CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Chris watched Tori through the window as he stood in the parking lot negotiating with the last person he’d planned on talking to tonight. From the looks of it, Tori and Claire were in deep conversation at the bar. Maybe it had something to do with Jake’s pissy attitude. The guy had been miserable to be around all night. Claire didn’t look much better.

“I already told you I’m not interested in the Louis Kay fight,” he ground into the phone, watching Tori’s bright smile. Even when it wasn’t aimed in his direction, it did funny things to him.

He swore under his breath as Benny went off on another tirade of what he was and wasn’t willing to do to help Chris out. Benny was a shrewd businessman, and he knew what he wanted. In this instance — a Chris vs. Louis rematch.

“Fine, I’ll do it. But I want everything I’ve asked for, and I want it in writing.”

He shoved the phone in his pocket and headed back into the bar. He bypassed the table, none of the guys noticing otherwise, and headed down the hallway where he’d seen Tori go. Tonight had been awkward and tense. He wasn’t sure if Tori had told anyone about them. She had jumped at his touch. That was a ball-buster. After last night, he thought they were on the same page. Now he wasn’t so sure. Was she actually embarrassed to tell her friends, or was it possible he had misread things between them? He reached the end of the hallway just as she exited the bathroom. She was staring at her phone and completely oblivious to him until he grabbed her and pulled her into the dark corner.

She squealed at his rough touch, wide-eyed and panicked. “You scared me,” she rasped out when she got a good look at his face.

“That was the idea.” He smiled, nuzzling into her neck and breathing in the intoxicating smell that was all her.

He walked her backward until her shoulders hit the concrete wall at the end of the hallway. He placed his hands on her hips, feeling the hard curves of her body. He needed this. He needed to make sure they were in this together. If he had to define it for her, then that was what he would do. He’d ask her to be his damn girlfriend like they were fourteen years old. Whatever was necessary to make sure she belonged to only him.

“Someone could see us.” She tried to squirm out of his grasp.

He tightened his hold. “I don’t give a fuck. Let them see.”

“You don’t mean that,” she said, looking up at him with wide eyes.

“Sweetheart, I intend to kiss you right here and right now, and if that means the whole bar will see it, then so be it.”

He confirmed the statement by taking her mouth, slipping his tongue through her parted lips. She was hesitant and stiff, but as he deepened the kiss; she relaxed bit by bit until she was limp in his arms.

God, he wasn’t sure he would ever get enough of her. Enough of them like this.

He registered the faint sound of footsteps heading their direction and stepped to the side to shield her from prying eyes without breaking the kiss.

“Well, hello, you two.”

She let out a small gasp and pulled back at the noise. Chris blocked Claire’s view while Tori composed herself, running a hand over her hair and mouth. A quick glance back at Claire showed her waiting, hands on her hips, with a smug expression on her face. She didn’t have the look of someone who knew her best friend had been hooking up lately. Talk about a kick to the balls.

Was she still keeping their relationship a secret? That seemed to be a pattern. She hadn’t told Claire about their first kiss or about all the rest. He hadn’t minded before when they were just kids and their relationship was unclear, but now it stung. Maybe she didn’t feel as strongly about him as he did for her.

“Two minutes,” he whispered in her ear before backing up, allowing her to move freely.

She didn’t move. Instead, her eyes scrunched in confusion at his words.

He leaned in closer and kissed her cheek, whispering a little more gruffly this time. Every second without kissing her felt like hell. “You’ve got two minutes, and then I’m dragging you home to continue this.”

“Well that looked like it didn’t suck.” Claire had a smirk on her face and one foot cocked to the side, toe tapping.

Tori ran her fingers over her swollen lips. It hadn’t sucked. Not even a little bit.

“Why does it feel like you’re keeping secrets again?” Claire’s voice dropped, and a gloomy look washed over her face.

She forced herself to snap out of her Chris-fog. Claire needed her. Tori found her bearings and motioned with a tilt of her head toward the ladies’ room. They locked themselves into the one-stall bathroom where they could talk in private.

Tori placed both hands on the pedestal sink and leaned in, staring at her reflection. The evidence of her hallway encounter was written all over her flushed face.

“Tori Calloway,” Claire started, “you have so much explaining to do.”

“I’m in trouble.” She turned quickly, meeting Claire’s pouty face. “I really like him.”

Claire’s face broke out into an ear-to-ear smile. “Well, judging by the scene I just walked into, I’d say he likes you too. I repeat, you have so much explaining to do. Last, I knew you hated him even though he was so sexy,” Claire quipped, imitating her drunken ramblings from the other night.

“Are you sure you want to hear all about it?” Tori asked, shuffling her feet on the dirty floor. “If you don’t because of the whole Jake-thing, I totally understand.”

Claire punched her in the arm, causing her to let out a yelp. “Ouch! That hurt.”

“Keep saying dumb shit, and I’ll keep punching you,” she warned with a fist raised.

“Okay, okay. I was just trying to be supportive.”

“You can be supportive by telling me everything. Don’t leave a single detail out.” Claire smiled and clasped her hands together.

“Thirty-second warning!” Chris yelled from the other side of the door.

Tori stifled a laugh. Chris and his timetables. He was a man of his word, and this wasn’t going to be a quick chat with Claire.

“I have an idea. Let’s go out, just me and you, Saturday night.”

Claire didn’t look convinced but stayed silent, biting her bottom lip as she appeared to mull it over.

“We can go to Carroll, get away from everything here, and just have some much-needed girl-time.”

“What about Luke? Aren’t you afraid you’ll run into him?”

She hadn’t even considered it. It didn’t matter to her one way or another. The thought of seeing him again did nothing for her. It certainly didn’t excite her to think it was a possibility, but there was no way she was going to avoid going places just in the offhand chance he would be there.

“I don’t think that’s likely. We’ll go to all the places I know he hates,” she promised.

“Okay, deal!” Claire squealed. “But you better come prepared to spill the beans.”

Chris led her out the door; his long legs were moving fast and with purpose, practically dragging her along. They made it as far as his truck before he was on her, pressing her against the cold metal. She’d barely had a chance to wet her lips in anticipation before his lips met hers. Like they’d been before, his kisses were demanding and rough. He claimed her mouth in a way no one else ever had. Or maybe it was her reaction to him that made his kisses feel more intense than anything she’d experienced. This whole thing was more intense than anything she’d ever known. Years of back and forth, of hating him yet secretly wanting him, the ping-pong of bickering — it all felt like foreplay. The longest foreplay ever.

“I need to get you in the truck before I rip these jeans off you.”

Tori’s eyes went wide in surprise as she looked down at her torn jeans. They were an old pair, worn thin with holes. They weren’t anything special to look at, but they were so comfortable she often wore them for a casual girls’ night.

“I swear to God, you can’t wear these in public ever again. I haven’t been able to think of another single thing since I saw you wearing them.” He lifted her into the truck and shut the door with what sounded like a painful groan.

He started the truck and took off in the direction of his house without a word. He drummed his fingers on the steering wheel and turned the radio on. He looked like a caged animal — wild eyes, restless fingers. It excited her to see him this way, knowing she had caused this reaction. He was frustrated and anxious, obviously horny as hell, all because she’d worn a pair of ripped jeans. She was giddy as hell and a lot turned on. She felt powerful and sexy — two things she hadn’t felt in a very long time.

When he pulled into the garage and put the truck in park, she didn’t wait for him to come around and open her door, like she’d become accustomed to him doing. She sprang from the truck and took off running, giggling with so much excitement and joy it couldn’t be contained. It was one of those moments that she knew she’d remember. A single moment where nothing else mattered because she was so happy. She only remembered a few other instances where she’d felt like this, but she recognized the feeling. Tori’s heart was practically bursting out of her chest and her cheeks ached from the large smile that she couldn’t contain.

She heard him chuckle lightly before his footsteps came loud and fast behind her. She squealed as she felt him gaining on her. She ran through the garage, hurdling over weights and barbells like it was an obstacle course, and threw open the door that led to the house. She was headed for the staircase, en route to the master bedroom, but he caught her two steps inside the entrance.

He spun her around to face him. His face matched what she imagined hers looked like to him — bright eyed, flushed, and big goofy smile.

They stared at each other for a moment. He didn’t have the same urgency anymore. He studied her face slowly, cupping her face with both hands and leaning down to take her tenderly. He hummed lightly into her mouth, the vibrations tickling her lips. She smiled mid-kiss at the playful side he was showing her. She liked this side of him. She liked all sides.

“Let’s get you upstairs before they ruin the moment,” Chris said, pulling back and nodding toward the window. Charlie’s car was parked out front, and he and Travis were making their way out of the car and into the house.

He lifted her, carrying her up the stairs and into the master bedroom before they heard the front door open. He set her down, and his blue eyes changed from soft to hard as he stared intently at her, taking her in from top to bottom while he pulled his shirt up and over his head.

She stared back, taking in every detail. She wanted to memorize and catalog his body so she could remember every line and every muscle. No freckle, no hair went undiscovered in her visual scan. She moved forward slowly, ready to learn by touch and taste. She’d leave no sense unused, memorizing the sounds he made as she performed her analysis.

“Do you want to hang out tomorrow night? I’m teaching a late class, so I won’t be done until the gym closes, but I promised Claire a girls’ night on Saturday. She’s having a tough time.” She gave him an apologetic look, more for herself than for him.

He didn’t appear upset about her being gone for a night, but she was already dreading the time apart. Which could mean only one thing. She was officially pathetic.