Chase winked at her and kissed her hand. “Be right back.” He headed across the dance floor.
The singer announced, “Ladies and gentlemen, Chase Tanner!"
Chase ran and jumped up on the stage to the screams and shouts of the crowd. He spoke to the band, then turned and pulled the microphone from the stand. “Thank you all for comin’ out tonight to support the Wild Horse Rescue Ranch."
The audience shouted again.
"Many of us here tonight have been blessed. We have more than we need, and I want to commend you for sharing with your neighbors.” He nodded to the drummer.
One of his ballads started, and he sang slow and low, filling the dance floor with couples, and mesmerizing Reno. He knew how to make love to the audience with his voice. When the song finished, he thanked the crowd and tried to hand the mic back to the singer, but the crowd clapped and chanted, “Chase! Chase! Chase!” and the singer shook his head and pointed to him.
"Okay,” Chase said, tipping his hat forward. “You asked for it!"
His famous rocker about the woman with the big bottom started playing and he gyrated as he sang.
A group of young women congregated in front of the stage, a few of them showing him their amazing cleavage and turning around to flaunt their ample butts.
But Chase kept his eyes on the dancers, or on Reno. Anywhere but on the sweet young things that would undoubtedly jump at the chance to spend the night with him.
He finished the song. “Thanks again for letting me interrupt this great band."
The audience chanted, “One more! One more! One more!"
He shook his head. “My girlfriend is sitting all alone at the bar, and what kind of a cowboy would do that to a beautiful lady?"
Reno glanced at her bodyguard, who grinned down at her. She felt her face warm at Chase's words. “Girlfriend,” she whispered. Never had one little word made her feel so happy.
Chase jumped off the stage and sprinted through the crowd, high-fiving them and humbly accepting their praise with thank-yous. When he reached her, he shook her makeshift bodyguard's hand. “Much obliged, sir."
"Thank you for coming tonight. You're as stand-up a man as they say you are."
Chase winked at Reno. “Did you hear that, baby? I am a good cowboy."
She stood and looped her arm through his. “You're the best person I know, Chase."
He stopped and looked at her, his face intent. “From you, Reno, that's a high compliment.” He brushed her cheek then, as camera flashes caught them, he pulled her along toward the other end of the bar.
They walked to where the couple who owned the rescue ranch sat on barstools, looking dazed by all the attention. A crowd surrounded them.
Chase waited his turn, but whispers started, and the group parted. He led Reno forward and they both shook the couple's hands. “Good luck, and if you ever need anything else, you just call me."
The man looked struck speechless, but his wife jumped off her barstool and gave Chase a huge hug. “You are our hero.” She started to cry.
Chase peeled her arms from around her neck. “No, all these people...” he gestured behind him, “...they are your heroes, ma'am. I'm just doing my part."
The man shook his head and found his voice. “You don't know how much this means to us. Thank you."
A voice behind Reno asked, “Can we get a picture?"
Chase looked at the couple. “Okay with you?"
The woman squealed and her husband said, “Yes, of course."
They posed for a dozen shots, Chase in the middle with an arm around each of them, his smile genuinely happy.
He shook both their hands then took off his hat and reached into his pocket. He pulled out a black indelible marker and signed the hat brim. “I hear there's an auction later.” He handed the hat to the woman. “Would you include this? You might get a few dollars off it."
The woman held it as reverently as a crystal tiara. Tears ran down her face, and she sniffled. “This is too much. Thank you."
Chase grabbed Reno's arm and rushed her out of the building. As the door closed behind him, he said, “I get damn uncomfortable when women cry."
Reno kept her head down and wiped the tears from her cheeks.
He stopped and bent to look at her face. “Aw, not you, too!"
She giggled. “It was just so touching."
"Baby, you're a sensitive soul."
"Me?” She smiled. “I'm sensitive? You're the one who did all this.” She gestured to the bar. “Singing and giving the hat off your head to people you don't know—"
He shook his head and started walking. “It's the least I could do. It was nothing."
She jogged to catch up. Was he embarrassed to be caught doing something nice? He did a lot for others. She read a story about him, way back when they were casting the movie, that talked about the domestic shelters Chase sponsored. Hundreds of them in cities across the US, in honor of his mother. Lacing her fingers into his, she said, “I was proud to be with you tonight."
He ran his hand through his hair and looked at her. “I'm glad you came with. People treat me different mostly, and it gets old."
"Lonely."
He unlaced their fingers and put his arm around her. “Yeah.” Helping her into the truck, he kissed her fingers. “But not anymore.” Their gazes fused, and Reno felt her chest expanding, as if her soul linked with his.
As he closed the door and walked around the hood, she whispered, “And never again, Chase."
The drive home was quick, but quiet. Chase heard Reno's questions, but responded with short replies. He just wished he could feel the pride in what he'd done, the way Reno seemed to think he should.
But all he was doing was singing. Goddamn waste of time singing as his dad used to call it. It wasn't like he was saving lives or teaching children or even running a business like Jorjia had done. Just because he'd gotten lucky with his songs and his voice and his face, didn't give him the right to gloat about the few things he did to help folks out.
He reached over and squeezed Reno's hand, and she smiled. He was damn lucky to have her, and he'd better keep his shitty attitude to himself if he wanted to keep her.
The next afternoon, Chase worked with his ranch hands breaking in a wild mustang he'd bought after it had been injured and rescued by the Wild Horse Rescue Ranch. Reno sat on the top board of the fence watching them from under the new cream-colored cowgirl hat he bought for her that morning.
Chase wore an old checkered shirt, its sleeves long gone, the back wet with sweat. A cowboy hat, grungy from hard use, sat planted firmly on his head. His big arms glistened in the beaming sun as he held the rope and turned circles while the bronc reconciled itself to the idea of being domesticated.
She grinned. If only Chase were that easy to tame. He did some wild, risky things on the ranch, but he swore he knew what he was doing, and she believed him. The small spread was well maintained, and well suited to the two sides of Chase's personality. The mansion housed the country star, and the land nurtured his cowboy spirit.
Reno tucked her phone into her shorts pocket. She'd just hung up from a call from her brother. A courier had delivered a package to him because she wasn't home. She asked him to open it, and was ecstatic when she heard the contents. She was chosen to fill the spring semester teaching position that Drake had helped her apply for. But now, as she looked at Chase, apprehension filled her. How would he take the news that she was going to France for four months?
[Back to Table of Contents]
Chapter Eleven
Three hours later, Reno floated in the pool, and Chase's voice woke her from a semi-slumber.
"Baby, mmm. Look at you in that bikini.” He tossed his cowboy hat on a chair and walked toward the edge of the pool, stripping off the sweaty shirt, his boots, and jeans. Jumping in, he came up under her, tipped her off her floatie, and pulled her to him for a big, sloppy kiss.
He unhooked her top and peeled it off her breasts, then bent down
to suckle them.
"Chase,” she cried, looking toward the house. “The staff!"
"Gone."
"The ranch hands!"
"They don't come up to the house. They have their own pool.” His hand snuck down her back, under her bottom, and down the crack of her ass.
"Oh,” she moaned, as his finger found her back door and an unexpected zing of desire bounced through her. “Wait."
"I promised you this morning we were going to try something different."
She sucked in a breath. Anal sex? Yeah, that was different. Nervous excitement shook her voice when she asked, “Are you sure?"
He pulled back from her breasts and grinned at her. “I'm sure, you're not, huh?"
"I don't know.” A couple of her other boyfriends wanted to go there, but she'd never felt comfortable.
He laughed and picked her up in his arms and carried her out of the pool, then his lips curled in a wicked grin. “Trust me."
Okay, this was it. She needed to decide if she could do something this decadent. Heck, she'd done many things with Chase that she'd never dreamed of doing. And she enjoyed them all. Might as well live on the edge. She smiled. “Where do you want me?"
He kissed her quickly and stood her next to the double lounge chair. The hot, Texas sun warmed her pool-chilled body as he used the corner of a towel to dry her face, then ran it over her body, slowly, lovingly.
She almost changed her mind, but the look on his face was so sincere, she couldn't resist. He wanted to give her a new experience, and she committed herself to becoming more adventurous. But the waiting gave her too much time for doubt. “Chase, I want to feel you inside me...there."
His face changed from smolderingly seductive to fiery intense. He dropped the towel and grabbed her close, squeezing a little too tightly. His kiss ravaged and she matched his hunger with her own, but only for a few seconds until he stepped away.
"Don't move.” He went to his jeans and pulled something out of a pocket. Walking back, he stood next to her and showed her a condom packet and a small vial of lubricant.
She asked, “You were pretty confident I'd say yes, weren't you?"
"After we talked this morning, I grabbed these and fingered them while I worked the mustang. It reminded me that all this...” He glanced around him. “...means nothing, if I don't have the right person to share it with.” His gaze met hers, and she saw a deep vulnerability he'd never shared with her.
She whimpered. “Oh, Chase."
He grinned and tweaked her nipple. “Now, let's have sex."
She laughed at his instant switch of emotion. “You're so bad."
"Yeah, that's why we're so damn good together. Devil and angel."
She whispered, “I'm no angel."
He laughed, low and naughty. “Thank God.” He turned her to face the lounge chair. “Bend over, and show me what you want."
She leaned forward until her hands touched the cushion then spread her legs, arched her back and went up on tiptoes. “I want you, Chase."
"Perfect. So fucking sexy.” As he ran his hands over her back and hips, he said, “Tell me if anything hurts, or if I go too fast.” He held her ass cheeks. “You're so beautiful.” His breath came fast. “And I'm so fucking excited, I'm having a hard time holding myself back."
"Um.” She looked back at him. “You won't..."
"Don't worry, baby.” He massaged her ass. “I'll be careful."
His hands left her, but within seconds, his finger slid along the ridge of her tight hole. The lubricant was warming, and he circled her, stopping to press against her anus. The excitement of the forbidden thrilled her, and the sensuous feeling of his finger against her flesh sent tingles through her core. This would be nice.
Chase eased a finger all the way inside her, slowly, then pulled it out and circled her puckered hole again. Then the pressure increased as he slid in two fingers, stretching her, preparing her.
She moaned, the sensuous touch not at all painful as she'd expected, but deliciously hot and arousing. Looking over her shoulder at him, his face was so intent, his eyes seemed dark, even in the bright sunlight, his wet hair clumped unevenly, and drops of water clung to his chest hair. He was gorgeous. And all hers.
Her hole stretched as he pushed his fingers further in, and moved them in and out. The sensation tingled along her crack to her spine. He looked into her eyes and asked, “You okay?"
"Mmm hmm.” She smiled, wanting to feel his cock there. “I'm ready for you."
He stepped back and rolled on a condom, used lubricant on it, and stood behind her, their legs touching from hip to calf, the coarse hair on his thighs scratched erotically against her tender skin. The tip of his cock touched her puckered rosebud. She closed her eyes to concentrate on the sensation of her man taking her in the ass for the first time.
He eased in, just the head, and held still for a moment. Her breath caught at the sting which was quickly followed by a restless desire that told her she needed more.
Then he pushed inside. She relaxed her muscles, savoring the feel of him entering her, a fraction at a time, until he seated fully in her.
The sensation was unlike anything she'd felt before. Pleasure mingled with a low level of pain. The combination was earth shattering—and addictive.
"Aww, Reno, this is damn good."
She moaned. “I like it so far."
He pulled out and slid in again, then thrust faster, and pumped her full of him, over and over. His breathing grew rough, and he groaned. Then he reached around and touched her clit, circling it, then rubbing quickly, and alternating motions.
His rubbing shot a wave of intense pleasure through her, the seductive slide of his anal thrusting, and the new fullness she felt sent her spiraling over the top, and a slow, rolling orgasm washed over her. “Chase, yes!"
He cried out, pumping faster, his orgasm making his legs shake, and his hand clamp tightly onto her ass. After a moment, he slowed, breathing rapidly, then shivered. “That was incredible.” He slid out of her as she collapsed onto the lounge chair.
Then he lay behind her, holding her close and kissing her neck. “How was it for you?"
"Mmm.” She purred like a naughty kitten. “I liked it. It's so different."
"I knew you would. You're built for having wild sex, baby."
That shocked her out of her afterglow. Turning her head to look at him, she said, “I have no idea what that means."
He kissed her nose. “It means I have a few more things we can try. Whenever you feel adventurous again."
She closed her eyes against the bright sun. “Right now, I just want to nap.” But she needed to pack. Oh, God, first she had to tell him she was leaving. Her eyes popped open again. “Chase, I didn't get to tell you—"
"That you want me again?” He kissed her lips.
"I do, but this is business."
He sucked her tongue into his mouth and twirled his around it before he backed away and grinned. “Yeah, so is this."
His cock grew hard against her thigh. “Let me tell you my news before you make me forget again. I've been awarded a grant."
"Good. More money. We can buy more condoms.” He concentrated on licking the corner of her mouth.
"No, it's more than that."
He traced his lips down her cleavage and tasted her nipples.
"Chase, listen to me."
He continued suckling, and the delightful lust tracing from her breasts to her pussy nearly overwhelmed her thought process.
"I can seduce and listen at the same time."
She huffed out a breath and put her hands on his cheeks, forcing him to look at her. “I'm going to France for four months."
His brow furrowed. “Why?"
"I've been awarded a grant to teach at the Sorbonne. I'm a last-minute replacement for the original recipient who was forced to drop out."
"Four months? When?"
"In four weeks."
He stared into her eyes, and his deep voice rumbled
, “No. Turn it down."
Reno's mouth fell open, but she could barely put words together. “I can't!"
"Baby, I'll be on tour starting next week. In the US. How the hell are we going to see each other if you're way the fuck over in France?” Chase's hand tightened on her hip.
"We'll figure it out. You can come over to visit a few times. And I'll come back when I can for a long weekend."
He shook his head. “That's not enough. I want you with me on the tour."
Her eyes opened wide. “What?"
Pushing off the lounge chair, he stood and picked up his underwear. “I assumed you'd want to. You don't work, other than writing, and you can do that anywhere, can't you?"
She sat up and reached for him, but he backed up a step. “Chase, I'm flattered that you'd like me to travel with you, but I don't think I'd get much writing done."
He ran his fingers through his hair. “It's not like I'm on the bus with the roadies. We lease a private jet. Stay at the best hotels. Limos take us everywhere."
She held her hands out, helpless. “Even if I wasn't going to Europe, I don't think I'd want to spend five whole months on the road with you. This is your job, Chase, and I'd just get in the way."
He walked to the edge of the pool and stared out at the horizon. “I should have asked you right away."
She walked over to him and hugged him sideways. “I'd love to go to a couple of your shows. But you have to understand what an honor it is for me to receive this grant."
His lips thinned. “I wouldn't think you'd accept it, since you weren't their first choice."
That hurt. “Yes, but it is still a privilege to be asked."
He looked at her, anger snapped in his gaze. “Isn't writing enough for you? Why do you have to teach, too?"
She slowly dropped her hands from his body. He'd always been stubborn and demanding, but this self-centered side of him just surfaced out of nowhere. “I've dreamed of teaching at the Sorbonne. I'm incredibly lucky to be recognized with this grant. I won't turn it down."
Walking around him, she retrieved her bikini and slid back into it. The cold, wet fabric jarred her sun-kissed skin, the same way Chase's immature behavior slammed her cozy little world against a brick wall. She picked up her phone and her book and walked toward the house.
Chase and Seduction Page 11