For Seven Nights Only (Chase Brothers)

by Sarah Ballance

  “What. Are. You. Doing?”

  “If you can’t figure it out, I must be doing it wrong.”

  “Sawyer, God help me if you don’t…”

  He stood, temporarily abandoning her and doing a piss-poor job of burying his smirk. “Are you trying to say I didn’t satisfy you?”

  “How about you satisfied me so well, I’d like to do it again?”

  “Ah.” He turned and headed for the bathroom. As he walked away, he said, “Good to know.” Once in the bathroom, he tossed the trash, cleaned up a bit, and walked back out to find her digging through her dresser.

  “What are you doing?” he asked.

  “I said I wanted to do it again, and you walked away.” She extracted a shirt and held it up. “This is mostly a last-ditch effort to save my dignity.”

  He closed his hand over her much smaller one. “No. You got it all wrong.”

  She froze. “How’s that?”

  He took both her hands and walked her backward to the bed, then fell against her. They hit the mattress together, and he kissed her hard. Kissed her breathless. Then he once again took that journey south, pausing just before he tasted her. “Brace yourself, sweetheart. Your wish is my command.”

  He then plunged inside her, leaving her gasping for more.

  And he made good on his promise to give it to her.

  All night long.

  Chapter Ten

  Kelsie woke to snoring. And growling. Marmaduke, having somehow let himself into the bedroom, was furiously tearing at the comforter over Sawyer. The lightweight dog barely budged the heavy blanket.

  “Marmaduke! Get. Down.” Kelsie barely managed to summon the stern voice to which she knew the dog would respond. She was too caught up in staring at Sawyer. She’d never had the opportunity to study him so openly—not without expecting him to catch her. She felt like she discovered a new side of him there, in the innocence of sleep. Dark lashes rested in utter contentment. His mouth was soft, his face relaxed. Not for the first time she saw past the playboy, but she’d never seen him quite in this light. Still a sex god, but behind the omnipresent cocky façade was a very real man.

  One who had done things to her she never imagined anyone could.

  Hope you enjoyed it while it lasted. Because this was so much his modus operandi that she was almost ashamed she’d fallen for it. Granted, she’d gotten past the first date, and the second, but she’d given him a hand job on date number three and spent the first part of the fourth on his lap practically begging him for sex and the second part actually giving it to him. So what if she’d held out longer than most of his conquests? The end result was the same.

  Frustrated, she gave him a hard nudge with her knee.

  Turned out those eyes were no less green when he was groggy. He peered at her through thick lashes, the emerald hue breaking through like beams of sunlight through clouds. “What?”

  “You’re snoring.”

  He sat, rubbing his face as his abs flexed into perfection. He glanced toward the corner to which the dog had retreated, then at her. “Sorry. I didn’t realize I snored.”

  “I guess you don’t normally stick around this long, huh?”

  “As a matter of fact…” He kissed her neck, and her nipples tightened traitorously. And considering her utter lack of clothing, that fact didn’t get past him.

  “You should probably go,” she said.

  Immediately, he stopped kissing her. When he drew back, questions reflected in his eyes…questions for which she had no answers. Even she didn’t know what she was going for here. Pretending it didn’t matter? Fat chance. Still, she wanted to apologize, but why bother? This was where he made his exit. Or maybe he’d be a stand-up guy and see her through the remaining three dates, but that would probably be worse.

  “Sweetheart, what’s wrong?” Genuine concern filled his eyes. It startled her.

  “I just thought you might need to…go.”

  “Shit. Any idea what time it is?”

  “Ten.”

  “Jesus. I was supposed to be at work two hours ago.”

  “On a Saturday?”

  “It’s a family business, and Saturdays are busy. More so than usual since my workaholic older brother…since Crosby decided to expand. He used to live for working weekends.” Sawyer shook his head. “Went and fell in love, and now he’s useless.”

  “I doubt he’s useless.” She watched as he flipped back the covers and searched the room, naked, for his clothes.

  “He’s useless to me when I want to sleep in on a Saturday morning,” he said as he stepped into his pants. “Or anything else I might want to do in bed.”

  Was he flirting with her? Making this worse? Or maybe he just didn’t care. Business as usual. The thought hurt, and that pissed her off because she’d known going in what that night would mean to him.

  She just hadn’t imagined what it would mean to her.

  Definitely time to deflect, or pull the Band-Aid off fast, or whatever cliché would work. None. None of them would. “Well, I guess this is it, then.”

  He paused, giving her an odd look. “What kind of it?”

  The kind where you got laid and take off. She didn’t respond, because she couldn’t stand the way the words sounded in her head, and while she knew the truth was right there in her face, she was also afraid it would become all the more real if she said it out loud.

  “I was thinking,” he said, a bit too casually, the words guarded. Or was that her imagination? “Why don’t you come to my family’s Sunday dinner tomorrow?”

  Ah. So he was going to see out his obligation with her. That was just…lovely. Pretending with him would be torture. It’s not like there was anything there to begin with, but she didn’t want to hang out with a man who was counting the dates until he could be rid of her.

  “For date five?” she asked.

  Was it her imagination, or did his face fall just a little? The moment, if it existed, passed in a flash. “Okay, sure. Date five. I’ll swing by tomorrow around noon.”

  “Sounds great,” she said. But it was a lie. It actually sounded like torture.

  Torture that intensified when he left her with an unusually troubled expression and no words of good-bye.

  …

  Sawyer stormed through the back entrance of Fusion Air and slammed the door so hard the walls rattled. “What the fuck is wrong with her?”

  Ethan, one of his two younger brothers, looked up from a computer. “What’s the matter? Did you lose your favorite shirt again?”

  Sawyer scowled. “Funny.”

  “I wasn’t trying to be. The last time you slammed the door like that was when that nameless girl without a phone number wore your shirt home. And by the way, you’re late.”

  “I know I’m late. You sound like Crosby.” Crosby, the workaholic older brother who’d traded riding Sawyer’s ass for a white picket fence outside the city. Lucky for Sawyer, Crosby still had two other brothers to take his place.

  Fucking peachy.

  “Liam took up your slack.”

  “I’ll send him a card.”

  “I’m sure he’ll appreciate that,” Ethan said without looking from the screen. Although Ethan had been quick to give Crosby the same hard time Sawyer had—to stop working so much and get a life—Sawyer had to wonder if Ethan realized how close he was to that set of footsteps. But there was a difference. Crosby had never had a serious relationship until that past summer, when he’d hooked up with Estelle. Ethan, on the other hand, had been married to his high school sweetheart for two years—two years in which his brother had been disgustingly happy. That had all come to an abrupt end when she’d been diagnosed with lymphoma and died shortly thereafter. Ethan hadn’t been the same since. Sawyer couldn’t imagine what it was like to lose anyone like that, but he imagined at some point Ethan would move forward. Hadn’t happened yet. While he wasn’t on the job twenty hours a day like Crosby had been, Ethan had fallen into an utterly predictable routine of work
and home, with the occasional Friday night at Foam’s For You. Even then, he stuck to a booth or the pool tables.

  Little chance Ethan would have a clue what Sawyer’s problem was. He hoped he’d forget he’d asked.

  No such luck. “So why are we slamming the door this fine morning?”

  Fine? It was damn near cold. Or at least the world had seemed that way after he’d left the warmth of Kelsie’s bed. He wasn’t a ginormous comforter kind of guy, but he could get used to hers. Especially if she was tucked in there with him.

  “This…” He hesitated. These conversations normally started with “this chick,” and Kelsie, well, that wasn’t her. But if Sawyer led with anything else, Ethan would know something was up. Sawyer didn’t feel like explaining himself… He didn’t have an explanation to give. It was just…

  “So it is a woman?”

  “Yeah,” Sawyer admitted, grateful for the out. “I invited her to Sunday dinner—”

  “Wait. What? You invited a woman to meet your family? Didn’t you make a vow not to do that again after that one girl’s boyfriend showed up at Mom and Dad’s looking for you?”

  Actually, Sawyer had forgotten about that. Which was surprising, but mostly pathetic. Something of that magnitude really should have stuck with him. “It’s not like that,” he said. “I’m sure if she had an angry boyfriend, he would have found me the first time I went out with her.”

  Ethan snapped the laptop closed and stared. “You’re actually going on a second date?”

  Sawyer blinked. “Fifth date,” he mumbled.

  “Fifth date?”

  “Yes.”

  Ethan got up and split the blinds, peering at the sky.

  “What are you doing?”

  “I’m looking for the asteroid.”

  Sawyer took in his brother’s deadpan face and scowled. “Fuck you.”

  “Sorry.” Ethan shrugged, not looking at all like he meant it. “You earned that, and you know it. So what’s the problem? She doesn’t eat?”

  Sawyer sat and stretched his legs out in front of him, taking a great deal of interest in the worn leather at the tip of his steel-toed boot. What was his problem? After a long while he said, “It wasn’t supposed to count.”

  “What wasn’t? What are we counting?” A long look at Sawyer’s face had Ethan shaking his head. “Might want to back up a bit.”

  He really didn’t want to get into this. He’d have to better remember the consequences of slamming a door around there. “She’s my upstairs neighbor,” he said. “Her sink sprung a leak onto my recliner, so I went up there in time to wreck her date.”

  Sawyer would almost swear Ethan was trying not to smile. And Ethan really didn’t smile. “Dare I ask how?”

  “The date was an asshole who jumped to conclusions.” Sawyer paused. He really didn’t want to tell his brother Kelsie couldn’t get a date. That wasn’t his tidbit to tell. “Anyway, I offered to pick up the slack.”

  “The slack?”

  “I stayed for dinner.” If you could call it dinner. “The guy ran out on her, and she didn’t look like she wanted to eat alone so I…comforted her.”

  Ethan’s smirk suggested the conversation had steered back into familiar territory. “I’m sure she was incredibly flattered you offered your services.”

  “Not like that, man. She wasn’t interested.” For some reason, the admission didn’t bother him as much as he expected. Probably because she’d since changed her mind.

  “Ah,” Ethan said knowingly. “Clearly she’s never heard of the great Sawyer Chase.”

  “Opposite problem. My reputation preceded me.”

  Ethan snorted. “A woman with taste. Awesome. So what happened?”

  Again, he hesitated. “So I talked her into giving me a chance,” he finally said. “Seven of them, actually. After which she can dump me if I haven’t proven myself worthy.” Yeah, something like that.

  “So you made it to date five, and now you’re pissed?”

  “Dinner wasn’t supposed to be date five. It’s like she wants to rush through to the inevitable end.”

  Ethan rubbed his face. “Apparently I accidentally grabbed decaf this morning, because I’m having a hard time following you. She’s going out with you, which is what you wanted. And for some unknown reason, you’re bringing her to meet your family, which is something you wanted. She’s saying yes, so what’s the problem?”

  Sawyer couldn’t say something had changed for him. He couldn’t begin to explain what or how—just that he didn’t want her so fired up to count to seven and end things with him.

  He didn’t want dinner to be date number five, because five was too damned close to seven.

  Five was too damned close to over.

  Ethan leaned back in the chair. “You ever think maybe this one is different?”

  “Yeah, she is,” he admitted. Easily. “But her being different doesn’t change who I am.”

  “If that’s the case, then you’re a coward.”

  Sawyer jerked his gaze to meet his brother’s. “Why the hell do you say that?”

  “Why are you so against being with one woman?” When Sawyer didn’t answer, Ethan answered for him. “It’s because you’re afraid.”

  “Since you know so much,” Sawyer said evenly, “why don’t you tell me why that is?”

  Ethan shrugged. “That’s for you to figure out. But if she really is different, you’d better come to your senses before she does, or you’ll lose her.”

  Sawyer almost said she wasn’t his to lose, but something stopped him.

  Something made him want to hold on.

  And that scared the shit out of him.

  Chapter Eleven

  Kelsie got up early Sunday and took Marmaduke for a walk. She intentionally avoided the dog park she’d visited with Sawyer, opting instead to head toward the water. The Pier 6 Dog Run was nearly empty, but Marmaduke was content to trot beside her on the leash, so she skipped Pier 6 in favor of a stroll along the East River. Normally she loved the view, but today she barely saw it.

  All she saw was Sawyer. And it hurt.

  But why? She’d yet to figure out what her problem was. Amazing sex? Check. Incredibly hot guy who worshipped every inch of her body? Double check. But therein was the lie. He worshipped a different woman every week. She wasn’t so much bothered by his past but by the fact that she couldn’t trust anything between them. Sure, he made her feel good, but he probably recycled those lines on every woman he met. And bedded. And she should have known better—she did know better—but that didn’t stop that hollow little hole from expanding into something suffocating. She’d told him from the beginning things wouldn’t get physical between them, and they had. She couldn’t exactly accuse him of dragging her kicking and screaming into an affair—she’d practically begged for it—but if he could win her over, he was the ultimate player.

  And she’d just gotten played.

  Marmaduke barked ferociously at a discarded paper cup, dragging her from her thoughts. She sighed and picked up the trash, dropping it in a nearby receptacle and nearly bumping into a man when she turned back toward the path.

  “Excuse me,” she said automatically.

  “Kelsie?”

  She looked up at the vaguely familiar voice. It belonged to a man she’d worked with recently as part of her contract to bolster his firm’s online presence. “Derek?”

  “You remembered me.” His face relaxed into a boyish grin.

  Oh, Lord, she definitely remembered him. She’d crushed on him in a bad way, but she had a thing against getting involved with business contacts, especially while on rebound from the crash and burn of a long-term relationship.

  “And this must be Marmaduke.”

  “You remembered my dog?” she asked, astounded.

  “Background image on your phone, right?”

  “Ah, yes.” She was shocked. She’d had no idea this guy had looked twice at her, at least not beyond what was required of his job. Although,
now that he mentioned it, she did remember him asking about her dog after catching sight of her screen. Sawyer couldn’t get the dog’s name right minutes after hearing it, and this guy remembered for months.

  “Listen,” he said. “I’m glad I bumped into you. I’ve been thinking about you, actually, and if you’re not seeing anyone, I’d love to take you out sometime.”

  Her breath caught. This was it. She could have a date for her sister’s wedding and avoid the whole awkward let’s-pretend-we’re-friends with Sawyer.

  But she couldn’t, and not just because Sawyer had said she was different.

  It was because on some likely foolish level, she believed him.

  She would kick herself later. She knew it. But she just couldn’t. “I’m flattered, Derek, but I’m not exactly single.”

  He cocked a brow. “Not exactly? Sounds interesting.”

  She sighed. “Definitely complicated, but I just don’t feel right…”

  He smiled so kindly that she felt bad about turning him down. “I have mad appreciation,” he said, “for a woman who respects her man even when it’s complicated. If you find yourself back out there and you’d like to have dinner or something, look me up.”

  “I’ll do that,” she said. “Thank you.”

  He leaned down to scratch Marmaduke’s head.

  The dog didn’t make a sound.

  Derek took the first several steps of his retreat backward, a grin on his face. Then he gave a little wave and took off at a jog.

  “You could have growled at him,” she muttered to Marmaduke. But the Chihuahua had only growled at one person. Ever.

  Sawyer.

  With a sigh, she turned and headed back home. After a hot shower, she tugged on a sweater and a long, flowing skirt that clung to nothing—Sawyer would probably hate it—then worried there’d be a dress code at his mom’s. Why hadn’t she asked? Because you were both naked.

  And she still ached. But after an embarrassingly long sexual drought, it came as no surprise that she couldn’t get her knees back together after an all-night sex-a-thon. What she hadn’t expected was the incredible sensitivity of her nipples, or the way every brush with fabric made them strain, as if getting hard enough would bring back the warmth of his mouth. She hadn’t expected the tingle—or nuclear blast—of heat that jolted her when she thought of his body or the way it melded with hers. She hadn’t dreamed she could accommodate a man of his size, but they’d fit together perfectly. All that deliciously sore flesh he’d stretched now yearned for him, and she had no idea how to shake that off. Maybe there was a support group. Or a support legion.