by Aria Scott
I felt a familiar stab of pain. When would these thoughts of Chase become less painful? When would I get over him? I inconspicuously wiped at the tear forming at the corner of my eye.
I needed to forget about Chase Wilder for the night. Tonight was all about the Canine Café and the dogs. “I can’t thank you enough for doing this. You really should have let me help out with the arrangements.”
Dakota waved away my words. “Don’t worry. You were so busy working the business side of things. Besides, I love planning social gatherings. I just hope tonight goes off without a hitch.”
Even though she sounded her usual bubbly self, the enthusiasm sounded forced. In fact, she looked incredibly tense. She was chewing on her lip and nervously tapping the steering wheel.
I tried to allay her nerves. “Don’t worry if we don’t have a packed house. This is our very first outreach to the community. There’ll be plenty of others…”
She gave me a sideways glance. “Whatever happens – please don’t be mad at me.”
“Of course not!” I reached over and squeezed her hand. “How could I? You’ve been a godsend to the Canine Café and you’ve been such a wonderful friend to me. Besides, if no one shows up, there’ll be plenty of wine and cheese for us, right?”
My feeble joke went unanswered. The mood remained strangely tense in the car as we made our way to the café. I figured she was just nervous about the party’s success and I didn’t have enough energy to try to distract her. I wanted to save my false cheerfulness for the guests; it was the least I could do for my dogs.
I stared wide-eyed at the tight rows of cars when we pulled into the parking lot. It was packed. “Oh my God! How many people did you invite? Will we have enough wine and cheese for all these people?”
Dakota didn’t seem as shocked as I was. “We’ll have plenty. Don’t worry.”
We parked around the side of the building and then made our way to the entrance as I muttered under my breath, “Wow! Grove must be really hurting for excitement to have this many people show up for a wine and cheese puppy party on a Saturday night.”
After I pulled open the door, I hesitated for a moment as I saw the crowd of people milling about inside. I stopped dead in my tracks, just inside the door, the smile frozen on my face. As the guests became aware of my entrance and began to turn towards me, I quickly realized that none of these people were strangers.
My brain processed the faces quickly. My mother, standing next to her newest husband, waved from across the room. Lisa was gathered in a group of my old coworkers from Lucy’s Grub Hut near the makeshift bar. Mary Wilder, smiling like the cat who ate the canary, was standing next to my father who I hadn’t seen in almost a year. From the strong family resemblance, I could see that there were many other Wilders present, most of whom I’d never even met yet, along with most of my friends from Grove.
What was going on? Why on earth had my parents traveled from so far to be here? Bewildered, I turned to ask Dakota, but she had already disappeared from my side.
My father began making his way toward me as I still hadn’t stepped another foot into the room.
“Aubrey!” We embraced automatically as he reached my side. He smiled, genuinely happy, as he looked me up and down. “It’s so nice to see you. It looks like marriage is treating you well.”
Marriage. I inwardly groaned as I stared at him dumbly. He must have just heard about my marriage. I had meant to keep that entire fiasco from my parents, but I guess that secret was out. Now I’d have a lot of explaining to do to both of them.
Before I could reply, a familiar voice spoke from behind me. “Sorry to interrupt, Mr. O’Malley, but would you mind if I stole my wife away from you for a few minutes?”
Chase.
Just the sound of his voice made my pulse quicken and my blood run hot.
I was not prepared for this.
My body tensed as Chase eased up next to me. I was vaguely aware of my father answering him, “No I don’t mind at all, Chase. Just make sure you don’t hog her attention all night.” While I stood like a wooden statue, Chase tucked my hand, which was lying limply at my side, within his own warm hand.
My feet surprisingly obeyed as I let Chase gently propel me through the crowd. I was painfully aware of his hand on the small of my back as my brain scrambled to process my churning emotions. I smiled and nodded woodenly to friends and neighbors as we headed to my office.
I was relieved when Chase shut the door behind us, but nervous to be with him alone for the first time since our spectacular breakup. I pulled my hand from his and began pacing the small room.
He had the gall to look amused. “Why don’t you sit down?”
I was too keyed up to sit. “I don’t want to sit, dammit,” I spat at him. “And you called me your wife to my father!”
“Well, you are my wife.” He sounded so calm and reasonable.
I felt the heat rise in my cheeks. How could he be so insufferably cruel as to rub that in my face? “Chase! You know what I mean. I didn’t want my parents to find out about that. Now what am I going to tell them?”
“You look fiery - like that day when I almost ran over those damn ducks. You had that same look in your eyes when you were chewing me out then.”
I stopped pacing and stared at him hard. I wanted him to feel my wrath, but instead, I found myself looking him over like a ravenous wolf. I had forgotten just how irresistibly sexy he was. I felt that undeniable pull of attraction between us, and I ached with an intense longing to have his arms wrapped around me. I wanted him so badly.
His smile was disarmingly seductive. “When you look at me that way, darlin’, it makes me want to strip your clothes off and make love to you right here on this desk.”
Desire curled deep in the pit of my stomach. I couldn’t look away from his penetrating eyes. I swallowed. I had to keep my wits about me. In my head, I knew Chase was toying with me. He had read that stupid letter where I had admitted my true feelings for him.
Somehow I had let Mary talk me into the insane idea that Chase loved me. I had been grasping at straws during a particularly vulnerable time. His silence after receiving the letter told me all I needed to know about his feelings for me. I berated myself for weeks for sending it and laying my heart so bare. Now, it seemed I had to pay the price for my enormous stupidity. Hopefully, it wouldn’t be too humiliating.
Chase took a step towards me, so that we were only an arm’s length away. Laughter still danced in his eyes. “Kiss me.”
“I will not!” I gasped. Sure, I had been expecting some brutal teasing, but did he really expect me to fall at his feet in adoration just because he knew my true feelings for him? I wasn’t one of his damn football groupies. I wasn’t some bimbo with no self-respect.
He chuckled. “You look like you’re ready to claw my eyes out.”
“This isn’t funny, Chase.”
He closed the distance between us. I nervously stepped backward, not trusting myself to be so near him, but found myself up against the edge of the desk. I folded my arms in front of my chest in a pitiful attempt at self-preservation.
“I can see just how much you want to kiss me. You can’t hide it -you’ve got a terrible poker face.” He put his arms on my shoulders and drew me even closer until I could feel his body heat warming the air between us. He drew his mouth close to my ear. “You don’t have to hold back. I won’t stop you.”
Even with my heart pounding in my ears with the thought of kissing Chase, I choked out defiantly through clenched teeth. “Trust me, I don’t want to.”
Chase was undaunted. “I read your letter.”
Embarrassed, I tried to look away, but Chase caught my chin in his hand so that I couldn’t avoid his eyes. I sighed. “The gentlemanly thing to do would be for you to forget I ever sent you that letter. Not to mock me with it!”
The cocky half-smile was back on his face. “I’m no gentleman. Haven’t you learned that yet, darlin’?”
I snorte
d with disgust. “So, you’re here to have your fun taunting me with it? To humiliate me in front of my friends and family too?”
His smile spread wider. “I’ll tell you what… I’ll make you a deal. Kiss me right now and I won’t bring up your letter ever again. I promise.”
My mouth dropped open. “You’re insane, Wilder.”
“Hmm. Maybe I am. I always seem to be making these crazy proposals to you.”
“So let me get this straight, if I give you a kiss, you’ll forget all about the letter?” I added to make sure, “You’ll leave me in peace? Just a kiss, right? Nothing more?”
“Nothing more.”
“This is so juvenile, Chase!” To my horror, a slight giggle escaped my lips.
Chase, still smirking like he’d just won the championship game, just shrugged in response.
I knew he wasn’t going to let me off with a simple peck on the cheek or even a modest full-mouth kiss. He never did anything in half-measures. In truth, I knew it would be an absolutely toe curling kiss. It might be a very bad idea for my mental health, but the thought of kissing him again was just too thrilling to easily dismiss.
I desperately wanted this kiss. I couldn’t deny it. I had wanted to be back in his arms the very moment I had clamped eyes on him again.
I wanted to be back in his bed.
Chase sensed the moment I caved in or maybe I was the one pulling him closer to me. The second our lips were locked, all the alarm bells going off inside my head were silenced. My brain stopped reasoning altogether as pure carnal pleasure took over. His kiss was demanding and all-consuming and I returned it with mindless abandon. I lost all awareness and time stood still as I slipped under the magic of Chase’s spell.
It wasn’t until he ended the kiss that I realized just how deep I’d fallen. I blinked my eyes slowly trying to regain my composure. My hands, which were running all over his body, instantly stilled. Somehow, I was now sitting on the desk with my legs wrapped tightly around his waist. How could I have gotten so carried away? It was humiliating.
I tried to pull myself out of this horribly intimate position, out of the tangle of his arms, but he held onto me firmly. He sounded amused, “you’re not going anywhere, darlin’. Just relax.”
The kiss had been a horrible miscalculation on my part. I shouldn’t have reminded myself how much I loved Chase and wanted to be with him. This would only serve to double the inevitable pain when he moved on. His teasing me about the letter was the very least of my worries.
“Chase, let me go. You got what you wanted.”
“Nope. I’m not going to let you go. Not this time.”
“But you promised-”
He didn’t let me finish. “I promised not to mention your letter again. I never mentioned letting you go. And, I didn’t say anything about this…”
He reached around his back and pulled a crumpled envelope from his pocket. I cringed. It looked suspiciously like my letter.
Suddenly, he looked serious. “This is the letter that I wrote at Dr. G’s office. I want you to read it.”
I blushed as I remembered the practically pornographic incident at Dr. Goswami’s office and could only imagine what Chase must have written that day. I shook my head. “I don’t want to read it.”
In a surprisingly tender gesture, Chase kissed my forehead. “We’re quite a stubborn pair. Would you believe that I was too scared to read the letter that you sent? I just read it the other day. I’ve been such a fool.”
My heart was pounding. What was he telling me? He hadn’t read my letter weeks ago and blown me off the entire time?
He pushed the letter into my hands. “Read my letter, Aubrey.”
My hands were shaking as I took the sheet of paper out of the envelope.
Dear Aubrey,
This should be a very easy letter to write. Everything about our lives together is supposedly fake, and fake doesn’t take much effort. But now that I’m sitting here with a pen and paper, I’m realizing that this letter isn’t so easy after all. Yeah, we agreed that this would be business only between us, but it’s feeling like a hell of a lot more than that to me.
How do I explain the strange connection I felt with you, from that very first moment I met you? Why is it that every time I put my arms around you, I feel like I’ve come home? Sometimes I fantasize about really being married to you, and how incredible that would be. I think about how lucky our children would be to have a mother like you. But mostly I remember the times you’ve been in my arms. At night, I can’t sleep because I’m filled with thoughts of you, of touching you, of our kisses. The crazy effect you have on my heart amazes me. You set me on fire.
How is this all going to end? What am I going to do, when it does? Because the thought of going on without you in my life is becoming so hard. You’re so precious to me. I’m afraid I’ll be lost without you.
I looked up from the letter trying not to cry. My voice sounded wobbly with uncertainty, “What does this mean?”
“It means that we love each other. I love you, Aubrey. With all my heart. And, I’ll prove it to you every single day.” I could see the truth of what he was saying shining in his eyes.
We kissed again. This time the pace was slower, but the kiss was no less overwhelming in intensity. I felt as if my heart my burst with happiness. Was this really happening?
Chase pulled back from me. “We’ve got to cool it a bit. We need to get back to the party before people start talking.”
“The wine and cheese party?”
Chase laughed. “Our real wedding party. Everyone is here tonight for us. Celebrating our marriage. Let’s go out there and show our friends and family how much we love each other.”
The tears were gathering at my eyes again, this time for a much different reason. “Our wedding party? You did all this?”
“Well, with some help from Dakota. Now we better go out and socialize with everyone. Go get it all out of your system. Because, after this party, I’ve got some very private plans for us. And I plan on keeping you all to myself for a very long time.”
I whirled through the rest of the evening in a daze of happiness. Chase and I spoke to my mother, who was bubbling over with enthusiasm for our marriage, for quite some time. Armed with a glass of champagne, I bounced between all our guests, soaking up their well wishes.
I took some good-natured teasing from Lisa who was busy playing with one of the rescue dogs. Even the rescue dogs were getting lots of positive attention. The night was everything I could ask for.
When Chase and I made our way back over to my Dad, they began discussing football. My Dad clapped Chase on the back. “So, you play for Miami? Looks like I’m gonna become a big fan of your team. I heard you just got re-signed. Pretty late, huh?”
Chase looked slyly at me. “Yeah, sometimes it happens this late. The stuff that goes on during contract negotiations is pretty crazy. Right, honey?”
I barely registered the inside joke, because I couldn’t contain my joy at the news. I threw my arms around Chase. “John Clarke signed you? You’re back on the team?”
Chase’s arms encircled my waist and held me tight against him. “It seems I had a very persuasive negotiator in my corner pleading my case. I’m very thankful.”
Just then, Mary made her way over to us. “I’m so happy for the two of you – you look so in love.” She turned to me, “you’re coming to my house for a family dinner tomorrow night. And of course, your parents are invited.”
After that, I was introduced to so many Wilders that I lost track. I had met Gage and Luke before, but I had never met his other brothers, Cade and Brody. All the Wilder brothers seemed to share Chase’s good looks, wicked humor and a brotherly camaraderie. Also present were a bunch of aunts and uncles and cousins who were thoroughly enjoying the party.
The only break in the revelry was when a strange hush, followed immediately by an excited cackle of gossiping voices, washed over the crowd. I turned my attention to the door to see who
had entered the party and caused such a strange reaction.
It took me a few seconds to recognize the over-sized man in the exquisitely tailored suit and black cowboy hat. The man who had caused such a buzz was Judd Kincaid, infamous in Grove, in fact, infamous in all of Oklahoma.
He called himself a business man, but mobster was the more apt description. He had the reputation as a fierce adversary, an extremely dangerous man to tangle with, and he artfully peddled his vast influence in every part of society.
I felt a chill of apprehension as he made his way through the crowd towards us. Why would Kincaid show up at our wedding party? I glanced up at Chase only to observe the same confused expression on his face.
The whole room seemed to be watching and waiting as Kincaid approached us. His voice was booming, “Chase Wilder, I hear some congratulations are in order. And this must be the pretty little lady?”
“Yes, this is Aubrey, my wife.” Chase’s jaw clenched. “This is our wedding party. We weren’t expecting you.”
Chase didn’t seem to be intimidated by the notorious man at all. I squeezed Chase’s hand lightly in warning, but he kept his eyes directly on Kincaid.
The man smiled, completely unperturbed by Chase’s harsh tone. “Yes, I’m so sorry for interrupting, but I have some business with your brother, Luke. It is quite urgent and I was told I could find him here.”
Chase’s eyes narrowed suspiciously. “What kind of business do you have with Luke?”
“That’s something I’d like to discuss with Luke. Not with you.” The commanding note in his voice was one not to be argued with.
I squeezed Chase’s hand, much harder this time. This time, he heeded my warning. He turned to me and smiled reassuringly. “I’m going to take Mr. Kincaid to your office so he can speak with Luke in private. Why don’t you go find my Mom and see if she’s okay?”