“I don’t hear you complaining about that one,” Hanna said with a rowr.
“No comment.”
“Then Talk of the Town has photos of you guys leaving the hotel last night. Fabulous dress. Vivienne Westwood?”
“Good eye.”
“More photos of you leaving Petra’s apartment. Lastly a really grainy shot of him feeding you something at the hotel restaurant.”
“Steak,” she said distractedly. “The man is a meat-eating machine.”
“So you plan to go out and tempt paparazzi today?”
“We’ll see. He’s at the gym. I talked to Arthur a little last night. He was very helpful.”
“How far are you in the project?”
“Waiting for her to send me stuff. It’s on hold until that point or until…” Ava scrolled over the images on the screen. Ryan smiling and talking to Chase.
When the door opened, she said, “Han, I’ve gotta go. I’ll touch base with you later,” and quickly closed the file on her laptop.
Chase flopped into the chaise. “Who was that?”
“Hannah. Bringing me up to speed on today’s reporting. Seems someone had a very busy day yesterday.”
His bottle of water stopped halfway to his mouth.
“Really, Chase? The Museum of Sex?”
He grinned. “Hey, it is a museum. I was tryin’ to get a little culture while I’m in the big city, Hollywood.”
“Not funny. And for someone who was such a fit about going shopping with me, you managed to hit three different stores yesterday.”
“First of all, you told me I needed clothes. Then I had time to kill so I picked up a stick horse for my nephew and a stuffed panda for my niece at the toy store. I wandered down the street and saw a fancy crystal vase in the window and knew my mother would get a kick out of a box from Tiffany’s showing up in Wyoming. And while I was in there I found a lamp for Ben’s desk and a picture frame for Quinn and Libby.”
He’d really been shopping for his family? That was so unbelievably sweet. And out of character for the rough cowboy.
“Did you buy anything for me?”
“Nope.” He cocked his head. “Did you buy anything for me when you went shopping yesterday?”
“Nope. But maybe we can pick out something for each other today when we go shopping together, since I now know you were lying through your pearly whites about hating to shop.”
“Ah, well, I have plans today.”
“What kind of plans?” And why didn’t you tell me?
“One of Arthur’s friends was talking about corporate sports sponsorships last night and I weighed in. Evidently I didn’t come across sounding like a hick idiot because he called me this morning and invited me to lunch and a Yankees game.”
Her eyes narrowed. “Who invited you?”
“Bill Dahl.”
“Bill Dahl? Who used to work with Donald Trump? Who has box seats at Yankee Stadium invited you to his inner sanctum? God. Billion dollar deals are made in those seats. You realize that, right?”
“No. But it’s not a big deal, Ava. Just a couple of guys eating hot dogs and bullshitting while watching a ball game.” He popped to his feet. “I better get in the shower. He’s sending a car to get me in about fifteen minutes.”
“Fifteen minutes? That gives you enough time to get ready?”
Chase rolled his eyes.
“You have clothes, right?”
“No, I thought I’d stroll in buck-assed nekkid. Christ. I can dress myself. Sometimes I think you forget that I’ve been on TV damn near once a week for the last eight years. So I have an idea how to conduct myself in a professional situation.”
Now she felt like a snob. “Sorry. I do forget that.”
Without prompting, he said, “I love you,” and smooched her on the mouth. “That guy who holds the door said the manager wanted to talk to you in his office as soon as it was convenient for you.”
“I’ll see you later.”
Chapter Twenty-Six
“Come on. I have something to show you.” Ava draped a lightweight cashmere sweater over her arm and shouldered her purse. She was surprised Chase took her hand without asking questions.
Jason waited for them at the elevators. “Ready?”
“All set.”
In the elevator, Jason swiped a keycard and inserted a small key into the panel before punching in a code. He faced them as the elevator moved. “Everything is set up as you requested. We have an event scheduled for noon, so the cleaning crew will arrive at six a.m.”
“Thank you, Jason.”
“My pleasure.” He stepped aside as the doors slid open. “Enjoy your evening.”
“We will.” Ava gripped Chase’s hand and stopped in the center of the round room.
“You wanna tell me what’s goin’ on, Hollywood?”
“We haven’t spent as much time together on this trip as I’d hoped. So tonight, it’s just us.”
His gaze scanned the polished wood floors, the glass walls, and the three doors, which were open, allowing a breeze in. “Where are we?”
“The penthouse. It’s rented out mostly for parties because…come on. I’ll show you.” Ava tossed her purse and sweater on the settee. She lifted a brow. “You aren’t afraid of heights?”
He snorted.
Holding his hand, she led him out the door and straight to the edge of the wide walkway.
“Holy shit.”
That summed it up perfectly. The modified balcony surrounding the penthouse boasted a 360-degree view of the New York City skyline. A waist-high glass partition was the buffer between penthouse and the twenty-one stories to the busy street below.
Neither said anything for several long minutes as they drank in the spectacular view. Ava had timed it so they arrived just before twilight, which allowed them to watch day turn to night as the lights of the most famous skyline in the world came on.
They walked the perimeter, stopping every few feet to gaze across the rooftops and the cityscape beyond. Ava pointed out landmarks. This time of day the light reflecting off the Chrysler Building gave it a pinkish-orange hue.
When they reached the opposite side, Chase said, “Holy shit,” again.
“I thought you might like this.”
A perpetual breeze blew due to the altitude. Ava’s dress flapped around her knees. Strands of hair drifted across her face and she wished she’d tied it back.
Chase rested his forearms on the glass ledge and peered over side. “Long drop.”
Ava matched his stance, switching her focus between the activity below and the buzz of helicopters and airplanes in the distance. She glanced at him when he snickered. “What?”
He raised his head and grinned at her slyly. “The little redneck boy inside me wants to spit over the side and see where it lands.”
“You can take the man out of Wyoming…but a little tobacco juice always remains.”
He chuckled.
They were shoulder to shoulder, enjoying the view when he turned around and pointed to the main space. “What’s around the corner?”
“A living area with a kitchen and a bathroom. Behind that, a bedroom with two bathrooms.”
“Handy.”
“Very.” A cool blast of air eddied around her and she shivered.
“C’mere. I’ll keep you warm.” Chase stepped behind her, wrapping his arms around her middle. When he nestled his chin on his shoulder, he sighed, “Well, that ain’t gonna work. You’re blocking my view, bein’s you’re taller than me.”
“Do you mind that I’m taller?
“Not so much anymore. Especially not when I see how sexy them sky-high heels makes your legs look.”
“But you still won’t dance with me.”
He brushed his lips across the shell of her ear. “I don’t recall you asking me recently.”
“So if I turned on music up here?”
“I’d two-step with you all night.” Chase swept his thumbs over her nipples until they
hardened. “Well, maybe not all night. I might have time for a little mattress dancing if you play your cards right.”
“I’ll cheat at cards if have to, to make that happen.”
He laughed. “How often have you stayed in the penthouse?”
“Never.”
That seemed to surprise him. “Why not?”
“Because it’s usually rented with weddings and parties. My visits to New York are spontaneous. As much as I love the penthouse and the view, hanging out up here all by myself is kind of a waste.”
“Mmm.”
“But I do sneak up if there isn’t an event scheduled. There’s something very humbling staring across all these high-rise buildings. I get that same feeling when I stare out at the ocean.”
“What feeling is that?”
“Insignificance. Here, I’m one of millions of people. On my beach, I’m as trivial as a grain of sand. Seeing proof of my irrelevance puts things in perspective for me, especially when I’ve been puffed up by my own self-importance and have lost that insight.”
“I hope you don’t lose that humbleness, Ava. It’s one of my favorite things about you.”
She snuggled into his arms, wishing she owned the right to be in them every night, fearful of bringing up the “what happens next” question.
Silence lingered as they watched the city lights blaze against the indigo sky.
Chase’s hot mouth trailed kisses up and down the side of her neck.
She tilted her head to the side, offering him full access.
He murmured, “You’re so beautiful all the time. But especially so tonight in this light. I want you.”
A shudder of need rolled through her. “I suppose that means I should show you the bedroom.”
His arms tightened. “No. I want you like this. Right here. Right now. With the city lights shining like your eyes.”
“But the paparazzi—”
“Won’t have a clue what we’re doin’.” He gestured with is chin to the closest building, half a block away. “Can you see in the windows from here?”
“No.”
“Then no one will see us, Ava. We’ll look like two lovers lost in each other, admiring the view.”
The idea of making love in public, but in a private setting, appealed to her. Yet, she couldn’t help but compare it to her last rendezvous at her beach house. The humiliation when an intimacy simply became gossip fodder. She’d never put Chase through that. “Chase—”
“Besides, like you said, who’ll notice us in a city of millions?”
It wouldn’t be the same at all. Chase isn’t like that other guy who wouldn’t man up. Even if you are caught, Chase would stand beside you. He wouldn’t be embarrassed about anything you do together because he loves you.
His sweetly seductive warm lips brushed the shell of her ear. “Please,” he whispered. “I need you.”
Need. Not want. Ava turned and caught his mouth in a deep kiss.
He pulled back and his lips curved against her cheek. “I’m takin’ that as a yes.”
“Yes.”
“Lean forward a little and hold on to the partition.”
She heard his clothes rustle. Then his rough-tipped fingers were teasing the backs of her thighs as he slowly lifted her dress to her hips. One finger traced the thin strap of her thong down the crack of her ass.
“Move your feet out, tall girl, so I won’t have to go on tiptoe to fuck you.”
His rough-toned words were the best kind of foreplay. Heat and hardness pressed into her backside. Beneath the silky fabric of her sundress, Chase’s hand followed the curve of her hip to the rise of her mound. His finger delved under the elastic band of her thong and stroked her slit. He groaned softly as he discovered she was already wet and ready.
“Cant your hips back, baby.”
Soon as she moved, she felt the condom covered head prodding her entrance.
Chase fed his cock into her slowly, his hot breath tickling her ear. “Ever done it standing up?”
“Ah, no.”
“Ever done it this close to the edge of a twenty-one-story building?”
“No. But every time you touch me, Chase, you take me to that edge that always makes me dizzy.”
“I love this sweet talkin’ side of you. I love all sides of you, Ava.” That said, he thrust into her fully.
Ava bowed into the solid wall of his chest.
Eroticism bombarded her from all angles. The sights and sounds of the city. The temperate breeze washing over them. His firm grip on her left hip. The perfect friction of his shaft tunneling in and out on a slow glide. Then arbitrarily ramming harder. The teasing flick of his fingertip over her clit. The feel of his mouth tasting her skin from her bare shoulder to behind her ear.
“Chase…I’m already…”
“Christ. It’s too goddamn good with you. Every. Fucking. Time. Hold on. I don’t wanna push you forward and send us crashing through the glass for the big finish.”
She twined her left arm back and gripped his neck as he rammed into her more forcefully.
When he shoved deep and stayed lodged inside her, she shattered.
Chase breathed raggedly against her nape, his pelvis still bumping into her in tiny increments. “Ava.”
“I know.” She turned her head, rubbing her damp cheek against his.
“Do you?” he whispered.
“Yes.”
“Say it.”
“You love me.”
He sank his teeth into her neck and she squealed.
“Okay, okay. I love you, Chase.” She loved his playful side. She loved his passionate side. She loved they fit together, no matter where they were. No matter who they were with. But she really loved just the two of them together.
Chase’s voice dropped to a barely discernible growl. “That’s what I wanna hear.” He scooped her into his arms and carried her to the bedroom.
With pure male heat and hunger, he undressed her, then himself. This wasn’t a sensual exploration resulting in an achingly sweet union of bodies. No. This was raw mating. He demanded. Took. Teased. And ultimately gave all of himself with such unending passion, he left her knowing no other man would ever reach inside her like he did.
Sated, spent and sleepy, Ava stretched out on her belly next to Chase as his fingers lazily trailed up and down her spine.
“Was I too rough?”
Did he sound worried? She rolled over to look him in the eyes. “No. Why?”
“I got a little carried away.”
“I like that about you.” Ava pecked him on the lips. “Every time I think you can’t top the last go-round? You do.”
“Mmm.”
“And because I know you’re always famished after you ravage me, I took the liberty of ordering food.”
“What kind of food?”
She traced the scar below his collarbone. “You seemed to like it when I hand-fed you, so the chef whipped up two trays of appetizers.”
Chase froze.
Laughing, she kissed his nipple. “I’m kidding. I didn’t want to be interrupted so we’re having steak salad and other stuff that can be served cold.”
“This has been great tonight. Just the two of us.” He sighed. “You’re always thinking of me, so I’ve gotta admit…”
“What?”
“I’m always thinking of you too, and I lied to you the other day. I did buy you something at Tiffany’s. I’ve been carryin’ it around in my pocket because I ain’t sure you won’t think it’s stupid.”
Ava perked right up. “A present? For me? I love presents.”
“There’s news,” he said dryly.
“Hand it over.”
Grumbling, he moved and rummaged though his jeans pockets.
Her eyes focused on what he’d clutched in his hand when he returned to bed.
“Close your eyes.” Something cool and hard landed just above her cleavage and his finger fumbled with the necklace clasp below her hairline. “Okay. You can look. But
if you don’t like it, won’t hurt my feelings if you wanna return it.”
Ava glanced down as her fingers lifted the charm. A miniature rose. The twisty stem and tiny leaves were antique silver. The bloom, the size of an eraser, was milky white shot through with pink undertones. Delicate, old-fashioned and absolutely perfect.
“I couldn’t find one like your grandpa gave you, and this was the closest I could come. The rose is carved out of rose quartz, which is all over Wyoming.”
“So I’ll think of you whenever I wear it.” Like I’ll ever stop thinking of you. Ava tried really hard not to cry, but a couple of tears slipped free. The last man who’d given her jewelry had been her grandfather.
“Ava?” Chase tipped her face up. “Ah, hell. Don’t cry. I told you that you can take it back.”
She made a sound half-laugh, half-sob. “No way am I taking it back, McKay. It’s beautiful. Perfect. I love it. Thank you.”
The guardedness in his eyes vanished. “You’re welcome.”
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chase paced in the hotel room, glaring at his phone. He hadn’t minded that the fucker hadn’t worked at all yesterday, since he and Ava had spent the whole day in their room, most of it in bed after they’d returned early in the morning from the penthouse.
Dammit. He needed to access his email. Nothing was showing up on his phone. And he’d been in such a hurry to get away from the sorrow in Nebraska he’d accidentally left his laptop in his truck at the Omaha airport.
His gaze landed on Ava’s computer on the desk. She’d left it on for a change. It’d take him about two seconds to log on to his account. If Ava were here she’d probably tell him to go ahead and borrow it.
Two programs were running and he minimized them before clicking on her web browser. He typed in his server site, his password and waited while five days’ worth of messages downloaded. Four jokes from Quinn. Eight forwards from his father, which made him smile.
When Charlie McKay first got daily computer access, he drove Chase insane with all the crap messages he forwarded. But at some point, Chase figured out those forwards, sometimes funny, sometimes politically incorrect, sometimes sentimental, were his dad’s way of showing love. His way of telling his youngest son that he was thinking about him. Now he didn’t mind them at all.
Chasin' Eight: Rough Riders, Book 12 Page 30