Hannah stepped out of her Jeep and carefully made her way through the gravel parking lot to the sidewalk. Her boots had a decent size heel to them, and that made walking through gravel a dangerous endeavor. She hated heels, but she’d wanted to look as cute as she could for Chase.

She opened the door to Pete’s, hunching her shoulders around her ears for a moment as the loud country music hit her. She’d forgotten how loud Pete’s could be.

She looked around but didn’t see Chase. She was early, so she headed to the bathrooms in the back, wanting to take the time to make sure she was dolled up perfectly before he got here.

Hannah walked to the sink, staring at herself in the mirror. She had on a sparkly pale pink halter top, a cream color skirt that swished around her thighs when she walked, and tan suede boots that came up to mid-calf. She thought she looked pretty hot, even though it was a little cool outside for a tank top. Fashion over warmth, though.

Her hair was down, the way she knew Chase liked it, and her makeup was subtle. Mascara, a hint of eyeliner, a touch of blush, and lip gloss in a pale pink shade to match her top.

He said he wanted to tell her something tonight, maybe show her something important. She’d been excited, but suddenly, she was a bundle of nerves. Her cheeks flamed hot, and she pressed her cold hands to them, hoping to cool them down as she tried to breathe deep.

She hoped it was something good, but it was just as likely it was something bad. She pressed one hand to her belly where the nervous butterflies were making her a bit nauseous. Maybe he’d decided what she’d told him Tuesday night was too much for him. Maybe he was going to break up with her, and he wanted to do it in a public setting, so she wouldn’t cause a scene.

Stop it, she scolded herself. That wasn’t Chase. He wouldn’t do something like that. Besides, he’d been accepting of her past when she told him. Hell, he said he was proud of her. He wouldn’t change his mind and then break up with her in public over it.

Hannah took a deep breath, the nerves in her belly fading with the reminder of who Chase was. He was a good man. He wouldn’t pull something like that.

Nodding firmly to herself in the mirror, Hannah grabbed her bag and walked out of the bathroom. She paused, searching the bar to see if Chase had arrived while she was having her little meltdown.

There he was, sitting at the bar with his back to her. Her lips curved into a smile at the sight of him, but it quickly faded when she realized he wasn’t alone.

Wendy was standing in front of him. She frowned, wondering why he was talking to Wendy, of all people. Her frown deepened when Wendy threw back her head and laughed, reaching out to caress his arm.

Then Wendy trailed her arm up his shoulder, wrapped both arms around his neck, and leaned in to kiss him. Hannah stiffened in shock, eyes wide as she waited for Chase to push her away.

And waited. Then waited some more.

Her eyes burned with tears she tried to blink back as hurt and confusion crashed into her. She couldn’t understand why he didn’t pull away, why he didn’t end the kiss.

Unless this was what he’d wanted to show her. He’d meant for her to see this.

Hannah whirled around so fast she stumbled and almost lost her balance. Ignoring the looks from the patrons in the back, she rushed to the back door and pushed it open. She half stumbled, half ran, around the building to where her Jeep was parked. Her heel sank into the gravel, and her bad ankle gave out beneath her. Hannah caught herself on the Wrangler, cursing at the pain, but she did her best to ignore it. She climbed inside and started the Jeep, her hands trembling, fumbling with the keys for a moment before she got it started.

She sat for a moment, staring ahead at nothing as tears dripped down her cheeks, and then she dashed them away with shaking hands and pulled out of the parking lot. She didn’t live far, but she still went a little over the speed limit, desperately wanting nothing more than to be in her home where she could break down in private.

Hannah pulled up to her house and got out of the Jeep, limping her way to her front door. Her ankle burned like it was on fire, but it was nothing compared to the searing pain in her heart.

She stumbled inside and yanked her boots off, walking to her bedroom and pulling her clothes off on the way, leaving a trail behind her. Once there, she pulled on some leggings and an oversized shirt, and then climbed in her bed, huddling under the covers. The tears were falling, soaking her pillow, and it wasn’t long before she was sobbing into it. She was going to leave streaks of mascara all over the white pillowcase, but she couldn’t bring herself to care.

When she thought he was going to break up with her at the bar, that had been bad enough. But this… she never would have expected something like this from Chase. He was better than this. Or so she thought.

And with Wendy, of all people. Maybe that was the point, though. He knew that would hurt her the most.

She’d always thought Chase was too good to be true. She just hadn’t expected to be proven right in such spectacular fashion.

She’d known from the beginning. That very first day when Chase had come over with an apology on his lips, asking her to give them a chance, she’d had her suspicions. She thought he was playing games, trying to teach her a lesson so she’d stay away from Parker and Kelsey. Or that he just wanted to get in her pants, and as soon as he got what he wanted and tired of her, he’d throw her away.

She just never expected him to do it like this.

She tried to convince herself she didn’t deserve this, but maybe she did. She might have changed, but she’d been a horrible person for so long. Maybe this was just karma taking its due. And karma really was a bitch. An evil bitch named Wendy.

Fresh waves of pain crashed over her and her sobs intensified. She’d been falling in love with Chase. Heck, maybe she already loved him.

But he didn’t deserve it.

Chase was a worthless piece of shit who didn’t deserve her, the wonderful family he had, or the amazing life he had on his farm.

It was too bad people rarely got what they truly deserved.

Chase was stunned for a moment, shocked stupid. Wendy was kissing him. Why the fuck was Wendy kissing him?

He finally came to himself and pushed her away, harder than he intended, but for fuck’s sake, he didn’t know what she was thinking.

He’d always made his disgust for her plain, and he sure as hell had never given her any reason to think he was open to a kiss from her.

Skin crawling, Chase wiped his mouth off on the back of his hand. He needed to find some mouthwash, or better yet, some bleach, and get her nasty germs off his mouth.

He looked up to see her smirking at something over his shoulder, her eyes dancing with malicious glee, but when he looked behind him to see what she was looking at, he couldn’t find anything out of the ordinary. No one was even looking their way.

“What the fuck was that, Wendy?” he spat out, turning back around to glare at her.

She sidled up closer and Chase instinctively leaned back to put more space between them. She licked her lips, probably thinking she looked seductive, but the sight just made Chase’s gut roll.

“Oh, don’t be like that, Chase. You know you want me. You’ve always wanted me,” she said, trailing a finger across her cleavage. “I’ve decided you can have me. I’m all yours.”

“I’ve never wanted you, and you’re delusional if you think I have. I’ve always made my feelings for you clear. You’ve got the personality of a rattlesnake, and you’ve slept with half the town. I’m not adding my name to that list. Besides, I’m seeing Hannah now. I don’t need anyone but her.”

Wendy’s heavily made up face contorted and ire flashed in her eyes. Then she gave a bone-chilling smile that sent a shiver of foreboding up his spine.

“Oh, you won’t be with that little bitch for long. She saw us, you know. Saw you kissing me. It’s over between you two now. You’ll never be able to fix this.”

Chase groaned as dread filled his chest, and he closed his eyes. Fuck, this wasn’t good.

“I didn’t kiss you, Wendy. You kissed me, and I didn’t participate.”

“She doesn’t know that,” she replied with a coldly gleeful smile. “And you didn’t pull away, Chase. She watched and waited, but you sat there and let me kiss you. She took off before you finally pulled away. She thinks it was real. Isn’t that just perfect?”

“Fuck!” he exclaimed, shoving Wendy aside so he could stand up.

Rushing to the door, he pulled out his phone and dialed Hannah’s number, but it just rang and rang. Cursing a blue streak, he jumped in his truck and threw his phone down, starting the engine with a roar and peeling out, driving way too fast in his haste to get to Hannah’s house.

Her Jeep was parked in her driveway, a little crooked like she’d stopped in haste, but there weren’t any lights on besides a soft glow from her bedroom window. Chase jumped out of his truck and strode with determination to the front door. He knocked, waiting impatiently for her to open the door.

Long moments passed but she didn’t answer. He banged harder, listening for any movement inside, but didn’t hear anything except silence.

She’d learn soon enough he wasn’t going to give up.

He banged again. “Hannah, I know you’re in there. Open up. I’m not going away until I talk to you.”

He was raising his fist to bang again, intent on her either opening the door or him knocking it in, when the door opened. She stood in the doorway, glaring at him, bathed in the glow from the street light. His breath caught as he got a good look at her.

Her eyes were red and swollen, her face puffy, and she had black mascara streaks down her cheeks. Her hair was a tangled mess around her shoulders.

She’d been crying. Because of him. His heart clenched painfully and he closed his eyes for a moment, regret filling him. He hadn’t done what she obviously thought he had, but it still felt one hundred percent his fault.

Fix it. Fix mate, his wolf begged him, frantic at the sight of Hannah’s obvious distress.

“What do you want, Chase? Haven’t you made your point already? Had to come rub it in?” she asked, her voice catching at the end.

“God, no, Hannah. It wasn’t what it looked like. Can I come in? We need to talk.”

“I have nothing to say to you, and there’s nothing you can say that I want to hear,” she said, sniffing back what he thought were fresh tears.

“Please, baby,” he pleaded, not above begging. “We need to talk. I’m not going away until you let me explain. I’ll camp right here on your doorstep until you do.”

She studied him, searching his eyes, and then let out a shaky sigh, standing aside.

“Fine,” she said grudgingly. “Come in. But don’t call me baby again, or you’re out of here.”

Relief weakened his knees as he moved past her to get inside. He looked around, noting her shoes in the middle of the floor, purse thrown haphazardly on the table, hanging half off, and the trail of clothes leading to the hallway.

She followed his gaze to the uncharacteristic mess, and shrugged one shoulder, causing the overly large shirt she wore to slip down her arm.

“I was in a hurry. So sue me. Now say what you came to say, and then get the hell out.”

Chase’s eyebrows rose at her words. Hannah rarely cursed. Although he supposed if a situation called for it, this was it. He moved to the couch and sat down, but Hannah remained standing with her arms crossed over her chest.

“I didn’t kiss Wendy.”

“Oh, really,” she scoffed. “Are you a magician, then? It was just an elaborate illusion? I saw you, you jerk. You can’t deny it.”

“No, I mean, she kissed me. I didn’t initiate it, I didn’t kiss her back. I didn’t want it, Hannah. I don’t want to kiss anyone but you.”

She shook her head angrily. “I saw it, Chase. I watched it happen. Maybe you didn’t initiate it, but you didn’t pull back, either. You didn’t push her away. You just sat there while she kissed you. While Wendy— of all people—kissed you, and you let it happen.”

“I was surprised, and I just froze. Don’t look like that. It’s the truth, I swear. As soon as I regained my senses, I pushed her away. There’s no one on Earth I’d want to kiss less than Wendy. I only ever want to kiss you, for the rest of my life. And I was meeting you there, expecting you to walk in at any moment. Why would I kiss someone, knowing you could walk in and see?”

“Maybe that was the point, though,” she said with a sad sigh. “Maybe you did it deliberately. I wondered that day you showed up asking for a chance if you were playing games. Messing with me so you could do something like this and ensure I’d stay away and stop being friends with Kelsey and Parker. I thought maybe you just wanted to get in my pants, and once you’d taken what you wanted, you’d walk away. You said you had something to show me tonight, and I walk in, seeing that. It made sense to me.”

Chase stared at her in disbelief. “You thought I was playing games with you this whole time? I thought you knew me better than that, and you never let on you didn’t know what we have between us is real.”

Hannah looked down at her feet, frowning. “The more time we spent together, the less I thought those things. I did think it was real, and I was truly happy for the first time in my life. But you say you have something to show me, and then I walk in to see Wendy kissing you. What else was I supposed to think?”

“Not that,” he replied, rubbing a hand over his forehead. “What I had to tell you was in no way that. I would never do that to you, Hannah. You have to believe that.”

Hannah didn’t reply, just continued to watch her feet. Panic tightened Chase’s chest as he realized he might not be able to get through to her. He’d thought if he could explain, she would understand, and they could go on like normal.

He was a stupid fuck for thinking it would be that easy. She’d been hurt badly by what she’d seen, and he suddenly doubted his ability to make her see the truth. She wasn’t a shifter. She couldn’t hear the truth in his voice.

He stood up and walked to where she was standing, grabbing her hand and tightening his hold when she tried to pull away.

“Look at me, Hannah,” he said, waiting until she reluctantly met his gaze before continuing. “I would never do something like that to you. Being with you makes me happier than I ever thought I could be, and I want to be with you more than anything. And even if I didn’t, I wouldn’t end it like that. I would never in a million years hurt you in that way.”

Hannah frowned as she searched his face, and the skin that was tight around her eyes eased a bit. Maybe he was getting through to her.

“It was Wendy, Hannah. Wendy. Think about it. You told me yourself just the other day how she can get when she’s crossed. She did this on purpose.”

That made her hesitate. A look of reluctant contemplation crossed her face, and she nodded slowly as she thought about what he said.

“Okay, you have a point,” she said, the words sounding like they’d been dragged from her. “She told me then I’d regret talking to her the way I did.”

“Then knowing that, it’s totally feasible she did this on purpose, knowing you’d see it, and hoping to hurt you, right?” he asked, fighting to keep the hope he felt welling up from overwhelming him.

She closed her eyes briefly and took a deep breath. “Okay. You have a point, and now that I think about it, that’s probably what happened.”

The relief he’d been trying to hold at bay broke free, and he felt like he was drowning in it. A smile broke free, unable to be contained.

“Thank God. I was worried there for a minute. We can put this behind us. Please know I would never do something like that. These past couple weeks have been the best of my life, and I want nothing more than to be with you. I’d hurt myself a million times over before I hurt you.”

Chase let go of her hand and moved to take her in his arms, but she held up her hands and backed away. Confusion and no small amount of alarm filled him as she paced away.

“Chase… it’s good to have it explained. It’s a huge relief to know you didn’t deliberately set out to hurt me. But I’m not sure we should continue to see each other.”

His wolf panicked in his chest, and Chase couldn’t calm him down, because his human side was panicking just as much.

“What are you talking about, Hannah? Why shouldn’t we? We’re perfect for each other.”

“No, Chase, we’re not,” she replied with a sad smile. “You’ll get bored. You’re so smart. Eventually, you’ll wish you could have intelligent and witty conversations with me, and I can’t provide you with that. I’m too—”

“Don’t you fucking say it,” he said heatedly. “You’re not dumb, and I’ve never been bored while I talk with you. In case you hadn’t noticed, I hang onto your every word. Everything you say fascinates me, and I love the way you think. That will never change. Ever, Hannah. You can take that to the bank.”

Her eyes were wide as she looked at him, and he could see her insecurities warring with the desire to believe him. She shook her head and turned her back to him as she wrapped her arms around her waist.

“I want to believe that, Chase. You have no idea how badly. I just don’t know if I can.”

He walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her. “Then I’ll believe it enough for the both of us, until you’re able to believe it for yourself. I’m not giving you up, Hannah. You’re everything to me, and I’ll spend the rest of my life proving that to you. I love your mind just as much as I love your delectable body, and you already know I can’t get enough of that.”

Chase had an impressive erection already just from holding her for a few moments, and he pushed it against her ass, trying to prove his point. She gasped and pushed her hips back into him, like she was unable to help herself, and he couldn’t stop the deep growl that rumbled from his chest.

He angled her head around and kissed the hell out of her. It was an awkward angle, but he didn’t care, and he didn’t think she did, either. His blood was already heating to a boiling point, and he grabbed her hips to pull her more firmly into him, grinding his aching cock on her ass.

He knew what his next move was. He was going to fuck the point he was trying to make into her, fuck her until she felt him, and how he felt about her, down in her bones.

He slid his hands up her shirt, gliding them over her belly to her breasts. She moaned and pushed herself more firmly into his hands. He shoved her bra up so he could feel her, filling his palms and squeezing before his fingers zeroed in on her nipples.

Hannah gasped and writhed against him as he plucked at her nipples, twisting and pinching them. He let go, ignoring her disappointed protest, and grabbed the hem of her shirt, yanking it up and pulling it off. He took a moment to admire her ass in those leggings before going straight for center.

He shoved his hand into her leggings and panties and cupped her pussy. She was already so wet, and his fingers slid right in. She gave a high-pitched whine as his fingers went straight to her clit, and he pinched lightly before moving his fingers down and plunging two inside her.

Hannah arched her back and moaned. She reached back and found his cock, squeezing it through his jeans, and that was it. He couldn’t wait any longer. He couldn’t even wait long enough to get them undressed or take them to her bed.

He shoved her leggings and panties down to her knees, and pulled back so he could rip his belt and jeans open. He shoved them down, and pushed her legs apart as far as they would go, her bottoms pulled tight around her knees.

“Grab ahold of the back of the couch, baby. You’re gonna need that anchor,” he told her in a gravelly voice, as he lined himself up with her slick entrance.

He waited a few agonizing moments for her to clutch the edge of the couch. She got impatient with the wait, and turned her head to look at him.

“Do it. Please. Now, Chase,” she pleaded in a raspy voice.

He growled again, knowing his eyes were probably showing his wolf, but unable to bring himself to care. Without any more hesitation, he plunged into her wet heat.

He froze, his eyes screwing shut, and his breath hissed from his body. Fuck, she felt like nothing he’d ever experienced. She fit him like a glove, and when he slowly pulled out, he could feel her body trying to suck him back in.

He pulled out until his tip was barely inside her, and then slammed back in again, fascinated by the way her ass jiggled with the force of the movement. He repeated the motion, just to see that sight again, and then after that, he was lost.

Lost to the heat, to the bliss of being inside her, lost in her.

He pounded into her, unable to hold back, although he tried to be mindful of his shifter strength. She didn’t seem to mind, though, arching her back and moaning, her knuckles white from the grip she had on the couch.

Chase gathered her long hair in his hand and wrapped it around his wrist in a gentle grip as he thrust for all he was worth. The couch slid with the force of his hips slamming into hers, and he pulled her hair, making her arch her back further.

The sound of her breathy moans were doing him in, and he wasn’t going to last much longer. He leaned over her, pressing his front to her back, and slipped one hand around them, finding her clit with his fingers and circling fast before applying pressure directly on her swollen bud.

She flew apart, and the feel of her clenching hard around his dick was more than he could take. He slammed in one more time before letting go, his spine tingling as he poured himself into her.

His lips found her neck and he bit down on her tendon, loving the way it made her gasp and set off a new round of spasms inside her. But he quickly let go when he felt his teeth tingle with the almost overwhelming urge to bite down.

To claim her, to make her his.

His wolf was salivating over the possibility, urging Chase to make her belong to them so loud in his mind, that Chase almost did it. Almost bit down and marked her for the world to see.

But he couldn’t. Hannah didn’t know what he was yet, and although he’d planned on telling her tonight, he couldn’t after the events that had gone down. And he couldn’t claim her without her knowledge. More than that, though, his bite would change her, put a wolf inside her like he had. No way could he do that without her consent.

They stayed like that for a moment, Hannah bent over the couch, his chest pressed into her back, as they fought to catch their breath. Eventually, Chase straightened and withdrew from her gently, and helped her right her clothes before fixing his own. Then he led her to the bedroom.

They laid on the bed and Chase gathered her in his arms, probably holding her too tight, but he was unable to loosen his grip. He’d come close to losing her tonight. Too close. He couldn’t allow that to happen again.

“Hannah, I love you.”

She stiffened in surprise and leaned up to search his eyes. He hadn’t planned on saying it yet, but he didn’t regret it. It was true, and if it made her realize he was completely serious about them, all the better.

“Chase, I…” her said, her voice trailing off.

He reached up a hand and tenderly brushed her hair back from her face. “You don’t have to say anything. I just wanted you to know. I’m not playing games. I want all of you. Your body, your mind, your good days, your bad. Your forever. What we have between us is important. It’s big. Bigger than you know. And I’ll spend the rest of my life proving that to you if I have to.”

Hannah gulped hard as her eyes softened and filled with tears. “I believe you. I’m sorry I freaked out like I did. It’s just, when I saw you with Wendy… every insecurity rushed to the surface, and I was quick to believe the worst of you. I should have waited to confront you, but I think I was waiting on something like that to happen, so it was easy to believe. And it hurt so much because I love you, too. It feels so fast, maybe even too fast, but it’s true.”

Relief and happiness crashed over him in waves, and he closed his eyes briefly against the crush of emotion. He opened his eyes and kissed her, pushing back the guilt trying to rise to the surface. He needed to tell her what he was. It wasn’t right that he was declaring his love to her, yet still keeping secrets.

He couldn’t tell her tonight, though. He’d tell her another time. A better time. He needed to make sure his feelings for her, and hers for him, were cemented in her mind before he told her he had a wolf living inside him. He’d come too close to losing her tonight. He couldn’t do that again.

Pushing those thoughts from his mind, he deepened the kiss. His wolf wanted to claim her. To brand her forever. But now wasn’t the time. So he kissed her like it would be their last, intent on branding himself in her very soul before he could brand her heart to his forever.