Enjoying the Chase (2 page)

My mouth
fell
open
in shock. “Seriously? Me?” I asked, looking to see if they were joking. I wasn
’
t exactly the best role model for a child.

Anna nodded. “Yeah you, Uncle Nate.”

I couldn
’
t help but laugh when she called me that. Uncle Nate had a certain
ring to it. “I
’
d freaking love
that! Thank you, guys, that really means a lot to me.” I looked back down to
the little baby in my arms. “
Hey, Cameron, I
’
m your Uncle Nate, and when you
’
re old enough, I
’
ll show you all my best moves to help you get girls,” I said
quietly, hoping that Anna wouldn
’
t
hear me.

When I looked up at her I saw her and
Ashton smiling at each other so tenderly
i
t almost felt
as if I was intruding. I
’
d never
really wanted to settle down, but seeing them look at each other like that,
while I held a tiny little baby in my arms, I couldn
’
t help but want that too. I wanted someone to look at me that
intently and share their secrets with me without even saying a word.

The door opened behind me, so I turned
expectantly, just as an extremely hot girl walked in. She had reddish-brown
hair
pulled back into a messy
twist with tendrils escaping around her pretty face, and big brown eyes. Her
body was incredible. Her jeans clung to her pert little behind in a way that
made my stomach muscles tighten and my chest puff out unconsciously. As she
walked up to the bed, I could do nothing other than stare at her while she
kissed and hugged both Anna and Ashton in congratulations.

My mind was whirling, trying to work out
who this would be. She had to be someone important to them because she had made
the approved visitors list, but I certainly hadn
’
t seen her before – I would have remembered if I had!

When she turned back to me, she had a
beautiful smile stretched across her lips. She held her arms out for Cameron
expectantly. “Hi. Stop hogging the baby,” she joked. Her voice was just the
right amount of husky, which piqued my interest even further.

“Who the hell are you, and why don
’
t I have your number?” I
smirked
at her, waiting for her to giggle and blush. She didn
’
t. Instead, she rolled her eyes and sighed.

“
Uh-oh, slut alert,
” she replied sarcastically.

I recoiled, shocked at her brush off. That
never happened to me before; girls
never
turned me down – especially not
while I was wearing my uniform! I raised one eyebrow, going for the sexy, cocky
approach. Girls
really
fell for that.

“Excuse me, extremely hot woman that I don
’
t know, I
’
m offended by that. You don
’
t even know me. How can you just come in and make judgment on me
based on one thing I say?” I asked, faking hurt.

Her smile turned teasing. “I
’
m pretty good at reading people, and my gut
’
s telling me you
’
re a player. If I
’
m
wrong then I apologise. Getting back to the matter in hand, can I please hold
my best friend
’
s baby?” She
stepped closer to me and held out her arms again for Cameron.

Holy shit, she did it again! Another
brush off.
Had I lost my Nate Peters
magic? Or was I actually dreaming? She wasn
’
t even looking at me; her eyes were firmly
locked on the baby in my arms. I frowned, disgruntled. It was a little scary
how uninterested this girl actually was in me. She stepped closer, and her
sweet perfume enveloped me.

“One date and he
’
s all yours.” I grinned, hoping to convince her and win her over.

She took her eyes off Cameron long enough
to look up at me then. “Sure, how about February 30
^th
? I
’
m free that day.”

I stared at her, digesting her words. Now
that the shock of her knock-back had faded slightly, I realised that I actually
quite liked her turning me down. It was a definite first for me.

Without waiting for me to agree, she
slipped her hands under Cameron
’
s
body and plucked him effortlessly from my arms. I laughed; still a little
bemused by how unaffected she was by me.

“You
’
re funny and hot, I like it,” I admitted.

She didn
’
t respond, just looked down at the cute little bundle in her arms.
Her face softened, her eyebrows knitted together and tears swam in her eyes.
Her lips pursed as she let out a breathy sigh.

“Hi, baby,” she whispered, stroking Cameron
’
s face with the side of one finger. “Oh, he
’
s so beautiful.” She shook her head in awe as
she sat down on the edge of the bed and stared at him adoringly. “I want one!”
She laughed breathlessly.

I decided to turn on my A game. This
approach never failed, girls
loved
commitment
comments.
“I could help you out with that if you want,”
I offered.

She grinned up at me. “Sure. You gonna
steal me one from the nursery?”

“Yeah. You want a boy or a girl?” I subtly
let my eyes slide over her. “So how come we
’
ve not met? Who are you, by the way?”

Anna answered before the hot girl could
even open her mouth. “This is Rosie, my best friend from college. Rosie, this
is Nate Peters,” she waved her hand between us in introduction.

I nodded in understanding. I
’
d heard of Rosie before;
she
and Anna had met at school and had been friends ever since but didn
’
t get to see each other very often because
Rosie lived a couple of hours away. Had I known she was this hot I would have
paid more attention to Anna when she talked about her.  

Talk then turned to the baby and his name
and how they came up with it. When Anna and Rosie started talking about the
birth, I tuned out, not wanting to know details. While they talked, I kept
stealing little glances at Anna
’
s
friend, watching as she spoke and laughed. After a little while, Anna yawned
but put her hand over her mouth, trying to cover it up. I instantly felt bad;
she
’
d been through a lot today and
probably just wanted to rest, not to have to talk to us.

“I
’
m gonna let you guys have some peace.” I stood up and looked at
Rosie. “Want to get some late dinner or something?”

She smiled up at me and stood too. “Sure, I
’
m pretty hungry actually.”

She leant over, hugging both Anna and
Ashton before bending over and kissing my little godson.

When she was out of the way, I shook Ashton
’
s hand, beaming at him proudly before kissing
Anna
’
s cheek. I turned back to
Rosie and she smiled, heading out of the door. I followed eagerly, watching her
pert behind sway as she walked.

Damn, that is one fine ass, and I am
definitely going to tap that!

Chapter Two

As soon as we were outside of the door,
I spotted Rick still sitting exactly where I’d left him earlier. “Hey man,
still here?” I asked, frowning.

“No, I left an hour ago.”

“Hilarious. Go call the night guard and ask
what the hold-up is,”
I suggested.
“You definitely sure you can
’
t come out Saturday night for Seth
’
s birthday?”

He shook his head in answer. “Definitely. I
have family over. Next time though, for sure.”

I nodded absentmindedly as I glanced up at
Rosie. She was frowning down into her purse. “I
’
ll catch you later, Rick.” I walked over to Rosie, glancing over her
shoulder and seeing that she had just over four dollars in her purse. “Ready?”
I smiled.

As she jumped and looked up at me, her
frown left her face and a teasing smile graced her lips. “Actually, I can
’
t. I
’
ve just remembered that I have to go and wash my hair. Sorry.”

Brush off number four, why the hell do I
like this?
“Baby, I
’
m going to have sex with you tonight, so you might as well be
there.” I smiled at her and tried to go for the confident look that told her I
knew how to show her a good time. I
’
d definitely never had any complaints before.

She
laughed
, shaking her head and wrinkling her nose in distaste. “That
’
s not happening, sorry. Thanks for the offer
and it was nice to finally meet you.”

Her sneakers squeaked on the polished floor
as she spun on her heel and walked off. I stared after her in shock. Rejected,
five times. This was getting a little worrying, but the annoying thing was, I
was actually starting to like it. I
’
d never really had to try to get a girl before and Rosie
’
s disinterest was actually proving to be quite
fun. Most guys complained about having to chase girls, but in reality, having
it handed to you on a plate was boring after a while. This was all totally new
to me, and certainly enjoyable.

A smile slipped onto my face as I ran to
catch up with her. I wasn
’
t
willing to admit defeat yet.

She didn
’
t look at me as I matched my pace to hers, keeping my eyes straight,
purposefully walking a little close to her side but not touching her. I ignored
her completely, trying desperately not to smile as I saw her glance at me
quickly, obviously wondering what I was doing by walking so close to her and
not speaking. We walked silently down the corridors, working our way out of the
building. Every couple of seconds she would glance at me slyly; she actually
looked a little worried.

“Which way are you going?” she asked, as
she stopped, frowned and stepped away from me slightly. I was obviously
encroaching in her personal space and making her
uncomfortable
.

I pursed my lips, pretending to think. “Not
sure yet, I
’
ll let you know.”

She scowled at me and clutched her purse
closer to her side as she walked off. I grinned and matched my stride to hers
again; we were almost
at the main exit
now. She stopped
just inside the door and gestured for me to go through first.

“Ladies first.” I shook my head and pushed
the door open, standing there, smiling politely until she sighed and marched
through it, turning right towards the street. I quickly caught up with her,
again walking that little bit too close for comfort.

She stopped and scowled at me. “What the
hell are you doing?”

I shrugged casually. “Stalking you.”

A smile twitched at the corners of her
mouth and her eyes softened slightly. “How
’
s that working out for you?”

I scrunched my nose up. “It
’
s a little boring actually. You think maybe
you could do something to liven this up a little?” I asked, trying to keep my
expression serious.

She burst out laughing and I smiled
proudly. “Are you gonna leave me alone?” she asked when she had calmed down
somewhat.

“Not until after we
’
ve eaten.”

She sighed and shook her head. “I really
can
’
t.”

“Come on, Rosie, I need to celebrate the
fact that my best friend in the world just had a baby. Don
’
t make me do that on my own. I
’
m buying. You can order the most expensive thing on the menu just to
spite me if you want,” I offered.

Come on, say yes. One little word.
Y.E.S. Just say yes!
She didn
’
t look like she was going for it, so I decided maybe I
’
d try and
make
her go for it. There
were a few people around, smoking and talking outside the hospital.

I dropped down onto my knees and grabbed
her hand before she even had a chance to react. “Please come out with me.
Please, I
’
m begging you, please!
Don
’
t leave me hanging like this
in front of all of these people,” I begged dramatically, gesturing to all the
people who were now watching me make a complete and utter dick out of myself.

A blush rapidly spread across her cheeks.

“Please, Rosie, I
’
m begging you to give me a chance! I can
’
t sleep because I
’
m
always thinking about you. I can
’
t
eat. I don
’
t even see other girls
any
more; all I see is you.
Please, you
’
re killing me,”
I continued, getting louder.
I turned to the
middle-aged woman standing staring at us, shocked. “You think she should give
me a chance, don
’
t you? I
’
ve been in love with her for the last ten
years, and she won
’
t give me a
shot. Why, Rosie? Why?” I wailed dramatically, fighting to keep the smile off
my face. The gorgeous little brunette was now a bright shade of red as she
tugged, trying to get her hand out of my grip.

The lady
watching
put
her hand over her heart. “Aww, honey, give him a chance. If a handsome man
begged me like that I
’
d sure as
hell give him a shot,” she gushed, nodding in encouragement.

Rosie shifted on her feet uncomfortably,
ducking her head in embarrassment. “
Get up!
” she hissed.

I raised a challenging eyebrow. “Oh no.
This continues until you agree to come to dinner with me,” I whispered.
“Please, Rosie, PLEASE?”
I begged, loudly.

She winced and looked around quickly with a
horrified expression on her face. “
Fine, just get up!
” 

I jumped to my feet, grinning triumphantly.
“See, that wasn
’
t so hard, was
it?” I gloated. I turned towards the people who were watching the scene in
shock and amusement. I held my hands up above my head in celebration. “She said
yes!” I shouted excitedly for the benefit of the crowd. Some of them cheered, a
couple applauded; I smiled and gave a little bow as Rosie practically ran away
from me in the direction of the parking lot.

I caught up to her easily and winced as her
purse slapped me in the stomach. “That was so freaking embarrassing!” she groaned,
slyly glancing over her shoulder to see if the crowd of people was still
watching us.

I threw my arm around her shoulder. “Oh,
you loved it.”

“Asshole,” she muttered under her breath.
“I
’
m
so
ordering the
lobster.”

“Yeah, me too,” I joked, winking at her
when she looked up at me. Judging by her playful and amused eyes, she wasn
’
t angry with me for making a scene. When her
elbow jabbed into my ribs warningly, I let my arm slide off her shoulder and
grinned. “I actually like it a little rough,” I joked, rubbing my side as she
rolled her eyes at me. This was the most fun I
’
d had with a girl for a long time. She reminded me a little of Anna
– spunky and game for a laugh.

“Are you trying to talk me out of this?”
She raised one eyebrow in warning.

“No way, muffin. I can
’
t wait to embarrass you in the restaurant too,” I teased.

She closed her eyes and groaned as I closed
my hand over hers and pulled her in the general direction of my car. On the way
to the restaurant, she barely spoke to me. I purposefully chose a fairly nice
one so she could put a dent in my credit card like she obviously wanted to as
payback for the little scene outside the hospital.

“So, where do you live?  I’ve heard Anna
mention you
’
re a couple of hours
away?” I asked curiously, as we scanned the menus.

“Barstow, San Bernardino,” she answered.
“But I
’
m moving to LA next week
for my job.”

“Yeah? What
’
s your job?”

“I
’
m a teacher; well, I will be a teacher when I move here anyway. At
the moment, I work three jobs to pay the rent.” She shrugged easily.

A teacher? Wow, there certainly weren
’
t any teachers that looked like her at the
school I went to.

“You
’
re going to be a teacher? What grade?”

“
Second,
” she answered, shrugging.

“That
’
s good. I felt sorry for the poor kids for a minute then, having to
try and concentrate with a hottie teacher. I guess in second grade they won
’
t be daydreaming about what colour panties you
have on instead of listening to your lesson.” I smirked confidently as she laughed
and shook her head at me.

“You really are a flirt. I give you ten out
of ten for the attempt, but seriously, if you
’
re expecting me to sleep with you then you
’
re going to be really disappointed.” She looked at me challengingly
as she sat back in her chair.

“Oh, now I get it. You
’
re a lesbian,” I replied, trying to look serious.

Her hard exterior cracked and she burst
into laughter. “So you think the only reason that a girl would turn you down,
is because she
’
s a lesbian?”

“Hell yeah, no girl can resist me,” I
replied, only half joking, she was actually the only girl that had ever turned
me down. Hopefully she actually
was
a lesbian and then I could relax,
safe in the knowledge that my sex appeal was unquestioned.

“I
’
m not a lesbian and I can resist you, trust me. You really aren
’
t my type,” she stated, looking me over in a
disinterested manner.

“Not your type? What the hell does that
mean? What
’
s wrong with me?” I
asked, genuinely
wanting to hear what she’d say
.

“
I don’
t go for cocky, overconfident guys that care more about how they
look than whether they have anything interesting to say. Players just don
’
t do it for me.” She shrugged taking a drink
of her water, her amused eyes not leaving mine.

“I have plenty interesting to say,” I
countered.

She leant forward in her chair. “Okay, let
’
s hear it.” 

Fuck it. What the hell do I say to that?
I frowned, wondering what she would find interesting. I needed to
actually think of something that she would be impressed with. Panic bubbled in
my stomach as nothing sprung to mind. Thankfully, the waiter came over and took
our order, so I got a few minutes reprieve. Surprisingly, she didn
’
t order anything too expensive like I thought
she would. 

When the waiter walked off, I smiled and
decided to change the subject. “
Cameron
’s
so cute,
i
sn
’
t he?
”

She smiled. “Nice diversion. And yeah, he
was incredibly cute, but then again with parents like Anna and Ashton, the kid
’
s going to be good-looking.”

“Yeah, I guess he
’
s got good genes,
” I admitted. “Our kid would
be hot too.” As soon as I said it, I wished I hadn
’
t. Another comment about us sleeping together. Clearly I couldn
’
t take a hint or a rejection.