Chase & Chloe

by Simone Elise

  A smirk spread across his lips. "Nah, I think I won the looks."

  "Right." I somewhat doubted that. I was staring into those green eyes, losing my train of thought when he asked me.

  "So, are you going to tell me who did this to you?"

  I snapped back to reality. I swiped the ice from my cheek and took a step away from him. I didn't know him. I couldn't trust him.

  "Calm down." He raised his hands, seeming to be very calm himself. While he radiated this sense of safety, I was scared stiff of it.

  I didn't like men, and I sure as fuck didn't trust them or feel safe around them.

  "I'll pay you for tonight." I reached into my bag, feeling for my stepfather's wallet.

  "There is no need. I'll show you the bedroom." He took a step away from me and I followed him up a corridor.

  Maybe he wasn't used to a girl being so jumpy around him. I'm sure other girls loved the fact they could feel safe around him. I, on the other hand, didn't because I didn't trust it.

  He opened up the door at the end of the corridor. A large four-poster bed was in the middle of the room, with an en-suite and walk-in closet just off it. The room was decorated with expensive taste and, while I didn't know much about him, I knew one thing; that being he had money - a hell of a lot of it.

  "Thanks. I didn't catch your name?" I said, feeling a little guilty for over-reacting before.

  "It's Chase." He gave me a smile.

  "Chloe." I introduced myself. It seemed rude if I didn't. After all, I was staying at his place, guest house or not. He didn't have to take me in off the streets.

  "Well, sleep well Chloe. I'll be at the main house if you need anything. Just follow the path on your right."

  Panic struck me. Sleeping here by myself? I was never good at being alone. After all, wasn't that why I stayed at home as long as I did?

  "You don't have to leave." I clung at straws and attempted to think of one reason why he should stay here.

  He gave me an odd look. "I promised you I wouldn't bother you."

  "You won't be bothering me, and, to be honest, I um…" My words dried up and I took a deep breath in as those green eyes stared holes down at me. "I don't want to be by myself."

  Just knowing there was someone else in the house meant something to me. It calmed me. I wasn't looking for someone to cuddle me and kiss me goodnight. I just wanted someone to be in the house with me.

  "You sure you want that?" His eyes flashed to my cheek. "From the looks of things, you have had one hell of a night."

  "What do you mean by that?"

  "You've been in a crash accident, and it looks like a physical accident as well."

  He had summed my night up in one sentence. "You're right, I have."

  "So, some stranger hanging around wouldn't be what you are wanting?" He crossed his arms, watching me, leaning against the door.

  God, he was tall, and he was well built.

  "Actually, that is exactly what I'm after." I dropped my bag on the floor. "If you don't have somewhere else to be?"

  His green eyes flashed to my cheek again. "I have nowhere else to be. In fact, before I met you, I was planning on spending the night here."

  "Then, don't change your plans." I picked up my bag and crossed the room, putting it on the bed. Stupid me, I should have packed clothes or something useful instead of my school bag. I wondered how useful my chemistry books were going to come in handy on the run.

  "Do you want something to wear?"

  I spun around. What was with this guy? It was like he was in my head. My eyes had widened, but words weren't forming.

  "By the look on your face, I'm going with yes." He smirked at me. "Give me a minute." He turned and left.

  God, what was happening to me? I had always been confident around men. Sure, I didn't trust them, but I wasn't stupid. They liked the way I looked on their arm, or in their bed.

  "Here." He was back and tossed something at me. Out of reflex, I caught it.

  It was clearly one of his t-shirts. It was big enough to fit him.

  "You sure you don't mind?" I glanced at him.

  "Not at all." He was standing in the doorway, likely debating whether to come in or leave. I hoped he stayed, but it was up to him.

  I unbuttoned my jeans and slid them down my legs. They were stuck to me because of the rain. I stepped out of them and then reached for the hem of my t-shirt and pulled it off, dropping it on the floor. I grabbed his t-shirt and slid it on. The warm fabric was a delight on my skin. I took a calming breath, finally comfortable.

  I turned back to face Chase, only to see his jaw clenched and his eyes painted with desire. I had seen that look before, but this time it didn't scare me. Instead, it delighted me that I could cause this man to feel anything.

  I looked at him as he attempted to regain his self-control.

  "So, what should we do?"

  Chase's Point of View.

  She looked at me all innocent and said, "So, what should we do?"

  I was about half a second from striding across the room, ripping that t-shirt off to see that naked flesh again, and then take her in ways she had never been taken before. What was she thinking changing in front of me? Didn't she know I was a man, and a stranger at that? How did she know I wouldn't rape her? She clearly was acting her age, maybe ten years younger than her real age.

  "I can think of a few things," I coughed out, trying to get a hold of myself. All the things I was thinking about involved her naked and in my bed, but I wasn't about to tell her that.

  "Like?"

  "How about something to drink?" I changed the subject. I was needing liquor. This woman was going to drive me physically insane.

  "I don't drink."

  "Good time to start." I turned and walked down the hall. I needed a drink, and I wondered briefly maybe she wasn't old enough to drink. I walked into the kitchen and headed for the bar.

  "You have a nice home," she spoke, standing in the lounge room in front of the open fire.

  With only the dim down lights over the foyer on and the light from the fire, it was fair to say she was even more alluring in this light. Darn it. I was trying to get fucking her out of my mind.

  "Not my home." I poured myself a drink. "Want one?"

  She glanced over at me. "What is it?"

  "Bourbon."

  "Sure."

  I felt like I was tempting the angel to the dark side when I handed her the bourbon.

  Her long blonde hair was drying, and it framed her face perfectly. Those deep sea-blue eyes were examining me. Her curves were perfect, and I was dying to run my hand down her perfectly shaped body. She was shorter than me, and usually I went for the tall and lean women, but she was easily the most beautiful woman I had ever seen.

  She sipped the drink and stood in front of the fire. "So, you don't live here?"

  I was brought back to the moment. Right, I was staring at her again. "Um…no."

  "Guest house, right?"

  "Yes."

  "So, you live at the main house?"

  "No."

  She frowned. "Okay."

  I guess I wasn't giving her much to go off on. I didn't mean to be giving her short answers, but my life was complicated. It wasn't easy to say you lived from hotel to hotel.

  "This is my mother's place," I explained. "All we boys have our own guest house."

  She turned, putting her hands in front of the fire and giving me the perfect view of her ass. How I would love to bend her over...

  "Your mom must really love you guys to do that." Her words were soft. I saw her gulp back the rest of her drink and then sit the empty glass on the ground.

  "She does."

  "So, guessing she's the one who bought the artwork and rugs?" Chloe was staring up at a painting I hadn't taken much notice of until now. It was a classic black and white photo of a couple on a street corner.

  "No, my sisters did."

 
"Right, you have two?" She turned back around and tilted her head as she remembered.

  "Yes, Sammie and Jess."

  "They have really good taste."

  "I'm sure they would love to hear that." I leaned back on the couch and just watched her. Her skin was glowing, and the fact she was wearing my t-shirt only made things more appealing. "So, do you have any brothers and sisters?" I peeled my eyes off her hips, which were calling my name, and looked her in the eye.

  She sighed and looked down. "Only child."

  I scoffed. "Can’t imagine that." I couldn't imagine not having my brothers or sisters in my life. Coming from a big family was all I knew and then I had the club and, when it came down to it that was just another big family.

  "No, I guess you couldn't." She looked up and smiled at me, and it knocked me straight in the guts. I struggled to take a breath. God, she was beautiful. Did she know she was that beautiful?

  "So, where were you going tonight?" I asked and patted myself down for a cigarette. Looking at her would make you a chain smoker. I watched her tense. She didn't like sharing details about herself. I could pick that up from here as well.

  "Um, just passing through," she muttered, avoiding eye contact.

  "So, Cardigan wasn't your destination?"

  "No."

  "Just passing through?"

  "Something like that."

  I got up from the couch, putting my glass on the coffee table. I needed a smoke. I walked to my bags that were already unzipped from getting a t-shirt for Chloe. In the first bag, and there they were. I pulled one out and lit it up, but only as I turned around did I realize she was watching me.

  "Sorry. Needed a smoke. Do you?" I gestured the packet out to her.

  "I've never tried." She gave me a weary look.

  "Well, I don't want to tempt you over to the dark side." I put the packet down and lit up. "So, you want a refill?"

  "Trying to get me drunk?" She smiled at me.

  "Never."

  "I wouldn't mind a refill." She handed me the empty glass, and our fingers just touched and it was enough; enough to light every fiber in my body and enough to send shivers down my spine. This girl had something special, and I was getting addicted. I was close enough to smell the scent of her shampoo and the fresh rain. She was more than appealing - she was darn well intoxicating.

  I went to the bar and refilled our drinks. I wasn't trying to get her drunk. I glanced up, seeing her standing there. She was so young, so pretty. No, not pretty, beautiful. I made her drink weaker and handed it back to her, this time making sure not to touch her.

  "Thanks."

  "No worries." I took a drag on my cigarette and used the ashtray on the coffee table. It was crystal and way too fancy for my taste but, as I said, my sisters did the decorating, and they loved spending money.

  "So." She looked at the glass then me. "Thanks for tonight."

  "Not a problem. Wasn't like I was going to let you sleep in that wreck of a car," I scoffed.

  "A lot of other men wouldn't have cared."

  "Guess I'm not a lot of other men then." I took a gulp of my drink. I was dying to ask, and I still hadn't done it but now seemed like the right time. I had to know if she was taken or not. "So, does your boyfriend know you are trapped in a strange town for the night?"

  She looked at me blankly. "I don't have a boyfriend."

  So, it wasn't the boyfriend that hit her and it also meant that she was on the market, and that spiked my interest although what would a young girl see in me? I was older and came with a lot more problems. She needed a man that would put her first, and I could only ever put my family first and the club second. She didn't deserve to be third; she deserved to be first.

  "So, does your girlfriend care that you take in strangers?" she asked with a hint of curiosity in her voice.

  She was wondering what I had been wondering moments ago about her. Now she was wondering the same thing about me. I smirked at that. Looks like this girl did attract trouble and if I was one thing, only one thing, that was trouble.

  "No, she wouldn't care." I watched her face drop just a bit and it killed me to do it, to tease her. "Seeing as she doesn't exist," I added.

  She stared down at her glass. "Well, a good-looking guy like you would have a pick of the ladies. I'm sure you have them on strings." She looked up with hardness in her eyes. "I think I'll go to bed."

  What had I done to deserve that? I felt like I needed to defend myself. "I'm picky with my women, and I'm no man whore."

  "I didn't mean it like that." She gulped down the rest of her drink. "Just forget I said anything. Do you know if there is a bus that runs out of town tomorrow morning?"

  Change of subject. Maybe she regretted it. "Yeah, there is a bus, and it leaves at nine."

  "Well, early morning then."

  "Where are you heading to?"

  "As far away from them as possible." She put the glass on the coffee table. "Thanks for tonight."

  It bothered me that it was only for tonight. Sure, I just met her, but I didn't want her leaving so soon.

  "You're more than welcome, Chloe. Now, are you sure you still want me to stay?" She said she didn't trust people but clearly, she was trusting me if she wanted me to stay in the same house as her.

  "Um, yeah, if it isn't a hassle. If you have somewhere else to be, that's fine," she muttered staring down at the ground.

  I wanted to see those sea-blue eyes again. "It's after one in the morning. I have nowhere to be." I got up and walked towards her and couldn't help myself from lifting her head to stare into those eyes. Her skin burnt mine; so soft and so beautiful. I couldn't stop my hand from moving and cupping the side of her cheek. I thought she would pull away but, instead, she pushed her cheek into my hand. My other hand gently pushed a stray hair from the side of her face and tucked it behind her ear.

  My thumb ran over the bruise that was forming. "You sure you don't want to tell me who did this?"

  I could have the boys at his place within the hour, pounding some manners into the man that thought it was okay to hit a girl, especially this girl.

  She pulled away from my touch and her hand automatically went to her cheek. "It was nothing and now I better go to bed." Her hand ran down my arm as she reached around me, putting her glass on the coffee table. "Thanks for the drink."

  She moved around me and began walking up the hall. I should go after her. I should say goodnight to her but what I was really kicking myself about was I should have fucking kissed her.

  Chapter 2

  Chase's Point of View

  It was after nine, and I had been up since seven. I had already been on my run and had the chef bring breakfast to us. The kitchen bench was covered in food, all ready to be eaten. I was debating whether to wake her up or not. She was meant to be on the bus at nine, but she had already missed that.

  I should feel bad about that. Fuck, I should have woken her up but, instead, I let her sleep and was thankful she missed it. Now that she had entered my life, I wasn't ready for her to leave - even if she wanted to.

  "You know you could have come down for breakfast." The voice of my sister floated into the room as she closed the front door. "So, you need all this food, do you?"

  "Shut up, Sammie."

  "No, really, I would love to know why my brother would want all this food when he doesn't eat breakfast." She crossed her arms and rocked back and forth on her feet. "Maybe it has something to do with the girl you’re hiding out here."

  "How the fuck did you know that?"

  A grin spread across her face and she pointed a finger at me. "I knew it. Jess won't believe me, but I knew it!" Her black hair was pulled into a tight ponytail and she was wearing no makeup like usual.

  "How did you know that?" I moved around the kitchen island to her. Surely she hadn't seen Chloe and me last night.

  "The girl shoes at the front door, but I had a feeling you had someone here when you or
dered breakfast. So…" She clapped her hands together. "Can I meet her?"

  "No."

  "Oh come on, Chase. We never get to meet any of your girls plus this is the first one you have brought home."

  "No."

  "She must be special to have you this worked up."

  "It's still a no." I narrowed my eyes at her. "Now go."

  "Not until I get a glimpse of the girl that stole your heart."

  I gripped her by the shoulders and pushed her through the house. "Not now, Sammie."

  "Hi."

  Sammie spun around in my arms, and I turned around as well. Chloe was standing at the end of the hallway. My eyes ran up her long, tanned legs until I reached the hem of my t-shirt, which fell to the middle of her creamy thighs. It was huge on her and didn't show off the figure she had. Her long blonde hair was pulled to the side, and it was slightly puffy from sleeping on a pillow. Her white face was even more beautiful in the daylight. I swallowed sharply.

  "Good morning." I found my voice.

  Sammie had got out of my grasp from my shock of seeing Chloe and was already halfway across the room before I realized it.

  "I'm Sammie." She put her hand out.

  Chloe looked at it, then me, and then back at it before she lightly took it.

  "Chloe."

  "I'm Chase's sister."

  "I'm Chase's nobody." Her lips twitched into a smile. "I heard he had two sisters."

  "Oh, he does. We keep him on his toes. So…" Sammie snuck a glance at me then back at Chloe. "What happened to your cheek?"

  Fuck me. "Sammie." I nearly growled her name for her to stop. She would normally back off, but this is the first time that she had seen a woman I was with, not that I was with Chloe, but...

  "I was in a car accident. Your brother came to my rescue." Chloe's hand ran over her cheek. "I'm sure it is an ugly purple by now."

  "Oh, you poor thing." Sammie's face dropped. "Is your car okay?"

  "I don't think so. No." She scratched the back of her neck, clearly feeling awkward. "So, do you live here?"

  "In the main house with my mom and Jess. Oh, you should totally come down and meet Jess. She won't believe me that Chase, OUR CHASE, brought a girl home." Sammie played with her ponytail and grinned wildly. "Seriously, it's a huge deal."