by J. C. Reed
“Chase, I’m ready,” I whispered into his mouth.
There, I had said it. My virginity was about to fly out the window and I couldn’t wait for it to happen.
“No, you’re not,” Chase whispered so low I wasn’t sure I had heard him. Following his words with actions, he stopped his delicious torture and pulled his fingers out of me, leaving a feeling of throbbing emptiness behind.
“Why not?” I asked quietly, disappointment and hurt fighting for the center spot position.
“Because you’re not ready yet.” Avoiding my stunned gaze, he shrugged.
“I’m wet for you. How does that not make me ready?” I whispered, cringing at my honesty. “And I really want to.”
Desperately.
“I know. But just because you want me doesn’t make you ready.”
In the soft light of the moon, I watched him get up and pull the covers over my naked body.
Did I do something wrong? I had no idea and I was too mortified to ask.
“Where are you going?” I asked, sitting up.
“I’m sleeping on the couch.”
“But…” My unspoken protest died on my lips.
“I have to.” He groaned, though I couldn’t tell whether it was with displeasure or something else. “Unless you want me to get wild and take advantage of your body, it’s better that I sleep far away from you.”
The sofa wasn’t exactly far away, I wanted to point out, but didn’t. Instead, I tried to read the mixed emotions on his face. I wanted him so badly, my body screamed for his touch, begging me to ask for the kind of release only he could give, but no words passed my lips.
Did I do something wrong?
Had he realized that I was far too inexperienced and was now thinking that I was a waste of his time?
“Someday I’ll take you long and hard, Laurie. Make no mistake about that.” He leaned forward until his breath brushed the corners of my mouth, and tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. “But for now I’m going to leave you like this.”
“Why?” I croaked.
“Call it payback, baby.”
I frowned and opened my mouth to ask what the hell he was talking about when he pressed a long finger against my lips, stopping me in the process. I could smell myself on his skin, almost taste my juices on him.
“Remember our first date?” I nodded and he cocked his head, his lips twitching. “Your no-nonsense business pretense gave me the mother of hard-ons. I had to make myself cum twice to even get you remotely out of my system.”
My eyes widened at his blunt statement. The image of a naked Chase groaning in ecstasy entered my head and made my clit pulse to life again.
“Will you be okay?” he asked, probably misinterpreting the heavy silence.
I suppressed the need to roll my eyes.
What was I supposed to answer, without sounding in desperate need of him and whatever he had to offer? I didn’t want to give him the satisfaction, but more importantly, I didn’t want to admit to myself that Jude had been right all along: I wasn’t as immune to Chase’s charm as I had pretended to be.
I pulled the sheets up my chest, ignoring the wet sensation covering my folds. “What happened today will never happen again,” I muttered at last. The disappointment in my voice rang clear and true.
Chase let out a strangled laugh. “Give me a few more dates, and you’ll be the one begging me to fuck you. You were quite close to it today. Like I told you before, I have no doubt about that. As you remember, we still have a whole fake marriage left and I have every intention of making you plead before I give you what you want.” His lips touched mine in a fleeting kiss. “Good night, Laurie.”
The door closed behind him. For a long time I stared at the empty space, my thoughts a never-ending trail of Chase, images and fragments of conversations.
I should have been angry at his arrogance, but for some inexplicable reason I found myself gripped by panic because Chase was right. He had no idea just how close I had been to begging. When at least half an hour had passed and no sounds came from outside the bedroom, I finally found the courage to open my legs and touch myself, but quickly lost interest, more frustrated than before because it wasn’t the same.
My body wanted him and only him.
Chapter 20
I woke to the soft scent of waffles and coffee wafting over from the kitchen. Groaning, I shielded my eyes against the early morning sun. A look at my watch showed it was past 9 a.m. and from the sounds carrying over from the kitchen, Chase was long awake. I jumped out of the bed and then opened the door to secretly make my way down the hall, past the open plan kitchen, to the bathroom, where I had left my clothes the previous night, when Chase spied me.
“Hey, sleepyhead.” He smiled and offered me a red coffee mug with the inscription “Boss.”
My heart skipped a beat at his sight. His torso was naked, with hard muscles beneath taut bronze skin and the happy trail I had accidentally touched last night on full display.
“I hope you don’t mind,” Chase said, pointing to his chest as if sensing my thoughts. “It’s been too hot in here. Probably the hottest day in California.” An amused brow shot up as his gaze traveled from my face to my chest and legs, and then back up again.
A blush covered my cheek as I realized he was talking about the things we did the previous night. My clit twitched at the memory and a soft tug gathered between my legs. Even though his exploring fingers had granted me enough pleasure to last me a lifetime, something inside me asked for a different kind of release.
After Chase had left in the middle of the night, I had stared at the ceiling for hours, my mind going over and over the sensation of his lips on mine, the way he touched me, and the unnatural wetness between my legs. Seeing him standing half-naked in front of me, I could feel myself going wet again.
“Coffee?” Chase asked.
“Please.”
He turned his back to me as he filled two cups of steaming black coffee. Sunlight streamed through the windows, emphasizing his strong muscles and taut skin. My eyes scanned his sexy body hungrily and came to rest on his tattoo: a black snake covering half of the left side of his back, its mouth agape. Its tail almost reached all the way around his waist, as if to protect him or maybe to attack.
Chase turned back to me and handed me a cup with steaming black coffee—just the way I like it.
“Thanks.” To hide the guilty look on my face, I took a tentative sip and managed to burn my tongue. “How do you know I like my coffee black?” I asked.
He shrugged. “Just a guess. But if you want sugar and cream, I have some.”
“I’m fine.” I took another sip of my coffee and eyed the two plates with blueberry waffles. “That looks great.”
“I made us breakfast.” He placed the plates on the table and sat down. “Be my guest.”
Realizing how hungry I was, I took a bite and nodded, impressed. “They’re really good.” I took another bite as my gaze trailed back to his tattoo.
“Did you sleep well?” Chase asked and took a mouthful of his waffles.
“Great, actually. Your bed is pure heaven.” It was the truth. His bed was heavenly, but I knew something else had helped me sleep.
I remembered the waves of ecstasy tearing through my abdomen, and the thought drove a pang of heat through my cheeks.
“You’re welcome to stay as long as you want,” Chase repeated the same words as the night before. Either he really wanted me around or he was just being friendly. As much as I wished I could stay, life was calling. In the darkness of the night, I had been scared and alone. In the safety of the daylight, however, last night’s demons were long gone and the whole paparazzo incident felt like a distant memory. I had to get back to my routine, not least because I was beginning to enjoy my time with Chase a little too much.
Guard your heart.
“I have to go. Jude’s probably worried about me.” At his surprised glance, I added weakly, “This is the first time I ever st
ayed away for the night.”
“I’m not so sure about that.”
I frowned. “It’s the truth. I never spent the night with anyone before.”
“That’s not what I meant, Laurie.” He smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “I wanted to say that it’s not a good idea to go back to your place now.” In spite of his smile, his tone worried me.
“Why not?” I asked slowly.
He grabbed a manila envelope and pushed it into my trembling hands, his facial expression tense. “Have a look.” He nodded his head encouragingly, but his expression didn’t soften. “It arrived this morning, addressed to me.” His eyes met mine, hesitating, heavy with words unspoken. “And you. To us.”
The strange undertones in his voice sent a chill down my spine.
As I stared at the thick brown envelope, my heart heartbeat picked up in speed. I turned it slowly, prolonging the moment. My mouth dropped open as I finally glimpsed the names and Chase’s home address. Why on earth would someone address an envelope to us when we weren’t even living together? And worse yet, this wasn’t even a real relationship, and I hadn’t told anyone about it.
“What’s inside?” I peered up at Chase, my fingers lingering over the brown paper, strangely afraid to open it.
Afraid to reveal the truth.
Chase looked at me for a few seconds that seemed to stretch into an eternity, and I realized his good mood had been all pretense. He was worried and trying hard to hide it.
My fingers squeezed in at the corners and opened the flap of the envelope. But even before I pulled out the papers, I knew those were long-lens pictures of Chase and me, taken the previous day, as we exited the restaurant.
We looked happy…like a real couple. Laughing. Bodies pressed together to escape the evening chill. It would have been a nice snapshot, were it not for our faces circled with a red marker pen, giving the impression that we were a target.
Was someone targeting us?
But why? I had no money. Nothing anyone would want from me.
I shook my head, as though to sort through the thoughts inside my mind.
We had been followed. That in itself was scary as hell. Add a few photographs and the target sign, and I knew I wouldn’t be able to walk down the street without peering over my shoulder repeatedly for a long time.
“It’s a warning,” I whispered in shock as realization dawned on me. “But why would anyone want to send us a warning?”
“I have no idea.” Chase drew a sharp breath and his gray-blue eyes hardened into layers of ice. I had never seen anyone look so cold and composed, and for some reason it almost scared me more than the letter.
Maybe I didn’t know the man I was about to marry particularly well.
Maybe I didn’t know him at all.
The End…for now
An Indecent Proposal: The Interview continues in the sensual sequel,
AN INDECENT PROPOSAL: THE AGREEMENT
…due out in Spring 2015
Read an exclusive excerpt below:
Prologue
The first time I saw Lauren Hanson, it was on a snapshot in a thick folder brought to me by my lawyer, Richard Crook. I was sat at the mahogany desk in my multi-million dollar mansion on the outskirts of Santa Barbara in California. The valley stretching beyond the large bay windows was streaked in the colors of the setting sun—the deep red as ominous as the rage surging through me at the prospect of what I was about to do.
Laurie was an attractive girl with brown hair reaching down to her narrow waist—the kind you could twist around your fist and pull gently as you rode her hard, then forget all about her. She looked like a nice girl with an innocent glint in her hazel eyes that reflected even through a photograph. In less than forty-eight hours I’d be using that innocence to make her mine forever.
“Are you sure, Mr. Wright?” Crook asked.
I nodded gravely and tossed the folder back to him.
“You’ve barely looked at her,” he continued, “or her background. Maybe you should wait. I could look into alternatives and…”
“I’m not interested in her life story,” I said through gritted teeth, cutting him off. “Just make that meeting happen, and I’ll take over from there.”
Crook heaved a defeated sigh. He didn’t argue as he picked up the folder but left Laurie’s photo on the desk. Her hazel gaze looked at me accusingly. I turned it over so I could flee it for the time being, figuring soon enough I’d have no choice but to face the hatred embedded in her eyes, staining her heart forever.
“Tomorrow afternoon,” Crook said upon leaving. “If you change your mind…”
“I won’t,” I said sharply, “and don’t be late.”
***End of Excerpt***
An Indecent Proposal: The Agreement will be out in Spring 2015. Please join our mailing list to be notified of the release:
http://jcreedauthor.blogspot.com/p/mailing-list.html
http://authorjackiesteele.blogspot.com/p/subscribe.html
If you enjoyed this book, please leave a review, as they are hard to come by for indie authors. And finally, don’t be a stranger. We love to hear from our readers and always write back. To contact us, visit the blogs above or join us on Facebook (links are on the next page.)
Thank you for reading!
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Jackie S. Steele has lived most of her life in New England. She never read a book she didn't like. Her love for books began when she stumbled upon her mother's secret dash of Harlequin books, and couldn't stop reading until she had finished them all. Today she still loves curling up with a good book, sipping coffee, and taking long walks on the beach.
http://www.facebook.com/AuthorJackieSteele
http://jackiesteele.wix.com/main
J.C. Reed is the New York Times, Wall Street Journal and USA Today bestselling author of SURRENDER YOUR LOVE and CONQUER YOUR LOVE. She writes steamy contemporary fiction with a touch of mystery. When she's not typing away on her keyboard, forgetting the world around her, she dreams of returning to the beautiful mountains of Wyoming. You can also find her chatting on Facebook with her readers or spending time with her three children.
https://www.facebook.com/AuthorJCReed
http://jcreedauthor.blogspot.com
BOOKS BY J.C. REED:
SURRENDER YOUR LOVE
CONQUER YOUR LOVE
TREASURE YOUR LOVE
THE LOVER’S SECRET
THE LOVER’S GAME
THE LOVER’S PROMISE
THE LOVER’S SURRENDER…coming soon.
THAT GUY
AN INDECENT PROPOSAL: THE INTERVIEW
AN INDECENT PROPOSAL: THE AGREEMENT…coming soon.
BOOKS BY JACKIE STEELE:
THAT GUY
AN INDECENT PROPOSAL: THE INTERVIEW
AN INDECENT PROPOSAL: THE AGREEMENT…coming soon.
Table of Contents
TITLE
THAT GUY: THE PREQUEL
AN INDECENT PROPOSAL
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
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
OTHER BOOKS
: grayscale(100%); " class="sharethis-inline-share-buttons">share
