“The big one is Pongo. He’s the oldest. A guy pulled him out of a local shelter and trained him as a…well, he’s, uhm, he’s a service dog.” His hands knead together as he stares down at the sheets. It’s like he’s preparing for me to ask why he has a service dog, but I won’t ask. He’ll tell me when he’s ready.
“Well, he’s the cutest little bacon thief, isn’t he? And the other one?”
“The pancake thief is Lulu. I rescued her about three years ago. She had puppies not long after I got her, and we ended up giving one to Jamie and his wife. Dani wanted one, but your mom said no.” He stops, scratching the stubble on his jawline and chuckling. “God, that’s still so weird. You’re really Dani’s sister, huh?”
He leans and tucks a strand of hair behind my ear, but before he can move in and kiss me again, I sit upright with a start. “Wait!THEpuppies! Chase Cooper! Let me tell you, you started a damn war in our house for two entire weeks with that cute puppy bullshit. Texting her pictures at all hours. Not cool, jerk!” I smack his arm, but there’s no force behind it, and he just laughs.
It’s easy to forget he’s a movie star. Even with the awards in the case downstairs and paparazzi photos. Everything about him feels so different. Ever since we saw each other, there’s been a warmth and familiarity around Chase and that extends to his home. Like everything in my life fell into place all at once. As if I can picture myself living here and becoming a part of this. Maybe it’s because of his friendship with Dani, maybe it’s more.
He leans over again with that smirk. “Now, where were we?”
“Chase.” I stop him, holding my hand against his rock-hard chest. I want to tie him up and tease the sprinkling of hair that’s growing back after being shaved down for a role. But I have to let him down now before this goes too far. “You’re an amazing guy?—”
“Oh, no! Come on, finish your coffee before you get to the ‘but youarea dud’ part!”
“I need to be honest with you. I had an incredible time with you last night. But I can’t do this all the time. I’m a teacher, and I love my job. You’re a movie star. It’s going to get complicated even without my whole extra lifestyle thing.”
He nods, but I can see the hurt in his eyes. Fuck. I didn’t want to break his heart like this, not after the night we had. He’s silent for a while and I’m cursing myself for making it awkward. I set my coffee on the table next to the bed and move to get up, figuring I’ve worn out my welcome, but he stops me by pulling me back into bed.
“Chase—”
“Friends?”
“What?”
“Ren, I like you. I get that all of this is crazy and that we’re in two backwards realities right now, but it doesn’t mean we can’t be friends, right?” Before I can say no, he puts his finger over my lips and stops me. “Come on, please? I just…last night was the best night I’ve had in a long time. We don’t have to be more than that if?—”
I raise an eyebrow, challenging what he’s about to say. I’ve done this dance before, and it never goes well. We stay friends, but eventually, he wants more. When I say no, I’m a prude or a bitch. He gets angry and I get another hospital bill.
“Maybe with benefits?” He caresses my cheek; I’m losing this fight. “We’ll stop anytime you want to. We’ll keep it a secret. We can meet in seedy motels and dimly lit back alleyways. You can drive the Jag to some lonely hillside, climb on top of me, and get yourself off while your hand wraps around my throat.”
I should say no, but I don’t want to say no. “And when one of us meets someone else? Say a gorgeous costar with long, beautiful legs and a pair of big, fake?—”
“I won’t.”
“I might!” I try to make it a joke, but there’s hurt in his eyes again. He’s trying hard to hide it, but I can see right through him. “But when you do? Because you will. That’s what happens in friends with benefits, Chase.”
“No commitments.” He continues to bargain. “We can hang out and see how it goes. I promise I won’t do the jealous guy thing.”
“Chase—”
“Renate, I am literally begging you. We don’t even have to fuck. I mean, I’d like to, but we don’t have to. There’s something about you that’s…that’s… I don’t even know what it is. I’m happy around you. You’re easy to talk to. We have fun.”
I blow out a soft breath as I act like I’m thinking it over. I agree with him. There’s something, and I want to find out what. It could be a spark that lights a forest fire, or it could be a firework that burns hot and flies high, but falls fast and cold.
“Okay. Friends, possibly with benefits. No commitments.”
“YES!” He screams out, grabbing my face and kissing me hard. When he lets go, his face turns from eager to embarrassed, with a dusting of pink on his cheeks. He rubs the back of his neck. God, he’s cute. “I mean, yeah. Cool. It’s a deal. Super cool.”
I shuffle over closer and lean against him while we feed each other what remains of breakfast in bed. Occasionally, one of us will toss a piece of bacon to the dogs, who wait impatiently at the end of the bed. I still can’t shake the feeling that I belong here, that everything in the stars lined up just right to bring us together in that hallway.
Dani will assume her magic touch is what brought us together. I’ll never hear the end of it.
CHAPTER10
DANGEROUS WOMAN
ARIANA GRANDE
