CHASE I remember everything. It would be a hell of a lot easier if I didn’t, because then I wouldn’t know what put that wounded look in Vienna’s eyes when she left this morning. She ran out of here quickly, but not before I saw the flicker of hurt behind those big brown eyes that immediately made me feel like shit. Why the fuck did I have to go running my mouth last night? It came out like word vomit at the time, but in the light of day, I couldn’t cop to my slip-up. Not to her, and not to myself. It’s easier to pretend like it never happened than to actually face what that admission might mean; that Vienna Vega has well and truly gotten under my skin. I passed out for another two hours before pulling my sorry ass out of bed and into the shower, knowing what I have to do but dreading it all the same. By the time I get dressed and walk downstairs, I can already hear the sound of Fallon’s laughter coming from my dad’s office. My feet are heavy as I head in that direction, and the cl
VIENNA The lodge bar is a madhouse on Saturday nights- between the guests that are here for a weekend stay and the week-long guests that are enjoying their last night before checking out tomorrow, everyone seems to have a reason to celebrate while I barely get a moment to breathe. My feet are aching, my work shoes are rubbing against my heels uncomfortably, and I didn’t get near enough sleep last night prior to pulling a double shift. After Chase’s drunken declaration, my mind just wouldn’t shut off… and damnit, I found myself feeling way too comfortable in his bed, in his arms, which only led to more intrusive thoughts. I should’ve known Chase’s inebriated confessions wouldn’t see the light of day, but his snub this morning hurt just the same. I wish it didn’t. I wish Chase’s stupidly sexy, dimpled smile didn’t take my knees out from under me every time he turned it my way. I wish his touch didn’t set my body ablaze, and I wish I didn’t crave it like I do. I wish he’d man up and adm
CHASEVienna’s tits are fucking perfect. My fingers sink into the pliant flesh, squeezing them beneath my palms as she rocks her hips against mine. My hands are bigger than most, and everything about her is small compared to me, but not those tits- they’re a perfect fit. Her smooth thighs slide up to my waist, legs wrapping tightly around my torso as her fingernails dig crescents into my shoulder blades. The girl is a scratcher- and a hair puller, and a biter- but damnit if those things don’t drive me fucking wild. Paired with the fire in her eyes, I’m a goner every time.She spent the night again. That makes four nights in a row now, but hey, who’s counting? Few girls have ever spent a single night in my bed, let alone more than one, and only because I was too blitzed out of my mind on whiskey or weed to kick them to the curb before I passed out. That in itself should tell me that Vienna’s different, but that would require me to actually acknowledge what’s going on between us, and I’
VIENNA “There you are!” Nessa chirps as I cross the threshold into the bedroom I’ve been sharing with her and her younger sister. She’s bent at the waist, stuffing clothes into an overflowing laundry basket on the floor. Hauling the basket up into her arms, she turns toward me with a coy smile dancing across her lips. “I was wondering when you were gonna…” Nessa’s voice trails off as her eyes meet mine, her smile falling. “What’s wrong?” I shake my head, looking away as I unzip my jacket and shrug it off my shoulders. “I don’t wanna talk about it.” After storming out of Chase’s packhouse, I drove around aimlessly for an hour, getting lost on the meandering forest roads throughout the six-pack territory. I cried angry, frustrated tears for the first ten minutes, Chase’s words replaying in my mind on an endless loop. ‘Why the fuck would I want to mark YOU?’ Like I’m so far beneath him that the thought of marking me, claiming me, is unfathomable. Like I’m nothing more than dirt under
CHASE “I’m coming!” I groan, dragging my feet as I shuffle to the front door of the packhouse. The person on the other side is pounding on it incessantly, and I’m tempted to pound my own fists into whoever it is once I get the damn thing open. I had a rough fucking day yesterday followed by barely any sleep last night, and if this relentless knocking is anything to go by, today is already shaping up to be just as shitty. I wrap my hand around the knob, turning it and yanking the door open with more force than necessary, a frustrated sigh escaping my lips. “What do you want?” I growl out, my body going rigid when my eyes drop to the small girl on the other side. Soft dark hair, big brown eyes, and a deep scowl twisting those pouty lips. My little devil in the flesh. She cocks out a hip and throws a hand on it, extending the other toward me, palm-up. “My phone.” I’m frozen in place, my brain struggling to process the fact that Vienna’s really standing here in front of me right now.
CHASE“What happened to your face, bro?” Alec snickers as he climbs out of his truck, taking in the state of my still-reddened mug. The blisters have already healed, but some evidence of the coffee assault remains, my shifter healing working overtime to repair the damage.“Don’t go there,” Cal chuckles, shooting me a smug smirk as he slides out of the back seat of my Ford Raptor, parked alongside Alec and Dare’s truck at the lodge. He reaches back in to grab our bags of snowboard gear, hauling them out. “He got into it with his girl this morning and he’s still salty as fuck.”“Am not,” I snap, snatching my bag from Cal and leveling him with a glare.“Vienna?” Miles probes, popping up from around the other side of the neighboring truck. His eyebrows shoot up to his hairline. “You two official now?”Cal claps me on the shoulder, flashing a toothy grin. “Our boy got himself a girlfriend.”I shrug his hand off my shoulder and shoot him a scowl. “Knock it off, Cal,” I grumble, striding aro
VIENNA The harsh fluorescent lighting assaults my eyes as I work to blink them open, prying my sticky eyelashes apart. The pain registers immediately. It’s a deep ache that’s spread all over, taking root in my muscles and bones, consuming the entirety of my body in a dull throb. I’m in the infirmary at the squad complex. I vaguely remember being brought here, but all I have are scattered flashes of memory. The panic as I pressed the brake pedal to the floor and was met with no resistance. The curve that I took too fast because I couldn’t slow down. The thick trees rushing at me and the deafening crunch of metal and glass as my car made impact. I remember seeing Casey and Davis, two squad fighters that I became friendly with when I was at summer training camp. I’m not sure how much time passed between the accident and their arrival, just that I tried and failed to get the door open and required their help to get out. They must’ve just happened upon the accident, and good thing they d
VIENNA“What else do you need?” Chase asks, setting a Gatorade and a bottle of water on the nightstand beside his bed. “You hungry at all? The fridge was just stocked, or I could run out and grab something.”I feel like I’m in the fucking twilight zone right now; like some alien body-snatched Chase Walker and is living in his skin. Nessa wasn’t thrilled with my decision to go home with Chase, but when faced with the choice of crashing on that futon mattress on her bedroom floor or Chase’s plush, king-sized bed, my aching body implored me to choose comfort. That, and this sweet, caring version of Chase is one I could get used to. Maybe he’s just taking advantage of my vulnerability, but I don’t have it in me to fight him right now.“You know what I’d really like?” I murmur, glancing at my reflection in the mirror above his dresser. I raise a hand to my temple, scraping dried blood from my skin with my fingernails. I feel gross, I look gross, and I’ve eyed that giant porcelain soaker tu