HOW TO CATCH A BAD BOY

The man wouldn’t even fight with her,

and by God she wanted a fight.” Why are you even here? I thought you said you were going to get another room for yourself,”

He stopped on his way over to the liquor cabinet and turned back around to stare at her. “The hotel is filled up because of the party. They don’t have any empty rooms left.” He told her.

How convenient, Elena thought. She watched him turn and pour himself a drink, which he finished drinking before turning to face her again, “Elena….” He began as he walked towards her.

“Don’t Elena me,” she whispered furiously.

Chandler’s hands closed over her shoulders. She tried to flinch away, but he held tight. There was honest regret in his eyes, but there was also determination. Stubborn determination.

“Sit down, Elena,” he ordered in a low voice.

She gaped at him. “What?”

Fury darkened his eyes. “I said sit down, Elena,” he said angrily and let her go, but he didn’t move away. Elena stood her ground too, frowning up at him as she waited for him to complete what he was saying. If he thought she’d let him order her around, then he was in for a big surprise. He reached out, his fingers going for her jaw, but she stepped aside, avoiding his touch. He frowned, “I told Matt to back off because I wanted you to myself. Call it selfish or whatever, I don’t care, but you act like I did such a bad thing when you’re the one who shut me out simply because you thought another woman was hitting on me.”

Her lips parted, but he didn’t care anymore. He was too angry now.

“I want you, Elena,” He spat out the words, a muscle ticking in his jaw. “I saw a man about to go after the woman I wanted, and I told him to back off. Maybe if he cared as much as I did, he’d have tried to at least fight for you but he didn’t. And damn it, stop staring at me like that. Don’t you think you’re being a fucking hypocrite too?”

Her gaze swung toward him sharply. “Are you fucking serious?” she exploded, her heart thumping heavily.

He cursed under his breath. “Yes dammit,” he stared down at her. “You are such a fucking hypocrite because you act like you feel nothing. You lie to yourself and you fight your feelings even when you know you feel the same way about me,”

She gasped. “That’s not-”

Chandler shook his head as he towered above her. “You’re a shitty liar, Elena. Maybe you’re willing to hide the way you feel but I’m not because I hate to play games. You care about me, and you want me just as much as I want you.” he leaned closer, so close that their lips almost touched, “Hell, I’d wager good money that if I kissed you right now you’d kiss me right back. You’re a goddamn grown woman, Elena, who isn’t afraid to stand up to anyone, but you’re terrified of yourself.”

Anger flashed through her, warring for first place with the unease building. His words…

“You’re a lot of things, Elena. You’re beautiful and stubborn as hell. You’re smart and determined. You’re damn good at your job,” he said, holding her stare. “But you’re a coward. And you’d better wake up before you miss out on the amazing things in life because you’re too scared to take a chance,”

Stunned by what he said, all she could do was stand there, and when she didn’t say anything, Chandler cursed under his breath again. “I told you that after tonight, if you still insisted that you didn’t want me, I’d leave you the hell alone and that’s what I’m going to do. I’m not going to waste my time chasing after someone who can’t see when the real deal is staring her in the face. And maybe you can be with Matt instead since you were so mad about losing him as a potential boyfriend,”

Then he spun, his long legs quickly eating up the distance between her and the door. And then…then he was gone, the door slamming shut behind him.

Chandler hurried down to the bar. He needed a drink, but he needed something stronger than the scotch in the room, and honestly he needed a break from her. He knew that he’d been harsh and that he’d hurt Elena with his words, but he was still angry and he didn’t want to look at her face at the moment. He’d noticed the way her eyes had softened immediately he started talking, and he’d seen her expression go from anger to hurt.

He’d not meant to hurt her. That was not the reason why he’d asked her out, but somehow he’d managed to screw up his first real date in years. She wouldn’t go out with him now that he’d scared the shit out of her with his outburst and he had no one to blame but himself. Maybe relationships just weren’t meant for him.

———–

Elena stood frozen in the middle of the room after Chandler left. After what he’d said, she’d been unable to speak, because she knew that he was right. She’d also never seen him get that… emotional before. He always seemed in control and for the first time, she’d seen him actually react. The fierce look she’d seen in his eyes haunted her… She could see that he was angry, but not In the way that scared her. She’d actually thought of reaching out to him, but he’d stormed out of the room. Maybe that was good. Maybe they could use some time away from each other.

A warm bath would really help cool her nerves, so she went into the bathroom. It was quite spacious and Elena couldn’t wait to take off her clothes and wash away the horrible events of the night. It’d been going so well until somehow everything took a turn for the worst. Looking around, she was surprised to see a sexy black nightwear folded close to the robe and towels. Apparently, Chandler had really wanted her to be comfortable for the night. The realization made her soften towards him even more.

Elena took off her clothes and stepped into the shower, letting the warm water cascade over her, trying to wash away not just the day’s exhaustion but also the residual tension from her argument with Chandler. As she lathered soap on her skin, her thoughts drifted back to their heated exchange.