“I know,” I said. “And I, um, I knew about the rape, too.”
“You did?” she asked, shocked.
“Yeah, it sorta came out this weekend. Maddie, the one who just called…”
“Chase’s sister-in-law?”
“Yup, she was, uh, she was the victim he raped, Tess.”
“What? Oh my gosh, I think I’m going to puke,” she said dramatically. “You’ve met her? He told me she was dead.”
“I think he truly believed that. They had left her for dead, but obviously, she’s not. He looked like he was seeing a ghost when she walked in and confronted him. I felt terrible for both of them. And I really don’t think he’s a bad guy, Tess. He really cares about you, you know? I was bringing Anita over to see the house, and something just felt off. One of his brothers came out of the house and I was terrified of him. Jack came out too, and when he saw me, he thought it was you. He told me to get away and not come back, that he’d call as soon as he got rid of them. He tried to save me . . . or you rather.”
“He did? Wait, you told Anita before me?” She pouted.
“Sorry, she sort of walked in on us last week. They said they weren’t coming to study group and then showed up anyway, so I had to tell her.”
Tessa and I stayed up half the night talking about anything and everything. It was wonderful, and bittersweet. It felt like the bond between twins like the kind you read about in books, but I had rarely experienced in my lifetime until that moment. Despite her assurance that no matter what Daddy said I’d always have her in my life, I didn’t dare cling to that hope.
We ended up falling asleep on the couch. I awoke to eight missed messages, all from Chase. I hadn’t even heard it ring once. Checking my settings, I realized it was still shut off, because I had silenced it after it started ringing in the library the evening before, when several people had scolded me for it as I was walking in to meet up with Chase for our study group which had resulted in very little studying, unless you count me memorizing the ridges of his abs.
Checking the clock on my phone, I realized I was going to be late for calculus.
“Tessa, you have to wake up. I’m late for class,” I told her, knowing it took an act from God himself to wake my sister.
She grumbled while I started brewing coffee, hoping the scent would rouse her.
“Tess, I’m in classes most of the day. You have to hurry.” My pleas were only met with more grumbling.
With the coffee ready, I quickly filled two travel mugs and was surprised and thankful to see Tessa starting to stir. I shoved one of the mugs into her hands and wrapped my arm around her to heft her up.
“A little help, Tess. God, you’re heavy,” I complained. That was enough to get her moving.
“Hey, I’ve only gained a few pounds this semester. You don’t have to poke fun,” she whined.
“I’m not making fun, but I’m literally begging you to move so I don’t have to carry you all the way to the Jeep.”
She giggled but straightened. “Do I have time to go to the bathroom at least?”
“No. I’ll drop you off at the house. You can do the walk of shame and be the talk of gossip all week. You’ll love it.”
She looked at me and pouted. “Where did you get those clothes?”
“I live here, remember?”
She looked around in a sleepy daze as reality slowly settled back in. “Oh, right. Yeah, that makes sense. Okay, let’s go.” To my relief, she finally relented.
I made it back to campus, dropped Tessa off, and drove over to my first class. I ran the short distance to the building and arrived breathless just as the professor walked in. He looked at me and shook his head with a look of disappointment, but didn’t comment.
Chase and Anita were already there waiting.
“Are you okay? You never called last night,” he said, his voice filled with worry while looking me over to see that I was okay.
“I’m fine. Sorry. We went back to the cabin, and then fell asleep after talking until like four a.m. I’m exhausted and didn’t think Tessa would ever wake up.”
“Tessa knows about the cabin?” Anita whispered, clearly listening into our conversation.
I nodded. “Tessa knows everything.”
Chase was watching me carefully, but didn’t reach out like I could vividly feel he wanted to.
“And . . .” he asked.
I smiled, genuinely happy. “We’re good. She took it much better than I expected.”
Chase
Chapter 23
Seeing that Jenna was okay, made me feel like I could breathe again. After everything that had happened over the weekend, I couldn’t help but freak a little when she didn’t call or answer my calls the night before. I knew she and her sister had gone off to talk and they had likely left campus since she took my Jeep, but that certainly didn’t help my sanity one bit. I think it was the first time that I fully understood just how important she was to me.
Jenna Lockhardt was my life. She was my future. She owned my heart and was the only person I wanted to spend my time with. I was glad she had time with her sister, but a part of me was jealous of that, too, because I had missed her so much and I didn’t want to miss out on any part of her life.
I scolded myself for being a sap. I was whipped; there was no denying it. Maybe I needed to spend a little time with my fraternity brothers and remember what it was like without Jenna consuming my every thought. Nah. There was no point, because I knew she’d still be there, if only in my mind. I was a goner. I simply couldn’t imagine my life without her. Though, I knew the old Chase from even three months ago would be kicking my own ass over it. Even knowing that, with her by my side, I simply didn’t care.
Without thinking, I reached for her hand, threading her fingers between mine. I needed that physical contact as much as I needed air to breathe. She looked over and smiled and my world righted itself again. She scooted in her seat a little closer to me.
It wasn’t until the end of class, as the whispers began, that I even realized what I had done. My heightened wolf hearing tuned in quickly to the gossip line running rampant throughout the room the moment someone said “Lockhardt.”
“Did you see Chase Westin with Tessa Lockhardt? They were looking pretty cozy in class. Can you believe it?” one girl said as we were leaving class.
She was near the aisle and when we reached her, I leaned in and whispered to my eager audience. “That’s Jenna, not Tessa. If you insist on spreading freaking gossip, at least get her damn name right.” She flushed, as did the two girls with her caught talking about us. I pointed to my ears. “Benefits of being of a wolf.”
Jenna was waiting for me at the door.
“What was that all about?” she asked.
“I’m sorry. Seems every eye in the room was watching us today. I shouldn’t have reached for you like that.”
She looked back into the classroom as the girls I had just spoken to scrambled to look away and pretend they weren’t continuing to watch us. To my surprise Jenna just shrugged.
“Honestly, my best friend knows, my sister knows, screw the rest of them. Let them gossip. Who would believe them anyway? Chase Westin doesn’t do girlfriends. Haven’t you heard?” she said with a straight face. If it wasn’t for the twinkle in her eye, I’d have thought she was being serious.
“Girlfriend, huh?” I teased. “You really want to be my girlfriend?”
She gave me a look like she was judging my sanity.
“Let’s see, if you were my girlfriend, I’d walk you to your next class.”
She laughed, “And where else are we headed right now?”
I shrugged and grinned. “I would hold your hand, ‘cause it’s the only way I could keep from touching you all the time, everywhere,” I said, lowering my voice and watching her pupils dilate to my insinuation. I held out my hand and she took it with a nervous giggle.
“I’d steal a kiss when I could.” I brought our joined hands up and kissed the bac
k of her hand as she sighed. “And I’m pretty sure I have my old letterman jacket I could dust off for you to wear. Maybe dig out my class ring. We could even go to the next school dance together.”
She stopped and let go of my hand, smacking me in the arm.
“You are not as funny as you think you are,” she said, laughing.
“Yes I am. I’m hysterical,” I told her.
The gossip continued to spread around campus. Jenna ignored it. I tried not to encourage it. I didn’t realize the news of me having a girlfriend would cause other girls, especially the Thetas, to become even more aggressive. It was like I was no longer unreachable. I think it gave hope to several that if Jenna could tempt me, then they’d have a chance, too. I wanted to scream out loud, “She’s not my girlfriend, she’s my mate and none of you will ever compare,” every time one of them tried to get close to me.
Wasn’t it just a week ago they were questioning my mating status? Did they really forget that quickly, or was the thought of a wolf and a panther just too much for them to even consider?
By Thursday I’d had it. After my last class, I went straight to over to the panther house. Tessa answered the door when I knocked.
“Hey, Tessa. Is Jenna around?” I asked.
She nodded and smiled. “It’s crazy how easily you can tell us apart. Even our own parents can’t do that.”
I smiled. “I’ve got that built-in Jenna-detector that’s all. But I’ll tell you, you confused the hell out of me at first.”
She laughed. “I hadn’t really thought about that, but yeah you were acting a little weird that first week or two.”
“Yeah well, I didn’t know there were two of you,” I said.
“There’s not,” she assured me.
I grinned back at her. “Touché. You are correct about that. So, where can I find her?”
“Come on in.”
I followed Tessa down a hallway lined with doors. She knocked on the second door on the left before opening it and peeking her head in.
“Uh, sounds like she’s in the shower,” Tessa said.
“Mind if I wait?” I asked.
“Go on in,” she said. “And hey, Chase?”
“Yeah?”
“You’ll watch out for her this week, right? I mean, I know you will, just, she’s going into pack territory. It makes me nervous. Keep her safe for me, okay?”
“I’ll protect that girl with my life, Tessa. Nothing’s going to happen to her. I promise. Besides, you forget, she is pack. It’s her territory now, too.”
Tessa didn’t quite look convinced, but nodded.
“Hey, Tessa, can I ask you something now?”
She turned around at the door. “Sure, what?”
“So, you know that news is spreading like wildfire around this place, right?” She nodded. “And are you aware that I was assaulted by no less than seven girls walking across campus just now?”
She snorted, crossing her arms over her chest defensively. “I’m not surprised. Rumor has it that you are ready to settle down and so they want to break you and Jenna up so they can have their chance, or just seduce you into taking them instead of her.”
“Yup, that’s pretty much my theory, too. So, we were originally heading out of town tonight, but Jenna wanted to wait until tomorrow after you girls leave, so that we didn’t draw any attention.”
Tessa laughed. “A little late for that, hon.”
I grinned sheepishly. “I know. So, you cool if I take her today instead?”
“She’s a big girl, she can make that decision herself, but sure, for what it’s worth, it’s cool. Just take care of my sister.”
“I love her, you know,” I said honestly.
She smiled. “I’m happy for you guys. Really. I know it won’t always be easy, but I don’t have any problems with you, Chase.”
“Glad to hear it, Tessa. Thanks. And have a great time in Cabo.”
She said goodbye and closed the door. I plopped down on Jenna’s bed looking around at her stuff and taking it all in. The water was still flowing in the shower and I was tempted to strip and join her. No sooner had I thought of it, I heard a loud and off-key rendition of We Are the Champions coming from the bathroom. I couldn’t help but laugh. My mate was a terrible shower singer.
Shortly after the song ended, the shower cut off. I stayed on the bed and waited until she finally opened the door. She was wrapped in a towel, a second one piled high on top of her head, and steam surrounded her like a vision.
She walked to her desk, picked up the phone, looked at it, and then put it back down. Her bottom lip jutted out in a pout. “Class ended an hour ago,” she said to herself.
“Yes, it did. Did you miss me?” I asked, unable to keep quiet any longer.
Jenna screamed and as she whipped around to face me, she dropped her towel. There was no greater sight in the world than my mate naked. Her chest was heaving up and down as she tried to catch her breath.
“I’m sorry.” I grinned. “I didn’t mean to scare you.”
“Scare me? Scare me? Oh, no, I’m completely used to random guys hanging out in my bedroom. What are you doing here?”
The door to her bedroom opened and she quickly reached for her towel to cover herself. Four heads popped through the doorway to make sure she was okay. I had no doubt the sight of her standing before me, completely naked except for the towel still on her head, as she scrambled for the towel she’d dropped, was not what they envisioned from her terrified scream. Four jaws hung open in shock.
Tessa walked by them. “Sorry, sissy. I didn’t think you’d freak out that bad.”
“You let that boy in her room?” Ayanna asked in disgust. “With all those awful rumors about them flying around?”
“Drop it, Ayanna. Jenna’s a grown woman and can do as she pleases. Now close the door. You know she likes her privacy,” Tessa told her with some authority in her voice. To my surprise, they listened. A few blushes, and a few mumbled sorry’s later, followed by the sound of the closed door, and we were alone once again.
I grabbed the towel from her and pulled her down onto my lap. Wrapping my arms around her, I kissed down her neck until I found my bond mark and paid special attention to the sensitive skin there. Jenna shivered in my arms.
“Behave. My sisters are all home right now,” she warned me.
“Fine,” I said. “Do you have any plans for the rest of the day?”
“No, why?”
“Can we please just hit the road and get out of here? It’s been a rough week.”
“Aww, not enjoying being pawed over by every available female on campus?” she hissed.
“I only enjoy being pawed over by one particular, only available to me, female on campus.”
That earned me a smile and a kiss. I refrained from deepening it and kissing her the way I really wanted to.
“At the very least can we go to the cabin tonight if you don’t want to drive to San Marco now?” I asked.
“Tessa and the girls don’t . . .”
“Don’t care at all whether we leave today or tomorrow,” I interrupted. “Trust me. I asked.”
“You didn’t,” she said, with a threat of punishment in her voice.
I grimaced. “I really did. I just talked to Tessa about it. It’s fine.”
“Chase, we talked about this.”
“Jenna, the entire campus knows we’re together. I think that ship’s sailed already.”
She slunk, her shoulders slouching forward.
“Look, let’s just get out of here and forget about it all. Hopefully we’ll be old news by the time spring break is over.”
“Fine. Let me get dressed and finish packing.”
Jenna
Chapter 24
It didn’t take me long to throw a few last minute things into my bag and call it good. I’d been packing for days, second-guessing everything I put in there. I just wanted to make a good impression with his family. I was a nervous wreck as we loaded the Jeep
and hit the road.
It was already late afternoon and we had several hours of driving ahead of us. It was strange. I mean, it wasn’t like Chase and I never talked, but we’d never been stuck in a car side by side for hours on end before, either.
At first there was an awkward silence. When he flipped on the radio, I didn’t like the song that was playing, so I changed it. He changed it back and started singing along, so I changed it again. I hit the scan button and we let it roll until we finally came across a song we both agreed on. I sang along with him. I knew I was tone deaf, but I just didn’t care. I loved to sing. I saw the amusement on my mate’s face, but he didn’t comment on it.
As we headed south, the scenery changed around us. I grabbed for the camera in my bag and started taking pictures through the window. It was so beautiful that everything else faded away except what I could see through my camera lens.
I was surprised when the motion stopped. I dropped the camera and saw that Chase had pulled over at a scenic overlook stop. He was watching me and I gave him an apologetic look. I had always been able to get lost behind a camera, seeing the world through its lens in a new light.
“Thought you’d get some better shots here. Plus, I could use a good stretch,” he said.
He opened his door, exited the Jeep, then closed the door behind him, and then jogged around the vehicle to open my door for me. I got out in awe of the beauty of nature around me.
“This is one of my favorite stops on the trip,” he told me.
I didn’t waste any time, or need encouragement, as I grabbed my camera and happily started snapping away. I lost track of time and had no idea we’d been there for almost an hour when I finally put the camera down.
Chase was perched on the stone wall meant to be a buffer between people and the drop-off on the other side. He was watching me. He looked peaceful and content.
Confusing Hearts (Westin Pack Book 4) Page 21
