“You have a nice car.” Oh, God. Aria, you’re pathetic.
More silence from his end. Face burning, she chewed on the inside of her cheek and fought the growing urge to look at him.
“Thank you. That’s why I bought it,” he murmured.
Jerk. She heard the smile in his voice. Her hormones kept screaming at her, a demand for her to turn around. Those little bitches remembered that smile oh too clearly. She bit her cheek harder and tasted blood.
When Chase made the left turn onto her street, Aria nearly wept with joy. She was an emotional God-damned mess, and didn’t need to be near any one right then. No, what she needed was to be locked away inside her house, breaking things. Lots of things.
Douglas’ things if they’re still there.
Oh, she liked that idea a lot.
Chase pulled into her driveway and shut the engine off.
Aria had just placed her hand on the handle when she heard the locks click. Her artery began to pound painfully and her jaw twitched. With a roll of her eyes, she turned to face Chase and gave him the mother of all death glares. “You do realize, that I can unlock the door if I want to, right?”
Chase turned in her direction, then lounged back against the driver’s side door. And there was no other way to describe it. Bathed in the glow of her driveway lights and the red light coming from the dashboard, he was an impeccably dressed, half-sprawled study in masculinity.
Mouth-watering masculinity.
That’s it. She was switching the automatic sensors on her driveway lights. If they hadn’t turned on, she wouldn’t have been forced to take in the visual he made.
Yeah, because being alone in the dark with him is so much better.
Oh, God, yes. Yes it was.
He eyed her, fucking every cell in her body with that lazy stare. “I know you can get out whenever you want.”
Aria blinked at the sound of his voice, dazed, and stopped herself from shaking her head.
“I’m hoping you’ll give me a few minutes. I want to talk.”
Talk? Hell no. The way the low timber of his voice wrapped around the word “talk” had Aria’s hormones flaring. A hot wave that made her abdomen clench tightly. Her mind began conjuring up a million different scenarios, all of them far removed from “talking”.
They were alone in the dark. In a car that screamed sex, the way its owner did… his scent everywhere. It was too fucking much.
“What the hell do you want to talk about?” she asked through gritted teeth, trying to hold her breath as long as possible.
His eyes searched her face, reflecting the lights bathing him. “Tell me: have you directed any of that anger toward your ex?”
No, Aria hadn’t, and she suspected they both knew why. The spurts of rage she kept feeling toward Chase were so much more intense then whatever anger she housed within herself toward Douglas. Seeing Chase with Catherine tonight proved that.
She’d felt that type of fury once before. The first time Douglas had cheated on her all those years ago. Back when she’d actually been in love with him.
Okay, she needed to get back on track and out of that damned car. Back to Plan A.
Your ex. He said your ex.
Aria froze, eyes unseeing. The crumbling of her very last defense was catastrophic inside her head, an avalanche of pure chaos that left her ears ringing.
The man in front of her wanted her. On a physical level, it was obvious he wanted her more than Douglas ever did. Than anyone ever had.
Intoxicating. A near-blinding rush. And she wanted him. On levels she was too chicken-shit to explore. Without the illusion of her still being with her husband, Chase would know there was nothing in his way.
She couldn’t resist him. It’d been proven time and again. If he came at her with every bit of lust in his body, she would be helpless. She’d give in. Let him take her.
No, she’d take him. As it was, she was about to lose control and climb on his lap. Just the thought of spreading her thighs on either side of him, grinding her pussy against what she wanted most, had her biting her lip.
Chase knew. He knew it all. Every weakness. Every lack of defense.
But how had he known that she was leaving Douglas? Had he heard it from someone? Or had he looked into that? If he’d looked into that one, there was no doubt in her mind that he had his nose in all of her personal business.
His right hand came toward Aria—his long fingers so attractive to her—and he grabbed her left hand. He pressed his thumb into her palm, rubbing her skin in slow circles that made her eyes flutter. Those fingers than moved to her own, squeezing and pulling on each one, massaging her in a way she’d never been before.
He came to her ring finger, and lingered there. “You aren’t wearing your wedding ring,” he said, answering her unspoken questions.
What an idiot! How could she be so careless as to let him see that? Although, to be fair, since seeing him at the restaurant, there hadn’t been much thought processes left for her to worry about that. Chase was a maverick when it came to hogging her focus.
She went to pull her hand out of his, but he tightened his hold and brought her closer instead. When he leaned toward her, the lights in the car cast shadows over his face. Aria tensed, heart thundering.
If he kissed her, she wouldn’t be able to stop. She was already swollen. Aching to come.
God, it had been so long, and his body promised so much.
“Aria.” Chase held her hand in his own, and ran the fingers of his free hand across her cheek. “When was the last time he touched you?”
She closed her eyes. Embarrassment spiraled into pure shame. Lord, was it that obvious? Did she seem that desperate?
But she was. It’d been so long, and she’d never felt anything close to how she felt when Chase touched her. When he kissed her.
When he pressed his hard cock into her and teased her.
She started shaking. Slowly, her lids rose. Her eyes dropped to his crotch.
Chase cupped her cheek, even as she continued to stare, fixated by the sight of him. Engorged, so hard, and pressing against his slacks as if it was calling to her.
It was.
Chase leaned in and brushed his lips across her cheek, so close to her lips that she had to stifle a whimper.
“I can’t believe,” he panted, “that a man would have you, and that he would not take you. I’d fucking have you every day, all day, Aria. I wouldn’t be able to stop.” Groaning, he pressed his forehead to her temple and stayed like that, breathing heavily. “I can sense how hungry you are.”
One pass of his hand along her neck had her shuddering and leaning toward him for more.
Aria caught herself, realizing too late that her body’s reactions had just proved his point.
She jerked back away from him, as if he’d hit her. Which in essence, he had. No woman would ever want to discuss how her husband had stopped touching her, or how she’d allowed it without thinking. How the bastard had been too busy, slaking his needs with other females to think about her own.
Her shaking intensified, fury and denied lust making her clumsy. It took her two tries to get the door open, but once she did, she was out of that car in a flash.
The fact that Chaseopened his door and exited to follow her made her want to snap her teeth at him. “Leave me alone, Chase. Just go and leave me the hell alone,” Aria hissed over her shoulder, rushing toward the front steps of her house. Her voice broke on the last word.
The word pathetic echoed inside her head, along with the click of her heels as she ran up the front stops.
Aria was ready to rush right through her door, slam it in his face, and hide in her room for the rest of eternity. But at the top of her porch, she just…stopped. She could feel him coming up the steps behind her.
And she needed something from him. His lips. His body. Everything she shouldn’t want.
She was so tired, and she suspected, broken deep inside. There hadn’t been any real processing
of her situation. Aria knew what was happening, but she’d been trapped simply reacting to it all. Until then. Now, it was starting to hit her.
Chase stayed behind her. The feeling of his hand wrapping around her neck had her closing her eyes. He started rubbing his thumb in small circles, and there was no denying it for her.
This was what she needed: his touch. Something about it comforted her. She could feel how much he wanted her with just a simple caress, and it was mindboggling.
She was starved. On so many levels. And, although she didn’t believe Chase could soothe every ache, the way he made her feel more than worked for her body. It loved it. It wanted the intensity she could sense beneath his touch.
Aria didn’t know which she was more; frightened or confused. Trapped wanting him so bad that she was losing it. It wasn’t just about her still being married anymore.
Aria was too involved. Emotionally speaking, too vulnerable.
If she had wanted him a little less, then maybe she could give in.
“Turn around, Aria. Look at me.”
She groaned lowly at Chase’s request, knowing what would happen when she did. Worse, there was that tiny voice inside her head that was pleading with him: just do it. Take the choice away from me.
He did, using the hold on her neck to turn her around.
“I’m sorry.” Chase was two steps below her, looking up. “I didn’t mean to offend you. There’s nothing wrong with you, he’s the problem. A fucking idiot for not realizing what he had.”
Aria shook her head. “He had no problem with other women.” She had no idea why she voiced that small insecurity, but it was the truth. Douglas had been the only man in her life, and his finding her lacking rattled the little confidence she had.
Chase let go of her neck and slid his hands down her arms, until he had each of her hands in one of his. “More proof that he has the problem. I told you, Aria; if I had the right to have you, I wouldn’t stop.”
Could a woman spontaneously develop asthma? Could she die on the spot if she did? Aria swallowed once. Nothing. No air. She swallowed again, trying to open her God damn airway.
Chase’s eyes had gone heavy-lidded. He watched her with that intense stare, waiting for her. Aria sensed the restrained impatience in him, coming off him. The side of his jaw jumped, catching her attention. Extricating her hands out of his hold, she reached up. A moment’s hesitation had her stopping with her hands right next to his face.
He leaned closer, inviting her.
Aria bit her lip, feeling weak. When her fingers connected with his cheeks, sliding down to trace the hard line of his jaw, his eyes fluttered closed.
Chase’s throat jumped as he swallowed. Amazed at the sight, Aria lowered one hand from his jaw to his neck and circled her fingers gently around it. So large. So masculine. Every bit of him was meant to tempt her. She’d never wanted to lick a man everywhere. Not one outside of a movie, or a magazine, anyway.
His lips parted on an exhale.
Aria bit down on her lip again, and leaned closer, eyes sliding to half-mast.
Chase’s eyes flew open, locking with hers. “Aria.”
She kissed him. There was no way she could resist anymore. The ache between her legs had morphed, her tongue ached for a taste, and he didn’t just look delicious. She knew he was.
Aria throbbed for him. His kiss was wild, all groans and rough licks that had her clawing at his skin to keep him near. Nothing mattered other than that. Nothing could anymore. She just wanted—
Chase was out of her arms and down the steps in a flash.
What the fuck?
Running a shaking hand across his head, he began pacing at the bottom of her front steps. His movements were agitated. “Aria…” Chase paused long enough to look up at her, and the violent expression he was sporting, made her take a step back.
With a heavy sigh, he resumed pacing, shaking his head while mumbling about sexy, crazy women who were going to drive him up the wall.
Aria’s walls clenched, excitement pounding through her. He thought she was sexy?
Wait. He thought she was crazy?
Of course he did! One moment she was pushing him away and trying to run; the next, she was pulling him closer, offering herself up for his personal use.
Oh, God. Just thinking about him using her in any way he wanted…
Yup. Definitely certifiable.
Chase spun around and stormed back up the stairs, his feet pounding into the wood. He grabbed her chin, held her still, and planted a soft kiss to the corner of her mouth. “You call me. Tomorrow, when you’re fucking sober. And then we’re going to finish this, Aria. You need it as much as I do.” He pulled back, scowling. “You do. And fighting it isn’t making it easier. It’s not going to go away.”
He had her transfixed. The energy rolling off him tantalized her.
“…Fighting it isn’t making it any easier. It’s not going to go away.”
He was right.
The need she felt for him detonated inside her core; a soul-shattering explosion that left her shaken.
She wanted that man. Now.
Aria had never done anything so reckless, out of control. She'd always been good. With Chase, she wanted to be bad. So, so bad. He'd brought out an inner wildness in her, one she hadn't known existed.
Yeah, she'd never done anything reckless, but there came a moment in everyone's life where they had to do something bat-shit crazy at least once.
Chase would be that for Aria.
She and Douglas were no longer together, and even if they had been, her heart still demanded some sort of payback. Perhaps that made her evil. Maybe she was just a Lex Talionis type of girl, and had never known it 'till now.
Who the fuck cared? Aria was going to use Chase. She was going to let him use her. After all was said and done, they'd walk their separate ways, and she'd be free of any regrets. She'd live knowing that she'd taken that leap just once. That for one damned night, she’d had a man like Chase between her thighs.
Yes. Chase inside her, taking her, exorcising whatever demon he'd awoken inside her.
Aria reached out and fisted his lapels.
"Ari—"
She pressed her lips to his, cutting off whatever he'd been about to say. Chase's body went rigid against hers.
Aria sighed at his taste, uncaring of whether he kissed her back or not. Languidly, she sucked on each of his lips and flicked her tongue against them.
Chase's lips parted with a moan as she dragged her teeth across his bottom lip. “Oh, God…taste…so fucking good. Need you, Aria. Want to fucking own you.” A growl vibrated inside his ribcage, building, until his entire body seemed to be trembling with the force of it.
He tilted his head and parted his lips all the way, letting her in.
Their tongues entwined, soft, wet, and his taste slid into every part of her.
Chase snapped into movement, arms shooting around her. He lifted her against him, holding her up as he took full control of their kiss.
Aria mewled at the soft way he groaned and swirled his tongue around hers. As if she was the most delicious thing he’d ever tasted.
She clutched him to her, kissing him harder. Her pussy contracted powerfully, the sensation shooting through her entire being. The coil tightened inside her. Her nipples hardened, rubbing against her bra. She wanted them against his naked skin.
Aria clasped the back of his head, moaning lowly. When Chase sucked on her tongue, her walls pulsated in time with each suck, driving her need higher. She was unrestrained. Ravenous. Out of her God damned mind, and ready to fuck him, right there on her porch.
“Chase.” She let her head fall back. His hands latched onto her ass and he dove for her neck, sucking on her skin. Oh God. Air. Her heart was beating so hard.
Lightheaded, Aria held onto him. The need to lift her legs and wrap them around his waist—feel that hard shaft of his against her weeping pussy, was all consuming. Chase held her still, dominating her.
“God,” Aria moaned, eyes sliding closed. “I want this, Chase.” She raised her head and sought out his jaw with her mouth, licking and sucking on his golden skin. Groaning, she moved down to his neck and bit down.
“Fuck. Aria.”
“I need this, Chase. Now.” Her moan was muffled by his flesh as she sucked, not caring if she left a mark.
“Aria.” The rumble of his voice caused her to whimper against the wet skin of his neck.
Her fingers pulled frantically at the fabric of his blazer as she tried to move him in the direction of her front door. “Come inside with me, Chase.”
His body went stone still at that. When he pulled back, his eyelids were low over his eyes. “Aria.” She bit her lip at the rough, breathless way he said her name. His eyes dropped to her mouth, becoming darker. “You’ve been drinking.”
This shit again?
Chase placed the pad of his thumb on her bottom lip, caressing it. When he dipped his thumb just inside her mouth, she let the tip of her tongue move against it.
He hissed through clenched teeth.
She’d never felt so freaking wanton. All she could focus on was the lust and endorphins, pumping hot through her veins. “I’m not drunk anymore.” Not on alcohol, at least. “Come inside with me Chase.”
He pinched her chin, studying her. “Aria…I don’t want you to regret this tomorrow.”
Would she? She had no idea, but the fact that he cared about taking advantage of her struck her as oddly sweet.
And it did nothing but make her want him more.
She wrapped her fingers around his hand, and moved it away from her mouth. “Chase, I know what I’m saying….what I want. Come inside with me.”
The change in him was instant. He brought her closer and gave her a short, rough kiss. “Are you sure?” he asked, watching her face.
She was. It was scary as hell, and she might come to regret it after, but her mind was made up. “Yes.”
Chase exhaled and his eyes flickered up toward her house. He seemed to make up his mind about something, then grabbed her hand. “Not in there. You’re coming home with me.”
That right there almost sent Aria’s resolve running back in the direction it’d come from. Go to Chase’s house? See where he lived? Learn more about him?
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