Oh, sweet summer child. Of course he wouldn’t know. Girls came along and threw themselves at his feet. Or his other body parts. No wining and dining required.

I stole a glance at him. “Let me guess, you don’t go on dates.”

“Not really.” He took a sip of his hot chocolate, dark brow furrowed. “But isn’t this something you’d do with your friends? Get drinks, sit around, and gossip and shit? You know, chick stuff.”

“I guess so,” I said. “You want to do chick stuff with me?”

“Why not? My life is testosterone overload most of the time. It gets old. Plus, guys are smelly. Dallas after a game could be a biological weapon.”

We came to a fork in the path, and he pointed to the left. Ahead was a rickety staircase built into the hillside, its wood gray and weathered with age. It didn’t look like it could support Chase, let alone both of us, but he knew what he was doing. I hoped.

I laughed. “This is your ulterior motive? Not to mess with Luke, but so we can get mani-pedis and have pillow fights?”

He cocked a brow, gesturing for me to go up the stairs first. “For the record, you texted me tonight.”

“You kidnapped me from the arena before that.” I took a tentative step, testing the surface below my foot before climbing the steep staircase. Chase followed, his line of sight likely somewhere near my ass. My mind ricocheted back to the kiss earlier, my knees going weak at the memory.

“And before that, you cockblocked me at XS.”

I glanced back at him. “You came up to me first, Mr. Wannabe Airline Pilot.”

“Fair enough.” He grinned. “I’ll pass on the mani-pedis, but I’m down for a pillow fight any day of the week. Preferably in our underwear.”

Oh.

Picturing Chase in underwear wasn’t helping me keep my mind straight after that kiss.

He came to stand beside me on the landing, halfway up the stairs, and I poked him in the side. “Don’t be dirty.”

“What?” Chase said with mock innocence. “I wasn’t.”

I raised my eyebrows.

“Fine, I was. But the offer stands.”

15. desperate times

CHAPTER 15

DESPERATE TIMES

Chase

Bailey and I finished scaling the wooden staircase built into the earth and rounded a corner at the top, coming out at an opening in the trees. I was a little winded, not because I’d just climbed two stories’ worth of stairs—I could do that in my sleep—but from my proximity to her.

I was losing my chill.

“Wow,” Bailey breathed. “You can see all of downtown.”