The Chase, Volume 3 Read online

  I thought about it and couldn’t really see a problem with surprising Dean. I’d known him long enough to know that he’s not averse to surprises, and he’s usually a good sport. “Sure, why not.” I giggled. “Let’s surprise him!”

  Her eyes lit up. “It’ll be awesome! From what you’ve told me already, I know I’m going to love him.”

  CHAPTE

  R SIX

  Dean

  “Perfect.” I looked around my condo, pretty pleased with how everything turned out. My place was filled with a dozen bouquets of beautiful wild flower arrangements. Several rolls of various types of sushi rolls were neatly arranged on platters on my dining room table, ready to be eaten.

  I looked at my Rolex. 6:55 pm. Excitement rushed through me as I quickly turned on the stereo.

  “One last thing!” I reminded myself. I started lighting the various ivory pillar candles around the room, creating a warm illuminating glow in the room. As I watched the flames flicker and dance in concert to the soft jazz playing in the background, I smiled at myself. I couldn’t wait to see Blair’s face when she saw this surprise. I couldn’t wait to finally tell her that I loved her. Tonight was going to be a great night.

  Just then, my door bell rang. I grinned as I ran to let Blair in. The minute I opened the door, my heart stilled at the sight of her.

  “Hi there, hottie.” I flashed Blair a devious smile. She looked more gorgeous than ever.

  “Hey you!” She threw her arms around me and whispered in my ear, “God, I’ve missed you.”

  I laughed. “Well, you should really see your long-lost sister more often then if you’re missing me like this when you get back,” I teased.

  “Very funny. Did you—” She stopped mid-sentence and let out a gasp. Her eyes surveyed the condo and she looked at me in a happy daze. “W—what is all this?”

  “Happy six month anniversary, baby.” I pulled her face up toward mine and kissed her gently.

  “Oh my God. Dean, this is incredible—I didn’t know.”

  I chuckled as I saw the guilt painted on her face.

  “It’s okay, baby. We hadn’t talked about this, and I know people don’t usually celebrate six months. But honestly, I couldn’t wait for our one-year anniversary.” I beamed down at her.

  “Actually, honey…I need to tell you something.”

  “What is it?” I studied her face, wondering what was wrong.

  “Well…” She looked down to the floor. “I didn’t know you were planning something special tonight…so I kind of invited someone to hang out with us.”

  “Oh? Who?”

  “My sister.”

  Just then, from my peripheral vision, I saw her standing there—grinning from ear to ear—at the open doorframe of my front door. It didn't matter how much time had passed, the second our eyes met, I knew who she was.

  It was the Blonde Bitch.

  The sight of her knocked the wind out of me.

  “Honey, are you okay? You’re so tense.” Blair ran her hands up and down my arms. Then she saw my blank expression and turned around to follow my gaze. “Oh, come on in, Katherine. Did you find the wine shop okay?”

  “Yup.” She lifted up the bottle of red wine in her hand.

  “Dean, come on,” Blair squealed in delight as she grabbed my hand and pulled me toward Katherine. “Let me introduce you to my sister!”

  I found myself face to face to the last person I’d ever thought I’d see again. The ghost from my past, the nightmare of my dreams, the only woman I'd ever given my heart to. The last person I’d ever loved. The only person who had ripped out my heart and changed me ten years ago. The person who I’d hated more than anyone else.

  “Hi, Dean. I’ve heard so much about you today.” Katherine outstretched her hand and flashed me a devious smile.

  I stood there paralyzed with shock as I stared at her. Why is this happening? How is this possible? How could she stand there and pretend we didn’t have the history that we did? Has she forgotten about the shit she’s put me through?

  “Dean?” Blair’s voice broke through my thoughts. “What’s wrong? Aren’t you going to say hi? I’ve been dying for you two to meet!”

  It was then that the truth of everything all hit me at once. I looked over at Blair and she beamed at me, doe-eyed and hopeful as she waited for me to greet Katherine. I’d never seen her look as happy as she looked at this very moment. I saw the sheer joy in her face, and my heart broke at how cruel and twisted fate could be. How could I be the one steal this happy moment from her? How could I tell her right now about my past with the woman standing next to her? More importantly, how could Blair and I move past this when there was an inextricable and unbreakable link between Blair’s and Katherine’s lives?

  I slowly drew in a deep intake of breath and forced a smile on my face. “Hi,” I finally managed.

  Katherine flashed me a victorious smile and lowered her hand, knowing that I wasn’t going to shake it. “So I get to finally met the man who’s bidding for my baby sister’s heart.”

  “Yeah. Right.”

  “Dean? What’s wrong?” Blair looked at me with worry, and the moment I met her concerned eyes, I knew I had to somehow get through tonight without hurting her.

  “Um. Nothing. Sorry, babe. Just—I’ll be right back. I need to…get something from the bedroom.”

  “Okay,” Blair responded tentatively. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

  “Yeah. I’ll be fine.”

  “Okay. We’ll open the bottle of wine then?”

  “You know what, Blair? Can I go use the restroom? Do you mind opening this wine for me?” Katherine asked.

  “Yeah, no problem. The restroom’s straight down the hall, past the bedroom.”

  “Great. Thanks.”

  I sat at the edge of my bed, still reeling from shock when Katherine walked into the room.

  “I thought you’re going to the restroom?”

  She smirked. “So I lied. Seems like you’re doing the same.” She closed the door behind her and locked it.

  “What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” I stood up and moved further away from her.

  “Nothing, Dean. I just want to talk.”

  “Fuck.” I looked away from her. “I can’t believe you’re her sister.”

  “Yeah, that’s crazy, huh?”

  Suddenly, I felt her hand on my back. I flinched and moved away from her.

  Ignoring my rebuff, she followed me to the corner of the room. “So I saw you on Forbes Magazine recently as one of San Francisco’s thirty most eligible bachelors under 30.”

  I shot a look at her. “What do you want, Katherine?”

  “What do you mean?” She looked at me innocently. “Dean, I just wanted to tell you that I was sorry for hurting you like that ten years ago. I was young and stupid.”

  “It’s all in the past. We don’t need to dig up those memories,” I said flatly.

  “You should be happy to know that Karma got me back. Gibson cheated on me with numerous women throughout relationship and later throughout our marriage. It seemed like after he found out that we were no longer together, he lost all interest in me, like I was yesterday’s trash. He got me pregnant, which is why we got married. But then he decided he didn’t want the baby, so he forced me to have an abortion. Then I caught him cheating on me. I think he wanted to get caught and give me a reason to break up with him…”

  At that moment all the rage I had those many years ago for Katherine came rushing out. I glared at her and spat, “That serves you right, Katherine! You are yesterday’s trash!”

  She winced at my words and tears built in her eyes, causing me to immediately regret what I had just said. I knew I had hated Katherine for everything she had done to me, but I couldn’t deny that I was relieved that we hadn’t gotten married. What if she’s grown up and now a different person?

  “I’m sorry.” My voice softened as I took a step toward her, feeling compelled to console her.
/>   She grabbed one of my hands and pulled it to her cheek. I felt the tears on my fingertips and for a second, felt sorry for her.

  But I immediately came to my sense and pushed her away. “What the hell are you doing?”

  “What?” She looked up at me innocently. “I haven’t seen you for so long, Dean.”

  “Katherine, I’m with Blair now. Your sister.”

  “So?” She shrugged. “Dean, I can tell you’ve changed a lot in the last ten years.”

  “It’s a long time, of course people will change.” I walked passed her, trying to create more distance between us.

  “I can tell you took all my suggestions about your personality issues and changed for the better.”

  “What the fuck are you talking about?” I felt annoyed by her comment.

  “Don’t you remember? The last time we talked, I explained to you why I fell for Gibson, and why I was tired of our relationship. You were too nice and accommodating. You were such a pussy. But look at you now. You’re a hot shot attorney. Blair told me some stories of how forward and aggressive you are with her, and how hot the sex is.” She bit her lower lip as she moved toward me. “And that’s the kind of man I want, Dean. That’s the strong, aggressive man who can take control and push me up against the wall, ignore my resistance, and fuck the shit out of me. That’s the man that you were not, and the reason I had left you.”

  “Where are you going with this, Katherine? Because frankly I don’t care and I don’t want to hear about it. I need to get back to Blair.”

  I walked past her toward the door. But just before I passed her, she stepped in front of me, blocking me from leaving the room. “Dean. I want you back.”

  Just then, the door opened and Blair walked in and looked at us in confusion. “Is everything okay?”

  I looked at her and then at Katherine, and at that moment, I felt trapped between a rock and a hard place. How was I going to tell Blair without hurting her or our relationship?

  AUTHO

  R’S NOTE

  I hope you’ve enjoyed reading The Chase, Volume Three. Please consider leaving a review for this book. As an indie author, reviews help other readers to discovery my works.

  The Chase, Volume Four, the last book in this serial, will be released at the end of August 2014. If you’d like to be notified by email when the book is available, please sign up for Jessica Wood’s mailing list.

  Other

  Books

  If you would like to stay informed of new releases, teasers, and news on my upcoming books, please sign up for Jessica Wood’s mailing list and visit me at my website: http://jessicawoodauthor.com.

  Below is a complete list of my available books:

  Emma’s Story: Book #1: A Night to Forget

  Emma’s Story: Book #2: The Day to Remember

  Emma’s Story Box Set

  Summer Fling

  Damian

  The Heartbreaker – Prequel novella to DAMIAN

  Taming Damian

  The Chase, Vol. One

  The Chase, Vol. Two

  ***

  Here is a list of my upcoming releases:

  The Chase, Vol. 4 – August 2014

  Oblivion – August 11, 2014 – Add to Goodreads

  Forever Broken – Fall 2014 – Add on Goodreads

  About T

  he Author

  Jessica Wood writes new adult contemporary romance.

  While she has lived in countless cities throughout the U.S., her heart belongs to San Francisco. To her, there’s something seductively romantic about the Golden Gate Bridge, the steep rolling hills of the city streets, the cable cars, and the Victorian-style architecture.

  Jessica loves a strong, masculine man with a witty personality. While she is headstrong and stubbornly independent, she can’t resist a man who takes control of the relationship, both outside and inside of the bedroom.

  She loves to travel internationally, and tries to plan a yearly trip abroad. She also loves to cook and bake, and—to the benefit of her friends—she loves to share. She also enjoys ceramics and being creative with her hands. She has a weakness for good (maybe bad) TV shows; she’s up-to-date on over 25 current shows, and no, that wasn’t a joke.

  And it goes without saying, she loves books—they’re like old and dear friends who have always been there to make her laugh and make her cry.

  The one thing she wishes she had more of is time.

  If you would like to follow or contact Jessica Wood, you can do so through the following:

  Mailing List: http://jessicawoodauthor.com/mailing-list/

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