by Terry Towers
Placing her hands onto her hips, she stared up into his conflicted eyes. “Is that a problem?”
He cleared his throat, brushing past her to perch onto one of the bar stools. “What a problem?”
She shrugged, sliding onto the stool next to him and swivelling to face him. “We’ve never really established what this –” she motioned between them “– really is.”
“That’s part of why I needed to see you tonight.” He thrust his hand into his dark hair. “My parents have this thing…”
“Thing?”
“Yeah, it’s a yearly thing. Normally I don’t go, but I think you should meet them. At least during their event we can sneak in and out when the desire hits without having too much focus on us.”
Tessa opened her mouth and then snapped it shut, unsure of how to reply to that. Meet his parents? He never talked about his family. It wasn’t like they’d known each other overly long, but considering how much they talked on the phone and through text lately she’d have expected him to say something about them, but nope. Now here he was proposing he meet the very people he more or less refused to talk about?
“Okay…”
Well, I wanted to know if it was getting serious. I suppose meeting his parents would mean it was hitting semi-serious, right?
She frowned.
He held up a hand and gave his head a shake. “Forget it, it’s a bunch of stuffy people and if you hadn’t noticed already I don’t have the best opinion of my parents. It’s not that they were bad.” He gave her a tight smile. “The exact opposite, but they were tough. You didn’t get to be a kid in the house I grew up in. It was all about putting on airs, not ‘keeping up with the Joneses’ as the saying goes. Not my parents, they had to BE the Joneses.”
Now she was curious. No, that was inaccurate, she was dying to meet these people. Nervous, oh hell yes, very, especially if they were as pretentious as he seemed to think they were. But her curiosity was overriding that fear. Anything to know more about the man sitting before her.
“Your parents. Do you think we’re there yet?” Dammit Tessa! Shut up before he changes his mind and you ruin it! she scolded herself silently.
He cocked a brow up at her, his tight grin becoming more relaxed. “That would be issue number two that I came here to discuss.”
She waited on bated breath.
“I feel like a fucking teenager right now.” The nervousness she’d seen previously seemed to reappear. “Tessa… I don’t do relationships.”
Her heart sank. “But you just asked me if I wanted to meet your parents…”
“I did.”
“Why, if you don’t do relationships? Do you normally have fuck friends meeting your folks?”
He smiled, all tension fading from him, and seconds later a roar of laughter erupted from him. “Is that what we are? What this is? We’re fuck friends, huh?”
Feeling the heat rush to her cheeks she lowered her gaze. “I, well…” Placing her hands on her lap, she began to play with the little diamond ring that was on her left index finger; it was her mother’s engagement ring. “I don’t know what we are.”
His laughter subsided and he gave her a look so tender that it felt like her insides were melting just from the look in his gorgeous blue eyes. “That’s why I feel like such a damned teenager right now, Tessa.”
“I don’t follow.”
“I saw you with that guy at the café and I was jealous. Really jealous. After I gave it some thought, I came to the conclusion that I have no desire for there to be confusion where you’re concerned.”
“And so…”
To her shock and amusement, a flush crept up into his face. “I want to make this official.”
Smiling, Tessa reached out to him, placing her hand over his on the countertop, raising her brow up at him. “Chase Gamble, are you asking me to be your girlfriend?”
He coughed and shrugged, the glow in his face deepening. “I suppose I am.”
“Suppose?” She couldn’t help it, she had to play with him a little bit. This may be the one and only time she saw him unsettled and wanted to take full advantage of it.
Straightening in his chair, he looked her square in the eye, all uneasiness gone and the cocky disposition back into place. “Tessa Wilcott, I’m asking you to attend my parents’ god-awful boring affair with me, as my girlfriend.”
All thoughts of the woman he’d been painting that had been plaguing her thoughts all evening were gone. She felt giddy and carefree, like she was thirteen again and the boy who she’d had a crush on finally passed her a tiny folded note announcing he was into her too. She felt as thought she’d just won the lottery and gotten the grand prize.
“So do you accept?” he prompted, despite both of them knowing there wasn’t even a question whether she’d say yes.
She wanted to play it cool, but with the rush of happiness that was racing through her it wasn’t even an option. With a grin so wide on her lips that her cheeks actually hurt she leapt from the stool and threw her arms around his neck, hugging tight to him. “I’d love to.”
Chapter 12
Chase
While she’d been somewhat standoffish when he’d arrived, she was now just how he liked her, happy. And he’d been the one to make her that way, he loved that knowledge. Not entirely his doing since she’d signed the lease earlier that day and things seemed to be going her way lately, but he was egotistical enough to take the credit regardless.
While he’d normally be squirming at the thought of being tied to someone emotionally like he was becoming with Tessa, he wasn’t feeling that way with her. Not even an iota. And it felt good. Really good.
But there was something else also feeling really good at that moment and it was her soft body brushing against his as she stood between his spread legs. Her breasts squished against his rock hard expanse of a chest. And when her lips grazed the side of his neck he couldn’t have stopped the soft groan escaping his lips if he tried.
“Ummm, Tessa. I –” Her lips travelled up the side of his neck and then across his jawbone.
“Uh-huh.”
Why in the fuck am I protesting? His mind and dick were both in agreeance with that question, why indeed? As his dick began its ascent, he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her tighter into him.
Her lips grazed his ever so lightly, and it was oh so sweet. He’d been craving her lips and body the entire day. Even the stunning body of Shania couldn’t deter his thoughts and his craving for Tessa. He was addicted to her and he couldn’t say he was upset over the fact, just the opposite. It had been so long since he’d allowed himself to feel something beyond the physical that he’d forgotten how much of a rush it was to be with a woman he wanted something more with.
Pulling back, she gave him a curious look. “Something wrong?”
“Nothing at all baby, nothing at all.” Sliding a hand to the back of her head, he fisted her long locks as his lips came crashing down onto hers. He could hear her breath hitch moments before his lips claimed hers and it sent a surge of desire through him so intense that it took his cock from half-mast to fully erect almost instantly.
As if sensing his desire, she moved against him, her pelvis grinding against his rock hard shaft. A low growl rumbled in his throat as he deepened the kiss, his tongue slipping between her lips, claiming and dominating hers.
Tightening his grasp on her hair, she gasped as he tugged her head back, forcing her lips from his and exposing the tender flesh of his neck. As he lowered his head, his mouth grazing her silky skin, a hint of her floral perfume drifted to him. Closing his eyes he inhaled deeply.
“Chase…” she moaned, pushing up against him.
Her moan of his name brought him back to the moment and he nipped at the side of her neck. With a gasp her fingers tightened onto his shoulders as she arched her back, her head falling back fully, giving him better access.
“Damn you smell good, Tessa. So damned good,” he murmured as he nipped and
flicked his tongue along the side of her neck. Each nip, each little bite caused her to buck against him a little harder. By the time he reached her collarbone she was gasping and softly murmuring his name.
Pulling back from her he grabbed the hem of her t-shirt and began pulling it up over her bare stomach, pausing to take a good look at the print of the front. Some heavy metal band from what he took from it. He would never have pegged her for a head-banger but he was finding this beautiful woman was full of surprises. It was one of the many things he adored about her.
“What?” she asked. He looked up and met her gaze; her eyes twinkled with amusement as well as desire.
Chase gave his head a shake and smiled. “Nothing, important. Reach for the ceiling, my love.”
“Yes, Sir.” The amusement faded, leaving red hot desire in its wake as she lifted her hands, closed her eyes and tilted her head back.
The image on the t-shirt was forgotten as he slowly slid it up her stomach and bare breasts. Pushing it up further he stood and slipped it up her arms, over her head and tossed the garment onto the countertop.
Sliding his hands to her breasts, he cupped them both as he lowered his lips to hers once again. She accepted his kiss with eagerness, the fingers of her left hand lowering to his groin, caressing the large bulge pressing against the denim, begging to be unleashed.
With each stroke of her hand, he took another step closer to insanity, making it harder and harder to keep from losing control. His initial intention was to take things slow this time, make her feel what he was feeling for her through every kiss and every caress. But it was damned hard when his body was demanding hers so intensely.
Stepping away from her, pulling himself from her grasp, he ignored her protests as he hooked his thumbs into the waistband of her jogging pants and gave them a tug, discovering that she was sans underwear. The pants puddled at her feet on the floor and she kicked them off, sending them flying across the room.
“Fuck Tessa, you’re killing me.” Keeping his gaze fixated on her, he grabbed her around the waist and hoisted her up and onto the countertop, pulling her forward enough that her bottom was on the edge.
Opening the kitchen drawer that contained her toys, he picked out a small, vibrating nubby, turned it on and slipped it onto his index finger. Spreading her legs wide, he stepped between them and planted a string of kisses along her collarbone as he cupped her mound. A rush of need raced through him upon discovering how wet and ready she was for him.
“Always so wet. So ready for me, baby.”
“Always.” Her confirmation came out as a raspy whisper. Sweet fuck, everything about this woman was appealing.
Their gazes locked for a brief moment before he sank down to his knees before her. As much as he wanted to bury himself deep within her heated core, he longed to feel her squirm for him first. Beg him until she could no longer find the words.
Spreading her labia, he exposed her swollen clit, leaned forward and flicked it with his tongue. Tessa gasped and bucked against his mouth, wanting more. “Not yet love.” His tongue was replaced with this index finger holding the nubby. Pressing the nubby against her clit, he grinned as she began to writhe and moan, bucking against his finger and the little toy.
“Please. Chase please.”
His gaze shifted from her wet pussy, up the length of her stomach, taking in her heaving chest, perky breasts and finally to meet her gaze. “Oh, we’re just beginning. I expect a lot more begging before I’m in you.”
~*~ TT ~*~
Tessa
She whimpered her protest when the toy was removed from her clit, but it was a short-lived protest as the toy was replaced with his mouth and tongue again. The feel of his soft, warm tongue playing with her quivering nub in contrast to the vibrations was divine, knotting her stomach and sending her to the brink of an orgasm.
“Chase, Chase, Chase…” she murmured his name over and over, frustrated that she needed to use her hands to brace herself up when all she wanted to do was slip her hands into his short dark hair and pull his face tighter to the apex between her legs.
The fire between her legs increased to a nearly unbearable point, her hands fisted at her sides. Just when she was about to fall into the beauty of an orgasm, his teasing tongue was replaced again with the nub and without hesitation his tongue thrust deep into her core. She cried out as the sudden pleasure of his tongue breaching her sent her spiralling over the edge.
“Please. Oh god, no more,” she begged, the orgasm so intense she needed to come down from the high, but he refused to let her.
“Not until I feel you come again.”
Releasing a sigh she closed her eyes, letting her head fall back, her dark hair cascading down her back as she began the ascent again. “It’s too much.”
His tongue, which was pile driving her pussy, stopped just long enough for him to respond, “Then come for me again baby.”
Chase’s words flowed through her, making her body quiver and her pussy clench around his relentless tongue. “Chase, oh, Chase. God, god, god.” The vibrating toy along with his tongue was becoming too much again. Her stomach knotted as her pussy throbbed, it felt so good that it was almost painful. She wanted it to stop, but she also didn’t want it to end. She reached the summit crying out his name.
“Ahhh,” she sighed with relief and pleasure flopping herself backwards, forgetting for a brief moment that she was on an island countertop, not large enough for her to recline backwards fully. Her quick movement in conjunction with the sudden absence of Chase holding her steady sent her falling backwards off the back of the counter.
“Shit! Tessa!” Chase’s yell to her barely registered in her head as she fell, frantically attempting to grasp something, anything, to keep herself from her fate – the cold, hard floor.
“Umph!” The floor came too fast, as she landed hard on her bare bottom. Still spent from her orgasm, she closed her eyes and flopped backward, spread-eagled on the kitchen floor, despite her throbbing bottom.
“Fuck Tessa, you okay?” Tessa opened her eyes to see Chase kneeling down beside her, concern etched in his expression. “I am so sorry.”
Opening her eyes, Tessa laughed. “I’m the idiot who forgot I was on a counter.”
Laughing, Chase stood and offered a hand to her. “I don’t think I’d go as far as to say that.”
Taking his hand, she allowed herself to be pulled to her feet, falling into him as she rose. “Guess that kinda killed the mood, huh?”
“There’s a naked woman pressed against me.” Grabbing her hand, he placed it on his groin so she could grip his erection, which was rock hard and pressing against his jeans. “Far from wrecking the mood, baby.”
Her breath hitched in her throat and the fire she’d assumed to be extinguished within her reignited, as strong and demanding as it previously had been.
Chase lowered his head and kissed the side of her neck, slowly working his way to her earlobe. “Now where do you want me to make love to you?”
Make love? Her entire body froze at the term he’d used. Was he being honest or was he just saying what he thought she wanted to hear? Or was it just something he said, not really meaning it? She didn’t know, but as his lips worked their way along her jawline to claim her lips the questions slipped from her mind as her body once more took over.
Eager to feel his bare skin, she slipped her hands to his waist, pulled at the back of his shirt and slid her hands underneath to caress the muscle, tracing her fingertips along the hard lines. Damn he felt so good.
“So,” he asked, ending the kiss but pressing his forehead to hers, leaving his lips so close to hers that she was breathing in his breath.
“So?” She looked into his eyes, unsure of what he wanted.
His lips twisted into a sexy grin. “Where do you want to go?”
She didn’t have an answer, with her body taking over she couldn’t think, just feel. She’d never felt so special, so cared for, so desired in her life. All she reall
y wanted was to stay frozen in that very moment.
“Fine then. I choose.” Swooping down, he slipped an arm under her thighs and the other at her back, lifting her up and into his embrace. Tessa immediately cuddled tight to his hard chest, wrapping her arms around his neck and settling the top of her head under his chin.
“Where are we going?” Despite asking the question, she knew as he headed for the stairs. Or at least she thought she knew. Instead of turning into the bedroom he kept going to the next room, the master bath.
Pulling her head from under his chin she looked down at the tub. “Here?”
“Yup.” Setting her onto her feet he pushed past her and turned on the water. Straightening he glanced around the bathroom, spotted a bottle of bubble bath and added some to the stream of running water.
“I never took you as a bubble bath type of guy,” she teased, becoming aware that she was standing naked before him with him fully dressed and she was oddly okay with that. Normally she’d have shied away, attempted to cover herself, but with him she didn’t feel the need. No doubt he’d been with dozens, shit he may have even gotten to triple digits for all she knew. It wouldn’t surprise her if he’d been with that many and if even a fraction of the women looked like the model then she didn’t have near the body he may be accustomed to. But it didn’t matter when she was with him and it felt so amazingly good to not care.
Chapter 13
Chase
Once the water was the ideal temperature and the bubble bath added, creating a foamy blanket over the warm water, Chase turned back to Tessa and allowed his eyes to slowly take in every inch of her stunning body. She was perfect with nice soft curves, which he loved. What he loved even more was the fact she didn’t hide herself from him.
In his experience there were two types of women, those like Shania who had the stereotypical “smokin’” body and weren’t afraid to flaunt it and those like Tessa who he found much more appealing with curves, but for some reason were generally self-conscious, as though if they weren’t a size six they weren’t beautiful. While he’d noticed she held many insecurities, her body wasn’t one of them; it was damned sexy.
