Page 37 of Playing with Forever
Thatwas the queasy feeling in my stomach, I realized. Complete and total helplessness. I felt helpless to protect Andrea, unable to fight back against someone who operated from the shadows like this.
Andrea put her hand on my chest, her touch gentle and soothing. “Chase, please—breathe for me, could you?”
I realized I wasn’t breathing properly, my jaw clenched and my hands balled into fists at my sides. I forced myself to relax, to refocus on the woman in front of me. The fear in Andrea’s eyes took on a new shape…she wasn’t so much scared for herself. She was worried forme.
“I’ll stay with you for a bit while we get this sorted out,” Andrea said, trying to calm me. “If that will help you feel better.”
“I want you to be safe,” I gritted out. That was the only thing that would give me any peace of mind.
Andrea nodded. “All right, then.”
I followed her back to her place so she could pack. When we arrived, Andrea called Violet and left her a voicemail explaining everything so Violet wouldn’t be surprised that some of Andrea’s things were gone. By the time Violet got home from work later that night, I’d have a security detail sitting outside of the condo, keeping an eye on the place.
While Andrea gathered her clothes and toiletries, I inspected the entire house and walked around the perimeter, then checked out the front area, inspecting the neighborhood. Andrea had said she’d felt someone watching her one night. I doubted that was the only night that person had been there—it was probably just the only time she’d felt their presence.
I didn’t see anything suspicious, but I did note that it seemed a lot of Andrea’s neighbors were still out for the evening, no cars in parking spots. On the one hand this could be a good thing if I set up a security camera. It would be easy to spot if someone came around who shouldn’t be there. On the other hand if everyone worked long or odd hours then there wouldn’t be any witnesses to notice something strange.
I arrived back at Andrea’s and waited in the living room. It was a small place, but homey. There were art prints up on the walls—Monet and Van Gogh, but then also some vibrant, tattoo-like designs of animals and abstract landscapes that seemed to be by independent artists.
Andrea vs Violet’s tastes, clearly.
They’d painted the walls a nice dark teal color that actually would look good on my walls in my condo. I’d left everything white the way it had been when I moved in. I didn’t have time to decorate and I didn’t really care to. There wasn’t a point when it was just me. But I had to admit that I enjoyed this splash of color.
There was a bookshelf with various novels. The dark romances were obviously Andrea’s. In front of the books were framed photographs of Andrea and Violet, a few that seemed to be Violet in childhood with a younger boy, and then a few of Andrea with her sister, Madison.
I spied a picture of Andrea that looked from around the time I’d first met her. I’d been convinced she was too young and naïve for me back then, and I stood by that now, looking at the photo. But I’d wanted her, no matter how bad of an idea it would’ve been.
There was a thump in the bedroom and Andrea cursed at her luggage, and I grinned. I was actually glad I’d waited to give in to the attraction between us. Andrea was now able to handle me and my darker desires in a way I’d never expected. We complimented one another in a way I didn’t think we would have if I’d given into temptation before.
Andrea came out with her luggage, rolling it on wheels. “Okay, I think that’s everything.”
I gave her a crooked grin. “It’s not like we’re going overseas. If you need anything else, we can come back.”
“We?” Andrea gave me a shrewd look.
“I’m not letting you spend time here alone until I figure out who is trying to scare you,” I said, a growl entering my voice. “I think it’s best that I drive you to and from work, as well.”
Andrea held up a hand. “Okay, wait. You arenotgoing to drop everything to be my escort. You have actual work, paying clients—”
“And your life is in danger.” I jammed my hands on my hips. “You think I’m going to take that lightly?”
“Chase.” Andrea left her luggage to walk toward me, then placed her hands on my shoulders. “I need you to listen to me and not take this the wrong way, all right? You are freaking out. I’ll admit I’m scared, too. But you are—you look like you’re going to do something stupid. It’s like you’re—I don’t even know.” Unable to find the right word, she shook her head.
Unhinged?I wanted to supply for her. Because yeah, a part of me definitely felt that way when it came to her safety.
I took a deep breath. Then another.
“I admit I might be…too cautious.” I wasn’t going to sayfreaking out,even if Andrea might be right about that. I wasn’t going to give her any excuse not to take this seriously, even if I might have been overreacting. I wouldn’t let her underreact. I wouldn’t let her think everything was fine. I wouldn’t let her brush me off, I wouldn’t lose her like—
This isn’t like that.Andrea wasn’t a soldier in war, thank God, and I wasn’t going to go down that road with her. I wouldn’t let myself. She was right, I was spiraling because of my fears. I had to get a hold of myself.
“But if I’m so cautious,” I continued, forcing myself to remain calm, and reasonable, “it’s because I understand how quickly these things can escalate. But I also understand why you might think we don’t have to resort to DEFCON 4 yet. But it’s the way I operate and I need you to take what I say seriously, because if you don’t, by the time you realize that your life truly is in danger, it might be too late. I refuse to take that chance with you.”
Andrea’s expression softened, her hands sliding down to rest on my chest. “I do take it seriously. I’m sorry if I’ve made you think I don’t. You do make me feel safe and I—I really respect your opinions on this. I just don’t want you so—so worked up, that’s all.” She frowned up at me in concern.
I wanted to tell her that I wasn’t worked up, but that would’ve been a laughable lie. I kept my mouth shut.
Andrea sighed. “Look, I’ll stay with you. And I’ll even let you drive me to and from work if that’s what you insist on doing. But only for a week. If nothing’s happened for the next week, then will you consider loosening up a bit? Like letting me drive to work by myself and come back home? I can’t live with you indefinitely.”
