by Amber Heart
She gripped his shoulders and did as he asked, riding him so fast that the truck began to sway with their movement. His grip tightened even more as he pressed his face against her neck.
“Come for me, baby.”
She threw her head back and screamed, helpless to do anything else. She felt the exact moment that Chase followed her, his body growing briefly still from the force of the pleasure. Then, with a ragged groan, he let his head fall back once more as she rode him languidly now, drawing out every bit of pleasure she could.
Once it was over, Chase wrapped her in his arms and laid back. They halfheartedly got back into their clothes before she cuddled up, her head resting on his chest, the rest of her between his legs. He hadn’t put his shirt back on yet, and Claire trailed her fingers down from the center of his chest to his belly button. When his stomach jerked, she laughed and pressed a kiss where her fingers had teased.
“Ticklish?”
“Where’d you get a crazy idea like that?”
His voice was nearly a purr of pure masculine satisfaction and she smiled against him. His fingers were twining through her hair again, more gently this time, combing out the tangles he’d put there. It was so lulling that she felt her eyes starting to close.
“Don’t go to sleep,” he said, but he couldn’t find any actual conviction in his words. “We can’t stay out here all night.”
She went back to tracing lazy circles on his skin, her fingers dipping under his waistband just enough to tease. Chase closed his eyes. Only the early morning sun of the next day woke him.
Claire was still curled against him and he eased up carefully. She woke slowly, blinking up at him.
“Is it morning?” she asked after a moment.
He gave her a grin as he pulled his shirt on. “Yeah, it is.”
“Mmm,” she said curling back into a ball and resting her head on his leg. “I knew you’d sound sexy as hell in the morning.”
“What?” he asked, looking down at her.
Her big brown eyes opened slowly once more. “What? You don’t hear yourself?”
He shrugged. “Yeah, but I just sound like...me.”
“And it’s amazing,” she said, her tone brooking no argument. “All rough and husky.”
“So, if you imagined how I’d sound in the morning,” Chase said. “Does that mean that you were planning on sleeping with me?”
“I wasn’t exactly planning it,” Claire said, sitting up. “But I was obviously very open to the idea.”
He tugged her against him and kissed the top of her head. “And I’m glad you were,” he admitted. “Because you’ve been killing me for weeks now.”
“Oh really?”
“I may have been on the verge of begging,” he said as he cranked the truck.
“Damn,” Claire said. “I should have waited. That would have been so hot.”
He laughed as he pulled onto the road. “I’ll remember that.”
Chapter 11
It didn’t take long for the shit to hit the fan, but Chase hadn’t really expected it to. He was standing in the locker room, changing into his uniform when someone reached over his shoulder and smacked his locker closed. The clang echoed around the suddenly quiet room.
“What the fuck were you thinking?”
Chase turned to see Logan standing behind him. “About what?” he asked in a level voice.
“Are you really gonna act like you don’t know what I’m talking about?”
Chase only shrugged, leaning back against the locker and watching Logan carefully. He wanted to make him say it so that everyone on the team would know what was going on.
“You think you can just start dating Claire and not say anything to me about it?”
“Yeah, I do. Why does it bother you?”
Logan stared at him, seemingly at a loss for words. “You think it wouldn’t bother me?”
“It shouldn’t,” Chase said. “You can’t shut up about how over her you are, so why would you give a damn that she’s seeing me?”
“I...”
“I’m waiting.”
“I...we’re supposed to be friends,” Logan said furiously. “Maybe that’s the problem.”
“Look, we weren’t friends and you know it. We just play football together. I’d like to be able to keep this professional here, because we’re both pretty damn good at it.”
“Then maybe you shouldn’t be fucking her! I heard that neither one of you came home last night!”
“And maybe you should quit worrying about who your ex goes out with. Or when she comes home.”
Logan’s whole body went tense and he slammed his hand against Chase’s locker again. “So you are fucking her?”
Chase sighed. “I didn’t say that and you know it.” He didn’t mind Logan knowing, hell, he didn’t mind anyone knowing, but he also knew that Claire wouldn’t want him broadcasting what they’d done all over the locker room.
Logan stepped forward, getting right in Chase’s face. The last time that had happened, Chase had stepped back. This time he stayed right where he was. He outweighed Logan and he was taller by a full two inches. He wasn’t about to be intimidated. And maybe Logan needed someone to put him in his place.
“Is this really worth it?” Chance asked. “Because I’m gonna give you five seconds to decide and then if you’re still standing here, I’m not going to be responsible for what I do to you.”
“Fuck you.” Logan snarled before he turned and walked away.
Chase leaned back against the lockers and pushed his hands through his hair. The rest of the guys in the locker room stared at him.
“Are you really dating his ex?” Mike asked in a low voice.
Chase shrugged. “Yeah.”
“I always heard she was a complete bitch.”
“Me too,” Chase said, trying not to get annoyed. “Then I met her. Obviously he’s not taking their breakup well, so maybe take that into consideration.”
“Hey, I’m not trying to get in the middle,” Mike said quickly. “And I’m a hell of a lot smaller than you, so remember that.”
Chase grinned in spite of his tension. “What did you say down there?”
“You might not be able to hear me all the way up there, but I bet you can see this.” Mike flipped him off and the rest of the guys laughed, effectively breaking the tight feeling in the air.
Chase decided that now was as good a time as any to explain himself. “Yes,” he said after a few seconds. “I am seeing Logan’s ex. No, she doesn’t seem to be a crazy bitch. No, I don’t plan to let it cause problems for the team. Yes, Logan has lost his shit.”
“Thanks for the synopsis,” Ricky said with a grin. “But we got all of that from the yelling match.”
Chase shrugged. “I just want everybody on the same page.”
“Nobody here plans to say a damn thing about Claire until we get the okay,” Evan said. “Other than that, as long as it doesn’t affect the game, I don’t care who you date. Logan can be...intense...but he’ll get over it.”
Chase glanced around. The other guys nodded and he felt a surge of relief and gratitude. It could have gone a lot worse. “Thanks.”
****
That night, Chase dropped by Claire’s house. Not to study, but just to make sure that she was okay. And to find out if what they’d had was just a one night stand. They hadn’t really talked about where they stood after they’d woken up that morning, and he found that he really needed to know.
“Hey,” Claire said when she opened the door. “I’m so glad you’re here.” She stretched up to give him a hug. It was a tight one and she clung closely.
“What’s wrong?” he asked, looking down at her.
She sighed. “I’m just worried about Ellie.”
“Your roommate?”
“Yeah. She’s been seeing Logan and I can’t help but feel like it’s not going to end well. I tried to talk to her, but she didn’t believe me. And that only made things worse.”
“With Ellie?”
“Sort of. I mean, she’s avoiding me even more than before. But mainly with Logan.”
“He’s still texting you?”
Claire flinched at Chase’s sharp tone and he swallowed hard to get it in check.
“Is he?” he asked in a lower voice.
She nodded. “It doesn’t bother me that much anymore.”
“It bothers me!” he said roughly. He’d hoped that the confrontation in the locker room would be enough to get him off of Claire’s back. It seemed like Logan wasn’t smart enough to take the hint. “Why don’t you just block his number?”
Claire sighed and rubbed the back of her neck. “Because at first I needed the reminder that he was a jerk so that I didn’t make the mistake of missing him. Then I just got sort of...paralyzed.”
“And now?”
“Now...it’s more of keeping a check on his mental state. Sort of knowing the enemy.”
“Claire, I really think you need to tell somebody about this. Besides me, I mean. Because I can kick his ass, but I’m not even sure it’ll do any good.”
“First of all, I’m not trying to get you benched. And for another, who would I even tell?”
“What about Coach Davis? If anyone can make Logan understand that he needs to back off, it’ll be him.”
“I can’t do that. He’s a good quarterback.”
“So?”
“So...” she trailed off. “I don’t know. I’ll think about it, okay?”
“Okay. In the meantime...” He reached out and tugged her hair. “Can I kick his ass?”
“I’m afraid not. “They” probably wouldn’t like it.”
“I’ve got a question about “them” actually.”
“Oh yeah?”
“Yeah. Are “they” home?”
She smiled. “As a matter of fact we’ve got the place to ourselves.”
“Just what I wanted to hear.”
They didn’t talk much for the rest of the night, but later, as Claire curled against him and closed her eyes, he said, “Don’t go to sleep.”
“Why?” she asked without opening her eyes.
“Because I’ve got something I want to ask you.”
“What is it?”
“What is this to you?” Chase did his best to keep his tone light. “Are we just friends with spectacular benefits? Or do you see something more?”
She went still. “I...what do you think?”
“No fair, I asked first.”
“Come on, be a gentleman!”
He grinned. “Okay fine. I really like you. And the benefits. But I guess...I’m not really friends with benefits kind of guy.”
“Are you asking me out?” Claire asked, looking up at him, her eyes shining in the low light.
“It seems kind of backwards to be asking when we’re already naked,” Chase said. “But yeah. I am.”
She wrapped her arms around him and cuddled close. “I’d love to go out with you, Chase.”
He rubbed his hand down her back and kissed the top of her head. “I’m starting to think that you don’t want to see me beg after all. You keep missing your chances.”
Claire laughed against his shoulder. “I’m just biding my time.”
He rolled her underneath him and pressed his lips to hers. “Sneaky woman.”
She twined her arms around his shoulders, looking surprised. “Again?”
“Only if you want to.”
From the way she drew him down, he assumed that she wanted it just as badly as he did.
Chapter 12
“Franklin. Come with me.”
Chase followed the coach to his office, wondering if he should take this chance to talk to him. Logan had been quiet for a few days, but everyone on the team was starting to get tense. There was an angry energy in the quarterback that hadn’t been there before and they all sensed that the balance of power had shifted now that people were learning the truth about Claire. But Claire still didn’t want to say anything and Chase knew that it had to be her decision.
“I’ve been talking to Meg Porter,” Coach Davis said, gesturing to the chair in front of his desk. “She couldn’t be here, but she wanted me to give you some news.”
Chase nodded. He’d almost forgotten about his grade in math with everything else that had happened. Claire said he was doing better, and he’d taken a makeup test yesterday that he’d actually felt pretty confident about.
“I don’t see the need to leave you on pins and needles,” the coach said, pushing the test across the desk. “You got a B. Keep it up and you’ll pass the class with no problem.”
Chase grinned. “Thanks. Claire’s going to freak out!”
“I’d think it would mean a little more to you than to her,” Coach Davis said dryly.
“She’s pretty dedicated,” Chase said.
“Seems like things worked out between you two.”
Chase remembered the day before, tangled in the sheets with her underneath him. “Uh, yeah. We’re good now.”
“And you and Logan aren’t.”
“No, not so much.”
“Anything you think I need to know?”
Chase debated. “I...maybe. But it’s not really my story to tell.”
“My door’s open if you decide to make it yours.”
“Thanks.” Chase stood and looked at the B on the top of his paper. “And thanks for this too.”
He knew just where he was headed with the news.
****
Claire looked over the test Chase had brought her. “I cannot believe this.”
“I know.”
She squealed and launched herself into his arms. “You got a B!”
He wrapped her up tightly and spun her around. “We got a B,” he corrected when he put her down. “And I’m thinking that we could--”
He stopped speaking when the front door slammed. Claire looked toward it and saw Ellie walk in. Her head was down as she locked the door quickly.
“Ellie?”
Ellie jumped and spun around. “What?” she demanded, her voice thick.
“Are you okay?” Chase asked.
“Sure, I’m fine.”
Ellie’s voice broke on the last word.
“Were you out with Logan?” Claire asked.
Ellie nodded. Then she burst into tears and threw herself into Claire’s arms. “I’m so sorry, Claire!” she gasped out.
Claire cast Chase a worried glance over the other girl’s shoulder as she patted Ellie’s back. “Tell us what happened, okay?”
“He got really mad at me,” she said. “And he said all these horrible things about me being desperate and how I’d never measure up to you no matter how hard I tried. I wanted to leave, but he...he...grabbed me and...” Her breath hitched in on a sob and when she moved to cover her face with her hands, Chase saw red marks on her upper arms. They’d be dark in the morning.
“Did he hit you?” he asked.
Ellie shook her head. “No, someone came in and he let me go. And then I...I just ran.”
“You did the right thing,” Claire said. “It only would have gotten worse when you were alone again.”
“Claire,” Chase said quietly. “I think that this has gone far enough.”
She nodded, her eyes wide with fear but her jaw set determinedly. “Ellie...I’m going to talk to Coach Davis about Logan. Will you go with me?”
Ellie wiped her tears away, already shaking her head.
“I know it’s going to be scary and I know it feels wrong...but we’ve got to do this.” Claire looked down at Ellie’s arms. “If I’d done it before, you might not have these bruises.”
Chase pulled out his phone and sent a text to his coach. “Can I tell you that story now?”
The reply came pretty quickly. “My office.”
****
Coach Davis looked a little surprised when Chase walked in with Claire and Ellie. Ellie was still obviously holding back tears.
“Have a seat
ladies,” he said.
Claire sat and Ellie reached over and gripped her hand. “I...I’m not sure where to start,” Claire said.
