Chase (Resisting Love #1)(41)

“We stopped dating a year ago! After that, occasionally, we f*cked! So what? You know I’ve slept with lots of women, Layla. They all meant nothing to me!” His eyes are pleading with mine, to understand, to forgive. “How long are you going to throw my past in my face?” He whispers, his voice pained.

I have no answer to that. “It just... hurts, Chase. You never tell me anything! You think I like hearing things like that from her? It makes me look stupid!” I move to leave the room.

“No f*cking running, Layla!” he growls.

“I’m not running, Chase. I’m going to have a hot bath. I need to think.” He runs his hands through his hair, the black strands sticking out messily.

“Okay, baby, I’m going to go into work for a bit.”

“Don’t. Don’t call me that anymore.” I whisper out.

He walks towards me slowly, as if scared I will pull away. He kisses me forehead twice, tenderly.

“Please, be here when I get back. We can talk.” I nod, and he turns and leaves.

“Wait.”

He turns around and looks at me expectantly.

“What was she talking about? Tha look on your face. I never want to see you look like that again.”

His eyes become distant, empty. “It was nothing.”

And with that, he leaves.





Chapter Twenty Two


I walk out in my fluffy bath robe, after a long bath. Kade is using his laptop, and he looks up as I walk in.

“Where’s James?” He has been noticeably absent recently.

“He’s busy.” He says vaguely.

“Busy doing what?” I ask nosily.

“Stuff,” Kade says tonelessly.

“What kind of stuff?” Come on, throw me a bone here.

“Stuff that doesn’t involve nosey little princesses,” he says, smirking.

“What stuff does involve nosey little princesses?” I wonder out loud.

“Keeping busy in the bedroom and the kitchen,” he says chuckling.

“Just for that, you’re not getting any!” I huff. Chauvinistic bastard.

“I wasn’t getting any from you anyway, Layla,” he says, through a fit of laughter.

“I meant food! Cooking! You’re a jerk, Kade!” I hiss.

These men! Ironically, I was heading to the kitchen to bake some chocolate chip cookies before my little interlude with Kade. It was time for some comfort food to assist me in feeling sorry for myself. I’ve made three batches by the time Chase gets home. Kade is sitting at the kitchen table, like a little school boy, waiting to taste anything he can get his hands on. I keep slapping his hand away, telling him he wasn’t getting any after the comments he made. Chase takes in the scene and attempts a small smile.

“Get rid of the she devil?” Kade asks, grabbing one of the macadamia nut cookies when I wasn’t paying attention “Yeah, I cancelled the shows. And as of next week, it’s not my problem anymore. I don’t wanna step foot in that club again.” He stares at me while he says it.

“What do you mean? Kade asks.

“I’ve sold Heat. I don’t want anything to do with it anymore.” His eyes are still on mine, searching, filled with hope.

Chase walks over to me and pulls me into his arms.

“After that night, when you pulled that shit on stage, when I didn’t come home, I went to my apartment to calm down. The next morning I went looking for a buyer.” He whispers to me. “Fuck, when I saw you up there, I’ve never been so angry in my life, Layla. Seeing those men, look at you like that, like you were easy, a piece of f*cking meat, just there for them. Fuck. I wanted to kill each and every one of them just because they saw your beautiful body. You are mine, Layla, no man gets to even look at what is mine. To think those men are at home probably touching themselves with the image of you, makes me want to hunt them down.”

“What do you mean Layla was on stage at Heat?” Kade asks his tone nothing short of menacing.

I cringe. “It’s kind of a long story,” I evade.

Kade looks at Chase. “What the f*ck bro?”

Chase looks at Kade, and they must have a conversation with their eyes, because Kade simply nods.

I wrap my arms around Chase and sigh, breathing in his masculine scent. “I’m glad you don’t have to go there anymore Chase.” I say into his shirt. I was freaking thrilled. I try to pull away, but he holds onto me tightly, almost desperately. I hear Kade leave the room.

He lifts my face up to look into my eyes. “Anything to make you happy, Layla. Anything.” He kisses me tenderly, and I let him. A small grin graces his lips before he pulls back.

“Sleep with me tonight?” he asks hopefully.

“No, Chase.” I sigh. I look at him and hold out a cookie. “For now, how about a cookie?”

He chuckles, hiding his disappointment. “I’m not going to turn down one of your cookies, that’s for sure.”

He takes a huge bites and moans. “They are so f*cking good, Layla.” He grabs a handful. Kade walks back in and grabs a handful himself. They nod at each other in agreement of goodness.

“Where’s James?” I ask Chase.

“Out.” Is his reply. I mean seriously. Where the hell is James?