After one feverish night with Tyler Evans, Rory is never supposed to see the man draped in enigmas and devilish charms again.
Six months later, she's deep into a summer fling with Chace. As their fling becomes a committed relationship, she's adamant...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
The Miami sun beats down on my skin. Fire burns my lungs. Sweat clings to my body. I'm going to die. I lean against the nearest tree, rough bark digs into my palm, and heave in desperation.
"Rory?" Chace calls from somewhere ahead of me.
"B-back here," I wheeze. Why did I agree to this?
Chace's sneakers shift through the dirt, crunching branches and leaves as he approaches. "Babe, we've been jogging for three minutes." He scans his Apple watch before showing the time mocking me across the screen. "Come on. Let's make it five, then we can break."
"I can't." I stumble forward on jelly legs and lean my forehead against his chest. "I think I'm dying."
"You're not dying." His broad chest rumbles with laughter and he rubs my shoulder. "The burning is a good sign."
I bunch up his shirt. "How do you do this every day?"
"For one, I love it." He places his fingers under my chin and lifts my gaze. "Second, I am kind of an athlete. This is what I do."
"Mhm. This is what I get for dating an athlete." I pout. "Can you carry me?"
With a sigh, he tilts his head to the side, letting golden hair tease his ocean eyes. "Rory."
I protrude my bottom lip. "Please? I'm not that heavy."
"You're not heavy at all. I just feel like such a pushover with you." As he says this, weakness dampens his eyes. We both know he can't say no to me, but still, he puts up a feeble fight.
"If you carry me, that's about how much you lift just sitting on your back. You could really get your work out then."
He doesn't find my comment funny but puts forth a weak look of amusement. Leaning down, he brushes his soft lips over mine while strands of his hair tickle my forehead. "I adore you—you know that?"
"I know." I smile and press into him. "I adore you too."
"Alright." He turns and bends down enough for my short legs to reach. "Hop on before I change my mind."
I climb on his back and sling my arms around his neck. Citrus body wash fills my nose, making my mouth water. If only we were back at my apartment, I could curl up in his arms and smell him all day. Firm hands grab my thighs, and he resumes the path we were on.
Chace is one of the best things to happen to me in this world. Due to my obsessive cravings—a plague of the mind and body where sex controls me whether I want it to or not—most men and women refuse to trust me to commit to them and find me exhausting. Even a year of clarity under my belt isn't enough to make them stay long enough to care. Chace embraced my past struggles with open arms. He's the first person (besides Victoria) to ever want to work with me and not against me. He trusts me.
