Dinner was impeccable. The rest of our group had already taken their seats by the time we got down there.
The guys all had variations of steak, and I chose a chicken and seafood dish that had my mouth watering as it was set in front of me.
It had been a long day for everyone in the best of ways. As I looked around the table, there wasn’t a frown to be found. However, as dinner was ending, I could hear some whisperings from the tables around us, people clearly noticing who it was they were sitting near. After dinner, the guys wanted to cap off the night with a couple of drinks. They were approached by a couple of fans, a man with his son, and I watched them take some photos. I let myself have just one drink, it didn’t take much to make me tipsy. Everyone was still going strong, so I quietly excused myself and headed away from the bar. I could feel Chase’s eyes on me the whole way. My phone dinged before I had even reached the elevator.
Come to my room at midnight.
My body buzzed in anticipation, every hint of sleepiness disappearing. But looking at the time on my phone, that was still a way off, and I had to find a way to distract myself until the time passed. Pulling out my book from my bag, I chose to sit in the comfortable window seat. It was dark, but I could see the moon reflecting off of the water.
I could hear everyone when they eventually returned to their rooms. I hopped up from the window and hurriedly brushed my teeth and ran a brush though my hair. I waited as long as I could, taking my time stripping down to my underwear and wrapping up in my bathrobe. I cracked open my door just enough to listen for anyone moving around, and when I heard nothing, I slipped through the door and out into the hallway on tiptoes. I had just about made it to his room when a figure came out of a shadow at the end of the hall. Turning immediately, I tried to return to my room.
“Excuse me, you can’t be wandering down this way,” the voice stated.
It was Big Joe, the head of security. “Can I help you with something?” he continued.
I was caught. The thing worse than being caught by Big Joe would be Claire and the rest of the band coming out to investigate.
I approached him. “Sorry, Joe,” I apologized.
“Elle? What are you doing out this late? You left the group ages ago.”
I nodded.
“Do you need something?”
“Uh…”
I pulled out my phone.
Come to the door.
Chase swung the door open quickly. “What took you so… ah. Joe.”
Big Joe looked between the two of us, a slow knowing smile spreading widely across his face.
“I didn’t see that coming,” he stated.
“Well, we aren’t…”
“It’s not…”
Joe held up his hand. “I know how to keep my mouth shut. Especially when there is a little incentive to do so.”
Was he actually blackmailing us?
Chase chuckled, grabbing my hand and pulling me inside. “How about a night off? I’ll be getting the latest game in a few days. How about if you have the first crack at it.”
“How about snacks?” Joe asked, wiggling his eyebrows.
“I’ll make sure there are snacks,” I piped up.
He held out a hand to Chase and they shook sombrely, until Joe broke into a huge smile, sticking his tongue out.
“You guys, it makes sense. I’m going to hold you to our deal, boss. Have fun you two.”
Chase closed the door, and I couldn’t help but giggle.
“I can’t believe that just happened.”
“I should have known he was going to be out there. Sorry about that.”
He walked over and fell back onto the bed, leaning onto his elbows.
“Now, we’ve wasted too much time already. Why don’t you come on over here and show me what is hiding underneath that robe?”
Curled up against the warmth of Chase’s body, I trailed my fingers across his chest.
“I wanted you to come on the hike with us today,” he said quietly.
I smiled. “I wanted to go too. But I thought that either it was supposed to be some guy time or that Claire wanted to have some girl time. In reality, I didn’t see her at all.”
I looked up to see him frowning.
“What’s wrong?”
“I hate that you missed it.”
“I didn’t entirely. I walked along the edge of the lake for a bit. It was beautiful.”
He leaned down and kissed me. “You’re beautiful.”
Chase pulled me closer until I had my head resting on his chest. With the strong, steady sound of his heartbeat in my ear, it wasn’t long before I had drifted off to sleep.
I woke to the sound of knocking on the door.
“Chase, door.”
He sat up and pulled on a bathrobe at the end of the bed. I flew from the bed, grabbed my robe and made a mad dash for the bathroom.
“Chase, sorry for the early wake up call,” I could hear Big Joe talking. “But Claire set wake up calls at the front desk for 10 minutes from now. She should get back to her room.”
Oh, how I loved Big Joe at that moment.
“Thanks, man,” Chase replied and closed the door
“That’s my cue,” I stated, walking from the bathroom, but Chase stepped in front of me. Wrapping his arms around my waist, he pulled me to him and rested his cheek on the top of my head.
“Chase…”
“Uh hmm?”
I leaned back so I could look up at him. “I have to go.”
He sighed. “Yeah, I know. Okay.”
He let me pass and I slipped through the door.
“Thanks, Joe.” I patted his arm as I walked by.
He chuckled. “Not a problem. I would have done it for nothing. I’m glad to see him happy.”
What a guy. No sooner had I gotten into my room did the phone start to ring for our wake-up call. I quickly hopped into the shower and, before long, we were all downstairs meeting for breakfast. From the look on everyone’s faces, none of the guys seemed like morning people. Ivy and Chase’s parents joined us a short time later as coffee was being served to everyone. Ivy slipped from her chair and came around the table. I scooped her up into my lap and she gave me a big hug.
“I missed you, Ewlle.”
“I’ve missed you too! Did you have fun with your grandparents?”
She nodded her head firmly in response.
“Okay, guys, we have one more thing to do today before we have to head back on tour,” Claire announced. “So, load up on that buffet while you can, because we need to be on the buses and heading out in thirty minutes.”
“Where are we going now?” Brant asked.
“Glacier walking,” she replied.
I glanced over at Chase, and he was smiling. I guessed that he liked the plan.
Claire was just like a drill sergeant about the time and everyone scurried to fill their plates. Sure enough, thirty minutes later everyone was on the buses and we were on our way to Jasper.
When we arrived, we were ushered aboard a massive truck that looked like a mix between a bus and an armoured vehicle, with huge, thick tires. It quickly became clear why.
The truck took up on a short trek up onto an expansive area of ice.
“This here is Athabasca Glacier, folks,” the guide told us from the front of the truck.
We followed him until we were up on ice ourselves. The guide filled our time there with interesting facts, but I couldn’t take my eyes off of the ice itself; how thick it was, and how far it stretched. Chase approached me as we were allowed to walk around on our own for a little while before our tour would end.
“What do you think?” he asked.
I shook my head. “It’s unbelievable. Breathtaking.”
“Give me your phone.”
He took it and stepped back. After snapping more than a few photographs, Claire had us all gather, and the guide took a group shot. Once we had a chance to enjoy the glacier, our guide led us to an area where we could t
ake a drink – a drink from the water coming off of the glacier. It was ice cold and refreshing. I wished I could bottle some of it and take it with us.
Unfortunately, our time was short and, too soon, we had to get back on the truck and return to our buses.
It was there that we had to say goodbye to Chase’s parents. I could see the sadness in his eyes, and in Ivy’s. She began to cry as we got back on the bus; Chase curled up with her on the couch and I decided to leave them alone for a while. I spent some time in my bunk and I could hear him talking to her.
“It’s okay, sweetheart, we are going to see them again really soon.”
He began to hum a tune that I didn’t recognize, but it was sweet and subtle. When I eventually emerged from my bunk, I found them both sleeping soundly. It was truly the sweetest sight and my heart swelled with appreciation for the love that they shared, and the amazing father Chase clearly was.
Chapter Thirteen
Elle
The band had finished the second of a two-night show in Vancouver, British Columbia, and they were fired up and ready to let loose. Chase led us out the back of the venue where a stretch limo SUV was waiting. Everyone else whistled and hollered in excitement. I, on the other hand, stood behind everyone, hesitating if I should be going along. When he noticed I wasn’t keeping up with everyone, Chase came back and placed a hand lightly on my shoulder.
“Come on, Elle.”
“Who’s with Ivy? Maybe I should stay.”
“You know full well that she is with Big Joe.”
I smiled at the thought. Big Joe, who was normally the big burly dude who took care of security and could scare anyone who crossed his path, was a huge teddy bear when it came to Ivy.
“Joe volunteered,” he said, raising his eyebrow at me. “Ivy’s already asleep and I did agree to let him take the first crack at the latest video game I picked up.”
Ah, Joe was cashing in on Chase’s deal.
Even still, my feet would not move any closer to the limo. It hadn’t been that long, and up until that point we had been okay with keeping things quiet. I knew that giving into my desire for Chase had complicated everything, but as long as it stayed between us, aside from Joe, it would make it easier to pretend that it had been a crazy good dream when things had to end.
“It’s awfully public, don’t you think? A lot of prying eyes,” I whispered.
He smirked. “That’s what you are worried about?”
Taking a step closer, he slid his hand through my hair, resting his fingers on the back of my neck. Much to my surprise, he pulled me closer until his lips pressed firmly against mine. God, this man could kiss. My legs grew weak and I pressed my hand against his chest, a smouldering, slow burn igniting inside of me. I was breathless by the time he leaned back.
“Pretty sure it’s not a secret now,” he murmured.
“Holy shit!” Claire squealed.
“Hell yeah, that was hot!” Stixx roared.
Chase shook his head at his friends before turning his gaze down to me. “These are the only people that I give a shit about, and I’m glad that they know. Are you okay?”
“You really didn’t give me much of a choice,” I stated, smacking his chest lightly.
“I should have taken care of that long before now. I would have saved myself Joe taking advantage of the situation.”
Even through my nerves, a small smile spread across my lips.
Chase grinned. “Now that we have that taken care of, let’s go have some fun tonight.”
He guided me to the limo in front of everyone, pointing to the furthest seat. Everyone else piled in and we headed out.
Music could be heard down the block. The limo headed around the back of the club, and when it finally pulled over, Chase held my wrist until the limo emptied out.
“You coming, man?” Stixx asked.
“Yeah, we’ll be in there in a minute.”
As soon as the door was closed, Chase was on me, his lips attacking mine with fervour, his hands roaming over my body.
I’d never felt anything like this with anyone else before – passion, need, excitement. It was overwhelming to have them racing through my body all at once.
He pulled my leg over him until I was straddling him. I could feel his length pressing against me.
“We should be inside,” I told him.
“Fuck that,” he growled.
Chase pushed my skirt up higher, revealing black lace garters.
“Fuck me,” he breathed. “I’ve been a walking hard on since I met you.”
Rolling my hips, his head fell back against the seat, the friction teasing us both.
“Uh uh,” he protested. “No more teasing.”
He ripped the fabric of my matching thong and pulled them from me.
“Hey, those were new!”
“I’ll get you more, but right now,” he said, sliding me back a bit so he could unzip the fly of his worn jeans. “I’d like to fuck you and those were in the way.”
He waited for my approval, pulling out a condom from his pocket and sheathing himself. I slowly slid down his hard length, leaning in to trail my tongue across his lips. His hands tugged at the top of my corset, my breasts spilling out; his fingers pinched my nipples until I cried out from the pain and the ecstasy.
I rode him faster, harder, unable to control myself. Chase grabbed my hips, slowing me down enough for him to press his thumb against my clit. Wave after glorious wave of the most intense climax I had ever had washed over me. Chase pushed forward, taking control and speeding his thrusts until he groaned loudly, coming while buried deep inside me. He held me close until our breathing slowed.
“You know I won’t have anything under my skirt now.” I laughed lightly.
“Fuck. Maybe we can skip the club after all.”
“Oh no, we’re going.” I slipped off of his lap and fixed my skirt and put my breasts back into my corset. I leaned back against the seat across from him so I could watch him clean himself up. I’d never found watching a man touching himself so sexy as I did right then, knowing I had been the cause of it all.
Chase helped me from the limo and into the deafening noise of the club, though as we reached the VIP section, I could hear Stixx and Brant cat-calling us for our delay in joining them.
Chase headed to the bar and grabbed me a drink and then poured one for himself from the bottles on the coffee table in front of us. He sat close to me, his hand stretching across my lap, pulling my legs tightly together.
“It’s your own fault,” I said, leaning in close to him.
There were a couple of girls who recognized the band. Was I ready for this? The buzz I had been feeling fizzled a little. I gently pushed his hand away. His eyes met mine immediately.
“Washroom,” I explained. “Go meet your fans.”
The bathroom was busy; drunk girls giggling about the hotties that were waiting to buy them another drink. I was washing my hands when a woman stepped up beside me.
“Chase Brighton,” she mumbled.
That’s all she said. I couldn’t even be sure she was talking to me, so I ignored her and brushed a couple of stray hairs back into place.
“You’re here with Chase Brighton.”
“I’m here with the band,” I tried to deflect. “Do you want an autograph or something? They are out there chatting with fans. You can probably ask them.”
She laughed humourlessly. “No, thanks.”
Smoothing out my skirt, I looked over at the girl. She was thin, too thin; her cheeks hallowed underneath her overly done make-up. She had dark bags under vacant eyes. I tried to leave but her next words stopped me in my tracks.
“You’re just another lay to him, you know.”
“Do you know them or something?”
She was shaking her head as I turned to face her.
“They are all the same, the superstars.”
“Yeah, well, whatever it is you think you know, I’m not with Chase, just hanging out with so
me friends, not that it is any of your business. Excuse me.”
I stormed out of the bathroom and when I reached our section, I sat down next to Claire, earning me a confused look from Chase.
“What’s wrong?” Claire asked.
I shrugged. “There was a weird woman in the bathroom talking to me. She didn’t seem to like the band much.”
“I wouldn’t worry about it,” she dismissed the situation quickly. “So, you and Chase huh?”
And so it began. “It’s not something to get all excited about. I mean, it’s not like we are serious.”
“Oh really? Are you sure about that?” she asked, raising an eyebrow at me.
I nodded. “Of course, I am.”
Her eyes danced with humour. “I thought you were going to be the one woman who was impervious to his charms. You were doing so well too.”
I let me head fall against her shoulder. “I know, right? Maybe it was being in such close quarters with him. Do you know that he never wears a shirt in the morning? Have you seen him? That would wear any woman down. But seriously Claire, I don’t want to get too wound up in anything. I’m not going to put any pressure on him to make this anything that it isn’t. I’m not even sure what I want. Either way, we’re adults. No matter what, I can handle it.”
“Well, the way he is looking at you is not nothing.”
When I glanced over to him, his eyes were focused on me, smouldering. It sent a little thrill through me that in a club full of gorgeous women, his eyes were still focused on me.
No matter how many times I told myself that it wasn’t a big deal what was going on, I had no doubt that I would never be the same after this. Chase was a pretty amazing guy; not only was he an amazing singer, but he had shown me the kind of desire and passion that I had only ever dreamed of, and I planned to enjoy that for as long as possible. The one thing I knew, though, was that there was no way that it could last. Something that burns so intensely could not possibly last forever. Besides, he was this superstar and could literally have any woman he desired. Aside from the obvious physical attraction, there wasn’t anything I could offer him that no one else could. So, I would just try to enjoy the ride for as long as it lasted, and not get too caught up in it at the same time. Chase sure as hell was not going to make that easy.
Chasing Melody Page 8
