It Started with a Crush by Piper James

Chapter Nine

Sage

Agroan slipped through my lips as the black fog of sleep lifted. My head was pounding, and I draped an arm over my eyes to block out the light filtering in through my sheer curtains. It didn’t take long for the memories of the night before to flood in, and I groaned again.

I got tipsy on booze and Chase’s scent, let him kiss me, enjoyed the hell out of it, almost got caught, then told him thanks, but no thanks when he showed an interest in taking things further. The man was a fucking master at kissing, and I sentenced myself to never again feeling those lips against mine.

My lady bits were cursing me straight to hell as the conversation I had with Chase on the phone last night replayed in my head. He made it completely obvious he was interested, and not just in a quick fuck. He’d talked about not telling Daniel at first. Like he fully expected things between us to go well and possibly get to the point where we would tell him—when he was no longer my student.

Which would be nine months from now. When had I ever had a relationship that lasted nine months? Never. That was when. But I could see it happening with Chase.

And worse, I wanted it to happen.

I wanted to see where things would go between us. I wanted him in my life. And if I was being totally honest with myself, in my bed. I wanted his hands on me. His mouth. Everywhere.

“Fuck,” I mumbled, sliding my arm off my eyes and pushing myself up into a seated position.

Grabbing the glass of water I’d left on the nightstand, I chugged half of it before setting it back down and picking up my phone. I had several message notifications that I’d missed because I’d turned my phone to silent after my conversation with Chase. Bracing my pillow behind my back, I rested against it and scrolled through the messages.

Ember: Why did you leave so early? You feeling okay? You totally missed Dakota dirty dancing with Noah in the middle of the bar. So epic.

Belle: Hey! You make it home okay?Text me when you get this so I won’t worry.

Chase: Sorry if I came on too strong. I’m kind of rusty at the whole dating thing, and maybe saw signs that weren’t really there. Hope we can still be friends. Goodnight.

Choking on the word “friends,” I quickly tapped out generic replies to Ember and Belle, letting them know I was fine and made it home okay. Then I went back to Chase’s message and read it again.

Friends. Friends. Friends.

The word taunted me, echoing through my mind on a loop like some ancient torture tactic. Was he serious? Did he really want to be friends with me? Or was he only saying what he thought I wanted to hear to abolish any bad juju between us?

Because, honestly, I was one tiny step away from throwing my no-dating rule right out the window. For him. Because I liked the way he made me feel, and like some highly addictive drug, I wanted more of it. More of him.

I straightened, my breath whooshing out of me at the thought of really being with Chase.

“We could keep it a secret,” I murmured, my pulse spiking.

Would he go for that? I knew it would be asking a lot—and it would possibly insult the hell out of him—but if he agreed? We could explore whatever it was that had sparked between us without the backlash. No concern from the other parents. No censure from my fellow staff members. No one involved at all, save for me and Chase.

Which was the way it should be, anyway, right? Just the two of us, in our own little secret bubble without outside interference.

Within seconds, my brain had built the whole idea up into the most romantic of scenarios. Words like clandestine and illicit didn’t fit anywhere in the equation. Instead, my mind conjured up visions of stargazing in the middle of nowhere while snuggling on a blanket in the bed of his truck and secret rendezvous in cute little out-of-the-way bed-and-breakfasts.

I forced myself to calm down, loosening my tight grip on my phone. I needed to think this through and not act impulsively. I couldn’t continue to send Chase mixed signals, so I needed to be sure this was really what I wanted before proposing it to him.

Plus, I was scared he’d shoot me down without hesitation.

No, I needed to wait until I saw him again. That way, I could gauge his interest before just blurting it out like an idiot. If he showed any signs of still wanting me, I’d carefully lay out my idea. If he didn’t show any interest, well, I’d just let it go and force myself to get over it.

My phone started to ring, and I dropped it with a yelp. A shaky laugh burst out of me as I picked it back up. I’d been so deep in thought, the damn thing nearly gave me a heart attack.

“Morning, Belle,” I said after connecting the call.

“Good morning,” she said. “How are you feeling this morning?”

“I’m fine,” I said. “I didn’t have that much to drink.”

“Oh, I know,” she said, her tone turning cryptic. “Just making sure nothing else is bothering you.”

I knew that tone. That was her “I know something I shouldn’t, and I’m going to torture you with it” tone.

“Just spit it out, Annabelle,” I said, dread filling my gut.

“So, you and Chase seemed pretty cozy last night,” she said, her voice turning innocent and conversational.

“I don’t follow,” I said, forcing my own tone to match hers.

“I just meant it seemed like you two were getting along pretty well.”

“Yeah, he seems like a decent enough guy,” I said carefully.

“And…” she said, drawing the word out.

“And what?”

“Oh, come on, Sage. We’ve been best friends forever, and I know all of your tells. Spill it.”

“He’s…nice?” I offered, and she groaned.

“What happened back by the bathrooms?” she blurted, making me suck in a sharp breath. “You went, then he went. You came back with swollen lips and glassy eyes, and Chase showed up a minute later acting all shifty and fidgety. You didn’t even look at him, and then made up an excuse to leave. I’m not stupid, Sage, and I’m not blind. Something happened, and if I had to guess, I’d say you two were making out like teenagers in the ladies’.”

“We were not in the bathroom,” I blurted out defensively, then flinched.

Fuck. Tricky little bitch trapped me, and I fell for it.

Her laughter pealed in my ear before she said, “I knew it! You guys kissed! How was it?”

“Amazing,” I sighed, letting myself fall back against the mattress.

“Then what’s wrong?”

“You know my rule, Belle. His son is in my class.”

“Rules were made to be broken,” she sang.

“Says the woman who fell in love with her fake husband,” I deadpanned.

“Exactly,” she said, her voice filled with confidence. “If I hadn’t broken my father’s ridiculous rule, I never would’ve married Ryder. I wouldn’t have broken my own rule and fell in love with him, and I wouldn’t be blissfully happy right now.”

“That’s different,” I grumbled.

“Wait a minute,” she said, her voice suddenly filled with suspicion. “Why are you trying to shift the conversation to me and what I did?”

“I don’t know what you mean,” I hedged.

“Again, I know your tells. What are you up to, Sage Barlow?”

I expelled a long breath, and Belle remained silent while I gathered my thoughts. I had to tell her everything, and she knew I would. It was the way things had always been between us. I’d just make sure to swear her to secrecy before I uttered a word.

And she’d keep the secret, because that’s what best friends did. Of course, I still had to keep it from Ember. That girl had no filter and said whatever popped into her head. She was crap at keeping secrets, and was thankfully fully self-aware. If she ever found out I told Belle and not her, she wouldn’t be upset.

I took another deep breath. “Promise not to tell a soul?”

“Of course,” she promised. “Tell me everything. Don’t leave out a single detail.”