by Mia Carson
She rummaged through the games and pulled out the original Halo. “Oh yeah? Like what?”
He took the game from her and wrapped an arm around her waist until she was pressed firmly against the hard planes of his body. “Strip Halo.”
“Strip Halo? So what, every time you die, you lose a piece of clothing?” She eyed him up and down, biting her lip and trying to look worried. “Can we play with socks, too?”
“If you must,” he said with an arrogant air before he kissed her until her toes curled. “Socks, underwear—hell, I’ll even be nice and let you use each of your piercings.” He let her go so he could set up the game.
Grace smirked behind his back, shot back the rest of her whiskey, and grabbed two pillows so they could do it like true gamers—sitting on the floor, acting like reckless teenagers. “Oh, you’re so on,” she whispered. God, I can’t wait to see him naked, she thought and couldn’t stop smiling until he sat his tall frame down beside her and they got ready to play.
An hour later, Grace chewed her lip as her character in the game crouched down atop the stone outcropping. She waited… waited… and the second Chase’s guy came into view, killed him with a headshot.
“Damn it, woman!” he yelled as his character flopped dead to the ground and she cackled mercilessly beside him. “You’re cheating. You have to be cheating!”
“You’re not watching your own screen,” she argued through her laughter.
“I am too.”
“Your eyes have been on my half of the screen for the past half-hour,” she accused and paused the game. “Well, go on, take it off, big boy.”
Chase glowered at her and stripped off a sock. He was down to one more and nothing else. Grace, on the other hand, still wore her bra, jeans, panties, all her piercings, and even her socks. “You baited me into this. It’s all your fault,” he muttered, and taking a pillow from the couch, covered himself. “Punishment for you lying.”
She un-paused the game and stalked him on the map. “You never outright asked me if I was good or not. You simply said girls could not play as well as boys.” When she slid a sideways glance at him, her heartbeat spiked at the dark promise in his eyes for sweet payback later.
They ran around the map a few more times, but Chase managed to evade her next few attempts to kill him. She was so focused on the game and ridding him of that last sock she didn’t even notice he moved until his hands gripped her hips and he slid her back into the cradle of his lap. His very naked, warm lap. She shivered as he surrounded her with his broad body but didn’t look away from the screen.
“Your distractions will do you no good,” she said, the words rough as she tried to stay focused on the screen and not his breath at her neck or the erection pressing against her back.
“Is that right?” he mused quietly. “We’ll see.”
Every nerve was on high alert when he nuzzled her neck and his tongue flicked out against her earlobe before he drew it into her mouth and sucked hard. Grace cursed and her eyes slipped closed for a moment before she snapped them back open.
“Nope, not going to work,” she said but knew it was only a matter of time.
Chase scooted even closer, his legs pushing against her thighs. Grace’s finger slipped from the controller, and he nailed her. “Looks like one more for me,” he growled. “Let me help you with that.”
His fingers undid the hook of her bra, and she let him push the straps down her arms before she took it off and tossed it with the rest of their clothing. Her breasts heavy, Grace did her best to stay focused on the game, but with every passing second, his teasing kisses and tantalizing whispers of seeing her naked and splayed out before him made her pant with longing.
“I bet you’re wet already,” he whispered as he smoothed along her stomach and lower to her jeans. Slowly, far too slowly, he undid the button and worked at the zipper. “Graceland.”
Each word that fell from his mouth was a caress laced with a promise that sunk deep into her heart and filled it with his love, his lust, and all his desires. His fingers twirled in the curls before slipping to those warm lips and yes, they were already wet. She felt her panties soaked the second he moved behind her, and when he discovered it, he cursed.
“Do you concede?” he asked.
She gasped when he ran one finger along her clit, causing her to flinch with pleasure. “Never.”
He set down his controller completely and held her breast in his hand, massaging her soft flesh, kissing her shoulder as his other hand shifted in her jeans, searching for that warmth. “You will, soon enough.” He tugged her nipple, and when his hand moved in an easy rhythm across her swollen lips and clit, the controller finally fell from her hands.
“Chase,” she whispered as her head rolled back onto his chest.
That one whisper was all the invitation he needed for his hands to move across her body, turning her to face him in his lap and capture her mouth. Grace clung to him, needing to be as close as she could get to this man who turned her inside out so easily with barely a touch or a look. His tongue explored the depths of her mouth, claiming every last bit of her as his hands roamed across her skin, sending goosebumps of want throughout every cell.
If this wasn’t love, she didn’t know what could feel better or be more right than having her heart taken by a man and cared for so well.
He laid her back against the soft, plush rug and kissed his way down her neck, his hair tickling her chest and nipples. Her jeans were snug, but it only took him one hard tug to free her body from the rest of her clothing, removing her socks and his with a dark laugh, and inched back up her body. His lips stopped every so often as his tongue swirled across her skin. When he nipped the back of her knees, Grace gasped, desperate for more of him, but he stayed well out of her reach.
“This is not fair,” she whispered hoarsely, hands digging into the rug. “Chase.”
“Payback is never fair,” he mused, his breath hot on her inner thigh.
Grace’s eyes closed, and she struggled to breathe when his hands gently pushed her knees further apart and glided up her inner thighs, each touch more erotic than the last. Her arousal slammed into overdrive with each touch. Her nipples hard and breasts hungry to be touched, she reached up to hold them, unable to resist the urge not to, but when he cursed she opened one eye and saw him watching intently.
With their eyes locked on each other, he lowered his mouth and licked a trail of pure fire up her thigh to her soft lips crying for his attention. When he found her clit and sucked it hard into his mouth, she cried out, tugging at her nipples at the same time and relishing the rush of insane pleasure shooting through her body.
His mouth worked against her while his hands massaged and caressed her thighs and hips, dragging her even closer to him. As his tongue entered her, her hips bucked and she shivered with wanton need coursing through her veins. Chase was everywhere inside her, filling her heart and soul with his hunger to be part of her, and Grace took him in. With every stroke of his tongue, he reached deeper into her soul until she knew there was no getting rid of him. He was a part of her and forever would be. He broke her apart and remade her with him attached. In his hands, her body melted and she cried out from the sharp ecstasy threatening to consume her whole.
“Chase,” she moaned as he sucked her clit and slid his fingers inside her, moving swiftly. When he stopped, she glanced up, worried something happened. “What’s wrong?”
He smirked mischievously as he asked, “Do you trust me?”
“Course, why wouldn’t I?” she replied, half dazed from the almost insane orgasm.
Taking her hips, he rolled her over gently and slid up along the back side of her body. “Don’t worry,” he whispered, “I just want to hear you scream my name in pleasure.”
“I thought I already was,” she mused, wondering what could be better than what he already did to her. His fingers quickly resumed their place inside her, thrusting in hard and deep as he kissed her neck and shoulder, nipping
here and there until she couldn’t see straight. She was soaked from his touch and wondered how much more she could take when his hand shifted and she stilled, but only for a second.
The next second, her hands dug into the rug and she screamed. Pure ecstasy couldn’t even begin to describe the way he tore her body apart so beautifully. Her voice became hoarse as the pleasure continued unabated, and he didn’t relent, never giving her a chance to catch her breath. When he wrenched the last ounce of the orgasm from her, his hand slowly pulled out. He chuckled in her ear as she collapsed against his chest.
“What… what the hell… did you do?” she mumbled, trying to catch her breath.
“That? Something I was curious about,” he said absently. “I’m going to assume by your screams that it was well worth it.”
Grace nodded, unable to articulate as her body tried to recover. His fingers, while inside her, had pushed back and his thumb slipped up somewhere else she never thought she’d be comfortable with. But when he pressed his fingers together, it was mind-blowing. Every nerve still tingled from it, and when he lifted her leg and let his erection glide along her wet, swollen lips, a moan escaped her mouth.
“I think I can get used to your kind of payback,” she said, trembling as he continued to move his hips and let her feel his swollen length, begging for entrance.
“And I’m not finished yet,” he promised, and with a quick adjustment of his hips, he thrust hard and deep inside of her, filling her until Grace thought she’d burst. He groaned behind her and moved forward slowly, each time sending her closer to an edge she thought she couldn’t tumble over again. “You see what you do to me?”
“What I do to you?” she muttered, laughing. “God, don’t stop.”
The room spun and Grace lost herself in the moment. Chase’s hand closed tightly around her hip as he thrust harder and faster, but she wanted to see him, to watch him as he came with her. Carefully, she pulled away and rolled him over until she straddled him. Before she could settle herself against him, he laughed and rolled them back over, sliding home in one swift movement.
“No, not tonight,” he muttered darkly, growling as he moved. “Tonight, I’m claiming you as mine, Graceland. Forever.”
He kissed her, his tongue in time with his plunges into her. “Forever?” she gasped against his lips. “Chase, what are you… what are you saying?”
“I’m not letting you leave my side. I don’t think I could get by without you.”
She glanced at the engagement ring on her finger and back at him. “Chase?”
“Yes?” he asked as he held himself steady inside her, arms shaking with the effort.
“I’ll be yours, forever,” she told him sincerely and stretched up to kiss him.
He groaned against her mouth and took her hard and fast, covering every part of her body with his, filling her until there wasn’t room for anything except him and her and their passion for each other. Their love fueled them on until she cried out, her nails digging into his back as he groaned, burying himself inside her warmth.
This was home, what she felt in that moment. It wasn’t just sex with Chase, she knew that from the first time they did it on the yacht but had denied it. Now, in his arms so securely, so tightly, she knew she couldn’t deny it any longer. He was hers, and she would always be his.
Gently, he lifted himself off her body and scooped her up into his arms, kissing her cheeks, her nose, and her forehead as he carried her to his bedroom. By the time he laid her down, their hearts beat as one against their chests, and Grace laughed as they burrowed beneath the covers to discover what else they could about each other and the insatiable hunger filling them both.
While their laughter and moans of pleasure filled the penthouse, neither heard her cell go off multiple times in the other room nor saw the picture sent with a desperate message to reply ASAP.
9
Rain battered the windows of the penthouse and thunder rumbled far out over the bay. Chase yawned and instinctively pulled Grace tighter against his body to keep her safe. He opened one eye and glanced around for the clock. The hour was early, but he was used to getting up by five every morning so falling back to sleep wasn’t going to happen. Especially with the naked woman at his side.
Memories of last night drifted through his mind as he carefully pulled himself free of Grace’s body and slipped to the edge of the bed. He wasn’t sure how many times she cried out his name—or vice versa, for that matter. For a woman with zero experience with men, she sure was learning quickly. Chase smirked, picturing her perfect lips closing around his tip again and again, teasing him into submission until he’d finally tackled her onto the bed to bury himself within her.
He padded barefoot to the closet for his pajama pants before walking to the kitchen to get a cup of coffee brewing. Last night, when he told her he wanted her forever, he hadn’t lied. Those weren’t the words he’d planned to say, but the second they slipped out, there was no stopping him from following through. Besides, the ring looked perfect on her finger. Tiffany had worn that ring once upon a time, but she’d scorned it constantly, always telling him it was too simple, too imperfect for someone of her status. Grace on the other hand… She cared more for the man who had given it to her. Her desire for Chase was there in her eyes every time he caught her looking.
He could not live without her. He never thought he could choose to trust another woman, but he was charging headlong into the future with Grace, willing to give her everything he was.
The coffee ready, he picked up his mug and moved to the windows, staring out over the bay as he watched the lightning strike the water in the distance. The city hadn’t woken up yet. The streets were only starting to get busy with morning traffic, and Chase watched from high up, feeling for the first time in a long time that he’d found exactly who he was meant to be and who he was meant to be with.
The steam from his mug warmed his face, but the two arms that slipped around his waist and pressed his body back into hers caused a burning.
“Morning,” Grace whispered into his back before she kissed it.
“Morning. You could sleep longer if you want,” he told her with a smug look. “I’m sure I wore you out last night.”
“Oh, and I didn’t wear you out?” she replied laughing.
“Didn’t say that. I’m a morning person.”
“One of those. Oh God, that’s it,” she teased, “we can’t be together.”
He chuckled and set his mug on the table nearby. He pulled her around so he could kiss her. He smiled in approval of his button-up shirt she wore, which reached her knees. Soft lips met his, and he sighed, hugging her close and lifting her off her feet until she squealed with laughter.
When he set her back down, he tucked her wild curls behind her ears and frowned. “I had plans for today, but the rain might’ve ruined them.”
“It’s just rain,” she said. “What were you thinking?”
“There’s a carnival downtown, the fall one. Starts today,” he told her. “But I don’t know… maybe you’re not fun enough for a carnival—ow!” He winced and laughed when she pinched him. “What the hell was that for?”
“Not fun enough for a carnival? I’m sorry, whose idea was it for strip Halo?”
He laughed and raised a brow. “Mine, actually.”
She opened her mouth but clamped it shut before waving his words away. “Yeah, well, I decided to play Halo, which led to the stripping, which led to… everything else,” she argued and marched towards the bedroom.
“Graceland, where are you going?” he asked and followed, wondering what she was up to now.
“Getting dressed!”
“For what? It’s barely seven. The carnival doesn’t open until noon,” he told her and ducked when a sweater flew out of the closet and nearly hit him in the face. “Graceland.”
“You know, you’re lucky I love you enough to let you call me that,” she said, poking her head around the door-frame to wink at him before du
cking back in. Chase froze at her choice of words and cleared his throat, tugging at the coin around his neck.
Did she mean it? Last night, he’d basically proposed, but they hadn’t used the L-word, not yet. “Graceland, did you just say love?” he asked, hating the shakiness caused by nerves.
What if she’d been teasing? What if she had forgotten what he asked her last night? He pulled harder at the coin and nearly snapped the chain before she came back out, still in his shirt, with a genuine smile on her face, one that lit those dark brown eyes he continued to find more colors in every damn day.
“I said love,” she told him. “I didn’t want to believe it, told myself not to do it, but I can’t help it. Chase Valentine, the third, I think I’m in love with you.”
She barely got the last word out before he cupped her cheeks and kissed her, telling her without words he felt the exact same way. When they met, he knew she would be trouble, but he never imagined this. Wednesday night, his parents were coming over for dinner, and maybe then, he’d come clean and introduce them to the real Graceland Summers. She was his heartbeat, the air in his lungs, the very soul within his body. She was his everything, and there was no way to tell her that without making himself sound like a sap.
So he kissed her and held her, showing her the best he could through his touch that she was his and he would always be hers. He picked her up and carried her to the bathroom.
“Chase, we’re getting dressed,” she muttered, laughing when he nuzzled her neck in that one spot near her ear that made her squirm. “Chase!”
“Noon… We have until noon,” he growled. “Plenty of time to show you.”
“Show me what?” she asked breathless.
“Everything you do to me,” he promised and closed the door behind them. The water turned on, and he ripped the shirt from her body as she tugged at his pajama pants, both starving for the touch of the other.
They had spent all night in each other’s arms, but it would never be enough. She was intoxicating, fueling his desire and passion with each stroke of her hand across his skin and the way her tongue darted out to caress his lips. Chase lifted her up the second his pants were gone and set her on the bathroom counter. As their mouths dominated each other, he brought her hips to the edge of the counter and slowly pushed into her, pulling out and then back in again until he slid in easily. As one, their bodies trembled, and he picked her up, backing her into the door.
