by KB Winters
He came out to the living room a moment later, wearing a soft smile, as he carried the two full glasses of cider. He handed me one and waited a beat for me to shift in my seat before he took the spot beside me, so close that his muscled thigh pressed against my knee as I perched cross legged in the corner.
“Thanks,” I said, glancing down at the cold glass in my hand.
“No problem.” He took a sip of his and smiled. “Shit, the good stuff.”
I laughed softly. “Tien spoils me.”
“Aha.”
“You might have noticed that I don’t exactly have a champagne budget.”
His brows creased. “What do you mean? This place is super nice.”
I snorted into my drink. “Compared to…?”
Chance angled his body toward me. “I keep telling you that I’m not who you think I am, Lace. When are you gonna believe me?”
My cheeks warmed, and I took a long sip to buy myself a few moments to answer.
Chance pressed on. “Yeah, I live in a big house, but that wasn’t always the case.”
My eyebrows rose half an inch.
He chuckled. “Is that what you thought? I was a silver spoon trust fund baby?”
I shrugged. “To be honest, I never really thought about it. Despite what you may think, I don’t sit around obsessing over you or Googling Chance Beaumonster to find out every spare detail of your life.”
Liar.
He smirked at my admonishment. “All right, fine. Well, let me tell you then,” he paused long enough to take another sip. “I was raised by my mom. She worked two jobs to take care of my little brother and me. She never complained and always made sure we had everything we needed, even though now, I can see that it came at a high cost to herself. She wouldn’t buy herself a new dress or pair of shoes if she had some extra money because Mason, my brother, and I would always need something. We lived in a shitty neighborhood, rode the bus most places, and did our laundry at a neighbor’s because most of the time we didn’t even have the cash for the laundromat.”
“When I got accepted to college on a full football scholarship, my mom just about died. She was so damn happy for me that I’d get a chance to go to a good school. Hell, that I’d even get to go to college at all. And when I got scouted for the NFL, she was the one who advised me and helped me navigate the shark tank. When I was picked first—” Chance’s voice faded and he cut his eyes to the other side of the room for a long moment. “She was there by my side, cheering me on as I signed my contract.”
I barely dared to take in a breath. The silence of the room crackled with emotion as I lowered my hand to Chance’s forearm.
His eyes drifted back to mine and he offered a smile. “Moral of the story, I wasn’t always some big-shot football player. I know what it’s like to have nothing. I don’t even like all the glittery shit most of the time. I mean, hell yeah, it’s fun to have money and a private jet and go on tropical vacations and all that, but if that all went away tomorrow, I’d like to think that I’d be all right. I never want to forget where I came from.”
I smiled softly. “Where is your mom now?”
“She’s got a house up in the hills. Not too far from mine, actually. She’s still there, cheering her ass off at every home game. She’s watched me fuck up, over and over again, but she’s still got my back. My bro too. He’s out in Cali, doing his thing.”
“I’m sorry if I came across as judgmental. I just figure that a guy like you is used to dating supermodels and actresses.” I glanced down into my glass, swirling the contents before a bolt of panic fired through my chest and my eyes darted back to his. “Not that I think we’re dating. Of course, we’re not.”
Chance laughed. “Are you always this neurotic?”
I narrowed my eyes at him. “I just didn’t want you to get your hopes up, that’s all.”
He laughed harder and draped an arm over the back of the couch. If I leaned back slightly, I could be resting against his arm, one move away from being back against his chest. “Trust me, I’ve been picking up on your messages loud and clear all week. At least… until about ten minutes ago.”
I ducked my chin as my cheeks flared with heat again. That kiss in the front seat of his ride. That was hard to explain away. A momentary lapse in judgment? I didn’t think he’d buy it.
Chance’s fingers pressed against my chin, bringing it back up so our eyes met. The smile was gone from his face, and instead, I found raw lust and desire reflected back at me. Without a word, he lowered his face to mine and enveloped me in another toe-curling kiss. His fingers slid up the side of my face and around my neck, drawing me closer as though there wasn’t a way for him to get enough of me.
When we pulled apart, each panting, he traced his thumb over my cheekbone and smiled down at me. “Pretty girl, you’ve been driving me insane all week. I can’t stop thinking about you.”
My heart raced at his simple but emotionally-charged, words. Despite all my best efforts, I hadn’t been able to stop thinking—or dreaming—about him all week either. But was it enough? Was insatiability a good enough reason to throw away all the doubts in the back of my mind? Could I just pretend I hadn’t spotted any red flags in the week since we’d met at the club?
Chance’s finger caressed over my lips that were swollen from his kiss. “God, you’re gorgeous.”
“Chance—”
His finger came to a stop in the center of my lips. “Shh. Don’t lie, pretty girl. You want me just as much as I want you. You can try and pretend you don’t—but the look in your eyes is giving you away.”
My eyes searched his and he smiled, dropping his finger away. “Tell me, baby.”
I licked my lips. “I don’t know what I want. This is—complicated.”
He cocked his head to the side. “How so?”
I sighed, wishing I could shut off the part of my brain that was arguing loudly against the yearning in my heart. Not to mention my body. Why couldn’t I just give in to him and let him carry me to some other place?
“We work together now, at least for the next month. I’m technically your supervisor.”
Chance laughed softly. “I swear I won’t tell a soul.”
“But that’s the whole thing. I don’t want to be a side piece. Some dirty little secret. I know I’m not your typical kind of girl.”
There, I’d said it. The ugliest and darkest of my fears had been given a voice.
“What the hell does that mean?” Chance asked, looking truly baffled.
My fingers rested in my lap and I twisted them together. “I’m not… a model or whatever.”
Chance brought my eyes back up to his. “Fuck that, Lace. You’re hot as fuck and I’ve spent every day this week trying not to drag you off to a damn coat closet to fuck you senseless.”
A small laugh bubbled from my lips. “I think that’s just ’cause you’re horny.”
Chance smiled. “For you, damn straight. I think you’ve purposely been wearing tight pants and skirts to drive me even more fucking insane. You make me lose my breath every time you bend over. And when you take that clip out of your hair and shake it loose—damn, baby—that gets me hard.”
I stared at him, mesmerized and stunned by his confession. “Like this?” I asked, reaching around to grab the black clip I wore in my hair most days. It was just easier to have it pulled back and out of my face. I released my shoulder length hair from the clip’s teeth and shook my head back and forth, sending the strands flying around, brushing my shoulders.
Chance’s hand wove through my hair and he tugged gently to pull my head back, sending bolts of desire flashing through me as his lips went in for the kill. Every nerve ending was pulled tight, ready for a release at his hands.
When he released me, I blinked a few times to clear the stars from my eyes. “Yes, pretty girl, just like that.”
13
Lacey
It might have been the worst move to make, but I couldn’t help myself with Chance. I
was a crazy, lust-filled moth to his flame. No matter how much I told myself he was nothing but heart-breaking trouble—there I was, falling right into his arms.
And the point of no return was a speck in the rearview mirror.
Chance kissed me like a wild man, his mouth full of fire and heat, as it roved up my neck and danced over my ear. His hands were lost in my hair, tugging to move me any which way he wanted. He was insatiable. I was lost. The room around us disappeared, and we vanished into a hypnotic echo chamber of moans, sighs, gasps, and pleas for more.
“I want you like I’ve never wanted anyone before,” Chance growled into my ear, sending a wave of chills over my body. “I crave you, Lacey. You’re like a drug to me.”
I moaned against his lips as he crushed them into mine, capturing them before I could murmur a reply to his lust-filled sentiment. The truth was, I felt the same way and if I was bare-naked honest with myself, I knew it was out of more than sheer desire. I wanted Chance for more than just his sinful lips and magic fingers. He was more than just a fling or casual, fleeting acquaintance.
Even if I knew he’d never be able to live up to anything more than that.
Chance pulled away and his eyes locked with mine, almost instantly causing my doubts to fade to black. “Pretty girl, you gotta stop thinking so much.”
I laughed softly. “Is it that obvious?”
He smirked. “Come on, take me to your bed and I swear you won’t be able to worry about anything.”
Sounded like heaven to me.
Chance pushed off the couch and reached for my hand. “I’m not sure you need directions,” I quipped, starting to take the lead. “It’s not like you can really get lost in here.”
He chuckled and wagged an eyebrow. “Maybe I just wanted to enjoy the view from behind.”
I laughed and put a little extra swivel in my hips as we made our way down the short hallway that lead to a bathroom in the center, with a bedroom on either side of the dead end. I pushed into the right bedroom, still clinging to his large hand. The window was open a little, letting in a breeze to take away some of the summer stickiness. At night it cooled down, but the air was still thick and heavy. Normally, the heat drove me crazy, but with Mr. Tall-dark-and-handsome, it made me even more anxious to strip out of my clothes.
And as if I needed more ammo to get him out of his clothes.
Reading my mind, he pulled off his t-shirt and my breath caught in my throat. I wondered if there was ever going to be some kind of immunity to seeing Chance’s body. The carved, rugged muscles moved with an elegant strength. He was one half raw strength and power and one half grace and panther-like prowess.
And don’t get me started on those deep v-lines etched at his hips.
Those lickable lines made my brain short-circuit.
He reached back and flicked on the lights, adjusting the dimmer switch to low. I grimaced and reached to flick them off again but he captured my fingers in his. “Whatcha doing?”
I nibbled my lower lip. As much as I enjoyed seeing his hard body bathed in the soft lighting, I wasn’t nearly as excited about my body being displayed under the overhead lights. The first time we’d slept together, I was a little too tipsy—okay, flat-out drunk—to care what he thought. But now, everything seemed more sensitive and vulnerable.
Chance didn’t wait for me to answer. He stepped closer to me, leaving barely an inch between us before he reached around for the zipper at the back of my pencil skirt. “Baby, I want to feel you and see you. I want to watch your eyes roll back in ecstasy while I fuck you. I want to see this beautiful body, fully on display, just for me.”
He slipped the zipper down a few inches, moving in slow motion as his words swirled around inside my mind. “You’re so fucking gorgeous, Lace.”
He kissed me before I could object or otherwise brush off his comments.
I had a pretty face, most of my life that was what I’d been told. But as for the rest of me… it was all a little too much. I’d been in killer shape all my life, until an injury in college took me out of softball. I gained fifteen pounds during my rehab process and it kind of piled on from there until I had about thirty pounds I wanted to shed from my once toned figure. When I looked in the mirror, all I saw was the extra curves and flab that I hated.
My eyes fluttered to Chance’s. “I’m just not used to the lights on…”
I winced, feeling naked while still fully dressed. I never let my insecurities go on full display for a man. After all, confidence was the sexiest feature a woman could have, right? Yeah… that’s what the front page of magazines sold. Confidence. Try big, perky tits, full, collagen lips, and slim, airbrushed waists that put nineteenth-century corsets to shame.
How many of those cover models had Chance been with?
Chance tipped my chin up. “I want to see you, Lace. Every delicious inch.”
He lowered the lights a smidgen more and then went back to continue stripping me of both my clothing and insecurities. His kisses wiped away the last argument in the back of my mind and pleasure overrode the doubt inside of me. The feeling of Chance’s hands on my skin as he peeled my shirt away from my body fueled me with a new level of self-awareness. I felt every lingering touch. Saw every lusty glance.
To Chance, I was a goddess. There was no denying it or fighting against it.
“D-a-a-a-mn,” he whispered, stepping back to look at me as I stood before him in nothing but my satin panties.
His eyes didn’t miss one inch as his eyes slowly moved across and down my body. A hungry look filled his gaze, made darker in the low light of the room. When they drifted back up to mine, my stomach flipped over and a bolt of heat went searing straight to the core of me.
We clashed together in a mess of frantic kisses as though the minute our bodies stood apart had actually stretched for days or weeks. Chance claimed me with each kiss, his tongue slowly and expertly tangling with mine. His kisses made me desperate for him, made me cling to his big shoulders as I trembled.
He lifted me with ease from the floor and my legs wrapped around his wide back as he carried me to the bed, our lips never parting. Only in his arms did I feel small and delicate. He laid me down and I reclined back against the stack of pillows, breathless and panting.
He shed his jeans and shorts without hesitation. He clearly had no hang ups about the way he looked naked.
And why should he?
He was a perfect specimen. Movie star good looks wrapped over a Spartan canvas.
And a cock that would make a porn star jealous.
He crawled over my waiting body, and his lips went to my boobs, teasing and tasting before his tongue began swirling its way further down. I sucked in a sharp breath as his lips reached the edge of my panties. The heat from his breath made me twitch and squirm. My hands fisted the covers in anticipation, already knowing how amazing his lips felt against me. But there was something about seeing him, his head, and those glittering eyes tucked between my thighs that made me completely lose my mind.
With maddening slowness, he peeled the fabric back, like unwrapping a gift, and his lips followed behind, planting hot, open-mouthed kisses in its wake. I pushed up a little, needing more pressure. I’d never been with a man so hot and passionate.
God, this man was sex on a stick. A sticky stick. With a cherry on top.
He moved lower, causing my legs to shake. He moved his mouth lower, until my panties were sliding past my ankles, and he dropped a final kiss to the small tattoo on the inside of my left ankle. He traced it with his fingers as though he were surprised to see it and flicked his eyes up my body to meet with mine. “I don’t remember seeing this before.”
I smiled. “Well, I assure you, it’s not new. I got it on my twenty-first birthday.”
His large fingers stroked over the design one more time. The ink showed the silhouette of a shooting star, with delicate lines that wrapped around the sides.
I moaned, but it came out like a dying animal as he slid back up m
y legs and his mouth stopped just short of touching the aching pulse between my thighs. I gasped as he lowered his lips to me and took his first, slow, lingering taste.
“Damn, baby,” he moaned. “So fuckin’ sweet.”
I bit my lip to keep from crying out as the waves of pleasure sucked me under as he licked and teased my clit. When he buried a thick finger deep inside of me, I couldn’t contain the gasp that escaped my throat. Chance found that spot easily and I grabbed his hand, fucking his thick finger until my juices gushed out of me. My head flew back and I moaned his name.
Chance sucked and finger fucked me mercifully—not making me wait—and made sure to lick up every bit of my juices when I finally sagged back to the bed.
“Now, let’s talk about this,” he growled, climbing up my body, his fingers trailing over my skin as he hovered above me. He circled one hard nipple with his thumb and then gave it a tweak.
I shuddered at the mix of pleasure and pain as my heavily-lidded eyes met his. “Not nice.”
He gave me a lazy grin. “You love it.”
I smiled, unable to deny it. Somehow, Chance read my body in a way that I’d never experienced before. I didn’t have to ask for anything or tell him what I wanted. He knew. The things that brought me insane pleasure were natural to him. Second nature.
From the look in his eyes, he loved pleasuring me as much as I enjoyed being pleasured.
My hand snuck between us, and I grasped his cock without any warning. It was big. And hard. Biggest cock I’d ever seen. But then I giggled at his startled response when he jolted at my touch. “Oh, come on. You love it.”
He chuckled and gripped my hips to roll us over so that I was straddling him, my pussy just barely rubbing against the smooth velvet head of his cock. “That I do. Now show me what ya got, cowgirl.”
I arched a brow at him. “Does that make you the cow in this scenario?”
