Mason came over to Eden and leaned in close. “Don’t worry, sweetheart, we’ll get this son of a bitch. I’ll be waiting for you at the elevator.”
Detective Blackstock turned to Chase after overhearing Mason’s comment. “Mr. Dean, you need to keep your man out of this investigation and work on keeping Miss Fox safe. We can handle it ourselves. We don’t need outside interference to foul things up.”
“I have no intention of interfering in your investigation, so you do your job, Detective, and my men will do theirs.” Chase glared. “If we’re finished here, I’d like to get Miss Fox home. She’s had quite a rough time these last few days, she needs to get some rest.”
The detective eyed the pair hesitantly. “You’re free to go, but I may need to ask more questions Miss Fox…and I’m thinking there’s more you need to be telling me.”
“I don’t know what you mean, Detective,” Eden said, feeling the collection of perspiration on her upper lip and wiping it away nervously.
“Of course,” Blackstock grunted with scowling eyes.
Chase took Eden around the waist after collecting her purse and briefcase, and they started out of the office. Eden could feel the hair on the back of her neck stand on end, knowing that the detective was watching her as she was about to walk through the door.
Blackstock was clearly a smart man, and it was obvious that he could see right through their deception. She prayed that he wouldn’t run into Hawthorn and share his suspicions. Tugging at her sweater nervously to smooth it out, she felt the photos in her pocket.
“Wait…I forgot to give these to the detective.” She reached into her pocket and pulled out the photos, and they slipped from her hand to the floor. Chase knelt down and picked them up, viewing each one as he did.
“He’s been a very busy fellow,” he said, handing the photos to Blackstock. “You better get him, Detective…you just better get him!” Chase gritted his teeth and pulled Eden into his side, shielding her as they headed to the elevator.
***
“I hope she’s worth it, man,” Mason said, leaning forward and eyeing up his next shot.
“Well worth it,” Chase declared without hesitation as Mason sunk his ball and made his way around the pool table for his next shot.
Mason applied blue chalk to the end of his cue and blew the tip lightly. “You’re really stuck on this one. I just hope you know what you’re doing.”
“Back off before you say something stupid that you’re going to regret.” No doubt angry at his friend’s statement, Chase replaced his cue in the rack and walked across the room. Taking a decanter from the bar and pouring two glasses of scotch, he handed one to Mason.
Mason looked at the glass and said, “Women have always come and gone around here. Your track record isn’t a good one.” He took a sip as if testing the content. “Don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing better than a good piece of ass, but you got her staying here and sleeping in your fucking bed.” Mason’s head threw back as he downed the shot.
Chase replenished their shots and clinked the glasses before swigging it back and feeling the welcome burn as it flowed down his throat. “Not that it’s any of your fucking business who I sleep with, but Eden’s different. She’s not just a piece of ass.”
“They’re all different, man. Don’t forget, I’ve been here through them all. The good and the bad. The end result’s always the same. The difference is this one’s carrying quite a bit of baggage. You sure you want this?”
“Fuck off!”
“Don’t get me wrong, fucknuts, I like her,” Mason admitted. “I just hate watching you get fucked over.”
Mason’s cell rang, saving him from the proverbial beating Chase was going to give him if he didn’t shut up. He listened intently to the caller, looking up to make eye contact with Chase and raising his index finger in a wait-a-minute gesture.
Eden wasn’t going to screw him over, Chase felt it in his heart. She did something to him that no other woman ever had, brought something out of him that he couldn’t quite put a finger on. He felt something he couldn’t even put into words, and it wasn’t just sexual. Although it did excite him, the thought of taming her sexually. Just being with her satisfied him. Having her wrapped in his arms meant a lot more. The thought of someone trying to hurt her made him convulse with rage.
Chase finished his drink in one mouthful, slamming his glass on the bar. He put his hands in his pockets and paced back and forth across the room, waiting. He hated this. It was so frustrating not to be in control of this thing. He ran his hand through his hair and stretched his head from side to side, trying to relieve some of the built up tension.
“Good. Just keep him in your sights. At the first opportunity, take action. You know what to do…and keep it clean, right? Good.” Mason spoke in his take-no-prisoners tone.
“They found him…” Mason raised his hand before Chase could speak. “Unfortunately, he’s not far from here. He’s slippery and fast, man. They’re having trouble staying on him. I think it’s time we get you two out of here. We’ll go to the house. There’s no way he’s going to find you there. We’ll leave tonight after dark.” Chase nodded in agreement.
“I’m going to go tell Eden.” Chase headed to the door and turned to face Mason. “Hey…I get what you’re saying, but I can handle it.” He turned away and then back again, pointing a warning finger at his friend. “And if you say one more negative thing about her again, I’ll punch you in the fucking head.”
Mason chortled, shaking his head, watching Chase leave the room. “What a fucking control freak! You’re an asshole, my friend!”
***
Eden sat at Chase’s desk drawing away, very much in a world of her own, and didn’t notice Chase when he came into the room. He quietly sauntered over to her and watched as she swept over the paper with a fist full of colored pens, elegantly creating her masterpiece.
Leaning one hand on her chair and the other on the desk, he moved in to bite at her ear. She gasped, striking out at him, her fist making contact with his chin. Chase stood, held his hand to his chin and reverberated with laughter.
“Oh my god!” She jumped up, laughing, and wrapped her arms around his waist, her pens rolling across the surface of the desk. “I’m so sorry, but you scared the shit out of me!”
Raising his hands in surrender, he said with a laugh, “Totally my fault. You have quite the hook there, baby!” He hugged her tight to him and kissed the top of her head.
“Did I hurt you?”
“I’ll survive, Rocky. What are you drawing?” he asked, focusing in on the picture partially hidden under the colored pens.
Her childlike grin amused him as she tried to cover his view. “It’s a surprise…but I guess since I tried to knock you on your ass, you can see it now. It’s rough though.” She picked it up and handed it to him, biting her lip and anticipating his reaction.
“This is great! Whose room is this?” He looked at her and then the drawing again.
Her brow furrowed. “It’s your guest room, silly. You said you wanted me to design it, and it’s so pathetic in there, I thought…” She stopped, looking at him questioningly.
“I guess I did…sorry,” he said uncomfortably, as the color drained from his face. It was a cheap line used to possibly get into her pants that first night. He felt suddenly ashamed. “It really is beautiful…but it’s too nice for that room,” he quietly stated.
She was perplexed by what he said and grabbed the sketch from his hand. Hurrying to the desk, she scooped up her pens and placed them in her pouch, taking care to line them up in order. The reality that he had used this excuse to draw her in made her feel like a fool. “You don’t want me to design anything. It was a pick-up line, right? I’m such an idiot.”
“You’re no idiot. I’m an idiot. Yes, it was a pick-up line but…I’m sorry, Eden.” His admission embarrassed them both. “I’m so, so sorry. It’s…I hate that room. It’s just an empty room full of bad memories.” He rub
bed his hands over his face and through his hair, took in a long, deep breath and blew it out fast and furious.
He took her by the waist and lifted her to sit on the desk, taking a seat in the chair, positioning his chest between her knees and resting his head on her lap. Eden looked at him, uncertain what he would say next. The tension in the air was thick. She played with a curl of his hair as she sat waiting for an explanation. It was a room. She didn’t understand. Maybe he hated the way it looked but his words meant much more than that.
“What kind of bad memories? It’s just a room in your apartment. You make it sound emotional, and that doesn’t make sense.”
They shared a long, awkward silence until he lifted his head as if the answer suddenly came to his head. “I used that room for lovers and one-night stands, for sex and somewhere for them to sleep, if they chose to stay.” He looked into her eyes; his confession humiliated him. “For my whores,” he said bitterly, looking away and staring down at her knees.
“That’s harsh.” She wasn’t shocked as much as saddened. “You never found that someone special to share your bed?”
“I thought so a few times, but I was proven wrong. I was just fooling myself.” He stared at his hands as he rubbed them over her thighs. “I never found a woman that completely shared my needs. They misunderstood my passion to control for anger and something perverted and ugly. I have a strict personal rule never to invite a woman into my own bed.”
“So you have a room for sex? You slept with them in that room only. That is a little strange.” She truly wanted to understand.
He shook his head. “I didn’t sleep with them, it was only sex. No intimacy.” His answer was blunt, no mincing words, his point was clear.
Scratching at his beard, he looked so uncomfortable. Eden put her hands on either side of his face and smiled into his eyes. “I don’t think it’s that bad. You have that room, I had Pulse. Did you think it would upset me because you’ve had a numerous sexual past? You can choose to tell me or choose not to tell me. The reality is we don’t have a real relationship here. You owe me nothing. We’re just sexual acquaintances. I don’t have a right to judge you.”
“Jesus! Is that what you think? Is that how I make you feel? Baby, you’re so much more to me than that.” He kissed the palm of her hand as she smoothed her other hand over his rough beard.
“You deserve to know.” He kissed her palm again, holding her hand tenderly. “Because I have money…well, mainly that…I attracted many women over the years, and in almost all cases, they used me for the money, what I could buy them. I stupidly moved two of them into that room, not together of course.” He gave a little nervous laugh. “The first one, Shelly, stayed for six months. I came home one day, she had gotten into my safe and cleaned it out…I never saw her again.”
“The second, Carmela, got a hold of some very important paperwork regarding a not so on-the-up-and-up contract dealing and used it to blackmail my father, causing quite a rift between us. That was eight months ago, and the room hasn’t been used since.”
Is that why he got so angry with Hazel when she put Eden’s clothing in there? Eden had thought something was weird. She had a bit of clarity now. The woman thought she was just a piece of tail, one of many.
“I said I’d never bring another woman to the apartment. That’s when I discovered Pulse.” He squeezed her hand and smiled that melt-her-into-a-puddle smile trying to smooth the conversation.
Eden tugged at Chase’s earlobe playfully. “You brought me to your apartment and you share your bed with me. You sleep all night with me. Why?” she asked, longing to hear his reassuring words.
“In very rare cases, rules are meant to be broken, like your business and pleasure rule.” He looked at her with a raised brow. “I chose not to share my room, my most private and personal space with anyone. It requires a certain level of intimacy, a certain kind of trust that I wasn’t willing to put out there.” His eyes told her exactly how serious he was.
“There was no one I trusted until I met you,” he went on. “I need to care for you, make you my own. It’s a need stronger than I can tell you. You do something to me, Eden. You can unravel me with one look. Each touch of your skin sends me on an intense high. Your perfect body makes me fall apart, and when I’m deep inside you, I know that you’re the one.”
Eden threw herself onto his lap, melting her lips over his, running her tongue along them and delving into his mouth with a frenzied need. She ran her hands over his shoulders and down his back, pulling at his shirt.
“Whoa, baby! Not here. Mason could walk in. Come.” He took her hand and they ran up the stairs to his room. “This is where you belong, with me in this room.”
They undressed hurriedly. Chase lifted her to the bed, laying her beneath him and moving his hands down her sides, taking hold of her ass, and pulling her tight to him. He nibbled at her mouth, moving to her neck. Their breathing was heavy and loud in the air, thick with each intake. Eden’s hands explored up and down his back, moving to caress his full, bare ass. It was smooth, hard, and tight. She smiled wickedly when his hips moved in a forward thrust each time she squeezed his ass tight. She was so horny for him.
“Oh, what you do to me, baby!” He breathed into her neck.
“Mmm…”
Chase reached for the bedside table drawer, and Eden stopped his hand. He looked at her for a moment with wonder on his face.
“No, Chase. We don’t need to use those anymore,” she insisted. He smiled and rolled her over with him so that she was now on top, straddling him.
“Bareback it is, baby. But you’re going to ride me,” he directed, his eyes lighting up bright green as he reached up and tugged lightly at her nipples, causing them to pucker into tight buds. She leaned forward to bite gently at one of his nipples, making him moan loudly.
She took her time licking and playing with his nipples as Chase reached between her thighs and searched her wetness until he found her clit. He pinched it tenderly between his fingertips, and she thrashed wildly, arching back. He inserted a finger, thrusting it deep into her opening. She was so wet and ready for him. He took a hold of her hips and raised her up slightly.
Eden reached between her legs and found his immense arousal and adjusted herself to aim him at her opening. She rubbed the head of his cock over her opening, running it over her clit several times. Her mind clouded over as the extrinsic sensation set her on fire, her wetness increased. She held him to her opening and pressed down pushing him with sweet pain into her inch by inch.
“Take your time, baby, you’re gonna kill me,” he growled.
Chase pulled back, easing out of her slightly and taking her by the hips, and slowly lowered her, raising her up again and lowering her until she picked up his rhythm. He lessened his grip, allowing her to take over. She was in control of just how deep she could take him. It sent her clit pulsing for attention as she buried him deeper, enjoying her control over him.
Sitting herself up with her hands resting on his chest, he shifted deep into her to his full length. He let out a cry like it was the best pain, digging his fingers into her hips. She knew that it was going to leave a mark, but she didn’t care. She was so close to the edge, making her ride him deeper and faster, taking each stroke to her full depth.
“Touch me,” she purred, wanting help to reach her climax. Her head was swimming with need. “Make me cum.”
Taking her hand from his chest, he spread out her fingers and pushed them against her. She was shocked at first, but it made her feel free to explore and be playful. Eden smiled, rubbing her clit as he watched. Hot excitement on his face, she was wet and creamy, and with him inside her she tingled. The feeling was phenomenal.
Eden pulled her fingers free and sucked one into her mouth with an mmm sound as Chase watched. “Oh fuck,” Chase moaned. Eden grinned as she slipped her fingers between his waiting lips, and he sucked them in, closing his eyes and moaning, and then returned to rubbing her clit as she pumped up and
down, wildly.
Massaging faster and riding him harder, she began a slow tingling wave exploding around him. Chase could feel her orgasm ripple over his cock as she tightened around him, her warm juices trickling over his balls.
He grabbed her around the waist and rolled her under him, taking over the rhythm, and fucked her almost violently. Thrusting harder and deeper, he wrapped his arms behind her knees, spreading her open wider to him. His rise was almost more than she could take. She dug her fingers into his back, her nails tearing his flesh. She shouted his name in the air. He erupted deep into her, holding her tight with a warm discharge of cum. He pumped into her two more times, humming in her ear with each blast.
As his crest diminished, he let go of her legs. Resting on her chest, he tenderly held her face, planting tiny kisses to her lips. She was truly spent.
“I didn’t hurt you, did I, baby?” he asked, breathless.
“No, never. That was amazing,” she whispered, closing her eyes. Her breathing slowed until she was nearly asleep. Chase rolled off of her, smiling at how fast she faded. Lifting the sheet over them, he pulled her into his side, closing his eyes to join her.
***
Chase opened his eyes to the darkness of night. Only the moonlight gave a slight glow to the room. He grinned and rolled onto his side. He would wake her gently before they packed to go to the house. He reached over but the bed was empty. Alarm came over him, and he turned on the bedside lamp to reveal her absence. He bound from the bed, slipping into his jeans, and made his way out the door and down the stairs, checking each room as he went.
A soft light glowed dimly from the kitchen through the darkness. He came to the doorway, leaning against the frame and watched as the pair, with their backs to the door, carried on as he went unnoticed.
“I do understand. It just seems so drastic to me, that’s all,” Eden said as Mason topped up her wine glass. “I thought it was safe here, top security and all.”
Eden's Pleasure (Pulse Book 1) Page 17