Chapter 63

Chase's Point of View

Yep. She was doing it on purpose. I tore my eyes off her as she came laughing down the porch steps with Sammie, wearing yet another outfit to tease me. Did she pick that skirt knowing I wouldn't be able to stop imagining running my hands under it? For some reason, I thought she did.

My eyes were back on my bike. I had missed my bike. I had missed the road but right now I was glaring at it, frustrated and I was frustrated because Chloe was wearing my willpower down. Marc was slowly easing my bike down from the truck.

All our bikes had been stored at mom’s house for months. The boys were just happy to get their bikes back. Well, that's how I was explaining their excitement. And Oliver. Well…I sighed. Was there a word to describe him?

Oliver had always driven the van, but now we were settling into a charter, I let him finally get a bike to ride with us.

"So Chloe, you going to be the first lady to be on the back of my bike?" Oliver grinned. It wasn't his first bike, but he was acting like it was.

"NO FUCKING WAY!" I snapped. Did he really think I would allow that?

"Why not?" Oliver looked offended and mounted his bike, still grinning.

"Yeah Chase, don't be so protective," Chloe said, walking towards him.

"Don't encourage him." I pointed a finger at her. "And it's not happening."

"Again, I say why?" Oliver snapped at me.

"Chloe is only getting on the back of my bike and Marc's."

"That's not fair! Why is she allowed on Marc's and not mine?"

"Because we are the only ones with a clean riding history," Marc said, parking my bike in a row with the others.

"You guys don't have a clean record! Hell, you only got your license back last month! And you didn't stop driving or riding while suspended." Oliver pointed a finger at Marc. Marc losing his license hadn't stopped him from riding or driving, Oliver was right. When it came to the law, we didn't follow it.

"What he means is we are the only ones who haven't been in an accident," I clarified what Marc had said. At least Marc knew where I was coming from.

All of my brothers apart from Marc had ridden off bikes, whether it be road bikes or dirt bikes and even cars and, in Oliver's case, vans.

"Oh come on, that was in the van! I'll be more careful on the bike," Oliver said, now understanding what angle we were coming from.

"I trust Oliver," Chloe said and dared to put her hands on his shoulders, as if she was getting on with him.

I moved so fast, I was slightly dizzy when I lifted her off the back of the bike.

"Like I said, not happening." I kept my hands on her and, for the first time this week, she didn't bolt straight away as I touched her.

She brushed my hands off her.

Thought too soon.

"So where's my car?" Sammie appeared at my side. "And I thought Chloe was getting one as well?"

I didn't get to answer in time as Sammie started squealing as soon as the truck moved.

"It's BLACK! I wanted black." Sammie ran toward her new car. "AND IT'S A V8!"

"I still don't know how I feel about you having a V8." I watched my over-excited sister with her new car.

"Have I told you how much of a great big brother you are and how much I love you?" Sammie grinned, not believing her luck.

"That's not fair. She gets a new car, what do I get?" Jess appeared at my side.

I looked at her like she couldn't be serious. "Last time I checked, I killed someone for you, Jess." I gave her a look she couldn't argue with and also a fact she couldn't argue with.

She rolled her eyes. "I would have preferred a car, especially one that costs the price of a house."

"A house? Please tell me those cars aren't that expensive?" Chloe looked between us with wide eyes and a pleading look.

Of course Jess would mention price. Would it really kill Chloe if I spent money on her? I had enough of it. I wanted her looked after. God, when it came down to it, I did the whole house for her and she was freaking out about a car?

I wonder what her reaction would be if she found out how much I had spent on the house for her.

"It's just a car, Chloe," I said and went to reach for her, but she brushed my hands off.

"I told you to get one that wasn't expensive!"

Did she know how frustrating it was to argue over money? Something I had a lot of. "And I told you I wouldn't tell you how much I spent." I glanced at Jess and, if she hadn't compared it to a house, Chloe wouldn't be freaking out. "It's just a car, Chloe." I looked back at her, seeing her frowning. "Now is the part where you say thank you."

She looked torn immediately. I knew half of her wanted to yell at me some more, while the other half of her knew she was being rude. Her lips parted and she sighed.

"Thank you."

I put the keys in her hand and she turned them around, still frowning. She might have said thank you, but she wasn't really thankful. Something else was playing on her mind, and I was going to find out what it was.

"Jess, go away. I need to talk to Chloe." I turned all my attention on to Chloe, who was rocking on her feet. Jess grumbled, but left. The boys were focused on their bikes. Sammie was drooling over her new car, and now Jess was telling Sammie all about how unfair it was.

I knew Chloe didn't want me touching her but, like always, I couldn't stop myself. And right now I think I had to touch her for her to understand what I was about to say.

I gripped her hips, standing in front of her. "You do realize what is mine is yours, right?" When she wouldn't look me in the eye, I took one hand off her and lifted her head up. "It's just a car, Chloe."

"No, it's not. It's you looking after me again." She blew out a breath and her eyes locked with mine. "You're always taking care of me."

"What's wrong with that?" I didn't see anything wrong with that. I wanted to look after her. How could me looking after her be the problem? I didn't want her to want for anything. God, it was only a car! When it came down to it, the house was just a house. I still couldn't give her what she was giving me - a purpose.

"I can never give you anything back! Don't you get that? I can't give you anything. I don't have money. I don't have a family. I…don't have anything to offer you." She looked really upset about this. "Like nothing. At all."

She was really selling herself short.

She shook her head. "You pay for everything, you are giving me this amazing house to live in and your family, which is amazing. And on top of all that, you saved my life." She looked at me like I was a crazy person. "I can't begin to pay you back." The worry in her eyes didn't belong there. She was worrying over nothing. She didn't owe me a thing.

I cupped her face, my carefree expression replaced with one of seriousness. "Are you happy?"

She frowned. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"Are you happy?" I repeated my question after not getting my answer.

Her frown disappeared and her expression softened. "Yes."

"That's all I want."

"My happiness isn't an acceptable form of me paying you back." She narrowed her eyes at me, pouting. "Not even close."

I shrugged. "But that's all I want. I just want you happy." She was really giving me something she didn't even realize she was giving. I had always lived for the club, for my family but as soon as I found Chloe, I started living for her. "So I don't need you to pay me back because you don't owe me anything to begin with."

Everything I had, I'd give to her willingly if she would take it.

I gripped her shoulders and turned her around. "So, are you even going to look at your new car?"

I heard her sigh. "It's green. I love green now."

"What do you mean by now?" I frowned. I was keeping my arms around her and she wasn't pushing me away - yet.

"It's my new favorite color."

"You can't get a new favorite color."

"I can."

"Since when did green become your favorite color? And what was it before?"

"It was purple. But," she turned around, "That was before I met you."

"I changed your favorite color?" How was that possible?

Her fingers ran down my jaw, and she smiled. It was the kind of smile she used to give me before all that shit happened with Joe. It lit up her whole face, and it made me want to know the reason behind her sudden change in favorite color that bit more.

"It's the color of your eyes," she said, still wearing that perfect smile on her face. I was so mesmerized by the smile, I nearly didn't catch what she said. Wait a sec.

"You're joking, right?"

"What, don't you know the color of your eyes?" She teased and went up on her toes. "They're green, in case you didn't know." She stepped out of my arms. "Now I have a new car to look over."

And she left me standing there, stunned.