Stealing Harper (Taking Chances #1.5)(4)

“Is it that obvious?”

I looked at the empty backyard. “A little.” I took a deep breath in and got more comfortable. “Tell me, what’s a princess like you doing at my party?”

“I’m not sure what you mean,” she ground out, “but I was invited.”

I couldn’t care less if she was invited or not. I just didn’t want her around me. I didn’t want her in my house, and I didn’t want to be getting hard again thinking about her in my bed. Challenge or not, she was already getting under my damn skin too much for me to think clearly. She needed to go. I curled my lip and looked at her with the disgust she’d been serving me with all night. “You don’t have to be invited to come to the party, but in case you didn’t notice, you don’t exactly fit in here, Princess.”

She looked shocked and hurt. Good. Maybe now she’d stay the hell away.

“If the way we are disgusts you so much, feel free to stay at school next time.” I stood, and hated that I couldn’t help but look at her once more before walking away.

“Chase.”

My eyes shut, and I took a deep breath in. Would it have been weird to ask her to say my name again?

“I’m really sorry, I was out of line.”

Wait—she was apologizing? I turned and looked at her, confused. Oh God, it was a bad idea to turn around. If her sweet-as-hell voice hadn’t been bad enough, the way her eyes had gone back to completely wide and innocent was about to do me in.

“I was raised not to back down to people, but what I said was too much. So, I’m sorry. I don’t know you, I shouldn’t judge you.”

I huffed, and the corners of my mouth twitched. Snarky and sweet. Bad combination. Sexy combo—so damn sexy. But bad. I shook my head, and my brow rose when I realized I wanted to get to know this girl. Now that was a bad idea. I turned and took the long way around the house, giving my hard-on time to go down.

“. . . you kiss anyone tonight?” Bree’s voice reached me as I stepped through the front door, and I closed it quietly when I heard Princess murmur, “No.”

“I can help with that!” My hands formed into fists over Zach’s words, and I growled. Over my dead body.

“No, no, no. I told you guys, she’s off-limits!”

Thatta girl, Bree. I took the last few steps toward the living room when Zach spoke again.

“Come on, Bree, what’s your deal?”

“ ’Cause she’s pure. Completely. Pure.”

I froze. What the hell, Bree? Shit, from the way Harper’s cheeks went fire-engine red, Bree wasn’t lying. She was pure. I looked at Harper’s mortified expression, and the urge to take her in my arms and take her away from this overwhelmed me. I didn’t know where the protectiveness for her came from, but somehow I knew I’d do anything for this innocent girl, and I’d kill anyone who tried to take that innocence from her.

Bree’s index finger went to tap Harper’s lips, and Harper grabbed her wrist, pulling it back “Breanna!”

“Shh!” Bree covered her own lips with her index finger this time. “Harper, don’t tell them!”

Harper looked up, and her jaw clenched as she took in Brad, Drew, Derek, and Zach bursting out laughing. I wanted to punch every single one of them.

Derek was wiping tears from his eyes. “Oh my God! Princess, is she serious?”

I growled again. That was my name for her.

She swallowed roughly and disentangled herself from Bree before heading straight toward me. My heart started pounding until I realized she hadn’t seen me yet, and I was standing in the way of the front door.

Jolting back slightly when she realized I was in her way, her eyes looked everywhere but at me. “Please. Move.”

And let her leave? Hell no. I grabbed her shoulders and turned her around at the same time I started walking us toward my room.

“Don’t touch me!”

“Just trust me,” I growled, and walked her through the living room, where everyone was still laughing.

“Looks like Chase is gonna take care of that problem for you, Princess!” Brad yelled, and I’ve never wanted to punch my friend more than I did then. I paused and cursed, but knew I’d rather take care of her right then than let all of them know how much they were pissing me off.

I unlocked my door and pushed her in; as soon as the light was on, she gasped and started bucking against me. I held her by pushing her elbows into her side so her jerking arms couldn’t hit me.

“No! Get off me!”

“Not until you stop trying to hit me!”

Instantly, Harper stopped moving, but her body was practically vibrating with tension. I waited almost a minute before releasing her and feigning indifference.

“Calm down, Princess, I’m not going to do anything to you.”

“I really wish you would stop calling me that.”

I rolled my eyes. Why else did she think I still called her that? I opened up one of my drawers and pulled out a pair of mesh workout shorts before throwing them at her and walking toward my door. “Put those on, I’ll be back.”

“Why?”

“Did you want to sleep in that skirt?” I raked my teeth over my bottom lip as I thought about her sleeping in nothing at all. “I swear I wouldn’t mind it, but I figured you’d be uncomfortable, though.”