Chapter 8

CHAPTEREIGHT

Liv

A sudden knock on my door jolts me awake from my slumber. I groggily rub my eyes and squint at my phone to check the time. It’s only seven-thirty in the morning. I let out a groan.

Gunner spent the night over at my place after we watched movies together. He woke me up from a nightmare and comforted me until I fell back asleep. At five am, he left to get ready at his apartment because he had to be at work by six. Since it’s Friday, I have no classes and wanted to sleep in a bit. I hope he’ll check in with me during the day, so I know he’s okay.

Another knock interrupts my thoughts, and I drag myself out of bed. Maybe he forgot something? I open the door just an inch and peek outside, finding Chase standing there.

“You look adorable in the morning,” he says with a chuckle.

I groan again and open the door wider, letting him in. He leans down to kiss me, but I put a hand over my mouth.

“Morning breath,” I say, but he pulls my hand away.

“Like I give a fuck,” he whispers before swooping in for a kiss.

I hum happily against his lips. He breaks the kiss and pulls playfully on my messy bun, which is already falling to the side of my head.

“Did you sleep okay, gorgeous?” he asks, and I yawn.

“I did, but somebody disturbed me,” I say with a frown. “Why did you wake me up?”

“I feel like we haven’t had the opportunity to talk after everything went down, and I wanted to take you out for breakfast before we head to the studio,” he says, taking my pinky finger and hooking it with his. I smile at him.

“Chase, it really is okay. I believe that she came at you and that you didn’t do anything to hurt me. We’re good, honestly,” I say, and he nods.

“I’m happy to hear that, but I meant what happened on the dance floor the night before,” he says, and my brows rise.

“You mean the sex?” I ask, and he chuckles.

“Yes, I mean the mind-blowing, life-changing sex we had before you dropped me like a hot potato.”

“I didn’t drop you,” I say, biting my lip.

“No, you just rocked my world and disappeared directly afterwards. Maybe that’s the karma I deserve, but I still didn’t like it,” he says, and I laugh.

“You did not just reference your being a player right after talking about us having sex? Chase, I thought you had game,” I tease, and he winces.

“I’m sorry, that was dumb,” he says. “You make me nervous, Liv. I’m never like this, but I want to give this relationship my best and make you happy, make sure I can keep you.”

My heart swells at his words. He’s usually so confident, but it’s good to see a vulnerable side of him too. I reach up and play with one of the curls falling out of his man bun, smiling at him.

“Chase Miller just confirmed he’s in a relationship out of his own free will. Wow,” I tease, and he pulls me to him, messing up my hair even more.

“You little brat,” he says playfully, and I laugh, getting out of his hold.

“You don’t have to be nervous, Chase,” I say, seriously. “You have me. I’m not going anywhere.”

He pecks my lips and looks down at me, still smiling. I’m wearing his hoodie, my koi T-shirt, and sleep shorts, but the hoodie is so long, it looks like I have nothing underneath, showing off my bare legs. Chase is dressed in grey sweatpants and a tight black Tanner Fitness T-shirt.

“That’s my favorite hoodie you know,” Chase says in a husky voice.

“I have to wash it and give it back to you,” I say. He looks confused, so I continue, “It almost doesn’t smell like you anymore.” I pout. “I need a new one, or you have to wear this one for a day before giving it back to me.”

“If you want to have my scent all around you, you should sleep in my bed tonight,” he suggests with a chuckle, stepping closer to me.

“Tempting,” I reply, smiling, “but I need time to catch up with my classes.”

“Fair enough,” he says with a nod and tugs on my wrist. “Come on, let’s get some breakfast.”

“Have you seen me?” I ask. “I need a shower and some time to get ready.”

“Then get on with it,” he says with a smirk and crosses his arms, thinking I wouldn’t dare undress in front of him. You play with fire, you get burned.

“You can look, but not touch,” I whisper into his ear, standing on my toes.

His eyes widen. With my back to him, I grab the hem of his hoodie and the koi shirt, then pull them over my head in one swift motion, letting the clothing fall to the floor. Then, I bend down and shimmy my hips to slide out of my sleep shorts before stepping out of them and walking towards the bathroom with a swing in my hips, giving Chase a full view of my backside. I feel my ass jiggle with the motion and hear him let out a low groan of appreciation. Once inside the bathroom, I leave the door open as I brush my teeth and hair.

Chase comes over and leans against the doorway, arms still crossed, his eyes fixed on my chest. He’s trying to restrain himself, but it’s clear he’s finding it difficult. I tie my hair into a new, less messy bun and step into the tub, feeling the warm water cascade down my body. I purposely leave the shower curtain open, giving Chase a better view.

I start rubbing my skin with my vanilla scented soap, closing my eyes and enjoying the sensation of my hands gliding up and down my arms, thighs, and eventually, my breasts. I squeeze them, feeling the pleasure build up inside me, before rinsing off all the foam with the showerhead. When I open my eyes, Chase is standing in front of the tub, his eyes burning with desire as he lifts his hand.

“Uh-uh, I said no touching,” I say quickly, and give him a playful smirk, relishing the power I have over him.

He takes the showerhead from my hand and adjusts the water pressure with a quick press of a button.

“I’m not going to touch you,” he whispers.

My breath hitches as he slowly brings the showerhead to my pussy, and I gasp when he finds just the right spot. I grip onto the shower mount, my body tensing as the water pulses against my clit, while Chase continues to hold the showerhead steady. He leans into me, his free hand on the wall next to my head, eyes fixed on my face as he watches my pleasure build. My moans grow louder, echoing off the bathroom walls, and I feel my legs start to shake as I reach the brink of an orgasm.

Suddenly, Chase turns off the water, leaving me panting and frustrated.

“What the hell, Chase?” I protest, looking up at him. He grins down at me, his eyes shining with mischief.

“I told you I wasn’t going to touch you,” he says, “but I didn’t say I was going to let you come.”

I pout, and he pecks my lips.

“You’re not in charge here, gorgeous,” he says with a wink.

What the fuck was that? I just got played at my own game.

“Come on,” he says, reaching out a hand to help me out. “Let’s get you dressed and grab some breakfast before we head to the studio.”

I take his hand, my body still buzzing with the leftover sensations of the water pulsing against my clit. I dry myself quickly, wrap a towel around my body, and put on some light makeup before walking past him to my room to get dressed. I let my towel fall and catch him staring at me, so I laugh, feeling good about myself.

“Like what you see, Chase?” I ask, teasing him.

“You have no idea,” he replies, smirking and shaking his head.

I roll my eyes and start getting dressed, putting on a pair of black leggings and an olive green sports bra. I bend to grab my loose black sweater from the floor to pull on, facing Chase, and he whistles appreciatively.

“Damn, Liv,” he says, biting his bottom lip as he looks at my cleavage.

“Want to take a picture?” I joke, and he takes out his phone.

“God, yes. Can I?” he asks, and I burst out laughing.

“What, of just my cleavage?” I ask.

He nods eagerly, so I reach into the sports bra to push my ladies up a bit, making sure they look their best. Chase follows my every movement with his eyes.

“Have at it,” I say, and he searches for the best angle, his tongue sticking out of the corner of his mouth. It’s cute as hell.

“Perfect,” he mutters and shows me the picture. It’s just a close-up of my cleavage, my peaked nipples visible through the material, but it looks sexy, and I can’t help but giggle.

“Send me that, please,” I say.

“Anything you want, Liv,” Chase replies with a smile.

I put the sweater on, then grab my sports bag, keys, and purse.

“I did want an orgasm,” I say, rolling my eyes, and Chase laughs as he slaps my ass on the way out.

* * *

Ryder

I watch Liv as she performs a new dance routine. She looks stunning and fucking sexy when she dances. I’m not sure if she’s doing it to tease Chase, since every now and then, she shoots him a smirk. He’s sitting right next to me, sporting an obvious boner in his sweatpants, seemingly frustrated.

They did arrive together earlier, bringing us breakfast and coffee. Chase left for his classes, while Liv worked out with Chris and me. We had a blast, and it was heartwarming to see those two getting back together after Liv left.

Chris doesn’t know the whole story and thinks Liv left because of the misunderstanding with Chase. She was worried sick and asked about her the whole time.

Liv is dancing to “Buttons” by The Pussycat Dolls. She bends over with her back to us and moves her hand up to her butt from between her thighs. Okay, maybe I have a boner now too. I lean forward in my seat just as she bends down again, her side to us, giving Chase bedroom eyes. She puts her hands on the floor, keeping her knees straight and letting herself fall into a split, her ass jiggling when it meets the studio floor. Holy shit.

“Fuck,” Chase mutters before standing up and leaving.

I watch him go and hear Liv laugh when the doors bang forcefully behind him. She stops the music and comes down to where I’m sitting.

“I knew you were teasing him, you little minx,” I say with a smirk, pulling her close to me and kissing her forehead.

“I just had to make a point,” she says with a chuckle.

“Consider it delivered,” I say.

“Remember that for the future, Ryder. Play with fire, get burned.” She winks at me, and I laugh out loud.

“Oh, I can’t wait to test that theory myself.”

I kiss her deeply, my hands holding her head. I stroke her cheek as I break the kiss.

“Are you coming home with me tonight?” I ask her, pulling her even tighter against me and letting her feel how she’s affected me. Her breath hitches and her eyes get hooded, but she gently pushes me away and shakes her head.

“Nope, no boys tonight. I need to catch up on my homework and get that shit over with,” she replies, and I pout.

“I could help you,” I say.

“The only thing you would help me with is getting out of my pants.” She chuckles. Well, she’s not wrong. “So you all stay away from me tonight. I plan to catch up so I can at least do something nice tomorrow before getting back to studying on Sunday.”

“Do you already have plans?” I ask, and she blushes.

“No, but I hoped one or all of you guys would have some time to spend with me?”

So fucking cute.

“Have you ever been to Miami?” I ask her, and she beams at me.

“No, but I’ve always wanted to go!”

“That’s perfect because I ordered some guitar strings and have to pick them up tomorrow. You could come, and we can make a whole day out of it. Shopping trip?”

“That sounds great! Should we ask the others to come too?”

“I’m sorry, baby. Riv is occupied with an assignment, Jax gave Chris a free weekend, and Chase has classes. It would just be us.”

She steps back closer to me and puts her arms around my neck.

“Why would you be sorry for that? I’d love to have you all to myself for a day,” she says, making my heart flutter, and I squeeze her hips.

“I’d like that very much too.” I just want to kiss her again when she steps out of the embrace and grabs her bag.

“No boys tonight!” She points at me, turns, and sprints away a few feet.

“Are you telling me that or reminding yourself?” I ask with a chuckle before the doors close behind her.