Chapter 16
Chapter Sixteen
BAILEY
The last few days with Chad are amazing. We don’t get to see each other much, but his filthy or flirty or funny texts blow up my phone with zero chill. He’s busy a lot, but it feels like every time I check my phone, his name is there waiting for me.
I send a text as I sneak out the front door of our house.
Me:
Almost there
Chad:
Ten-four, good buddy
I smirk at the reply, then hurry up the dark street and around the corner to where Chad is waiting by my car.
“Ten-four?” I mock, hitting the button to unlock my car. Chad quickly darts inside before anyone sees him with me, and I slide into the driver’s side.
“We’re being all cloak-and-dagger. We’ve gotta have secret codes and stuff too.”
“Okay, but when did we join the military?”
“If I’m honest, I don’t know what it means, it just sounds cool. And now you’ve called me on it, I’m feeling a whole lot less cool, so thanks for that.”
“Anytime.” I switch on the car and pull away from the curb. “Where are we heading?”
“That way.”
I snort. “My eyes are on the road. You might want to be more specific.”
“Ah … left? Yeah, left.”
I throw on my blinker and turn the corner. “Where are we going?”
“Down to the waterfront. I figured we’d grab some food and have dinner, and since we didn’t want to be spotted by anyone, we can have our date on the hood of your car.”
“How high school of you.”
“You think I had a car in high school? I’m only at WHU because of the scholarship.”
Ouch. I love putting my foot in it. “Sorry, I—”
He laughs and waves me off. “It’s all good.”
“Is the scholarship for football?”
“Yep. I’m not smart enough to get an academic one.”
“I’m sure you’re—”
“Bailey.” He reaches over to squeeze my thigh.
“You don’t need to do the thing where you feel awkward about what I don’t have and try to boost me up with empty words.
I’m not saying those things to make you feel bad or whatever.
I didn’t have a car, and I’m not smart enough for a scholarship, but they’re not bad things that I want you feeling sorry for me about, because I really don’t care. ”
I shift awkwardly. “I guess it’s my default to boost people up.”
“That’s pretty cool.”
“But you’re saying not to do it, so now I’m confused.”
Chad’s hand doesn’t move from my thigh, the warmth from his palm seeping through my shorts. “Boosting people up is awesome, but it’s pointless when you’re having to lie to do it, you know? Like saying I’m smart when I’m not does nothing.”
“It feels weird.”
“I get that, and maybe other people are different, but I love my life. I’m not looking for sympathy.”
“Okay.” I pull up at the Chinese place Chad has directed us to, and he runs inside to order. I wish I’d gotten to it first, but when he climbs back in the car with containers full of food and I suggest I should have paid, he waves me away.
“I can afford to treat you to thirty bucks worth of takeout.”
“I just—”
“This is one of those times you’re allowed to not argue.
” He gives me a grin that makes my stomach swoop.
He has perfectly straight, white teeth, except for one incisor that overlaps the tooth beside it.
His eyes are huge and brown, the perfect definition of puppy dog eyes, but when he smiles, they get all crinkly in the corners, and his hands are huge, with long, thick fingers.
I can’t stop flashing back to having one of those fingers inside me.
“You okay?” he asks.
“Sort of wishing we stayed in now.” My voice comes out raspier than I mean it to.
We catch eyes, and heat flares between us.
“As much as I love having sex with you,” he says. “And I do. Like, a whole lot. I also want to get to know you, and it’s sorta hard to have a conversation when my dick is in your mouth.”
“I think you underestimate my multitasking skills.”
Chad clicks and points at me. “We’ll be trying that out later. But for now, drive, Princess. I’m starving.”
It’s the worst name, but I don’t bother asking him not to use it. As annoying and ridiculous as it is, I like that it’s a thing only we have.
Chad directs me to a parking lot on the water. He’s brought a large blanket that he spreads over the hood, and then we climb up and set out the containers between us.
“Where’d you transfer from?” Chad asks.
“The University of Vermont. I wanted to be closer to my family.”
“Where are they?”
“New York. It’s why they can drive up most weekends.”
“It’s cute you’re close with them.”
He squirms. “Shut up. Nothing about me is cute.”
“Everything about you is cute.”
“This is one of those situations where you don’t have to lie.” I’m feeling smug about throwing his words back at him, but Chad reaches over and tugs one of my curls.
“Maybe I used the word ‘cute’ because I’m trying to be cool and play hard to get. If I go around calling you beautiful all the time, my dude-bro card will be revoked.”
I try not to show what the compliment does to me. “I think you’re already in danger of that by taking me on a waterfront picnic.”
“Nah.” Chad shakes his head. “Romance is frat as fuck. Scaring off the guy you’re interested in, not so much.”
“I’ll have to remember that.” It’s taking all of my willpower not to laugh at his serious tone. “What else is frat as fuck?”
He starts ticking off on his fingers. “Nights out with the brothers, TJ Crew, being real with each other—none of that wait three days to call bullshit, being bi—” He winks at me.
“What about gay?”
“Definitely frat, but not frat as fuck.”
My lips twitch. “My mistake. Carry on.”
“Accepting people for who they are, blow-up kiddie pools on a hot day, pranks on Greek Row, and taking pictures with your guy’s family.”
“Your guy’s?”
“In general. Totally not referring to a specific event.”
“Of course not.” I watch as he opens the containers and hands me a metal fork.
“Where did this come from?”
“The house—we had to buy more after you guys stole them all. Better than plastic forks, but there’s not much I can do about the containers.”
“True …” I eye him, not sure what I expected Chad to be like outside of messages and the bedroom, but this definitely wasn’t it. I turn the fork over and find a tiny number one on it. “This is coming home with me.”
“What? No way. Dates are off-limits for King of Thieves.”
“That argument would be valid if we hadn’t already stolen something every time we’ve met up.”
“Okay, you’ve got me there.”
We trade stories back and forth about our lives back home.
Chad’s from Georgia—all over with the number of times they’ve moved, but most recently Atlanta—and he has twin sisters, who his parents had when he was in high school.
They’re six, and adorable, and I smile as he flicks through his phone, showing me photos, clearly proud as hell of them.
“They’re never going to join a sorority,” he says.
I tilt my head. “You’re going to stop them?”
“Sure will.”
“The only teenage girl I know is my sister, and if I tried to tell Rachel she couldn’t do something, she’d want to do it more.”
“I’m their cool big brother. They’ll listen.”
“Maybe now you are. But by the time they’re ready to rush, you’ll be like … thirty-something.” I nudge him. “That’s ancient in teen girl years.”
His frown is adorable.
“Okay, I’m listening,” I say. “Why don’t you want them to join Greek life?”
“I don’t want asshole frat dudes treating them like ass. They’re little queens, and they deserve to be treated that way.”
“See, normally here is where I assure you that everything will be okay, but … you wanted me to be real with you, right?”
“Yes …”
“I’d say most of us are total shitheads as teenagers. Maybe they’ll be lucky and escape that, but there’s a high chance they’re going to want to have the full college experience. Drinking, frat parties, hooking up … it comes with the territory. You can’t protect them from that.”
He scowls and sets his phone aside. “I don’t like the thought of that.”
“How do you think I feel? Rachel graduates high school this year, and when I look at her, all I see is my kid sister.” I pretend to shudder. “I’m so glad I’ll be out of here by the time she hits college.”
“I’m not.” Chad rubs his jaw. “I want to be there to protect them.”
“They wouldn’t want you to. I’d say instead of trying to get them to steer clear, you should keep setting the example of the type of guy—assuming they swing that way—they should be aligning their standards with. Kind, fun, dedicated, insightful.”
Chad shifts closer. “What else?”
“I have plenty more I could say, but they’re probably things your sisters don’t need to know about you.”
“Lucky they’re not here.” He pushes the food aside and slides over so he’s right next to me. “What other things?”
I tug my bottom lip between my teeth as I look him over. “Sexy. So fucking sexy. Your face and your body, but also your confidence.” I lean in so my lips brush his ear. “And the way you let go in the bedroom. I love how you go with the flow and want to make me feel good.”
Chad groans and pushes down on his groin. “Maybe this whole talking thing is overrated. I take it back. I want to stay in and have sex.”
My face presses into his shoulder as I laugh. “The other night wasn’t enough for you?”
“Not even close.” Chad hooks his arm around my waist. “I hope you’re ready for marathon orgasms every weekend, which will be totally all your fault.”
“Am I supposed to feel bad?”
“You should take pity on my dick. I’m going to turn into a necromaniac.”
I blink at him. “Umm … please tell me you mean nymphomaniac? Because one of those things I’m okay with. The other might be a deal breaker.”
“Wait, what did I say?” His deep voice squeaks with confusion.
“I think you told me you want to have sex with dead people.”
He recoils. “Oh, no. Definitely your thing, then. And—” His eyes narrow at me. “—what do you mean ‘might’ have been a deal breaker? I’ve gotta say, that’s a hard limit for me.”
“You are really hot.”
“Good argument.”
I rest my head against his. “And we’re officially the shallowest people on earth.”
“Nah, pretty sure the shallowest people on earth don’t know they’re shallow.”
“Isn’t that stupid?”
“Seems like the same thing to me.”
Good point. We finish eating, leaning against each other, laughing and talking smack and laughing even more.
Chad’s an easy person to hang out with and an easier one to like.
He’s … genuine, and for someone to not set off my bullshit radar, they have to be ridiculously down-to-earth.
He teases me, and even though he knows who I am, and I should probably be careful since he doesn’t come from money, I just …
can’t. I’ve met a lot of greedy people who only want to be around me because of my family, and either Chad’s a great actor, or he’s not one of them.
And in a rare move for me, I decide to lean toward the latter. Give the benefit of the doubt. It’s a huge jump from my usual suspicious nature, but it fits.
I’m able to relax and not second-guess every word out of his mouth, and I fucking like it. I want more of this, and it’s shit that we have to sneak around like this, late after his practice on a Tuesday night just so we can see each other.
There has to be a way for me to see him and for my brothers to be cool with it.
But things are still early days between us, and until I know if this is the real deal and not some short-term hooking up, there’s no point pushing for anything other than what this is.
Because what this is feels pretty damn good.
And I want to see where it goes.