I slowed down and was just about to protest when the east gate came into view, and just as Chase had said, a horse-drawn carriage was already sitting there waiting for us.
"Come on, Soph, pick it up a little," Chase called and approached the driver, introduced himself, and slipped the man some money.
"Where to, sir?"
Chase looked in both directions before answering. "Through the park down to the water?"
"Sounds good, sir."
Before Chase returned to my side, he leaned in and whispered something into the man’s ear. He nodded and turned to smile at me. "Climb in, miss."
Chase stepped up beside me and placed his arm around me, his cologne invading my senses. "Climb in," he whispered, staring into my eyes, taking hold of my hand and helping me up into the carriage.
I had just sat down when he climbed in beside me and reached for one of the blankets that was folded neatly beside me and threw it over our legs just as the carriage pulled away from the sidewalk.
I sat back and breathed deeply, trying to relax as I listened to horses’ hooves clapping along the pavement. I watched the birds flit through the trees. As the gentle breeze blew, I closed my eyes and just sat listening to the sounds around me.
"How did you know I've always wanted to do this?" I whispered more to myself than Chase, even though it was directed at him.
"You've never done this before?"
I shook my head. "Never." I looked over to him, and a soft smile sat on his lips.
"I guess you could say it was a lucky guess then." Chase placed his arm behind me and sat back, encouraging me to do the same, finally pulling me against his body.
I finally felt myself starting to relax as I listened once again to the sounds around me. It was almost therapeutic, and once we turned into the tree-lined lane heading towards the water, the thousands of tiny lights the city always put up at this time of year had come on, lighting our way.
I felt Chase kiss the top of my head. "Are you enjoying this?" he whispered.
I nodded and smiled to myself. I closed my eyes and enjoyed the breeze across my face when I felt the carriage finally came to a halt.
"Sir, I believe this is the stop you requested."
I opened my eyes in time to see the driver turn and nod to Chase.
"Thank you. Oh, and there is no need to wait. We can walk back," Chase said, throwing the blanket off us and climbing out of the carriage. He held his hand out for me to take. I let out a little squeal of surprise when he grabbed me around the waist instead and lifted me down.
Once I was on the ground, he grabbed my hand, and together we walked for a bit, coming to a clearing at the edge of the lake. Chase stopped at the first bench we came to and looked around but then shook his head. "Nope, not this one," he mumbled under his breath as he looked out over the water.
I frowned. "What is it? What are you looking for?" I questioned, but he held his hand up, ignoring me and walking ahead to the next bench, then to the next bench, until finally he stopped and sat down.
"Have a seat," he said, patting the bench beside him and smiling up at me.
I laughed and took a seat, looking out over the calm water. "So what is so special about this exact spot?"
Chase looked at me and put his hand over his heart, acting as if I had fatally wounded him. "Sweets, I'm shocked. You don't remember?"
I shook my head, laughing at his actions. "No, I'm sorry, I don't."
"Come here." He got up off the bench and moved a few steps ahead. When I didn't jump right up, he waved his hand impatiently, signaling for me to join him. "Come on."
I rolled my eyes, let out a breath, and stood, taking a step forward and stopping beside him.
"No, it was more like here," he said more to himself as he grabbed me and positioned me where he wanted me to stand. "What about now?"
"I'm sorry, but I've got nothing." I giggled, shrugging my shoulders.
"Trust me?" he asked as he stepped closer to me yet. I could feel the heat from his body and smell his cologne as he stepped in even closer to me. My heartbeat accelerated, and I let out a breath as Chase stepped up against me, his chest lightly brushing against me.
"Yes," I answered, my voice shaking, swallowing hard.
"Close your eyes," he whispered. I could feel his breath on my cheek as he leaned in and tenderly brushed his lips across mine. My eyes opened instantly, and Chase pulled his head back to watch my reaction. The first thought I had was to pull away, but that thought was soon replaced by curiosity. Instead I leaned in closer toward him, and he bent in again, this time pressing his lips hard into mine. His arms slowly and gently wrapped around my body and pulled me even tighter against him, his tongue brushing against mine.
It didn’t take long before I was lost—lost in his kiss, lost in his arms, lost in the moment between us. I heard nothing around us, and I had forgotten everything. When his tongue brushed through my mouth again, I pressed my body harder into him. His hand rested on my cheek as he sucked my bottom lip into his mouth, finally pulling away, leaving my lips feeling empty.
"Open your eyes. Now do you remember?" he whispered.
I opened my eyes and looked into his and gently smiled. In an instant it all came rushing back to me. The old courthouse now turned into the Whisper Wind Restaurant off in the distance behind him. "I do, I so do. This was the place of our very first kiss."
"Hopefully, this one was a little better than that first kiss so long ago." He chuckled and brushed a strand of hair off my face, studied my gaze, and then leaned in and met my lips again.
"A little," I mumbled and met his lips again.
Chase Malone knew how to kiss—gentle yet firm, with just enough tongue, and like everything else he did, he put his whole self into it. I was now afraid of what it would be like to sleep with him if he put that much effort into kissing. I was scared that he would ruin me completely for anyone else.
12
Chase
I hadn't wanted to stop kissing her. I had wanted to get lost forever in those lips of hers. She tasted so good, and I almost lost it when I heard that gentle moan escape from her as I pulled her body into mine and ran my hands through her long, soft hair. I couldn't remember the last time that a kiss had been so good that I didn't want it to end. I sadly realized that it had to end when I felt Sophie shiver in my arms. The wind had picked up, and I knew I needed to get her back to her apartment, back to warmth and safety and privacy.
A light rain shower had started coming down about a block away from her condo. We had picked up our pace but still got stuck in a sudden downpour that stopped as soon as we hit the front door. We had both taken a hot shower, changed, and now we sat in front of the fireplace on the floor, TV on in the background. A small buffet of Thai food was spread all over the coffee table in front of us.
"Oh my, that was delicious," Sophie said, placing her plate on the table and sitting back against the couch.
"I'm glad you enjoyed." I brushed a strand of hair from her eyes. "How about you find something to watch, and I'll clean up."
"Oh no, that's not necessary. I got it," Sophie said, getting ready to get up, but I took her hand off the plates and shook my head.
"I got it," I said sternly and grabbed our plates while she flipped through the channels and piled some of the takeout containers on top of them and carried them into the kitchen. I cleaned out the leftovers and put them in the fridge. I put the dishes into the dishwasher, and then grabbed one of the chilled bottles of wine from the fridge and two wine glasses. Since we had shared our first kiss, something had changed between us. Not only was I more at ease, but Sophie was as well. The only thing I was worried about now was how she might react if something happened between us tonight.
When I re-entered the living room, Sophie was curled up at the opposite end of the couch from where I normally sat. As soon as I sat down, Sophie grabbed the blanket from the back of the couch and wrapped herself in it, using it almost as a shield.
&nbs
p; "Is The Wedding Singer okay?" she asked.
"Sure." I shrugged and poured us both a glass of wine, handing her a glass.
"What's with you?" I questioned.
"Nothing." Sophie couldn't fool me; something was bothering her.
"Please, Sophie, I'm not a brand-new guy in your life. Normally, you have your feet in my lap, and you’re sprawled out hogging the couch. Instead, you are curled up in the corner hiding under a blanket. What's going on?"
She let out a sigh, looking at me out the side of her eye. "You said you wanted this to happen naturally, but how does that even happen?"
"Believe me, please, it does, but you kind of have to trust me enough to actually touch me, and to let me touch you. It would help if you were being somewhat normal and not worrying your pretty little head. Put your trust in me and fucking relax because you're freaking me out."
Sophie burst out laughing. "I'm sorry." She giggled and threw the blanket off her, sitting up.
"Get over here," I said, holding out her glass of wine and adjusting so that she could sit up against me. She took the wine and edged her way closer.
An hour later things were more normal. Sophie was now curled up at my side, her head resting on my upper abs, her arm wrapped around my waist. My arm was resting around her waist and we lay lazily watching the ending of The Wedding Singer.
"You know, I give him props for the public proposal, but how the hell can you take a guy seriously without a ring?"
"What makes a public proposal so special?" I questioned, kissing the top of her head.
"Well, look at him. He is up there risking it all. In front of all those people, he risks the humiliation of her possibly saying no."
"Oh, Sophie, come on. It's totally predictable. I mean, if he thought she would say no, then he would never propose in front of everyone."
"No, I don't agree. I think it totally shows how confident he is and that he fully believes that she will say yes."
"I see. So, do you think that if he proposed in private he wouldn't be risking it all?"
She thought for a second and looked up at me. "I never said that."
"And the ring, what if he forgot it and packed it in his checked luggage?" I shrugged. "You know guys get nervous too and forget things."
Sophie let out a laugh and covered her face, and I took that opportunity to shimmy my body down a bit to lie beside her.
"That is exactly something you would say," Sophie mumbled behind her hands.
"What is?" I whispered as my one hand softly stroked her hair as the ending credits started to roll. It was silky and soft and smelled good, and I suddenly began to question why we had never decided to be friends with benefits. I mean, sure, she had put an end to my fantasy of dating her quickly when we were young, but we had never explored that aspect of our relationship. She looked up at me and grew serious while I stared into her eyes.
"What are you thinking about?" she mumbled, closing her eyes and resting her head on my chest.
I breathed in her scent and closed my eyes, debating asking her what had been on my mind for the last half an hour. I had run over the words in my mind repeatedly. I cleared my throat. "Why didn't we ever do this sooner?"
"Do what sooner?"
"Why were we never friends with benefits?" My cock instantly jumped at the idea.
Sophie lifted her head and looked me in the eyes and shrugged.
"I've always found you attractive, Sophie. I won't lie, and honestly, I don't think I've ever hid that from you either." I leaned in slowly and allowed my lips to graze over hers, my cock hardening instantly behind my zipper.
"Chase, I know who you are. It's not like it’s a state secret. You've been with so many women, and I never wanted to be one of many."
"That makes sense I guess," I said, brushing away the loose strand of hair that had again fallen into her eyes, "but if those are your reasons for why you and I never hooked up, then why did you choose me for this?"
Sophie let out a sigh and rested her hand on my chest and her chin on top of her hand. She was silent for a few moments, and then looked me in the eyes. "This is probably going to sound really stupid, but I know who you are. I also wanted this to be special for me, and I know how you treat women. I've watched you. No matter the state of your relationship, you’ve never treated one of them badly."
I slowly brought my lips to hers and kissed her softly. It was that moment that I decided I would do whatever it took to make sure that our time together was special for her. When our lips parted and she looked into my eyes, I placed my hand on her cheek and slowly brought my lips to hers again. I gripped her ass with my hand and ground myself into her so she could feel exactly how excited I was for this to begin.
13
Sophie
I didn't think I would ever forget the look in his eyes when he placed his hand on my cheek and slowly brought his lips to mine. I would also never forget the first kiss that happened tonight; it was so soft and gentle, how he was nipping at my bottom lip as if he were unsure of himself, unsure of how I would react at my best friend kissing me. He lay beneath me and as we kissed, he gripped my ass, grinding into me so I could feel how hard he was for me. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't hot for him, and if he slipped his hand in my pants, he would see just how true that was.
We now lay side by side, my head resting on his arm as we continued to kiss on the couch. He pulled me into his arms, squeezing part of my body and pulling me closer to him. My hands shook as I shyly began to explore his body. When my fingers touched the button of his jeans, he gripped my hand and placed it on the bulge behind his zipper and he let out a moan as I gripped him through his jeans.
"Let's go," he murmured. He slipped off the couch and, pulling me with him, we wandered down the hall to my bedroom. We hadn't even made it halfway down the hall when he grabbed me and pushed me up against the wall, kissing me hard while his hands roughly explored my body. A shiver ran through me as his hands brushed over my breasts, my nipples already hard and seeking his attention.
He kicked the bedroom door open, grabbed me and kissed me hard as he guided me over to the bed. Our lips parted and we stood before one another, breathless, his eyes trailing from my face down my body. He gripped the edge of my T-shirt and lifted it over my head, dropping it onto the floor. His eyes wandered over my body and suddenly, I remembered I wasn't wearing any of the pretty lingerie I had bought on my shopping trip this afternoon. I had spent a small fortune on all that frilly lace attire, and here I was wearing one of my normal cotton bras and plain old cotton granny panties, as Jenna so appropriately called them.
I started to cover myself up when I was pulled back into the moment when I heard Chase groan, "You look fucking amazing."
I had no time to react because his mouth crashed hard into mine and his tongue brushed through my mouth, bringing me right back to the moment, and I forgot all about what I was wearing. His hand found my breast, and he brushed his thumb over my nipple as he kissed down the side of my neck. I felt his hands reach around to my back and begin to fiddle with the clasp on my bra when I froze.
"What is it?" he whispered, fighting to take my lips again.
"What if...what if you don't like me?" I questioned. I felt like I was in my teens again. It had been so long since a man had seen me, I was feeling super insecure.
He stopped what he was doing and, still holding me in his arms, looked down into my face. I felt the clasp of my bra go and the material became loose on me. "Impossible," he whispered, smiling at the fact that I hadn't even noticed he had flicked the clasp of my bra.
"You say that...but..."
His lips pressed hard into mine, stopping me from speaking any more than I already had, and he backed me up to the bed. The back of my knees finally met the edge of the mattress, and I fell backward onto my soft bed. He wasted no time. His hands gripped the waistband of my yoga pants, quickly ripping them and my panties off me.
I looked up at him as he stood there between my legs,
still fully clothed. I could see his cock painfully straining against the zipper of his jeans as his eyes took in my body. He bent over top of me and took the straps of my bra, the tips of his fingers grazing over my arms as he pulled it away from my body. He kneeled down between my legs onto the bed, one arm supporting the weight of his body, the other hand gently rolling my nipple between his fingers. I moaned into his mouth as his met mine.
"You're beautiful," he murmured as I let out a soft moan as he gently pinched my other nipple between his fingers. He kissed down my neck, pressing tiny kisses along my collarbone, and then running his tongue from my neck down between my breasts. He trailed his tongue up my left breast, rolling his tongue around my nipple, and then sucking it into his mouth. Then he repeated the same action over to the other one. I could feel the heat and throbbing between my legs intensify as he trailed his tongue down my belly, stopping and lightly blowing over my skin.
I felt him slide off the bed onto the floor, and he kissed my lower belly, which caused me to jump. I lifted myself up, resting on my elbows, and watched as he grabbed my legs, placing his hands on the inside of my thighs and forcing my legs open. "You’re so fucking wet," he muttered as he blew his warm breath on my already throbbing center.
I watched him as he looked up at me, and I had just about come on the spot listening to his words. I bit my lower lip. He had barely even touched me yet, and my body was already begging for him to make me come undone. I arched my back and bit my bottom lip as he blew over me again. He had me hooked around him, and I felt his hands grip my waist, holding me in place, and then I felt his hot tongue connect with my center, causing my head to fall back in pleasure. His tongue ran through my wet folds once, and I was thriving and panting and fighting from screaming his name as my hands gripped his. The harder I gripped, the harder he gripped back, my body straining as he continued this wonderful torture that was almost too much for me to endure. I couldn't hold back any longer, and I let out a thunderous moan as my release came.
Finding Forever with You (The Malone Brothers Book 4) Page 7
