by Aria Scott
Only then did I allow myself to come, my body becoming taut and then shuddering as I exploded inside her, bathing her inside with my warm juice. Nearly collapsing from the intensity of my orgasm, I thrust into her a few more times, and then fell on top of her, holding some of my weight from her so I wouldn’t crush her.
She pressed little kisses against my neck, and when I rolled off her, she wrapped her arms around me. Her touch caressing, she explored my chest with her hand, even as her eyelids drooped and she drifted off to sleep.
Later, when the moon had risen past the window and darkness filled the room, I woke to find her stroking my cock. The afterglow of our lovemaking still smoldered in my blood, so I trailed my fingers down to her pussy, where I quickly found her swollen little clit. She let me stroke her, and then when her need became too great, she curled her arms around me.
I drew her beneath me, my cock hard and ready for her. Once again, I made love to her, stretching her on that rack of pleasure, driving her crazy with that sexy torment. I threw the covers off and then the mattress was squeaking wildly, the bedframe bouncing against the floor, as we fucked with wild abandon. I heard something crack, like wood, but I didn’t care--all I could see, and think, and feel was her. Finally, the furious pleasure swept through us both again and she shuddered in my arms, my name on her lips.
The next time I awoke, soft yellow light tinged with pink slanted through the window and melted into the shadows. I smelled coffee brewing and, without opening my eyes, felt the bed next to me.
She was making breakfast.
I slipped out of bed, pulled on my boxers, and walked into the kitchen.
She was just pouring both of us a cup of coffee. When she saw me, she put the cups down and snuggled up to me with a kittenish embrace.
I kissed her, and smiled with happiness, despite the difficulties that I knew we’d face in the coming days. “You obviously have a thing for making breakfast.”
“Coffee’s ready,” she said, returning my smile. “Did you realize last night that we broke the bed frame?”
I remembered that cracking noise I’d heard and laughed. “Yeah, I heard it. I didn’t care. You could have sawed my leg off and I wouldn’t have cared.” I paused, shook my head, marveled at how easily this little redhead rocked my world. “How bad is it? I’ll buy you a new one.”
“I think I want to keep it like that forever. Just so I remember.” Suddenly, her eyebrows drew together, and she traced a line over my bicep.
I looked down and saw thin trails of red where her nails had clawed me, and I shook my head, amazed at how wild she’d been in my arms last night.
“Sorry about that,” she murmured.
I gave her a startled look. “Are you kidding? Do you really think I’m upset that you enjoyed it so much that you clawed my back?”
She grinned. “You’re a master, I have to admit it.”
“We have Dr. G. to thank for that.” I lifted an eyebrow and gave her a thoughtful look. “Sure wouldn’t mind practicing every night.”
“First we have to get through the wedding.” She nodded toward the clock. “And if we don’t get moving, we’re going to miss our flight.”
I glanced toward the clock and saw she was right. We had less than two hours before our flight took off. “Jesus, drink up. We have to go!”
And with that, we both guzzled our coffee and rushed around her house, grabbing our clothes and trying to clean up after the most amazing sex of my life.
Chapter 18
Aubrey
I enjoyed being back in Miami with Chase. It had only been a week since our engagement party in Grove, but that seemed like months ago. On one hand, it had been a week of tortured anticipation - waiting for the big day - our fake wedding. On the other hand, it had been a week of domestic happiness being so near to Chase. I should have been feeling complete dread. Instead, I enjoyed working out all the last minute details of the wedding reception. I felt a girlish excitement when I attended the final fitting for my wedding dress. It was a simple, yet elegant dress, exactly what I’d have picked if this had been my real wedding.
While Chase was at training camp each day, I kept busy. Besides spending time with Jax and Molly in the city, I continued to volunteer at a local non-profit animal shelter. I walked the dogs whenever I could and helped with the general care of all the animals there. The most exciting part was that I was becoming somewhat of an unofficial apprentice to a woman there who was a certified service- dog trainer.
More and more, I remembered how fulfilled I had felt when I visited sick kids and adults in the hospital with my dogs. The idea of becoming a service-dog trainer had really grabbed my attention. My new friend, Corinne, had given me an idea of how much time and effort was involved, but that didn’t daunt me. Pursuing this interest, maybe I could make something positive come out of the money I earned from my marriage to Chase.
The best part of the day for me; however, was in the evening when Chase came home from work. We enjoyed a peaceful meal together, usually with me cooking. A few nights we went out, this time to bars or clubs where nobody knew him. We drank and danced without anyone bothering us. Those nights we ended with a stroll on the beach under the moonlight. When we stayed home, we watched movies together or played with the dogs.
Despite our past slip-ups that had led to mind-blowing sex, Chase remained the perfect gentleman. If it were even possible, my romantic feelings for him only deepened. We weren’t having sex or even kissing, but our interactions weren’t exactly chaste. It had now become perfectly natural for me to hold his hand, to rest my head on his shoulder or to touch him casually. I was drawn to him like a moth was to a flame.
I never had any doubt about our physical chemistry. It was undeniable. But, the connection we had forged the past week was deeper. I knew this was far more dangerous for me than the sexual attraction. Knowing the love I felt for Chase was only growing stronger, despite my efforts to wall him away from my heart, was a scary problem that I didn’t know how to correct, so I ignored it and pretended things would be okay. With that safe delusion, the only hole I felt in my life was when we were lying in bed together, separated by a mound of pillows. I feverishly wanted to break down that last barrier I enforced between us. Nightly, it was the same maddening internal struggle whether to give in to my basest desires and sleep with him or to protect my heart. It turned out that my self-preservation instinct was very strong.
The actual wedding ceremony had been small, simple and private by design. I couldn’t recall many of the details from it. I focused my attention on Chase to get me through, speaking the words I was supposed to recite in a daze. I let emotions get the better of me when we were declared married by the justice of the peace; I cried – though I couldn’t tell from what emotion exactly. I vaguely remember Chase squeezing my hand for support.
Chase’s mom, Mary, insisted on attending. Dakota and Gage accompanied her. Somehow I stumbled through their congratulations and made it to the reception. Finally, I felt I could breathe again. It was done. We were married. For good or for bad.
While the ceremony was simple and plain, the reception was extravagant. The wedding planner that Chase hired had executed my wish list for the reception to the last detail with perfection. The result was a wedding reception far more sophisticated and elegant than I could ever imagine.
When the emcee announced us as man and wife for the first time, I felt a rush of excitement, pride even. As our guests cheered us on, the goofy smile that was plastered all over my face was nothing but genuine.
I’d chosen the song for our first dance by picking from a list given to me by the wedding planner of this year’s most popular choices. I chose a song about being grateful for finally finding true love, and felt choked up with emotion as Chase held me in his arms and danced with me for the first time as husband and wife. The moment seemed too intimate to share with hundreds of people.
Then, other couples joined in too, filling the dance floor. Our weddin
g song ended, and another song began, this one with a faster beat. I was more than content to continue the ‘clutch and sway’ method of dance, but after a minute or so, Chase spun me out of his arms. He never seemed to shy from the spotlight; he made everything look easy. I laughed as Chase twirled me around the dance floor like an expert. I was having fun knowing that he was quick on his feet and naturally athletic enough to make sure I didn’t land on my butt or make a fool of myself. As the song ended, Chase dipped me with a flourish, while our guests clapped and whistled with appreciation.
We had barely gotten off the dance floor, when we were stopped by Chase’s mother. She, Dakota and a few of Chase’s brothers had decided to show up to the wedding despite the fact we were supposedly going to have a second one back in Grove. I felt a momentary pang of guilt when I saw her face beaming with such obvious pride and happiness.
She hugged me close and kissed my cheek. “You two looked wonderful out there. And, Aubrey, you look absolutely radiant! I’m just so happy for the two of you.”
“Thanks, Mary.” I glanced at Chase and smiled. “Lucky for me, your son is quite the dancer. It helps disguise my two left feet.”
Chase put his arm around my waist and held me close against his body. I relaxed against him. It felt right. I didn’t have to pretend any longer.
“Oh, don’t worry. It was a beautiful dance.” She turned to Chase. “I wish your father could have been here today. To see you marry Aubrey and how happy you are. He would have been so proud of you, Chase.”
I heard the emotion in Chase’s reply. “Thanks, Mom.”
Their tender moment was interrupted by a couple of Chase’s football buddies. One of them slapped a meaty hand on his back. “Time for the groom to do some shots.” He turned to me as if to explain, “It’s for good luck.”
Chase shook his head. “Not now, fellas. I’m spending time with my new bride.”
They didn’t give up. “Come on, man. You’ve got the rest of your life to spend time with her. She’s not going anywhere.” He turned to me. “Right?”
I nudged his arm. “Go ahead. Have some fun. But don’t do too many shots…”
His friends pulled him away in a swirl of raunchy jokes about our wedding night and Chase being up for the job.
After the group departed, I looked at Mary awkwardly. “His friends can be a bit,” I searched for the right word, “much.”
“Speaking of those football guys,” Mary looked around the room. “I’ve got to go find Dakota. Last I saw her, she was flirting with someone from Chase’s team, and he looked – let’s just say he looked completely unsuitable for her. I know she won’t appreciate it – but I’ve got to go do what I do best: interfere.”
Mary left to find Dakota and I spent several minutes mingling and accepting congratulations from our guests, who were mostly strangers to me.
It took me a few moments to recognize John Clarke, the team owner, when he approached. I recalled our first conversation, when I didn’t know who he was exactly, and then later that night when Chase and I had sex for the first time down at the beach.
I felt a blush creeping up my cheeks at the turn my thoughts had taken, so I masked it with a big smile. “Mr. Clarke. It’s so nice of you to come. I hope you’re enjoying yourself?”
“Yes. I brought my wife with me this time. I’ll have to introduce you later. I was just telling her what a nice young lady you were. That Chase was very lucky to have found you.”
My reply came naturally. “I feel like I’m the lucky one.”
“Yes, you look very happy. You both do.” He lifted his glass as if making a toast. “And, I wish you many, many more years of happiness to come.”
John Clarke was the one that held Chase’s future in his hands. I should have been nervous, worried even that I’d blow my cover, but I wasn’t. In fact, pretending to be in love with Chase wasn’t difficult at all anymore. It wasn’t much of a pretense.
“Thank you very much. How long have you and Mrs. Clarke been married?”
“Forty-two years. Betsy is a saint, but she’s tough as nails. She knows how to knock some sense into me when I need it. Remember that. Chase is going to need some knocking around too every now and then.” He gave me a wink and added, “Most of us dumb sports guys do.”
I laughed. “Good advice. I’ll remember that.”
John looked past my shoulder and nodded. “Ah, here he is now. We were just talking about you.”
Chase eased up next to my side, possessively slipping an arm around my waist. “Only good things, I hope.”
“Mostly,” John joked.
“Mr. Clarke, I hope you don’t mind if I steal Aubrey away from you…”
“No, not at all. You two go have some fun.” Clarke shooed us away.
Chase entwined his fingers into mine. “You heard the man. Let’s go have some fun.”
Chase led me through the party, zigzagging between the crowded tables, towards the dance floor.
I stopped him for a moment. “We should have stayed and talked to John Clarke more. You could have asked him about your contract or tried to charm him with your personality.”
“I’m sure you were plenty charming enough.” Chase urged me forward.
I reluctantly let him pull me forward. “He’s a really nice man. I think he likes me, but it wouldn’t hurt to schmooze with him some more.”
“I don’t want to spend our wedding night talking to John Clarke. I’ve got better things to do.”
The whole point of our wedding was to convince John Clarke to re-sign Chase to the team, yet Chase didn’t even seem interested in him. My heart was thumping wildly in my chest. Was it possible that Chase had the same feelings for me that I had for him?
Chase pulled me onto the dance floor. The song was pretty upbeat, but Chase held me close. I had to agree that this definitely was far more interesting than talking with John Clarke.
I slid my arms around Chase’s back, unable to keep the dopey grin off my face. Ever since the wedding ceremony was completed, I kept finding myself bubbling over with happiness. I was Mrs. Chase Wilder! And it was time to find out just what that meant.
Maybe it was time to knock some sense into Chase Wilder just as Clarke had suggested. Lisa had been right all along. I needed to fight for Chase, and I knew how to fight dirty. The first thing on my agenda: give Chase the wedding night he’d never forget.
Chapter 19
Chase
Up until about 9 PM, my wedding day had been the happiest night of my life.
That day, I’d held Aubrey’s hand and recited vows in front of an entire crowd of cheering friends and relatives, my own team included. I’d slid a ring on her finger and said “until death do we part.” I’d kissed her tenderly, lovingly, as a husband should. And not even a second of any of it had felt fake.
Later, as we’d danced on the dance floor, and schmoozed with our guests, I’d felt an amazing sense of pride in everything she said and did. She was beautiful, and charming, and I walked around in a semi-daze, not sure what I had done to deserve such good luck. Here I was, with this beautiful girl at my side and a contract for the next season just about in my pocket.
It was true that I still had to convince her to stay permanently at my side. I also still didn’t have that signed contract in hand, though my agent had promised me he would email our proposal to the John Clarke tonight, when he had a chance. But even so, at that moment, I felt like I had it all.
I should have knocked goddamned wood.
It all started going to shit when Aubrey left to go to the ladies room.
Alone for the time being, I looked around the reception hall and saw my agent, Joe Caifano, talking to that rookie Tillman. I didn’t particularly like Tillman--the fucker was always hanging around and breathing down my neck --but Joe wanted him to get some visibility, so he asked that I invite him. They had their heads together like a couple of criminals and, curious, I started walking in their direction. I was wondering if Joe had em
ailed my contract proposal to Clarke yet and, if so, what Clarke’s response had been. But a few of the other team members stopped me along the way to wish me congratulations, and so the moment to corner my agent and quiz him slipped away.
The next time I had a moment free, the clock read 8 PM. I figured that that the reception had another two hours to go, and then Aubrey and I could disappear and head back to my penthouse. I’d already decided to have ‘the talk’ with her as soon as we got back, and to let her know that I didn’t want her exiting either our marriage or my life ever, and so I went over to the bar and got myself a whiskey, neat. Minutes later, Aubrey sashayed over to my side, looking radiant. We had a few more dances, and then Tillman grabbed her from me and started hoofing it around the dance floor with her.
Okay, so at this point, I was really getting antsy. I wanted the reception over, so I could have her to myself again. And I didn’t like the way Tillman was joking with her and laughing--it almost looked like flirting. Frowning, I watched them closely, but then got the sudden sensation that even as I stared at Tillman and my wife, someone was also staring at me, hard. The hair prickling at the back of my neck, I glanced around the room, and my gaze collided head-on with John Clarke’s. He had such an intense, angry stare that if I had stood there too long, he would have bored two holes into me with his eyes.
I froze. I felt like a deer caught in the headlights of an oncoming eighteen-wheeler. Or a freight train.
What the fuck?
I started walking in Clarke’s direction, the look on his face making my heart thump in my chest. He looked like he wanted to spit on me. I got half-way across the floor to him when suddenly, my agent appeared by my side.