I reached for the button on his fly, intent on moving us forward when he placed his hands over mine. “Not yet. I want to make sure I keep all of my promises first.”
He kissed me deeply, his body curving over mine, grasping my shoulders and leaning me back until the felt of the table caressed my back. Chase kissed his way down my rib cage, and I arched slightly, trying to follow his lips as he lifted from my body. His hands moved to my hips, and I stiffened slightly.
“Don’t worry; I’ve learned my lesson. I’ll treat them gently.” With that, his hands slowly grasped the edge of my panties, dragging them a centimeter at a time down my hips, revealing my mound to his appreciative eyes. I closed my own, carrying the image of the lust in his expression with me.
He placed a lone kiss to my right hip as his hands continued to magic off my black bikini briefs. The slow slide of the fabric down my legs was echoed by Chase’s rough hands as he brought them to my ankles and off my body.
Crouched in supplication, he opened my legs wider, and grasping my ankles, started kissing up the right side of my body. A kiss to the inside of my knee made my whole body spasm, and I couldn’t contain my sigh. Chase noted my response and slowed further as he worked to the inside of my thigh, to my hip bone again, and up my side. I squirmed as he kissed along the sensitive side of my ribs. He completed his journey along the arch of my shoulder and the hollow of my throat, smiling at how fast my pulse was beating there, before finishing at my mouth.
His lower body pressed into mine, the weight a delicious, sweet relief. He rubbed his hips against mine, and while part of me cursed the barrier of his jeans, I loved the friction of the fabric against my delicate skin.
“Chase, for the love of everything, please lose the jeans. I’m dying here.” I groaned as he reluctantly pulled his body from mine with a sigh. “Even a few seconds without you is more than I can bear, but I’ve passed the point where this will be easy ...” I watched through hooded eyes as he flipped the button on his fly and carefully lowered his zipper.
He winced. “Hazards of going commando?” I asked with a smirk.
“Note to self, this might be another thing that’s better in fiction.”
As his erection sprung from his pants, bobbing gently against his stomach, I murmured, “I’m going to have to disagree with you there; this reality is everything I could have wished for.”
He kicked his pants away but didn’t immediately return to me. “I’m sorry, I can’t leave you lopsided.”
“What?” I choked out, as I realized his intent. His hands grasped my ankles again, and while I couldn’t see him, I could feel his lips caress my left ankle. As he worked his way up to my left knee, tremors wracked my body.
“See, you like this too,” he chided. My shaking grew stronger as he hit the inside of my left thigh, until he reached the apex of my legs and settled in for a visit. I let out a choked laugh at my own euphemism, but the swipes of his tongue against my most sensitive skin killed it quickly.
“Yes. Right there,” I choked on a gasp after a few moments of exploration. He was torturously slow in his attentions. “Pick up the pace or get up here. The lady is getting impatient.”
He chuckled, and I felt the vibrations through my core. “Noted.” He brought his talented fingers into play, applying pressure and rubbing while his tongue worshipped mine. Apparently typing was a highly underrated skill in developing hand dexterity and stamina. It was my last thought before the tremors overtook my body and sensation flooded me.
“Chase!” I couldn’t hold back my cry. He slowly ceased his motions as my body relaxed, grasping my hips, and laying his ear against my stomach.
“Is it fair to say I’m forgiven?” he asked, with a quick kiss to my hip bone.
“No,” I chuckled.
In mock outrage he said, “What does a man have to do?”
“Me. A man has to do me. You’ve only got partial credit right now. No one likes a half-assed apology, Chase.”
“Have I mentioned that I love your lack of ambiguity? I never thought blunt would be hot, but it is,” he insisted. “My body is yours. Do you want to continue here, or move somewhere more comfortable?”
I was resolute. “We started this on a pool table, and we’re going to finish it on a pool table. I want the full romance novel experience. Unless you’re worried about us damaging it?”
“Unlikely. But two words: worth it.” He found his jeans on the floor and dug a condom from the pocket, placing it on the edge of the pool table.
Stray tingles still ran through my body. I pushed myself up until I could wrap my arms around Chase’s neck and bring his body into the shelter of my thighs. Placing my lips against his fired my blood with renewed desire. To touch. To caress. Revel in his heat. My hands fluttered down his body to his hamstrings, walking through the hair there and around, inching ever closer to his erection. He groaned into my mouth as I wrapped my hands around him firmly, caressing to the tip.
“Tamra. I won’t last long if you keep that up.”
“There’s no extra credit for duration, Chase. Suit up.”
“Yes, ma’am.” He made quick work of rolling on the condom. “Are you sure you’re ready?”
Somehow, I doubted he’d find an eye roll sexy, so I went for it. And by it, I meant his body, wrapping my hands around his hips until I had a solid handful of his glutes and encouraged him into position. He bumped against my entrance a few times before sliding inside me. To the hilt. This time my eyes did roll back, but for a different reason. Chase’s rhythm was stupidly slow, and I was not prepared to stay silent about it.
“Chase,” I growled. “Please.”
“Ah, Tamra, I’m the only one doing any begging tonight. This is my apology tour.” He sped up, adding a small hip swivel when he was fully seated, and the friction was what I needed to lose conscious thought. He kept bumping and grinding away, and my attention centered on the mass of nerve endings between my legs. I was so ... close. So close. My nails may have inadvertently dug into his skin, and he took it as a signal to move faster. Each plunge tilted me closer to the edge and stars burst behind my eyes as his deepest stroke pushed me into ripples around him. He thrust for the final time before resting his head on my shoulder, breathing hard.
I opened my eyes to see Chase focused intently on my face. “How about now? Am I forgiven now?” he asked mischievously.
I kissed him quickly before sinking back against the felt. “I’m considering your case. It’s a difficult one. It might take me all night to review the evidence.”
He smiled, before groaning and pulling away, returning a few minutes later with a robe that he offered to me.
“Well, I’m happy to turn state’s evidence, but maybe I could ask for a continuation in my bedroom?” He snuck a quick kiss while waiting for my response, and slowly pulled his navy robe around my shoulders before helping me down from the table.
“I’ll allow it.” My knees only wobbled a little as I trailed him into his room, but I couldn’t hide my smile.
Snuggling into the curve of Chase’s shoulder was the perfect ending to a lovely evening. I sighed as he ran a hand absently over my curls. The stroking was hypnotic and the soft touch had me melting further into his hold. Safe. Content. Ready to take on the world. The last of my fears had dissolved under the weight of his attentiveness to my needs.
Chase appeared boneless, the satisfied smile on his mischievous lips reassuring me that for all his uncertainty earlier in the evening, we’d forged a bond over the pool table that gave us both hope in the future.
Heh. Bond. That was one word for it. I pushed up to straddle Chase’s hips and traced a playful finger around one male nipple. “We never did get to finish those James Bond fantasies ...”
“Yes. I might need to pump you for more information.”
I couldn’t control my snicker as he tugged me down to the mattress and rolled his weight on top. I gasped as he nipped at the tendon in my neck playfully.
�
�Pretty sure this is for your eyes only ...”
The next morning, I awoke to Chase’s big body next to mine. Light filtered into the bedroom, highlighting his tousled bedhead and the fresh stubble on his chin. I could definitely cross take a romantic risk off of my to-do list. I’d accomplished that many times over with Chase. I traced a finger over his warm shoulder, watching as he smiled in his sleep. Chase. He’d changed my life. Scratch that—I’d changed my life. I would never have even met him if I hadn’t started my list of challenges.
I wasn’t the same person who began her thirtieth year; I was stronger, more confident, and more willing to take risks. And wasn’t love the greatest risk of all? Love. Chase. I swallowed.
I loved Chase.
Chase’s lids fluttered, and I smiled as his blue eyes met mine. “Good morning.”
His wonderous expression softened my heart, and the gruff morning gravel of his voice sent heat zinging through my body. “Good morning, beautiful.”
My inner critic stepped in to refute his statement. Beautiful? Unlikely. Unbrushed teeth and hair didn’t equal beauty. “What’s wrong?” he asked, watching as the light died from my eyes.
“Nothing.”
“Tamra, what’s wrong?”
He pushed up from the sheets, and my hormones wanted to lose myself in him, but he wouldn’t let it go.
“Tamra.”
I swallowed before meeting his gaze. “Do you ever have that voice inside? The one that tells you you’re not enough?”
His blue eyes narrowed. “Only all the time. But don’t listen to it. Listen to me tell you you’re amazing instead.”
My lips twisted. “That’s easier said than done.”
“Then I need to speak more loudly and carry a big dick to drown it out.”
“Chase. That’s not the saying.” I giggled.
He grinned back before sobering. “How about this one then—I love you.”
“Those are some pretty big words,” I whispered.
“But not as big as my—” He stopped as I slapped him on the shoulder.
Was his admission a joke gone wrong, or how he really felt? I silenced the voice that whispered joke. Chase wouldn’t. Not about love. Giddy relief filled me. We’d both worked too hard to give up easily.
With a smile he leaned in, brushing his lips gently against mine before falling back against the sheets, tugging me on top of him in a tangle of arms and legs. His thigh slid between mine, and I nearly forgot what I was going to say at the growing pressure there.
“You’re not supposed to say that,” I said on a laugh when I caught my breath.
“Too soon?”
His face was serious. Uncertain. I couldn’t resist.
“For dick jokes? Absolutely.”
He grimaced. “Has anyone ever told you that you’re mean?”
“Most recently? I’ve been told I’m loved.”
I rocked gently against the growing bulge between us. Chase groaned; his eyes watchful. “And?”
“I love you too.”
“You’re not just saying that for access to my—”
“Chase. I love you. Now shut up and kiss me.”
The rough stubble on his cheeks scraped mine as he smiled against my mouth. “Who says you can’t believe in happily ever after?”
Chapter 31 – Chase
I loved Tamra. I’m not sure who had more fun as I tried to convince her it was true and that we’d last. Tamra had stayed that night, partially because she’d lost her bet, but mostly because the wooing had worked. Jimmy would be proud.
I loved that I could express myself freely with Tamra. She never turned up her nose when I said something awkward. If anything, she’d double-down and add her own irreverent twist. She was adorably blunt in the bedroom, and it kept me on my toes, but never to the point I found myself sliding back into uncertainty.
For the first six months of our relationship, I was hyperaware that any misstep on my part could spell doom and vigilantly maintained my writing schedule. I’d feared that my success writing on a schedule with The Wedding Date had been a one-time fluke; however, my discipline helped me write more efficiently, and in my modest opinion, more powerfully too. It may have helped that I had endless inspiration in Tamra.
I waited to see how Tamra would react when I messed up. Because that was inevitable. But Tamra hadn’t quit on me. When I got wrapped up in writing on my night to cook dinner, she stepped in. No recriminations, just help. Her cooking had been punishment enough. Her culinary skills had improved a lot thanks to our time in the kitchen together, but I wasn’t the only one who could get distracted. The smoke alarm helped break me out of my writing fugue, but we were both able to laugh about it.
I was putting the finishing touches on a special dessert for her birthday dinner when I glanced at the clock. Only a few minutes until Tamra would be home. I had threatened to make vagina cupcakes and bring them to her at work today, but she said if I did, I’d end up with them smeared all across my face. Gina would have thought it was funny, but as far as the rest of Tamra’s coworkers knew, I was a nice, normal boyfriend, and I didn’t want to disillusion them too quickly.
Instead, I scoured Pinterest for cute birthday quotes to decorate the layered cheesecake she’d requested. I’d finally settled on, “I baked you a cake, I asked you to marry me, I made it awkward.”
I’d consulted long and hard with Jimmy on how to ask Tamra to marry me. I wanted something that reflected our relationship, but he convinced me not to post the cake to social media or bring it to her at work. Sometimes I still had to ignore my raw instincts.
The front door opened, and I quickly covered the cheesecake. I poured a glass of wine and met Tamra at the door, where she was taking her shoes off. She was so cute in her scrubs, her dark hair up in a ponytail. Today’s top had storks flying back and forth, carrying doctors and nurses in their beaks.
“Hi.” I passed her a glass of wine with a smile, then pressed a kiss to her lips. “Happy birthday.”
“Thanks. I’m glad that shift is over.”
“Busy night?” I asked.
“Yes. There are three new little ones who are going to share my birthday with me.”
“Wow. Bumper crop.” She smiled and took a sip from her glass. “In honor of this year’s birthday, I’ve made you an oldie but goodie for dinner. Asian turkey burgers with hoisin mayo.”
“Yum. That’s right, it was the first meal that I openly admired on my birthday last year. Grilled cheese didn’t cut it after seeing your photo.”
My shoulders relaxed. So far, so good. I just had to tamp down my nerves until dessert.
“Join me in the kitchen while I put the finishing touches on dinner?”
She came to sit at the counter after she’d changed out of her scrubs. Her eyes strayed to the covered cheesecake, but she didn’t comment. I was tempted to do dessert first but held back. Tamra was worth the wait.
After enjoying dinner together and talking more about her day, I put the last plate in the dishwasher, unable to hold back. “Ready for dessert?”
Tamra shook her head. “Still too full.”
I smiled to hide my agitation at the delay and refreshed our wine glasses. We sat down to watch a show together. Distracting myself with TV didn’t work. My gaze was drawn repeatedly to Tamra cuddled up next to me. I toyed with the curl at the end of her ponytail and tried to muster my courage. She snuggled into my shoulder, bolstering my confidence at the natural movement. Trust and love. Contentment washed through me.
Tamra excused herself to the bathroom when the episode ended, and I rushed to the kitchen to put the candles on the cake and light them. As she stepped over the threshold to the kitchen, the words I’d been holding back all evening tumbled out.
“Your birthday is reason enough to celebrate, but a year ago today, your birthday wishes brought you into my life. I’m hoping you’ll give us another reason to celebrate.”
I swallowed hard. She hadn’t seen the cake messa
ge yet, her gaze focused on me, searching.
“Make a wish? And let me know what it is, because my fondest wish is that you’ll agree to marry me.”
I held out the flaming cake, hoping that she’d appreciate the candles in the shape of a heart. And that my cheesy cake decorating skills would work magic.
Tamra’s smile crinkled the edges of her eyes, highlighting their sparkle as she nodded. She blew out the candles, then raised a dark brow. “What? You’re not going to sing for me?”
“I want you to marry me. That’s something I’d only do if I wanted to scare you away. My singing voice doesn’t make me attractive marriage material.”
Her laugh eased the vise that constricted my heart. I set the cake down on the counter and pulled her body forward until it was flush with mine. I inhaled, enjoying the hint of the soap she used in the shower that morning. Gently I leaned down, kissing her with all the longing I could infuse into the touch. She returned my caress, but it wasn’t enough. I needed to know. Leaning back to break our connection, I put it out there. I needed to hear the words. “Tamra Shaw, I love you. Will you marry me and be my wedding date?”
She huffed a quick laugh, her face suffused with happiness.
“Yes!”
Exhilaration chased away my nerves in a whoosh of relief that left me light-headed. Tamra threw her arms around my shoulders, pulling me close. Feeling her body pressed against mine fired up needs my anxiety over popping the question had suppressed. Her soft curves fit me perfectly, and all I wanted to do was sink into her warmth. I kissed along the arch of Tamra’s neck, enjoying a playful nip at the tendon there as she let her head roll back on her shoulders. Her greedy hands grasped my head, holding me in place while she captured my lips with hers. Moments, possibly days, but far less than the lifetime I needed, passed as we kissed.
Mister Romance Page 24
