by KB Winters
“I feel like I should say that I’m sorry too.”
“What for?”
“For questioning your motives for helping Aria. For saying you were trying to use Harvest House—or Aria—for your own gain. That was really ugly of me.”
“Hey, don’t worry about it,” Chance said, offering a sideways smile. “I’m pretty used to that kinda thing.”
I raised my hand to the side of his face. “You shouldn’t have to be. Cat’s outta the bag, Chance. I know the truth about you. You’re a good guy.”
He chuckled softly. “Damn. There goes my evil plan.”
I ran my thumb over the scruff on his jaw. A shiver went through me, wondering what it would feel like to have that roughness brush the skin between my thighs. Chance’s eyes met mine and the world stopped. I couldn’t hear the ticking clock on the wall, the low rumble of late night traffic outside, or the night breeze coming in through the open kitchen window. All I could hear was the sound of my own hitched breath and my pounding heart beating in my chest.
“Lacey, I’m falling in love with you and it scares the fuck outta me,” Chance said, his voice thick but barely above a whisper.
“Yeah, I know. I’m scared too.”
His eyes swept down my face, lingering on my lips for a moment before he pulled me into him and kissed me. All of the tangled emotions of our confessions charged through the kiss, turning it into a sparking live wire of electric currents shooting between us.
My robe fell open as our bodies smashed together, and Chance wasted no time in fishing his hand through the open fabric, finding my hard nipples that were aching for his touch. He palmed my breasts before dipping his head between them, taking his time licking and sucking at each one before his tongue made its way up my neck. I arched back, moaning softly as the sweet, hot pleasure surged through me, sending waves of heat to my throbbing pussy.
He pulled my robe open the rest of the way, letting the sleeves fall down my arms and pool on the couch behind me. I felt the coolness smooth over every inch of my bare skin, down to the heat of my own arousal as the air hit me. Chance’s hungry eyes roved over my body, laid wide open and naked just for him. He dragged his fingertips everywhere that his eyes traveled until he reached the wet spot between my thighs. Then his eyes shot back to mine, and he watched as pleasure overtook my face when he gently parted me with his thick fingers and stroked.
I bit back a moan as he teased me, lightly sliding his fingertips across my pussy lips. My body quaked, and my hips bucked, demanding more. I wanted more of his touch—more of his sweet, sexy words. I began to pant, arching my back to get more pressure from his hand. I was floating and falling all at once. My tits bounced in the air as my hips rocked, desperate and begging for more. “Baby, I need you to fuck me. Right here. Right now.”
He lifted me off his lap and moved me to the side, my eyes closing and body trembling when his lips touched the soft skin below my belly button, traveling south. I bucked my hips up again as he stopped just short of my pussy. Then he dropped to his knees on the floor, and with one swift tug, pulled me to face him. I gasped when he spread my legs wide, suddenly so open and vulnerable. His eyes stayed with mine as his lips found their mark, and I hissed as his tongue circled my tender, swollen clit.
Watching Chance between my thighs, enjoying the taste of me as though I were a decadent dessert, was the sexiest thing I’d ever seen. Combined with the way he looked at me, he had the ability to make me feel like I was the most drop-dead beautiful woman on the planet. He licked as though no other pussy compared to mine.
Greedily.
Hungrily.
He pinned my thighs to the couch and tasted every inch of me. I surrendered. I had to. His tongue and lips were sinful perfection. I fell apart and Chance groaned as I shuddered and came, crying out his name. My body trembled uncontrollably as he gathered me against his face, lapping up every drop until I couldn’t take any more. He kissed the insides of my quivering thighs, and I hitched at each one, shocked at how overly sensitive I was as his stubble scraped over my skin.
“Damn, I’m glad I came over,” he purred, rocking back on his heels.
I gave a throaty laugh. “You and me both. Although, I hardly think it’s fair that you’re getting all the eye candy here,” I teased, glancing down at my exposed body as my legs still lay splayed open as I recovered.
“Oh yeah?” he replied, flashing a wicked grin.
“Uh huh.” I pushed up and leaned forward, my fingers greedily reaching for the belt buckle on his jeans. I smirked at him, my face inches from his. “And as good as your ass looks in these jeans, I prefer it when it’s au natural.”
Chance chuckled as he pushed up from the floor. “Well, if that’s what my girl wants…”
I nodded and made a show of licking my lips as he unbuckled and went to work at the fly on the front. He stripped in tantalizing slow motion, which made me even more excited to see him exposed and naked. “I like the way that sounds,” I said, watching him intently.
He peeled off his long sleeve t-shirt, showcasing his powerful muscles as he continued to tug down his jeans. “What’s that?”
“The way you called me your girl.” My cheeks warmed at the small confession. “Not to get too schmoopy.”
He laughed and stepped out of his jeans. My eyes went wide at the bulge where his cock was rock hard and desperately begging to be freed from his cotton shorts. “Baby, I’ll call you whatever you like.”
A grin tugged at my lips and when he pulled off the thin underwear, it grew even wider. Fuck, he’s huge.
“See something you like?” Chance teased, holding his cock in his hand, stroking it and following my gaze.
I pushed up from the couch and stepped in front of him, one hand dropping between us to grasp his thick cock. “Very much so.”
He kissed me thoroughly and sucked all the breath from my lungs, leaving me panting when we finally parted. Chance scooped me up effortlessly, and I wrapped my thighs around his lean hips, locking my ankles behind his back. He kissed me again, moving so my back was against the wall beside my small entertainment center. I ground against him, yearning for him to enter me hard and deep, but also secretly loving that he was waiting, knowing how insane he was making me.
His lips trailed down the side of my neck, and I lavished in each hot kiss, committing each sensation and swoop of pleasure to memory. The way our skin touched together. The lines of his toned body colliding and melting with my soft fluffy curves. My hard nipples and tender breasts against his hard, defined chest. When he slid into me, I cursed under my breath and all thoughts fled my mind.
We moved as one, riding with each other, and he hissed as my nails dug into his firm shoulders. When I felt his hips stutter, he stopped himself short and slowed each thrust. I whimpered, clawing at his back. “More.” I protested. “Don’t stop just yet.”
“I’m not stopping, baby,” he said, meeting my gaze. The green was gone from his eyes, leaving dark pools that were sparkling with only desire and lust. “Just taking my time, enjoying every second buried inside your sweet pussy.”
I shivered at his dirty words.
He dropped another trail of hot kisses over my neck and his fingers went to my nipples again, teasing them with gentle pinches until I was panting and breathless again.
Without warning, he pulled us away from the wall, and I clung to his broad shoulders as he took me to my bedroom. Once inside, he tossed me on the bed and immediately flipped me over. He let out a low whistle. “Damn, pretty girl. That ass could stop traffic.”
I laughed. “Hasn’t happened yet.”
“Well, you’ve got all of my attention.” He tugged at my hips, and before I could even catch my breath, he plunged back inside of me, and I let a muffled moan out into the covers.
I’d never let a guy fuck me from behind. It always seemed too… vulnerable. But none of that mattered with Chance. He could have me any which way he wanted and I’d enjoy it.
He caressed my ass and slapped it as he thrust inside of me. A double slap. The sting was a welcome surprise. He reached around and stroked my clit until I was screaming and fisting my hands into the comforter on the bed. When he came hard inside of me, I moaned and came again seconds after him.
Chance groaned as he finished. “Damn, your pussy is so fucking sweet, baby.”
I smiled as my body went boneless down against the bed. “I’ve never done that before,” I said, my voice quiet as I looked up at him.
He sank down beside me, his hand absently going to my ass, stroking over the soft skin. “What’s that?”
“Let someone do me from behind like that.”
His eyebrows went up and then a wide grin took over his face. “What else haven’t you done? I think we need to start some kind of bucket list for fucking.”
I laughed. “I’ve never done it in the shower… at least not with someone else.”
Chance hopped up from the bed and reached for my hand. “All right, that’s going to the top of the list. I bet this ass looks sexy as hell all soaped up.”
We hit the shower… and then the kitchen table… before circling back to my bed again.
That night, we were finally exhausted, crashing onto our pillows—still clinging to one another.
20
Lacey
The sound of my alarm clock cut into a delicious dream fed from the fantasy-come-true night with Chance. I cracked open an eye, almost startled to find Chance’s bare back. The sheet was tugged down low on his hips and my fingers twitched, eager to slide down the smooth contour of his hip bone and wrap around until…
The alarm shrieked again, and I rolled over, slapping out my palm to silence it. At least, for the next ten minutes.
Chance stirred and I stared at the play of muscles as he rolled onto his back. His head lolled over and with a sleepy smile—that was a dangerous mix of adorable and sexy—he said, “Morning, pretty girl.”
I smiled and rolled to face him, keeping the sheets tucked under my arms. Beyond the window, the sky was still just waking up, only faint traces of light coming through the curtains. “Morning.”
“What time is it?” he asked, rubbing a hand over his face.
“Six thirty.”
“Ugh.”
I laughed at the sour expression on his handsome face. “I know, it’s ungodly to wake up so early. But this is my Monday through Friday grind.”
He grunted in reply.
I nibbled on my lower lip, a question forming in my mind. I just wasn’t sure if I was allowed to ask it. Chance was clearly ready to move on from the PR disaster, but was the rest of the world? And if not, would he risk coming in? After a long moment, I asked, “Are you coming to Harvest House today?”
Chance looked over at me. “Yeah. Fuck the vultures. I want to see your pretty face.”
I nodded, a small smile tugging at my lips. “Good. The girls have missed you.”
“Really?”
“They’ve asked about you every day.”
“Wow.” He stared up at the ceiling for a long moment. “It’s crazy they’d give a damn about me. It’s only been a couple of weeks.”
“They like you. They’re crazy about you, in fact. The boys versus girls’ basketball tournament will be a legend from now on. The trash talk has been a little out of control, but it’s all in good fun.”
Chance chuckled. “For those girls, I’ll wear a cowgirl getup any day.”
“You want to go see Aria at the hospital before going to the center?”
“Yeah. Heard anything?”
I shook my head. “No news is good news, I suppose.”
“Maybe.”
Chance draped an arm over me and kissed me, long and slow. “How long do we have?” he asked, his intent clear in the dark look swimming in his eyes.
I giggled but it fell away when his hand drifted past the sheet and skimmed down my tummy, stopping when he traced over my navel and settled between my thighs.
“We have some time,” I said, sucking in a gasp as he parted my lips and lazily stroked me.
He smiled against my lips at my response. “That’s good news, pretty girl. ’Cause you’ve been running around in my dreams all night, and I have some new things for us to try.”
When we finally peeled ourselves out of my bed, we hurried to get ready, and took Chance’s car to the hospital to visit with Aria. She was still sleeping; and while the doctors told us she was progressing; it was hard not to feel a little discouraged to find that she still couldn’t speak with us or tell us how she was feeling for herself. We sat in the two visitor chairs, and I took Aria’s hand in mine. Chance entertained her with the boys versus girls’ basketball game, telling her that if she’d been there, they wouldn’t have even needed him on the girls’ team.
“I hope she wakes up soon,” I whispered when he finished.
“Me too.” He patted her hand before tucking the stuffed dog he’d bought for her beside her arm.
My heart melted at his tender moves, as though he were afraid of breaking her. It was such a stark contrast to his job as a football player whose sole purpose was to cream people on the field. A job that he lavished in, according to people I knew that actually bothered to watch football games.
“There is something I need your help with,” Chance announced, glancing up at me once he had Aria and her stuffed companion settled.
“What’s that?”
He rubbed the back of his neck and my stomach swooped. He was nervous. Why?
“Chance?”
He met my eyes. “I’ve applied to become a foster parent. For Aria.”
My mouth dropped open as soon as my mind slowed enough to process what he’d said.
“I know I can give her a good home and with my money, she’ll have the best doctors and therapists. I can’t bear the thought of her getting some dingy room at a treatment center somewhere with no visitors or family. It’s just too damn depressing. She’s a firecracker, and she deserves the best in life. I can give that to her.”
“Wow.” My stomach flip-flopped, unsure of how to respond. My mind raced with the obvious questions in regard to his schedule and the fact that he didn’t have a track record to draw from as far as parenting goes. But all of those doubts were overrode as he dropped another gentle look down at the unconscious girl tucked under the thin hospital blanket.
“She’d be lucky to have you, Chance.”
He smiled as he looked back up at me. “Thanks, Lace.”
“What do you need my help with?”
“Well, her social worker told me that a letter of recommendation from someone who knows both me and Aria would really help my application. I know we haven’t known each other all that long, but I thought—”
“Of course! You don’t have to ask twice. I’d love to help. Especially for Aria.”
“Thanks, Lace.”
“I’ll get to work on it this afternoon if you can keep the girls occupied,” I said, giving him a teasing wiggle of my brow.
He chuckled. “I’ll see what I can do.”
We said our goodbyes to Aria, and Chance drove us to Harvest House. It was earlier than when his shift was supposed to start, but as soon as we walked in the doors, the kids that were there already—most having been dropped off by parents before they had to go to work—all jumped up from their places in the reading nook and raced over to jump all over him.
I marveled at how quickly the girls had taken to him. He was like a rock star in their eyes. Chance appeared nervous at first, and I wondered if he was scared that they’d seen the clip online, but if they did, none of them let on and he visibly relaxed.
“Lacey?”
I turned at Missy’s voice. Her face looked pinched with concern as she eyed Chance and the kids. “Morning, Missy.”
“What’s going on?”
“What do you mean?”
“I thought he was staying away until all this drama blew over?”
“He wanted to co
me in. No one knows he’s here, so I don’t expect a big scene out front.”
Missy nodded, but her expression remained tight.
“It’ll be fine,” I said, brushing her arm. “Besides, he has to finish his hours.”
“I suppose you’re right. It’s just that the phone has been ringing off the hook since his little debacle, and to be frank, I’m tired of fielding it all.”
“I get it. Just don’t let anyone know he’s here and keep playing the no comment game.”
She gave me another nod and then started off for her office. I went to my own office, leaving Chance to entertain the kids for a little longer. I tossed my purse over the back of my chair and fired up my computer. While it was waking up, Tien called my cell phone.
“You’re up early,” I said, picking up the call.
“Ha ha. I called you like ten times last night,” she complained.
I switched the call to speaker and checked my call log. Sure enough, there were eight missed calls and a handful of text messages from Tien. I cringed. “Sorry, Tien. I uh—didn’t have my phone on me.” My eyes drifted out the window of my closed door to where Chance was now sitting with the kids, listening to them chatter away, probably about the events of the last few days and begging for another basketball game. “What’s up?”
“Nothing now,” she replied, her tone still cranky. “I was at a killer party and wanted to drag you out. What were you doing?”
“Chance,” I said, a naughty grin spreading over my face.
“Shut up!”
I laughed and sank down into my chair. “I’m serious.”
“I thought you were pissed at him.”
“I was. But he changed my mind.”
“I’ll bet he did,” she said, laughing. “You slut!”
“Total hoe biscuit.”
She laughed again. “Good for you, girl. You gonna turn into one of those baller wives?”
“Wives?” I snorted. “I don’t think that’s even remotely on the horizon. We’re just having fun.”
It was sort of true. Chance’s confession that he was falling in love was still fresh on my mind, but I was keeping it tucked close to my heart right now. I wanted to treasure it a little longer before sharing it with the world. Her statement did raise a question though—or rather, revived an old question—what would my future look like if Chance and I continued our relationship? Where would it go? Especially now that he was applying to be Aria’s foster parent. If he was accepted, and she was placed with him, that would add a whole new dimension to his already jam-packed lifestyle.