“¡Estúpido!” Maria chimes in and takes a large swallow of wine.
“I can’t believe you!” Bree agrees sounding astonished.
“Me, either,” says a deep, chocolaty voice from behind me. My blood goes cold even though the heat of my embarrassment is surely showing crimson across my face. I’ve heard that voice many times. In my dreams, whispered against my hairline, calling my name as he roars in pleasure.
My love.
My only.
My Chase.
I close my eyes as strong hands tug at my waist bringing me back firmly against his solid, warm chest. The woodsy citrus scent wars with the veggie pizza wafting in the air. Tension is coiled thick in Chase’s forearms as he tightens his grip. “Forgive me, ladies. I need to have a word with my fiancée.” His voice conveys politeness and good manners, but when I turn around, his gaze is molten lava. The white heat of lightning burns behind those baby blues, and I fear the mounting storm.
“We didn’t hear you come in.” I say lamely trying to change the topic of what I know is going to be an emotionally devastating conversation.
“Obviously.” He takes brisk steps towards the door. He grabs my coat and gestures with his finger to turn around.
“Wait. You want to leave? But the girls…”
His grip on my forearm is tight, unyielding. “The girls will understand,” he says through clenched teeth; that tick in his jaw thumping powerfully.
“Where are we going?” I yank my arm back in irritation.
“Home. The penthouse,” he confirms.
He tugs me out into the hallway and I pull to a stop. “You can’t come in and pull me out of my apartment just because you said so. I was packing and enjoying myself.”
Chase whips back his suit coat and sets a fist to each hip. “Fine. You want to go back in there and have the conversation about why the woman I love doesn’t trust me?”
I cup his handsome face and pull him closer to eye level. “Chase, no.” His eyes pierce mine with pure honesty and something else. Maybe fear? I take a deep breath and lean my forehead against his, wanting him to understand, pleading with him to understand. “You’re the only man I trust with my heart. Will ever trust.”
He pulls back and cups my chin. His thumb traces my bottom lip seductively. Prickles of heat rush through me all the way to the bottom of my feet. “And you are the only woman I will ever love. I want you in my life, as my wife. The sooner the better. Now that I know why you are stalling, I will not wait. One month. That’s about all I can take. “
“A month? Chase, you can’t be serious.” I search his gaze trying desperately to gain more time.
“Dead serious. Gillian, I’m not a patient man. I thought you needed more time to be sure. Now that I know it’s you who thought I needed the time, I am no longer amenable to a delay. We will wed in a month. This is no longer open for negotiation.”
He turns and pulls on my hand. I stop and yank back hard. “You can’t do that!” It takes everything in me not to stomp my foot and throw a tantrum.
“I can, and I have.” His voice is flat and unyielding.
“But the wedding…” tears mist over my vision even though I try to tamp them down.
Chase’s fingers slide through my hair and burrow at the nape. One hand pulls the elastic band out letting the strands and curls fall wild and free down my back. He loves my hair loose for his greedy fingers. “You will have everything you ever dreamed of. I’ll make certain of it. Dana will assist you.”
“I don’t want your perfect assistant’s help,” I snarl.
His lips twitch with mirth at my overtly obvious jealousy. “I know you don’t want it, but with a shortened timeframe, you’re going to need it. She is remarkably efficient. Just tell her what you want and she’ll make it happen.”
“Anything I want?” I counter trying to go for more bravado than I’m usually capable of in his presence.
“Oh, baby, I like the way you think. From now on, I want you to have that attitude. You’re going to be Mrs. Chase Davis, and billions will be at your disposal.” He moves in for a kiss, but I rip away from him.
“What are you talking about? Aren’t you going to have me sign a prenup?”
He shakes his head and I’m certain I heard him wrong. No man worth as much as he is would enter a marriage without protecting his investments. “No need. What’s mine is yours, baby.”
“No, no, no.” I shake my head repeatedly and back up. Chase follows and presses me into the wall of the hallway. My breath catches with his nearness and the sheer power radiating around him. It’s like a living, breathing thing, this thrumming magnetic energy surrounding me.
“Oh, yes.” Chase says as one hand grips my hip keeping me connected to the firm, thick ridges and valleys of his body. His other hand burrows into the hair at the base of my neck once more, locking me in place. One of his favorite places to grip, to take control. “You are about to become more wealthy than you ever dreamed,” he nips my lips playfully.
“You say that as if it’s something I want. I don’t want or need your money, Chase. Just you.” I grip his shoulders fiercely trying to express what is so hard to say.
“Boggles the mind.” He laughs before his lips swoop down and capture mine. His kiss is feral, possessive, forceful. I open to him on a gasp. He takes full advantage dipping his masterful tongue into my mouth. He tastes of cinnamon gum, which tingles and smarts against my taste buds as his devilish tongue flicks mine. That familiar fire that burns between us ignites instantly. The hand on my hip moves down to cup and fondle my rear end as his lips devour and pillage. It’s so much and not enough all at once. Sparks fly and a heavy weight settles between my thighs. My sex moistens, readying to join with its counterpart. His nearness and touch makes me thick with lust, the ache a physical thing when he’s so close yet not filling me.
“I want…” comes out as a whisper that he swallows.
“You’ll have.” He lifts me up, my legs twining around his waist as he presses his rock-solid erection between my thighs. We’re in the middle of the hallway just outside my apartment. I can hear the cackling sounds of my best friends through the thin door.
“Jesus, Chase, we can’t.” I manage to speak between wet, drugging kisses.
His hands clutch my ass tighter, and he carries me a few paces down the hallway to the stairwell. “We can, and we will. I’ll never be denied you again.” His tone sounds angry, but I know he’s not. He’s just as taken by the undeniable thing that presses us together at the most inopportune times.
“Chase,” I warn, but it’s too late. He’s already managed to undo his pants and pull out his thick, heavy cock. It stands up huge and dark pink, ready to pleasure. The sight of his dick, large and proud between my thighs, so close yet not close enough, has me salivating. I want to taste his unique, musky maleness on my tongue, on my lips, in my mouth.
“God, I need you,” I confide watching him through a haze of desire.
“Oh, baby, it makes me wild when you beg.” He pulls at my loose jersey skirt pushing it up to my waist. Without waiting, he pushes aside the lace covering my sex and drives into me in one powerful thrust. His lips crash over mine to muffle the scream. With Chase, I’ve never been able to rein it in; he brings out the uninhabited side in me. I pull away and take deep, gasping breaths as he withdraws and then rams his cock inside me once more.
“Baby,” I whisper out into the open concrete space where it echoes off the walls as I stare unseeingly at the spiraling staircases above us.
Chase’s fingers dig into the soft flesh of my hips, piercing but not hurting. “Baby, I can’t wait to make you mine. I want the whole world to know I own you.” His words are thick and crass. He knows that ownership is a lethal term to me, and, if I wasn’t sure that I’d own him in return, I’d retreat and run for the hills. Nevertheless, knowing that I will own Chase Davis, body, mind, and soul, is everything. Sliding his thick manhood into me hard and fast, over and over, sends bolt
s of pleasure into every speck of my being.
He already owns me. And I tell him so. He goes crazy at my admission pounding into me ruthlessly. His pelvis crushes my clit on a particularly hard thrust, and I tumble head first into the wondrous black abyss. Light sparks across my closed eyes as his pelvic bone crushes my clit, prolonging my orgasm. Chase is right there with me, his moans muffled into the tender space at the crook of my neck. He bites down on the patch of skin there as his essence coats my insides.
“Gillian, you undo me.” He mumbles through feather soft kisses along the exposed skin of my neck then up past my ear into my hairline. His lips cover every inch of my face until I open my eyes. Then he seals his lips over mine in a mind-numbing kiss.
“I love you.” His eyes soften and I can see his happiness mirrored from within the blue depths. “But I need more than a month, Chase,” I tell him.
He stiffens, and shakes his head.
“Kat is making my dress from scratch. She’ll freak if I tell her I need it in a month.”
“I’ll call Vera Wang or Gabana personally. Hell, my cousin Chloe could make you a perfect gown. You’ll have your dress in a month’s time,” he pulls out of me. My panties shift back into place keeping his fluids from spilling down my leg.
I choose my words carefully. “You said I could have anything I want. And a dress made by my best friend is what I want to wear on my wedding day.” My tone is calm but firm.
He narrows his eyes. “We’ll see.” He rights my skirt, and we re-enter the hallway. Within moments, Chase has me back into my apartment standing in front of three shocked and tipsy women.
“¿Qué pasa?” Maria asks.
Chase ignores her and turns to Kat who looks a bit intimidated and leans back in her chair. “How long will it take you to make Gillian’s wedding gown?”
Kat assesses me. I’m sure all three of them can see my kiss-swollen lips. I look down and my skirt is askew. She grins and then looks up at Chase. “Not sure. It will be done in a year; I can promise you that.”
Chase huffs, which is unusual behavior and less than gentlemanly. “And if I want it in a month?”
Kat’s eyes widen and her mouth gapes. “I uh, that’s a really short amount of time.”
“How much time do you need exactly?” That jaw of his is clenched, working overtime.
“Depending on the work at the theatre…”
“I’ll hire you an assistant to help at the theatre so you can focus most, if not all, of your attention on Gillian.”
“You can’t do that—” I start, but he squeezes my hand and talks over me. The Controlling Chase is in full swing.
“I’m on the Board of the San Francisco Theatre.” What? When the hell was he going to share that tidbit of information? Maria looks just as surprised as I do, so it’s news to her as well. Chase continues undeterred. “I can, and will, do whatever is necessary to make you my bride immediately.” His tone is sharp and unrelenting. “Kathleen, timeframe?”
She looks shocked but resolved. “Probably six to eight weeks depending on whether or not I can get the fabric and the cost is within the budget.”
“Money is no object. I will have fifty thousand wired into your account within the hour. Make it six weeks, and I’ll throw in an extra twenty-five thousand for your trouble.”
“Holy shit! You weren’t kidding.” Kat flits her chin in my direction. I smile weakly hating the fact that Chase is throwing his weight and money around with my best friends. He can’t help it though. It’s his way. At least his intentions are in the right place. And everyone knows the road to hell is paved with good intentions.
He waits patiently for Kat to ponder his request. “You got yourself a deal, buddy.” They shake on it to make it official, which I find ridiculous and unnecessary.
Chase turns to me. “Now that that’s settled...” He smiles wide showing even, white teeth. His smile is so pretty it could turn any dark day bright. “You will be all mine, the Mrs. Davis in six weeks. I can hardly wait.” He grins and pulls me into a hug.
His enthusiasm is contagious. Behind us, the girls whoop and holler as he swoops me in for a searing kiss. It almost becomes indecent when his hand covers my ass and he grinds his growing erection into my belly.
Maria blows past us and comes back with a glass. She fills it half-full and hands it to Chase. He takes it and nods his thanks.
“To the soon-to-be Mr. and Mrs. Chase Davis!” she says. “¡Salud!”
Chapter 2
Gillian
Chase left me at the apartment after I insisted that it would be weeks before I officially moved into the penthouse, if he didn’t let me finish packing. Although I wasn’t sure staying behind was a better plan than escaping to our tower in the sky. The girls were merciless in their joking and digging for information. Kat was ecstatic over the new monetary windfall, but nervous about pleasing his highness with that amount of money and time limitation. Six weeks for a couture gown was a heavy burden, but I did my best to reassure her that I was less interested in a fashion masterpiece and more concerned with feeling beautiful and comfortable on the most important day of my life. She started sketching designs while the rest of us packed. On top of being a skilled seamstress, she was actually a very gifted designer.
“So you want fitted at the bodice and protruding out from the waist like a princess gown?” Kat asks while I store framed pictures of Maria and me on our drive through California several years ago. We were on a soul-finding mission. In the end, we mostly agreed that as long as we had the love of our friends and believed in our own self-worth, we’d survive anything life threw our way.
“I’m not really sure. Fitted on top, I think. Open in the back. Chase loves a bare back.” She nods as a mental image of white lace danced across my thoughts. “I want sexy elegance, nothing that’s going to push up my boobs or be too revealing.”
Kat brings her legs up into a cross-legged seated position on the couch and lays the sketch board over one knee. “I have an idea. What if we do lace arms into a perfect v shape in the back?” She draws the back showing a scalloped edge going into a deep triangle shape right above the butt cheeks. “We could have a tiny line of sparking gems holding up the top at the shoulder-line running across. I’ll have to build a bra into the front.” I nod starting to feel like this was really going to happen.
“I really like that idea.”
“And if you wear your hair up, it will show off the back perfectly.” She is ecstatic already sketching the front of the gown. I bite my lip and crinkle my nose.
Her caramel eyes twinkle when she stops sketching and catches the unease in my gaze. “What?” She cocks an eyebrow. Like Maria, annoyingly cool.
I shrug. “It’s just that Chase likes my hair down. Always down.” I know my face is turning bright pink, and for the millionth time, I curse my Irish heritage. “He always pulls it down when he kisses me.” Kat’s lips twitch into a sly grin.
“Okay, what if we compromise? Have some up on top and have it pulled over to the side so we can still showcase the back but your caveman will be able to paw your hair at his whim.” She giggles and goes back to work.
“Perfect!” I squeal and clasp my hands together at my chest. Even with the wedding rush, it’s still going to be the best day of my life. It’s the day I agree to be Mrs. Chase Davis, forever. He’ll officially be my past, present, and future. Just like my soul sisters.
Kat continues undaunted, making sketches at the speed of light. The best I can do is a few good stick figures. Her fingers move over the sketch pad putting touches here and there. She makes a sweetheart shape at the front of the bodice, and then adds a sheer lace piece over just the swells of what look to be my breasts. That sheer piece had the same scalloped edge as the back. The more I look, the more I realize how incredibly talented Kat is. I wish she’d have more confidence in her ability.
In that moment, I promise myself that I’ll make something good come of my new, unwanted fame. I make a mental n
ote to talk about it with Chase, a plan already forming. Chase’s cousin Chloe is a hot young designer that Kat adores. I wonder if I could get Chloe to come with me to Kat’s house one day and see some of her designs. Maybe she’d give Kat the push she needs to break out. And with this new money coming her way, and a high profile client in Chase, the sky’s the limit for my designing angel.
I grin as a scheme settles into place. “So you like it then,” Kat beams up at me while I sit on the arm of the couch.
Looking down at her sketch, all the air leaves my lungs in a whoosh. My heart may have actually stopped because I can’t move. I have never been witness to something so enchanting. It is a dream, a vision of lace and sparkles. Even in pencil, the design steals my breath. “It’s everything I ever hoped for, Kat,” I said, emotion garbling my words, tears spilling down my face.
“Oh honey, don’t cry!” she hugs me to her. “This is a happy occasion. No tears.” Her smile is lovely and sincere.
I pick up the sketchbook and hug it to my chest not caring if some of the pencil marking rubs off on my white tank. “Oh my God, I’m getting married!” I sob happily. My three best friends crowd around me in a group hug. I show Bree and Maria the amazing design, and both promptly note little facets they like best. It is moments like these that I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that I’ll spend the rest of my life loving these women. They would always be a constant source of supreme love and support. It’s official…I am the luckiest girl in the world.
“I love you guys, so much!” I whisper as they squeeze the life out of me.
“We love you more.” They each laugh, repeating the words I always say to them, filling my heart to bursting.
X
What a joke. I listen, straining to hear her voice. Only Gillian. She is crying, and my spine tingles, hoping that maybe the rich bastard broke it off with her. Nope. Finally, her voice rings above the others as my love and those three bitches fawn over something about her upcoming wedding. Little do they know there won’t be a wedding. I’ll make sure of it. Motherfucker moved the timetable up on the nuptials. Probably scared of what I’d do between now and then. Just means I have to work faster.
Mind (Trinity Trilogy Book 2) Page 2
