Chase nodded, shaking the man’s hand. “Sounds like a plan.”
15
“Okay, out with it.” Cecily followed Chase onto the cabin’s wide-planked porch. “What gives?”
He glanced over his shoulder at the door. “What? I didn’t say anything.”
“Exactly. You’re too quiet.”
“I thought you preferred less talk and more action. Or is there another reason you want my tongue in your mouth?” He swung her into his arms and whirled in a half circle, flopping with her onto the porch swing.
She squealed, laughing as he settled her on his lap. “I hope you took out insurance for this contraption, too. It doesn’t look strong enough to hold you let alone the both of us.”
“Don’t be so cynical. Most things are stronger than they appear.”
Cecily’s laughter hushed to a thoughtful sigh. “You’re not talking about the swing, are you?”
He ran his fingertips over her cheek. “No, not really.”
“Then will you please tell me why you’re so quiet? What’s going on?”
“I’m quiet because of you.”
“Me?” She pulled back slightly. “Why?”
“Because of how calm and loving you were with Daisy.” He gave a sheepish shrug. “Made me think about you as a mom. Someday.”
She angled her head so he’d meet her eyes. If there was ever a prime moment to tell him about the pregnancy clause, it was now. She sighed. “Well, timing and circumstance didn’t exactly lend themselves to a conversation about kids, but I suppose now is as good a time as any. How do you feel about children? Do you even want kids?”
A shadow crossed Chase’s eyes. Nothing that said he’d rather get pubic crabs or have his teeth drilled, but still. He didn’t move to get up or push her away, but he didn’t reply, either.
“Chase—” Cecily began, but her cellphone buzzed in the pack they took to the lake. Malcolm’s ringtone.
“You better get that.” Chase slipped her legs from his lap, getting up. “I’ll grab us each a beer.”
Cecily reached for her phone in the pack’s side pocket. “Please don’t leave. I want you to hear whatever Malcolm has to say.”
He hesitated at the screen door. “You sure?”
“We’re giving this our best shot. A team, right?” Phone in hand, she gestured for him to sit again.
Chase slid onto the swing beside her, and Cecily pressed answer on her phone. “Hey, counselor. ‘Sup, dude.” She grinned, laughing out loud. “No, the Colorado mountains haven’t turned me into a hippie. Yet.”
“Great,” Chase whispered, shaking his head. “Now he’ll never like me.”
She winked, but then lifted a staying finger. “Yes, Chase is here. In fact, we’re sitting on the porch together admiring the sunset.” She paused. “Okay, let me put you on speaker.”
Cecily pushed the speaker icon and held the phone between her and Chase. “Malcolm? Can you hear me?”
“Yes. Can you both hear me? Because this is important, and it involves you both.”
“We can hear you, Mr. Baxter,” Chase replied. “What’s going on?”
“Please, call me Malcolm. I hope you’re sitting down, kids.”
Cecily spared a glance for Chase. “It’s that bad?”
“Depends. No sooner did I receive the signed prenuptial agreement, than I had a letter from Jackson’s attorney. He hired himself a doozy. The man’s already making demands, and my sources tell me he’s got calls into the Massachusetts Attorney General’s office. By all accounts, Jackson’s lawyer is a real piece of shit, out for whatever he can get. He’s going to make trouble, Cecy. A lot of trouble.”
Cecily snorted. “Sounds like Jackson’s legal soulmate.”
“I’m serious, Cecily. You and Chase need to announce your marriage. I suggest a writeup in every major society column. A big splash. We’ll get your father’s PR firm to spin it as a whirlwind romance, love at first sight.”
“No.” The word from Chase’s mouth was not only final, it was absolute.
Cecily turned to look at him. “No to what? The society columns or the spin-doctoring?”
“Both. It’s bad enough you had to get married because your father forced your hand. We’ve been lucky so far, Cecy. We’re getting closer every day that passes, but our foundation isn’t solid. Yet. It’s not strong enough to withstand whatever center ring the press circus creates.”
Malcolm chuckled on the other end of the phone. “Attaboy. I like you already, Chase. And you know what? George Montgomery would have liked you, too. You’ve got balls, and it sounds like you say what you mean and mean what you say. A man of integrity.”
“Well, I don’t have as much at stake as Cecily, but I do have my pride, and my family name. I’ve given both to Cecily without reservation. They might not seem like much by today’s standards, but pride and family mean the world to me, and I plan on protecting them—and Cecily.”
Cecily hesitated a moment, but then took Chase’s hand in hers and squeezed. “No society column, then. What about a reception, instead? I had Elvis walk me down the aisle, the least you can do is agree to let me have one part of the wedding day I’ve dreamed about since childhood.”
Malcolm laughed out loud this time. “Gird your loins, boy. I’ve heard that tone of voice before, and it means she’s about to get her way.”
“I’m finding that out. Fast.”
16
Cecily harrumphed. “Oh, c’mon! I am not that bad.”
Chase slipped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her to his side, pressing a kiss to her hair. “I’m game, if Malcolm agrees. I love a good party, so why not? We’re here for another three weeks. We can plan the event once we’re back in Boston.”
“I don’t want this to wait that long,” the lawyer replied. “How about we schedule the date for a week after you get back? That way I can have invitations made up and sent out, giving everyone a month’s notice. Cecy, I can have Nella get on securing a venue. Afterward, a couple of conference calls between you three should get the ball rolling nicely.”
“Nella?” Chase asked.
“My father’s party planner. She knows everyone and everything. Dad used to call her the Hedda Hopper of modern-day socialites.”
“Hedda Hopper?” Chase asked with a snort. “Sounds too made up not to be real.”
“Oh, she was real,” Cecily replied. “She was an old Hollywood gossip columnist who knew everyone and everything, including the secrets hidden in high society closets. Back in the day, glamour and glitz would only get you so far. Hedda Hopper could make or break you with a single column. Nella is her incarnate, and we need her.”
Chase kissed her, whispering above her ear. “We don’t need anyone, love. Just you and me and maybe a big bed to spread you wide.”
Malcolm cleared his throat. “Uhm, still on the phone, remember? I guess Cecily didn’t tell you that shifters have very acute hearing.”
“Oops.” Cecily snickered. “Sorry, Malcolm.”
“Yeah, yeah. Expect Nella’s call in the morning.”
Malcolm hung up, and Chase took Cecily’s phone from her hand and put it on the bench beside him. “Wow. I think we could both use a beer.”
He got up from the swing and held his hand out for her. She slid her fingers into his palm and his hand closed over hers. A perfect fit. She closed her eyes but didn’t reply.
“What’s the matter? I expected you to talk my ear off with ideas for this shindig, but instead you look apprehensive. If you didn’t want the reception, Cecy, why did you suggest it?” he questioned.
Cecily got to her feet, sliding her hand from his before moving around him to the screen door. “It’s not the party, Chase. It’s Jackson. I know this is going to sound like a cliché, but my Spidey senses are tingling. Something is off.”
“You said lawyering up with a smarmy attorney was right out of Jackson’s playbook. That doesn’t sound off to me. In fact, it sounds predictable in the ex
treme. Whatever trouble that asshole brings, we’ll meet it head on. Besides, Malcolm seems like he has a handle on everything.”
Cecily chewed her lip. “He usually does, but that night in your bar, Jackson knew about the marriage codicil in my father’s will. Malcolm told me that in private. That means someone on Malcolm’s staff is leaking information for a price. Jackson’s attorney wouldn’t file a petition contesting the will unless Jackson thought he had the upper hand, or at the very least had a plan of attack.”
“No one is going to attack you, Cecy. At least not while I draw breath.” Chase stepped behind her at the door and moved her long, dark hair away from her neck. “Let Jackson file all the petitions he wants. His lawyer is probably setting a legal precedent. Burying you in paper, so to speak.”
Dipping his lips to the top of her bare shoulder, he continued. “If Jackson tries anything else, it’ll be me that makes sure he’s good and buried, for real. You’re my wife, regardless of the circumstances. Where I come from, that means everything.”
You’re my wife…
Cecily’s stomach flipflopped at the words. They sounded strange in her ears, but not. Like new shoes that slowly become the most comfortable pair you’ve ever worn. She sighed to herself. Time was running out. Jackson knew about more than the marriage codicil. He knew about the mandate for her to produce an heir. If she didn’t tell Chase soon, Jackson would the first chance he got. She had no doubt that would make her a liar in Chase’s eyes. More than a liar. It would make her cunning and untrustworthy, and put her in the same category as Jackson.
She shook her head, trying to ignore the sour feeling forming in her gut. Thank God her back was to Chase. He’d see the doubt and fear on her face, and it would be game over before they really had the chance to begin.
He covered her hand on the screen door handle and turned the knob, pulling it open. “C’mon, Cecy. You need to relax. We’re team Villareal. We’re on our honeymoon, so try to focus on the fun of it all. If Malcolm sets this reception for a week after we get back, that leaves us three solid weeks of relative peace and quiet before the party of the century plunges us into society drama.”
She chewed her lip again. Chase was right. She needed to focus on the here and now, and the now of it was Chase’s strong hands on her skin.
Cecily let him steer her into the cozy living room, turning in his arms without missing a step. “Three weeks, huh? That’s just enough time to teach you how to dodge the wave of innuendo and gossip our hasty marriage will have stirred. Society waters can be treacherous, and we want to make a splash, not end up all wet.”
“Like I said at the lake, I like you all wet.” He walked her backwards, the same way he had in the bedroom, stopping when the backs of her legs hit the couch. He held her hands as she lowered herself to the edge of the sofa.
“You are incorrigible, you know that?” she said with a soft laugh.
Chase knelt in front of her, spreading her knees apart to get in closer. Her skirt bunched over her thighs, and he pushed the soft fabric higher, revealing creamy thighs.
“And you,” he replied, slipping his fingers beneath her chin, so she had to look at him. “Are not polished and perfected. I love that about you. I love that you blush at dirty words yet spread yourself for me wild and wet. It makes you real, Cecily. Genuine.” He cupped her pussy. “And that makes you irresistible. If this is what it takes to put a smile on your luscious mouth and take your mind of everything but us, then I will keep you naked and ready for the next three weeks.”
That same familiar invading thought nagged at the word genuine, and she bit her lip. Chase slipped a hand under her ass and lifted her hips to slide her panties from her legs. He spread her knees wider and dipped his head to her wet folds. His tongue delved deep as his hand worked her clit, circling the hard nub. He licked her pussy and then sucked the bud between his teeth.
Cecily cried out, sinking her hands into his hair, all thoughts of everything else gone.
“You’re so wet, love. Your shiny slit is dripping for me, but not yet.” He pulled his mouth from her sex and slid his hand up her belly, tweaking one nipple beneath her camisole.
Sitting back, he shrugged his shirt from his shoulders and then pulled Cecily to her knees in front of him. Her hands came up and she ran her fingers over the bulge in his jeans. She unbuttoned his fly and freed his cock.
Chase pushed his pants to his thighs and fisted his shaft, holding it to her waiting lips. “Open for me, Cecily.”
She licked his engorged head, running her tongue around the ridged edge and then down his thick shaft and back again. He sucked a hiss through his teeth, pulling back. “God, my cock is ready to burst, but I want your slick pussy.”
Watching her lay back on the bed, he pushed his pants to the ground and stepped out of the denim. He fisted her wrap skirt, pushing it higher as he climbed her body. He took her lips, kissing her, hungry and demanding. She gasped, breaking their kiss, her eyes burning with her animal clawing at the surface.
“Spread yourself for me, Cecily.” His voice was rough and low.
With speed she didn’t know she possessed, she flipped Chase onto the couch and straddled his hips. Ripping her dress over her head, he hooked his hands to her hips and lifted her ass. He pulled her up, driving his cock between her folds. A torrent of need shook every muscle, thrust after thrust, grind after grind. His fingers dug into her flesh as she rode him balls deep.
Cecily’s body clenched around him and she cried out again, this time her climax shuddering through her with a vengeance. She threw her head back and a feral sound ripped from her throat as her orgasm ripped through her body. Her fingers splayed tight across Chase’s chest. Claws burned beneath her nails with the need to mark the man, but she held back.
Chase lifted her high, flipping her beneath him in a tangle as he emptied himself deep within her. He held himself motionless for a moment before slumping forward, burying his face in her neck.
Cecily reached for his damp hair and breathed in his scent, the word mine reverberating through her mind.
17
Cecily woke with the sun streaming through the bedroom window. A pattern of light from the slatted blinds formed along the wide-planked floor and she studied the winking design, listening to Chase puttering in the kitchen.
Scents of coffee and cinnamon drifted through the open bedroom door, and she smiled, stretching. Her inner cat purred at the feel of taut muscles, and the soreness in her legs and between her thighs. Chase made her legs shake and her body boneless. Two weeks. That’s all it had been since that rainy day in Boston when he asked her to go with him to Vegas. Somehow it seemed like a year. In a good way.
Lifting her arm over her head, she smiled to herself.
“Now what could possibly put a secret smile like that on your lips this morning, hmmm?” he asked from the bedroom doorway. He leaned on the doorjamb, steaming cup of coffee in hand.
“You know very well what,” she replied, sitting up with a wince.
“That, I do. Still, it’s nice to know I made an impact.”
“Impact? Boy, I’m lucky if I’ll be able to sit, let alone walk!”
He chuckled. “That’s too bad. It’s a beautiful day, so I thought we’d go for a hike.”
Cecily groaned, slumping down. “You might have thought of that before you turned my muscles to mush.”
“I haven’t heard any complaints, until now.” He sat on the side of the bed and pulled the covers down past her chin. Kissing her quickly, he nipped her bottom lip.
“That’s because I can’t think straight when you’re naked.”
He kissed her again, chuckling. “The feeling is definitely mutual, love. Okay then, no hiking today. What about a trip into town? The bonfire is tomorrow evening and we can’t go empty-handed, regardless of what our hosts say. It’s not how I was brought up.”
“We can have lunch somewhere cute in Cross Creek, and then shop for something to bring to the gathering. Wine
, or maybe I can talk you into showing off your culinary skills,” Cecily said with a wink.
The covers dropped to her waist revealing her bare breasts. Chase’s hand skimmed her ribs to cup the soft flesh, his thumb flicking her nipple. “Since your mind is on food, how about breakfast in bed?”
“Not quite the set of skills I had in mind.”
“Really? That’s not what your hard nips are telling me.”
She met his darkening eyes with a sexy half smile. “You’re insatiable. You sure you’re not a wolf or something?”
“The better to eat you with, my dear,” he replied, slipping the covers the rest of the way down.
* * *
“This town is too cute! Did you know Cross Creek was an old mining town back in the day? Tourism is its main export now, especially for people who want to try their hand at prospecting.” Cecily showed Chase an ad for prospect camping in the travel guide.
“I know,” he replied. “A lot of people come to try their luck at panning for gold. When we stopped for gas, I met a guy who says people stake claims on the mountain to dig for gemstones, as well. Mostly turquoise and aquamarine. Some people even do it for a living.”
“Wasn’t there a show on television about that?”
He nodded. “Gold Rush or something or other.” Opening a paper bag, he took out a French cruller and held it out to her lips. “Take a bite.”
With a grin, Cecily wrapped her hand around his and licked the end of the long donut, swirling the tip of her tongue over the sugared rim.
“You are such a fucking tease.” He pulled the donut back, kissing the sugar on her lips.
With a soft laugh, she tucked herself under his arm. This was heaven. Or at least as close to it as she’d ever been.
“Penny for your thoughts,” he said, plopping a piece of the donut in his mouth before holding the rest out for her.
She took the donut and bit the soft sweetness as they walked. Chewing, she sighed.
The Alpha’s Chase: A Howls Romance Page 8