Brooke and Chase, Amicia Bianchi [free romance novels TXT] 📗

felt as if I would burst from the sparks that shot through my body I found myself wanting more. I was confused by these feelings that I had never felt before but were somehow clear to me, building up inside me they hit me full force to where I couldn't tell when it started or if I always had them. It seemed that I couldn't get close enough to him, between me clinging on to him for dear life and probably not being able to kiss him enough I wasn't even sure what I wanted more of, him or the kiss. My hands were everywhere but eventually found their way into his hair as Chase held me tight against him. We stood there making out in the hallway and I enjoyed it while it lasted. When we pulled away to catch our breath the heat in his gaze wasn't anger, not anymore.

 

"That's everything you need to know," he whispered to me softly.

 

I was so dazed that I could only watch as Chase walked down the hall. I tried to calm down so that I could process what had just occurred. Once the fog started to clear in my head I started to wonder why he would kiss me but then I remembered the promise we made: A kiss for a kiss. The only explanation had to have been the deal.

 

So he must have thought Eric and I kissed? But when? It took me a few seconds before it donned on me how the incident from this morning would have looked given the right angle and distance. From Eric's smugness afterwards and diversion tactics whenever I tried to ask he must have known. Was this supposed to be his 'plan'? If this was his way of helping then he needed to know that I didn't want him making a habit of doing things like this without me knowing again.

 

Could this really be the only meaning? Why was he so mad? Could this mean that the dust has settled? I always thought he didn't like me that way yet, or so I hoped. But if that was the case would he really have gotten so mad about this? Which makes me think he definitely had to have feelings for me whether he knew it or not. I'd started to think he was confused mostly since his actions first began to seem slightly interested but I just couldn't tell because his moments of interest would be followed up by inconsistent actions. Although I'd been trying to tell myself that he was confused, recently he didn't seem that way anymore. Each encounter with him gave me less and less reason to doubt him not to mention the overwhelmingly strong feelings that I'd just felt made it hard to believe that he was confused. It made me wonder why he hadn't said anything to me about it before or even just now. By walking away perhaps he wanted me to ignore what it really meant for him or he didn't expect me to focus on that part at all; except, I had. In any case, whatever his reason, there was no way I could ignore the feelings I'd just felt…

Chapter 12

Since I'd gotten the information I needed from Chase I confronted Eric, who tried to laugh it off. When that didn't work he opted for distraction by telling me that he'd planned another double date for all of us. After the first one I wasn't thrilled about going on a second, not to mention he was bringing this up at the last minute. He must have noticed my reluctance so he explained that it was a simple picnic. He tried covincing me by saying we were only eating so we didn't have to be together that long and it didn't have to be like the last time. I eventually agreed to go but I was rather annoyed that he tried to spring this on me. I didn't see Chase for the rest of the day after what happened which I mostly expected but when he didn't text me like he usually did I figured he was probably avoiding me. That night I text him but I didn't get a response so the next morning I called him on my way out.

 

"Hey have you left yet?" I asked when he picked up.

 

"Not yet," he answered as I heard rustling in the background.

 

"Oh good, I'm on my way over," I said.

 

"Okay," I could hear him chuckling, "well the front door is open for you so when you get here come on in," he told me before we hung up.

 

When I walked into his house Chase was coming down the stairs. I raised an eyebrow at him as I eyeballed his t-shirt and jeans.

 

"Did you start getting ready when I called you?"

 

"Was I that obvious?" he laughed.

 

"A little too obvious," I joined in on the laughter.

 

"Something smells good," he joked as he got closer. "What's in that basket you've got there, little miss red riding hood?" I smiled at his reference to the red hoodie I was wearing.

 

"Then I guess you must be the big bad wolf," I joked.

 

"In the flesh," he replied humoring me, as he spoke something shifted in his eyes.

 

Even though we were just joking around, for a moment I almost believed him as I could have sworn I saw his eyes change colors. I smiled and shook my head, but that can't be possible, right?

 

"I brought a few sandwiches because I wasn't sure if we were supposed to bring our own food or if each of us was supposed to bring something I was only told yesterday. It honestly didn't occur to me until later but since people don't answer text messages I was left not knowing."

 

"Well I'm not the coordinator of this particular operation but I'm glad that you came over so we can be confused together," he responded with a sarcastic grin.

 

"I know that, that's why I texted Eric but he also ignored my text," I explained, "I think I'm starting to see why you guys are friends."

 

(Chase)

 

"We're actually not as close as you think. I'm about as much of a friend to Eric as you are," I explained to Brooke.

 

As the current beta's son pack law dictated that he was going to be the next beta when I became alpha. Since we would have to work together in the future we were forced to be around each other but outside of that I didn't hang out with him much and rarely talked to him.

 

"Seeing as they didn't ask us to bring anything you wouldn't mind if some of those went toward abating my hunger and didn't quite make it to the picnic, maybe even say… the whole basket," I suggested hoping she would conveniently leave it at my house.

 

"Somehow, I think you can wait until we get there and since there will be nothing to look forward to we can at least try to use them to help us get through it," she reasoned aloud. "Plus how do I know you won't bail on me after you get your hands on the sandwiches?"

 

"Those sandwiches aren't the only thing I'd like to get my hands on, little red, trust me..." I inserted quietly, chuckling.

"Although I will say the last thing we need is for you to get hungry and start devouring people," she continued, if she'd heard me she chose not to respond.

 

"Even if I wasn't I'd still want to have you though," I said casually.

 

"Well, I doubt anyone will get in the way of your hunger, least of all me," she laughed. "If you don't get to have your fill at the picnic when we get back we can figure something out, okay?"

 

"Deal," I smirked thinking of other ways her offer could be applied. "But anyway since you're bringing something to eat I'll bring drinks to make it even," I told her as I turned toward my kitchen.

 

After putting some drinks in a cooler and checking the time I headed to the living room where Brooke was.

 

"We should head out now because I need to get ice," I announced.

 

When we got outside I went to put the cooler in my trunk and I was half surprised that Brooke decided to ride with me instead of driving herself.

 

"I hope you got the good stuff," she commented as I started the ignition.

 

"Well I wouldn't worry about that I'd say the proportions are heavily in our favor," I said. "I'm happy that you liked my driving so much that you would want my services again so soon but somehow I can't help thinking that there's another reason here besides my stellar driving skills and my company," she laughed shaking her head.

 

"Well we need to talk but we can do that later," she answered vaguely.

 

"I'm in trouble?" I asked surprised. She slowly smiled at me.

 

"Maybe," was her only response.

 

After that I stopped at a gas station for ice and luckily when we arrived at the park for the picnic Eric and Amanda didn't notice that we'd come together or I'm sure someone would have said something and it wouldn't have ended well. We got settled at the table with little fuss and somehow I ended up sitting next to Brooke which I was far from complaining about. It was a good thing Brooke and I brought what we had because Eric and Amanda didn't have very much. I mostly ate the sandwiches that Brooke made and didn't add anything to the conversation at first but I eventually found myself trying to help her restrain herself from making faces at Amanda for some of her wayward commentary. Overall the picnic wasn't very eventful and Amanda certainly wasn't making any great strides toward becoming friends with Brooke with all of the hostility in the air. Although I doubt we would have stayed there much longer I still felt as if we'd been saved when I saw Brooke's two best friends, Jennifer and Sophie, headed our way with the rest of the crew in tow.

 

"Well look what we have here," Jennifer commented, "you don't mind if we join you, right?"

 

"Of course not you guys are welcome to the drinks in the cooler and there are some sandwi-"

 

"Oh don't mind if I do," Max suddenly stepped from behind Jennifer then between Amanda and Eric just to grab the basket before carrying it away to the next picnic table. Some of the group followed and they started dividing it amongst themselves.

 

"Well I think Soph and I will just sit here with you guys," Jennifer announced to no one in particular. "Thanks Chase you are so thoughtful," she continued as she swiped the sandwich I was about to eat out of my hands.

 

"You're welcome," I smiled, deciding to let it go since I still had another one on my plate.

 

"Soph, you want one?" she asked picking up my plate and handing it to Sophie who had sat down next to Brooke.

 

I opened my mouth to protest as she settled herself by me but just at that moment I got an idea and turned to Brooke.

 

"I'm sorry for taking your food, Chase," Sophie apologized.

 

"Don't worry about it. You're more than welcome to it, I'm sure I can figure something out when I get home," I