Page 19 of Tempt (Peachwood Falls #1)

M egan

I don’t want to turn around.

Chase stands within arm’s reach of me. A pair of black sleep pants makes his legs look longer. They dip on one hip, hanging in a way that highlights the muscles pointing at his groin.

As if I need a map to remind me of that .

My lips part, and I drag in a lungful of air. Shit.

“Wanna know what I see?” Calista asks, leaning toward the screen. “Because I’m making quite a list.”

“Calista, I gotta go.”

“No. Wait. ” She waves. “Hi, Chase! I’m Calista, Megan’s best friend. I hear you have nice teeth.”

My cheeks heat. “ Calista …”

“I’m just thrilled to hear she has a best friend.” He bumps my shoulder with his, sending a spark coursing through me. “She’s kind of irritating.”

I bump his shoulder back. “I am not.”

“She can be. I know,” Calista says.

Chase looks down at me, his smirk growing. “Did Megan tell you that you have competition?”

“With whom?” Calista demands.

“Don’t rile her up,” I say, grinning. “You don’t know who you’re messing with.”

“ With whom ?” she repeats. “You’ve been there not even three days, Megan. You can’t replace me already. I will come to Mayberry.”

Chase’s brows pull together. “Mayberry?”

“Let it go,” I say, laughing.

He slowly pulls his eyes from mine and turns to the phone. He places his forearms on the counter, leaning against the cabinets.

“Holy shit, Chase,” Calista says. “You are gorgeous .”

He snorts.

“Calista, please, ” I say, my cheeks burning. “Please stop it.”

“Nice teeth, my ass. Speaking of, turn around, Chase,” she says. “Let me see your ass.”

“ Enough ,” I say, making Chase laugh. “Act like you have some damn sense.”

My admonishment is met with laughter—from both of them.

“So who is trying to replace me?” Calista asks. “We’re not acting like that wasn’t brought up.”

“My brother Gavin.”

“Does he look like you? And, if so, is he single?” she asks.

Chase grins. “No. He’s not nearly as good-looking as I am.”

“Fact check, Megs?” Calista asks me.

Fuck it . I lean against the counter too. My arms line up beside my boss’s, our shoulders nearly touching.

He smells fresh and clean—like soap and wood. Out of the corner of my eye, I notice he hasn’t shaved. No one deserves to be this hot .

I pull my thoughts together as I realize they’re waiting on me to respond.

“Is Gavin as good-looking as Chase?” I ask, my chest tightening. “Well, he’s much better-natured, I will say that.”

“That wasn’t the question,” Calista says.

Slowly, Chase turns his face toward mine. His eyes snag my gaze before I can look away.

Amusement dances across his features. The shield I usually find snapped into place is missing or, at least, isn’t as secure.

He almost looks playful in the late-night hour.

In fact, had I met this Chase instead of the grumpy cat version, I would’ve seen the family resemblance between him and Gavin right away.

But Chase still has more sex appeal. Why? Why does he have to be so ridiculously appealing?

My stomach tightens, and my heart begins to pound again. I could lose myself by staring at him, dreaming up situations and realities far from the truth.

“You see, Calista,” I say, my eyes still locked with Chase’s. “Chase and I have a deal.”

“What’s that?” she asks.

His lips twitch.

My brain races, trying to find the best way to handle her question. Obviously, he’s wildly attractive. Sexy. A catch . But none of that matters at present because he’s made his priority clear: Kennedy.

“She’s my priority,” he says. “If I’m open to messing around with you, that leaves room for mistakes.”

I force a swallow and turn toward the phone. Calista has her phone on her makeup table as she brushes her hair. She winks at me before going back to the mirror.

“It doesn’t matter how we feel. Our priority is Kennedy,” I say.

My statement is met with silence. Calista remains quiet while Chase shifts his weight beside me.

“Can I call you tomorrow?” I ask, feeling the heftiness of Chase’s gaze on the side of my face.

“Yeah. Sure. Call me tomorrow, toots. Love you.”

“Love you. Bye.”

“Bye. Bye, Chase. Nice to meet you and your great teeth.”

I roll my eyes.

“Nice to meet you,” he says.

I end the call swiftly.

My body is hot. The temperature in the room rises every second that it takes me to get the nerve to look at Chase. That doesn’t stop a surge of chills from snaking down my spine.

“That wasn’t awkward at all,” he says.

I force myself to turn to him. “Not at all.”

His shield is back, but a twinkle remains. “So you like my teeth, huh?”

His simple question breaks the tension. I burst out laughing and pick up my food. I carry it to the island, needing some space from him.

“You know, I’ve never had someone compliment my teeth before,” he says. “Odd but satisfying. My parents have a lot of money in my teeth, so I’m glad that paid off.”

“You know what’s satisfying?”

He grins.

I roll my eyes. “The fact that you had teeth that needed braces.”

“That’s cold.”

“That’s … just . You can’t have everything, Chase. It’s not fair to the world.”

He moseys toward the refrigerator. “Did you leave any leftovers?”

“Yeah. There’s some left.”

He takes out the containers to make himself a plate of food.

“Just so you know,” he says, pressing the buttons on the microwave. “I don’t have everything .”

“Huh. That’s good to know.”

“I mean, my teeth are great.” He turns and smiles. “And my … what did you say? Oh, my bone structure.” He lifts his chin and tilts his head side to side. “I think I got that from my dad.”

“It’s not nice to sneak up on people, you asshole.”

“What are you mad about?” He takes his dish out of the microwave. “I could’ve caught you talking shit. At least you were being complimentary.”

“Oh, I was talking shit. You just missed that part.”

He shakes his head and carries his plate to the table. I grab mine and follow him, sitting to his right. Instead of sitting, he goes to the refrigerator and brings back two water bottles.

“Thanks,” I say, taking one from him.

“What kind of shit were you talking?” he asks, dropping into the chair.

I sit back and yawn, stretching my arms overhead. “I was just telling her what a dick you are.”

“Oh.” He scoops a forkful of rice into his mouth. “That’s reasonable.”

“And how I think that your real problem is that you want to be my friend, and you’re mad that Gavin got to me first.”

“ I got to you first. You met Gavin later.”

“Yeah, but Gavin established himself in my life well before you.”

He twists the top of his bottle, narrowing his eyes.

Something about that gives me immense pleasure.

“Speaking of the devil,” I say. “Does he come around here a lot? Or was me running into him a complete fluke?”

Chase takes a long drink. “I see him all the time. I helped him build that fence yesterday. He went fishing with us. I probably see him and Luke a few times a week.”

“Don’t you have another brother?”

“Yeah. Mallet.” He takes another bite. “He lives out West. He fights for a living, so we don’t see him much. He comes home now and then.”

“Oh.”

“What about you? Do you have siblings?”

I pull a leg up and wrap my arms around it. “Nope. It’s just me. Well, me and my mom. That’s the only family I have.”

“I’m sorry. That sounds … lonely, I guess.”

“It’s okay.” I shrug. “It’s probably better like that. Mom has quite the history of sordid love affairs.”

Chase grins. “Oh, really.”

“Not in a romance novel kind of way. In a she’s been married multiple times and none of them last more than two years kind of way.

And I can’t think of one of them that I wish would walk back into her life, either.

They wanted her to pet their ego, wash their laundry, or, in the case of Rick—they wanted her pain pills after she had back surgery. He was a fun one.”

“Yikes.”

“Exactly.”

He makes a face like he’s thinking. “So no siblings, but no aunts, grandparents, or cousins either? No one at all?”

“My mom’s mom and dad died when she was twelve. Her mom didn’t have any family, and her dad’s family were all … They were found undesirable to raise a child. Let’s put it that way. So my mom floated between people until she was eighteen.”

Chase settles back in his chair, his food forgotten. His forehead wrinkles as he studies me.

I fidget with the hem of my tank top. His heavy curiosity has me fighting the urge to get up from the table. It would be easier to walk away from this conversation. After all, it’s what I do. But I can’t deny the desire to stay right where I am. For better or worse .

“What’s wrong?” he asks, his voice lowered.

“Nothing. Why?”

“You look like you don’t know whether to crack a joke or run away.”

Impressive, sir . I shift in my seat. “I just get antsy when I talk about my family. That’s all.”

“Can I ask why?”

My anxiety gets the best of me, and I can’t take it any longer, so I get up. “Do you like talking about your family?”

“Yeah. I don’t mind.”

Good for you . I gather my plate, take it to the sink, and rinse it. Then I place it in the dishwasher.

“If you don’t want to talk about it, it’s okay,” he says.

“No, it’s fine.” I brush a strand of hair out of my face. “I just …”

He stands and crosses the kitchen, stopping in front of me.

I haven’t seen this side of Chase yet. It’s softly curious. Kind. Concerned. It reminds me more of the way he is when his daughter is around—but now he’s this way with me.

A warmth floods my body, heating me from head to toe.

He’s not rushing the conversation so we can get to the next part.

It doesn’t feel like a box to be checked so we never have to discuss it again.

That’s what it’s felt like every time I’ve had the courage to open up to a man about these things before.

Instead, his patience is surprising. It throws me a bit, but his genuine interest in me, in my story, makes my heart swell.

“This isn’t a topic I love to talk about,” I say, my voice teetering.

“Then we won’t talk about it.”

I smile at him.