by Kira Blakely
I nod. “I’ll do my best.”
She gives a signal to the nurse, who gives me a nod and wheels her out of my bedroom.
Maggie grabs my hand, looking at my watch. “It’s stunning.”
I lift my arm to take a closer look at it. “I know.”
“I didn’t know she was so kind,” Maggie says.
“She has a heart of gold,” I remark. “Which is why I’m sure she’ll be fine.”
Maggie nods. “So, do you still feel nervous?”
“A little less,” I admit.
Moments later, there’s another knock on the door. “Lauren?”
It’s my father.
“Come in, Dad,” I tell him.
He enters but pauses when he sees Maggie.
“You can go now, Maggie,” I tell her. “Thank you for all your help.”
“Good luck tonight.” She squeezes my hand then heads out the door.
I turn to my Dad, who’s wearing a tuxedo this evening.
“What?” he asks, looking at it.
“Nothing.” I step forward, smoothing the lapels of his jacket. “You look dashing.”
He snorts. “Look who’s talking. Besides, I only came to this party because Chase– er, Chester– asked me to.”
“I know.”
After making sure Elsa was fine, the next thing we did was go back to the ranch to have a serious talk with my father. He didn’t want to listen, at first, even trying to scare Chase off with his shotgun. But Chase didn’t flinch and in the end, we all sat down and we told him everything and he listened. The fact that he’s here is proof that he’s forgiven us, which of course, I’m very grateful for.
“Thank you for coming, Dad.”
“I don’t know if I ever told you this but I’m proud of what you’ve become, Lauren. You’re a strong woman, beautiful inside and out like your mom.”
“Oh, Dad. You don’t know how much those words mean to me.”
“You deserve a good man and now, you have him.” His voice cracks. “You belong by his side now.”
“Dad.” I squeeze his hand. “You make it sound like I’m getting married.”
He raises an eyebrow. “You’re not?”
“Chase hasn’t proposed,” I tell him. “He’s my boyfriend.”
“But you are going to be by his side tonight?”
“Yes.”
“Hmm.” He rubs his chin. “Maybe I should talk to him.”
“No, Dad. It’s fine. Everything will happen at the right time, I’m sure.”
“Okay.”
“At any rate, I’m not getting married tonight. Tonight is Chase’s party, celebrating him taking his place as the rightful CEO of Glacier Pharmaceutical and head of the Donahue family.”
He grips my hand. “Well, you sure you married a big shot.”
“I know.”
“I always knew he was meant for bigger things than being a farmhand, though.”
I nod. “And tonight, those bigger things begin.”
God, how is Chase doing? If I’m nervous, I’m sure he’s shitting bricks.
* * *
Well, he doesn’t look nervous.
He looks… handsome. Perfect in his white suit and golden bowtie, with his freshly shaved chin and his neatly combed curls.
He almost looks like a prince, in fact. My prince.
I curtsy in front of him. “You look amazing tonight, Your Highness.”
He chuckles and grabs my hand. “Oh, please. Don’t make me any more nervous than I already am.”
He touches my cheek, his other hand on my hip. “Besides, if anyone looks amazing, it’s you. You’re radiant.”
“Because of my gown?” I step back and give a whirl.
“Not the gown. It’s you.” He grabs my hands. “You’re glowing.”
“It’s because I’m in love,” I tell him unabashedly.
“Then that makes two of us.”
He steps closer to me, pressing his lips against mine. Then he offers me his arm. “Shall we go down to the party and let everyone know how much in love we are?”
I take his arm. “I thought the party is for letting people know who you are.”
“That, too. It’s time for everyone to know the new and improved Chester Donahue.”
* * *
The party is sensational.
Dozens of crystal chandeliers bring the ballroom, with its glass dome and gold-painted columns, to life. There is a huge crowd, many people have come to see the new Chester Donahue, after all.
The women are in their glittering gowns, the men in their impeccable suits. The champagne is overflowing. The music from the orchestra keeps playing. Everything is perfect.
Of course, Chase is at the center of it all.
With confident shoulders and powerful strides, he moves through the crowd, winning every woman over with a charming smile and every man with the right words. They love him.
I love him.
Watching him mingle with them, a glass of champagne in my hand, I can’t help but overflow with pride, joy, and love. Now, at last, Chase has what is his. He’s back in his world and boy, does he belong in it, thriving, standing above everyone else.
I can’t believe that this handsome, powerful man is mine.
“Why are you looking at me like that?” he asks me as we dance in the middle of the ballroom, his hands around my waist and my arms around his neck.
“Nothing,” I tell him. “You seem to like parties.”
“I do, actually,” Chase admits. “Didn’t I tell you I used to party a lot?”
“No.” I shake my head. “But I’ve heard rumors.”
“You mean from Maggie? Don’t believe everything she says.”
“I don’t,” I assure him. “I believe you. So, tell me…” I move my mouth closer to his ear. “Do you always bring women to your bedroom after a party?”
He chuckles. “Not always.”
I frown.
“I do believe, though, that I’m bringing one woman after this one.”
“No, you’re not,” I tell him.
Now, it’s his lips that turn into a frown.
I lean closer to him again, whispering, “We’re going to my bedroom.”
* * *
“Your bedroom looks nice,” Chase says as he enters my bedroom.
I smile, closing the door behind me. “I do say so myself.”
A huge bed with a pink canopy and large, white pillows, is in the middle of the room. One corner is a reading nook with a bookshelf, a lamp, and a rocking chair. Opposite that are the doors leading to the bathroom and the walk-in closet. Another corner has a round table with a tea set and two chairs. Another has the gilded mirror.
I have a bedroom back at the ranch but this, this is the room I’ve always wanted, the one I told myself I’d have if I ever lived in a big house.
“Do you really need a bedroom?” Chase asks as he sits on the edge of the bed.
I sit beside him. “Why? There are countless rooms in this house.”
“But you can always share mine.”
“You mean the one that other women have shared.”
He frowns. “Ouch.”
He takes my hand in his. “You know, there may have been other women but that was before I was nearly killed before I met you.” He lifts my hand to his lips. “Now, there’s only you. You’re the only one who truly knows me.”
“Hmm.”
Chase grasps my chin and brushes his lips against mine.
I kiss him back, savoring his soft lips on mine. I open my mouth and taste him, play, massage.
Champagne on his tongue – it’s even sweeter there than in the glass, more intoxicating.
My hand goes to the back of his head. I bring his face even closer to mine. I need more.
Chase’s hand travels across my side and his fingers move against the exquisite fabric. He grips my thigh, rubs it, and I quiver in delight. The warmth of his touch spreads down to my toes.
Then hi
s touch is gone. He kicks off his shoes and climbs on the bed, his arms behind his head.
I sit up to cast a puzzled look at him. “What are you doing?”
“Didn’t I say when I was fully healed, you could do anything you wanted with me?”
I grin. “Yes, you did.”
“Well, here I am.”
I nod. “There you are.”
I get off the bed, pursing my lips and suppressing a shiver of delight.
I remove my earrings first and set them down on the table. Then I reach for the zipper of my gown and find it after the third attempt. I pull it down, and the gown opens behind me. I slip it off. It falls to my ankles and I step out, kicking the puddle of golden fabric aside.
I bend and remove my shoes. Then I stand straight in my black corset and matching thong.
His blue eyes grow wide and then narrow, the heat from them traveling across my skin. I blush but climb on top of him.
I lower my face to his, kiss him, gently at first and then passionately, opening my mouth wider and my tongue delving deeper. Then I pull my lips away to plant a kiss on his forehead. I work on the buttons of his shirt.
After the third, I frown. “Are you always going to wear shirts with plenty of buttons?”
Chase chuckles. “Well, since I’m the CEO, I guess I can put a new dress code into effect. No buttons.”
I fall silent and work on the rest of the buttons. Finally, they’ve all come off and I push the shirt and the jacket off Chase, leaving his upper body bare.
I run my fingers over his chest. The cut from the steak knife has faded now. The rest of his cuts and bruises have faded, even the one above his fractured rib, now fully healed.
“Does it look better now?” Chase asks. “The wounds must have scared you before.”
I shake my head. “I didn’t mind how they looked then. I only minded because they must have been painful for you.”
“Well, they’re gone now.”
“They are,” I agree.
I can still remember where they were, though, and I plant reverent kisses on where they used to be on his torso, starting with the patch of skin above that rib. As for the cuts, I run the tip of my tongue over the scars.
Chase shivers and draws deep breaths in response.
“Do they still hurt?” I ask him.
He shakes his head. “They tickle a little.”
“I see.”
I lick the longest scar, the one across his chest, slowly, deliberately. Again, Chase draws a deep breath.
“You,” he hisses. “When did you become so naughty?”
I shrug. “You’re the one who made me like this.”
He frowns. “I am a bad influence on you.”
“Well, there’s nothing we can do about that now.”
I suck on one of his nipples and press the other with my thumb. Then trail kisses from his throat down to his chest, past his abdomen and up until the waistband of his pants.
Reverently, I kiss the bulge in the front of his pants, and he gasps, tremors beneath my lips. I clench tight, in response. His pleasure brings me the same.
I pop the lone button and pull the zipper down with my teeth. Then I pull his pants and his boxers off him, as well as his socks.
He’s fully naked.
And what a gorgeous specimen he is.
He lays sprawled there like a cat, smooth skin, toned muscles, his cock engorged.
My black cotton panties are soaked.
I wrap my fingers around him, drawing another gasp. Then I stroke my fingertips over every vein.
I look straight into his half-lidded eyes and take him inside my mouth.
His eyelids fall shut. He throws his head back, a curse escaping his lips.
I suck on him and then pull my mouth away to let my tongue do its work, licking every inch.
His hands curl into fists, clutching at my sheets. His thighs shake.
The sight of him gripped with pleasure, along with the knowledge that I’m the one responsible for it, brings me to new heights.
I may be the one doing the touching but Chase burns me to the core.
I cup his firm ass and wrap my lips around his cock, moving my mouth up and down. Again, I start slow and then fast.
He grips my shoulders, gasping as he trembles. His cock pulsates inside my mouth.
He pushes me off. “I don’t think I can take anymore,” he says.
I shake my head. “I’m almost at my limit, too.”
Taking my underwear off, I climb on top of him, guiding his cock inside me. It’s thoroughly wet and so am I, so it slips in and I throw my head back triumphantly.
Chase unhooks my corset and lets my breasts spring free, the cool air in the room stiffens my nipples. He warms them, taking one between his lips while rubbing the other.
Next, his hands tug at my hair. The tarry strands tumble down my shoulders, bouncing and swaying as I start to move.
“Beautiful,” Chase mutters. “I like your hair better this way.”
“I like it better this way,” I confess.
He grips my hips and I move them, side to side and up and down, faster and faster. His cock reaches the depths of me, rubs against all the amazing spots and moans spill out of my lips. I pant. Beads of sweat form on my forehead.
Just when I’m running out of steam, he flips me over, sealing my mouth with his and bending me over in half. He swallows my moans as he pounds into me, faster and faster. I wrap my arms around his back, nails raking his skin.
“Faster,” I urge.
And he obeys, hips jerking.
With each thrust, I unravel, until finally, I break apart, trembling around him, squeezing him tight as I scream his name.
“Chase! Oh god, Chase.”
He roars and grips my thighs, thrusts deep, his cock bursting inside me, filling me with his cum.
Then he collapses on top of me, breathless. I gasp for air and let my hands fall to my sides.
Still panting, he lifts his head. “Satisfied?”
“For now,” I say, brushing strands of hair off his forehead.
He brushes his lips against mine, grinning.
“What?” I ask him.
“Nothing,” Chase says. “It’s just that it already feels like we’re married.”
“Was the sex that bad?”
He laughs.
“Speaking of which…”
He gets off the bed and sweeps up his pants. He takes a small box out of the pocket.
I sit up, my hand over my heart, which hasn’t even begun to slow down.
“That isn’t what I think it is, is it?” I ask, shivering in excitement.
“That depends on what you think.”
He kneels beside me on the bed, opening the box.
My eyes grow wide, my jaw dropping at the diamond ring that’s inside.
“Lauren Calver, you are the one who gave me a new life. Now I’m asking you, will you share this life with me? Will you be my wife?”
I look up from the ring to his eyes, which are sparkling as well, gleaming with love. Joy erupts in my chest.
Chase is proposing. The man I love wants me to be his wife.
“Oh,” Chase adds, “and by the way, I asked your father for permission.”
I crease my eyebrows. “Is that what you were talking about so seriously earlier?”
He nods. “So, what is your answer, Ms. Calver?”
I place my arms around his neck, smiling from ear to ear.
“I will marry you, Mr. Donahue. I definitely will.”
Epilogue
Chase
Five years later
“Are you sure you don’t need any help?” I ask Lauren as she chops some vegetables on her mother’s old kitchen table.
“No,” she says, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. “I can do without my cooks for a day. Scoot.”
“Fine.”
I kiss the top of her head and walk out of the kitchen and out of the house, sitting beside Isaac o
n the bench. Near his feet, a new dog, a German Shepherd named Timber, purchased in hopes of carrying on Smoke’s duty, lies down leisurely but with his ears alert, constantly twitching.
I pet him Smoke and take in the surrounds – three-year-old, chubby-cheeked Michaela running around in her red and white dress, jumping and popping the bubbles that her grandmother blows. Beyond them, the sun sets, painting the blue skies in autumnal hues. Burnt orange and amber.
“Did you get kicked out of the kitchen, too?” Isaac asks me.
I chuckle. “She does it all the time, though, both at home and at her restaurant, so I guess I’m used to it now.”
“How’s her restaurant?”
I lean back against the house. “Doing good. She makes amazing dishes out of the stuff she gets from this ranch and so, a lot of people are raving about her food. She’s already thinking of opening branches in other parts of the country, actually, in which case we’ll have to buy more land and hire more people to meet her demands.”
“I guess.” Isaac nods. “Well, I’m old now so I’m happy having people to take care of my ranch as long as it’s done the way I want it.”
“Of course.”
“And I’m glad Lauren’s restaurant is doing well.” He sighs. “She has everything she’s dreamed of now.”
“She does seem happy,” I agree.
“Happier than she’s ever been.” Isaac thumbs his nose. “I hate to admit it but you’ve done a great job of making her happy, even better than what I’ve done.”
“Oh, come on, Isaac.” I pat his shoulder. “You did a great job raising her. That’s why she’s become such an amazing woman, a great wife, and a great mother.”
Isaac grins. “She’s doing a great job with Michaela.”
Just then, Michaela turns and waves at us. She looks like her mother, with black hair, though it’s curly like mine, and hazel eyes. She has her mother’s smile and her strength. She is my pride and joy.
Isaac and I wave back at her.
“Good job, Michaela!” Isaac gives her the thumbs up sign.
“Be careful, both of you!” I shout with my hands over my mouth, leaning forward.
She doesn’t answer and runs off to play while my mother smiles at me.
“Your mother seems to be doing much better,” Isaac remarks.