Chapter Seven
Three dates. Countless orgasms. And a growing sense that she might be falling in love with Chance Ashton.
Toni flicked her tongue over her ice cream cone and snuck a glance at him out of the corner of her eye. They were strolling along the Santa Monica Pier and he was wearing cargo shorts, a navy T-shirt, and sandals. He looked cool and casual and she was amazed as always at how muscular and gorgeous he was. And that he was with her.
“What are you looking at?” he asked with a smile.
He ate his chocolate cone aggressively, mouthing large chunks off instead of licking.
“For a man so good with his tongue you’d think you’d use it with more delicacy on that cone.”
He gave a snort. “That takes forever. I lick to savor. Ice cream I just want it in my mouth.”
She couldn’t argue that he certaintly seemed to savor her. Just thinking about it made her start to tingle. “You should get a scoop in a cup then.”
“But there’s no cone then.”
Chance always had an answer. She appreciated that about him. “I can’t argue with you there.” Toni was wearing high-rise denim shorts with a Rolling Stones crop top. It was a perfect California day and it was fun to play tourist with her guy. Her guy. She was pretty sure they were about at that point.
She was reflecting on how for the first time in a long time she had the warm squishy feelings of new budding love when suddenly she found her nose in her ice cream cone. “Ack! What the hell?” Chance had rammed her cone into her nose. That was the opposite of warm.
He was laughing. “Oops. Sorry.”
She was amused. But when she wiped vanilla ice cream off the tip of her nose, she went to wipe it on his arm. Unfortunately he had reflexes that were ridiculous. He grabbed her wrist and held it.
“Nope. Try again.”
“Damn it, that’s not fair!” Toni was plotting how to nail Chance with her own cone, willing to sacrifice the treat to get him back, when she heard her name called out.
Toni turned and a teenage girl was waving wildly to her.
“Oh, my God, you’re Toni Salvatore!” she said. “That’s so cool. Can I take a Snapchat with you?”
“Sure, no problem.” She gave a shrug to Chance when his eyebrows rose and handed him her ice cream cone. “Hold this.” It wasn’t often that she was recognized but when she was, she had to admit, she was proud of that fact. She enjoyed talking to people, getting their feedback, good or bad.
“Aren’t you that guy who was on yesterday’s video?” the girl asked Chance. “Oh, my God, like was that fake? I thought you only kissed random guys.”
Wonderful. Someone thought she was bullshitting on her videos. Not good. “That was our first meeting,” she told the teen. “But he was so hot, I had to keep him.”
The girl still looked a little uncertain but got over it when Toni posed for a couple of snaps with her. When she ran back over to her family Toni turned to take her ice cream from Chance, a little worried. She didn’t want viewers to think she wasn’t spontaneous.
“Our kiss is on the Internet?” Chance asked.
“Well, yes. You knew that. It just went up yesterday because I have a queue.”
“No, I didn’t know that.” He frowned at her. “I thought you would skip it now that we’re dating.”
That had honestly never occurred to her. “I think I’m going to have to. I don’t want anyone to think it was a setup.”
Toni reached for her ice cream again but Chance still held onto it. It was dripping and starting to slide to the side.
“That’s what you’re worried about?” he asked. “Not about how I feel about the whole thing?”
That had her pausing. “What do you mean?” she asked cautiously.
“I don’t want to be a part of your persona.”
Interesting. “It’s my job. And you don’t have to be part of it. I’ll take the damn video down.” She was annoyed and she wasn’t even sure why. Maybe because it felt like one, he had changed the rules on her. And two, that he thought she was a joke.
“Only because the girl asked if it was fake. Not because I want you to.”
“You didn’t ask me to take it down.” What the hell was going on? Toni wrapped her hand around her cone and tugged. “Give me my ice cream back.”
Chance frowned at her.
The vibe was ruined. The afternoon went sour and after ten minutes of silent wandering, Toni said, “I think I want to go home. I have a headache.” She did. From trying to puzzle out what Mr. Never Talks was thinking.
But when he told her she wished she could go back to not knowing.
“I think maybe we should slow down a little,” he said. “Take a break.”
And he was dumping her. On her doorstep. Toni felt her cheeks flush with heat. She was both angry and hurt. She wanted to say about a million things but she settled for, “Those are code phrases for you bailing.”
All her mother’s dire warnings about not having sex with a guy too soon in a relationship came barreling back. Now she was going to miss him and his incredible body. No guy was going to measure up to that muscular chest ever again. Damn it. She had really liked him, too, as a person. But guys don’t like the funny girl, just like she had told Jack.
“I just don’t like not knowing what is true and what is a joke.” He reached out and tugged her curls.
That made her want to cry. He looked… wistful. Like he wanted to like her but just couldn’t. She felt the hot sting of tears and was humiliated. She stepped back out of his touch. “See you around, Chance Ashton.”
Then she slammed the door shut in his face.
Chance wasn’t exactly sure what had just happened. One minute he had been having a great afternoon with Toni, the next he had felt uncomfortable at the thought of that video being online.
Sighing, he flopped on his couch and propped his feet on his coffeetable. The outing had been cut short and Toni had slammed the door in his face and now he felt let down and pissed off and twiddling his thumbs with unexpected time on his hands. He hadn’t meant to end the relationship entirely. He had just wanted to think for a minute.
But Toni clearly had not liked that idea and now he just had the sinking feeling he had screwed up beyond repair. Which really sucked because he was falling hard for Toni. Since was the first thing he thought about when he woke and the last before he fell asleep, her teasing little smile dancing before his eyes.
He was in deep. Which might be why he was freaking the fuck out. He didn’t attach all that easily and he felt like Velcro on Toni right now.
Or he had. Before she had dismissed him.
“Damn it,” he said out loud to his empty apartment. Which seemed even emptier now that he had woken up here with Toni. Twice. She was the perfect little sexy body next to his all night long.
His phone rang and he grabbed for it, pulling it out of his pocket and hoping like hell it was Toni. It was his sister. “Hello?” She never called him and it instantly worried him.
“Mom is in the hospital. She passed out this morning.”
Shit. “Okay, on my way.”
Toni texted him while he was grabbing his keys. Can we talk?
My mom just got admitted to the hospital. I need to get to Manhattan Beach. Can I call you later?
They did need to talk. He couldn’t just leave it the way he had and feel good about himself.
Oh my gosh. I’m so sorry. Can I help?
That was sweet of her.
Just think good thoughts.
At the hospital Jenny met him in the lobby. “I told mom to stop watching Magic Mike on loop, but she wouldn’t listen. Too many hip thrusts and she passed out.”
This was why he had a hot button when it came to people not knowing when to be serious. He didn’t even know if his mother was okay and his sister was making stupid comments. “That’s not funny, Jenny. Is she okay?”
“Of course she’s okay.” She stuck her tongue out at him.
He fought the irritation. “Do you know that or you’re just assuming? Can I go in there and talk to the doctor?”
“He’s still in there with her.”
So she didn’t actually know if their mother was okay or not. She was just burying her head in the sand and laughing it off. “I need to talk to the doctor.” He didn’t even trust Jenny to convey accurate information.
His sister rolled her eyes at him. When he went into the room his mother looked fatigued but okay. He wanted to hug her but she looked small and fragile. The doctor wasn’t even in the room which made him even more annoyed with his sister. “Hi, how are you feeling?”
She just gave him a wan smile. “I’ve been better. I’ve been worse. Weren’t you supposed to be at the beach with Toni? I’m sorry if I interrupted your day.”
He winced. “I was already home. We kind of had a fight. I don’t think we’ll be seeing each other any more.”
“What? A fight about what?”
He shrugged, not really wanting to discuss it with his mother. “She put that video up of us kissing and I don’t know. I feel like I don’t know what’s real and what’s a joke with her.”
His mother held out her hand. “Come here, Chance.”
That made him feel uneasy but he took her hand in his. “What, Mom?”
She gave him a smile. “You know what I want for you?”
“What?” he asked, feeling unnerved. Why was she looking at him like she was about to extract a promise from him?
“I want you to worry less and fall in love. Just fall in love, Chance. There’s a reason they call it falling. You have to let go.”
He didn’t know what to say. He did want to fall in love. With Toni. But he was saved from having to respond by a knock on the door. “Come in,” he called, hoping it was the doctor and not the nurse.
It was neither. It was Toni, hair wild and disheveled, panting as if she’d been running.
And right then and there he knew his mother was right.
Worry less. Fall in love. Right now. With Toni.
Toni hovered in the doorway breathing hard as she stared at Chance. “Hey, sorry, I just wanted to make sure everything was okay.” The woman in the bed behind Chance was conscious and smiling and she felt immense relief for Chance. She wasn’t sure what was going on but at least it wasn’t the worst.
“Hi, there,” his mother said. “You must be Toni. Come in, come in. I’m Sara, Chance’s mother.”
“What are you doing here?” Chance asked. “How did you know where I was?”
“You said Manhattan Beach. I took a guess and called this hospital.” All of a sudden she felt idiotic and self-conscious. “I can wait in the lobby. I was just… worried.”
“No, no, stay,” Sara said. “I want to meet you.”
Chance didn’t say anything so Toni obeyed and went forward and took her hand. “Hi. Is everything okay? I’m so glad to meet you.”
“I’m fine. Nice to meet you too. I was just telling Chance I’m glad he’s dating someone who can help him loosen up.”
“Oh, ha.” She gave an awkward laugh, not sure how to respond to that. Hadn’t Chance told his mother he was done with her? Apparently not. “I kind of like him the way he is,” she said, honestly.
“Did you hear that, Chance?” his mother asked.
“Yes, I heard.” He sounded amused. “Mom, I’m going to go find the doctor and talk to him. Toni, can you come with me?”
“Sure. I hope you feel better,” she told Sara.
She followed him into the hallway and waited until the door swung shut. “I’m sorry, I should have called but I was worried that something might be really wrong and I wanted to let you know that I’m here for you. If you knew me.” She finished her speech and blinked up at him.
God, she felt all the feelings for him.
Chance didn’t say a word. He just took two steps and kissed her. Hard.
It was unexpected but she melted predictably. “Oh. Hello,” she said when he broke away.
“Toni, I’m sorry. I don’t want to push you away. I don’t want you to change. Me being an asshole this afternoon was because it scares me that I like you this much and I’m worried that maybe I want to take it more seriously than you do.”
“The way I feel is no joke,” she murmured. “I have the hots for you. I like every minute I spend with you. I was scared for you when I got your text about your mother. Are you sure she’s fine?”
“According to my mother and my sister, yes, she is. You being here is very sweet.” He ran his hand down her cheek. “And I appreciate it. I appreciate you.”
“I thought we were figuring each other out,” she said. “We could have talked out the whole video thing.”
He nodded. “I know. Which is why I am apologizing. And I’m telling you that you are what I need in my life. I don’t want to blow this before we’ve had a chance to make it something amazing.”
“Yeah?” That was her brilliant comeback? The woman who was never at a loss for words was speechless. She placed her hands on his chest. “I think it already is something amazing.”
“I think you’re amazing.”
For a long moment she found herself drowning in his eyes, then Toni realized there was a woman who appeared to be filming them with her phone. “And I think that woman is filming us.”
“What?” He turned. “Oh, hell, that’s my sister. Jenny, what are you doing?”
“Huh? Nothing.” She dropped her phone down by her side. “Just looking something up.”
“Give me your phone.” He held his hand out.
But she scooted past him and down the hall. “Gotta go. I left my purse on my chair.”
It didn’t seem like a believable lie, and clearly Chance agreed. “I think that I need to recognize that the whole world is online.”
“Yep. It pays my bills.” I smiled at him. I couldn’t help it. He wanted this. A we. And he looked just a little uncertain.
“I love it when you smile,” he said. “But I love it even more when I’m the reason.”
She wrapped her arms around his neck. “I owe Jack Cooper a big ginormous thank you.”
Chance bent down to kiss her. “Forget Jack Cooper.”
“I already have.”