She couldn’t help the giggle or admitting, “Yes, you are.” She touched her fingertips to his lips. “I love it when you smile.”
“You’re the only thing lately that makes me want to smile.” He handed her a fork, took the other one, and dug into the decadent treat. “Eat, honey. Hunt can handle Eliza if she wakes up.”
“Can he handle her pissed off mom when I get home and go after him for making me worry that something happened to you?”
Chase placed his big hand on her thigh. “Like I said, you made my night. I’m good.”
“If you’re really not...”
“I’m working on it,” he assured her. “And now that I have your full attention and participation in us being together, things are looking up.”
They finished the creamy cheesecake, and she immensely enjoyed being close to him again.
Reluctantly, she slid out of the booth and grabbed her purse off the bench on the other side. “I better get home.”
He tossed some bills on the table and stood beside her. “I’ll follow you home and deal with Hunt. He’s my problem. Not yours.”
“You don’t have to do that. You should go home and get some sleep.”
“I want to take care of this for you, instead of you having to do everything and deal with the problems on your own all the time.” He put his hand to her back and ushered her to the door.
They stepped out into the cool night breeze. She wrapped her arms around her waist to ward off the cold. Chase drew her close, his hand at her waist, as he walked her toward her car in the parking lot. She burrowed into his side and soaked up his warmth. He kissed the side of her head. It felt so normal and right and easy to be with him.
A sense of well-being and happiness came over her. This is how things could be between them now. It would only get better the closer they became.
“Shelby.” That voice sent a chill down her spine and flipped on all her defenses.
Everything inside her ran cold.
She spun out of Chase’s embrace and faced the man who couldn’t take a hint and leave her the hell alone. “I have nothing to say to you.”
“Hear me out,” he pleaded, reaching out his hand to touch her.
She backed up into Chase. “No.” She rushed to her car, fumbled with the guts of her purse, and found her keys. She unlocked the door with a shaking hand.
Chase was right there next to her, standing close, protecting her with his big body from the man she usually dismissed without a word. “Honey, who is that?”
“Kyle Hodges.” She spat out his name to Chase. “A fucking monster.”
The monster’s eyes went wide, then narrowed. “I’m not. I’m your dad, and I just want to talk to you.”
She ignored him and focused on Chase, who stood between her and the man she both loathed and feared. “Follow me home or don’t, but I’m leaving.” She slipped into the car, slammed the door, barely managed to get the key in the ignition her hands shook so badly, and started the engine.
Chase stared at her through the window, concern in his eyes. He faced off with Kyle. “You heard her. She has nothing to say to you. Stay the hell away from her, or you’ll deal with me.”
She appreciated so much that Chase stood up for her and put himself between her and someone who didn’t deserve a second of her time, yet took up far too much of it.
Kyle stared at her for a long moment, holding her captive in his penetrating gaze, turned, and finally walked away.
Chase climbed into his truck the second she pulled out of the lot. His headlights came up behind her car as she turned onto the main road and headed home, her heart still pounding, adrenaline still rushing through her system, making her anxious and antsy. He followed her the whole way, and it eased the fear turning her insides sour.
They pulled up in front of her house. She parked in the driveway.
Chase parked on the street, but he made it to her car door the second she opened it. “Want to fill me in on what just happened? Because it feels like that’s not the first time he’s approached you.”
“They set that monster free six weeks ago.” She pushed past a stunned Chase and headed for her door like the hounds of hell were after her.
Chase came up behind her. “Is he harassing you?”