Taking a deep breath, Kerri leaned over and wrapped her lips around the head of his cock. She sucked as she swiped her tongue over the crown, focusing on the small slit. Chase groaned again, and Kerri noticed that his fists were balled in the sheets on each side of him. She took more of him into her mouth, still gripping the base of his shaft with her hand, and began to set a rhythm of sucking and stroking until she felt Chase’s thigh tremble under her other hand. She removed the hand at the base of his penis and tapped his leg to let him know that it was okay for him to move. That seemed to be the signal that Chase was waiting for because he quickly thrust both hands into her hair and surged into her mouth. Kerri felt him hit the back of her throat and relaxed her muscles so that she could take him deeper. It was a tight fit, but she managed without gagging. She held still and breathed through each stroke, letting him have control. He may not have had control over his dreams, but with this he did.
Kerri knew exactly when Chase was about to come because his rhythm began to falter. He was breathing harshly and chanting her name over and over in the same rhythm as his strokes. His breath hitched, and he groaned loudly just as he yanked his cock out of her mouth. She felt the first spurts of semen hit her cheek and the rest dot her chin and neck. Chase lay back on the bed, panting. He still had his hands wrapped in her hair, and Kerri was willing to give him all the time he needed to recover.
Once his breath returned to normal, Chase rose up and gripped her under her arms. He lifted her from the floor, and Kerri was grateful because her thigh was protesting loudly. She didn’t let Chase know that she was hurting because she didn’t want to see any more guilt on his face. She had taken his mind off his nightmare, and that had been the goal. Chase placed her on the bed and went to the bathroom. He came back a few seconds later with a warm rag that he used to clean her face and neck. Kerri heard the wet rag splat against the floor and guessed that Chase had thrown it toward the bathroom. He climbed into bed, kissing her, and no words were spoken because none were needed. Chase knew what she had just done for him and why. He also knew that she wasn’t expecting him to return the favor. She curled into his side and drifted back off to sleep.
Chapter 8
“Hi, Dad.” Kerri smiled into the phone. It had been over two weeks since she last talked to him, and it was good to hear her dad’s voice.
“Hi, pumpkin. How are you feeling?”
“I feel great. My leg is healing. It is still a little sore, though. Other than that I am doing okay. How are you, Dad? How is the search going?”
Kerri could hear her dad breathing deeply. That meant that he was collecting his thoughts so that he didn’t make a mistake and tell her too much. Kerri hated that. How did he expect her to run the company if he still wasn’t willing to tell her everything? She knew that it wasn’t about trust. It was about her dad still coddling her. He wanted her sheltered from his world, but he wanted her to walk right alongside of him in it.
“Dad, tell me what’s going on.”
Her dad knew her just like she knew him. He knew that she wasn’t going to let it go, so he blew out a breath. “I think I know who took you. I’m close to catching him, so this should all be over soon.”
Kerri knew that there was more but decided to let it pass. She knew her father would do what needed to be done. Instead, Kerri focused on her reason for calling him.
When Kerri woke up that morning next to Chase in bed, it felt right. Her world felt like it finally made sense. This was where she belonged and wanted to stay. Her place was here in Chase’s arms. Hopefully he felt the same way, but she would worry about that when the time came to tell him how she felt. She hadn’t wanted to leave Chase alone in bed, but there was a phone call she needed to make, and she wanted privacy. She grabbed the secure satellite phone that Chase had showed her and went out on the back patio. Now, after hearing her dad’s voice, her confidence was leaving her. She had to tell him before she chickened out.
She cleared her throat. “Dad, there is something I need to tell you. Before you get upset, I just want you to listen and let me finish what I have to say.”
Immediately her dad responded, “What is it, Kerri. You know you can tell me anything.”
“I don’t want to run the company for you. Honestly, I’m not sure I ever did. I realized that it’s just not me. I want to settle down and have a family. I want lots of kids and a husband, and I want to be home to raise them. Being out here with Chase and his family made me realize that this is what I want.”
Daniel was quiet for a long time, and Kerri waited patiently for him to respond. “I’m sorry, pumpkin, if you felt like I pushed you into this. I only wanted what’s best for you. That is why I already decided that I wasn’t going to turn the company over to you. I want out as well, so I’m selling it. Having you used against me is something that I never want to go through again. Maybe I can settle down as well and help you raise my grandkids.”
Kerri didn’t know what to say. She was ready to argue her point, but her dad had stopped the argument in its tracks. He already decided to sell the company. He wanted out as well. Okay, well let’s see if we can’t make it two for two.
“Thank you, Dad, for understanding about the company. I’m glad that you are getting out as well because I worry about you, too. It’s time you settled down and found someone to love. Mom wouldn’t have wanted you to be alone all this time. She would have wanted you to find someone to make you happy. She would have wanted that for both of us, and I have found someone that makes me truly happy.”
Kerri couldn’t stand the silence on the other end of the phone so she blurted out, “I’m in love with him, Dad.”
“And by ‘him’, you mean Chase?”
She tried to listen to his voice to see if she heard anger, but all she heard was genuine curiosity so she continued, “Yes, Dad. I am in love with Chase. I haven’t told him yet, and I’m not sure how he feels about me, but I have to take a chance. I love him, and this is where I want to be if he will have me.”
“I can’t say I’m surprised. I think you have had a place in your heart for Chase since you were a little girl. You were in awe when you first met him.”
Kerri sucked in a breath. “You knew about that?”
“Of course I did.” Daniel laughed. “I pay attention to everything. Don’t worry about Chase either. I saw the way he was watching you in the hospital and how protective of you he was. Trust me, he feels the same way. And if he doesn’t, then I will just have to come out there and make him feel it.”
Kerri laughed even though she had tears streaming down her face.
“Listen, pumpkin, I love you, and I want you to be happy. You couldn’t have picked a better man to share your life with, and I am happy for you.”
She loved Chase, and her dad had just given her his blessing to be with him. She was on the verge of getting everything she always wanted. “Thank you, Dad. You have no idea how happy you have made me.”
“Trust me, honey, I know. I need you to do me a favor, though. I need you to stay close to Chase in the next few days. This should all be over soon, but I need to know that you are protected so that I can focus on catching this guy. Promise me.”
Kerri knew that there was a lot her dad wasn’t saying, and if she took the time to read between the lines then she could probably figure it out, but she didn’t want to. For once she agreed with her dad. She would stay close to Chase and let her dad handle the situation. Soon it would all be over, and they could start living a normal life.
“I promise, Dad. Just be safe.”
They said their good-byes, and Kerri hung up. She breathed a sigh of relief. The phone call had gone way better than she expected, and she was ecstatic. She had no idea that her dad wanted out of the company just like she did. Maybe they should have had this talk a whole lot sooner. A sound behind her drove Kerri from her thoughts, and she turned to see Chase leaning against the door.
“How long have you been standing there, Chase?”
Instead of responding, Chase stalked over to her and held her by the shoulders. He was so close that Kerri had to lean her head way back to see his face. He had a neutral expression on his face, so she couldn’t tell what mood he was in.
“Chase, what’s wrong?”
“Did you mean it?” he asked.
Did I mean it? What in the world is going on? Chase shook her shoulders to get her to focus back on him.
“Did you mean what you just said to your dad?”
The lightbulb finally went off for Kerri, and she looked into Chase’s eyes. She saw hope shining in them and smiled. “Yes, Chase, I meant every word. I’m not sure how much you heard, so I will say it again. I love you, Chase Matthews. According to my dad I have been in love with you since I first laid eyes on you. Either way, I love you. If you will have me, I am willing to spend the rest of my life with you.”
Chase’s lips crashing down on hers was the only response she got from him. She was lifted, and she wrapped her legs tightly around his waist as he laid her on the lounge chair that she had just vacated. The only thing that she was wearing was one of Chase’s T-shirts that she had slipped on when she got out of bed, and that was easily shoved up to her neck. Kerri used her feet to push Chase’s sleep pants down under his butt. That was as far as she needed them. She grabbed his cock and pressed the tip to her entrance. With one swift rock of his hips, Chase surged inside of her until she felt the hair surrounding his cock tickle the lips of her pussy. Chase pulled out and surged back in and set a nonstop pace. Kerri could feel her muscles tightening, signaling that she was about to come. Chase’s husky voice in her ear telling her that he loved her, too, was what sent her over the edge into one of the strongest orgasms that she’d ever had. Kerri’s vision became spotted, and she thought she was going to pass out as she felt Chase emptying himself inside her. She laughed, too happy to hold it in, and hugged Chase tightly.
Kerri hoped since it was still early in the morning that the rest of the family was still asleep because she and Chase were lying exposed for anyone to walk by and see them. The thought of them getting caught by the rest of Chase’s family never crossed her mind when he pushed her down on the lounge chair a few minutes ago. That was what the man did to her. He made her lose her mind at the slightest touch from him. Kerri didn’t care because she loved Chase, and now she knew he felt that same about her.
“If I was an insecure man, I would be offended by your laughter after we just got done having sex. What’s so funny, little bit?”
“I was just thinking to myself that the bed is so overrated.”
Chase laughed, too, at the joke. Smiling up at him, Kerri whispered, “Say it again. Saying it during sex for the first time doesn’t count.”
* * * *
Chase knew what Kerri wanted, but he was so happy that he wanted to tease her a little. “I think I have said it before, but I will say it again. That was the best sex I have ever had.”
“That’s not it, and you know it. Tell me what I want to hear.”
Chase ran his finger down the length of Kerri’s stomach, not stopping until he reached her clit. He circled it a few times until he heard her breath catch.
“Well if you must know, you have the sexiest little…”
He didn’t get to finish the statement because Kerri slapped her hand over his mouth. He could see that she was trying to hold back her laugh, and if it was possible, he fell even more in love with her. He loved that he could tease and have fun with her. For years his life had been nothing but serious, from the military, to his parents dying, to him taking over as head of the family and holding things together. This was what he craved, the teasing, the fun, and the relaxation that came with Kerri. He nipped the palm of her hand and then licked the spot to soothe it and leaned down until their noses almost touched.
“I love you, Kerri, and I am falling in love with you more and more every day. You have no idea how it made me feel to hear you talking to your dad about me. I want the same things as you. I want you here with me and to grow old together.”
Chase finished the statement by kissing the tip of Kerri’s nose. He used both thumbs to dry the tears leaking out of her eyes. He stood up and lifted her in his arms and carried her back to his bedroom where he placed her in the center of the bed.
“You look good in my bed, and I plan to keep you here for a long time.”
Kerri patted the bed next to her. “Let’s see what’s so special about sex in a bed.”
Chase laughed but stripped his clothes off and climbed in. He had a feeling that he would do anything Kerri asked. He needed to check in with his CO, but all that could wait. Right now he planned on showing his woman just how much he loved her.
A few hours later after a long hot shower, they dressed and went to get some breakfast. Everyone was up and in the kitchen. Chase looked around at his family and smiled. Mom and Dad would have loved this. His mom would have been ecstatic that she had grandbabies on the way and that the family was growing. He missed them, but he knew that he was doing the best he could to do what they would have wanted, and that was to not let this family fall apart. Duncan and Logan had Cane and the twins. He knew Riley was in love with someone, but he wouldn’t talk about it. If Chase wasn’t mistaken, then it was Jessica, the cute little librarian in town. He heard Cane and Riley whispering about her all the time. He hoped everything turned out okay for Riley. He saw the way Ali watched Gavin and Angel and the way they hovered over her. He knew Gavin and Angel had a special relationship, and the fact that they seemed to include Ali into it told him they were goners as well. Surprisingly, Chase wasn’t bothered by that. He trusted Gavin and Angel with his life and knew that they would protect Ali with theirs and would never attempt a relationship with her until she was of age and ready, so his sister couldn’t have picked any better in his book. They both also fit in well with the rest of his family. Chase looked over at Kerri laughing and talking with Ali and Cane. She fit in with his family as well, and he couldn’t have been prouder.
Riley walked over and slapped him on the back. “Hey, big bro.” He followed Chase’s eyes over to Kerri. “You’ve done well for yourself. Mom would have really liked her.”
Chase nodded, blinking back tears. “I know. I was just thinking the same thing. She would have loved all of this.”
Nothing else was said as everyone sat down to eat breakfast. He needed to talk to Daniel and come up with a plan to catch this guy. He was tired of his family being in danger and wanted them safe. Waiting around for this guy to make a move was no longer an option.
Once breakfast was over, Chase left Kerri with Ali and Cane, reliving their night out. He took his satellite phone out to the barn and checked on the animals while he made his phone call. Daniel picked up on the first ring.
“Tell me you got something, because this waiting around is killing me.”
“Well hello to you, Chase. How is my daughter?”
Chase could hear the strain in Daniel’s voice. Something was going on, and he needed to know what it was.
“Kerri is doing great. I took her out last night to blow off some steam, but she is restless. We all are. I’m not used to sitting around, waiting for stuff to happen. I’m used to making it happen.”
“I understand, but I just need a couple more days. I have a plan.”
“So I’m guessing you know who this guy is and why he took Kerri.” Chase said that as a statement and not a question. He knew it wouldn’t take Daniel long to figure out where the threat was coming from.
“Yeah, I know who it is. You remember Justin Rawson? It seems that he has a grudge against me for not letting him back out into the field after his accident. He blames me for the explosion and wants revenge.”
Chase remembered Justin. He was there the day they walked into a trap, the explosion injuring the man. He knew Justin wanted back out into the field, but with his injuries it wouldn’t have been safe for anyone. Chase knew Daniel felt guilty about Justin because that trap
had been meant for him.
“This should all be over in a few days. I just have to track him now,” Daniel said.
There was something in his CO’s voice that let Chase know that he wasn’t telling him the whole story. Something else was going on, but he trusted Daniel and knew that he wouldn’t put his daughter in any danger. He would let it be for now and not question Daniel.
They conversed for a few minutes more and then got off the phone, but not before a warning from Daniel. “Chase, if you hurt her, I will hunt you down next.”
He didn’t give Chase time to respond before hanging up, but Chase knew that the statement was truth. Daniel really would hunt anyone down that hurt his daughter, and Chase expected nothing less from him.
The feeling in the pit of Chase’s stomach told him that things were about to get ugly really fast. Daniel wanted to protect his family, but Chase also had a family to protect. It was time he came up with a few plans of his own and the first was showing Kerri the panic room. He had a feeling that the fight was coming to them, and when that happened, he wanted Kerri as far away from it as possible. The panic room would be the safest place for her, and the only people that knew about it were his family.
Chapter 9
Kerri was content snuggled up close to Chase. The movie wasn’t really scary, but she would take any opportunity to get close to him. She just wanted to be able to smell him and feel his warmth. She felt safe when she was with Chase and realized that it was hard to remember what her life was like before the big man came into it. She looked over at Cane to see her lying with her head in Duncan’s lap and her feet in Logan’s. Duncan was rubbing her very-pregnant belly while Logan rubbed her feet and legs. Kerri bet they didn’t even realize they were doing it, touching just seemed to come naturally to them. She wanted what Cane and her husbands had. She wanted the house, family, and kids running around. She wanted it all, and she wanted it with Chase. Her heart belonged to the man sitting beside her.
Davis, Keyonna - Faceless Enemy [Pine Valley 2] (Siren Publishing Classic) Page 9
