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HOW TO CATCH A BAD BOY 13
Two days passed, and Elena didn't hear a peep from Chandler. Which was disappointing. She'd said no to his date but she wasn't sure why she was still looking out for his text or call. She told herself that she was only looking forward to his call so she'd know if he'd spoken to the agent he told her about, and refused to admit to herself that maybe…Just maybe she also wanted him to text… To check up on her. It was really pathetic. She wasn't one of those girls who played hard to get by engaging in mind games, but she couldn't help the way she felt. She had just taken a shower and slid into bed when her phone beeped. She sat up, and the thrill she felt when she saw that the text was from him embarrassed her a little. If she could feel this way over a text from him, she wondered how it'd feel if they actually kissed, or touched or made —hell no, she wasn't going to let herself think that far. 'Hi, Elena' the next read, 'I'm sorry I haven't texted since. It's been really hard to get a
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Chandler knew in that moment that she was not just a passing enchantment; she was a force that would forever alter the rhythm of his heart. He wanted her, but she'd told him that didn't want to be with anyone, and now he was confused about what to do with his feelings. As she approached, their eyes met, sparking a connection that transcended the mere physical realm and he was sure that she felt it too. He could tell because it was right there in her eyes, but of course she was fighting it, he thought as he watched her look away."I hope I'm not late," she said when she stood in front of them. "Not at all," said Chandler, shaking his head as if trying to shake away the spell she'd cast on him, "Matt, this is Elena Davis. Elena…. Mr Matt Harrington," Elena and the man shook hands as he introduced himself to her. He was wearing a sky blue shirt tucked into black pants. He wasn't as tall as Chandler, but he looked about the same age as him and also handsome.They went into the building,
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Both men nodded, and Matt even smiled broadly at her, "Everything is great" he said, "I'll be taking my leave now. Please call me if need to ask anything or if you need my service any other time and I'll be glad to make myself available." After handing one of his cards to Elena, he shook hands with Chandler and left, leaving them standing in the middle of the space that now belonged to her. Elena faced him, "Thank you so much, Chandler. You know you didn't have to wait for us to be done. I know you must have missed so much at the office,"Chandler shrugged, "Believe me, there's no problem, Elena…I wanted to be here. You love it, don't you?" he asked, "Judging by the big smile you have on your face," Elena laughed, spinning 360 degrees as she looked around once again, "Of course I am, Chandler," she said excitedly, as they started to walk outside. "I got exactly what I wanted, and it's all because of you. You have no idea how grateful I am and if there's anything…. anything at all I
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She started walking backward, but her eyes stayed steady on his. "I'll see you this weekend then."Chandler didn't move until she was inside the car, and he watched her drive off. He glanced at his watch, then he grinned. Hopefully, she didn't kill him when she realized that they wouldn't be able to come home that same night, but he wasn't stupid. If this was going to be the most honest time he'd get with her... then he'd be an idiot not to take it.—--------For the seventeenth time that evening, Elena rolled her eyes as she glanced at her reflection in the mirror. "You don't happen to know his social, do you?" Beth asked her, She answered with the same level of patience that she had her previous sixteen questions about Chandler. "No, Beth, I don't."Whatever Beth saw on her phone screen made her bring it up closer to her face. Lexi peeked over her shoulder and hummed appreciatively while Emily glared at her. "Ewww. That's your boyfriend's brother, Lexi," she told her. Lexi shrugg
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Emily exhaled. "I'm going to hide in your room. I don't need to witness this crazy.""Oh please," Beth whispered under her breath.As she walked out of the room, Emily narrowed her eyes dangerously in Beth's direction. Lexi gave Elena an encouraging smile. "It'll be fine. Don't mind Emily."Elena snatched her bag, mentally girding her loins for whatever circus show was about to unfold. For a moment, she felt bad for not preparing Chandler for the one-woman firing squad. That only lasted a second because the other ninety-nine percent of her knew it would be awesome to see Emily knock him off balance. He'd sure as hell been knocking her off balance since the moment he danced with her at that club. "Come on up," she said into the speaker."You didn't even make sure it was him," Emily hissed. Apparently she'd changed her mind and returned to the living room. "What if it's a sex trafficker?""Ringing the buzzer instead of breaking in?" Elena asked. "And why the hell would a sex trafficker
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—Chandler was, regrettably, a very good singer. He favored classic rock and alternative as his music of choice, and it took everything in Elena not to jam her fingers in her ears as he sang along. His voice was low and smooth without frills or fancy embellishments, but it made the hair on the back of her neck rise, and therefore, she didn't like it.—He was also freaking relentless in trying to engage her in conversation even though she was doing her very best at ignoring his existence until she had no other choice. It took until the last forty five minutes of their drive before she finally cracked and started to really talk to him. "So, love, when did we start dating?"Ignoring the unsteady gallop of her heart, Elena had kept her voice even and emotionless every time he asked her something that she felt forced to answer. This time she didn't do so well. "What?" she asked, as her eyes widened. Chandler grinned, but he wasn’t looking at her. He'd been thinking of something to say th
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"You okay?" Chandler asked. "You went scary quiet on me there."It was perceptive of him, and it made her give him a curious glance. She had been quiet most of the trip, but even him, this man who didn't really know her, was able to tell the difference in her silence.Elena gave him a small smile. "Just thinking about emotional trauma from years back, if you must know."He groaned, leaning forward to turn the music up. "Nope. Not going there, love. We haven't been fake dating long enough."After almost an hour of him trying to engage her in conversation, that was the thing that did the trick. She turned in her seat to appraise his facial expression. "Come on, I'll share mine if you share yours."He snorted. "Yeah, right.""We are still on the road, surprisingly," she said. "What else should we talk about?""Literally anything." He changed lanes after a quick glance at his blind spot."I'd talk about politics. Religion. Women I've slept with in the past because I've never done the dati
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Silence hung between them for a moment, tension crackling in the confined space of the car. Chandler sighed softly, his gaze softening. "I'm sorry, Elena. I didn't mean to catch you off guard. I guess I was just desperate. We can get another room if you would prefer and then I'll drive you back home in the morning."Elena's frustration began to subside as she observed Chandler's earnest attempt to make amends. Despite her initial vexation, she recognized his thoughtful intentions, but she still didn't like that he'd booked only one room. Softening her expression, she nodded slightly. "Okay, we'll figure it out. Just wish you'd told me earlier."Chandler glanced at her apologetically, his eyes filled with sincerity. "I know, and I'm truly sorry. I just… I wanted you to like me, but if after tonight, you still don't want to go out with me, then I'll back off" He said it flippantly, but there was an edge to his words. Elena stared at him for a moment. If she told him about the way she u
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HOW TO CATCH A BAD BOY 69
"It's okay, Chandler. You were surprised and out of your element, and you should have heard it from me." Elena told him. "Don't let me off the hook, love." He dropped his hand, but his eyes were still fixed on her lips. "I'm so sorry for what I said to you, and I plan on apologizing to Emily and Daniel for walking out of their house. I have no excuse.""Okay." He smiled. "Just okay?"Elena's hands found their way up his chest, a slow trek, and she relished the heat of his skin coming through the material of his shirt. She only stopped when her palm was over his thudding heart. "Yeah. I don't think either one of us needs fancy words or big speeches about what happened. I just ... I just need you to know that I'm sorry. I'm so sorry for not telling you when I had the chance. I need you to know that I'm in this with you, even if you screw up, which you will. Just like I will too, but we'll always find our way back to each other. That's all I want."Chandler plucked her hand off his che
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The only thing that could've tugged Elena's attention away from Chandler was her sister hustling to her side with a devious grin on her face. Her eyes were bright with tears, and Elena felt her happiness for her like a sweet wave. "I know you might not want to, but talk to him," Emily told her. Elena shook her head. Yes, she missed him terribly, but she'd gone through this phase with him before. She had given him another chance, and here she was… Hurt again. Maybe they cared about each other. Maybe they even loved each other, but did it really mean that they should be together? Not everyone in love could be in a relationship, and maybe she and Chandler were like that. Maybe they'd only keep hurting each other if they remained together. Maybe their relationship was meant to be a short one. Chandler's gaze scanned the room, then came to rest on her. His chest expanded on a deep breath, and his eyes warmed in his handsome face. His dark hair was slicked back neatly, and he'd shaved. Th
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Chandler hooted with laughter. "Nothing to do with you? Pray tell, enlighten me, Future Dr. Kendrick.""I'm no shrink, but Elena is the first woman to make you want something more. And you'd have to put every part of you on the line in order to make something real with her. It's scary, and you've never done it, and you grabbed the most convenient excuse to make life easier on yourself. That excuse is bullshit, but you'll hold on to it like it's a life raft."Chandler glared mightily at him because clearly someone had used their time driving up here to prepare exactly how to knee him in the proverbial balls. Paul murmured like he was hearing a good sermon. He got a glare too.Elijah leaned forward. "What if she had been the one to show at your door?"The second he said it, his heart reacted without a single thought on his end.Racing, pounding, thumping erratically at the mere mention of her on the other side of that door. He wanted it so badly.Wanted her."What if you had the chance,
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Pinching the bridge of his nose, Chandler willed his mind to stop cycling around those thoughts because it didn't matter. It was like two months of his life, and that was it.He'd get over it. He'd get over her.His phone lit up again, and he sighed. "I don't know what he could possibly want to say to me."The recliner squeaked as Paul leaned forward. "I'm curious too. Hello?""What are you doing?" he yelled. "Give me that phone."When he tried to swipe for it, Paul flipped him off. "Elijah? Yeah, this is Paul. I am with the grumpy asshole."Even though his leg screamed in protest, Chandler stood from the couch and towered over Paul, holding out his hand and giving him his most forbidding glare.Paul ignored him. "Hmm. Sure, yeah. Makes sense." He continued. "Give me the phone, Paul.""Great idea, Elijah. Yeah. I like it."When he handed Chandler the phone, he exhaled heavily. Then he saw the call was already disconnected. Chandler blinked. "He hung up?""Guess so."His eyebrows lift
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"Emily," Elena warned. "You paused. Why did you pause?"She scrunched up her face. "Did I?"Elena sat forward. "Oh my gosh, what is it? Are you moving out of town? Are you leaving? Are you sick?""Slow your roll, crazy," Emily said on a laugh. "I'm not sick, good grief."Her heart settled back into a normal rhythm. "Well, it's something.""I didn't want to say anything with all the feelings and everything that's been going on." Emily gestured to Elena. "But…. I'm pregnant," "What?" Elena shrieked excitedly, and hugged her sister tightly. "Congratulations. You should have told me since," "Well, I was going to… But then I screwed up so I had to fix things first," Elena beamed at her, "You and Daniel are going to be so happy, and I'm going to be the best Aunt ever," "So you're coming right?" "Do you really have to ask? Of course I am coming." She hesitated for a while, then added, "Will Chandler be there?" she asked carefully. "It's not that I'd ... I don't know, avoid going if he w
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Emily braced her arms on her thighs and leaned toward her. "Okay, talk to me. Tell me everything. I mean, maybe not like, sex details. But ... what happened while you were gone?"Then she patted the bed. Elena's entire being settled back into place as she and Emily braced their backs against the wall. She curled her hand around hers with their legs stretched out straight onto the bed, and Elena unloaded for the next thirty minutes.After a bit, Emily leaned her head on her shoulder, and Elena set her head on hers, and they fell quiet before she got to the scene in the driveway. She didn't even attempt to wipe the tears coming down her face during that part."I'm so mad at him for leaving," Elena said, voice hoarse from talking. "But I get it. I don't want to, but I do.""I don't."Elena nudged her. "I don't need you to vilify him."Emily laughed under her breath. After the driveway showdown, dinner was a shitshow. Elena cried in the balcony while Elijah, Daniel Emily and Lexi yelled
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Elena froze, and she had to clench her teeth tightly to keep from screaming at her that there was no conceivable way she could have known that when they'd never freaking talked about it.Emily, like a rabid dog, saw the pause in her motion and pounced on it. "I thought you guys talked about it, okay? And I just ... I was trying to make conversation because seriously, I was trying to be nice to him. I wanted to get closer to him because I thought it'd make you happy, and honestly, I was starting to like him. I just wanted to have a conversation."By telling him I had a crush on his brother! Elena wanted to scream. Her eyes pinched shut. This was killing her.Because no matter how pissed she was, she could feel it seeping through her skin, how miserable Emily was.She was sad. She was frustrated. She was scared.Between the two of them, Elena was always the one who caved first. Who tried to keep the peace. Who let things slide. And she didn't want to let this slide because she was mi
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Chandler dropped his chin and breathed deeply. "Could you?""I don't hold your past against you. Because it's irrational and unfair, and you know it." She said, "That's not what I mean." He lifted his head, held her gaze, and the resolve Elena saw there chilled her to her core. "Could you overlook it if I told you that I showed up that night to take a shot with Emily?" Words were gone. Her mouth was sand-dry at what that did to her.He kept talking, quiet, dangerous words that did horrible things to her heart."If I told you that I thought about being with her, touching her, kissing her, and for even one moment, I was disappointed that I got you instead."She sucked in a startled breath."Yeah," he said slowly, softly. "You couldn't overlook it either. Because that look in your pretty brown eyes, baby. It feels like I just punched you in the gut, doesn't it?"Her eyes filled with tears, and she hated them. She hated that he was right. And for just a moment, one fleeting, fast one, s
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"What did Emily say to you?" Elena asked quietly. It was taking everything in her not to march up to him and shake the answer out of him."I can see it." Chandler said, Elena's head tilted at his strange answer. She felt like a fish that had been plopped unceremoniously out of its bowl. It was hard to breathe because she had no concept of how to navigate this. "See what?"He exhaled slowly, finally turning to face her. "You and Elijah."Her stomach was now the thing giving her all the ominous feels because it turned dangerously. What the hell did her sister say to him? "Elijah and I," she repeated quietly. "Chandler... I—" Denial trapped in her throat. Nothing else came up. Because she couldn't lie.And he saw that on her face.He nodded. "You'd look great together. And it's probably really fucking stupid on my end that I never even considered that you were into him.""I don't want Elijah," she argued. Carefully, she approached him with her hands held up. Don't spook him, Elena, beca
