Page 41 of Make Me Trust Again (Bluebonnet Creek #3)
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
CHASE
Shadow’s nose is stuck to the ground as she trots in front of me. She must have scented a rabbit or something because she barks excitedly and hurries up. I follow after her through the woods, the darkness already creeping in.
I’ve been so focused on clearing out the crap from the rooms that I spaced out until Shadow reminded me that she wants to go out.
I push one of the branches out of the way and come to a stop when I see a figure sitting by the lake.
My heart starts beating faster at the unfamiliar sight. Nobody ever comes this way; it’s my little corner of peace—a place I come to when I need some time to think.
But now she’s here.
Rose.
Even from a distance, I can easily recognize her. She turns around, a smile curling her mouth at the sight of Shadow. The dog nuzzles into her neck, and that smile grows wider as she rubs Shadow between her ears, murmuring something softly to the dog, who’s enjoying her attention.
Although I know I should keep my distance, I can’t stop myself from going toward her. That invisible tether that binds us pulls me to her.
Rose slowly tilts her head, those crystal blue eyes meeting mine. “So this is where you go when you’re wandering off.”
“Shadow likes to go to the lake.”
Rose nods slowly, her gaze darting to the shore where Shadow is running through the water. “I can see why. It’s so peaceful out here.”
It is.
There is just nature and me. This place grounds me, unlike anything else—the scent of the flowers, the woods, the lake, and the soft sounds of the animals running around me.
No matter how hard or how dark things get, I know that being out here will make it easier to breathe again.
It was like that even when I was young. This is my safe haven.
Rose tilts her head to the side and glances at me. “I can leave if you want.”
That’s what I should want, isn’t it? I should ask her to leave.
Or be the one to leave. There’s a reason why I haven’t shared this place with anybody in the past, haven’t brought another person here, not ever.
This is mine. And yet, I can’t bring myself to say those words, not to her.
Not when I can see there’s something simmering inside her.
“Stay.”
There is no missing the flicker of surprise on her face. But there’s something else. Relief.
A twinge of pain goes through my spine and down my leg as I sit down on the ground next to her.
“Are you okay?”
I glance at her and find her watching me. Usually, when people look at me, there is either repugnance or pity, but not with Rose. When she’s watching me, I don’t have this itch to get the hell away. She’s not afraid of my scars. More than that, she doesn’t look at me like I’m broken.
“Just getting older.”
Her brows raise, the corner of her mouth twitching up. “Chase Williams, was that your attempt at a joke?”
“I don’t joke.”
“Mm-hmm… sure sounded like one. You’re hardly old.”
“I feel old.”
Her smile falls, that distant expression coming back to her eyes. “I know that feeling.”
Rose wraps her arms around her knees and rests her head against them as she watches Shadow run around the lake, all the while I watch her.
The way the dusk makes her hair seem darker—the faint layer of freckles covering her arms. The pale pink polish shines on her toes.
She turns her head toward me, those sky-blue eyes zeroing in on me.
Sitting this close to her, I can see the ring of dark blue surrounding her irises.
She nibbles at her lower lip, and I want to lean down and stop her from doing it.
More like, you want to be the one doing it.
I swallow my annoyance and push back the voice inside my mind, changing the subject before I do something stupid.
“Where is Kyle?” I ask, my voice coming out rough.
“My parents’. They offered to take him to the zoo and said they’ll bring him over tomorrow.”
“And you’ve decided to come here?”
“I—” She presses her lips into a small line, something dark crossing her face for a second before she shakes it off. “I needed time to think, to breathe, so I’ve decided to go for a walk and found this place.”
My place.
Out of all the directions in which she could have gone, she came here to my place.
Coincidence? Or does somebody out there have a dark sense of humor and simply enjoys toying with me? I’m not sure. I don’t want to know.
“You know what I want to do?”
I quirk my brow, unsure of where she’s going with this. “What?”
“Swim.”
Swim?
Before I can say anything, Rose uncurls her arms, her fingers brushing against mine for a split second before she pushes to her feet and grabs the hem of her dress, pulling it up.
Fucking hell.
My whole body goes taut at the sight of her, my fingers curling into fists to stop myself from reaching for her.
She lowers her hands, the material falling from her fingers, but my attention isn’t on that. It’s on the woman standing in front of me.
My mouth goes dry at the sight of her, and although my ears are ringing, I’m pretty sure all the blood has drained down south. I shift in my seat; my cock is painfully hard, pressing against the material of my pants.
She’s wearing one of those matching lacy underwear sets. The shade of the sheer material is almost the exact same color as her eyes, and it does little to hide anything from my view.
I force my gaze away, fixing it to a dot in the distance, my throat bobbing as I swallow the lump that’s formed. “What the hell are you doing?”
“I’m going swimming.”
“Like that?”
Why does my voice suddenly sound like a twelve-year-old boy who just entered puberty?
She throws me a mischievous smile over her shoulder. “There is nobody here.”
That’s the fucking problem.
There is nobody around, and she’s walking around like a fucking goddess, and I can barely stop myself from touching her on a good day.
Cursing silently, I run my palm over my face before letting it drop, just in time to see her turn around, walking backward so she can face me.
She tilts her head to the side, a small smile playing on her lips. “You coming, Williams? Or are you afraid of a little bit of water?”
“This is a bad idea.”
I’m not sure who I’m trying to convince, her or myself. Does it even matter?
Mischief twinkles in her irises. “I won’t tell if you don’t.”