Every Kiss You Steal: A Redeeming Love Novel (Book 7)

by Parker, J. E.

  The crux of the matter was this—why would a guy like him, want a girl like me, when Bianca was an option? The truth was, as cruel as she could be, she wasn't screwed up in the ways that I was, and I had no doubt that she could give him things that I couldn't.

  Things that all guys craved and needed.

  My vision blurred as a wave of fresh tears filled my eyes. I'd once thought that after escaping Dominic, my life would get easier, and for a while, it had.

  With my world shifting on its axis once more, I felt myself falling right back into the endless blackness that awaited me. Only now, I saw no way out. After spending so much time and witnessing firsthand the peace Chase's mere presence offered my tired soul, he'd quickly become the balm that soothed me. All it took was one look into his eyes, and the storm that raged and rioted inside of me would instantly calm, making it easier to breathe.

  He'd become my rock-steady.

  And without him, I would be lost.

  More than ever.

  Truth be told, it didn't matter if Bianca had been lying or not. Chase and I simply had no future. Where he was everything beautiful and good, I was corrupted beyond redemption and stained with permanent filth.

  No matter how heartbreaking it was to admit, he deserved better than my broken pieces.

  And that's all there was to it.

  I pushed to my elbows and glanced down at the street below when the low hum of an approaching car's engine reached my ears. Living on a dead-end street meant we never got much traffic, and considering almost every neighboring house was dark, I had no idea who was out and about at this hour.

  It was a question I needn't have pondered long.

  "What is he doing here?" I whispered, my heart thumping away. Sitting up completely, I watched as Chase, of all people, parked his black Jeep Laredo next to the curb forty yards up the street before killing his lights. "Oh my God, tell me he isn't going to get out."

  When he popped open the door a second later and jumped out, I had my answer. But it wasn't until he quickly looked around and then started sprinting directly toward me that I realized exactly what his plans were.

  Eyes as big as saucers, I stared, completely dumbfounded, as he cleared the picket fence that lined my front yard in one swift move, followed by my Mama's beloved azalea bushes. Crouching low to avoid the motion-sensor lights attached to the front porch, he crept to the far side of the veranda like a ninja and temporarily ducked out of sight.

  Completely frozen to the spot where I sat, I waited with bated breath as the flower-covered lattice attached to the side of the house creaked when he began to climb it. Shoulders tensed, I waited for it to snap right in half since the flimsy piece of wood was meant to support climbing roses, not a full-sized man.

  Oh, this is bad...

  Really bad.

  I exhaled, my heart continuing to jump around in my chest, banging against my ribcage and collarbone until he pulled himself onto the overhang, less than five feet from where I was, hidden in the shadows.

  Terrified that one of my parents might have heard him, I quickly whisper-hissed, "What in the name of sweet baby Jesus are you doing?"

  Having not seen me yet, he stumbled back, nearly falling right off the roof.

  Twisting to the side, I lunged for him, but luckily he was able to right himself before it was too late. Finding his balance once more, he smiled, his bright blue eyes gleaming beneath the brim of his ballcap. "Hey, Sweetness," he whispered. "Missed you tonight when you didn't show up at the Ferris Wheel."

  My eyes narrowed.

  He couldn't be serious.

  Feeling every bit of anger I'd experienced earlier in the day roar back to life, I climbed to my feet. "Why?" I spat, arms crossed. "Didn't your girlfriend keep you company?"

  His smile disappeared, but I couldn't tell if it was because he'd been busted or because he was genuinely confused.

  Unable to stop myself and momentarily not giving a crap if we got busted, I let the vile words that Bianca had aimed my way roll off my tongue, each tasting more poisonous than the last. "What happened, Chase? I thought you and Bianca were supposed to spend all night together?"

  "Ashley," he started. "Beautiful girl, what—"

  Taking a cautious step back, I held my hands up, halting whatever he was about to say. I didn't want to hear it. Not when I couldn't decipher my butt from a hole in the ground, much less a well-rehearsed lie from what was the heart-shattering truth.

  "Just stop," I snarled. "I don't want to do this with you. Not now and not ever." Pointing toward his Jeep, I thinned my lips. "I'm sorry that you'll lose the bet you made with Ryder, but I think you should leave. Like, right the hell now. Because quite frankly, I don't want to look at you."

  His face morphed, but not with anger.

  With pain.

  "What the fuck are you talking about?" His voice got louder with each word he spoke, and I had no doubt that my dad, who was an extremely light sleeper, would hear him any second.

  If that happened, Chase wouldn't have to worry about falling off the roof because my dad would throw him right off, and my mom would probably shoot him on the way down.

  Teamwork, y'all...

  "Go home, Chase," I said, turning to climb back in my window. "Before you end up with two broken legs and a couple bullet holes courtesy of my parents. Lord knows we certainly wouldn't want to end your football career before it ever truly got off the ground." Bile churned in my belly at what I was about to say next. "Besides, you'll likely need an NFL-sized salary to support Bianca in the future. The girl obviously loves to shop. After all, that's what she was doing at the mall today, right?"

  Vision blurry from tears and mad as could be, I knelt down and slid one leg inside my bedroom. "Be careful climbing down," I said. "Regardless of the situation, I don't want you to fall and get hurt." I glanced at him, meeting his eyes for what would be the last time. "Even if you did break what remained of my stupid heart."

  Tears clogging my throat, I slipped inside and turned to slam the window shut. But before I could, Chase followed me in, forcing me to stumble back. Standing tall, he towered over me, the expression on his face nothing less than pissed.

  Adrenaline surging, I fisted my hands as rancid fear oozed from my pores. "Chase..." The words died on my tongue as the ability to speak at all vanished.

  It didn't matter though.

  Chase had plenty to say.

  "Fuck my legs," he growled, his broad chest swelling from the force of his deep breaths. "And fuck football. "

  How could he say that?

  Football was his entire future.

  I shook my head. "What do you mean—"

  "I know you don't understand," he interrupted, his cheekbones tinged red. "So I'm going to explain it real damn fast."

  I blinked, waiting for him to continue.

  "I don't know what kind of bullshit Bianca has pulled, but whatever she said is a lie, Ashley. I never made a bet with Ryder, and I sure as hell had no plans to spend the night with that skank."

  Of course, he'd say that.

  "I know you're probably all twisted up, trying to decide who to believe," he said, reading me perfectly. "But goddammit"—he hooked his thumb and pointed back at himself—"believe me."

  I could feel my psyche beginning to splinter, the grip I had on reality rapidly fraying. "Why?" I asked, placing my hands on my hips. "Why should I believe you? Especially after the way you acted this afternoon."

  He didn't hesitate before answering. "Because I may be a hot-tempered asshole who doesn't think before he acts at times, but I never lie." Closing the space between us, he cupped my face with his strong hands and tilted my head back. I flinched at the sudden move, but my panic didn't spike, much to my surprise. "And because I'm pretty damn sure that I'm falling for you, beautiful girl."

  I'm falling for you.

  Four little words.

  That was all it took for him to steal the oxygen right out of my lungs. "You can't," I wheezed, my voice a
ghost of itself. "You just can't."

  "I can," he replied softly, his face less than an inch from mine.

  "How?"

  Wrapping his fingers around my wrist, he gently lifted my hand and placed it over the place where his strumming heart laid. "You feel that?"

  I nodded, my pounding heart falling in sync with his. "I feel it," I choked out, my throat tight.

  Releasing my wrist, he slid his hand over the back of mine, lacing our fingers together. "I don't believe in love at first sight," he said, hovering his lips over my ear. "But I know soul recognition exists, because the moment I first laid eyes on you, I knew, Ashley."

  "You knew what? Seriously, have you—"

  "I knew that you were it for me," he answered, giving me exactly what I needed. "And you will continue to be it until the day I take my final breath."

  Legs shaking, I looked into his eyes, my heart and brain going in different directions. I wanted to believe him so badly, but the scars marring my soul burned, an ever-present reminder of the hell I'd endured and the deception I'd so easily fallen victim to before.

  The grip my past had on me was unrelenting, preventing me from—

  Take the leap, Chiquita. Carmen's voice rang out in my head, loud and clear, as if she were standing right next to me. Fall, baby. He'll catch you.

  My resistance faded.

  Lightheaded as could be and feeling a tad bit faint, I looped my arms around his neck and buried my face in the side of his throat. "One day," I said, chest heaving. "I think that I could fall for you too. And that scares me. So much."

  "Baby..." Bending the slightest bit, Chase wrapped one arm around my back and slipped the other under my knees. Effortlessly lifting me into the air, he turned and started toward my bed.

  But then he froze.

  I hiccupped, ready to ask him what was wrong, but stopped short of doing so when a low growl rumbled through the room.

  "Who the hell is that?" Chase asked, his voice quiet and laced with a hint of fear.

  Wrong time to do so or not, I smiled. "That's Ziggy Bear," I replied, my pride-filled eyes locking on my new furbaby. "Dad found him at an out-of-state rescue and adopted him for Lucca and me."

  He blinked. "You mind telling him to stand down then? 'Cause right now, he looks like he's two seconds away from making a meal out of me."

  He was right.

  Teeth bared, Ziggy was crouched down on my bed, his chest protectively covering Angel. With his butt high in the air and his icy blue eyes locked on Chase, he indeed did look ready to pounce.

  "Ziggy Bear," I whispered. "It's okay. Now lay down."

  He looked at me, then sniffed the air.

  Seemingly satisfied with whatever scent he picked up on, he licked his lips and laid back down, nearly squishing poor Angel in the process. Then with a final huff, he rolled over and proceeded to go back to sleep.

  Dad was right...

  He is crazy.

  "Ashley..."

  "Yeah?"

  "Sweetness, we've gotta talk, but I don't know where to put you. Don't care what you say, that dog looks a helluva lot more like a wolf than a Husky, and I'm man enough to admit that I'm scared he may kill me if I get too close."

  Lightness spread through me, washing away the darkness tirelessly working to sweep me under. "Grandmama said he was a polar bear."

  Chase's eyes flared. "Could be that too. He's awfully big for a dog."

  Fighting to quiet the laughter that spilled from my lips, I fisted the front of his shirt in one of my hands and stared up at him, taking in every inch of his handsome face.

  Long as I lived, I'd never tire of looking at him.

  Of that, I was sure.

  "Hey, Jock," I said, calling him by the nickname I'd stolen from Carissa. "How about you set me down so I can pull on a pair of pants. Then maybe we can sneak back out my window. Because Lord knows if my Mom or Dad hear us, you're as good as dead."

  He quirked a brow. "You're right. We can go sit in the Jeep, that way we can keep an eye out in case your parents wake up." Gently placing my feet back on the floor, he nodded toward my closet. "Make sure you grab a jacket. It's chilly out there."

  Nibbling on my lower lip, I eyed the hoodie he wore.

  Reading the want written all over my face, he pulled it over his head and handed it over. "Pants, baby," he said as I slipped it over my head, basking in his unique scent. "I may not mind looking at your pretty legs, but I'll be damned if I let anyone else gawk at them. Though I doubt anybody else will be out."

  His words warmed me.

  Surprisingly enough.

  Though they ringed of possessiveness, they didn't alarm me. In fact, they were sort of sweet, and such a stark contrast to the awful things Dominic used to say when referring to me as his property.

  The two of them...

  They weren't the same.

  Not even close.

  I finally understood that which is why I walked to my closet without hesitating and promptly pulled on a pair of pants before slipping my feet into my boots. Following the demands my heart made, I didn't give it a second-thought before placing my hand in Chase's.

  Together, we made our escape.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chase

  I couldn't stop staring at Ashley.

  Eyes wet with unshed tears, she clutched my phone tight in her hand. Though she hadn't wanted to, I'd made her scroll through every text and phone call, proving to her that one, I didn't even have Bianca's number and two, we sure as shit never talked.

  Then, I explained to her about the phone call from my dad, followed by meeting him on the other side of town. I’d left out most of the details—she didn’t need that ugliness in her head—but she still got the gist of what had happened.

  My girl was smart like that.

  Problem was, everything quickly became too much for her to handle.

  Overwhelmed and exhausted, she’d started to shake after declaring that she hoped my father, piece of shit that he was, caught the plague.

  As funny as her words had been, seeing her like that, her eyes filled with both hurt and regret made my blood boil.

  I had no idea how I was going to deal with Bianca's trouble-making self once we came face to face again, but I wasn't about to let her walk away unscathed after the shit-storm she'd caused.

  Because of her, I'd almost lost the girl who had quickly become my entire universe.

  That was unacceptable.

  "I'm sorry," my Sweetness whispered, her voice barely audible. "I know I shouldn't have believed anything she said. I just..." Expression riddled with guilt, she turned her head, meeting my gaze. "I don’t even understand why you like me."

  "Like you?" I replied, chuckling. "Ashley, I'm pretty sure I confessed to falling for you not even thirty minutes ago." Her gaze dipped to the console that rested between us, but I kept talking. "And I'm fairly certain you replied that if I’m lucky, one day you’ll fall for me too."

  Picking at her chipped black nail-polish, she kept her face down, hiding her pretty features from me. “Want to know a secret?”

  “Yeah, Sweetness,” I replied without hesitation. “I do.”

  She looked back up, giving me a glimpse of her gorgeous face. With the moonlight caressing her porcelain skin, she looked hauntingly beautiful. I couldn’t get enough of it. "I never knew what love truly felt like until the day I met Carmen and Jade," she whispered, taking me by surprise.

  My brows furrowed as I wracked my brain, trying to place those names. I was pretty damn sure I'd never heard her say them before, else I would've remembered since I hung on her every word.

  Blowing out a pent-up breath, she continued. “I was fifteen by then. Before them, no one had ever cared.”

  I didn’t understand that shit at all.

  How could someone not care about her?

  Beautiful and with a heart of gold, it was literally impossible not to.

  "Tell me about Carmen and Jade, baby," I said, tucking a str
ay lock of hair behind her ear. "Who were they?"

  Averting her gaze, she looked out the windshield once more. Lower lip trembling, she sank back against the leather seat. "They were my best friends," she whispered in reply. "But he took them from me."

  Took them?

  I didn't fucking get it.

  "Who took them?"

  Features morphing with agony, she clenched her eyes shut. "Dominic did."

  I hated the sound of his name.

  Arms wrapped around her middle, she dug her trembling fingers into her sides and bounced her legs up and down, the anxiety that constantly plagued her rushing forward. "Carmen tried to save me from him, and because of that, he made them go away."

  Anger skyrocketing over that bit of information, I sunk my teeth into the inside of my cheek in an attempt to keep my rage in check. I didn't know much about this Dominic fucker, but he was lucky that he was locked up in the Georgia State Pen where I couldn’t get to him. If he wasn't, I likely would've killed him for all the hurt he'd caused Ashley.

  Her torment...

  I couldn't stand it.

  "So he alienated you from your friends." It wasn't a question, but a statement. "Classic goddamn abuser," I mumbled, the urge to sling-shot my hand into the steering wheel growing with each second that ticked by.

  Ashley shook her head and used the sleeve of my hoodie to wipe away her tears. "That’s not it at all. He was more than an abuser," she said, pouring salt into the festering wound carved across the front of my heart. "A whole lot more."

  Needing to touch her, I reached over and plucked my phone from her hand. After tossing it onto the dash, I slid my palm across hers and twined our fingers together. "You know you can tell me anything, right?" I caressed her knuckles with my thumb, willing her to believe me. "There is nothing you can say that will change the way I feel about you."

  "That’s where you’re wrong," she whispered, her hand shaking. "I have so many secrets. Most of which would make you run screaming in the opposite direction. There is no doubt in my mind that if you knew even a handful of the sins that I carry inside here"—she lightly tapped her chest—"you'd never speak to me again."