It Started with a Crush by Piper James

Chapter Twelve

Chase

Iwanted to say no to Sage’s ridiculous plan—

Shit. Who the fuck did I think I was kidding? There was no way in hell I was ever going to say no to any plan that gave me a chance to spend time with her. I’d put on a fake mustache and wear a beret if it meant I could take her out and get to know her a little better.

And kiss her. Yeah, there was going to be a lot more kissing. I’d barely gotten a taste of her when reality crashed back in, reminding us that we weren’t alone in the house. I’d been a little bit out of my mind before that, my mouth devouring her while my hands groped her ass. God, she had a fantastic ass.

Now, we were back in the dining room, pretending like all we’d done was tuck Daniel in for the night. Like we hadn’t struck a deal to be clandestine lovers—okay, maybe I was getting ahead of myself.

But Sage had kissed me back like she was starved for it. Like there was nowhere else in the world she’d rather be than right there in my arms, our mouths locked together as our tongues danced to music only we could hear. And the way she gripped my hair in her tight fists, using that hold to tilt my head to an angle that suited her…

Fuck, I was getting hard again. My eyes lifted from the beer bottle I was peeling the label from to Sage, whose cheeks were flushed as she uncrossed her legs to cross them in the other direction. She was sitting two seats down from me, Daniel’s now-empty chair between us. Her eyes were on my fingers, watching them meticulously peel the paper from the bottle.

And she was very obviously turned on. Fuck. My dick sprang to life, going from half-mast to full sail in a split-second. As casually as I could manage, I pushed a hand under the table to ease some of the pressure by adjusting myself. Sage’s gaze followed the movement, and I saw her eyes widen just before she jerked them away to stare in the opposite direction.

I had to fight to keep the smile from my face. It wasn’t like she actually saw anything—the tablecloth was draped over my lap to hide my now-raging hard-on. But the fact that she knew what I’d done under there—that my dick was hard for her—had her practically panting.

I pulled my phone from my pocket and held it under the table, pushing the tablecloth out of the way so I could see the screen. Pulling up Sage’s number, I shot her a quick text and prayed her phone was in her pocket.

Me: You okay? You seem flustered.

I tapped the send icon and was rewarded a second later by the buzz of her phone vibrating and her muted shriek of surprise. I scanned the table, but everyone else was caught up in their own conversations so they didn’t notice Sage’s reaction.

I returned my gaze to the beer label and resumed peeling while I waited for her to respond. I wondered if she’d call me out for messing with her or pretend like she had no clue what I was talking about. My phone buzzed in the hand I still held under the table, and I lowered my eyes to read her message.

Sage: How would you like it if I reached under the table right now and touched myself while you were watching?

Holy-mother-fucking-shit-balls. I didn’t know what I expected her to say, but it sure as shit wasn’t that. My heart was pounding erratically as I imagined what she described, and I almost came in my pants right then and there.

Please. Please do it, now.

My mind was screaming the words, but there was no way in hell I was telling her that. Because if she actually did it…

I would end up embarrassing us both. By yanking her out of her chair and dragging her back into that empty bedroom. Fuck. Now, it was all I could think about.

“Chase?”

“What?”

The word came out a little too forcefully as I looked around, trying to determine who called my name. Of course, it was impossible to tell, because everyone at the table was staring at me. Ryder chuckled, and Belle shook her head before arching a knowing brow at me.

“What the hell are you looking at on your phone? You look like you’re ready to kill something. Or someone,” Noah said, reaching over in an attempt to take the device from me.

“Nothing,” I said, snatching it out of his reach.

I quickly closed out the texting app and locked the screen, in case my brother had any ideas about trying to take it again. I purposefully kept my gaze off Sage as the others slowly went back to their conversations, but I could see her shoulders shaking in my peripheral vision.

The little vixen was getting a kick out of this. A few minutes later, my phone buzzed in my hand, and I hid it in my lap as I unlocked the screen.

Sage: Sorry, but that was epic. Who’s flustered now?

I closed out the app without responding and set my phone on the table in front of me. This side of Sage was surprising, but not unwelcome. I never would’ve guessed she’d be so open and blunt, and I found it extremely refreshing. And extremely arousing.

I spent the rest of the dinner party trying to avoid looking at her, smelling her scent, and hearing her voice. It was impossible, of course, since she was sitting three feet away from me, but I tried. Ember and Dakota were the first to leave, followed soon after by Belle’s brothers and their families. I assumed they’d be staying here, but apparently they’d rented a house for their stay so they wouldn’t impose on their sister and her new husband.

Noah stood and stretched, and Ethan looked at me, asking “Are you ready to go?”

“Hey, Chase?” Belle called out, cutting off whatever answer I was about to give. “Can you hang out for a bit and help Ryder load up my Jeep with the fishing gear? Sage can give you a ride home after, can’t you?”

Her gaze shifted to Sage, who nodded at her with narrowed eyes. “Of course.”

“Sure,” I said, then looked at Ethan. “I’ll see you back at the house.”

Ethan nodded, then stood to hug Belle and shake Ryder’s hand. Noah called out his goodbyes as he sauntered toward the front door.

“Do I really need help loading up a few fishing poles, a cooler, and a tackle box?” Ryder asked Belle once the guys were gone.

The little imp shrugged with a devious grin. “No, but that was the first thing that popped in my head.”

“What are you up to?” he asked, eyeing her suspiciously.

Belle looked at Sage, who nodded with a sigh. Then she stood, hugged them both, and walked over to me.

“You ready?” she asked.

“Yeah,” I said, still confused.

I gave Ryder a one-armed bro hug, then wrapped my arms around Belle and squeezed.

“Don’t you dare hurt her,” she whispered before releasing me.

I gave her a warm smile, and she returned it with one of her own. With one last goodbye and a reminder to call me if Daniel got too tired fishing, I followed Sage out onto the front porch.

“What was all that about?” I asked in a low voice.

“She hasn’t told Ryder about us yet. She was asking for permission to fill him in.”

“Oh,” I said, tilting my head. “Are you okay with that?”

“I wouldn’t ask her to keep secrets from her husband,” she said, then a small grin curved her lips. “She’d have to tell him something after that poorly disguised ploy to give us some time alone together. Besides, I’m pretty sure we can trust him.”

She winked at me, and I smiled back at her. We could trust any of my brothers, even loud-mouthed Noah. We Perrys were one hundred percent loyal to each other, and none of us would ever betray another.

“So, what now?” I asked, my mind heading straight for the gutter as I remembered her text message.

“Now, I take you home,” she said, slipping her hand into mine and tugging me toward her car.

“That’s a little forward, don’t you think? Taking me home when we just agreed to date?” I teased.

“To your home,” she clarified, squeezing my fingers. “Where I’ll drop you off and go to my home, alone.”

“Fine,” I said with a mock-sigh. “But first…”

I tightened my grip on her hand and spun her around. Backing her into the passenger side door, I released her and propped my hands on the roof, caging her in. Leaning into her, I rubbed my nose across her cheek before kissing her neck beneath her ear. The little hitch in her breath was music to my ears, the feel of her hands fisting in my shirt making me hard all over again.

“I just need another taste,” I whispered, kissing a path from her neck, along her jaw, to her mouth. Hovering just above her, so close our lips brushed as I spoke, I asked, “Can I kiss you, Sage?”

She answered by sucking my bottom lip into her mouth and biting it lightly. When she ran her tongue over it to soothe the slight sting, all good sense deserted me. I reached down with both hands and lifted her until her legs wrapped around my waist. I devoured her mouth, tasting every inch of it with my tongue while I ground my hard cock against her.

It was insanity. We hardly knew each other and had just decided to try dating, in secret at that, yet here we were dry humping in my brother’s driveway a couple of hours later. I felt like a fucking teenager, my hormones controlling every one of my decisions while my mind and body cheered them on.

And Sage held on tight, giving me back every bit of it with equal measure.

Somehow, I managed to regain some control, and I slowly ended the kiss. Sage was panting when I finally pulled my head back, keeping her body locked against the car with mine.

“To answer your question, I would like it very much,” I whispered.

She stared at me with confusion for several beats, and I could tell the second her mind worked out what the hell I was talking about—her teasing-as-fuck text message.

How would you like it if I reached under the table right now and touched myself while you were watching?

One side of her mouth ticked up as excitement flared in her blue eyes. I groaned. Pressing my mouth against hers in a single, hard kiss, I unwrapped her legs from around me and waited until they were solidly beneath her before taking a big step back.

“Take me home before I pull you into the backseat and ravish you right here, right now,” I said.

She hesitated for a brief second, making me groan her name. She chuckled then, and sashayed around the car to climb in behind the wheel. We didn’t speak on the drive, but we held hands the whole way, my thumb brushing lightly over her knuckles.

I felt…happy. Happier than I’d been in a long time. And I couldn’t wait to sneak around with Sage Barlow.