Kate turned off the laptop and turned to the family. Rose, Cal and Peggy sat together with their arms linked. Peggy’s eyes flooded with tears.
Kate turned to Chase. He came around the table and threw his arms around her. “Kate,” he said into her ear, then kissed her several times on the cheek. “You saved us. You saved me.”
Kate shook her head. “No, you saved me. I never—” she sniffed, looking around. “Can we speak privately?”
“Clear the room,” Chase said loudly.
Cal stood and grabbed the contracts, ripping them in shreds. “That means you, Kai. Get the hell out of here.”
Kai uncrossed his arms and waved his hand for his team to follow him out the door. “You will regret this,” he said as he walked out.
Peggy turned to Donna with her fists on her hips. “You really had me going, lady,” she said. “Now, get your skinny ass out or our building before I carry it out.”
Donna scurried after Kai and his team, then Cal, Rose, and Peggy walked out, patting each other on the back.
Chase and Kate watched the door shut, then turned towards each other. Chase curled his hands through Kate’s hair, then around her neck and lowered his lips to hers. Kate could feel the love in that kiss and melted into it.
“Chase, I was wrong. I’m sorry it took me so long. I love you,” she said, wrapping her arms tightly around his waist. “I love you, and I don’t know what that means for me, or for my life, I just know I do.” She felt her body finally relax, and a happiness flood through her body she had never felt before.
Chase held her face in his hands and kissed her gently on the lips. “Kate,” he said. “I’m all yours.”
Epilogue
Kate kissed Chase and watched him saunter out to his truck. His jeans hugged the back of his legs in just the right way. God, that man was good looking. She touched her lips, feeling the warm buzz lingering on them. It was the same feeling she got every time she kissed him.
She turned to her computer and hit video call.
“Pipes!” Lindsey said, as she illuminated the screen. “How are you?”
Kate beamed into the camera. She could feel herself glowing. “Never better,” she said. “I’m happy. Really, really happy.”
“Aw, domestic bliss. Sounds nice.” Lindsey smiled.
“It is,” Kate said. “I can’t believe I get to come home to a man I love every night.”
“I’m so happy for you.”
“Lindsey, listen. I have an offer for you.”
Lindsey’s brow shot up. “Do tell…”
“The rebuild on my old bungalow is almost done. Chase and I would like to offer it to you. We’d like you to move out here to Oklahoma.”
“Pipes, I…”
“Now, hold on. I know you are a Boston girl, but I think you’ll really love it as much as I do. The people are amazing, and all our Boston clients have agreed to this being our home-base. What do you think?”
Lindsey sighed then tipped her head. “Pipes, I really appreciate the offer, I do. But…there’s something I need to tell you.”
“Okay…”
“Well, you really inspired me, you know, going after your dreams. And I decided it’s time for me to do the same. Can’t be a basement dork forever, you know. It’s time for me to get out of my Mom’s house. So…I’m going to college.” Lindsey finished with a smile.
“College!”
“Yeah, I know I’m a little older than most of the students will be, but they are giving me a pass on my first two years of credits because of my mad skills. And, get this, I get to work with some of the best technical minds in the country. They want me to work on some special, undercover data research team. The details are fuzzy, but I’m psyched.”
Kate paused for a beat, then said, “College. Wow, Lindz. I couldn’t be happier for you.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. I hope they know how lucky they are to have you.”
“Thanks, Pipes. You know, we’ll be friends forever, and I’ll always jump in when you need me.”
“I know, but don’t you worry about me. You go get your degree, and whatever comes after that. You are Lindsey Monahan, and they don’t know who they’re messing with, right?”
Lindsey felt passion spring in her gut. She was going to have her own adventure. “Right!”
Please read on to get a small taste of the hot, tumultuous adventure Lindsey finds herself in! If you've enjoyed Chasing Kate, please leave a review on the site from which you purchased it. Reviews are the lifeblood of all authors, and I'm no exception! Thank you!
Chapter Excerpt From
Loving Lindsey
An American Dream Love Story ~ Book Two
Lindsey trailed soft, light kisses up his torso and onto his open mouth. “What?” She teased as she stood on her toes, wrapping her arms around his neck. “You don’t want me to leave?” Before he could answer, she slid her tongue just inside his lips. His arms tensed, and with two giant hands, he swung her around so he pressed against her from behind, the soft palm of his right hand pulling her back against him. A spark ignited within her as his lips began to caress the back of her neck.
“You can’t leave,” he murmured against the back of her ear. “Not when things are just getting interesting.”
Lindsey felt herself fill with a pleasant, wanting liquid. “No,” she sputtered, warmth filling her spine. “I’m not moving out. I’m just moving in.”
He spun her back around, his beautiful face glowing at her words. He deftly swept her up into his arms and carried her to the sofa. He laid her down then straightened. His desire filled gaze slowly trailed from her mouth to her breasts, then to the lace panties that clung lightly to her shapely hips. She wondered if he could sense how wet she was. She hoped that he could.
He lunged forward, laying the perfect length of his body against hers, his body so warm and solid that her legs spread instinctively beneath him, allowing him to sink even closer.
Her muscles tensed and swelled in anticipation. Maybe this day wasn’t a total bust after all, she thought absently. Of all the things she had longed to experience in her life, a hook-up with a beautiful stranger wasn’t on the list. But now, cradled in this man’s arms, his lips and groin pressing against her, she decided this was one experience she was looking forward to having. She heard these one night stands went from hot to awkward fast, but the way he touched her felt like…well, like love. Maybe she was crazy, but she allowed herself to sink into the moment, the dream of her new life expanding quite nicely.
She took his beautiful face in both of her hands and pulled away to look into his light eyes. They were filled with anticipation and longing, but with none of the doubt she would have expected from a man she'd just met. She caressed the strong, golden line of his jaw and smiled. He smiled back and took her hand, kissing the palm as he stared into her eyes, then massaged her breast lightly as he planted tiny kisses all around her nipple, effectively sending tingling desire shooting through her body. As he trailed his fingertips down the curve of her belly and beneath her panties, he stroked the moist hair between her legs. She sighed and trembled.
“I could do this all day,” he said.
“Okay,” Lindsey whispered, her voice begging. In response, his hand slid across her in a slick, rapid motion. She felt herself swell at the thought that he would soon be deep inside of her. She felt his body tense as well, and thought he must be thinking the same thing until his hand slowed to a stop. He went suddenly still and she realized his eyes were wide as he stared at something across the room. She craned her head to see what he was looking at. She looked across the boxes to the bank of monitors and CPUs she had arranged on the kitchen counter. She felt his body go stiff.
“What?” she asked. “What is it?”
He jumped up from the sofa in a shot and began to look around. He turned in circles, his eyes wide.
Lindsey got up onto her knees, pulling a pillow across her naked chest. “You’re freaking
me out,” she whispered.
She watched as he charged across the room to the kitchen where her moving receipt still lay on the counter, alarmed at the sight of every muscle in his beautiful body tightening.
He turned towards her, the paper crumpled into his fist. “What the hell is this?”
“Um, my moving receipt. Why?”
He took several long breaths then glared at her, accusation etched on his face. His muscles tensed before speaking. “You’re good,” he said, shaking his head as he reached out and snatched up his scattered clothes. “You almost had me.”
Lindsey’s mouth went slack. “What?”
He turned towards her, his eyes flashing. “You hacked me,” he said. “And I actually thought that—that...never mind.” he said, shoving his legs into his pants.
Lindsey felt her mouth go dry. “What?” she asked. “I…What?”
“I’m so stupid,” he spat, shaking his head. “Of course you did.” He grabbed his shirt and shoes, his face growing red. “You found out where I lived, moved in, then—” His palm slid over his face in one slow, regretful motion. “You seduced me.” He swung towards her. “Right? Right!? Admit it.”
“I—”
“Don’t deny it,” he said. “You hackers and your stupid games. But you,” he continued, now pointing at her, “you viper, you take things to a whole new level, right? It’s not enough to hack me. You had to screw with my head too.”
Lindsey felt a trickle of light begin to seep into her brain. How could he know her moniker was Viper? Only — oh no. “Wait,” she began, her voice trembling. “You can’t be…you’re...” She could barely get the words out. “Professor Wheeler?”
He stood and looked at her flatly, the veins in his arms and neck bulging.
“Hah,” he spat. “Like you didn’t know that. You waited at that bar. You brought me here!”
“Hold on a minute,” Lindsey said, standing with the pillow clutched to her chest. “You brought me here, not the other way around.”
“Nice try,” he said. “Like we just happened to live in the same building.”
Lindsey tried to calm her heart rate. She felt her whole life begin to swirl down a dark and irreversible drain as she spoke. “Campus housing put me here,” she said slowly. “They said the dorms were full, they—”
“Save it.” Zach said, as he tugged open her front door. “You’re out. Don’t you step a foot near my lab.”
The door slammed with a bang and Lindsey fell back onto the sofa, listening to Zach’s heavy footsteps storm down the stairwell. A moment later, she heard the door to the unit just below hers open and slam fatally shut.
Tears sprung to her eyes. How had this happened? She hadn’t even started the program and it was over? Her mind spun through his words over and over until their finality truly sank in. Her dream was over. She curled up around her pillow and sobbed.
She should have just stayed in her mom’s basement, safe in her virtual world. Isn't that where she had always belonged anyway?
About the Author
Josephine Parker has been writing, reading, and loving books for 30 years. She holds a fine-arts degree in Creative Writing from the University of Colorado-Boulder, and has worked as a literary agent, freelance writer, and editor before embarking on her own dream of owning several small businesses and writing books. She splits her time between Denver and Seattle with the love of her life and their very needy cat.
Josephine followed her own American Dream, and now invites readers to join her heroine’s in fulfilling their dreams and finding true love.
She also loves to interact with readers. You can find her on twitter @JosiePBooks, on her Josephine Parker fan page on Facebook, or keep up to date on new releases, free short stories, and her newsletter by going to her website at jp-books.com.
She is available for interviews, podcasts, and book clubs.
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