CHAPTER EIGHT
"It's so quiet. Is it always like this?" Willow wandered in a circle around the middle of the training room. The place was surrounded by guards, while she and Chase took their shift making sure the kids were safe.
"Hopefully it stays this way. They aren't toddlers, what did you expect?" Chase was going through papers at the desk, trying to ignore her. In fact, he hadn't actually made eye contact since she showed up for their shift over an hour before.
"Of course they aren't, but why do we need two watching them, in addition to all the guards, if all they are going to do is sleep? This seems pointless." She examined her nails with a bored sigh.
"If you want to leave, go right ahead. I won't tell anyone."
Willow was about ready to find something to throw at Chase's head, when he got a phone call, saving her from her moment of weakness. It was infuriating that he thought he could just show up at her place and fuck her, then treat her like they hardly knew one another. Hell if he didn't look at her soon, she was going to snap.
Willow was never one of those girls who couldn't handle a one-night stand. Or in this case, a two night stand. Hell, she preferred them most of the time. A few nights of great sex and done, no feelings involved. But never was she dissed the way Chase Summers was dissing her. It was like he wanted nothing to do with her, even though he was the one who ended up in her bed only hours earlier.
She still had his scent on her.
"Ugh!" She kicked at the mat with her heeled toe, and for the first time, his eyes came up to meet hers.
"What's wrong?"
"What the hell is going on with you?" Her voice was louder than she'd intended, but at that point, she didn't give a shit.
"What are you talking about?" Chase stood up, but remained behind the desk.
"Come on, Chase. You are ignoring me. You haven't even looked at me until just now. You can't just show up at my house and take what you want, then not even look at me." The pitch of Willow's voice was making her sound crazy. She knew that it was, yet she couldn't stop herself.
"Take what I want?" Chase came around the side of the desk and advanced, stopping only a foot away from her. "Are you telling me that you got nothing from that?"
She wouldn't tell him that it was the best sex of her life. She knew it had been for him. And it wasn't like she was getting all girly on him and wanted to talk about feelings and shit, but damn him for acting like she didn't even exist.
"That is so not the point and you know it." Willow wanted to tell him to screw off, to walk out of there and not give him a second thought, but her feet were planted firmly in place. She didn't want to care, but dammit, she did.
Chase's face grew serious and he lost the smirk he'd been sporting only seconds before. "I'm not ignoring you."
"It sure feels like it."
Chase looked down and took a few breaths. "I didn't go to your house to screw you either." He paused, then looked up to meet her eyes. "I went there to tell you we needed to stop all this, that what happened between us, couldn't happen again."
"And then you took off my clothes and your dick fell into me, on accident?" Willow brought her hand up to her hip and glared at Chase.
Why are men such assholes?
"Of course not." He shifted on his feet and looked back down at the floor. "It's just that you're a distraction that I don't need right now. If I wasn't with you, maybe that kid wouldn't have gone missing. I need to focus and I can't even think when I'm around you. You're like some sort of curse, that takes over my mind, and invades my every thought. I just need it to stop."
Willow didn't know whether to punch him in the throat and tell him to fuck off, or to like the fact that he was so taken with her. She would have probably rather punched him, just to be sure. But then he looked at her with that innocent, helpless, puppy dog face, and she melted.
Chase was not experienced with females, or relationships. She knew that going in. Not that he didn't have more than a few natural talents, but the rest, the emotional parts, he was completely clueless. Not that she was looking for emotions, but at least she had more control in that area than him. Initially, it was the thing that drew her to him. She liked knowing she had the upper hand, that he was kind of like a deer caught in headlights.
But now, he was making her crazy.
Chase slammed his fist into the desk and papers set off in a flurry onto the floor around him, forcing Willow back to the present moment.
"Look, if you don't want to see me anymore, fine. I can request different shifts than you and we can avoid being together. Just don't show up at my damn door looking for sex. You can't have it both ways, Chase."
He was around the desk in a flash, his hand tight around her lower back, pulling her against him. "That's not what I want." His voice was low, gravely, and it filled her mind, taking away her illusion of free will.
"What the hell is wrong with you?" Willow pushed her palms against his chest just enough to feel like she could take in a breath, though he was so close that any intake of air would be saturated with his scent.
"I don't know." His eyes begged with her, but for what, she doubted even he knew.
Willow opened her mouth to speak, maybe yell. Hell, she should probably have just slapped him in the face again and stormed out. But no words came. She didn't want to hit him, not mostly, and she was in no hurry to get away from him. In fact, more than anything, what she really wanted was to feel his lips on hers.
Not that it made any sense whatsoever.
Chase's grip on her tightened and his body tensed. Willow imagined he was having the same thoughts as she was, but his mind was warring with his body. He wanted her. That was clear. But he didn't want to want her. He wanted peace in his mind, simplicity, and she refused to just back off and give it to him when he was hell bent on dragging her back every chance he had.
"What do you want from me, Chase?" Willow asked, nearly in a whisper, her breath only inches from him.
Chase's eyes flashed dark, his desire evident. "You," he said before he could stop himself, then corrected. "I don't know."
He brought his hands up from her back and gripped her shoulders tight. His grasp was painful, but she made no move to have him release her. She didn't mind. His desperation was real. It spoke to her and told her things his mouth wasn't able to.
"I think you do know." Willow slipped her hands down his chest and dipped her fingertips into the waist band of his jeans. He tensed, but made no move to stop her.
She was sure they'd gotten the attention of the guards stationed around the room, but Willow didn't care. Chase's eyes flashed panic and she knew he wanted to push her away, or ask her what the hell she was doing, but instead, he remained still, as if frozen, and held his breath.
"In fact, I think you know exactly what you want… at least right now." She popped the button on his jeans, allowing her hand enough room to slide further. His erection grew, meeting the tips of her exploring fingers.
Chase swallowed hard a few times and kept his eyes trained on Willow. "And what do I want." His voice was near a growl and his breath hitched when she grazed his crown with her nail.
"Me, of course." Willow winked, then pulled her hand back, letting her fingernail trace over his shaft through his jeans, before dropping her hand to her side. "And when you're ready to admit that, let me know."
Willow gave Chase one more moment to take in her words, then left him standing there, while she took up watch from the couch across the room from him. She was tired of his hot and cold craziness. Chase would figure out what he wanted, or he could go screw himself.
She was done with his games.
***
"What the hell is wrong with you?" Jayce pulled the files from Chase and placed them back on the desk.
"What are you talking about?"
"Dude, you're acting like someone just challenged you to a fight. You're all jacked up and pissed. What's going on?"
"Nothing. It's been a long night here with these kids and I'm tired. You got this now, right?" Chase was about to walk away and leave Jayce to take his shift, when Jayce grabbed his arm and pulled him back. He glanced across the room at Willow, just waking up on a sofa, and glared at Chase.
"Did something happen with her during the night?"
"Of course not. I know how to take my duties seriously. You think I'd mess around with the witch while I'm supposed to be keeping these kids safe?"
"No. That wasn't what I meant. I was wondering if you two got in a fight, not if you screwed. You really have it bad for her, huh?"
"Absolutely not. There is nothing between us."
"You're in some bad denial, but whatever. I'm not judging."
Chase yanked his arm away from Jayce. "Look, I'm sick of everyone assuming I'm in denial. I'm not. She's attractive, sure, but that doesn't mean I'm head over heels in love with her and we are going to settle down and have a few babies. Find your own mate if you are so interested in romance."
Without waiting for a response, Chase stormed out of the training facility. For the first time, he was actually grateful that he was limited to a shift. He needed to be out of that place, away from nosy vampires and annoying females. Even with her across the room from him, he couldn't escape her scent, drawing him in, tempting him, all frigging night long.
He walked for a long time, covering the distance of the city a few times over. The time didn't make him feel better. Neither did the distance. For some reason, it almost made him feel worse.
Chase had needed some time alone, in his own head, to just be, without his mind being taken over by thoughts of Willow and her perfect, curved body. He needed to take in a breath and not have it be suffocated in her scent. He needed one frigging hour to be in his skin and not want to grab a handful of her hair to shove her face down on him.
Out loud, Chase groaned. Even when he was trying to convince himself how much he needed to be away from her, his thoughts betrayed him. It was bad enough he couldn't keep his body in check, but even his own mind wasn't safe.
"Fuck," he growled out and punched the side of the building he was passing. He was lucky it wasn't a few months ago, before he'd gained control over his vampire strength. He would have put a hole into the brick without even realizing it. As it was, he crumbled a few bits off the corner.
"Female troubles?" a dark-haired male asked Chase, seeming to appear out of nowhere.
"Do I know you?"
"Probably not. I'm Cole." The male extended a hand and Chase took it with narrowed eyes. "I do know your sister, and from what I can piece together, the witch that is causing you so much frustration."
"Willow?"
"I guess I figured right." Cole chuckled. "She is something, isn't she?"
Without even thinking, Chase had the male by the throat, pinned against the building. "Who the fuck are you?"
Cole didn't fight back, but Chase assumed that if he'd wanted to, he could have easily overpowered Chase. Instead, he held up his hands in defense.
"Hey, calm down. I'm nobody. I live here and I've seen things around. That's all."
"How do you know my sister?" Chase made no move to release him, but he lessened his grip on the male.
"Ariana and I met awhile back, when you were both new to Vampire City. We had a friendly chat in the bakery one day. Nothing torrid." Cole forced a smile.
"And Willow? How do you know her?"
"Do you think we can have this conversation a few more inches apart? While you seem like a perfectly lovely male, I don't usually spend so much time embraced with males in the street."
Chase glared at him a moment longer, then released his throat and took a step back. Cole straightened his shirt and shook out his arms.
"Thank you. Now about your girlfriend—"
"She is not my girlfriend," Chase said through clenched teeth.
"No? Well then, I guess I'm free to ask her on another picnic."
Cole was goading him. Chase knew it, but still, he wanted to rip off his head and kick his skull down the alley like a soccer ball. Chase didn't like Cole, but that wasn't even the reason. He was always possessive of his twin, but nothing he'd ever felt compared to the rage he held back at the thought of that asshole having his hands on Willow.
"What are you trying to do here?" Chase balled his fists at his sides and stared straight at Cole.
"You looked upset. I was just trying to help." Cole held his hands up again, but it was no more innocent than the first time.
"By making comments about taking Willow out? That's helping?" Chase wanted to punch the asshole, whether he deserved it, or not.
"You said you weren't together. If that's true, than I don't see the issue. To be honest, I got the impression there was something going on between you just from seeing you together. That's why I haven't asked her out again so far."
"Again?" Chase didn't want to ask. He wanted to pretend it didn't bother him and tell the asshole to fuck off, but he couldn't.
"We met in the park one day. Had a beautiful picnic, until her uptight brother came along and spoiled it." Cole smiled with a faraway look and Chase wanted to punch it off his face.
"I'm liking her brother even more," Chase said with a huff.
"What do you have against me?" Cole shook his head and stuffed his hands into his pockets. The guy was playing innocent, but Chase wasn't buying it.
"I don't have anything against you. I don't even know you. But from what I've seen, I seriously doubt we are going to become best friends."
"Look, I think we started off on the wrong foot. Why don't we start over?" Cole held out his hand to shake as a peace offering, but Chase wasn't interested.
"Why don't you stay the hell away from my sister and Willow, then we won't have any further issues." Chase looked over the male once more, with his lip curled up, and stormed away.
***
Willow followed the sound of the banging on her front door and stomped her way down the hall. She hadn't gotten more than an hour of solid sleep all night and as soon as her head hit the pillow, there was banging.
"What the hell do you want?" She swung the door open and faced an equally angry Chase.
She was in no mood for his bullshit.
"You need to stay away from that asshole." Chase tried to push past her into the foyer, but she held her arm in the way, refusing to let him pass.
"And by asshole, you mean you?"
"Cole. I don't want you off picnicking with him in the park, or any other damn place." Chase ignored her arm and ducked under, slipping past her into the entranceway.
"What the hell are you talking about?"
"Are you going to deny your little tryst in the park with him?" Chase balled his fists at his sides like he was ready for a fight.
Willow shook off sleep and stared at him for a long moment. "What I do is none of your business. You've made it perfectly clear that you don't want to continue whatever it was between us, and even if you hadn't, I'm a grown woman and will do whatever the hell I want."
"You can't just—"
"Who the hell do you think you are?" Willow stepped closer and poked one sharp fingernail into his chest. "Should you be on some sort of medication, or something?"
Chase tensed and released his fingers from their tight fist a few times and squared his shoulders. "I don't like that guy and I don't trust him."
"Good for you."
"Why can't you just listen?"
"Listen? What do you think is going on here, Chase? You aren't my boyfriend and you aren't my father. Stop thinking you have any right whatsoever to tell me what I can or can't do, where I can go, or who I can be with. You have no say in anything I do. I can call Cole up right now, invite him over, and fuck him silly all afternoon. And you can't do a thing about it."
"The hell I can't." Chase grabbed her by the shoulders and stared into her eyes.
The crystal blue cut through her with their icy gaze, but somehow they warmed her. He made her angry, but at the same time, she wanted to rip off his clothes and jump in his arms. It only made her more enraged with his behavior. And with her body's betrayal.
"You need to go."
"No."
"No?" Willow laughed, but she wasn't at all amused. She shook him off and held her ground. She only half wanted him to leave anyway. It was the rational, in-control half, and she knew that was the part to listen to. Not the half that wanted him more than she'd ever wanted him before. No, that half was not to be trusted.
"I'm not going anywhere until you promise me you will stay away from that creep."
"Are you smoking crack? Who the hell do you think you are to come in my home and act like you own me? I will not be owned." Willow was about to lose it. She tried to take a few deep breaths to calm herself back to a tolerable level. All the old feelings came rushing back and her hands started to shake. "Get the hell out of my house."
Chase's eyes softened and he took a step toward her. "Look, I'm not trying to be an asshole here."
"Well you are." Willow didn't want to let the past affect her like that, but it did. No matter how in-control of her life she now was, no matter how much she pretended she was past it, she wasn't. It still had the ability to reach out and drag her right back there, to make her feel like that helpless little girl all over again.
"Hey." Chase pulled her into his arms, despite her obvious struggle. "You're shaking. What's going on?"
"None of your damn business." Willow tried to slip out from his arms, but he held her tight. As much as she hated it, she felt safe there, and if there was anything she needed at that moment, it was to feel safe.
"Look, you don't have to tell me what is up with you, what has you so shaken, or what makes you act the way you do most of the time, but I'm not letting go until you're okay."
Willow considered slamming her knee up into his junk to force him to release her, but instead, she sighed and relaxed into him. For the first time in longer than she could remember, she felt tears burn in the corners of her eyes. She took a deep breath in and held it, forcing the tears to subside. There was no way she was going to cry. Not about what happened to her. Not about how it still affected her after all that time. And certainly not in front of Chase Summers. She wouldn't let it have control over her ever again.
After what seemed like forever, Chase hooked a finger under Willow's chin and lifted her face to his. "Talk to me."
Willow wanted to tell him everything, to go through the whole awful story, but she knew he would see her differently. And for some insane reason, she cared how he saw her.
She struggled out of his grasp and pulled away. She didn't want him to look at her for fear that he would somehow see into her, know what happened to her. "You should go now."
"You don't want that."
Willow laughed. "Of course I do. I've been saying it since you got here."
"And you haven't meant it."
He was mostly right. She had meant it at first. But even then, she wasn't committed to it, or she would have made him leave. She wasn't weak anymore. She was strong enough to kick any male out on his ass if that was what she wanted.
"What do you want from me, Chase? You tell me you don't want me and then you keep coming here. Make up your frigging mind."
"I never said I didn't want you." His eyes hid something Willow wanted to see. Inside her, there was an ache to know his thoughts, to be privy to every need inside his mind.
Chase's eyes fell over her in a slow drag, taking in every inch of her, then he continued. "I said I didn't want to be distracted, to be in a relationship, that I needed to focus on work and responsibilities. That was nothing to do with wanting you. I absolutely want you."
Willow got the idea that it was about the only thing the vampire was actually sure of. His voice didn't waver. His body language told her he was being honest and not just what he thought was the truth, the actual, honest to goodness way he felt.
Which of course made no sense considering the way he treated her most of the time.
"Then what do you want?"
Chase closed the distance between them and pulled her flush against him. "Right now, you."