Brooke and Chase by Amicia Bianchi (good book recommendations .txt) 📕

Before I knew it I was hearing people outside, meaning the party was starting. I went down to greet the guest that had already arrived. Some had said that Brooke dropped them off and she had just left. I tried to seem as if I wasn't affected by the information. I greeted the guests as they came and when Brooke dropped off a group she wouldn't come into the backyard she would just leave to pick up another group. Most people came in their own cars or carpooled with their friends the rest were pack members so they came with their parents. They all eventually came up to me to say happy birthday before going off to socialize with other people.

Soon the backyard was packed, I was happy but I felt like something was missing. I was walking around talking to people when a scent hit my nose, I immediately knew what it was and what it meant, I also had a general idea of who. I searched for her in the crowd until I found her. I approached her, everything seem to go silent until the only thing I could hear was my heart beating. I walked, only focused on her and just when she was within my reach...

"Chase," Amanda stepped in my way and it took all I had not to at least growl at her.

I stood trying to hold myself as my mate walked further and further away, oblivious, and all Amanda wanted to talk about was the swap. I was mad for several reasons by now, I realized that I had made the biggest mistake of my life when I agreed to exchange her for Amanda. Brooke, my mate for Amanda who may or may not have feelings for me but I couldn't care less because I've never had those kinds of feelings for her. The fact that the swap was all she wanted to talk about was salt on my wound. The thought of Brooke with another guy especially that creep, Eric made my blood run cold.

At the time I thought maybe I could see if she would forgive me and call off the whole thing but I didn't get to see her or Amanda for the rest of the night after that. I would see Brooke's head moving quickly in one direction or another but never slowing down so I could make my way over. I searched for her while they sang happy birthday and thought I'd saw her standing at the desert table but she wasn't there when I got there to get my piece of cake. By the time the party was coming to a close I still couldn't find her so I just went inside the house. I stood in the living room thinking about my horrible luck.

So Brooke is my mate but she's human, before I thought it was a problem that she was human, does that change now that I know she's my mate?

Yes, a mate is a mate human or otherwise, my wolf growled.

Before I didn't really want to get involved with her, will I now or do I just…

"Chase," I heard Brooke's voice call me. It immediately caught me unaware and I just snapped my whole body in her direction, she had my full attention.

"Yes," I said eagerly, I hadn't spoken to her all day and I was hungry for her attention. I love her voice.

"Happy birthday, Chase. It was a pleasure working with you," she told me as she hugged me. I can give you pleasure, I started to say but I bit back the words. Instead I enjoyed the feel of her body against mine, I knew she belonged here and somehow I wasn't freaked out by that I loved the idea. I took deep breaths of her scent and I knew my eyes were probably changing colors but I didn't care at the moment. I closed my eyes and just felt, from the sparks that exploded between us to the overwhelming sense of completeness, rightness. "Bye Chase," she said softly sounding as if she were about to cry and it shocked me. In my shock I loosened my grip on her and she stepped out of my arms.

"You're leaving? I thought you would stay a while…," I whined, begging, hoping that she isn't leaving and if so that she's coming back.

"I'm going to see Eric…," she said and although she was speaking I couldn't get past that part and just let the words flow over my head.

She chose him over me, as she closed the door I growled but she still left and I sank down on my couch in despair.

I felt defeated, I eventually dragged myself off the couch after I don't know how long and slowly made my way to my bedroom. I stood by the window and looked out as I pull my tie off. I had started to unbutton my shirt when I happened to remember the people in the backyard, listening in I quickly realized they weren't there. All of Brooke's staff must have left also after I'd insisted on paying them. Although they claimed it was okay since they'd come back from an extended paid vacation but I didn't want to take advantage of them. I rolled up my sleeves and begrudgingly went down to clean up. I had just made it to the backyard with a trash bag to collect all of the trash that hadn't already been thrown away. Suddenly I heard a car pull up and a minute later Brooke emerged into the backyard.

"You're back," I stuttered out shocked.

"Yeah, I said I was coming back. Or did you not hear that part?" she joked, I offered her a weak smile. I really hadn't been paying attention to what she said after she mention going to see Eric.

"No," I answered honestly, she shook her head at me.

"Ye old boyfriend who doesn't listen that's why you're an ex," she said. She pinched my cheek and patted it before starting to pick up trash and put it in the bag I was holding.

"Brooke, I'm sorry," I told her as I walked up beside her and started picking up trash.

"For what?" she looked over at me with her eyebrows knitted together.

"For involving you in all of this Amanda and Eric business, you have every right to be mad at me and I don't really even know why I agreed to it. I feel bad and I-," I didn't get to finish. I couldn't look at her reaction, she was probably getting mad all over again and she probably was going to give me an earful, I thought I was ready for it. I just wasn't ready for how she actually reacted. She reached up and grabbed my face, turning my face to look down at her.

"I'm not mad at you, if you feel bad about it already then that's enough, let's just get on with it and get it over with. It's one month," I don't think she realized it but she had started stroking her thumbs up and down my cheek. I didn't say anything because if felt good and I enjoyed it, if I pointed it out to her she would have stopped.

"I bet you can't get through this whole thing without you guys kissing," I only brought it up so she would take the bait and they wouldn't do it. If she bet me on it I know she wouldn't.

"Oh really?" she put her hands on her hips and cocked her eyebrow. I knew she would take the bait.

"Yeah," I egged her on.

"Alright its a bet, same goes for you," she poked my chest.

"Your on," I told her.

"And if you guys kiss, I get to kiss you," she inserted surprising me. I smiled.

"Same goes for you guys," I said only happy about us talking about kissing each other. I looked at her full pink lips and I knew she was looking at my lips too. I started leaning in to capture her lips, which were calling out to mine.

"Well let's get back to work, it's getting kind of late," she suggested. She bent down to pick something up and it slipped from her fingers so she had to stay down with her butt in the air for a while longer and I couldn't stop myself from looking.

"You can stay over if you want…," I mumbled slightly distracted.

"Are you staring at my… gluteus maximus?" she giggled.

"Maybe I am," I said vaguely, still staring, smiling as she got up and put the forlorn napkin in the trash before pinching my cheek again.

"Ye old boyfriend with faithful eyes," we both laughed and continued on cleaning. We passed the time with light banter before we finished.

"So I heard that you made the cake," I said and she smiled up me.

"Yes, I did, the bakery cancelled on me today so it was kind of a last minute thing and I ended up using your kitchen I hope that wasn't a problem," she elaborated.

"Not at all. In fact everybody loved it, if it wasn't that I got the first piece because today's my birthday I don't think I would have gotten one," I laughed.

"That's good because I wasn't sure how it turned out because I didn't get a chance to taste it," she admitted bashfully.

"Well it's a good thing that I stole a piece for you then," I told her watching her reaction.

"Really? You didn't have to do that-" she started but I cut her off.

"I figured you probably wouldn't get one because you'd been running around throughout the whole party and by then you disappeared somewhere so I thought to save you one so you could eat it later," I admitted.

"Thanks, Chase," she smiled gratefully and gave me a hug before I ran into the house to grab it.

"By the way I made a second cake for you," she said once she'd taken the plate and fork I handed her.

"You did?" I raised my eyebrows in surprise.

"Yeah, I left it in your refrigerator," she said once she'd swallowed her first bite. I fist pumped triumphantly to which she smirked and went back to eating her cake. We talked for a while more before I walked her to her car and said goodbye.

Brooke's POV

We'd been leisurely talking even though it really was getting late and I needed to get home neither of us seemed to want me to which somehow didn't bother me. Once I finished my cake and put it in our trash bag he tied it. He put it with the others and walked me to my car, I'm not quite sure what it was but I just didn't want to go home yet. Suddenly something came to my mind and I cast a last look at the backyard before looking at him.

"By the way I like the last minute touch, it added a nice almost surreal glow to everything. It gave everything such a magical touch just looking at it when you got a moment it'd take your breath away," I said dreamily before blushing, realizing that I was probably getting too carried away.

You've got to get a