He grabs his chest. “I’m offended you even asked that.”
I giggle. I love this.
I watch him move around the kitchen while he makes dinner. Chase can act like he hasn’t learned how to cook, but compared to the skills he had growing up, things have vastly improved. Honestly, he could have ordered pizza and I would have thought it was a gourmet meal as long as I was having it next to him. But it’s truly delicious.
I lean back in my chair, patting my belly. “I ate way too much. I feel like I’m gonna explode.”
“Sexy.” He wags his eyebrows.
“I sure hope so. I’m really makin’ an effort here.” I laugh.
“Don’t tell me you didn’t save room for dessert.” He’s clearing the plates, walking them to the sink.
“Depends.” I rest my chin on my hand, watching him. “What’s on the menu?”
A shrill noise interrupts the conversation. The blood in my veins turns to ice. I know that ringtone.
“Daddy must be at The Watering Hole.” I frown.
Chase stops doing the dishes and turns toward me. “How do you know?”
“Because that’s the ringtone I set for when they call. It’s the only one that wakes me up if it’s the middle of the night.” I grind my teeth, grabbing my phone out of my purse.
“Hey, Johnny. Let me guess.”
“Lee… the cops are here. I’m sorry, there was nothin’ I could do. My owner’s here tonight and wasn’t havin’ it.”
I rub my forehead, the headache growing strong behind my eyes. “Don’t worry about it. Daddy does it to himself. Should I head there or the station?”
Chase stands straighter at my words.
“The station. I’m sorry, Lee. My hands are tied.”
“Stop apologizin’, Johnny. The only one who should be sorry is Daddy. Thanks for the call.”
I hang up, my tears of frustration boiling over. Chase rushes to me, kneeling between my legs. His hands squeeze my knees and I focus on his touch to keep me grounded.
“I’m so sorry. Our date is ruined and I was so lookin’ forward—” My voice chokes, my hand coming up to cover my mouth.
“Hey, hey… it’s okay, baby.” He brushes my hair back. “Our date isn’t ruined. We’ll go take care of this, and then you’re gonna come right back here. With me. Where you belong. Okay?”
I hiccup. “Okay.”
He doesn’t ask any more questions. Not until we’re on the road and he needs to know where to go. The whole drive, he touches me. Rubbing my knee, stroking the back of my hand. He’s just there. Supporting me. Letting me know I’m not alone. That he’s in it with me, now.
I don’t remember when I fell in love with Chase Adams the first time around. It was mixed in somewhere with all the other feelings of growing up.
But this time? This time, I’ll remember.
40
Chase
Goldi’s fucking dad, man. I shouldn’t be surprised we had to pick him up from the Sweetwater County Detention Center, but I am. I assumed Eli would take his father’s issues seriously. Goldi let me know that wasn’t the case. Maybe this will be the wake-up call Eli needs because things are not okay here. He left Goldi with a hell of a burden on her shoulders. One that she didn’t ask for, and that she shouldn’t have to carry alone.
Goldi’s pissed. She didn’t say the words, but I got the gist when she didn’t even attempt a conversation with her dad. Not that he tried to talk to her. I’ve noticed he never does. My stomach burns when I think about it. I’m sad she has to experience how addiction steals people’s love.
Her dad struggles to walk himself to the front door. My arm goes around his waist, his around my shoulders. We’ve already learned the steps to this dance. It’s one we practice often. All the while, Goldi’s gearing up for battle. I see it in the rigidness of her features and the way she stomps through the door.
Eli and his fiancée Sarah are sitting on the living room couch, watching TV.
He shoots to his feet when he sees Goldi. “Sis, what are you doing here?”
She walks right up to him and shoves his shoulders. He stumbles back, his legs hitting the furniture.
“What the hell, Lee?”
“When are you gonna get it, huh?” she hisses. “I thought you bein’ back would make you see. Get you to realize how bad things are, but here you are… sittin’ pretty with your girl while Daddy’s runnin’ around town makin’ a fool of himself.”
“I’m not his babysitter. Pops is a grown man.”
I scoff. I can’t help it. This dude is being so fucking blind.
“Do you know where we just came from, Eli?” Goldi asks.
I’m still standing in the doorway, Mr. Carson in my arms. He shifts, his weight sinking into me. I move forward, sitting him in his recliner. He hunches over, passed out. Sarah gasps when she notices the state of Mr. Carson. Eli moves his gaze from Goldi over to me and his shit-faced father.
His mouth parts and he lifts a heavy brow. “What happened?”
Goldi huffs out a laugh. “What do you think happened, Eli? The same thing that always happens. If Daddy doesn’t have a babysitter, he gets behind the wheel, drunk as a skunk, and ends up at his favorite bar. Only his favorite bar has banned him ‘cause he always causes a scene.”
Eli cringes. “Lee, I didn’t know…”
“I’ve told you a thousand times!” she screams, throwing her arms in the air. “Begged you a hundred more. You don’t listen, Eli. You don’t wanna hear it.”
Eli looks over at his dad, the grief settling heavy in his eyes. “I didn’t think it was this bad,” he whispers. “Pops said he was meeting up with his buddies. He said you just like to hover, like to control things ever since Ma die—since Ma’s been gone.”
Goldi shakes her head, exhaustion blanketing her features. “The only buddies Daddy has are Jim, Jack, and Johnny. Oh, and the cops that picked him up and booked him tonight.”
Eli’s eyes grow big. “He was arrested?”
Tears well in Goldi’s eyes, and it makes my stomach churn. I’d do anything to take this pain for her. I wish I could. I’m used to it—lived with it all my life. More wouldn’t hurt me. I know this is something that will dig deep in her soul and settle in. Something she’ll carry for the rest of her days. I can’t spare her from that. All I can do is help her navigate through the heartbreak.
“You gotta open your eyes. Daddy ain’t the hero you’ve always seen him as. I just need a minute,” she says, wiping under her eyes. She brushes past us into the kitchen.
The air is quiet but heavy. Eli collapses onto the couch. Sarah scoots closer, running her hand up and down his back as he leans forward with his head in his hands.
Eli looks up. “Thanks, man, for going with her.”
I bite my tongue. There’s a lot I want to say. Mainly, I want to ask where the hell he was, and what the fuck he was thinking.
“Do you think she’s overreacting a little?” He’s looking at Sarah, so I assume his question is aimed toward her.
I blow out a breath, my small amount of restraint disappearing with his question. “You know, you may not want to hear it, but fuck it. Ignoring the problem won’t make it go away, Eli. It won’t make it stop. It’ll just continue to spiral out of control, and then one day… one day, you’ll wake up and wonder what the hell you were thinking. You’ll wonder how you could have been so goddamn blind.”
I pause to breathe through the sudden pain in my chest. “Trust me, when that day comes? The regret will rot you from the fucking inside. Because you’ll know—you’ll know that you didn’t do everything in your power to save them when you had the chance. You didn’t do anything.” I shake my head. “I hope to God you wake up before then.”
Eli blinks at me. I don’t know if he heard a word I said, but I don’t stick around to find out. I leave the room to find Goldi. She’s coming out of the bathroom, her eyes puffy but her face clear.
She smiles when she sees me. “Ready
to get outta here?”
I nod, gripping her hand. “You alright?”
She sighs, grasping my fingers tight. “Yeah, I’m alright. Just ready to leave.”
I lead her out the front door and to my truck. I’m ready to get her home and take her mind off the heaviness. We were off to such a good start before her dad interrupted our night.
I swear I can still taste her on my lips. Feasting on her pussy out in the open wasn’t my plan, but goddamn her jealousy turned me on. So I did what any man in my situation would do. I dropped to my knees and worshiped her with my tongue.
We’re pulling up to a stoplight when I see Goldi unbuckle her seatbelt from the corner of my eye. I turn to watch her. She gives me a wicked smile as she leans over the console and trails kisses up my neck. A shiver races down my spine.
Her hand creeps over my chest, and I smirk. “What are you doing?”
Her bottom lip gets fat as she looks up at me. “You promised me dessert.”
I’m already half-hard and her words stiffen my cock until it’s trying to burst through my jeans. Maybe the right thing to do is to tell her she doesn’t have to do this. Tell her to wait. She just went through an emotional moment with her family, and I don’t want her to regret anything that happens. But she looks so damn sexy, bent over my console with her head in my lap, so I lift my hips to give her better access.
She brushes her fingertips along the waistband of my jeans as the light turns green. Every touch sends a tingle through my body, making it difficult to concentrate on steering. The clank of my buckle and the sound of my zipper has me biting my cheek with anticipation. I can’t see what she’s doing since my eyes are on the road, but fuck me, can I feel it.
She reaches inside my pants, her palm rubbing against the bulge that’s growing by the second. Goldi wastes no time, wrapping her fingers around my length. The coldness of her hand is a shock to my system, and my cock jumps in her hand.
We pull up to another stoplight, cars surrounding us even though it’s well past nine at night. Fire sparks in my veins and the rest of my blood rushes to my groin. Goldi hums in approval and I glance down as her head lowers, licking my tip like it’s a fucking ice cream cone.
I suck in a breath and fist her hair, pulling it away from her face so I can watch how gorgeous she looks as she swallows me. I glance back at the light. Stay red. Stay red. Stay red.
It turns green. I accelerate, trying to think about anything other than how fucking hot it is to have my dick in Goldi’s mouth while I drive. She’s so damn greedy for me. It turns me the fuck on.
She’s teasing, licking up one side and down the other, swirling her tongue around the head. I’m about to go crazy from how bad I want to shove myself deep inside her. Her mouth. Her pussy. Fuck, I don’t care as long as it happens.
I bite my lip as she lowers her head, my hand that’s holding her hair following the movement. I glance down at the beautiful sight. She sucks me deep and I throb against her tongue. I hit the back of her throat, gritting my teeth so I don’t come.
“Goddamn, Goldi.” My hand tightens in her hair. She hums. Fucking hums around the base of my dick, and I thrust to see if I can get just a little bit deeper. She swallows around me and my foot jerks on the gas pedal.
She lifts her head, flattening her tongue as she slides back up, exposing me to the cool air. I take my eyes off the road to look at her. Spit connects her bottom lip to my shaft, saliva coating the length and making it glossy. Damn. She’s filthy and I love it.
I grow harder, my balls tightening as I watch her dive back down. She starts slow, but by the time we’re turning on my street she’s got a rhythm, bobbing her head and working me so fucking good. I lift my hips, over and over—completely blissed out.
I want to fuck her. So bad. I need her to stop. If she doesn’t, I’m going to spurt my cum down her throat, and I’d rather be balls deep in her pussy for that. But I can’t form the words. The promise of pleasure steals my ability to do anything.
Her mouth pops off me and I moan in protest.
“Give it to me,” she rasps, swallowing me down her throat again. She isn’t using her hands, but she doesn’t need to because her mouth is perfection. Nobody has ever been able to take me as deep as she does.
Her words, coupled with the sight of her cheeks hollowing as she sucks is all it takes.
My cock jerks and throbs, shooting into her mouth. The fear of veering us off the road makes my blood pump and heightens the sensation. I grip the steering wheel tight with one hand, my other still tangled in her hair. Her tongue massages the underside of my cock, milking me for every drop.
She releases me, tucking me back into my jeans and leaving a kiss on top of the fabric. She sits back, her eyes sparkling. Somehow, I’ve made it to my driveway.
“Jesus, Goldi.” My chest is heaving, my brain trying to crawl out of the fog.
She wipes the corner of her lip, sucking her thumb into her mouth and winking. “Yum.”
My cock twitches.
How the fuck did I think I could live without her?
She jumps out of the truck, sashaying that sweet ass all the way up to my front door. I hurry to meet her there, sweeping her into my arms. She squeals, locking her hands around my neck and laughing.
I smile down at her. “You are in so much trouble.”
I walk her inside and kick the door closed behind us.
41
Chase
The blood still hasn’t redistributed to all of my limbs. The second I kick the door shut, Goldi is on me again, shoving her tongue in my mouth and rubbing herself on my dick. I stumble my way to the kitchen, setting her on the island that overlooks the living room. My hands grip her thighs and I’m between her legs, lost in her taste. I just came down her throat, and somehow I’m hard again.
I break my lips away. “I really do have dessert for us.”
My eyes are drawn to her tits as they rise and fall with her heavy breaths. I want to tear her shirt off and see how long it takes to make her come from sucking her nipples. Fuck. Keep it together.
“Do you want dessert? Chocolate. It’s chocolate. Cake,” I stutter.
Her hand slides up my torso until she wraps it around my neck, tugging my face to hers. Our lips brush. “I kind of had somethin’ else in mind.”
She nips my bottom lip with her teeth and pulls away, but I grip her face in my hands and bring her back. She tastes so good.
“Oh yeah? What’s that?” I manage to ask in between kisses.
Her skirt is bunched around her hips, and she presses herself against my hard-on. She looks at me from under her lashes. “Take me to your bedroom and I’d be happy to show you. This is somethin’ that’s a bit better if demonstrated.”
My heart slams against my ribcage.
I lift her from the counter, wrapping her legs around my waist, my cock hard and thick against her. She starts sucking on my neck and holy shit, I need to get us to a bedroom—any bedroom, as fast as possible. I briefly think about throwing her against the wall and fucking her in the hallway, but I don’t want that for our first time. My legs move fast, rushing us into my room. I drop her to the bed, my body covering hers. Immediately she starts grinding against me. She’s aggressive as hell, and while it’s the biggest turn-on of my life, I want to slow this down.
Savor her.
Take my time.
Commit every touch to memory.
I unwrap her arms from around me and stand up, gazing down at her in awe. My stomach somersaults, my nerves lighting up. I’ve been waiting to have her like this for so long. So fucking long.
Her leg extends, trying to wrap around my waist and pull me back.
I grab her ankle in my hand and kiss her silky skin. “Slow down, baby. We have all night.”
I skim my hand up her calf. My lips follow, peppering kisses up her leg. On the inside of her knee. Her inner thigh. What she’s giving me is a fucking gift—to have the chance to love her body as much as I love her s
oul.
She whimpers and fidgets. I press one of my hands against her stomach to keep her in place. My lips hit her skirt. I take the hem and drag it up with my teeth, putting her lace-covered pussy on display.
Delicious.
She shivers. I start unbuttoning her blouse. Slowly. Methodically. After every button pops, I kiss the skin underneath. I want to worship every perfect inch of her. Her shirt falls open, and I stop to drink her in. Her tits are fucking amazing, showcased in a red lace bra that matches her underwear, and I’m dying to know if her nipples are hard underneath.
I kiss along the waistband of her skirt, grabbing it with my fingers and pulling it down. She lifts her hips to help. She tastes so. Fucking. Good.
I pull the cups of her bra, exposing her for my pleasure. My tongue peeks out, circling her areola, then sucking, until I feel it stiffen in my mouth. She moans and pushes into my erection. I have never wanted to be inside someone as bad as I want to be deep inside her.
Her hands reach down, unbuckling my belt. She fumbles, so I help, unzipping my pants, and shoving them off. My mouth never leaves her breast, I just lick my way over to work on her other nipple.
She wraps her fingers around my dick, over my boxers, and God, her hand feels better than any pussy I’ve ever had. She slides her palm up and down, slowly—the fabric creating friction that has my cock weeping for more. There’s a wet spot forming on my briefs and I know if she doesn’t stop, this will be over before it really begins.
“Chase…” she begs.
I hum, my hand reaching down to press against her clit. She’s drenching my fingers, even through her panties.
Her breath blows against my ear, sending a shiver through my body. “Chase,” she whispers. “I want you to fuck me.”
My entire body spasms. Hearing Goldi say fuck is one of the most erotic moments of my life.
She grips my cock harder, massaging me so damn good. “I need to feel you… please.”
I rest my forehead on her chest, trying to control the heat building in my groin.
Beneath the Stars Page 24
