Free Breathless by Heather C. Hudak Page B

fine. I asked to help.”
     
    My mom’s eyes opened wide in awe, and she sent a look of true appreciation my way. Chaseyn dipped the spoon into the sauce, then lifted it slowly to his lips, one hand placed slightly beneath the spoon in an effort to catch stray drippings before they could splatter on the floor below. His lips barely touched the savory concoction before he let out a gloriously smooth purr of approval.
     
    “ Hey,” I teased. “Did I say you could do that?”
     
    He looked up from beneath his brow, grinning wickedly as he took another taste.
     
    “ Did you make this,” he asked. “You don’t strike me as the domestic type.”
     
    “ Is that an insult,” I asked, hands on my hips to feign anger.
     
    “ Just the truth.”
     
    A light chuckle escaped my mom’s lips, and I whipped the spoon away from Chaseyn before he could react. Though, I suspected he could have stopped me if he had really wanted.
     
    “ Go. Sit,” I said pointing at the chair. “You’ve lost your helper status.”
     
    Chaseyn pouted, a look so sultry I thought I might melt. Suddenly, I couldn’t remember what the problem had been just a second earlier. My knees went weak, and I had to put one hand on the counter to steady myself. My reaction didn’t escape notice. Chaseyn could see the effect he was having on me, and the corners of his lips turned up slightly. Like a puppy in obedience school, he dipped his head and took a seat at the breakfast bar. Just then, the doorbell rang.
     
    “ Your turn,” I said, watching as my mom brushed herself off, fluffed her hair, and walked out of the room without so much as one word or glance in my direction. She looked like she might be sick.
     
    “ I thought it was just the three of us tonight,” Chaseyn said as more of a question than a statement. “I was hoping we could play twenty questions again. Maybe I could even ask a few.”
     
    “ Heats off,” I said. “Turns out my mom has a secret boyfriend. You’re yesterday’s news—literally. Yesterday.”
     
    Chaseyn just shook his head, eyes rolled up to the ceiling. Kevin walked nervously behind my mother, extending his hand cordially when Chaseyn offered his upon introduction. He only had a day’s head start on Kevin, but Chaseyn seemed relaxed, at ease in our humble home. He leaned across the counter, chin resting in his palms as he participated easily in conversation with me and my mom. As we hurried around the room making final meal preparations, Chaseyn grabbed dinnerware from the cupboard, and set the table with all of the utensils in the appropriate positions. I wasn’t even sure which side the fork went on, so it took me by complete shock that this seemingly aloof teenage boy had such impeccable table manners. All the while, Kevin sat rigid in his chair. Sure, he laughed at all the right moments and answered any questions that were aimed in his direction, but sweat beaded on his brow despite the subtle chill in the room. Terrified was the only word to describe the look on his face as the three of us bandied about like old friends. I could see that he wanted to make a good impression, to fit into our little clique the same way Chaseyn had, but he couldn’t loosen up enough to offer anything exciting to the conversation.
     
    “ So Lia, how long have you and Chaseyn been seeing each other? A few months,” Kevin asked. The last part was more of a statement than a question.
     
    “ Oh, we’re not exactly dating,” I replied quickly. I didn’t want Chaseyn to think I had been so presumptuous as to spread that rumor. “Chaseyn’s new here. I’m just showing him around and helping him at school.”
     
    “ But, I’m hoping she’ll give me a chance at more,” Chaseyn added, sending my stomach aflutter.
     
    “ Oh,” Kevin said stunned. “I just assumed…you all seem to get along so well, like you’ve known each other a very long time.”
     
    He fidgeted awkwardly in his seat. He was painfully aware