Chapter 12 Temptation Rising
Temptation Rising
Outside, the air hit her first—thick, salty, warm against her skin.
Chase stopped near the railing, bracing his hands against the wood, staring out at the dark water like it held all the answers.
The distant sound of waves crashing against the shore filled the silence between them, stretching it tight like a wire ready to snap.
Savannah exhaled, arms crossed over her chest, heart still hammering in her ribs. "What’s on your mind, Montgomery?"
He let out a quiet laugh, rough around the edges. "Still call me that, huh?"
"It fits," she shot back, voice laced with snark.
At that, he turned—finally looking at her. Really looking at her. His gaze dragged over her face, slow and deliberate, like he was memorizing every inch, like he wasn’t sure when or if he’d ever get to do it again. The weight of it settled low in her stomach, a deep, unwelcome ache.
"You look good, Savannah."
She swallowed, trying to ignore the way her breath stuttered. "You do too."
Silence stretched between them. Not awkward. Not empty. Just heavy with all the things they had never said. Every breath felt charged, like the air between them was alive, humming with unspoken truths neither of them were willing to say aloud.
Then Chase exhaled, rubbing a hand over his jaw. "I don’t even know where to start. I wasn’t expecting this. Seeing you. It just… threw me."
She nodded, fingers trailing along the railing. "Yeah. Me too."
He turned fully now, his broad shoulders tense, hands shoved into his pockets. His voice dipped lower, like he wasn’t sure he wanted to ask but had to anyway. "Did you ever think about it? About us?"
Her breath caught. "Chase…"
He shook his head, his voice rough and raw.
"No, let me—let me just fucking say it." His jaw worked, his frustration clear.
"I spent years moving from one girl to another, acting like none of it mattered. Like I didn’t care.
But I did." His voice roughened. "You were the only one who ever fucking mattered. "
Savannah’s stomach clenched. Heat curled low and deep, twisting around something she didn’t want to name.
"You were always with someone else, though." His voice dipped lower, his gaze dark, intense. "And not just anyone. Trevor."
She flinched. The name landed between them like a stone, heavy and unmovable.
"Trevor was…" She swallowed hard, shaking her head. "Safe. He was steady. He didn’t make me feel like I was losing control just by looking at me."
Chase’s expression darkened, his jaw flexing. "And I did?"
She let out a breath, unsteady. "You still do."
A slow exhale left him, his shoulders stiff.
"Do you have any idea how fucking hard it was?
" He dragged a hand through his hair, voice tight with something unspoken.
"Watching you with him? Watching you smile at him the way I wanted you to smile at me?
" His eyes burned into hers. "Knowing I couldn’t do a damn thing about it? "
Savannah’s grip tightened on the railing. "Then why didn’t you say something?"
He let out a short laugh, low and bitter. "Because you were happy. Or at least, I thought you were." His voice dropped, softer now, almost broken. "And if you were happy with him, what the fuck was I supposed to do?"
Her heart pounded. She thought of Trevor, of the easy way he loved her, of the stability he gave her. But then she thought of Chase. The way he made her feel everything too much, the way he lit something inside her that she never knew how to handle.
Trevor had always been safe.
Chase has always been wildfire.
And she had been too much of a coward to walk into the flames.
Chase took a step closer, his heat pressing into her skin, and it was instant—electric. Her breath stuttered, thighs pressing together on instinct.
"Tell me something." His voice was low, intimate, wrapping around her like a hand at her throat.
She swallowed hard. "What?"
He reached up, his fingers barely brushing against the side of her arm. It was nothing. And it was everything. A shiver shot through her, heat pooling between her legs, her lips parting involuntarily.
"If I had kissed you back then—if I had grabbed you and just fucking kissed you—would you have let me?"
Her pulse slammed, her skin heating like he had set her on fire just by asking.
She should say no. Should tell him it wouldn’t have mattered. That she would have still chosen Trevor. That it wouldn’t have changed a damn thing.
But she didn’t.
Because they both knew it would’ve changed everything.
She exhaled shakily, fingers flexing against the wood. "I don’t know."
Something flickered in his eyes—something dark, something that made her toes curl inside her shoes.
"I do," he murmured.
A shiver ran down her spine, her body betraying her before she could think.
"Chase…" Her voice came out breathless, uneven.
"You’re shaking," he said, gaze dropping to her lips before flicking back up. "Tell me to back off, and I will."
She clenched her jaw, fighting the instinct to lean into him, to let this happen.
His fingers ghosted over her forearm, not quite touching, but she felt it everywhere. Every nerve in her body screamed at her to close the space, to let herself have this—just once.
"You want to tell me to stop," he murmured, voice rough, thick with restraint. "But you won’t."
She swallowed hard. "You don’t know that."
His smirk was slow, devastating. "I know you, Savannah. I know every tell you have. And right now? Your pulse is racing, your breath is coming too fast, and you’re gripping that railing like it’s the only thing keeping you from grabbing me."
Her grip tightened on the wood, nails digging into the worn grain. She hated that he was right. Hated that he could read her so easily, like he always had.
Chase’s breath fanned against her cheek as he leaned in just enough to make her dizzy. "Tell me to stop, and I swear to God, I’ll walk away. But if you don’t…"
She exhaled shakily, closing her eyes for half a second. She needed to end this. Needed to put space between them before she did something reckless.
But she didn’t step back.
She didn’t say a damn thing.
Chase let out a quiet chuckle, the sound vibrating through her, dark and knowing. "That’s what I thought."
Her lashes fluttered, her breath coming sharp as he pulled back—just enough to keep her wanting, just enough to make her crave the thing she refused to ask for.
His voice was low, nearly a whisper. "I don’t want this to be another what-if."
Her pulse pounded. "What are you saying?"
His lips curled, just enough to make her stomach flip. "I’m saying, Savannah Monroe, I’m not gonna let you walk away without seeing where this could go. Not this time."
Her breath hitched. He was too fucking close. But for the first time in years, she didn’t want to run.
Savannah licked her lips. "And if it goes nowhere?"
Chase smirked, voice rough. "Then at least we’ll finally fucking know."
She hesitated—just for a second.
Then she nodded.