Chasing Day Series: Chasing Day & Catching Day (25 page)

Chapter 5

Bright stadium lights lit up the soggy field below from the snow that had finally stopped. Chase’s breath turned into white vapors and floated up as it disappeared in the thirty-five-degree air. He didn’t feel the cold at all as sweat trickled down his temple and spine. They were in the end of the fourth quarter of the most important game of most of their lives. The score was 10 to 7, New England. It was Chicago’s ball and they literally had one last chance to turn it around to win the game.

Chase walked down the line of scrimmage at the forty-five-yard line and bent down behind the center. He glanced to either side of New England’s defensive line and made a snap judgment. He stood back up and shouted to his team.

“Wide right thirty-five,” changing the running play to a passing play.

He returned to the center, bent down once more, and held his hands out ready to catch the ball.

“Twenty-two, forty-three, HIKE!” Chase shouted and the center hiked the ball to him.

Chase quickly took three steps back and looked to his left at the wide receiver and saw that he was completely covered. He quickly looked to the right and launched the ball to his right receiver. He watched as the ball sailed through the air, arching down towards Devin. The defensive back for New England came out of nowhere and leaped in front of Chase’s wide receiver, snatching the ball in mid-air.

Chicago switched from offensive to defensive and ran towards the player. The defensive back ducked, spun, and drove through Chicago as they tried to tackle him. He leaped over the last player that jumped to take him down and ran it back down the field to score a devastating, game-ending touchdown.

Chase slowly closed his eyes and bowed his head in defeat. The New England players that had been on the sidelines rushed the field. All around him the opposing team celebrated their win. The few seconds on the clock running down, along with Chase’s dreams of winning the Superbowl.

Resigned, Chase and his team walked sedately to the locker room after shaking hands with the winning team. A few guys wiped at their damp eyes, feeling the heartbreak of their loss. Their coaches gave them words of encouragement to soothe the sting of defeat. The loss didn’t hurt as badly for Chase, not compared to the loss he’d suffered two weeks prior though he did feel guilt for letting his team down. He had been distracted during the game. He’d tried to block out the heartbreaking defeat in his personal life, during the game. But somehow thoughts of Daylen’s impending marriage to someone else, latched onto his psyche and wouldn’t let go. And his personal life turned into a prophecy for his professional life.

Chase let the hot water in the showers run over his body, as he psyched himself up to do the press conference. Once they were ready; Chase, a few of his teammates, and their head coach made their way to the conference room. Camera lights flashed in their faces, the reporters documenting their melancholy faces.

The questions started flying once they were seated. Of course, they were the same asinine questions sports reporters usually asked the losing team. And as usual, they responded with one-word answers or even silence. One question was brought up that Chase had only discussed with his coach but decided it was time to go public.

“Chase, after today your contract is up with Chicago. Do you have any plans to stay or are you going to find another home?” One reporter asked.

Chase hesitated for a moment, his mind going to Day. Then he looked at the reporter and answered honestly. “Well…I’ve been considering it for some time. And I talked with Coach about it. And yes, I decided two weeks ago that I will be leaving Chicago.” Chase informed them as the room burst into chatter. More reporters began to ask questions, but Chase interrupted them. “As of right now, I’m not sure where I’m going. But you’ll all know as soon as I do. Thank you.” Chase said and got up before more questions could be thrown at him.

Thirty-five hundred miles away, Day watched the press conference with tears in her eyes. She hadn’t seen Chase face to face in nearly two years. She thought she’d gotten over him. That she was happy with Rhys. Then she’d received that phone call in the early morning hours two weeks ago. The moment she heard his voice, everything; every feeling, every past hurt, or joy came rushing forward. But she had already made her choice. It was the best choice for her.

Her heart ached for Chase’s loss. She’d watched the game with bated breath, praying that he’d win his first Superbowl championship. She also prayed that the news she had delivered him a few weeks ago hadn’t clouded his mind during the game. But during the press conference, he’d said in so many words that he’d been distracted. Day felt like the worst kind of asshole. And she knew that his decision to leave Chicago was because of her. He’d looked into the camera as he made the announcement. It was as if he said, “I’m letting you go,” directly to her. It was like that last night when he’d opened the door to their condo. When he’d decided to not fight for her, but this time it was her doing.

Day grabbed a pillow off the couch. She clutched it in her lap as she bent forward. She tried her best to muffle the sounds of her sobs, so she didn’t wake her fiancé sleeping in the other room.

Chapter 6

Chase pulled up to the modest, yet gorgeous Craftsman bungalow that he was looking to buy in Mission Hills, California. It overlooked downtown San Diego. His new city and new team.

He stepped out of his SUV, just as the realtor’s car pulled up behind him. Chase turned to greet the woman as she got out of her car and was stunned by who emerged from the fancy sedan.

“Whitney Taylor?!” Chase exclaimed in disbelief as he squinted at the former brunette.

“Chase.” Whitney grinned brightly. “Long time, no see.”

Chase walked towards his old classmate and gave her a big hug. “Wow! It’s been years. You look great!”

“Thanks!” The now blonde said, brushing her long golden hair off her shoulder. Her blue eyes sparkled up at him.

“You look good too. But then again, you always have. Football has treated you well,” she said flirtatiously.

Chase shook his head, brushing off the compliment. “This is a crazy coincidence. Or did you know it was me looking to buy a house?”

“Well, a little of both actually. I mean it’s definitely a crazy twist of fate that you got traded to a team in the city I’ve settled in. And it was certainly a coincidence that you just so happened to call my agency looking for help. Though, when I’d heard that a certain popular quarterback needed help looking for a home, I jumped at the chance to see you again.” Whitney gave a helpless little shrug. “Maybe it was meant to be.”

“That’s insane, how life works out sometimes,” Chase remarked, happy to know someone in his new city.

“Shall we?” Whitney pointed towards the house.

“Sure.”

They spent the next half hour walking through the house. Chase instantly loved it. He’d given up trying to live the baller lifestyle, once he’d gotten his life together. The house was beautiful and he could see making it a home and raising a family. Instead of trying to impress with a showpiece rather than a house. He knew that the possibility of an injury could cut his career short, so he needed to be smarter with his money. Even though any house in California was going to leave a decent dent in his wallet, he wanted something that wouldn’t break the bank.

“So what do you think?” Whitney asked after they were finished.

“I love it! What do they want for it?” Chase asked, eager to get the ball rolling.

“One point six million,” Whitney responded.

“Done. I’m renting right now, so I don’t want to fool around and lose the house when spring training is starting soon. I won’t feel like looking around for another house I like at that point.” Chase explained.

“Perfect! I’ll let them know and start drawing up the paperwork.” Whitney said happily. “You’re the easiest client I’ve ever dealt with.”

“I’m not too picky, so…” Chase shrugged.

“Well, it makes my life easier.” Whitney said and then cocked her head to the side, looking at him for a few moments.

“What?” Chase said self-consciously.

Whitney took a deep fortifying breath and then pushed forward. “I always wanted to apologize for being such a bitch when we were younger. To Daylen, I mean. I know she was your best friend and I definitely was jealous enough of your relationship to try to ruin it. It was really shitty of me,” she finished.

“Uh…thanks, Whitney.” Chase said awkwardly. “I really appreciate that. And I’m sure Daylen would too.”

“So…where is she? Last I knew, you two were together.” Whitney asked curiously.

“She’s in London. About to get m-married actually.” Chase stumbled over the word as it squeezed his heart for the millionth time.

“Oh wow! That must be awesome for her. Tell her I said congrats.” Whitney said her voiced tinged with relief. “Well, I know you’re new around here. So if you’re ever feeling lonely or need someone to show you around…give me a call.” Whitney looked up at him from under her lashes as she passed him her business card. “My personal cell number is on the back.”

Chase took the card and flipped it around to look at the handwritten number. He hadn’t truly been interested in Whitney since grade school. She had most definitely been a mean girl though it seemed that she’d had a change of heart. She was beautiful and he did want to get to know his new city.

“Sure. I’d like that. This weekend, maybe?” Chase quickly accepted her offer.

“This weekend would be perfect.” She smiled with delight.

As they walked out the front door, Chase knew he’d be lying if he denied the fact that a little part of him had accepted the offer to hang out with Whitney to hurt Day, the way she’d hurt him. It was a dick move, but his heart hurt so bad that it took away some of his good sense.

He walked Whitney to her car and opened the door for her. Chase then turned to walk to his car and missed the calculating smile that spread across the pretty blonde’s face.

~~~

After only a few dates, Chase started spending more and more time with Whitney. He met up with her after practice, and they’d have dinner, go to the movies, or have drinks at one of the local bars. She even invited him to a barbecue hosted by one of her friends. Where they were given the nickname, the ‘Golden Couple’. Her friends thought they were perfect for each other, with their blond hair and good looks. He didn’t mention the fact that Whitney’s blonde came out of a bottle.

Chase just went with it. He was tired of being alone. Tired of missing Daylen. Tired of hurting. He wanted to move on with his life, the way Day was moving on with hers. So what if Whitney was dull and only liked to talk about shopping and her physical appearance. Chase figured he wasn’t going to find a woman as perfect for him as Day. He personally didn’t even want to, for fear of getting his heart annihilated again. Whitney was perfect for him in that respect.

Things were going great with his new team. They’d bonded over spring training, and after their first preseason game, the buzz going around the league was that they were good enough to make it to the Superbowl. Chase was itching for another shot to redeem himself.

Everything was moving forward and Chase wanted to keep it that way. So after another night of more frustrating petting, Chase made a life-altering decision.

“Come on, Whit.” Chase kissed Whitney’s neck. “It’s been months. How much longer are you gonna make me wait?” He pleaded as he tried to hike up her skirt.

Whitney batted his hand away and pushed the material back down. “I’ll wait as long as I have to, to get a real commitment out of you. I won’t be your booty call or your friends with benefits, Chase. Not while you pine away for someone else in another country.” Whitney pouted.

In the months since they’d been dating, Whitney had refused to have sex with Chase. She wouldn’t even give him a blowjob, which was absolutely not like the girl he remembered. It had been quite a while since he’d had sex, so he was beginning to get a bad case of blue balls.

“Fine!” He gave in. “What do you want? Do you wanna get married?” Chase asked, irrationally.

“Well…yes. I’ve always loved you, Chase. But I don’t want to force you.” Whitney said coyly.

“Whatever you want, Whit. I’m ready to move forward. To have a family to come home to.” Chase sat up and looked down at her.

“Really? You want that?” Whitney asked, looking at him from under her lashes.

“Of course, I do. I l-love you.” Chase said and nearly choked on the word. He didn’t think it would be possible for him to fall in love again, but he figured Whitney didn’t need to know that.

Whitney’s smile lit up her whole face. “Yes! Let’s do it!” She exclaimed.

“Wanna go to Tahoe this weekend? We can elope.” Chase suggested, wanting to do it as quickly as possible before he changed his mind.

“Okay, perfect! But I want to plan a big reception that we can have later so I can wear a wedding dress.” Whitney requested excitedly, as she sat up on her knees next to him.

“Whatever you want.” Chase smiled though it didn’t reach his eyes.

“Oh my God! I’m getting
married
!” She squealed before jumping on Chase and giving him a big hug. “I have to go call my friends!” Whitney leaped off the couch to grab her phone off of his kitchen table.

Chase chuckled, but the laughter died quickly once she was too busy talking on the phone to notice. He didn’t really want to think about his reasoning for marrying someone he didn’t love. But thoughts of Day in a white dress walking down the aisle towards someone else, quickly reminded him.

Chase just hoped that it wasn’t the biggest mistake of his life because it definitely felt like it was.

~~~

Chase carried Whitney over the threshold of their hotel room in Lake Tahoe. They had just gotten married on the beach in front of the lake. Chase was in one of his suits that he wore for football obligations. And Whitney was in a pretty white sundress she’d bought for the occasion. The formal wedding dress she’d chosen for their reception in a few months was currently being altered. Chase had to give it to her, the woman worked fast when she got what she wanted.

He put Whitney down on her feet, once they were inside their room. He grinned slyly and started removing his tie as he stalked her backwards. Whitney’s long slender legs hit the mattress and she plopped back as she smiled up at him seductively. Chase wasted no time, stripping off his suit. Until he stood in nothing but his boxers.

“I’ve waited years for this,” Whitney said as she bit her lip.

“Mmm…” He responded.

There wasn’t much he could say. He had wanted Day since he was fifteen. He’d had sex with other women in the last several years, but it was never the same. The only reason he was ready to get inside his wife was because he hadn’t had sex in ages and he preferred not to die by blue balls.

Whitney grasped the waistband of his boxers and pulled them down, releasing his hard length. Her eyes widened and then whipped up to his.

“Oh my God! Chase, you’ve grown since that one time in the bathroom.” She praised.

“Uh…thanks,” Chase said awkwardly.

Chase leaned over her on the bed and kissed her lips softly. He flicked his tongue against her mouth and she gladly opened up for him. As he stroked his tongue into her mouth, Chase pulled the straps of her sundress down her arms. His calloused hands caressed her hard nipples and equally hard breasts. Whitney had gotten implants when she’d moved to California. They looked phenomenal, but Chase’s mind couldn’t help but remember soft, supple caramel-coated chocolate tipped breasts.

He shook his head to get Day out of his thoughts. He kissed down Whitney’s neck, moving steadily towards her breasts. Chase flicked his tongue against her nipple, but she didn’t make a sound. He pulled the dress the rest of the way down her body.

Whitney’s body was waif-like. She made sure that she ate like a rabbit to keep her trim body. Chase knew that it was the way women wanted to look on the west coast, but he wished that she’d have a few more curves to cushion his hips as he positioned himself between her thighs. Maybe once they decided to have a kid, she’d fill out nicely.

Chase moved back up to kiss her deeply as he stroked two fingers up her cleft. Her arousal coated his fingers and he circled her clit gently. Still she didn’t make a sound, she just bit her lip. Chase wasn’t sure if he was doing something wrong or what. His dick started to soften a bit and he squeezed his eyes shut and envisioned something totally inappropriate on his wedding night. He thought of another woman as he tried to have sex with his wife for the first time.

He knew something had to be wrong with him. Here he was in bed with a beautiful woman that most men would die for, and he was thinking of a plump, passionate girl with a shy smile. But the moment he thought of Day, his cock became rock solid. He slid into Whitney’s wet heat and began to stroke smoothly into her. She moaned softly as she adjusted to his size.

“Are you okay?” Chase asked.

“Yeah.”

“Are you sure, you’re not making a sound? I want it to be good for you.” Chase said, not wanting to be an inconsiderate jerk. He already imagined someone else.

“I’m not a very vocal person in bed,” she explained.

“Alright.” Chase sighed.

He closed his eyes once more and envisioned Day. He rocked his hips into Whitney and he heard Day’s cries of pleasure. He leaned down and swirled his tongue around his wife’s tight nipples and saw large, dark chocolate areolas. He gripped Whitney’s hips and pumped powerfully into her pink pussy. He felt his fingers sink into the thick flesh of wide hips, instead of the slim hipbones of his wife.

Chase picked up the speed. As he thrust into his wife with hard, smooth swiveling motions, she came with a little squeak. Her inner walls fluttered around him. He blinked down at her, wondering if that was it. Quickly, just so he could get it over with, he called to his mind the way Day would come apart when she climaxed. He heard her cries, watched her body tremble, and felt her walls convulse around him. Chase groaned deep in his throat as his come spurted from his shaft. He collapsed next to Whiney and she curled up on his side.