Enjoying the Chase (12 page)

Just as my hand slipped under her sweater
and headed up towards her chest, I pressed my crotch against her hip, desperate
for some relief. She gasped and her fingers dug into my shoulders.

“Nate, stop… shit, you need… stop,” she
mumbled breathlessly, pushing on my shoulders gently.

Stop? Oh, come on, seriously?
I looked at her curiously, trying to figure out what I had done
wrong. Clearly, she was going to make me wait longer than a second date. I had
kind of hoped I
’
d at least cop a
sly feel though. Disappointment settled in my stomach. My aching crotch was
trying to force me to beg her, to throw myself at her feet and beg for one
night with her.

“Sorry, that was way too fast for me,” she
mumbled, still panting lightly.

“It was?” My voice was so thick with lust
that it was almost embarrassing. I was still on top of her, still pressed
against her, and it wasn
’
t helping
me calm down in the slightest. The fact that she felt so right there was doing
nothing to help me in this situation at all.

“Yeah, I told you I don
’
t sleep with guys unless I
’
m in love with them. That was just… too much.
Sorry.”

 She looked at me apologetically, the death
grip that she had on me while I was kissing her was loosening now, so I knew
the moment was completely and utterly over. I
’
d blown it, crashed and burned, and now she probably wouldn
’
t want to see me tomorrow because I rushed it.

“You really don
’
t go with a guy without being in love first?” I asked curiously. How
long did it even take for a girl to fall in love? A couple of weeks? A month?
Could I wait that long for her?

She shook her head. “
No.
Look, I
’
m sorry if you thought I
was kidding around and that you
’
ve
wasted your time with me, but I was being serious. I
’
m not putting out anytime soon.” As she spoke, her big brown eyes
didn
’t leave mine.

I didn
’
t quite know what to do or say. I wanted her, but I
’
d never even tried to wait for a girl before.
Was she worth waiting for? I looked at every inch of her face trying to decide.
Player Nate wanted to strut out of the apartment and never look back, but for
some reason I couldn
’
t get up. I
couldn
’
t force one inch of space
between our bodies. I knew that the more time I spent with her, the more I
would like her, but did I really want to give up my easy life for a girlfriend?

“Can I ask why?” I questioned, looking at
her curiously. Part of me still hoped this was some kind of test to see if I
’
d stick around for more than a couple of
dates.

She frowned. “I was burned once, really
badly, and I don
’
t ever want that
to happen again. The guy I was with, he was a player just like you, and, well,
it doesn
’
t really matter what he
did, but what I
’
m saying is this;
if a guy is willing to wait for me then he
’
s less likely to cheat and hurt me. If he can
’
t wait for me, then I guess I
’
m not missing out on anything.” She looked so vulnerable and hurt
that I wanted to hunt down the guy that had hurt her and beat seven shades of
shit out of him.

“This player guy, he cheated on you?” I
asked, shifting my weight slightly so I could brush her hair from her face. Why
would a guy even cheat on someone as amazing as Rosie?

“Yeah, and I won
’
t ever let anyone treat me like that again. I
’
m a stronger person than I was back then; I won
’
t put up with any crap. So maybe you should just go, because you
’
re not going to get what you want. There are
plenty of girls out there willing to fall for your looks and confidence, Nate.
Go find one of them because, seriously, you
’
re wasting your time with me.” She said the words confidently, but I
felt her hand grip the back of my T-shirt. She didn
’
t want me to go anywhere, she wanted me to stay and wait for her to
be ready.

Can I wait?

I knew only one thing for certain – I
couldn
’
t seem to move off her. My
body was frozen in place as my mind started racing through things so fast I
could barely keep up. I wanted to wait for her, but I wasn
’
t sure I would physically be able to. I
’
d been in a routine for so long now that I was used to instant
gratification. Waiting would mean throwing out everything that was natural to
me, and starting something new.

I pressed my face into the side of her neck
and breathed in her intoxicating smell. I wanted to see her again; I knew that
for sure. Even if I didn
’
t get any
for tonight, I knew I still wanted to take her out for lunch tomorrow. I
’
d had such a good time tonight with her; I
still wanted more of her.

I kissed the side of her neck lightly and
pushed myself up, going onto my hands and knees so I was still above her but
not touching her at all.

“Okay, muffin. I
’
ll pick you up at about eleven thirty tomorrow.”

Her eyes widened as her lips popped open
comically. I grinned at her shock. She
’
d actually expected me to run after her admission; that much was
clear. I chuckled and hooked one finger under her chin, closing her mouth
before bending and pressing my lips against hers for a second or two. When I
pulled back, I winked at her and got up to my feet, gripping her hands and
pulling her up too.

“You can walk me to the door, that
’
s the polite thing to do,” I teased.

She cleared her throat weakly. “Nate,
seriously, did you hear what I said? I
’
m being completely honest with you now; I
’
m not going to have sex with you anytime soon.” She frowned and
crossed her arms over her chest defensively.

“I heard what you said. I get it, the
asshole hurt you so you need to be sure before you take things further, I
understand. I
’
m disappointed that
I won
’
t get to see you naked for a
while, but I understand. I have a pretty good imagination so I can just have
sex with you while I
’
m on my own.”
I waggled my eyebrows at her suggestively making her giggle and hit my arm in
playful reprimand.

Taking both of her hands in mine, I
interlaced our fingers and pulled her closer to me. She actually looked scared,
like a little frightened animal. I hated her being scared of me, and I didn
’
t want to hurt her or cheat on her. Of course,
it would be hard for me, but I was pretty sure she was worth it. Her
personality had already hooked me, I could wait for the physical stuff to
follow after.

“Don
’
t look so nervous, cupcake, we
’
ll see how we go. Hopefully it won
’
t take you too long to fall for me.” I pulled her flush against me
and pressed my lips to hers again lightly. The passion I felt inside instantly
sparked back up again but I tried my best to ignore it. I pulled out of the
kiss just as I was getting a little lightheaded, and put my forehead to hers.

She sighed a little and left her eyes
closed, her hands squeezing mine gently.

“Okay, so I
’
d better go. I
’
ll pick
you up in the morning. Oh, and because we did girly crap on this date, tomorrow
I need to get a dose of testosterone, so we do something of my choice,
alright?” I asked hopefully.

She laughed and rolled her eyes. “Strip
club?”

I faked shock. “How did you guess that?”

“Get out of my place, player.” She smiled,
indicating
towards the door.

I kissed her again softly as we said our
goodbyes. I sighed as she shut the door behind me. This was going to be hard,
but I was certain that she was worth the effort. If, after a couple of dates, I
lost interest in her, then we could just end it. No big deal. My mind wandered to
how good we looked together in the mirror at Ashton
’
s place, and how her hand felt in mine as we walked out of the
movie. I was almost positive that she could hold my interest.

Chapter Eight

I barely slept that night; all I could
think about was Rosie and what she said. She’d been burned by a player before,
but if she was telling me that she wanted me to wait then she was clearly not
opposed to the idea of sleeping with me at some point. Which meant that I was
in with a shot. And that also meant that she didn’t have a boyfriend, after
all, how could I be in with a shot if she were dating someone else? Rosie
really didn’t seem like the type of girl to cheat and cause someone any pain.

That still left the huge question of DJ. I
knew he existed because Ashton had asked about him, but he wasn
’
t her boyfriend I would put money on it. She
had never actually specifically told me she had a boyfriend, in fact, she
’
d never mentioned the word ‘
boyfriend
’
at all. I
was just jumping to conclusions, and she was playing along trying to ward me
off because she was scared of players.

Due to her cancelling the evening date, I
called Seth to see what he was doing instead; I didn
’
t really want to sit in on my own on a Saturday night, that wasn
’
t my thing at all. He was going to a bar with
the boys, so I arranged to tag along for a couple of hours. That way I
’
d still get my fill of Rosie, but I could
still see the boys too. Perfect.

When I pulled up outside her place, I
started to get a little worried that I
’
d chosen the wrong thing to do. My choice of entertainment wasn
’
t a very good date to take her on, but I had
wanted to be original and do something she would remember. Though I was hoping
she
’
d remember it as inventive,
rather than the worst date in the history of bad dates.

I headed to her door with a big grin on my
face just because I was about to see her again. She
’
d been texting me all morning asking me where we were going so she
knew what to wear. After numerous messages I
’
d finally managed to convince her that we weren
’
t going to a strip club.

When she opened the door, my lungs
constricted.
Does she just get hotter every time I see her?
She was just
wearing jeans and a tank top with a blue cardigan over the top, but my mouth
watered at the sight of her.

“Hi,” she greeted, smiling happily as she
opened the door wider for me so I could enter.

“Hey, precious. Excuse me a minute, I just
dropped something when I saw you.” I looked around the floor obviously.

She looked down too. “What was it?” she
asked curiously, frowning because there was nothing there.

“My jaw.” I shrugged.

She burst out laughing and grabbed the
front of my T-shirt, pulling me into her apartment. “Oh and we
’
re back to cheesy lines, huh?” she teased, her
eyes sparkling with amusement.

“That wasn
’
t a line, sweetness.” I looped my arms around her so she couldn
’
t squirm away from me. “So, are you going to
kiss me or do I have to lie to my diary?” I inched my face towards hers slowly,
giving her the time to shoot me down if she wanted to.

She smiled and rolled her eyes, going up on
tiptoes and pressing her lips to mine softly for a couple of seconds before
pulling away.

“So where are we really going? Do I get to
know yet or not?” she asked, pouting.

I fought desperately hard not to think she
looked cute, I hated that she made me think things like that. I was a man
’
s man, I shouldn
’
t be thinking a girl was cute!

“How are you with heights?” I asked, hoping
she
’
d say fine.

Her eyes tightened. “Umm… okay, I guess.”

“Awesome. We
’
re going rock-climbing.” I grinned as her mouth dropped open in
shock, her eyes widened and the smile faded from her face as she took in what I
said.

“Rock-climbing? Please tell me that
’
s a joke.”

“No joke, that
’
s my choice. But if you
’
re not tough enough for it…” I trailed off teasingly.

“Seriously? This is your choice? Making me
climb a freaking mountain?” 

“Are you scared?” I teased, brushing the
hair off her face lightly, letting my fingers linger on her cheekbone. I smiled
and bent my head forward pressing my lips against her flushed cheek. She gulped
and her breathing faltered, I wasn
’
t sure if it was the climbing or me being this close to her that did
it. “I
’
ll protect you, sunshine,
you don
’
t need to worry,” I
whispered.

She whimpered and let her head droop,
pressing against my chest. I grinned happily, tightening my arms on her. It
felt natural to hold her like this, so easy and comfortable. “If I say I don
’
t want to go then you
’
re going to be holding that over me and teasing me about it aren
’
t you?” she mumbled against my chest.

“Probably, but if you really don
’
t want to then we can do something else,” I
offered, secretly hoping she
’
d
agree to it. That was one of my favourite things to do, and I already knew that
her sexy little behind would look edible in a harness.

She sighed and pushed herself away from me;
she still didn
’
t look totally
convinced about it. “Okay fine,” she agreed. “But if I break my neck then I
’
m coming back to haunt you in the shower.”

“If you want to see me in the shower you
could just ask, pumpkin, you don
’
t
have to haunt me for it.”

She narrowed her eyes at me and
dramatically fake coughed. “Oh no! Looks like I
’
m coming down with that flu that
’
s going around my school,” she stated,
forcing a
cough again.

“We
’
ll get you some Night Nurse on the way.” I winked at her and grabbed
her purse that was on the side, passing it to her, nodding towards the door.
“Ready, sweetpea?”

Rosie
sucked in a big breath through her
teeth and then blew it out dramatically. “Yeah come on then, let
’
s get this done so we can eat,” she grumbled.
I couldn
’
t help but laugh at her
as she stalked out of her place letting me close the door behind us.

She flicked through my music as we drove to
the indoor climbing wall; I
’
d done
a lot of this and was actually quite an experienced climber. The indoor wall
was pretty easy, even for beginners, so she
’
d be fine.

“So how did you sleep then, kitty? Did you
have any hot little dreams about me that you want to share?” I asked, as we
made the short drive.

“Aren
’
t you running out of those pet names yet?” she asked, obviously
choosing to ignore my comment.

“No, I got a ton. We could date for at
least a year before I run out,” I joked.

“
Just don’
t call me stupid and then we
’
ll get along fine.”

“Or bunny, you don
’
t like that one,” I reminded her.

She cringed. “
No, I
don’
t like that one.”

I smiled and tried my hardest to keep my
eyes on the road on the way there so that I didn
’
t kill us both through lack of concentration. When we finally pulled
into the parking lot, she looked at me nervously.

“So we really are doing this?” she asked
.

I laughed and got out of the car. Even if
they just strapped her in the harness and she refused to climb, that would
still make my day. I headed around to her side and opened her door for her. She
frowned and crossed her arms over her chest not even looking at me; I could see
she was fighting a smile though.

“Are you coming inside then, honey?” I
asked, holding my hand down to help her out of the car.

“I
’
m thinking we should skip the climbing and go straight to lunch,”
she replied, shrugging casually.

“Oh really? You chicken?” I teased,
squatting down so I could see her better.

She groaned and shook her head. “
No, I just don’
t like the idea of climbing up
something high with a piece of rope being the only thing between me and certain
death.”

“
I won
’
t let you get hurt, come on, you can trust me.
How about we go look and if you don
’
t want to try then you don
’
t have to. But remember, I
did
sit through two hours of pain
for you last night, and I let you finish my milkshake!”

She closed her eyes for a couple of
seconds. “Fine, I
’
ll look, but if
I don
’
t want to climb then I
’
ll just watch you, deal?”

I nodded and took her hand, pulling her out
of the car before she changed her mind. “Deal.”

Half an hour later I had finally
convinced her to have a go. We’d stood on the side-lines for ages, just
watching people do it. Not that I had minded, of course. Standing on the
side-lines with my arms around her and my chin rested on her shoulder while I
pointed out easy routes and techniques was actually fun in itself. It was nice
just to have a hold of her, so even if she had refused to try I still would
have had a fantastic time.

When it was finally our turn, I held out a
harness towards her and got onto my knees, holding it open so she could step
into it. As I pulled it up her legs, I made sure to do it slowly, and to
accidentally brush my hands up her thighs. Her hold on my shoulders tightened
as I straightened one of the straps around her inner thigh. I swallow
ed,
trying to push down
the lust that was building in me.

“Do it tighter,” she begged, looking down
at it as I stood up and made sure it was buckled at the front.

I gripped the front strap, pulling a
little. It was perfectly tight enough for her pert little ass and waist. “That
’
s fine,
” I assured her,
showing her that I couldn
’
t even
slide my hand between the harness and her hip.

“Please? Just do it tighter.” She looked at
me pleadingly.

“Rose, I promise that
’
s tight enough. You can trust me, I wouldn
’
t let you get hurt.” I bent down and placed a soft, chaste kiss on
her lips.

When I went to pull back, she shook her
head and wrapped her arms around my neck. “If I
’
m going to die then I want something incredible to be my last
memory. So make it count,” she muttered, pulling my mouth back to hers roughly.

I smiled against her lips and kissed her
passionately, tracing my tongue along her bottom lip. She stepped impossibly
closer, crushing her chest against mine as she moaned into my mouth. I grunted,
sliding one hand to the nape of her neck. All I wanted was to kiss and feel
every inch of her.

I broke the kiss just as I was getting a
little breathless. Dipping my head, I nibbled on her earlobe, listening to her
pant for breath. “That was so hot,” I whispered, as I ran my tongue along the
edge of her ear.

She shivered against me and nodded. “That
’
s just what I was thinking.”

“So, are we ready now, or was that not
incredible enough?” I teased, pulling back fractionally. It was certainly
incredible enough for me, if I died right now I would be a happy man – of
course, I would be even happier if that had happened while we were naked and I
was buried balls deep inside her, but I could wait for that.

“Yeah okay, come on then.” She looked a
little pained as she let go of me.

After quickly slipping on my own harness, I
led her to the bottom of the wall, watching as the instructor checked her
harness again. Rosie was slightly pale as she looked up at the wall with wide
eyes.

As we climbed, I matched my pace to hers,
pointing out where to put her hands and feet. Surprisingly, she was actually enjoying
herself. We were laughing and sending teasing insults back and forth the whole
time. When we got to the top, I scooted over next to her.