Free Claiming Chase: (A Second Chance Stepbrother Romance) by Charlotte Eve Page B

the beach house, I pulled a sun lounger into the shade of the porch. And I got the feeling that this would be where I was going to spend most of the summer. So I grabbed a pitcher of lemonade, a good book, and settled down until dinner time.
    I’ll say one thing for Cassie — the woman could certainly cook.
    That evening, we sat down to a fantastic Mediterranean-style feast, which she washed down with plenty of white wine. So here we were. Just the three of us. I suddenly found myself longing for the fun evenings with my cousins, and I remembered what Mom had said.
    “Hey, Cassie?” I asked. “Wasn’t your son supposed to be joining us?”
    “You mean Chase ?” she laughed. “There’s a lotta stuff Chase is supposed to do. But that doesn’t mean he’s gonna do it. That boy’s just as useless as his father.”
    At this, my dad coughed. 
    “What Cassie means,” he interrupted, “is that Chase is spending the week with friends, and we expect him here in a few days.”
    “I’ll believe it when I see it,” Cassie sneered, raising her glass to her lips. “That boy will be the death of me …”
    I couldn’t help it.
    I was intrigued.
    I wanted to find out more gossip about Chase (I mean, who was actually called Chase , anyway?), but my dad quickly changed the subject.
    “How was your day, anyway, sweetie?” he asked.
    “Pretty quiet,” I said with a smile.
    “Oh, I’m sorry honey!” Cassie interjected. “Maybe tomorrow we could go hang out on the beach together? Have some fun, you and me?”
    “Thanks, Cassie,” I said, “but I get sunburnt so easily. I’m better off in the shade, I think …”
    “If I had your beautiful alabaster complexion, I’d stay out of the sun too,” Cassie said, and I could see that inside she was a little hurt by my rejection.
    So I resolved that night to be kinder to her. She might not have been my cup of tea, but at least she was trying.
    “How about the mall sometime?” I offered. “I’ve hardly brought any suitable clothes with me.”
    At this, she brightened up.
    “You know me,” she laughed. “Born to shop!”
     
    §
     
    So that was the first full day of my summer break, and the rest of the week passed in pretty much the same way — in a daze, as I tried to escape the heat.
    Dressed in a baggy old t-shirt and denim cut-offs, I spent my time as predicted, lounging in the shade of the porch with a good book. It was the summer I first read Jane Austen, and I just couldn’t seem to get enough.
    I’d been there almost a full week when one morning I woke up early and couldn’t get back to sleep.
    It was only five a.m., but I’d been awake for what felt like hours when I finally decided to get out of bed and take my usual spot on the porch.
    I was reading Emma for the second time. The porch was cooler than my bedroom, and after reading for a while, I even felt like I might be able to drift off to sleep out there.
    And just as I was closing my eyes, my mind floating away, the early morning silence was broken by a low, rumbling noise.
    I sat up, startled, looking out in the direction of the noise, which seemed to be growing louder now. Whatever it was, it was obviously coming this way.
    And though I was definitely awake, it felt like a dream as I watched the boy on the motorbike ride up the path to the house, stopping right in front of me, just a few feet from the porch.
    Chase , I thought. This must be him. He’s decided to finally show up after all.
    “Hi, Chase,” I called out from the porch. “So you finally made it, then?”
    He climbed off his bike, and took a few steps closer to me.
    He was tall and toned, with the kind of tan that suggested he spent a lot of time outside, but at the same time, he didn’t look like the sunbathing type.
    I could see the smallest hint of a tattoo, peeking out from the sleeve of his beat up leather jacket, and his blue jeans were stained here and there with motorcycle oil.
    Then he removed his sunglasses. And boy was