  Taylor pulled her into her arms, comforting her, paying no mind to the fact that she was getting a stranger’s blood all over her. “Shh. It’s okay. We’ve got you. He won’t bother you again.”

  After a couple of seconds, the woman looked back at me. “You’re a hero. How can I ever repay you?”

  I wasn’t a hero.

  That wasn’t the kind of man I was.

&n
bsp; Just ask anyone at Villanova.

  Sirens sounded in the distance, and police cars pulled up right behind us with screeching tires. “No one move!”

  We all stayed still, barely daring to breathe.

  “It’s him,” the woman said, shaking and pointing at the man on the ground. “He’s the one who attacked me. The others saved me.”

  The cops rushed past us to the woman and the perp lying on the ground. Taylor looked seconds from a full-blown panic attack, and I ached to pull her into my arms and tell her it was going to be okay, but I refused to let go of this asshole until the cops put cuffs on him.

  “Don’t move,” the cop said, approaching us with his gun drawn. “What’s your name?”

  “Chase Maxwell,” I said immediately.

  “Get up slowly, hands in the air, Mr. Maxwell.”

  I did what he asked. Another officer helped the attacker to his feet, slapped cuffs on him, and read him his rights. I looked at the first cop who had spoken to me. “Can I comfort my girl, sir?”

  “Which one is yours?”

  “Me,” Taylor whispered, pale and trembling.

  The cop nodded.

  I stepped toward her. “Tay—”

  Choking on a sob, she threw herself at me, clinging to me like I’d been the one in danger, instead of the woman who still cried against the wall. I held her to me tightly, burying my face in her neck and breathing deeply. She cried into my shoulder, not letting go, and to be honest, I was kind of grateful for that.

  I needed her arms around me, holding me tightly.

  Hell, I needed…her.

  Pulling back, she swiped her hands across her wet cheeks, her eyes red rimmed and still shining with tears. She ran her hands over me, skimming them over my shoulders and my arms, then my back. “Are you okay?” she asked worriedly.

  “Yes.” I nodded. “I’m fine.”

  “You scared the hell out of me, taking off like that,” she practically shouted, smacking my good arm. “Don’t you ever run off in a fit of heroics like that again without waiting for backup from me first, you stupid, stupid, man.”

  Before I could say anything, she kissed me.

  Like, really kissed me.

  I held on to her tightly, giving her what she seemed to need right now. Me. She could have me. All of me. Whatever she wanted. It was hers. I’d die to give it to her.

  She pulled back, still trembling, and stepped away, drying her cheeks again. Someone tapped me on the shoulder, and I spun.

  The woman I’d saved threw herself at me, hugging me, all skin and bones. “Thank you. Seriously. Thank you.”

  I locked eyes with Taylor over the woman’s head.

  She smiled at me, still crying.

  Warmth spread in my chest, and I nodded, hugging the woman back before letting go. “Stay safe, okay?”

  She nodded, wiping her face, and walked toward the waiting cops. They led the woman away, while two others approached me and Taylor.

  “You’re the guy who took the perp down?” one asked, taking out a pen and a pad of paper.

  “Yes,” I said.

  “We’ll need your statement.” He glanced at Taylor. “Both of you, actually.”

  She nodded, her tears finally drying up. “Yes, of course.”

  “What’s your name?” he asked her.

  “Taylor Selmer.”

  He nodded kindly. “You go to college around here?”

  “Y-Yes,” she said, glancing at me quickly. “I go to Villanova. We both do.”

  “Excellent.” He turned to me. Something about him looked vaguely familiar, but I couldn’t quite figure out what. “Your name, son?”

  “Chase Maxwell.”

  “Chase—?” He glanced at me in surprise, giving me a once-over. He took a step back, his jaw hard. “Oh.”

  My chest tightened.

  Jesus, even the cops hated me?

  Taylor stepped beside me, sliding her hand into mine. “Is there a problem?”

  “No, of course not.” He stuck his pad into his pocket again. “It’s just…I was there that night. I don’t know if you remember me…”

  Jesus. As if this day wasn’t already bad enough, all those memories had to come crashing back. Yes, I remembered him. He’d held me as I sobbed into his shoulder and swore over and over again that this wasn’t my fault, that I’d been trying to help. He’d held me as my whole world had fallen apart, and hadn’t let go until the paramedics took me away on a gurney. I’d always been grateful to him for that night, for what he’d done.

  Now he was here.

  Staring at me.

  What did you even say to a man who had seen you at your lowest point, with tears and blood all over your face, and the will to live practically nonexistent? How did you thank somebody for holding on to you when you were unsteady, and not letting go?

  I shoved my shaking free hand into my pocket, swallowing past my swollen throat. Taylor tightened her grip on me, stepping closer. “About that…”

  He shook his head. “We don’t need to go there.”

  “We do. Thank you for believing me that night. For helping me.” I locked eyes with him. “It meant a lot to me, officer.”

  The man nodded, his cheeks flushing. “Anytime, son. I’m glad tonight had a better ending for you.”

  I said nothing.

  Taylor sniffed, wiping the tip of her nose with her palm.

  The other officer cleared his throat. “Ready to go to the station?”

  We nodded.

  As we filed into our cars, I glanced at Taylor as she buckled up. “Are you okay?”

  “I am,” she whispered. “I was scared, though. He had a gun, Chase. And you just ran up to him, not even thinking twice. I thought…I thought he was going to shoot you.”

  Reaching across the car, I wrapped my hand behind her neck, resting my forehead on hers. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you. I just saw her in danger, and I don’t know, I guess I just kind of snapped.”

  “I’m happy you saved her,” she whispered. “I am. It was just scary. If I lose you…” She didn’t finish those words, but she didn’t need to.

  “I know,” I said, kissing her sweetly. Pulling back, I locked eyes with her. “I know, Tay.”

  And I did…

  Because I felt the same exact way about her.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Taylor

  Later that night, his mouth moved down my neck, leaving a blaze of fire where it trailed, sending me into the most delicious flames to ever exist. I clung to him, my eyes closed, arching my back as his hand ghosted over my fully-clothed breast. He toyed with me through the fabric, teasing me, and I skimmed my fingers down his back, sliding under his shirt so I could touch bare skin. After our scare this afternoon, I needed to.

  Groaning, he broke the kiss off and then took a deep breath, resting his forehead on mine. “Taylor, we need to stop—”

  “Chase.”

  He blinked. “Yeah?”

  I cupped his face, looking him dead on in the eye. “I appreciate you respecting my wishes, and it means more than you could know, but we’re not rushing anything at this point. I’ve known you my whole life. I’m ready for this. I’m ready for you.” I buried my hands in his hair and yanked. “Now, if you’re done trying to protect me from the big bad wolf yet again, kiss me.”

  “Taylor…?”

  Smiling, I said, “Yes, I’m sure.”

  He eyed my mouth, let out a tortured groan, and kissed me. I could tell, for the first time, that he wasn’t holding back on me. His mouth melded to mine, and he lowered himself over me again, his body touching mine in all the right places. As he kissed me, his hands roamed, reawakening the fires he’d started earlier.

  I dragged my nails down his back. This had been years in the making—and I was so freaking ready. I’d been waiting for this exact moment for way too long. Rolling my hips, I moaned into his mouth and nipped at his lip. Something inside of him seemed to break. With trembling hands, he
lifted my shirt over my head, only breaking the kiss off long enough to haul it over my head. He tossed it off the bed and bit down on my shoulder. I arched my neck, giving him better access.

  “I want to taste you everywhere.” He cupped me with his palm. “Every. Where.”

  Who was I to deny him what he wanted? He kissed his way down my body inch by agonizing inch.

  When he closed his mouth over my nipple through the lace of my bra I moaned, closing my eyes.

  It was too much.

  Yet not enough.

  He moved even lower as he undid my shorts. He tugged the shorts off, leaving me in my bra and underwear. Luckily, they matched. I’d been doing that for weeks now…just in case.

  “You’re so sexy,” Chase said in my ear, nibbling on it in between words. “I could spend all night tasting you. Touching you.” He rolled his hips against me, mimicking a thrust. “Fucking you.”

  For a guy that didn’t talk anymore, he sure had a lot to say about what he wanted to do to me. I always thought that guys just grunted and groaned as they pounded into you. But not Chase. He told me what he wanted to do, and he followed through.

  It was maddening and hot.

  Just like him.

  “Oh my God.” I shivered when he moved against me again. “Chase…”

  He ground himself against me. Even through his pants, I could feel him brushing against my core. “I like the red thong.” He kissed the edge of my bra. “It’s hot.”

  I let out a small moan.

  He undid my bra with a quick flick of his wrist and kissed the skin he bared. I groaned and bit down on my tongue. His fingers trembled as he dipped them between my legs, barely brushing the satin as he did so.

  “God, yes, Chase.” I wrapped my thighs around him, trying to ease the empty ache he was so clearly bringing to life within me. “I…I need…you.”

  He made a broken sound. “You have me,” he answered, tugging my panties down my legs with his left hand. A ripping sound filled the room, but I was beyond caring.

  As soon as the thong was off, he lifted me up so my hips were in the air, and his mouth was—oh God, his mouth was right there. He slid his hands under my butt, his eyes on me the whole time. I was about to tell him to put me down before he injured his shoulder even more, but he rolled his tongue over me…and thinking just kind of stopped.