The Backup Plan (Back in the Game)

by McLaughlin, Jen

  But I didn’t want to hurt him.

  I couldn’t break him.

  So, I told him the only thing I could. “Everything’s fine, Chase. I promise.”

  He caught my hips in his hands, pulling me closer. “Okay, in that case…”

  “Yeah?” I asked, my breath hitching in my throat.

  “I believe I promised you this.”

  And then…he kissed me.

  Chapter Twenty

  Chase

  She was mine, and I was hers.

  No matter what anyone thought, no matter what people like my father and Amanda said, we belonged together, and we could be happy. Nowadays, no one gave a damn what someone’s parents did for a living. I certainly didn’t.

  Neither did Taylor.

  My mouth moved over hers, and I backed her against the wall, impatient to kiss away whatever was bothering her. She might not be ready to open up to me yet, but I wasn’t an idiot. Something was bothering her. If she couldn’t tell me what it was, then I’d have to do my best to distract her from it until she could.

  When she was ready to tell me…

  She would.

  Taylor clung to my shirt, letting out a small whimper, and I lifted her up so she could wrap her legs around my waist. She wore a dress and no tights, despite the chilly fall day we’d had, so there was nothing in my way except her panties.

  My tongue touched hers, and she groaned, moving against me restlessly. Her fingers fumbled with my belt, and she undid it. Then she slipped her fingers inside my left pocket for the condom she knew I always kept there, shoving it at my chest.

  Breaking the kiss off, breathing heavily, she demanded, “I need you.”

  I nodded.

  If my girl wanted it fast and hard, she’d get it fast and hard. Anything she wanted was hers, and she knew it. As I let my pants hit the floor and rolled the condom over my cock, she shimmied out of her pink panties. I don’t know how she managed to make something so simple look so goddamn sexy, but she did it.

  Each and every time.

  She rested against the wall, watching me with glowing blue eyes and messy hair. Her lips were already swollen from my kisses, and I couldn’t look away. Couldn’t believe this woman, this motherfucking angel, was actually mine. I dropped to my knees in front of her, slowly sliding my hands up her thighs and under her dress.

  Dropping her head back against the wall, she let out a ragged moan that made my cock ache even more to be inside her. She was so pretty. So sweet. So mine.

  I spread her thighs and slid closer, burying my face between her legs and running my tongue over her sweet core. She cried out and held on to my hair, throwing a leg over my shoulder to allow me better access. I licked her, scraped my teeth over her, and drove her higher and higher with my mouth until she came, my name on her lips like a prayer.

  Right where it belonged.

  Body tight, I stood, lifted her up, and growled, “Hold on tight.”

  She did as ordered.

  I lost myself in her body. Her touch. Her skin. Every movement, every kiss, was like a promise from me to her, an unsigned love letter, and I could only hope she was receiving the message I was sending. I whispered her name and sweet words that I didn’t even really pay attention to as I desperately tried to bring her over the edge with me again.

  When she came, I was right there with her, flying like I’d never flown before. I collapsed against her, cradling her in my arms as I rested my forehead on the wall. “Holy shit,” I breathed.

  She nodded, hugging me tighter. “Agreed,” she said, her voice cracking.

  I pulled back, looking at her in surprise. Was she…? I touched her cheek, and my fingers came back wet. “You’re crying.”

  “I know.” Sniffing, she wiped her hand across her cheek, avoiding my eyes. “I’m sorry.”

  “Don’t be sorry.” I switched position, cradling her in my arms after pulling out of her. Swallowing hard, I hugged her closer protectively. “Did I…was I too rough?”

  That made her start sobbing again.

  Jesus, what had I done to her?

  “I’m so sorry, Taylor. I—”

  She shook her head, touching my face. “Don’t. It wasn’t you, or anything you did. You didn’t hurt me,” she said through sobs, tears still running down her face.

  I hadn’t seen Taylor cry like this since she was ten and fell off her bike. It had broken. She hadn’t cried because she’d been hurt, she’d cried because her parents had just bought it for her that day and she’d ruined it.

  I’d gotten her a new one and hadn’t told my father.

  “What’s wrong?” I asked, my heart squeezing tight.

  Seeing her cry was more painful than anything.

  “Did you mean it?” she asked slowly, resting her hand over my heart.

  Confused, I blinked. “Did I mean what?”

  “You…” She licked her lips, looking up at me with soft blue eyes shining with tears. “You said you love me.”

  Shit, had I said that?

  I mean, it had been in the heat of the moment, I guess, and things slipped out when you were there, but I hadn’t meant to tell her I loved her. Not because it wasn’t true, but because it was too soon, and I didn’t really realize that I felt that way about her. But now that I’d said it…there was no denying I did.

  I wasn’t going to fucking lie and deny it.

  That’s not the kind of man I was.

  “I meant it,” I admitted, setting her on her feet. “I didn’t realize I said it, and wasn’t necessarily planning on it, but yeah, I love you. I love everything about you, Tay. Your hair, your smile, your heart…” I stopped talking before I started babbling on like a damn poet about all the reasons why I loved her.

  She covered her mouth staring at me, saying nothing.

  Not much to go on.

  “You don’t have to say it back,” I said into the silence. I never should have opened my damn mouth. She wasn’t ready. She didn’t love me. Probably never would. Why would she? I was nothing more than an almost murderer trying to make up for his sins. “We can just pretend it never happened and go on like before—”

  “I don’t want to,” she said, shaking her head.

  My heart tore in half inside my chest. I forced myself to stand still even though I wanted to stagger back like I’d received a blow. It hurt that damn much. This was it.

  I’d lost her.

  “All right,” I croaked, fisting my hands at my sides. Now she would go. When she did, I could let myself fall apart, but not a damn second before. “We won’t.”

  “I…” She took a step toward me. “You love me.”

  I nodded once, sharply. “Yes.”

  “Like, really love me.”

  Jesus, did she want me to write it on a medal for her before she left? “Yes, I really love you. Taylor—”

  “I love you, too,” she blurted out, nervously playing with her hands in front of her stomach.

  I froze. “What?”

  “I love you, too, Chase.” She bit her lip. “I know you didn’t mean to say it, but you did, so I’m saying it, too.”

  Still, I didn’t move. She loved me. Me. Chase Maxwell.

  “Chase?” she asked nervously.

  I snapped out of it. “Yeah?”

  “Say something.” She pressed a hand to her stomach. “Anything.”

  “I love you,” I said softly, freely.

  She smiled, tears still shining in her eyes, her hair all frizzed out and messy, her lips swollen from my kisses, her cheeks flushed from the pleasure I’d given her moments before. It was the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen. She was the most beautiful thing that I’d ever seen. “I love you, too.”

  Grinning, I ran toward her, picked her up, and kissed her. I’d thought I knew what happiness was when she agreed to start dating me.

  It was nothing compared to this.

  To her loving me.

  When I pulled back, she laughed and cupped my cheeks. “Hol
y shit.”

  “I know,” I agreed.

  We’d said it. It was official.

  From here on out, I was hers, and nothing would change that. I’d never once told another person I loved them besides Joey, when I’d gone to his grave.

  He hadn’t been able to say it back.

  My father certainly never said the words, and more than likely didn’t feel them, either. My mother had died when I was less than a year old, so even if she’d said the words to me, I didn’t remember it or her, so they didn’t count. Amanda had said the words to me, sure, but only after we split, and I didn’t feel the same for her, so they were easily dismissed. But Taylor…I loved her, and she loved me, too.

  I would do everything in my power to treat her right, to make her happy, to ensure she never wanted to leave me. I’d never had anyone’s love like this before, and I wasn’t sure how you went about keeping it once you got it, but I’d do my damnedest to try.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Taylor

  I’d been floating around campus ever since Chase told me he loved me. Ever since that night a week ago, and all those things that had happened since to solidify his claim in my mind, I was on cloud nine. No, I was higher than cloud nine. If there was a cloud ten, I was its sole occupant, and I had no intention of ever coming back down. It was happy up here. Up here, I had Chase Maxwell, and I didn’t care about his father’s threats.

  On cloud ten, life was great.

  After a lot of thought last night as Chase slept peacefully next to me after making me scream his name several times, I came to a decision. I was going to tell him about his father’s threats and ask him to help me strategically plan a way around them. If I explained to him the direness of the situation, he wouldn’t fly off the handle, and together we could come up with a smart way to defeat his father and his evil threats. Love would win.

  Love always won.

  God. I still couldn’t believe he loved me.

  All day, he kept looking at me during class and smiling, and my slightly cynical self had smiled back each and every time. I couldn’t help it. I was just so happy.

  Logically, I knew we had a battle in front of us. His father would never, ever approve of me, and we had to find a way to be together that wouldn’t end up with my parents jobless and homeless, but one way or another, we could make it work.

  We could figure it out.

  If we had to hide our relationship until we were both out of school and in good jobs, then so be it. Maybe my parents could come live with us, or we could get them a little apartment somewhere in the suburbs where the only people they had to take care of was themselves. Whatever we decided, it would work because we would work as a team.

  Still smiling, I headed for my dorm. Chase was running back to his to shower, since I’d hogged his private shower this morning, and then we were meeting up with Bryce and Anna for lunch and a cram session. Afterward, I’d finally come clean and tell him everything he needed to know, and we would have a cram session of our own.

  “Taylor?” a girl called out from behind me.

  I turned around, half recognizing the voice but not sure why. “Oh, hey, Amanda.” She stood there looking beautifully perfect like usual. She wore a white shirt, tight jeans, and a pair of heels that probably cost more than my parents’ hypothetical future rent.

  She came up to me, tucking her long hair behind her ear. “Where are you rushing off to?”

  “I have to grab my books and then meet Chase for a study session.” I adjusted my bag on my shoulder, smiling at the other woman. “I never thanked you for that invite to your party. It was…fun. Up to a point, anyway.”

  She smiled, her perfectly painted lips parting to show off her impossibly white teeth. “Those guys are jerks. Where are you and Chase studying?”

  “At Minella’s with Bryce and Anna.” I hesitated. “Why, did you want to join in?”

  “No, no, that’s okay,” she said.

  I relaxed a little. It wasn’t that I didn’t like her. I did, but there was something about the idea of waving a more suitable version of myself in front of my man’s eyes that seemed like a bad idea.

  “I’m sure you need as much quiet as you can get to keep your grades up so you don’t lose the big financial aid package you probably have.”

  I stiffened. “Wh-What?”

  “I didn’t mean it in a bad way, honestly.” She looked a little flustered, but I wasn’t buying it. It looked too…too…practiced. “Chase told me about your parents is all.”

  “What about them?” I asked slowly, my heart pounding.

  “Well, you know… That they’re servants that work for his family.” She waved a hand like it meant nothing to her, while clearly it meant everything. “It must be hard, attending a university like this when your parents never got to go.”

  I gripped the handle of my messenger bag tightly. “When did Chase tell you all of this?”

  “When he gave me a ride home from the dentist last week.” She flung her hair over her shoulder. “He told you about that, right?”

  No, he hadn’t.

  I tried not to be bothered, but paired with the fact that he’d told her personal things about me that I hadn’t given him permission to say, it was kind of hard not to be. “Uh…”

  Amanda smiled. “He also told me you lived in the same house as him, and that you two grew up together as friends, even though you lived in the servants’ quarters. That’s so cool.”

  I swallowed. “Yeah. Cool.”

  “I think it’s great, what you’re doing. Going to school to further yourself.” She patted me on the arm in what was probably supposed to be a kind gesture, but ended up feeling condescending. “It’s awesome.”

  I wasn’t ashamed of where I came from, or of my parents. I wasn’t hiding who I was, or what my parents did for a living. I never would.

  But at the same time…

  It wasn’t Chase’s place to tell people.

  It was my decision who knew where I came from and who didn’t, and it was up to me whether I wanted people like Amanda to know.

  “Thanks,” I said through a forced smile. “Well, I better hurry up so I’m not late.”

  “Yeah, sure,” she said, laughing. “Tell Chase I said hi.”

  With a wave of her fingers, she was off.

  I watched her go, frowning.

  As she bounced off, my phone rang, and I dug it out of my bag. The second I saw who it was, I wished I hadn’t. I rejected Chase’s father’s call without a second thought, dropping the phone back in my bag and making my way to my room. I had to hurry if I was going to make it back to Chase with enough time to ask him what the hell he’d been thinking when he told Amanda my private life details.

  Leaving the door cracked, I emptied out the crap I didn’t need from my bag, then refilled it with what I did. Afterward, I stood there, taking a deep breath and wiping my hands on my jean-clad thighs. I couldn’t let Amanda get to me. Maybe I was reading into all the things she’d said, and she thought it was cool I was here. Maybe I was the one putting problems where there were none, like Chase had said last week.

  While my past might not embarrass me, there was no denying that I was a little sensitive when it came to people judging me based on it. I liked who I was, who I’d been, and I hoped to like who I became after all this was over.

  The question was…

  Would I?

  I walked over to the mirror, glancing at my reflection. Blue eyes. Long, wavy brownish-blond hair. Pale skin. Lips that were a little too plump.

  Nothing new there.

  Just me.

  Was there a way out of this mess that didn’t include me losing the man I loved, or my parents losing their jobs? Was there a way to win, and keep all the prizes?

  If there was, Chase would know it.

  I had to trust that together, we could make this happen.

  My phone rang again, so I walked over to it, half expecting it to be Chase asking me where the heck I wa
s. Instead, it was his father.

  Again.

  If he was calling me back already, he would keep calling until I answered. I knew that from experience. Might as well answer now so we could focus on the study session without the constant buzzing of my phone. “Hello?”

  “Taylor.”

  He said nothing else. Typical Mr. Maxwell. “Yes, it’s me.”

  “How’s Chase doing?” he asked, his voice gruff.

  “Good. We’re about to study for our midterms.” I tucked my hair behind my ear and walked to my window, looking down at all the people rushing from one place to another. I spotted Bryce walking with headphones in, his phone in his hand as he texted. If he was already on his way, then I was late, since he was never on time for anything. “I have to hurry there, actually. Can we talk later—?”

  “I don’t like you hanging around him so much,” he said, his voice hardening. “If he’s always with you, he won’t be looking for a suitable girlfriend.”

  I gripped the phone tight, rolling my eyes. “Who says he’s looking for a girlfriend at all?”

  “Me and you.” He cleared his throat. “Your job, after all, was to put his life back together.”

  “My job was to make sure he got good grades. I’m doing that.” I closed my eyes for a second. “My job was not, however, to find him a girlfriend.”

  “It is now.”

  “Mr. Maxwell—”

  “Hear me out.” He paused. “I spoke to his ex, Amanda, and she is on board with getting back together with him, despite his troubled past. Turns out she never stopped carrying a torch for him. They even spent some time together last—”

  “No,” I immediately said, not wanting to hear the rest.

  “Excuse me?” he said slowly.

  “I said no.” I ground my teeth together. “I will not, under any circumstances, pimp out your son for you—not for Amanda, or anyone else.”

  “Amanda told me the only thing holding Chase back from her is his belief that you two are an item.”

  “Sir, I told you, we are not together. It’s just pretend on my part.”