by J. C. Reed
“Laurie?”
Could I pretend it wasn’t me? Maybe I could lie that I had heard him talking in his sleep and had hurried over, worried. Undecided as I was, I stood frozen to the spot. Chase sat up, and the soft light falling through the open curtains illuminated his body in a slow dance of light and shadows.
He was naked.
Oh, come on.
My heart began to beat just a little bit harder, and my mouth went dry at the image of defined muscles and dark bed hair.
“What’s up? You had a bad dream?” Chase asked, his voice deep and sleep-drunken, but sexy as hell as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes.
Dammit, that should have been my line. I bit my lip hard and cleared my throat. “No. I thought I heard something, but it was nothing.”
My excuse sounded so unconvincing, even I had trouble believing it.
“Sorry. I shouldn’t have come here.” I turned my back to open the door, but his voice stopped me.
“Wait.”
I turned back to him, feeling the heat creeping into my face.
“You sound scared.” To my chagrin, Chase stood and walked over to me in all his naked glory. From head to toe. All hard muscles and pale skin that seemed to invite my fingers to graze my nails over every tempting inch of him.
In the middle of the night, bathed in the weak light of the moon, his body seemed as lithe as a predator’s, his stride just as a dangerous.
I fought hard to keep my gaze occupied on anything but his lower abdomen and maleness. He wrapped his arm around my shoulder and led me to the bed, urging me to sit. “Want a glass of water?”
I shook my head even though I figured he might not be able to see it in the dark. He lay down beside me and crossed his ankles, patting the space next to him. I followed his silent invitation with apprehension, leaving some distance between us.
“You can relax,” Chase said softly. “I’m not doing anything you don’t want to.”
But that was the problem…I wanted him to do something to still the sudden throbbing sensation in my private parts. Gingerly I crossed my ankles and pressed my thighs together, which only managed to intensify the sensation.
Oh, God.
His body smelled so inviting of aftershave and warmth and—
Sex.
The word hit my mind with such an intensity I almost jumped up and dashed for the door. Only, my legs didn’t seem to want to follow my brain’s command. I bit my lip hard and inched just a little bit closer to him. As though sensing my emotional turmoil, Chase squeezed his arm under my shoulder and pulled me up until my head rested on his chest. The gesture was probably supposed to infuse a sense of calm into me, but it only managed to raise my awareness of his naked body.
So perfect. So close. So available.
Damn it.
Slowly I trailed my fingers up his abdomen, my fingertips barely touching his taut skin and hard muscles. Chase drew in his breath sharply, and for a moment his body tensed under my touch. In the darkness his gaze found mine with an intensity that rendered me unable to breathe. And in that moment I knew I was ready.
“Don’t start something you cannot finish, Laurie,” Chase said hoarsely.
Jutting my chin out, I increased my pressure as my fingertips grazed up and down his chest, coming dangerously close to the one part I had not dared to look at yet. His breathing came labored, but if my touch tortured him he made no move to stop me. In the darkness surrounding us I smiled as I realized I liked this new development in our relationship, whatever that entailed.
I wanted him. I wanted him so badly it hurt. To my surprise, I realized my body knew exactly how to react to him.
“Laurie.” Chase’s voice was a mere whisper, but the air charged with something. Before I knew it, he turned, his body leaning over me. Underneath him, I felt hot. Ready. His lips crushed mine, his tongue invading my mouth forcefully, sending my abdomen on fire. I spread my legs slightly to accommodate his weight and ran my fingers across his back, pulling him closer.
Chase moaned into my mouth and his hand began to roam over my body, lifting my nightshirt to expose my breasts, then to remove my panties. His kisses felt as smooth as water falling down on me, covering each inch of my neck and breasts.
A strangled sound caught in my throat as his hands forced my thighs apart and he settled between them, his mouth eager to touch me in the one secret place no man but him had ever touched.
I squirmed against his open mouth, unsure whether to push him away or give in to the hot sensations gathering deep within my core. And then his finger dipped into me, gently at first, then with more fervor, and I knew I was lost. It couldn’t stop this even if I wanted to. It felt too good to have him on me. Inside me. Soothing the need he seemed to awaken like no other.
My back arched and my hips lifted slightly against his slow thrusts so he could reach deeper within me.
“Chase.” My voice quivered, just like my body.
“Lean back,” he commanded. “Don’t fight this.”
Even if I knew how, I wasn’t going to.
Following his command, I relaxed against the pillows and let him take control—the kind of control I didn’t give him the last time.
I promised myself that I’d go through with it. No turning back now.
Chase and I were married, and even if it wasn’t real, I wanted him to be my first. It felt right.
His tongue circled my clitoris a few times and then he began to suckle while his finger thrust deep inside me. I cried out as the room began to spin.
“Chase.” My fingers clenched into the bed sheets, and with his name on my lips I fell hard into a dark abyss of pleasure, rootless in a sea of lost reason.
“Dammit. You’re hot,” Chase whispered. But I couldn’t respond. I could barely comprehend the meaning of his words because my world came crashing down on me. Slow waves of pulsating heat gathered between my legs, intensifying with each flick of his tongue.
My breathing came loud and fast, my pulse hammering in my ears.
He wasn’t just good. He had the most talented tongue I’d ever met. His finger, slow but steady, did unimaginable things to me. Things I never thought could feel so great. If just one finger was great, what would it feel like to have him inside me?
“Give me just one night so I can forget you,” I thought I heard him whisper.
Forget me?
What the hell was that supposed to mean? Or maybe he meant so he wouldn’t forget me. The question burned bright in my mind for a second and then it was gone, lost in the throes of heat crashing through my abdomen. I closed my eyes to relish it, realizing just how magnificent it was, his words lost inside my mind.
My body—now wet and trembling—was like an open pool, and then I felt my orgasm coming.
“Chase,” I whispered, trying to close my thighs, but he stopped me.
“Don’t come.” That was all he said.
As if I had any control over my body.
From the periphery of my mind, I felt Chase removing himself from me. Something rustled in the silence and then his body was on top of me again. His mouth found mine in a deliciously slow kiss. For a second I felt panic and the need to protest, to tell him that I wasn’t ready for more, that this was all I could handle for the time being. Only, my body seemed to harbor other intentions. It wanted him so much.
Chase had ignited a fire inside me that I knew only he could still.
Another flicker of need pulsed between my legs. It was painful, and desperate. I lifted my hips, unconsciously begging for the friction only he knew how to provide.
“Are you sure you want this?” he asked.
I was, more than ever. Chase had been wonderful to me, and even if our relationship wasn’t real, I trusted him enough not to hurt me.
A shuddering sigh escaped my lips.
“I am,” I whispered.
Chase settled between my legs, one hand lifting my ass, the other holding his weight. I could feel his hard erection pulsing agai
nst my entrance. My body tensed, but inside I could feel the tremors, and before I could think, he pushed slowly inside me, gently, then stopped. A sudden sense of discomfort ran through my abdomen. Not entirely painful, just strange. I had used my fingers before to masturbate, but this sensation was different—too filling, too stretching—and I wasn’t sure that I liked how it felt.
A piece of Chase inside me felt like an invasion of my body.
“Don’t move,” he whispered in my ear, his voice slightly strained. “You’ll get used to it.” His muscles began to tremble, and I realized his skin was slick with a thin layer of sweat. From the effort? From self-control? I had no idea. I hoped it wasn’t discomfort.
“Are you okay?” I whispered back.
“You’re asking me?” He chuckled, and, in spite of my nerves, I found myself smiling. “Never felt better. You’re just a little bit tight, and it’s driving me crazy.”
“Oh.” I wet my lips when a question came to me. “Does it hurt?”
“Not me, no.” He laughed again. “Does it hurt?”
“No,” I answered honestly. “It’s just…strange.”
“It will change.” He moved slowly, the motion sending his erection deeper into me. He settled his weight on one elbow, and his other hand moved to my clit. “Now I need you to relax. Okay? Relax, Laurie.”
I looked up into his eyes that seemed to swallow up the darkness, wondering whether that was it—the one thing everyone seemed to rave about. It sure didn’t feel worth all the hype.
His fingers began to stroke my clit as he moved inside me in slow, deep thrusts. A thin layer of sweat covered my back as the sensation between my legs changed, and a strong longing took its place, demanding more. My hips rolled against him naturally, slowly drawing his erection deeper, like it belonged there. Like it always had.
Chase’s sudden moan echoed in my ears, strangely amplified. Knowing I was the object of his desire and the cause of his pleasure, a rush of elation ran through me.
I had no idea that his sexy sounds and his movements could be such a turn-on. His fingers, his erection, his hot breath—everything about him seemed to make me want him even more.
“Is this better?” Chase whispered.
I nodded, and he lifted my legs in response. His erection slipped fully into me, making me gasp from the sudden tension building inside. Chase began to move faster, tentatively at first, then with a firm precision, each thrust entering me deeper, each thrust bringing a new wave of sensations with it.
Burning, all-consuming heat that rendered me unable to move or think, torturing me until I was ready to beg him to stop because I could take it no more. My heartbeat hammered so hard against my chest, I thought I might just pass out. The room began to swirl again as the intensity of his thrusts changed from fast to slow and deep, hitting a spot within me I never knew existed.
My hands grabbed the sheets for support. I felt if I didn’t hold on to them, I might just float away.
“That’s it, baby.” Chase’s deep voice echoed in my ear, urging me to succumb to whatever he was about to give me. The first tremor took me by surprise. The next one rattled my body and sent my senses careening. My fingers clenched into his shoulders as my core unraveled around him. Chase shuddered above me, his last moan prolonging my own pleasure.
And then it was over.
Too quickly. Too fast. And I couldn’t avoid the strange nostalgia washing over me, until Chase kissed me and pulled me to his chest. I closed my eyes and gave in to the sudden need to sleep, his words no longer penetrating the wall of exhaustion settling around my mind.
Epilogue
I woke up with a gasp, my brain fighting with the demons occupying my dreams as my eyes adjusted to the light seeping through the drawn curtains. Chase had been in them. And my mother. Somewhere, in the periphery of my vision, I had thought I saw Clint and Shannon, their smiles reserved but wicked, like they knew something I didn’t. It had made me angry, not because they were laughing, but because they knew something I didn’t.
I took a deep breath and let it out slowly, not yet ready to look at the other side of the bed.
A turning point in my life.
Breathe in, breathe out.
We had done it. And now I was Mrs. Chase Wright. Granted, we hadn’t married out of love but it still counted. Married was married, be it out of love or out of necessity.
Breathe in, hold it, and then breathe out.
But the wedding wasn’t even the biggest and most shocking part. I had slept with him and it had been more amazing than I ever envisioned. Strange but amazing nonetheless.
As the air whooshed out of my lungs, I turned to look at the man sleeping on the other side of the bed. In the morning light, Chase was so beautiful I couldn’t help but stare, praying in my thoughts that he wouldn’t wake and catch me. Because, I knew, if he did I still couldn’t pry my eyes off him. His torso was turned away from me, which gave me enough privacy to admire his half naked body.
His features were relaxed, the dark lashes casting shadows across his perfect skin. The thin covers barely hid the perfection of his sculpted chest and abdomen. My gaze lingered on the clearly defined bulge beneath the sheet and my breath hitched in my throat from shame. I had seen naked men before, on television, in magazines and commercials. But none of them had had this effect on me. None of them had made me want to trail my fingertips down his body. Or to sleep with them even though my core felt sore and my body depleted of energy.
My shameful brain began to conjure vivid pictures of last night’s events before my eyes and a soft tingle gathered in my breasts. My nipples hardened, begging for Chase’s touch. As if he could sense my increasing arousal, Chase stirred but didn’t wake.
Oh, God.
I had to get away before he woke up and realized I was getting ready for round two. Whatever I experienced that night with Chase, I wanted it again. I wanted to take charge. I wanted to learn more, but first I had to spruce up, because there was no way in hell I would let a sexy man like him see me naked, all sweaty from last night’s action between the sheets, and without make-up.
Gingerly I got out of his bed and pulled my crumpled nightdress over my head, then tiptoed out of the room and closed the door behind me. The hall was bathed in bright, glorious light, reflecting the way I felt inside.
I had almost reached the door to my bedroom to grab my make-up bag when a phone rang. It took me barely a second to spy it on the hardwood floor under the table in the hallway, where I must have dropped it too drunk to notice.
It was most certainly Jude calling.
I squatted quickly to pick it up and pressed it to my ear without checking the caller ID.
I got the chance to answer because a male voice beat me to it.
“You need to get back to me,” he barked down the line. “I swear if you lose more money, the deal’s gone. Do you hear me? It’ll be gone, so you’d better get your ass moving and do what we talked about. You’d better not fuck this up.”
The words were harsh—like whiplashes against my bare soul.
I opened my mouth to explain that he had dialed the wrong number when tires screeched, followed by the sound of scraping metal and a crash, ending in a string of cuss words.
“I got to go, bro,” the voice said. “The stupid fucker can’t drive worth shit. And before I forget, the folder’s in the top left drawer of the coffee table beneath the blue painting. Get your fucking shit together or we’ll have a real problem on our hands.”
He hung up—just like that.
Confused, I stood frozen to the spot, unable to make any sense of the bizarre conversation.
What a creep.
I swiped at the screen to block his number when I was prompted for the password. I frowned.
It was then that I noticed the cell phone was a sleek little iPhone, all shiny and new—probably the newest gadget on the market. Except for the color black, it looked nothing like the second hand phone I bought after my handbag was stolen.
It had to be Chase’s cell.
Oh, shit. I didn’t want him to think I might be snooping through his stuff.
I peered at Chase’s bedroom door out of fear that he might have caught me in the act.
Except for the loud drumming of my heart, everything remained silent.
Letting out a shaky breath to compose myself, I placed the cell phone on the table.
“Don’t, Laurie. Just drop it,” I murmured to myself. They were supposed to be words of inspiration as I headed for my room.
The curtains were closed, the bed in its previous, dishevelled state. I pulled the curtains aside.
Would Chase know that I had taken his call?
Most likely.
Maybe he won’t look. And you can pretend you didn’t hear anything.
I’d deal with a confrontation when it happened.
But, for some reason, the call just wouldn’t stop pestering me in my mind.
There had been something about the voice—an urgency in the brisk tone, some kind of control it exerted—that worried me.
Suddenly, I felt anxious for Chase. He had been eager to help me, and in all that time, I never really asked questions about his life. For all I knew, he could be drowning in debt. Or maybe he was addicted to drugs—though, from the looks of his place, I doubted it. He seemed to have his life figured out, or maybe I wanted to see him that way.
There was a real possibility that he was involved with a bad crowd.
Fuck it, Laurie.
My imagination was running wild again—and not in a good way.
The caller must have dialed the wrong number because there was no blue painting in the executive suite.
Or was there?
My heart began to flutter hard against the current of nervous energy engulfing me. I slowed down as new thoughts began to permeate my mind.
It had been in the middle of the night that I heard steps. I had placed them outside my bedroom, in the hall, near the entrance. Was it possible that a visitor had entered to leave the folder?
