Surviving for Us Page 4

  “Let’s go grab a beer and see if the others are here, if not we will grab a table,” Chase says in my ear before placing a small kiss on the side of my neck.

  I get the chills from his whisper and kiss, so I don’t respond back but just turn my head and nod. The bar is pretty packed tonight. The pool tables in the back are all taken and most of the high top tables are, too. There is a dance floor in the middle of the room, which is swamped by people. I hope Jenn and Chris are here so we can share a table and not have to stand all the time.

  Just as we reach the bar, I hear someone call out my name. I turn around and see Jenn coming my way. “Hey, girl, what are you two doing here?” she asks, a knowing smile playing on her lips.

  I can’t help but laugh at her. “Well, my friend, we’re on a date and decided to come here after dinner. I’ll tell you the story later.”

  She seems satisfied with my answer, at least for now.

  “Hey, Jenn, what’s up? Did Chris come with you tonight?” Chase asks as he hands me a beer. Jenn nods and signals us to follow her. Chase puts his hand at the small of my back and leads me to the table.

  “Hey, Chris, look who I found on my way back from the bathroom,” Jenn says over the music. Chris looks back and forth between Chase and me. He looks at Chase and raises an eyebrow in question. Chase just nods his head. It’s like they have some sort of secret conversation going on.

  “All right, let’s do a shot and get this night started,” Jenn says.

  “What do you ladies want?” Chase asks us.

  “How about a red-headed slut?” I suggest.

  “Yes, I love those.” The guys leave us and walk back to the bar to grab the shots. Of course, Jenn has to be nosey as soon as they leave.

  “So what’s going on there, missy?”

  She is smiling the whole time. Bitch.

  “I don’t know, Jenn, I came out of work today and there was a rose and note on my car, telling me to be ready at seven. So here we are. We went to dinner and just got here. I like him, but I’m worried about the distance. So we are just going to take things slow.”

  She just stares at me, speechless. “Wow, I don’t have anything to say. Just know that when he puts his mind to something, he doesn’t back down. He goes after what he wants.”

  Great, that’s just what I need—a stalker. A very handsome stalker though.

  Just then the guys return with the shots. “Bottoms up, beautiful ladies,” Chris says as they hand us the shots.

  I raise my glass. “To a night we won’t forget!”

  Chapter 8

  Chase

  I am so happy she took my invitation to dinner tonight. I wanted to ask her out but not over the phone, so I decided to leave a note on her car at work. When she answered the door I felt like I was stuck in place, my first thought being, Holy shit, does this girl ever look bad? Her shoulders were bare from the strapless shirt she was wearing and her jeans hugged every one of her curves, leaving nothing to the imagination. As I continued to run my eyes down her body I saw the black cowboy boots she had on. Those alone made me want to drag her back to her room and never leave. I had to get her out of the house before I attacked her.

  And now I’m watching her as she throws her shot back, licking her perfect pink lips when she’s finished. I didn’t know watching someone doing something as simple as a shot could be sexy as fuck. This is going to be a long-ass night.

  Brett Eldredge’s “Mean to Me” comes on over the speakers. I grab Angie’s hand and lead her to the dance floor. I want, no, I need for her to be close to me. I turn her toward me, wrapping my arms around her, and start to slow dance with her. My body is on fire just from her touch. If this girl only knew what she meant to me, all would be right in the world. I have to ask myself if I’m weird for having these kinds of feelings for someone I just met last week. Should I feel this way about her? We have such a strong connection that I hope she feels it also.

  The song changes to a more upbeat tune, so I turn her away and place her back to me. She starts grinding against me and moving her ass all around my crotch. This is going to get uncomfortable if she doesn’t stop. “Damn,” I whisper in her ear. I run my lips down her smooth slender neck¸ she tilts her head to the side for better access. I can feel her shiver in my arms. All of a sudden she freezes in my arms, bringing me back to now. “What’s wrong, Angie?”

  I follow her eyes and see her looking at some guy. “Come on, I’ll tell you at the table. I need a drink.” She sounds pissed.

  Grabbing my hand, she leads us off the floor. I look back over to the guy and see he is staring at her. Who is this guy? Wait, is that her ex? My mind is going crazy thinking of who that could be. Before anything can be said he comes up to our table. I hear Jenn suck in a breath, and Chris looks pissed. I grab Angie and bring her next to me.

  “Angie,” the guy says.

  “Justin,” she replies with venom in her voice.

  Holy shit, it is him. I feel my anger start to rise. Even though I still don’t know the details I am going to protect my girl.

  “How are you? I miss you,” he replies, reaching out to touch her arm.

  Hell if I will let that happen, I have seen enough. “I think it’s time you leave our table and leave her the fuck alone.” I try to say it in a calm voice, since I don’t want to upset Angie any more than she already is.

  “This isn’t between you and me, boy, so leave us alone,” he says, stepping forward.

  Now I’m fucking pissed. But before I can say anything Angie jumps in. “Justin, there is nothing I have to say to you. You need to leave me alone. You’re the one who left me, not the other way around. So goodbye.” She turns away from him and wraps her arms around me.

  He begins to say something but Chris steps in. “She said to leave, so I suggest you leave before I release my boy on you.”

  “Whatever, man,” Justin says, as he turns and walks away.

  “You okay, beautiful?” I whisper in her ear. She nods.

  “Well I don’t know about you guys, but after that I need another shot,” Jenn says. She grabs Chris’s hand to lead him to the bar.

  I pull back a little from Angie and place my finger under her chin, tilting her head up. I can see her eyes are watery. I swipe away the one tear that escapes. “Do you want to go home?” I won’t be mad if she does.

  “No, Chase, I want to stay here with you. It just brought up old memories to see him again,” she says in a low voice. I nod and place a soft kiss on her lips.

  Jenn and Chris return with the shots. “I bought tequila, I figured you might need something strong,” Jenn says, getting Angie to laugh. After we all slam the shots down, Big and Rich’s “Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy” comes on and the girls head off to the dance floor. I can’t keep my eyes off of her as she shakes her hips.

  “Holy shit, dude, I thought for sure you were going to beat his ass,” Chris says.

  I look over at him and shake my head. “I almost did, what the hell was he thinking coming up to her? And then had the fucking nerve to tell her he missed her.” I’m still pissed about the whole situation.

  “I don’t know? He must be back in town for Thanksgiving. That’s the first time I’ve seen him since they broke up, and I think her, too.”

  Great, now I’m going to have to worry about his sorry ass while I’m gone for the next couple of months. “Just keep an eye out for her while I’m gone, please. I don’t need him to make her upset or anything since I won’t be here.”

  “You don’t need to worry, she is my girl’s best friend and your girlfr—” He stops himself and looks at me with uncertainty. “Well, whatever y’all are. I got it covered, my brother.”

  I know he’ll do his best to look after her for me. I avoid the unasked question and nod while continuing to stare at her on the dance floor. When the song ends she comes over to where I’m standing. I put my arm around her, she looks tired and beat. “Ready to go home?” She nods against my shoulder. “All right, g
uys, I’m going to close out my tab and take my girl home.”

  “I think we’re going to head out also,” Chris says.

  Once everything is settled, I put my arm back around Angie and lead her out the door. Out of the corner of my eye I can see Justin staring at us. If looks could kill I would be dead by now. Oh well, his loss is my gain. Not that she is a game to be played, but still, he chose to leave her.

  We make it back to Angie’s house, and I get out to walk her to the door. “Do you, um, want to come in for a beer?” she asks, nervously biting her lip.

  “Sure, I would love to.” When she releases the breath she was holding, her gorgeous smile takes over. She grabs us each a beer before we head into the living room, turning the TV on for some background noise.

  “You can take your boots off, if you’d like. So are you looking forward to your training?”

  “Yes, I am, I will get to learn all about my job in the Marine Corps. I’m not going to lie, it’s going to be tough. The way I look at it is, if I can make it through boot camp hell, I know I can do this.”

  “Well that sounds fun, I guess.” She laughs as she replies.

  “Are you sure you’re okay after running into what’s-his-name at the bar?” I ask, not wanting to say his name and upset her even more.

  “Yes, it was just a shock to see him after all these years. I haven’t seen him since graduation.” She pauses slightly, but continues with her story. “I met Justin when we were freshmen in high school. We started off friends and then sophomore year we started dating. We dated the rest of high school. He was my first, for everything. We planned to move in together after graduation. I loved him, and I thought he loved me. Everything was going great, until out of the blue he said he was moving out of state. He didn’t even ask me to come with him.”

  I can tell she is having a hard time talking about it. I grab her and place her on my lap, running my hand up and down her leg.

  “Anyway, I thought everything was okay with us, even though he moved. I was still extremely hurt that he didn’t want me to be there with him. I figured it was because we had been together for so long that he needed some space. When I look back on it now though I realize how naïve I was. I should have seen the warning signs before it happened. He called me a couple of days before Thanksgiving and told me I wasn’t welcome at his parents’ house because he was bringing the girl he was dating. We hadn’t even broken up yet and here he was out dating other girls. I was devastated. He broke my heart, and I have never been the same since.”

  Holy shit, it’s worse than I thought. I should have hit him when I had the chance. Needing to look her in the eyes, I gently grab the sides of her face. “He is a complete moron for what he did to you. He doesn’t understand what he lost. You are so much better off without him. I promise you that I am not a cheater. Never have been, never will be.” I wipe the tears that have fallen from her eyes.

  She sits up to straddle me, and before I say anything more her lips land on mine. I run my hands from her thighs up to her back, deepening the kiss as I pull her body closer to mine. She releases a deep moan in her throat, the sound sets me on fire. I pull away from her mouth and trail my lips over her jaw and down her neck. She tilts her head sideways so I can continue to kiss her neck.

  “Chase.” She moans, and oh how sweet it sounds. Her saying my name like that does it for me. I stand up, grabbing under her thighs as she wraps her legs around me.

  “Where is the bedroom?” She nods her head in the direction of her room, and I make my way there, continuing to kiss her lips, neck—anywhere I can reach. We make it to the edge of her bed and she slides down my body, which does not help the state I’m currently in. I won’t sleep with her tonight, but I will make sure she gets hers.

  She runs her hand under my shirt, and I step back so she can lift it over my head. I grip the bottom of her shirt, lifting it up. She has on a strapless, black lace bra; her breasts fill it out perfectly. I lay her down on the bed and kiss her deeply. She runs her hands over my head and down my back. I break the kiss, trailing my lips down to her collarbone. I unhook her bra and throw it over my shoulder.

  I sit up and take a moment to look at her lying in front of me. “Fucking beautiful.” I latch onto one of her nipples and suck it. I tease her other nipple with my hand. I continue to suck and lick her tight bud, then move to the other one. She is gripping the back of my head in an effort to get me to move closer to her. I release her nipples and kiss down her stomach until I get to the button of her jeans. I undo it and shimmy her jeans down, leaving her black thong on.

  Fuck, she is fine sight to look at. I kiss up each leg and continue to kiss back up to her mouth. I deepen the kiss and lie down next to her. I run my hand down her stomach and into her thong, running my fingers over her slit. Holy hell, she is bare. “Damn, you’re so wet.” I slip a finger inside her and start to move my hand back and forth.

  “Oh god, Chase.” She moans.

  I kiss her hard on the mouth while inserting another finger. She begins grinding her hips against my hand. I rub my thumb against her clit and can begin to feel her tighten around my fingers. Making my way back down to her breasts, I suck on first one nipple and then the next, and within seconds she finds her release. I take the time to look up at her. Her cheeks are flushed and her eyes are still closed. In this moment she looks absolutely gorgeous. I remove my fingers and place a soft kiss to her lips.

  Her eyes flutter open. “Wow,” she says breathlessly.

  She starts to run her hand over my chest but I stop her. “No, if you start that we will never get any sleep.” I kiss her forehead.

  “But what about you?”

  I just shake my head. “Tonight was all about you, beautiful.” I roll on my back and curl her next to me. With her head on my shoulder and hand on my chest, we both fall into a deep sleep.

  Chapter 9

  Angie

  I wake up feeling extremely hot and can’t figure out why. I slowly open my eyes and see a broad chest and then I remember last night… My mind drifts back to seeing Justin again after all these years. He definitely had some nerve coming up to me and telling me he missed me. I was thankful everyone was there. I don’t think I would have handled it well if Chase wasn’t with me. Being wrapped in his arms gave me the comfort I needed to be strong. When we got back to my house I felt like he deserved to know what happened between us. Originally, I hadn’t planned on telling him this early into, well, whatever this is between us. I need to know what it is we’re doing, especially after what happened last night. There are no words to describe how he made me feel, the orgasm he gave me just topped the list. I never believed when people say you should see fireworks, but my God, did I ever. I can only imagine what it would be like to go all the way with him. And I hope I get to find out.

  I feel him start to move under me. When I look up at him, I collide with his blue eyes staring back at me.

  “Good morning, beautiful,” he says in a very rough, sexy voice.

  “Morning.” He leans down and captures my mouth; our kiss immediately deepens as he comes over top of me. I don’t think I will ever get tired of kissing him. He sets my body on fire with just one kiss. He breaks from my lips and begins to kiss up and down my neck.

  “What do you want to do today?” he asks, while still kissing my neck.

  Oh hell, I can’t think when he’s doing this. “I don’t know. What time do you have to leave?” I hate to ask that question. The more I get to know him, the more I don’t want him to leave.

  He stops kissing me so he can look at me as he says, “I need to leave around two because my flight is at six.” Before I can answer him he continues. “How about this, let’s go out to breakfast, we can figure out what to do while there, and you can drive me to the airport after. If it’s okay with you I will leave my truck in your driveway. I’d rather not drive the forty-five minutes to leave it at my dad’s.” I open my mouth to respond, but close it—I don’t know what to say.
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br />   “What? I can’t drive your truck. I mean, it’s fine if you leave it here. Are you sure you want me to take you to the airport though? Don’t you want your family to take you so you can say goodbye?” It’s not that I mind taking him to the airport; I have nothing else to do today.

  “Nope, I said bye to them yesterday, and yes, you can drive it. It’s just a truck,” he says in-between kisses.

  “Well, okay then, I’ll take you to the airport. I’m starving, so let’s go eat now.”

  Once we are ready, we head out to a local diner for some food. “When will you be home again?” I’m hoping he can come home sometime during his training, but I’m not going to get my hopes up since I know it probably won’t happen.

  He reaches across the table for my hands. “I’m going to try to come home for Christmas and New Years, but I’m not sure if I will be allowed leave or not. But just because I’m leaving, Angie, doesn’t mean this has to end. I know it won’t be the same talking on the phone everyday, but I will be home before you know it.”

  Ugh, this is the part I hate. I know I have to say goodbye to him in just a couple of hours. Who knows what the future holds. Four months is a long time and lot of things can happen. I have to put my trust in him, and that is so very hard considering my past. I just don’t know if I have it in me to do another long-distance relationship.

  We finish our breakfast in a comfortable silence. I know why we remain quiet; both our minds are running wild with the uncertainties around our relationship and him leaving. Well, at least I know mine is.

  “What do you want to do now?” I ask him once back in his truck.

  “I have to swing by Chris’s house and grab my things. I said bye to my mom yesterday, since I planned on staying there last night. After that, why don’t we head toward the airport and find something to do over there.”

  I nod in agreement and we set off. “They must be gone,” I say, when we enter into a quiet home.

  “I think they are at Jenn’s parents,” Chase says as we make our way toward the room. His stuff is already packed in his bag so he just grabs it and we head back to the truck. We end up deciding upon the international mall next to the airport. That way we have more time to spend with each other before I need to drop him off. The place is packed but, of course, it’s Saturday so a lot of people are out shopping, and with Christmas only a couple of weeks away it’s busier than normal.