Part 5 (1/2)

Ashlynn giggles as I lean down, kiss her neck, and murmur against her skin, ”I'm addicted to you, Ashlynn Marie. I don't think I can ever get enough of you.”

Slapping my chest, Ashlynn, still laughing, yells at me, ”Will you quit it? They are children here.”

”Yeah, you two stop with all the f.u.c.kin' kissin' so we can eat. My stomach is growling so d.a.m.n loud I can't take it.”

”You'll eat soon enough. Stop whining like a little b.i.t.c.h, Parker,” Vance says as he drapes his arm over Reagan's shoulder and pulls her in for a kiss.

Parker lets out an aggravated groan and glares at Vance. ”Seriously, dude? My body is my f.u.c.kin' temple. It takes a lot of hard work and eating to look this good.”

Becca, who's been hooking up with Parker for the last two weeks, leaves Tamara and Nikki and skips around to walk beside him. She runs her hand down his chest and beams up at him. ”It'd be a shame to let anything happen to this body. I swear I see that V every night in my dreams.”

”Oh my G.o.d, y'all are wacked. I don't know what is in the water here, but all I know is I ain't drinking it,” Nikki blurts out as she whips her head from Parker down to Ashlynn and me. ”I so need to get laid by something that doesn't run on double-As!”

I burst out laughing, along with everyone else at that one.

After Ashlynn got her salt water taffy, which I've never seen a girl who loves that stuff as much as she does, by the way. We headed towards Broadway Bill's Bar & Grill, the same place I took Ashlynn on our first date. Halfway there, I spot Sophie and her friends coming out of a gift shop. I don't realize I tighten my grip on Ashlynn's hand until she brings her free hand to my shoulder. Rubbing it, she asks, ”Are you okay?”

”What?” I ask caught off-guard, and glance down at her as I try to avoid making eye contact with Sophie.

”You just practically cut the blood flow from my hand.” She laughs as she squeezes me and swings our entwined hands into the air.

Shaking my head, I apologize, ”I'm so sorry. It's nothing; I'm fine.”

My heart is racing as I spot Sophie heading straight towards us. Vance spots her and her friends too, and mumbles, ”s.h.i.+t,” under his breath.

”Hey, strangers! Long time no see,” Sophie says, giving us a smile I can tell is as fake as her t.i.ts. She rests her hands on her hips and slides her eyes over all of us before giving a look to her two friends before plastering back on her big fake smile. ”Are y'all going to Linc's party tonight?” Her eyes turn and focus on me, and I feel as if I'm trying to swallow a boulder, and my heart is racing so fast I think I can hear the blood flowing to it in my ears. ”I was really hoping we could get together, since I haven't seen you since the Fourth of July.” Sophie completely ignores the fact I'm holding Ashlynn's hand as she stands only a few inches away from me.

This chick can't take a clue. She's been blowing up my phone since the day after the Fourth. I figured me not getting back to her would've been a good enough hint I am no longer interested, but I guess she just isn't that smart.

Clearing my throat, I hold Ashlynn's hand a little tighter, trying to silently tell her she has nothing to worry about. I told her before and I'll tell her a million more times if need be that Sophie means nothing to me. ”Yeah, I got a text from Linc a little while ago telling me about the party. We'll be there, so I guess we'll see ya.”

I figure that'll be a good enough response and we can go on our way, but of course, it isn't.

Sophie, completely oblivious to the fact Ashlynn is standing right beside me and holding my f.u.c.king hand for Christ's sake, asks, ”Well, I was wondering, since you're going and I'm going, if maybe you want to go together? I've texted you a few times to get together, but you've never gotten back to me.” She just can't take a hint.

”Umm, well, I'm actually going with Ashlynn,” I say, and notice the look of shock flash across Ashlynn's face, but it quickly disappears. She releases my hand and wraps her arm around my waist, hugging me as she stares blankly at Sophie.

”It was nice meeting you, Sophie, and I'm sure we'll run into each other again tonight, but we really must be going. We are on our way to grab dinner before we head to Linc's.” Ashlynn's voice comes out sweet, but I can hear the hint of anger in it. To other's who don't know her, they wouldn't notice it, but I do. I hope none of that anger is in any way directed at me. I knew this chick would come back to bite me in the a.s.s. Why the h.e.l.l did I ever get together with her that night?

”Aww, well aren't you cute? I bet you think Chase here is the sweetest guy ever, and you're just so excited to be out with him today. Well, FYI, if you want to keep hanging out with Chase, I suggest you keep your legs closed, because once you give into him, you'll be tossed to the curb, just like me and every other girl who's come into contact with him.”

Ashlynn tenses against my body, becoming rigid. Why do chicks gotta be so d.a.m.n catty?

”Sophie, you are making a fool of yourself right now. You don't know me or Ashlynn. Going out with me and my boys two times doesn't give you the right to act like you know me. And a little FYI for you, Ashlynn isn't just some girl. So why don't you take a hint and leave me and my friends the f.u.c.k alone?”

Sophie's face drops quickly, wiping the smirk from her lips. She opens and closes her mouth, but nothing comes out. I hate being mean to girls, but the minute she started spewing s.h.i.+t at Ashlynn, she crossed the line.

”What the h.e.l.l ever. Don't say I didn't warn you,” is all she says to Ashlynn before storming away from us.

”What a psycho b.i.t.c.h,” Parker grumbles before clapping me on the back. ”You okay, bro?”

”Yeah, I'm fine. I'm just sorry you had to deal with that,” I say, turning to Ashlynn, who is now quiet and refusing to look at me. She still has her arm around my waist, but she isn't holding me as tightly as she was when we first started talking to Sophie.

”It's okay. I'm fine. I knew at some point I'd have to deal with a run-in with one of your conquests. At least she didn't cry or claw my eyes out, so I guess it went as well as could be expected.”

Her words feel like a sucker punch to my gut. Never until now have I actually felt like a bad person. I'm young and have my whole life ahead of me. Sure, I've lived it up and slept around, but what twenty-two year old hasn't? None of us think about what it'd be like if we meet that one girl who'll make us want to change our ways and what we'd do if our past and our present collide?

I know if it was me and I had some a.s.shole standing in front of me, making it known he f.u.c.ked Ashlynn, I'd pound his face into the asphalt.

”So, there's a party tonight and we're all going?” Becca asks, changing the subject, thank G.o.d.

”Yeah, it starts at nine. We were planning on asking y'all at dinner if you wanted to go with us, but Sophie kind of put Chase here on the spot,” Parker says, slapping me on the back.

”Well, I for one am excited to go! It isn't a beach vacation unless we attended a summer beach party!” Becca exclaims.

Now we just have to pray Sophie and her friends don't try to stir up more trouble at the party tonight.

The entire time we were eating, Ashlynn barely said two words to me. She only talked and laughed with Becca, Nikki, and Tamara, and even chatted a bit with Reagan. I could feel the knots in my stomach twisting with every pa.s.sing second. I f.u.c.ked up big time. I really like this girl, and to think maybe my chance is now over is p.i.s.sing me the h.e.l.l off. The urge to punch something is overwhelming.

My big mouth told Ashlynn I'd only met Sophie two days before the Fourth, which is also when I started my game of flirting with Ashlynn too. At the time, I thought Ashlynn would be just another girl I'd work my charm on, f.u.c.k, and move on from. Never did I imagine I'd spend the next two weeks spending every day with her, and not even having s.e.x. I don't even recognize the person I've become since meeting her. Parker and Vance think it's all an act, that I'm playing a game with her for entertainment, but the truth is I'm really falling for this girl, and I don't know if I will be able to pretend as if we never happened when I return to Charlotte.

She's smart, so I know for a fact she's put two and two together and realized not only did I go out with Sophie after our amazing day out on the boat, but I f.u.c.ked her too. I want to punch myself in the f.u.c.king face after seeing the hurt in Ashlynn's eyes when Sophie said I'd just toss her aside after getting her into my bed. That's the farthest thing from the truth. I don't know how I'm even going to survive saying goodbye to her when she leaves back to Georgia, let alone voluntarily push her out of my life.

Pulling my truck into the driveway, I park beside Vance's Mustang. He opted to drive himself and Reagan, since I couldn't fit everyone in my truck. As soon as I s.h.i.+ft the truck into park, everyone hurries out and heads toward our beach houses.

I quickly swing open my door, jump down, and run around the truck to meet Ashlynn. Grabbing her hand, I pull on it, stopping her from going up the stairs. ”Ashlynn, wait,” I plead as her friends run up the stairs to go get ready to leave. Becca told Parker she'd be over as soon as she showered and was dressed for the party. I know Ashlynn said she'd go, but I want to make sure she's okay first.

”What? I need to get ready,” she says with a little more venom in her tone than I was hoping for.

Wrapping my arms around her, I pull her to my chest and lock my eyes with hers. The hurt in her eyes is like a knife twisting in my chest. ”I just want to talk to you and make sure you're okay. I don't want you letting Sophie get to you. She's just a jealous and spiteful person. I would never do anything to hurt you purposely.”

She stares up at me a few beats, the only sound being the seagulls flying above us. It's a calm day, with gentle waves rolling in. My senses are filled with her sweet, delicious perfume mixing with the salty air. I slide one hand into her hair, feeling her silky blonde strands. She closes her eyes as soon as my fingers touch her scalp.

At least I know my touch doesn't repulse her. She parts her lips and lets out a shaky breath before opening her eyes back up, and when she does, the hurt that was there is magnified as my reflection s.h.i.+nes from her now dark and stormy blue eyes.

”I'm scared, Chase. I keep trying to tell myself you're different from the c.o.c.ky a.s.shole I met two weeks ago, but seeing her was like having ice water dumped over my head. You've been so sweet, and I've loved every single second I've spent with you, but I can't help but think...is it all just a game to you? Once we finally have s.e.x, will it be the last time I see you, because you'll have gotten what you want and move on to the next naive girl?”

G.o.d, I hate she feels this way. The sad part is she's right. The Chase everyone knows would do what she's thinking and wouldn't look back as I walked away. I did it to Sophie, and so many girls before her, but with Ashlynn, it's not like that. No matter how many times I tell her though, I don't think she'll ever believe me.

”I hate that you think that, Ashlynn. I've been an a.s.shole so many times in my life that I don't blame you for thinking that I'd use you, but I'll tell you now and I'll tell you again every single day until you leave to go back to Georgia-I like you. A lot. More than any girl I've ever met in my entire f.u.c.king life. I have no intention of using you. Why the h.e.l.l do you think I've refused to have s.e.x with you? Never in my life have I turned down s.e.x, but I wanted to make sure you were one hundred percent sure you were okay with our arrangement before I allowed you to accept me into your bed.”

She relaxes in my arms and lays her head on my chest, resting her cheek against my heart. It's racing so fast right now it feels like a wrecking ball slamming repeatedly against my ribs, trying to bust free and jump straight into Ashlynn's hands.

”Can I ask you something and you be honest with me?”

f.u.c.k, I don't know if I'm backing myself into a corner right now, but reluctantly, I tell her, ”I'll tell you anything you want to know.” I hope to G.o.d agreeing to this doesn't bury my a.s.s deeper into the hole I've dug myself into today.

Pulling away from me, she slides her hand into mine and leads me to the stairs to sit, then tugging for me to sit down beside her.

She silently picks at the nail polish on her fingernails, not looking at me as she asks the one question I was wis.h.i.+ng she wouldn't ask, ”Did you sleep with Sophie before or after our day out on the boat?”