Page 61 of Playing with Forever
Like horror movies.
Someone was picking the lock on the back door.
The glass of water nearly slipped out of my hand, but I clamped down and managed to set it in the sink. I couldn’t let this person know I was awake.
Trembling all over, I tiptoed in my pajamas to the front door. My heart hammered in my throat. I winced as I slowly undid the lock and turned the handle. Once the door was open, I slipped out, running across the street to the car that was parked, faithfully, on the opposite curb.
I banged on the rolled up window, and the bodyguard jolted, dropping the book he was reading. “There’s someone trying to get in to my place!”
To his credit, Garrett moved damn fast. He rushed out of the car and ran towards the house. I followed at a distance, burning with curiosity over who it could be even while simultaneously terrified that someone had tried to break in while I was alone and vulnerable.
There were crashing noises from inside the house and then the sound of the back door slamming. I hurried through to see a dark hooded figure hopping the back fence, the bodyguard just exiting the house to tear after him.
I waited in my doorway, trembling in the aftermath because I was fairly certain that whoever it had been was my stalker.
After a few minutes, the bodyguard came back, already on the phone to someone. He shook his head at me as he approached. “Whoever the guy is, he was fast. And I didn’t get a good look at him because of the hoodie he was wearing.”
Shortly thereafter, I could hear sirens in the distance and sighed. Yeah, the police would have to be told about this. They arrived just a few minutes later, but they weren’t the only ones. A familiar car screeched to a halt in front of my house and Chase sprinted out, eyes wild. I figured Garrett must have called him, along with the police.
“Andrea!?”
I was sitting on my front stoop at that point, in my bathrobe, feeling horribly embarrassed as police officers swarmed my place. “Hey.”
He reached me and immediately pulled me up so I was standing, checking me over for injuries. “You’re okay?” he asked frantically. “You’re not hurt?”
“I’m fine, Chase—”
Before I could say anything more, Chase was rounding on the bodyguard, his expression livid. “What the hell is wrong with you? The guy gets into her house and you were doing, what, a fucking crossword puzzle?”
“Chase!” I snapped in shock. “Garrett was in the car out front. How was he supposed to know that there was something going on at the back door? He chased the guy. He was right there the moment I called for help, leave him alone!”
Chase jammed his fingers through his hair and scowled. “Ford never should have let some wet-behind-the-ears guy take over surveillance tonight—”
“And this wouldn’t even be a problem if you didn’t kick me out, you idiotic jackass!” I finished heatedly.
Several officers stared at me for a moment, and then went back to what they were doing. My face burned with embarrassment, but I squared my shoulders and faced Chase down.
“I was safe when I was with you, but you made it clear that you didn’t want me around anymore,” I said, my anger rising. “That’s your choice, okay, fine. But I’m on my own now, and that means I’m going to do things my way. That also means that I might get hurt. You don’t get a say anymore.”
“You’re not alone,” Chase said, his voice low and rough with emotion, contradicting the closed off man I’d left behind that day I’d walked out of his place. “You’ll always have me to protect you.”
I jabbed him in the chest with my finger. “You protected me best when you had me in your bed.”
Garrett made a strangled noise and quickly found somewhere else to be. I didn’t blame him.
“Doesn’t matter,” Chase insisted, lips pressed into a firm line. “You’ll always have me there to protect you.”
He wasn’t making sense. None of this did. “No, I don’t. You can’t have it both ways, Chase,” I said, confused by his words, and his behavior. “What is wrong with you? You can’t be there for me and also push me away! And I’m not going to stand around for weeks or months or years while you figure your shit out, because if there’s one thing I can thank you for, it’s teaching me that I deserve to stand up for myself, because the right person will appreciate it. I know my worth now, so thank you, and that means I’m not going to—”
Chase grabbed me and yanked me to him, crushing his mouth to mine. I gasped in surprise as he kissed me senseless. My train of thought came to an end as my brain shut down. Goddamn him for being such a good kisser. I melted against him, my fingers curling into his t-shirt as I clung to him, kissing him back.
The police radio went off and I jolted, shoving Chase back as I came to my senses. I stared at him in shock. My lips tingled and my heart pounded. I couldn’t even begin to process what had just happened.
I shook my head and went inside my house while the police wrapped up outside, my body shaking. I didn’t understand what was going on. Why would Chase say those things to me and kiss me like I meant something to him?
“Andrea…” Chase followed me inside.
I whirled on him, feeling raw and confused after that kiss. “No, you don’t get to do that. You don’t get to go back and forth with me like this, playing with my emotions!”
