Second Chances (15 page)

He looks absolutely delicious. His brown hair is still damp from a shower and his snug grey t-shirt accentuates the muscles along his shoulders and chest. He's wearing jeans and has one leg propped up behind him. He's smiling at my reaction and his blue eyes are devastating. 

I walk right up to him and wrap my arms around his neck. He smells amazing as always and I nestle my face close to his neck in order draw in more of his scent. You would think that I am a cat in heat! All of a sudden the door behind me opens and chatting, giggling girls begin to file out. They stop and snicker, and some even try making eyes at Chase. 

“God, Haylee,” Brynn's voice shoots right through me. “Could you be any more desperate? I mean, really. He's back in town for like two days and you're throwing yourself at him. He's only going to leave again.”

I draw away from Chase and spin around to face her, but like a coward she and her bitch squad have already started walking away.

Chase takes my arm and turns me back around to him, wrapping his arms around me again. “Don't let her get to you,” he says, and I relax again. Brynn's words, though, have already settled into my mind, '
He's only going to leave again.'
I can't think about this. He's here to stay; at least that's what he said

“What are you doing here?” I ask, leaning back just a bit to look up at his perfect face. 

“What? Not happy to see your boyfriend?” he asks with a wicked grin and I think I almost pass out.
Boyfriend
? Is that what he is now? It's what I want for sure, but I've been afraid to let myself think it. 

“Of course I'm happy to see you.” I insist with a smile that may have very well been permanently plastered on my face. “I just didn't
expect
you here.”

“I like to surprise you,” he says quietly and bends down to kiss me. I'm surprised all right. In so many different ways that I feel like I'm spinning. His lips are warm and taste like cinnamon. The firmness of his chest pressed against mine and the warmth of his hands splayed along the bare skin of my back cause me to shiver.

Realization dawns on me and I pull back a bit. “I need to shower,” I say as I scrunch up my face. He smells so delicious, and I'm sure I smell nasty after dancing for an hour and a half. He just shrugs though. 

“You look amazing,” he whispers beside my ear, which causes me to shiver again. I could
not
look amazing! My hair is piled on my head, I have no makeup on, and I'm sweaty after dancing. “I'm going to see you in that outfit in my dreams tonight.” I giggle then. Hopefully he'll be seeing the real thing instead of just a dream.

He follows me home and lounges by the TV while I take a quick shower. I put on a cotton sundress and a little makeup. I finger-comb my wet hair, not wanting to take the time to dry it, and hurry back downstairs. I love the way his face lights up like a child on Christmas morning when he sees me. I can see his eyes taking in every inch of me, but I'm also aware that Griff is sitting beside him on the couch. 

Griff clears his throat, glaring at Chase. I guess he's noticed his perusal of me as well. Chase just smirks at him though.

“Did you check on Momma this morning?” I ask Griff. He nods.

“No kittens yet,” he replies.

“Um, since you're both here, I wanted to let you know that I'm gonna fly back to California tomorrow,” Chase starts saying and my stomach knots up immediately and my good mood evaporates. “Before you freak out,” he looks right at me when he says that, “I've gotta go back for a competition that I'm already registered for and to get my stuff packed up. As soon as I'm done, I'll be on my way back here.”

No one says anything for a few seconds and I wish that I was sitting down because my legs feel like overcooked pasta, ready to drop me at any second. 

“Hayles,” Chase says imploringly. He stands up and takes my hands in his. He bends down a bit to look me in the eyes. “I'm coming back. This is where I want to be, I promise you. And you know now that I keep my promises.”

I nod. I believe him, but I still have to accept the fact that I will have to say goodbye to him again. . .tomorrow. He pulls me into his arms and I hold on tight. “The sooner I go, the sooner I can get back. That's why I'm going tomorrow. I just want to get this over with. The competition is Saturday, and I can pack up some stuff beforehand. I'll try to get everything worked out as quickly as possible.”

“You have people to help you pack?” Griff asks from where he still sits on the couch. I feel Chase nod. “Yeah, my friend Dylan already offered to help out.”

Brynn's words from earlier are haunting me.
'He's just gonna leave again.'
She'd been right and I hate that! Maybe it isn't like she thinks, but it is still difficult. I'd so quickly gotten used to having him around again.

The three of us spend the day on the lake and lounging on Griff's dock. I check in on Momma every so often and she seems more receptive to me already. I'm trying my best not to think about the next morning but the thoughts are there every time I look at Chase. We start a bonfire in the fire pit in Griff's backyard when it gets dark out. His parents don't mind that I'm not old enough to drink yet as long as I don't drive anywhere, so we have a few beers. I sit snuggled in Chase's arms in front of the fire and we relive old stories of some of the crazy and stupid things we've all done. It feels good to laugh like this. When we finally get tired, Griff heads in first to give us some privacy. Chase walks me across the street and assures me that things are going to be good now. We stand facing each other on the porch beside the front door.

“I won't be gone very long,” he says as he runs his knuckles along my cheekbone. “I can't wait to get back here and start my life over again, with you.” He smiles as he leans down and captures my lips with his. The warmth of his mouth and body envelop me immediately and I want to stay just like this forever.

I hate to leave him but I make myself go inside and slowly climb the stairs to the bathroom. I brush my teeth and get ready for bed. Mom is already asleep and I don't even bother to turn the light on in my room. I slide out of the sundress and into a tank top and shorts. I crawl beneath the covers and I can't stop the tears from coming. I can't believe tha Chase just got back, and declared his love for me. Now he is leaving all over again and I don't know if my heart can take it. How can I say good-bye to him all over again? Do I trust that he will keep his promise this time and come back? I want to . . . I
need
to, but there is no reasoning with my heart. I am still scared.

I had known that Haylee wouldn't handle the news of my leaving tomorow well, but I really want to get this transition over with and just be back here so I can be with her forever. We had a great day together just hanging out like old times. Getting to hold Haylee in my arms by the bonfire had been amazing. She's so tiny and soft. She's ripped with muscles from boarding, but her skin and curves are still perfectly soft. Her hair smells like strawberries, which I remember from when we were young. 

It kills me to say good night to her and walk away. I know she is upset even though she is trying to hide it. I know she wonders if I'll really come back this time and I plan to show her that I keep my word. I get ready for bed, pulling on a t-shirt and athletic shorts, and step into my bedroom at Griff's, but I know I won't be able to sleep a wink. The house is quiet already as I turn around and make my way back down the stairs as softly as possible. I jog across the street and around the back of Haylee's house, and I scale the tree outside her window in no time. The branches are low and in need of trimming without Haylee's dad to keep up with it. I plan to help them out with a few things around here when I get back. Mr. Weston taught me so much, the very least I could do is watch out for his widow and daughter.

I ease my way out onto the branch that reaches closest to her window. I weigh more than I had at sixteen, so I want to make sure it'll still hold me. I can just hear her dad telling me, “You're gonna fall and break your leg one day Chase.” Her light isn't on, so I wonder if she's even in there or maybe she's asleep already. I tap lightly on the glass and wait. Nothing. I tap again and I'm startled when the window pane slides up.

“Chase!” she exclaims and practically drags me inside. Here I'd been afraid she wouldn't want to see me. “You scared the shit out of me!” she hisses but even in the darkness I can see that she is smiling and my heart pounds more strongly because of that smile.

“I can go,” I say in a hushed voice as I turn back toward the window. 

“NO!” she shrieks and throws a hand over her mouth as she reaches out and catches my arm. I spin back around with a grin. Her reaction is exactly what I've been hoping for. Minus the high pitched outburst, of course. We hold still and silent for a moment, waiting to hear if her mom stirs. Nope. We're good.

“Sorry, but there is no way I am going to sleep over there tonight,” I whisper and touch my fingertips to her cheek. Her skin there is damp and it's not from sweat. “You've been crying.” 

She shrugs and reaches down for the bottom of my t-shirt. My body immediately thinks she's going to take my shirt off but she just pulls it up enough to wipe the tears from her cheeks and then she drops it back down. I let out a tight laugh. She never does what I expect and now I probably have a tent in my athletic shorts. I really don't care though as I pull her to my chest and wrap my arms around her. “You believe me when I say I'm coming back, right?”

“Yes,” she whispers. “It's still tough though. My heart feels the same way it did the last time. You're still leaving tomorrow and you don't have a return ticket yet. You're not sure how long you're gonna be. . .”

I release her and take her face in each of my hands. I lean down so that I'm right at eye level with her. “I am coming back as soon as I possibly can, I promise,” I whisper, my voice is determined and then I kiss her firmly with that same determination.

“Okay,” she says softly when I break the kiss, but her eyes are still sad. She takes my hand in hers and leads me back over to sit on the edge of her bed with her. There's just enough light from the moon coming in the open curtains of her window that I can see her clearly. She looks even more beautiful here in this light. “Will you be okay while you're gone?” She asks and her concern tugs at my heart. She's worried about
me
. 

“I'll be fine,” I assure her and she turns her body to face me. I run my hand up and down the soft skin of her arm. I just feel the need to touch her all the time. “Dylan'll help me pack up. I don't have that much stuff anyway and the competition should be a breeze.” I don't mention that things will be difficult with Lexi. Haylee doesn't need to know any more of the nasty details of my life. I know that she's worried about me using again too, but I don't want to bring that up tonight. I'm done with that shit. It isn't even on my radar anymore.

Her lips have this full, pouty look about them from the shadows cast by the moonlight. I reach up to rest my palm against her cheek and trail my thumb along her bottom lip. Her tongue darts out to lick where I've just touched and my dick is rock hard. I groan and close my eyes as I lean forward and kiss those perfect lips. She gasps at my suddenness but responds to me right away. She reaches up her hands and plays with the hair at the back of my neck. It feels amazing and pushes me to keep going. I just want to feel like this forever. I lick at those lips of hers and kiss my way down the smooth column of her neck. I can feel her pulse pounding beneath my own lips and I feel like I might lose my mind. Kissing someone has never before been so intense. She has a thin cotton tank on so I easily slide the strap aside and kiss and nip along her collarbone. She tilts her head back and I can hear that her breathing is quick and heavy. I am a goner for sure. She shifts a bit and then all of a sudden her thighs are on either side of mine like in the barn earlier. If I don't calm down, I'm gonna blow it in my shorts.

I am drunk on her kisses. Her tongue is tangling with mine and there are these little moans coming from the back of her throat. I can't get enough of her. My hands travel up the satiny, warm skin of her legs from her knees beside me. I let my hands keep going, waiting to run into the material of her shorts, but I'm already all the way up her thighs and to the sweet curve of her ass before I finally meet up with her shorts. Holy hell! I groan and force myself to pull back.

“What are you wearing?” I whisper and I almost can't think straight. My blood is all in my groin and she looks incredible straddling my lap, her face awash with lust.

She furrows her brow at me. “Pajamas, why?” Does she really have to ask? I'm on fire here and her little outfit is going to be the death of me. I let my hands settle onto the swell of her ass, sticking out from beneath the soft cotton and raise an eyebrow. I don't want her to move from where she is, but I desperately want to see her standing with her back to me wearing these little things. 

She giggles and lets her forehead fall against my chest. “They're just shorts, Chase, and I was in bed. I wasn't expecting company. It's not like I wear them around town or anything.”

“Don't get me wrong here,“ I say, my hands still enjoying the feel of her flesh, too much probably, “I love them and you will have to show me what they look like when you're standing up later.” I feel her about to get up, but I lock my arms around her. “
Later
,” I emphasize and she grins and bites down on her bottom lip. She has no clue what she's doing to me. 

I lean forward and nibble at her bottom lip, my hands still enjoying the amount of skin these shorts expose. She kisses the corner of my mouth and then along the line of my jaw as she lets her small hands rest against my shoulders. I can feel her little tongue working its way down my throat as I let my head fall back a bit and my eyes close. I'm vaguely aware that her hands have left my shoulders but she's still kissing my neck, so I'm in a fog. She pulls back from me a bit and I look up to see her arms crossed over her chest, about to pull her tank off. 

I grab her arms to stop her and she looks at me confused. “Hayles. . .what are you doing?” With her arms still crossed and the fact that she's obviously not wearing a bra, her boobs are pushed up and together, and I can clearly see how firm her nipples are beneath the thin material. Wait, why am I stopping her again?

“What does it look like I'm doing?” she asks softly and I see doubt creep over her face.

“I need you to understand that I didn't come here tonight expecting anything,” I start and she drops her arms back to her sides and glances down to the bed. Damn it! She thinks I'm rejecting her and that can't be any further from the truth! With my index finger beneath her chin, I turn her back to look at me. “Hear me out, Hayles. I just want you to know that I'm not
expecting
anything from you. I just wanted to be with you tonight even if you just slept in my arms all night. Make no mistake though, I want you. . .badly.” I glance down at my lap as evidence and she finally smiles a little again. “I don't want to rush you into anything. I'm coming back, so there's no hurry to do this tonight.”

“What if I want to?” she asks, her voice barely more than a whisper. 

“Are you sure, because. . . ?” she cuts me off with her lips on mine. “We'll have all the time in the world when I get back,” I still throw out there. I need to be sure that she has every chance to say no and that she knows that I'll stop at any time.

She reaches her hands up on either side of my neck and nibbles on her bottom lip as she looks me right in the eye. I have to shift beneath her a bit; my cock is getting downright urgent with want and talking about it isn't helping that situation any. The last thing in the world I want to do is rush her into this.

“Chase, I'm not still a virgin because I am trying to save myself for anything,” she starts as I stare into those blue eyes that look hauntingly grey right now. “I just never connected with a guy enough to have any desire to take things that far. I know now that it is because I am in love with you. I love you, Chase. I want you. I want you to make love to me tonight”

Her words are quickly unraveling my resolve. I can't tell her no. I didn't want to tell her no. I'd truly had no intentions of doing this tonight, but now it's all I can think about. I'm swimming in this primal need to claim her, make her mine. “We can wait til I get back for your first time. . . “ I still just have to give her every chance to say no.

She smirks and slides her knees farther toward my back, bringing her delicious body closer to mine. Too close. . . 

“We can have my second, and third, and fourth times when you get back,” she whispers against my lips as she reaches down between the millimeter of space separating our chests to grab hold of the bottom of my shirt. She's a damn temptress! She pulls the shirt up and over my head, tossing it behind her. I reach down then and pull her tank up and over her head like she'd tried to do earlier. The sight of her naked chest right in front of me flips some kind of switch inside of me. I bring my arms up behind her back to support her and I have her on her back on the mattress before she can even blink.

I see the look of surprise on her face as I lean down on my elbows, which are now on either side of her. I bring my lips to hers briefly and then I begin trailing kisses along her jaw, down her neck, and all the places I've fantasized about kissing her for so long. The warmth of her skin against mine is intoxicating. I run my tongue along the spot behind her ear and am rewarded with a gasp of pleasure, and her hands tightening in my hair. I pull back just to look at her beautiful face. She opens her eyes and I smile at her through a haze of lust. I need to make sure she is still okay with this and the look on her face tells me all I need to know. I press my lips near the base of her throat and slowly make my way down to the soft, round globe of one breast. I let the warmth of my breath hover over her and then I flick my tongue over her nipple. Her body jumps beneath me and I look up to find her looking right back at me.

“You did that on purpose,” she accuses, our gazes locking and I just smile before I cover her entire nipple with my mouth. I hear her head fall back against the pillow and I reach my hand up to work over her other nipple. She is making small sounds that are making it really difficult for me to take this slow. I continue my attention on one breast while I start to pull down those tiny shorts of hers with the other. Once I have her naked, I stand up to pull down my shorts and I watch as her eyes take in my entire body. I look at her lying there completely naked before me and I swear I feel tears sting my eyes. She's just that beautiful and she's choosing to be with
me
.

“You're
so
beautiful, Hayles,” I tell her. My voice is thick with emotion as I climb back in bed with her.

She raises up on her elbows as I cover her body with mine and kisses me with an urgency that I understand all too well. Her hands trail down my back and then down my chest and stomach like she's trying to memorize my body. Every single place her hands touch feels like it's on fire. 

“Are you sure . . . ?” I manage to eke out between kisses. I so do not want to do something that she will regret because there's no going back. 

She leans back and weaves her fingers into my hair again. “Chase, I am one hundred and ten percent sure,” she whispers.

“I've heard it hurts,” I say, carefully watching her eyes. I've never been with a virgin before and I'm terrified of hurting this girl who's lying beneath me, trusting me with her whole body. This girl who means everything to me.

“I've heard that too,” she says calmly and she appears very sure of her decision. “I'm a tough girl, Chase. I can handle it and I trust you.” I let my forehead fall gently against her shoulder. She doesn't realize that that's exactly what I'm afraid of. 

“I can't hurt you, Hayles. It will destroy me,” I feel like a complete pussy right now, but I need her to understand how I feel. “I've never made love to anyone before.” Her head snaps up and she looks at me in utter confusion.