Waiting For It - Allyson Lindt Page 0,17

squeezed my hip. “She gave me permission to try to win her over.”

“Then I want the same.” There wasn’t much room for misinterpretation in Luke’s words this time.

That didn’t stop me from asking, “What?”

Luke stepped in front of me and held my gaze. “I want permission to try to win you over.”

Were they really almost-fighting over me? This wasn’t happening. There was no way. I held up my arm and pinched. Ow.

“Anne?” Luke raised an eyebrow.

Chase dipped his head near my ear. “It’s not a dream. I promise.” The heat of his stage whisper danced over my skin.

“Dream-you would say that.” I refused to be stunned silent, even as I struggled to process what was going on.

“There’s a dream version of me?” Chase trailed his nose along the shell of my ear. “What else does he say? Would you like me to provide him with some explicit dialog for his next appearance?”

This was over the top. I loved the idea and the attention, but it was too much. Straight out of some imitation of an Alpha hero always gets what he wants romance novel. “You’re both yanking my chain.” That had to be it. Including those kisses? “There are hidden cameras?” The kind that land us on Smut Central? My brain needed to stop. “Will I see this on YouTube in the morning and have to pray it doesn’t go viral?”

Chase spun me to face him, and cupped my cheeks between his hands. A whimper stuck in my throat at the intensity in his gaze and touch.

“I would never do that to you.” He sounded hurt, but he wasn’t as sparkling good and innocent as that tone implied.

“You told Sadie that Jax called her names, and you did it to keep them apart.”

Chase dropped his hands, tilted his head back, and let out a frustrated groan, before looking at me again. “Ten years ago. Fuck. We all made mistakes in high school. I thought we were over that.”

Luke grasped my hand, drawing my attention, and rested a finger under my chin.

I was learning to like that as much as I disliked his generic hmm.

“I don’t know what he’s up to, but I’m not willing to let you go that easily unless you tell me to leave you alone,” he said. “The only thing holding me back was I don’t want you to think—”

“That my job is on the line. I get it.” That was the one thing I did understand. But this appeared to be exactly what the two of them said it was—these gorgeous men were fighting over me.

A barking laugh escaped my throat.

Chase and Luke stared at me, questioning expressions on their handsome faces.

“Care to share the joke?” Chase asked.

That was what I wanted to say to them. This was happening—except shit like this didn’t happen in the actual world.

“Um... Okay. You can both try to win me over.” It felt ludicrous, saying the words, but at the same time, I was looking forward to the ride.

“Good.” Chase grinned. Gripping my hips, he pulled me back to him and crushed his mouth to mine.

A fresh wave of desire spilled through me. God, I loved everything about his kisses. How was this my life now?

Chapter Nine

My lips were still tingling when Chase stepped off the shuttle for his car-rental company.

“Looks like I need to up my game.” Luke sounded more entertained than put out.

I fell into step beside him as we headed for our car. “Please don’t.”

“I don’t understand.”

“I can only handle so much smoldering intensity.” I kept the teasing in my reply. We reached the car, and I set my bags on the ground.

Instead of opening the trunk, Luke turned to me. “And you’re getting your fill from Chase?” Amusement overrode the hurt in his voice. He stepped toward me, and I backed up until I collided with a cement pillar. “You don’t want to be pressed against the wall?” Luke grabbed my wrists in a single swoop and pinned them over my head. His body molded to mine. “Devoured, until your legs are weak and your voice is hoarse?” he growled against my skin.

I didn’t fight my whimper. “I never said that.”

“You sure?” Luke let go and put some distance between us.

Did. Not. Like. I wanted his body fitted against mine again. “I just don’t want to lose the fun.” I could do this. Handle the flirting and be normal around him. I’d been psyching myself up to do that for more than a day now. It