You're the Reason - J. Nathan Page 0,40
pavement below.
The thought of Sydney Lane jumping from four flights was astounding—not to mention heartbreaking.
I watched Chase stealthily climb the ladder, making it look so easy. He soon stood beside me. The darkness concealed us on top of the roof as we took in the view. The campus from that vantage point took my breath away. The old buildings were all dimly lit by a small light out front. The security lights in the corners of the quad cast a dim blue light on the sidewalk beneath them. The magnolia trees, though cloaked by night, created their very own wall of shadows all about.
Chase moved behind me, his chest pressing to my back as his arms slipped around me. He locked his hands on my stomach and rested his chin on my shoulder. “Isn’t it beautiful from up here?”
I nodded. “Is this your spot?”
“My spot?”
“Yeah, where you take all the girls?”
He chuckled, the vibration moving against my back. “Every last one of them.”
“No, seriously? How’d you know about it?”
“The Kappa Sigmas bring their pledges up here.”
“For what?”
“If I told you, I’d be breaking a century-old frat secret.”
“You’re joking.”
He chuckled. “I’m not. But I will tell you. They make pledges stand on the ledge of the roof and repeat the frat’s motto.”
“Wow. Such a big secret,” I teased.
“Naked,” he added.
I snorted. “Did you have to do that at your old fraternity?”
“I’ll deny it if anyone asks.”
“So, that’s a yes?”
He shrugged. “I’ve done a lot of things I’m not proud of.”
I wondered if that was his way of apologizing for all the things he’d done to hurt me.
He lifted his hands to my arms, moving them up and down my skin. “Jesus. You’re shaking.” He slipped his hand into mine. “Come on. I just wanted to show you the best view on campus. But it’s getting cold.”
“Thanks for taking me up here. It really is a beautiful view.”
“We can come back when it’s warmer,” he said.
I nodded, liking the idea that he was planning a future event for us. Like it was his way of saying this wasn’t only about tonight.
“It’s even better at sunset.”
“So, you do come up here a lot.”
“Yeah, I come up here a lot. But alone. When I need a break from the frat.”
Something about the way he stressed alone provided me with more reassurances of who Chase Reed really was.
He moved us back to the ledge by the ladder, and I watched as he climbed down first. Once he disappeared at the bottom, I shakily threw my leg over and climbed down, one careful step at a time—not looking beneath me. At the bottom, I considered kissing the ground, never so happy to be on solid ground before in my life. Maybe skydiving just wasn’t in the cards for me. I guess time would tell.
Chase and I got to my room a little while later. I flicked on the light, relieved Chantel hadn’t decided to cut her pledge bonding weekend short. I couldn’t even begin to imagine what would’ve happened if she had returned early.
Chase sat down on my bed. “You gonna kick me off your bed this time?”
I crossed my arms and tilted my head, liking the look of him on my bed a hundred times more than I had that first time I found him on it. What a difference a little time made. “Depends.”
He smirked. “On what?”
“Do you plan on pissing me off?”
He pushed himself to his feet and stalked toward me, cupping my cheeks between his hands. I quivered under his touch as he lowered his forehead to mine. “I told you I don’t plan on doing a lot of talking.” His mouth lowered to mine, his lips capturing mine in a delicious tangle of tongues. His hands slipped down my shoulders and over my arms before circling my hips and drifting to my ass. Without breaking our kiss, he lifted me right off my feet.
I hooked my arms around his neck and tightened my legs around his hips.
He turned and walked us to my bed. He lowered me down, following me and settling between my legs. I felt his kiss everywhere—hell, I felt him everywhere. Especially, between my legs. I deepened the kiss, arching into him as my hands skated down his muscular back. I wanted to be closer. I wanted the kiss to be deeper.
Chase finally pulled away, coming back up for air and leaving us both breathless. He studied my lips as our chests heaved liked we’d run a race.