What He Bargains (What He Wants, Book Nineteen) (90 page)

There was a long silence as she pondered what to say next. “I don’t think I can forgive you for what you did. I don’t think I could ever trust you.”

“That’s not an answer,” he replied. “Tell me you don’t want to see me right now. That would be a lie, Faith.”

“It doesn’t matter what I want. What matters is that you’re dangerous, and I need to protect myself.”

“I don’t want you protecting yourself,” he said. “I want that job, Faith.”

His words struck her to her very core. She wanted it to be true so badly, and it felt so good to hear him say it, and yet Faith knew it was just another manipulative tactic.

“I can’t do this,” she said, and it physically hurt to say it.

“Why not?” he asked, and now she could hear the emotion in his voice, and the frustration, too. “Why can’t you do it?”

“Because,” she said, “I couldn’t look at myself in the mirror if I let myself be with a guy who was treating me like a prostitute.”

“That’s over with,” Chase told her. “This has got nothing to do with Club Alpha or any of that shit.”

“How can I trust you?”

“Let me prove it to you, Faith. Let me show you that I’m willing to stand up for us—I’m willing to fight for what you mean to me.”

She shook her head. “Just stop it.”

“You know what I said about not taking the easy road?” he continued. “If I care about something, I’ll fight to the death to protect it. And I’ll stand up in front of the world and let them know it, too.”

Suddenly, Faith heard the bathroom door open and then Haley’s voice, calling to her. “Faith, are you in there? Is everything okay?”

“I have to go,” Faith whispered into the phone.

“Wait—“

And then she hung up on him, shutting her eyes tightly as she did so, and feeling the stabbing pain in her stomach and chest as she realized that she might be ending something that truly mattered to her.

Why do I fight so hard for a job I hate and I won’t even fight for a man that I might be falling in love with?

But she refused to think that way. She couldn’t be falling in love with Chase Winters. He was unattainable, he was a star athlete who had seen her as an easy lay, a girl who would keep her mouth shut in exchange for a paycheck.

No. Just no.

“Faith?” Haley called again, her footsteps coming closer to the stall. “Honey, I know you’re in there. I can see your cute little heels.”

“I’m okay,” Faith said, trying to keep her voice light. “I just had to make a quick phone call.”

“In the bathroom stall? What do you, work for the CIA now?” Haley asked.

“Something like that,” Faith replied, opening the door and coming out.

Haley looked at her evenly. “Who is he?” she said.

“Who is who?”

“The guy that made you look so sad.”

“He’s nobody,” she said, thinking that that was the biggest lie yet. He was far from nobody.

Haley seemed to accept Faith’s non-response, which was kind of her. She wasn’t the type to push and pry like Jena.

They left the bathroom together, and as they went past the pool tables, Todd joined them, throwing his arms around both their shoulders. “My two favorite people in the whole wide world,” he said.

“Get off of me—your hands are sticky,” Haley said.

“Bullshit,” Todd told her, now walking with his arm just over Faith’s shoulder. “I been waiting to talk to you all night,” he said to her.

“Todd, she’s only been here a few minutes,” Haley said. “Leave the poor girl alone.”

“What? I aint bothering her.” He shook his head.

Soon, they reached the table, where Jena was chatting away with one of Todd’s friends, a tall guy with a backwards cap.

They sat down and now it was a big group, and everyone seemed happy, laughing, drinking—everyone but Faith.

She tried to smile, tried to laugh and keep up with the conversation, but it was difficult to concentrate. All she could think about was loss.

You took the easy road again, because let’s face it. You’re too afraid to fight for what you really care about. Instead of really trying to be a writer like you always wanted, you copped out and got a temp job and kept at it even when the boss treated you like dirt. And then you met a guy—an amazing guy—who cares about you, who you also care about. But the second things got tough, you folded.

Chase was right about you.

She could hardly contain her tears, and everyone around her seemed like faded old memories, like pictures that were sitting in a moldy photo album, and now she was drifting away from them, leaving them behind.

She didn’t want to be there, she wanted to leave.

Who cared if they got their feelings hurt? She couldn’t sit there anymore and pretend to have fun. It hurt too much.

As Faith cleared her throat and got ready to announce her departure (
I don’t feel very well, guys, I’m sorry…
)

She suddenly heard a collective gasp from the other customers at the bar.

And then someone said, “Shit, that’s Chase Winters!”

The whole place was instantly abuzz, and Faith felt like she might pass out, as she looked up and saw that Chase was entering the bar and looking around.

He’s looking for me. Holy shit. How did he even know to come here?

Part of her wanted to crawl under the table and hide, but the other part of her was just so happy to see his face, and to know that he hadn’t given up on her, even if she was mortified at him showing up to her hometown bar.

After what seemed like an eternity, but in reality was all of about five seconds, Chase spotted her and then he began walking towards her, ignoring the shouts and flashes from people’s cell phone cameras as they tried to capture the moment.

“What’s he doing?” Jena cried. “Why’s he coming over here?”

Only Haley appeared to grasp what was going on, as she turned towards Faith.

“Is that him?” she asked, softly, but clearly audible beneath the rising din around them.

Faith nodded, as Chase got closer and closer, looming larger and larger. Compared to every other person in there, he was practically a giant.

It was interesting, Faith noted, how whoever he came close to, the small area of people in that vicinity fell silent. And it was the surrounding people that were further away that were loud, yelling and joking and laughing.

But Chase was such an intimidating presence, that as he got near, those same people inevitably fell silent. And they wouldn’t start talking again until he was sufficiently far away from them.

And that’s just what was happening at her table, as he got within a few feet and his eyes locked on Faith. Her whole table fell dead silent.

“I told you I wasn’t afraid to do this,” he said to her.

Nobody else knew who he was even talking to.

Haley’s brother, Todd, pointed to himself. “Are you talking to me?” he asked, his larger than life persona now turned as meek as a church mouse.

“No,” Chase said his gaze flicking over to Todd and then immediately locking back onto Faith. “I’m talking to her,” he said, stepping closer again.

The din and the bar was simmering now, as people strained to hear their conversation.

Faith swallowed, realizing all eyes were upon her now.

“How did you know I was here?” she said, her voice seeming to carry and echo.

“I followed you.” He didn’t appear at all embarrassed by this admission.

Meanwhile, her cheeks were burning. “I—I don’t know…what to even say.”

“Say that you’ll forgive me,” he told her.

There was a long silence. “Chase,” she began.

“You better forgive him! He’s fucking awesome!” someone yelled from nearby, and the whole entire bar burst into laughter.

Chase Winters came for me. He came and found me. He really did.

As the tension broke, Faith found herself smiling. “Why not?” she said, feeling stupid for being so casual about such a huge moment.

But then the entire place was clapping, hooting and hollering, and Chase was coming over and grabbing her hand, pulling her to her feet as he planted an incredible, magical kiss on her lips in front of everyone.

The amazing thing about it, she realized, was that in the moment, as their lips met and she felt his flesh pressing into hers—Faith didn’t care about who was watching or what they thought about it.

All she knew was that she was with Chase.

And she understood that it was more important to her than she could ever have imagined.

F
aith checked
the time on her phone and saw that it had been nearly two hours since Chase Winters had showed up at the sports bar. It felt like only ten minutes had gone by, because she was on such a high, such a rush, and her emotions were carrying her away as if a tidal wave had burst through the thin wall she’d erected to keep her feelings at bay.

Chase was right at this very moment playing pool like any regular local boy. He was playing pool with Todd, who looked like he could die and go to heaven happy, because he was hanging with the quarterback of The New England Nationals.

Everyone at the bar was watching Chase, of course, but he’d asked everyone to please not take anymore photos or video of him for the rest of the time he was there, and people seemed to be respecting that.

The place had almost immediately filled with people who had been texted about the superstar’s arrival, and now they’d stationed bouncers out front that were keeping the rest of the unruly masses from getting inside.

Faith smiled to herself as Chase leaned down and took a shot on the eight ball, missing the corner pocket by mere inches.

Todd gave a fist pump. “I cannot believe I’m about to beat Chase freaking Winters at pool! My life is so awesome right now.” He spun around gleefully in a circle.

Chase lifted a plastic cup filled with beer to his lips and took a sip. “You still gotta make the money shot, young man. Don’t blow it or you won’t have any amazing story to tell your grandkids.” He turned and gave Faith a wink and a grin.

Haley gripped her arm so tightly that Faith almost yelped.

“How the hell did this happen?” Haley asked her for about the twentieth time.

Faith looked at her. “I told you—we met at a contest thingy before his first game.”

“I know, but come on. What happened next?”

Suddenly, Jena was standing next to them, butting in. “There’s got to be more to the story, Faith. Did you, like, give him an instant blowjob? I mean, I know your personality is cute and all, but a guy like Chase Winters needs more than a cute personality.”

Faith shot Jena a look. “I’m not going to even dignify that with a response.”

“Don’t listen to her,” Haley said, shaking her head. “She’s just drunk.”

“I am not. I’m a realist. There’s more to this than meets the eye.” Jena stuck out her bottom lip, turning and folding her arms as Haley’s brother missed the eight ball and left Chase a wide-open shot.

“I told you son,” Chase said, striding confidently to the table, bending down and knocking the eight ball in. “You can’t talk smack unless you know you can back it up.”

Todd closed his eyes and laughed. “Holy shit. I just lost to Chase freaking Winters.” Then he opened his eyes. “My life is so awesome right now.”

Chase shook his hand. “Let me buy you a beer, okay?”

“Absolutely.” Todd walked over to the bar with him and Chase bought him a beer, then looked around thoughtfully and turned back to the bartender.

“Actually bartender,” Chase said. “Why don’t you put the next round on my tab—for everyone in this joint?”

The whole place went wild, screaming and yelling and you’d have thought the Nationals had just won the Super Bowl from the reaction in the bar.

Chase locked eyes with Faith, laughing at the scene around him, and she smiled back at him, feeling so lucky to be connected to him like this. They were somehow able to share an entirely private moment together, even in the midst of this madness.

God, this might actually be real.

Please let this be real. Please don’t turn out to be another lie. I can’t take anymore disappointment.

A few minutes later, Chase was back by her side, chatting with her friends like they’d all known each other for years—like he was one of them.

She was seeing a different side to Chase now, and she loved it every bit as much as she loved the private, sexy side that he’d already displayed to her.

This was exciting in a whole new way. Standing next to him, feeling his protective aura as he cracked jokes and then looked at her to see if she was smiling or laughing, sometimes grabbing her hand or touching her arm, her shoulder.

Every look gave her a thrill, every smile, every graze of his hand, made her shiver with delight.

And then it was over, as Chase announced that he’d had a blast, but needed to get home to rest up for practice in the morning.

“Kick their ass on Sunday,” Todd said, raising a cup.

“Will do, partner,” Chase said.

“Bye, Haley—I’ll call you,” Faith whispered to her friend, as Haley grinned from ear to ear.

“Love you, babe.”

The entire rest of the crowded was still cheering Chase Winters enthusiastically, as he pulled Faith outside, moving quickly through the throng that was waiting in line still to get inside.

People called out to them.

“Chase, can I get a pic bro?”

“Take a selfie with my phone, Chase!”

“Chase, let me suck your cock!” one girl shrieked.

As they arrived at his car—a black Lexus that was slightly lower profile than his other sports car—a couple of drunken men approached them.

“Chase buddy, would you sign my hat?” one asked.

Chase shook his head as he unlocked the car, and it whooped twice, lights flashing. “No can do, boys. Me and the lady have to get going.”

“Come on, man, don’t be a stuck up fuckin’ prick,” the other drunk said.

Chase escorted Faith to her side and opened up her door. “Get in, quick,” he whispered, and she did as she was told.

As he walked toward his side, the other guy called out to him.