Pretty Ugly (Addicted Hearts Book 2)

by Jane Anthony

  Her breathy plea turns my solid cock to steel. I whip off my shirt as she tears at my pants, using her feet to cast them aside, then fuse our lips in a slow kiss. Her mouth’s as hot and wet as the spot between her legs. And just as sweet. I tongue it with the same sensual passion, teasing her until her hips rise to meet mine.

  I pull back and see the smoldering look in her charcoal gaze. She rests her hand on my cheek, lifting her face to mine, but I pause, caressing her cheekbone with my thumb. “Kat, baby, before we do this, I need you to know I’m fine, okay? All my tests were clear.”

  A sigh leaks across her tongue, her lashes fluttering closed for a split second. “I knew they would be. Our story isn’t ready to end.”

  Chapter 22

  Kat

  I’m wrecked. Torn in half by Chase’s mouth and hands. The taste of me clings to his lips. I still feel him. His hot mouth pressed against my core and the satisfied sound in the back of his throat as he catapulted me into orbit.

  Now, I’m plummeting back to Earth, cradled in his strong arms, held captive by his crystal-clear gaze as he tells me everything’s going to be okay. Our nightmare is ending, our sweet dreams starting anew. He seals that promise with another kiss, his hips settling between mine. “I love you, Katarina. Se agapó.”

  I tighten around him, holding him so every inch of his body presses against mine. “S 'agapó ki esý, to glykó mou, Chase.”

  “Say it again,” he begs, his voice thick with desire.

  “I love you, Chase.”

  A growl vibrates against my neck. He thrusts, seating himself inside me. I gasp. The delicious bite of initial pain steals my breath as my body stretches to accommodate the sudden intrusion.

  There are no words between us now. Just the perfect harmony of our groans and grunts as Chase brings me to orgasm again. His hips roll with slow and fervent power. They pull me under his riptide, immersing me in a rapturous river of euphoria until I’m trembling beneath him.

  The steady rhythm of his pelvis moves in time with the cadence of my beating heart. Every thump banging against my ribcage bears his name. It’s imprinted there, under the layers of skin and purple ink, trapped forever.

  Another wave crests over me, but instead of drowning in the flood, I’m set adrift in a heavenly plateau that doesn’t quit rolling through me until I’m wrung out and panting with exhaustion. Satisfaction sweeps through me, rippling up my spine, as Chase pushes with all his might. With his fingers threaded through mine, his body goes rigid. A deep rumbling howl thunders through his chest. He collapses, his bigger body covering my little one.

  I whimper when he pulls away, my oversensitive core feeling the emptiness immediately, but he doesn’t go far. He wraps himself around me. Arms and legs cocooning me in warmth, his panting breath fucking my ear.

  “Are you okay?” he asks, sliding in closer.

  My only answer is a satisfied sigh of relief. The past few months have been a whirlwind of ups and downs. I’ve tumbled through more emotions than my brain can handle. I’m tired. This is the moment I let it go. I find my happy place and let myself feel nothing but contentment for now.

  Chase’s fingers flit along my side, then slip over my stomach. He’ll do this a hundred times over the course of the pregnancy, but right now, at this moment, the protective way his colorful fingers splay across my barely there belly has tears coating my eyes. He wasn’t there when I found out I was pregnant. And he wasn’t there the first time the vibrant sound of the baby’s heartbeat blared through the office, but he’s here now. And that’s really all that matters to me.

  We have the rest of our lives to be together.

  “Are you working tomorrow?” Chase asks after a period of silence.

  “No. I rescheduled all my appointments for the week. I’ll have to stop in at some point, but I’ll be around.”

  His chest rises and falls deliberately against my back. For a minute, I think he’s fallen asleep until he speaks up again. “I want you to know that my relapse had nothing to do with you, Kat. You’re the only good thing about me.”

  I shift in bed, falling to my back. “What do you mean?”

  “Well, I can’t find a decent job, for one. I’m the man. I’m supposed to take care of you.”

  “Last I checked, it wasn’t 1955, Chase.” I grin, propping myself up on an elbow. “I don’t need a caretaker; I need a partner.”

  “I know.” He slips a piece of my hair between his fingers before shoving it behind my ear. “But I’m not your partner. I’m your dependent. I’m worthless to you.”

  “Hey.” My palm finds his cheek. “Don’t ever say that again. You’re not worthless. You just haven’t found your niche.”

  When he pushes his lips together, the little silver ring sticks straight out. It catches on the light of the television. Some other weird chick flick I didn’t even realize was on until now.

  “You should go back to school.”

  “Yeah, okay,” he mocks, dropping onto his back. “Professional shelf stocker?”

  “Certified substance abuse counselor.”

  His dark brows pull together, a deep crease forming above his nose. “That’s insane.”

  “No, it’s perfect. You’re happiest when you feel needed. I mean, you took one look at me and knew I needed help. I needed you. I am who I am because of you.” I stick my finger hard into his arm. “And the way you were with that kid with the pencil. Chase, you were magnificent. You have so much to offer. You didn’t relapse because you felt worthless, you relapsed because the good inside you piled up and became too much to bear. Helping people, babe. That’s your niche.”

  He exhales hard, slipping his arm under my back and pulling me in. “You really think I could do it?”

  “I know you can.”

  Chapter 23

  Chase

  Hot breath blows across my jaw like a summer squall. I reach out to pull Kat against me, but, instead of warm skin, I find thick carpets of fur under my palms. My eyelids flutter and crack open. “Zeus, get the fuck down,” I garble against the pillow, but the dog barely flinches.

  Sitting up, I rub my face, my gaze sliding toward the cable box to check the time. I choose not to use today. My new mantra. It runs through my head as I roll through my morning routine, then leave Zeus snoring in the bedroom.

  The scent of turkey bacon and coffee greets me in the hall. I float to the kitchen, carried by the savory fragrance. “Hey, look who’s up!” Kat throws a smirk my way, flipping an over-easy egg. “Have a seat. Breakfast is almost ready.”

  “Looks good,” I tell her, pressing my lips to her cheek. “I’m starving.”

  “Yeah, well, you worked up an appetite last night.” She knocks her hip against mine and lifts the hot egg off the pan with a spatula, then drops it on a dish.

  I grip her hips and yank her to me, ass-to-crotch. Something about the sight of her stomach peeking under her tank top arouses me to no end. There’s very little there. Just a small thickening around her waist. It’s knowing what’s growing inside that fills me with possessive hunger, but that’s not all. Her skin tastes sweeter, her body more responsive. The littlest touch sends her spiraling into orbit. I can’t get enough of it. “I’m about to work up another one,” I warn, lightly snapping the band on her shorts. “Take these off.”

  The strain on our relationship put a divide between us. We’d changed. Kat grew stronger, and I grew more humble. We can’t return to the people we once were, but that’s okay. Over the course of the past month, I’ve had the joy of rediscovering her. We were two strangers learning to fall in love again.

  “After breakfast,” she simpers, turning to drape her arms over my shoulders. “I have a surprise for you.”

  “Oh, yeah?” Softly, I brush my lips against hers. “What’s that?”

  She reaches out and grabs a pamphlet off the microwave and smacks it against my chest. Red stripes stretch across a box in the corner with a shooting star cutting through them. The letters LACC
written in bright blue letters next to it. My boner deflates. “City College? Kat, I don’t even have a diploma.”

  “Getting your GED is easy. You can do it right online. I’ll help you.”

  “School’s expensive. With the baby coming --”

  She presses her fingertips against my mouth. “No excuses. We’ll make it work.”

  A little ball of excitement and fear builds in my stomach. I think back to the pride shining in Rodney’s eyes that day in the quad. Twisting my addiction from something heinous into something beautiful would be an incredible feat, but I’m terrified of the inevitable failure. What if I can’t do it?

  “You can do it,” she says, reading my mind. “Just think about it.”

  “I will.”

  Gifting me with another smile, she takes a step back. “That’s all I ask.” She picks up the plate on the counter next to us and brings it to the table. An Amazon box smiles at me from the other end, but my rumbling stomach takes precedence over my curiosity.

  When I stab the yolk with my fork, a yellow stream trickles out, creating a thick pool of sunshine covering my plate. I scoop up a piece and stuff my mouth with the runny goodness. Kat uses this weird spice on eggs. I don’t know what it is, but it gives them this added flavor that’s good as hell. “What’s in the box?” I ask, pointing with the butt of my utensil.

  “Another surprise for you.”

  “After that last one, I’m questioning your knowledge of the word surprise.” She cocks her head with a sarcastic pout.

  “This one you’ll like.” Letting me stew, she nibbles on the end of a piece of bacon and swallows it down before telling me the big secret. “You wanna hear the baby’s heartbeat?”

  I pause mid scoop, the fluttery feeling in my belly making my breakfast instantly less appetizing. My eyes widen. “I can do that?”

  “Yes.” Grabbing a butter knife, she tears through the tape. My own heart races like a freight train as she pulls out the white and pink box, then carefully opens the flap. “Athena had one of these when she was pregnant.” With growing impatience, I watch as she scans the instructions, then places one earbud into each of our ears. “Listen.” After squeezing a dollop of aloe under her belly button, she presses the wand into her stomach. Static crunches through the speaker at first, the swishing sound of it slithering across her lower belly permeating my brain.

  She stops and slowly turns up the volume. A fast, echoing thump bellows across the wire. “You hear it?” Her smile is electric, infectiously jumping from her face to mine as I listen to the most beautiful sound I’ve ever heard.

  The lump in my throat is too hard to talk around. I nod, reeling in disbelief. Rodney talked about the first person who achieved sobriety because of him. He called that his ah-ha moment. This right here? This is mine. The moment I hear my baby’s heart beating inside the body of the woman I already consider my wife. This is the moment I stop thinking about my future and start planning for it. I’m going to do whatever it takes to carve out a better life for my family. Sure, I’ll make mistakes, but underneath it all, my child will never question how fucking loved he is from the minute he’s born until I’m taken from this Earth kicking and screaming. He’s not even born yet, and my heart is so full my chest hurts.

  I am a powerhouse; I am indestructible.

  My lungs expand with deep, satisfied breaths. I’m on top of the world and ready to conquer it, but before I can do it, I need to face the last person I’ve been avoiding. Tearing myself from the sound of rhythmic joy, I stand. “I have to run out quick.”

  Bewilderment shadows her bright face. “Where are you going?”

  “I need to have a chat with Nikos.”

  The Andropoulos estate sits atop a rolling hill. A massive structure with large windows and balconies overlooking the bustling city with a breathtaking view. It’s an exquisite home, owned by a judgmental prick who always found a way to make Kat feel less than worthy.

  Because of me, she sold her soul to the devil himself.

  I’m about to get it back.

  Manicured topiaries line the walk, their twisty shapes curving toward the sky. Stepping from the car, I shake out my quivering hands as I make my way to the column-faced porch. I swallow hard and ring the bell. Footsteps echo through the door. I hear them get louder, then grow silent, replaced by the sound of clicking before the door opens.

  “Chase! What are you doing here?” Kat’s sister-in-law, Anna, stands in the doorway, the blood draining from her face in slow motion. “Do you need something?” Her distrusting eyes scan mine for any sign of trouble that may be brewing inside them. She blocks me in the doorway, her posture rigid and her arms close to her sides. It’s a look I’ve seen a dozen times on a dozen different faces.

  A chill hits the back of my neck, then rolls across my throat, squeezing so tight it’s hard to breathe. Nikos and I . . . well, let’s just say he’s not my biggest fan. But Anna has always been super sweet, greeting me with a smile and a warm hug. Today, however, she grimaces at my appearance on her porch, looking down at me as if I’m a virus meant to plague her entire family.

  “Nikos home?”

  “Yeah. Hold on just a sec.”

  The glistening black paint on the front door swings back toward my nose. She won’t even let me inside her house. That clutter of spiders that attacked my flesh the first time we met returns with a vengeance. It picks apart everything inside me, devouring my strength and leaving me vulnerable. Maybe this was a bad idea. Nikos is steadfast in his opinions. Maybe I’m an asshole for attempting to make a good impression on those I’ve already wronged, but my fight or flight instincts kick into gear. I throw back my shoulders, ready to give it my all. Nikos is my family, too, and I owe him amends as well.

  I am courageous, and I stand up for myself.

  A few moments pass before the door opens again, this time with Nikos on the other side. His thick brows pull together. “Chase. What’s up?”

  I exhale hard. “Can I come in?”

  “My sister okay? Does she know you’re here?”

  “Yeah, she’s fine. Is there somewhere we can talk?”

  He offers a curt nod and pulls open the door, allowing me inside. The open space in the vast entrance creates an echo effect on Nikos’s voice when he closes us inside. “I have a client coming at noon, so we’ll have to make this quick.” My sneakers squeak on the marble tiles as I follow him to a sitting room off to the right. “What’s up?” he asks, dropping to the couch.

  “I know the events that have taken place over the past few months have colored your opinion of me.”

  “Yeah.” Confidence pours from the single word spoken from his thin lips. He sits back, resting his ankle on his opposite knee as if he didn’t just openly agree to his distaste for my presence. That’s okay. If I were in his shoes, I wouldn’t like me very much either.

  I sit in an armchair facing the sofa. “I want to thank you for your help in bringing me home. I know you and Kat had some kind of deal, and it’s none of my business, but I’ve come to ask you to let her out of the contract you had her sign in exchange for the money. In return, I will work for you for free until I’ve paid off her debt.”

  A deep, thunderous laugh rumbles in his chest. “Doing what? Delivering my groceries?”

  “If that’s what it takes.”

  The shit-eating smile falls off his face. “You really love my sister?”

  “No.” I shake my head, leaning forward on both elbows to keep my knee from bouncing. “The way I feel about her goes beyond love. She’s my other half.”

  He drapes his arm over the back of the couch, staring into the gaping maw of the unlit fireplace recessed into the wall. “Let me share a nugget of wisdom with you, Chase. Kat’s fickle. My little sister jumps from thing to thing without hesitation. She’s always been that way. I was sure she’d drop you like a bad habit the second things started getting too heavy to handle, but she didn’t.” He turns toward me, his features darkening his face.
“When she showed up at my door sobbing for you, I decided to test her devotion. I told her I’d give her the money for a portion of her salon to see if it would waver her commitment, and you know what she said to me?” I shake my head. “You can have all of it as long as it brings him home.” Guilt splashes me in the face like a bucket of ice water. Sucking my lips between my teeth, I let the mental image of that sink in as my stomach twists into knots. I see it in my head, her sad face begging for Nikos’s help. “I don’t want her business, Chase. I just wanted to know if she’d be willing to give it up for you.”

  “Well, now you know. Does it change anything?”

  He lets out a long-drawn-out sigh. “Look, Kat and I don’t always see eye to eye, but I love my sister, and for whatever reason, she loves you. Personally, I think she could do better, but I also can’t deny the change I’ve seen in her since you’ve been together. She’s stable, successful, and, up until recently, happy. That’s all I want for her.”

  “That’s all I want, too.”

  “It’s admirable that you’ve come here looking to work off her debt. That showed a lot of balls, but there’s no debt to work off. Consider it a gift, and let’s move on.”

  When he stands to leave, I jump from my seat to stop him. “I don’t take handouts.”

  Nikos puffs out his chest, crossing his arms over his pink Ralph Lauren polo. His intimidation tactics don’t scare me. I’ve stared in the face of death and laughed. I’ve dragged myself through the bowels of hell, not once, but twice.

  I acknowledge my own self-worth; my confidence is soaring.

  “I will do anything it takes to work off the debt. Give me the chance to be a man, Nikos.”

  Nikos’s dark eyes fix on mine, the same razor-sharp glare his sister has when she’s angry. “Okay. Fine. Monday morning, you come to my office. Bring coffee. Large. Black, two Splendas.”