Stealing Harper (Taking Chances #1.5)(11)

I stood up to go after her when my phone rang. Brandon. I sighed and answered as I walked outside. “Yeah?”

“All right, I’m not going to ask you again after this, you’re like a brother to me so I need to know. Is there something going on with you and Harper?”

“I’m getting seriously tired of this shit. No. She’s just a girl.”

He laughed hard once. “Then why did you keep looking at me like you wanted a round with me?”

“I wasn’t,” I said through gritted teeth.

“Fine, then is she there?”

“What?”

“There you go again, brother.” He sighed, and I heard his Jeep start up. “I want to talk to Harper; can you give her your phone?”

I kept my mouth shut and ground my teeth together as I opened the sliding glass door, only to find her on the couch again. I held the phone out as I neared her, and she jumped slightly when I said, “It’s for you.”

She looked at me with confusion, and mixed in there was some of the same hurt from earlier, “He-hello?” Her eyes widened, and she glanced at the screen of the phone before bringing it back to her ear, a smile crossing her face as she relaxed into the couch. “I don’t mind, what’s up?” That gorgeous smile of hers got even wider before she could bite down on her lip to try to contain it. “I’d like that. Did you want me to meet you somewhere . . . ?” She sat up quickly before talking again. “See you.” She practically threw my phone back at me before taking off down the hall and pounding on what could only be my door.

“Brandon’s coming to pick me up for coffee!” was the last thing I heard before stalking out of the house and to my truck.

A COUPLE HOURS later, I had just finished setting everything up for the party when Harper came walking back into the house. Her eyes were clouded over, and she was smiling to herself as she walked right past me and toward my room. Seriously? I took in a deep breath and grabbed my phone out of my pocket. He answered on the first ring.

“I got her back safe, Chase.”

“I saw that.”

“All right, then what’s up? I have one more class tonight, then I’ll be back at the house.”

I crept toward my hall, but I could hear Harper talking excitedly to my sister, so I figured I was safe for a while. “You’ll stay away from her, Brandon, you got me?”

“Seriously, man, this is getting old! What is your deal? You know me, and you know I wouldn’t do anything to hurt her.”

“I know you’re not an * to your girlfriends, but that doesn’t mean anything. She needs someone to protect everything about her, and I know you, so I know you can’t be that guy.”

“What the hell? Protect everything—what are you even—I will!”

He may be a relationship guy, but I knew for sure he wasn’t a virgin, and I needed to make sure Princess stayed that way. So no, he wouldn’t protect everything about her because I doubt she’d tell him. “You don’t know her; this shouldn’t be too much of a hardship for you. Stay away from her.”

“And you do? Look I’m sure—God I know this sounds crazy, but I’m not going to be able to stay away from her. I’ve never met a girl like her, so just get the f*ck over it.”

I froze. “Last time, and let me make myself clear, bro, she’s taken. She’s been in my bed once, and she’ll be in my bed again this weekend. Got it? Do. Not. Come. Near. Her.”

Brandon stayed silent for a few seconds before his flat voice came through. “Taken? You’re really starting to piss me off, man. I’m not gonna deal with this shit from you. There’s something about her; I’m not backing off until she tells me to.”

Before I could say anything else, he hung up, and I gripped my phone tightly as Harper’s laugh reached me from the other end of the hall.





Chapter Four



I HEARD SOMEONE saying my name and lifted my head slowly from Natalie’s neck. Normally, I didn’t spend so much time with one person, and this was the fifth time in two weeks I’d spent time with her. But we still had our agreement. She still had a boyfriend, and she knew there were too many girls wanting to see if they could tie me down since school had just started. It was just easier when the girl already knew all the rules.

“What?” Harper’s voice broke into my already too-tipsy mind, and my eyes easily found and narrowed in on her and Brandon. I’d told him to back off.

He leaned slightly toward her and spoke softly. She looked shocked, and her eyes flashed to mine and briefly reduced to slits. I winked and saw her cheeks redden as Natalie looked over her shoulder at my princess before claiming my mouth with her own. She bit down softly on my bottom lip, and I leaned farther into her.

“So that’s her, huh?”

Just as I started to ask, who? her tongue met mine, and she wrapped her arms around my neck. Harper laughed, and my fingers dug into Natalie’s hips. What the hell was he saying that was so damn funny? I started to pull away, but Natalie kept me close, only removing her lips enough to whisper against mine.

“She’s driving you crazy, Chase; might as well give her some of her own medicine.”

I leaned away and looked at her like she was insane. Is she a damn mind reader? “Natalie, what the hell are you talking about?”