Center Chase

Chapter 15

Chase

Lindsey is grinning at me. And, man, does it feel good to see her look at me like that! I thanked Taylor this morning for helping me sort things out with Lindsey. Thanks to her, I have a pretty solid shot at creating something incredible with the girl who has been the star of my dreams pretty much every night since I met her.

It's lucky for me that Liam is on drink number four and is feeling a decent buzz right now. Otherwise, he may have noticed I've been blatantly staring at his sister for the past half hour. I just wish I could spend some time alone with her. Would it be too obvious if I get up and stand next to her? Yeah, it probably would. Liam would definitely notice that.

Taylor, as if picking up on my internal struggle, moves to sit next to Liam in the open seat at the end of the table. She engages him in conversation, drawing his attention away from the other end of the table where I sit across from Lindsey. I mouth a quick "Thank you" to her and move into her old seat right next to my girl.

It's pretty loud in here tonight, so we have to lean close to hear one another. I may have leaned in closer than necessary, but at least I can use the loud bar as my excuse for doing so. I rest my arm over the back of her seat and lean so close my lips are nearly touching her ear. "I've been waiting for a chance to talk to you all night."

She blushes and turns to meet my eyes. "Oh, yeah?"

"Yeah. After talking to you last night, I couldn't wait to get back to see you. And I've been wanting to tell you how great you look tonight." She really did look incredible- form-fitting black jeans, a tight tee-shirt that showed the tiniest bit of skin when she moved just the right way, and a light scarf that was just loose enough that I could see the hollow of her neck. I bet she'd look incredible wearing only that scarf.

As my thoughts start to veer off into inappropriate territory, she leans closer and sets a hand on my thigh cautiously. "Thanks. You look pretty good yourself. And you looked amazing out there on the ice tonight." She looks up at me through her thick lashes, her bright green eyes boring a hole right into my soul.

I forget to breathe as she's looking at me. I can feel my heart pick up its pace. If I lean in just a tiny bit more, our lips will connect. Without realizing it, I start to move closer, not caring where we are or who could see. She doesn't move away.

Just before our lips connect, a loud crash from the table next to us makes us both jump back and turn our heads toward the intrusion. One of the defensemen tipped his chair too far back and is now sprawled out on the floor. A couple of the guys help him up as the other witnesses to the fiasco release their laughter. He tries to insist that he's not drunk and is perfectly capable of going a few more rounds tonight. I shake my head.

His voice fades into the background as I look back at Lindsey. I silently curse him for ruining our moment. Lindsey's looking at me apprehensively, and I get the feeling that there won't be a take two of what we were up to a moment ago.

Dammit!

Just as I start to lean back in to talk to Lindsey, Liam stalks over to us. He's about to open his mouth to speak when a catchy song starts playing overhead.

Here comes Taylor to the rescue.

"Oooo, I love this song! Come on, Liam, we're dancing!" Before he has a chance to protest, she grabs his arm and pulls him out to the dancefloor.

Thank you, Taylor!

As Taylor distracts Liam, I turn my full attention back to the beauty sitting next to me. She's smiling shyly at me as I lean closer and make a confession. "I meant what I said last night. About liking you. I've felt that way since the first day we met."

Her eyes widen, and she bites her lower lip. "I like you too. I've kind of had a crush on you since I saw you." She looks down at her hands.

My heart leaps. I think my cheeks are gonna hurt tomorrow with how big I'm smiling right now. "You have no idea how happy I am to hear that."

I've heard the same thing from countless other women before, but none have a fraction of the effect that Lindsey's words have on me. Hearing her say those words makes me feel light and tingly. I feel fluttering in my stomach. She gives me freaking butterflies. No one has ever had this effect on me before. No one!

We sit close, heads together, talking for several more songs while Taylor keeps Liam busy. I tell her how beautiful she is and ask how the new job is going. She bashfully thanks me and explains how great her first week at the firm was. She lights up when she tells me about her plan for the future. How she wants to climb the ladder at her firm and learn as much as she can before eventually branching out and starting her own business.

Her eyes light up as she talks about everything she wants to do. I find myself clinging to her every word. It's incredible how driven she is. She has these big, amazing dreams that aren't the least bit superficial. It's hard to find someone like that in the circles I'm usually around. Most of the women I meet are more interested in nabbing a rich husband than doing something for themselves. They're drawn to the team like leeches to a big juicy vein. Lindsey is nothing like that.

Someone bumps into the back of my chair as I'm admiring the woman sitting next to me. I turn and see a gaggle of fangirls swarming the tables where the rest of the team is situated. One of them ran into my chair while making a beeline for Drew and T.J.; I shake my head, just happy that they aren't swarming me. I'd hate for Lindsey to have to see more "Val-like" behavior tonight. Luckily, the fangirls have found a shiny new toy to obsess over.

Better you than me, T.J.!

I turn my attention back to Lindsey. "Thank you."

She looks at me, confused. "Uh, for what?"

I grab her hand as I tell her, "for not being like them." I flick my head to where the crowd of women is standing.

She narrows her eyes, and I continue. "Girls like that only see one thing; the jersey. They don't care to get to know us. But you; you're real. You care about people; you have goals and dreams. And I really like talking to you. I want to get to know you better, Lindsey. I want to know everything about you."

I smile at her as she stares at me, shocked. It's like I've just given her the nuclear launch codes. Who knows, maybe I have. I just hope this doesn't blow up in my face. "I want to get to know you too, Chase." She smiles at our hands, still intertwined in her lap. "And I like talking to you. A lot. I haven't felt this way in a long time." She looks up at me.

Before I can say another word, Liam comes back to the table huffing. He slaps his left hand on the table, "that woman," he points to Taylor with his free hand, "is trying to kill me." He grabs Taylor's water and chugs the whole glass while wiping sweat from his forehead.

Taylor joins us a few beats later, nudging Liam in the ribs. "That was fun, right?" She winks at me and Lindsey.

Liam huffs again and gives her a non-committal shrug which makes her laugh. Once he catches his breath, he gives us a pleading look. "Are you ready to head home?"

Looks like the alcohol and dancing caught up to him. He seems like he's about to drop, so the rest of us agree to call it a night. Taylor and I help get Liam to the cab seating him behind the driver. Taylor offers to sit up front so Lindsey and I can sit next to each other in the remaining back seats.

Within minutes, Liam is passed out against the window as Lindsey and I sit closely with our fingers laced together. My smile never falters as I hold her hand the whole way home. Right now, I feel like I'm on cloud nine, exactly where I'm supposed to be.