Chasing Forever (Chasing 4)
Page 9“Uh, sure.” Fuck. I sounded downright awful. I hoped he wouldn’t change his mind. I wouldn’t recover from it. I was sure of it.
He looked around the crowded library before glancing down at me again, smiling his mega-watt smile. “Mind if I take you away right now?”
“You want to have dinner… now?” I gulped some much needed air. I better not hyperventilate; it was only a dinner invitation, not him asking me if I wanted a quick shag against the dusty bookshelves…
Though if he had outright asked me that, I would have willingly obliged.
“If it’s too much, we could do it tomorrow night?” he unsurely added with a teasing tone.
I hardly doubt I’d survive a night berating myself if I declined.
“Right now is perfectly good.” I immediately got up and neatly took care of my things, placing them inside my tote. Nervously, I gave him a quick glance before he showed us out the library. When we emerged from the building, the sky was dark and the air a tad chilly, but considering how I was a ball of heat next to this man, my cotton long-sleeved black top was enough.
“What do you feel like having tonight?”
You, my mind blurted out, making me inwardly blanch at my wayward thoughts. For fuck’s sake, I needed to clear my head or I would ruin this one chance I had with him. And God forbid if I ever did.
“Chinese sounds good.”
He grinned. “Is that all you fancy?”
Was that a trick question? It had to be. “For the moment, I suppose it is.”
My fuck, did he know about how I felt about him?
I reddened some more as I followed him to his parked Audi. He gallantly opened the door for me, but before I slid inside, he took me by the hand then dipped his head and whispered into my ear, “Breathe, Luce. I won’t bite unless you let me.”
I nervously licked my lips, completely out of my depth as I stared into his eyes, feeling alive for the very first time in my life.
Something had lit inside of me. Something had snapped, and now, I was barraged with all these heady emotions. There was something about the way he looked at me; it was like he saw who I was, what I was, and what I would become. It was as if he knew…
His spellbinding depths told me that he was ready for the inescapable.
Well, so was I.
Chapter 6
Lucy
“He just bought a place around Hyde Park.” Chad chatted up as we rode in a black cab heading towards the said newly purchased home.
Though he kept talking to me, I was remained still, silently listening as I got lost in my own thoughts. Where was Amelia now? Would she let this happen? I mean, why couldn’t he have waited until she gave birth and leave her then? I had so many questions. Each one drilled more guilt into me. I knew I had taken part in this. I had thought after Rome, things would become better, but it had only proved me wrong.
Before I knew it, the cab was parked and Chad was handing the driver the cash then opening the door and almost tugging me out of my seat. “No time to think, sweet cheeks. Just keep on moving.”
You see, if one of us had a problem, all four would come knocking on your door, come hell or high water. It was how it worked. When Chad needed help, we all took our part. When Sienna had some painstaking problems, we all rallied to be there for her. As we did with Blake. And now, it was Toby.
When Chad pulled out a key, I glowered at him. “When did you get that?”
“Robert handed it to me when he picked me up from Heathrow.”
Robert. Blake Knightly’s driver. Great. I was sure I was the only one exempted from having a key to this place. I knew I shouldn’t feel bitter about that, but I fucking did. It hurt, dammit.
When the key opened the door, all the bitterness in me fled as I focused on the boxes that were piled up against the wall. It looked like he was barely moved in.
Chad steadily walked ahead as I reluctantly shifted my footing, not sure if I should go past the foyer. The radiantly polished black and white tiles caught my attention as I stared at them, not sure how to pass time. Would Chad notice that I was not behind him? I hoped not.
Tough luck, I thought as I heard him hiss my name. I looked up and saw him about to come towards me when the sound of an opening door made me freeze on the spot, stealing all the air from my lungs. My ears perked up, knowing quite well who it would be.
“Chad?” Toby’s voice sent flutters all through my stomach.
Chad managed to send me a cutting look before he walked over to where Toby was. I could only presume that Chad was giving him a comforting hug. “How’s it going, boo? We thought we’d drop by and say hi, you know?”
Fucking Chad, I silently growled.
“We?” Toby clarified. Of course he’d caught on.
“Hello,” I murmured, barely audible, but the air in the room was still enough that my voice could cut through it like a blade.
His casual stance stiffened the second he spotted me. His eyes then darkened as our gazes met. Every inch of me became pained at the sight of him, yet still, I couldn’t resist measuring him from head to foot, noting all the blatant as well as the subtle changes he possessed.
He looked exhausted. Shattered.
I looked at him like I had been starved for decades, not days. I would never get tired of him. That only had been proved to me once more.
I saw his throat bob up and down. “Lucy.”
There was no trace of hate in his tone… not even indifference. His acknowledgment conveyed that he was neutral. What did that mean?
“I was hoping we could take you out to eat,” Chad butted in, breaking our contact.
The moment his eyes left me, I felt bereft, as though the light had been taken from me. Maybe it had. It was only switched back on when he was around, sadly.
“I already had a light snack.” Toby made a small smile. “Thanks for dropping by, though.”
Chad smirked before walking around to check his surroundings. “Oh, well. You know, Blake’s flat in Mayfair is a little boring. Do you mind if I stay here for a little bit? I like to bug you once in awhile.”