She felt Chase’s hands grip into fists around her back and his jaw clench as he closed his eyes. When he opened them, he took half a step back and looked down at her, his gaze trailing from her face down her shoulders and her torso. He clutched at her hand with his and then ran that hand up her forearm, slowly, watching intently as her skin rose up and flushed beneath his touch. He ran his fingers along her shoulder, and then with one finger, pulled the strap of her camisole down. She felt shivers run along her skin as he did the same on the other side.
She dropped her arms and let the camisole fall from her arms to her waist, then down to the floor. She could feel the skin on her nipples harden and tighten before his eyes. He ran his fingers from her shoulders, down along the tips of her nipples, then softly traced the curves of her breast before running his hands down the soft skin of her belly.
With both hands, he began to trace pathways along her skin; from her hands, back up her arms, and down her breasts to her belly. She stood still, with her arms dropped to her sides as he created a trail as essential and true as gravity, rivers of his touch that she knew would be permanently and invisibly embedded on her skin forever.
Then, Chase placed his hands on both sides of her belly and pushed her slowly back against the wall. He bent down and kissed her gently on the lips, tasting her once before dropping to his knees before her.
He scanned her skin then dropped his head, her belly flush with his eyes, and rested his forehead against her, his fingers lingering on the waistband of her shorts as he breathed her in.
Kate felt her back arch as she entwined her fingers in his hair. She winced as his fingers slide inside her shorts, sliding them down to her ankles. Then his mouth was on her, his tongue sliding slowly along the soft skin between her legs.
A burst of liquid rushed through Kate and down to Chase’s mouth. Kate couldn’t tell if she was saying the words ‘yes, yes’ out loud or if the words were being released silently in her brain. Her body absorbed his touch. This was necessary—like breathing, or eating. Their bodies were meant to be together like this.
As if Chase could feel her thoughts, he gripped her tightly around the waist and drew her even closer down onto him. He laid one hand on her lower belly, steadying her as she began to shudder, his soft tongue gliding over her most tender parts, feeling instinctively the rhythm of her body.
“How—” Kate licked her lips. “How do you know how to do that?”
Chase lifted his mouth away for just a moment. “Do what?” he asked and delved back into her.
Kate shuddered. “How…how do you know exactly how to touch me?”
At her words, Chase increased the pressure with his tongue, driving her over the edge. She burst around him, her body quivering against his lips. He stood and cupped her gently with one hand as she quivered, then found her mouth with his own and kissed her deeply.
She could feel his erection straining under his jeans and she reached quickly to undo his belt. A fever ran through her limbs as she undid the button and his zipper, releasing him into her hand. He was so hard, the thickness of his erection now fully released as she slid his pants down around his ankles. She reached up and pulled his tee shirt up his torso and then over his head. She had to feel his skin on her skin. She kissed his chest and his nipples, then trailed her tongue down his belly until she reached the hard length of him, so smooth and perfect under the stroke of her tongue.
Chase pulled her back up and grabbed her by the hand, pulling her back to the bedroom. He pushed her down on the bed, then plunged in on top of her, the full length of his body on hers, the skin of his torso finally touching hers. Kate groaned. He pulled both of her hands up over her head so her breasts were straining upwards and exposed. He flicked the top of her nipples with his tongue as he parted her legs with his other hand. She could feel how wet his hand was when he drew it away from her. She arched her back and drew her legs even farther apart, revealing herself totally to him. This is what she needed. This is where she belonged.
Chase pivoted over onto one hip and looked down at her, his body bathed in rays of light cast through the bedroom door. “You are so beautiful, Kate,” he said in a whisper, taking her in.
She watched as his eyes trailed over her, looking at her with a hunger she had never seen before. He bent forward and kissed her again, deep and wet, his tongue finding hers as he rolled above her, the tip of his erection pushing against her soft, tender skin.
“Kate,” he said simply, and pushed himself inside of her.
Kate felt herself lengthen and tighten around him, the feeling of him inside her sending waves of pleasure through her body. She curved her back and pushed herself against him, wanting every inch of him. He felt her cue and sank himself so deep, Kate shuddered and threw her arms around his back.
Chase drew out of her, just enough that he could thrust himself back in, and then did it again and again until they were rocking together, their bodies dancing, the friction building between them.
Chase shuddered into Kate’s neck as he plunged himself deeper. She drew her legs up around him and clutched at his back as waves of pleasure began to move through her, pulsating against him as he buried himself inside of her. He grew even larger as she clenched around him, her muscles throbbing as waves pulsated through her torso and limbs. She cried out as a final shudder ran through them both, their bodies entwined and panting.
Kate wrapped her arms tightly around his back and held him close. She could feel his heart thumping against her and realized in a sweet affirmation that her heart was beating in time with his. She felt her throat tighten as she began to stroke the smooth skin of his neck and back. She wished she could stay in this moment forever.
Chapter 24: Chase
Chase sat behind his desk, looking at the clock. His calendar looked like a quilt of appointments, highlighted and overlapping and stretching out for weeks to come, but today, he only had one more to get through before he could get home and see Kate. He shifted in his chair as he remembered how she looked this morning, stretched out and spent across the edge of the bed, her hair wild and tangled against the sheets.
They spent their days at the office, passing with a pleasant nod, or sitting across a conference table surrounded by people who didn’t know how much they wanted to reach across and touch each other. But at night, Chase made his way through the patchwork of underground tornado shelters to get to her door, where they nestled in behind the closed curtains of Kate’s bungalow, making up for the lost hours.
He awoke this morning, the slow throbbing between his legs confirming there had been hours of love-making, and likely not enough sleep, but then he saw Kate come out of the shower, her body covered only by a towel, her pale skin shining, he felt himself stir again. A glance in the bathroom mirror showed that Kate had seen him watching her. She turned towards Chase with a smile and dropped her towel to the floor. Her skin glistened as she stood before him, naked in the steamy light of the bath. Without preamble, he went to her, burying his head in her neck and against her skin, taking in the scent of soap and mint and immediately felt her body respond. He reached down between her legs, feeling the nub of her clit stiffen as he pinched it lightly, then grazed it in a circular motion with his palm.
“Good morning,” Kate said with a raspy laugh.
Chase dug his hands into her hips, and with one quick motion, flipped her around, propping her up against the counter. In response, he saw her spread her legs and angle her ass towards him. Without a word, he slammed into her hilt-deep and in the bathroom mirror he could see her face transported by pleasure, her eyes closed, and her mouth open as she cried out in time with his thrusts.
Chase gripped her by the hips, pulled back, then thrust again, watching himself slide in and out of her, watching her skin grip his. A delicious friction grew between them as he pivoted into her, grinding against her in a tight, circular motion.
“Good morning, Kate,” he whispered into her ear, and in response, she let out a little
moan. She finally let him say her name and he loved it. He groaned and closed his eyes. It took every ounce of strength he had not to explode into her. The fever in his body was gripping him, and the way she spasmed around him told Chase that fever was gripping them both.
He spun Kate back around so she was facing him and lifted her up onto the cold tile. In response, she wrapped her legs and arms around him and again he thrust into her. He grabbed her by the back of the neck, her wet hair trailing over his arms, and kissed her. Her mouth tasted so sweet, and he savored it, savored the connection with every last bit of sanity he had left. His body vibrated, sending waves of unbelievable pleasure through him. He spun on a thread, barely attached to his body, riding endless waves of pleasure as he cried out.
Chase felt a stirring in his pants as he remembered. He was glad he was sitting behind a desk.
He looked again at the final appointment on his calendar. Aunt Peggy had insisted on seeing him first thing, telling his staff it was important. Why did he feel like he was being called to the principal’s office?
Chase took a drink of water and stood, straightening down the front of his pants. All good. He gathered his things and walked to Peggy’s office. Along the way, he saw Kate down the hall, but her back was turned and she didn’t see him. No doubt, she was working on the conspiracy theory she told him about this morning. While they were having coffee, sore and late, Kate had held him back.
“Chase, I’m worried,” she’d said.
“You don’t have to worry about me,” he responded. “I promise I’ll stop asking you to stay.” He shrugged. “At least I’ll try to stop asking.” He reached over and kissed her on the cheek.
“No, it’s not that.” She walked over to him. “Listen, this is serious,” she said, putting her hand on his arm.
Chase put down his coffee and looked at her steadily. “Okay. Hit me.”
“Strange things have been happening. Too many things to be coincidence.” Her eyes flitted back and forth over his.
His brow furrowed. “Go on…”
“First that crazy guy on the road, then Ms. Oklahoma being there at the crash, then that stupid tweet.” She clenched the side of the counter top, shaking her head. “I can’t shake the idea someone is out to get you.”
Chase took her hand. “Yeah, but every one of those things you handled. Brilliantly.” He shrugged. “And none of those things have affected the IPO or our valuation. If someone wanted to stop our launch, wouldn’t they have made a much bigger deal about all of that? Sure, it’s crazy that all that stuff happened. And it wasn’t fun, that’s for sure.” He reached out and wrapped his hands around her waist. “But it seems alright now. The launch is in four days and we’re still okay.”
Kate shook her head. “I don’t know. I just can’t shake this feeling.”
Chase stopped in the hallway as he thought about Kate’s worries. He thought of taking a detour and asking her if she’d found out anything else, but Peggy had already spotted him.
“Get in here,” she said.
Chase took one last look down the hall towards Kate, but she was gone. He could talk to her later.
“Hello, Peggy,” he said, entering her office. “I checked the financials you sent over this morning. Most of it looks good, but I sent section two back to accounting to double check. I think the projections are a bit anemic.”
“That’s fine,” Peggy answered, waving for Chase to take a chair, “but that’s not what I wanted to chat about.”
Chase undid he jacket button and sat. “What’s up?”
“Kenji Kai and the rest of our banking team have come early.”
“What? Why?”
“They’re in Tulsa. I can’t blame them. All of this PR nonsense has made everybody nervous. I think they just want to keep a closer eye on us for the final few days before the paperwork is signed.”
Chase nodded, his brow tight. “Did they say anything else? Any specific concerns?”
“No, but I hear that they are none too pleased with how Kate Piper has handled anything so far.
A laugh escaped Chase’s lips. “Let me guess,” he deadpanned. “You heard that from Donna Ogrodnick, your new best friend.”
Peggy straightened her back and looked down at him from a sour mouth. “I’m not an idiot, Chase. I know everyone has their own agenda…” she set her mouth in a tight line, then continued. “And that includes me.”
Chase felt his eyes go wide, but didn’t respond.
“You probably don’t remember when I was young,” Peggy continued, walking around her desk. “But I had dreams, just like you. I wanted to breed horses. Travel.” She reached down and wiped an invisible layer of dust from her keyboard. “But KinCo sucked those dreams right out of me.”
“Peggy…” Chase started.
“No—” Peggy looked up with sad eyes. “I’m not complaining. I’ve had a life here, made a contribution. But I only have so many years left, and after this launch, I intend to live that life.”
Chase sat back in his chair and looked at her. It was true. She had withered away over the years, and no joy remained in the slack lines of her face. He tried to think back to a time that she was different, but he couldn’t. He just remembered brittle Aunt Peggy going to work then back home to her bungalow, alone. No husband, no children, no friends. Chase felt his heart lurch. That could very easily be him in thirty years.
“Peggy,” Chase said. “Whatever you want, whatever it is, I will support you.”
Peggy tried to smile, but that didn’t come easy. “I know you will if you can, Chase, but that’s why I have to know this IPO is going forward. That money means I can finally get out of here.”
Chase was stunned. How could he have missed how unhappy Peggy had been all these years? “Peggy, we could have hired someone to replace you years ago, if that’s what you wanted. We would never hold you back.”
She scoffed. “Well, you say that, and I know you mean it, Chase, but I tried. For years, I tried, but one thing after another always seem to pop up, and after a while, I just gave up. This IPO is my chance. It can’t be screwed up.”
“It won’t be.”
“Yeah? Well Donna says Kai is nervous.” She looked Chase right in the eye. “Tell me right now, Chase…is there anything to be nervous about?”
Chase thought back to this morning and Kate’s concerns something bad was looming, but looked across at Peggy’s eyes, imploring him to let her go. He shook his head. “No, Peggy,” he said. “Everything is great.”
As he smiled and reassured her, he had a wave of panic come over him. He had to find Kate.
Chapter 25: Kate
“Did you get it?” Kate asked into the camera.
“Yup,” answered Lindsey, swiveling around in her chair. “I got her cell.” Lindsey read the number. “I thought Ms. Oklahoma was old news.”
“Just a hunch.”
“Well, your Kung-Fu is strong. I no longer question.”
Kate gripped her hands together. “Lindz, listen, something else has happened.”
Lindsey turned away from one of her many screens and stared into the monitor. “Yeah?”
Kate nodded and a smile stretched across her face. “I got a call from Lou Tarly.”
“Lou Tarley, the Estate Attorney? The one who referred you to KinCo?”
“The very same. So…,” Kate hesitated, then shook it off. “He called to tell me that he has been very pleased to see how we handled the various issues that have popped up here.”
“Uh huh.”
“And that he and a group of other well-established Boston attorneys and Family Offices want to keep us on retainer. An exclusive, three year retainer.” She beamed into the camera. “We’re saved.”
Lindsey jumped out of her chair, hitting her knee against the desk. “Sugar dumplings!” she yelled out, rubbing her knee. “Kate! That’s great. Oh my god! That’s…that’s everything you’ve wanted.”
Kate read the names of her new employers an
d how much each were contributing to her retainer. She watched as Lindsey’s mouth dropped open, wider by the second. The variety of clients and assets were amazing. Any one of them would be a dream to work for, and now, she would get to work with all of them. It was beyond anything she had dreamed.
She searched her mind for a happier feeling, then chastised herself for not finding it. It was exciting, yes. But it wasn’t enough. Can’t you ever be happy, Kate? she asked herself, then shrugged into the camera. “So, that’s happened.” She tried to gin up her voice. “Yay.”
Lindsey scowled into the camera. “Hold up. You’re not happy. How could you not be happy? I’m confused.”
Kate felt tears pool in her eyes. “Sure, I’m happy. Back to Boston with a boat-load of A-list clients to handle? Sure. It’s good.”
“But…”
Kate frowned at Lindsey. “But, I guess I’ll miss Chase.”
“Hmm. Why can’t you still see Chase and take this new job?”
“Because,” Kate squeaked. “Everyone will know. And they’ll think I bang my clients.” She slumped down in her chair. “Plus, I’m sure he’ll be really busy. And so will I! And it’s just too hard.”
“Wow, Kate,” Lindsey said. “When has something being hard ever stopped you? You’re Kate Freaking Piper, after all.” When Kate didn’t respond, she continued. “What did Chase say?”
“I haven’t told him, yet. He should be here any minute.” Kate looked at the clock. “The weather is awful, he must have been held up.”
“Good luck, Pipes. I’m sure things will work out,” Lindsey smiled reassuringly into the screen. “You know I’m here if you need to talk. Bat things around.”
“I know. For now, let’s just focus on the launch. Get that call done for me.”
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