Tennessee Heat

by Cami York

  Annabelle didn’t want him standing around out there any longer than was needed so she all but scampered off towards the door, bypassing Dirk and the idiot brigade.

  “Hey, does Tim know you’re two-timing him?” One of them called after her retreating back. She was tempted to turn back and blast him but that would’ve taken too much time. She did look around quickly to see if Tim was in the crowd and not seeing him breathed a sigh of relief.

  It did seem impossible that Chase hadn’t heard since he was standing next to the car instead of getting back inside. Now she was regretting not telling him about what happened that day. That way she could avoid what she was sure was going to be a very uncomfortable ride to his place.

  She began to see the error of her ways in more ways than one and all it took was the scene behind her. The fact that he still wanted her after this… Why had she put up such a fight before when somewhere in the back of her mind she always knew they would end up right here?

  When she opened the door and walked in she thought her mother was still asleep: It wouldn’t be the first time she’d been on a bender that had knocked her out for a whole day.

  “Mom! Mom, where are you?” The house was empty when she searched so she wrote a quick note, ‘I won’t be home for a while.’

  Then she ran into her bedroom and grabbed the old cloth bag she uses as an overnight bag and shoved some clothes inside with her heart racing at the thought of what she was about to do. She’d told him all that stuff about not sleeping with him, but even her body knew that was a lie. It was already preparing itself for what was to come.

  She was back outside in maybe five minutes and was surprised to see that Chase had left his place next to the car and was now standing closer to the door waiting for her. He reached for the bag and took her hand with his before walking through the others that were still gathered there as if expecting…something.

  She didn’t breathe easy again until they were both in the car and driving down the street and away from her shame. “Relax; you’re safe.” She didn’t realize she’d been white knuckling the car seat until his voice intruded.

  Annabelle wasn’t so much worried about her safety as she was about what he’d heard and seen in the few minutes she’d been gone. She chanced a look at him and not seeing the look of distaste she’d expected, released her hold on the leather seat.

  Chase was pissed! He was pissed that he’d sent her back there the first time, and even more pissed because he knew they were going to have a knock down drag out fight in the not so distant future because there was no way in hell he was every letting her go back there.

  The place was even worst than he’d imagined, and he’d imagined the worst. Now that he’d seen it with his own two eyes, how the hell could he let his girl come back to a place that was so obviously rife with danger?

  He’d heard the words they’d yelled out at her, seen the way she reacted as if expecting him to fall for that shit. But Chase would be damned if he’d let the likes of them dictate one fuck in his life.

  It was more likely that they were terrified of someone they saw as one of their own getting out of that hell and what ideas it might give some of the others who were stuck there. They were no different from that Lisa person as far as he was concerned; both trying to keep his precious girl in a place where she didn’t belong.

  Annabelle for her part was having an internal meltdown. All the old fears and hang-ups seemed to show up at once to wreak havoc on her mind. After what he’d seen tonight and the fact that he wasn’t bringing it up, wasn’t asking her about some of the things he’d heard was making her doubt herself again.

  What could he really want with her? Was he taking her back to his place to use her and discard her the next day, or whenever it was that he was done with her? Did he plan to pounce as soon as they got through the door that way he could get rid of the filth sooner rather than later?

  In the middle of her frightening thoughts, Chase, as if sensing where her thoughts were going, reached for her hand and held it. That helped to keep her sane for now, but her angst came back tenfold not long after when they pulled into his garage and headed up in the elevator to his place.

  “I noticed you didn’t eat much at the picnic, why don’t I make you something to eat. Here!” He passed her the bag that she’d forgotten all about and now she was left with a new dilemma. Should she make a statement by taking it to the guestroom or his?

  When nerves threatened to overtake her, she just reminded herself of the night they’d already spent together and the way he’d held her without seeking or asking for anything more. She felt the same tingle she always gets when she remembers that night as she walked shakily down the hall and into his room.

  Chase had been holding his breath until he heard which door she opened down the hallway. He smiled to himself as he went into the kitchen to look for something for them to eat; he was suddenly starving.

  She was back in the doorway seconds later. “I feel icky from today, can I take a shower, or a bath?” He didn’t turn around just kept doing what he was doing. “You can do anything you want, you don’t need to ask me.”

  She turned without another word and headed back down the hallway with a smile playing at the corners of her lips and a sweet warmth starting to grow around her heart.

  In his bathroom she was surprised to find a whole new set of bath products for women. She didn’t recall seeing any of them the last time she was here, right before he left to go away.

  That warmth around her heart only grew stronger and she wrapped her arms around herself in a moment of glee that he’d gone that far. He had to have done it sometime before he left or as soon as he got back in town. Either alternative made her feel special to think that he’d been thinking of her all along.

  When she came out of the bath she was surprised to find a complete meal on the table waiting. “What’s all this? If I knew you were going to go to all this trouble I would’ve helped.”

  “It’s nothing, just Penne a la vodka with chicken and a Caesar salad.”

  She looked a bit askance at the pasta dish.

  “Don’t look so scared love, there’s barely enough vodka in there to get an ant drunk, it’s just part of the sauce.” She smiled nervously as he sat her and pushed her chair back in like a true gentleman.

  She was surprised that there was no hint of the liquor in the pasta and that it was in fact very good and told him so. “Where did you learn to cook like this?”

  “Well, when I went away for college I missed home cooking so much I just went on line and looked up my favorite dishes. Pretty soon it became a great distraction when I had a big test coming up or waiting for finals results.”

  She didn’t say anything as she put another forkful in her mouth appreciatively. “Do you cook?” She nodded at his question and waited until her mouth was empty.

  “I love to when I get the chance.” She looked around at his kitchen that there was no sense comparing to hers. I could do a lot of damage in this kitchen, she thought with a little blip of excitement at the thought that she might one day get to cook for him.

  They exchanged small talk, picking up from where they’d left off at the picnic and in the car earlier. She held her breath when he reached for her hand, and when he didn’t say anything she guessed correctly that he was thinking about what happened outside her house.

  “Do they always act like that? Those guys outside your house. And who is this Tim person they kept talking about?” He didn’t say it with any rancor in his voice but she still wasn’t sure if she should tell him the truth about that night.

  “Just someone I grew up with, we’re just friends.” There must’ve been something in her voice because he didn’t look convinced.

  “And why do they think that you two are a thing?”

  “Well, that’s because…well, because he told them so.” As she said the words she could only imagine what they sounded like to him.

  “And why would he do that?” Now
there was a definite edge to his tone. She bit into her lip for a solid minute before dredging up the nerve to tell him. He sat quietly not interrupting and she couldn’t read his expression.

  “And when was this?” Oh dear she thought. This night is not going to end well.

  “It was the day after the party, when I went home in a cab. She swallowed hard at the look in his eyes.

  “And you didn’t tell me? How many times have we spoken since that morning? How many times have I asked you if you were okay? I went hours away leaving you there and….”

  “Nothing happened, why are you getting so mad?”

  “Because another man had to take care of you after I sent you back to that hell. How do you expect me to feel?”

  Chase got up from the table and walked away before he took his anger out on her. Though he didn’t think much of what they had to say, the story was even worse than he could’ve ever imagined. Now he was sure that no matter what argument she gave she was never going back there.

  20

  Annabelle didn’t know if she should get up and go to him or wait for him to calm down. When he turned with his hands leaning on the sink and just looked at her she got to her feet and walked over to him. And for the first time in her life tried being coy.

  She couldn’t believe it even as she was doing it, but she ran her fingertip down his chest. “I’m safe now, nothing happened; you don’t need to worry.” She pouted prettily at him, feeling like an idiot, but liking the effect all the same. Chase grinned at her effort and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her in close to his chest.

  “I see you’re already practicing how to get around me. Don’t think it’s going to work all the time, young lady. I still don’t like that that happened, and that you didn’t tell me. Don’t let it happen again.” He kissed her forehead to lessen the force of his words and they stood there for a little while longer just holding onto each other.

  Chase smiled into her hair, still not quite believing the day they’d had, or that she was really here. He decided not to bring up the fact that he had no plans on ever letting her go back there, not tonight. Tonight he wanted to enjoy having his woman in his home for what to him was her first night moving in.

  Annabelle was just glad they’d got past this hurdle without too much fallout, and that he didn’t seem to believe the things the guys had been saying. Other than asking who Tim was he hadn’t asked about anything else for which she was grateful.

  “Let’s go sit out on the balcony and look at the night lights beautiful.” Chase made the suggestion more for the sake of self-preservation than for any real need to sit out in the warm night. All day he’s been fighting his body’s natural instinct. And now was no different.

  He took her hand and led her out to the balcony, leaving the door slightly ajar so they could enjoy the cool air from the AC. He wasn’t willing to release his hold on her though, so pulled her down onto his lap and wrapped his arms around her.

  After holding her breath for what felt like a solid two minutes Annabelle was able to relax and just be happy being close to him. “What did you do while I was gone? Anything exciting happen?”

  She gave him a rundown of her week, nothing too exciting there but she was glad for the mundane conversation that kept her mind off of her body’s reaction to his.

  Every once in a while he’d nuzzle her cheek or her ear, run his nose along her neck, all innocent on their own. But with his strong arms holding her close they each wreaked havoc on her senses.

  They didn’t stay out there very long and when he got to his feet with the announcement that he was going to take a shower all her nerves came rushing back.

  He was so nonchalant about the whole thing though that by the time he came back from his shower she was ensconced under the covers up to her chin. Chase pretended not to notice how nervous she was. Even a lot more than the last time she was here.

  He climbed in beside her and without much fanfare drew her into his arms with her back to his chest, trying in vain to keep his hard cock away from her fine ass.

  Annabelle doesn’t know who turned to who first late into the night. She didn’t even remember falling asleep in his arms. But somehow as the light faded from the sky beyond the bedroom windows she found herself wrapped around him with their lips together and his tongue in her mouth.

  It was so soft: so warm their embrace, almost like a dream. And that is why she forgot to be afraid. She wasn’t afraid when his hand went under the shirt he’d left on the bed for her to sleep in before his shower.

  Wasn’t afraid when that hand cupped her breast as his fingers sought out and found her nipple. She didn’t shy away when he deepened the kiss, or when he rolled his body completely over onto hers.

  She felt just a little hesitation when he rolled her panties down, but it was short-lived because soon his fingers were there, touching her where no one else has ever been.

  Chase woke up hard and hurting with his heart full of her. Before he was fully awake, he’d turned to her softness beside him and just dove in. He had no plans, didn’t know where this was going to lead or if she’d call a halt.

  But when she spread her legs for him he knew there was no going back. He wanted to take his time and make love to her, but he suspected that she was a virgin and so he decided not to linger, not to feed her fear any longer than necessary.

  So after teasing her nipples and making her wet with his fingers he slipped them out of her and eased his already leaking aching cock into her instead. His heart jumped when he felt the evidence of her innocence and something sweet and warm unfurled in his chest.

  It made his hands that much more gentle when they moved over her body. He pulled his strokes when he fucked into her, doing his best not to go too fast, too deep, too hard.

  They moved together, him thrusting ever so slowly while Annabelle lifted her hips to meet his. Their mouths were never far apart as Annabelle found sucking on his tongue or having him suck on hers very exciting.

  Chase was barely hanging on by a thread. He’d never been this close to embarrassing himself. From the first time she tightened her sweet pussy around him he was ready to cum.

  He waited, listening to her body and just as she lifted her hips up to meet his with her head thrown back and her pussy tightening around his slow gliding cock as she came, he leaned in close to her ear and whispered the words that had been burning in his chest for the better part of a year, “I love you!” and came.

  It was only as he was pulling out of her minutes later that he realized he’d fucked her raw. He looked up at her face to see if she realized, waiting for panic and fear to set in, but she just had this surreal look on her face.

  He didn’t say anything as he got up from the bed and reached back for her, picking her up in his arms and heading for the shower. Once he had the water the way he wanted it he stepped in with her in his arms and held her close as the water came down over them.

  She rested her head on his chest with her arms around him feeling safe and loved. She only then remembered the words that he’d whispered in her ear, and that she hadn’t given them back to him. She realized that she was more shy about saying those words than she was about what they’d just shared.

  There was no going back after uttering those words, words that she did not take lightly. But she drew in her breath and closed her eyes, calling on all her inner strength and took the plunge. “Chase, I love you too.” She’d said the words softly tentatively, but his arms wrapping tighter around her told her that he’d heard and approved.

  Chase lifted her head from his chest with a finger under her chin and lowered his lips to hers, stealing her breath in a soul blazing kiss. Chase couldn’t honestly remember ever being this happy, ever feeling anything like what he felt in her arms.

  And as much as he didn’t want to hurt her, he couldn’t resist lifting her until her legs wrapped around his hips and his cock, which had yet to go down went in search of paradise.

  He slipped into her
with a little trouble since her newly awakened body was still too tight to fit all of him comfortably. So he took his time and worked his long cock into her nice and slow until their groins met.

  Taking her head in one hand while holding her ass in the other, he brought their lips together in a heated kiss that took her mind off of the pain between her thighs. A pain that went even deeper, into places she never knew existed.

  But she loved this sweet ache, and the more he drove into her the more she wanted until she was the one sucking harder on his tongue and the one who pushed her body harder against his as need built inside.

  Just the memory of that intense fire that raced through her blood when she came before had her racing to find it again. Her hips moved faster and she begged with everything but words for him to bring her to sweet ecstasy again.

  Chase’s legs were about to give out on him from the intense pleasure he felt from being inside her, so he turned, leaning her back against the wall, and with their lips and bodies still joined fucked into her harder, because he couldn’t help himself.

  She cried out in his mouth and he felt her hot juices as they flowed down the length of his cock and onto his balls. And when her little hands clutched at him even as her pussy throbbed around his cock in orgasm he roared out his climax against her lips. Not quite believing that she’d brought him off so quickly the second time around.

  21

  For the second time that night Annabelle wasn’t aware of falling asleep. The last thing she remembered was him drying her off after their shower and pulling another one of his shirts over her head before putting her to bed and pulling the covers up over them as he held her in his arms.

  The next thing she knew it was morning and the sunlight was shining through the balcony door and into her eyes. She took a quick peek and the place beside her was empty.