Shameless

SHAMELESS THE CHASE DUET BOOK 2 KIMBERLY KNIGHT CONTENTS Note From The Author Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Chapter 15 Chapter 16 Chapter 17 Chapter 18 Chapter 19 Chapter 20 Chapter 21 Chapter 22 Chapter 23 Chapter 24 Chapter 25 Epilogue Acknowledgments Also By Kimberly Knight About the Author WHERE I NEED TO BE Chapter 1 Chapter 2 No portion of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any print or electronic form without permission. This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to any persons, living or dead, any places, events or occurrences is purely coincidental. The characters and story lines are created from the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. The subject matter is not appropriate for minors. Please note this novel contains profanity, explicit sexual situations, and alcohol consumption. SHAMELESS Copyright © 2023 Kimberly Knight Published by Kimberly Knight Photograph © Wander Aguiar Cover art © Indie Sage All rights reserved. NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR Dear Reader, The story you’re about to read started before Blake and Stacey met. If you’d like to read what happened that summer, you can grab a copy of the short story for free here. It’s not required for you to read the prequel, but it might help you understand some of the references in Shameless. I also want to mention that there are multiple S names in this. When I came up with these names in previous stories, I had no idea Blake would be waiting in line for me to write his. Happy reading! To Rachel, Like so many who have supported me throughout my career, the Montgomery boys brought us together, but for us, it has led to an amazing friendship and writing partnership. I’m elated to be on this newfound journey with you and thank you for all your help with this duet. 1 Blake “What did you say?” I asked, hoping I’d misunderstood my brother. “Stacey isn’t coming,” he repeated. My gaze moved to Spencer’s. “What do you mean, she isn’t coming?” My sister-in-law frowned. “She told me she couldn’t go through with the wedding. She and Molly left.” “Why?” I growled. How could she leave without at least telling me why she couldn’t marry me? I thought things were perfect between us. Last night, we had talked about Cabo and everything we were going to do, which wasn’t much, considering we’d planned to be naked most of the time. How, in only a few hours, had it all turned to shit? “She didn’t tell me,” Spencer replied. “And you just let her leave?” I snapped. Spencer wasn’t the person I was angry with, but my blood was raging. “Hey!” Brandon interjected. “This isn’t Spencer’s fault. I know you’re hurt, but don’t take it out on my wife.” “I know,” I bit out and stalked to the door. When Stacey and I had toured the venue, we had been shown where the bridal suite was located; I headed there even though Spencer had said Stacey left. I needed to see for myself because I didn’t believe Stacey could cut me so deep. Maybe in the time Spencer had been talking to us in the groom’s suite, Stacey had come back. Maybe she had forgotten something at home and ran back to get it. Maybe it was all a joke. Not bothering to knock, I flung the door open. The room was empty, and I knew damn well Stacey’s mother and Molly should have been in the room getting ready. I took my phone out of the pocket of my slacks and hit the button to call her, only for it to ring once and then go straight to voicemail. I called again, but it did the same thing. Over and over I tried to get through, but it was clear she’d turned off her phone. In less than five minutes, my life had gone from damn near perfect, to spiraling out of control. How could Stacey leave me at the altar? We’d kept our fling going for years before making it official, and she was the first woman to work her way into my heart. There was only one other time I thought I’d loved someone, but even with Miranda, my high school girlfriend, it wasn’t the same as my feelings for Stacey. And now my heart was on the floor, flopping around like a dying fish. With my phone still in my hand, I slid down the wall behind me and hung my head as I tried to make sense of it all. Except, nothing added up. What had changed her mind? Unlocking my phone, I went to text her, only to stop when I read the last one from this morning: Can’t wait to marry you today! I’d replied: Not as much as me baby! Clearly, that was the truth. “Hey.” I looked up to see Brandon standing in front of me. “She really left?” “Seems so,” I whispered as I looked back down at my lap. “You tried calling her?” “Yeah.” “And nothing?” “Straight to voicemail.” “What are you going to do?” I looked up at him. “What can I do?” He crouched down next to me. “I know you’re hurting, but you need to tell everyone waiting for the wedding to begin that it won’t.” Another dagger twisted in my heart as I thought about standing in front of my family and friends and telling them. I knew they would have questions; since I didn’t have the answers, the mere thought of delivering the news turned my stomach. “I can’t.” I got to my feet. “I need to get out of here.” “You can’t leave,” Brandon stated. “Why not? Stacey did!” I roared. Were her friends and family waiting or had she given them a heads up and we were the suckers in this charade? My