He unclasped my bra, releasing my breasts. He let go of my wrists long enough to pull my shirt over my head and to finish removing my bra. As soon as the material hit the floor, he had my hands pinned again. Shirtless, the position felt far more vulnerable. He continued undressing me, using his free hand to slowly slide down my jeans. He left them wrapped around my ankles. My panties followed my jeans. He pulled off his t-shirt as his eyes devoured my body. He still had my wrists captured, and my jeans and panties at my feet made them feel just as bound.
I wasn’t embarrassed. With Aaron, I would have been begging him to stop, but I loved the way Chase watched me. It wasn’t critical and there was no smirk. “You look so sexy right now. I wish I could take a picture.”
“Only the mental kind’s allowed.”
“I know.” He kissed my breast before replacing his lips with his teeth, lightly grazing me. I moaned at the contact.
He moved his hand between my legs. My first instinct was to close up.
“Relax, it’s just me.” His words were whispered in my ear, and without conscious thought, I opened up to him.
“Nice to know you’re ready for me.”
“I’ve been ready for you for weeks.”
“Glad I can finally take care of you.”
“Take care of me now,” I pleaded. I wanted him more than I’d ever wanted someone before.
“Right now?”
“Chase.”
“I’m just checking.”
“Chase. Please.”
“All right, it’s not like you have to beg.”
He bent down to slide my jeans and panties the rest of the way off. Even though my wrists were free, I didn’t move them an inch. I had no desire to.
He unbuttoned his pants and shrugged out of them and his underwear before picking me up and carrying me down the hall to a bedroom. He pulled back the covers and gently laid me down and settled next to me. “How do you want it, Cara? How do you want me?”
Something was different about him. He seemed so much more forward, so much less careful. That made me want to be the same way. “I want you on top. I want to feel the weight of you on top of me.”
“Your wish is my command.”
“A little cocky today, aren’t you?” I tried to control my racing heart. This was finally happening again.
“A little high—on you.” He unwrapped a condom and put it on before moving above me. “Now all I want to do is get inside of you.”
“Guess what? I want you inside me. That makes this convenient.”
“Oh, such dirty bedroom talk.”
“You want dirty talk?” I thrust my hips against him, wanting him to see how much I needed him.
“I’d love to hear you talk dirty, Cara.”
Maybe it was because the whole thing started as a joke, but I suddenly had limitless confidence. “Take me, Chase. Take me until I forget everything else but you.”
His eyes widened as he thrust inside me so quickly I barely processed what was happening. He didn’t start slow, he didn’t start gentle. He moved fast in deep and hard movements that left me grabbing onto the bed post behind me to keep myself anchored. “Is this what you wanted?”
“Yes.”
“Is this enough?” He thrust harder.
“More.”
He listened, and I could barely tell which way was up. I couldn’t concentrate on anything but Chase and the way he made me feel. I was lost in him, and I never wanted to be found.
“Chase!” I yelled out his name, glad I didn’t have to worry about anyone listening.
“Oh, Cara.” He shuddered, groaning as he found his release.
I kissed him hard on the lips. “I should talk dirty to you more often.”
He laughed. “That was unexpected, but really good.”
“Unexpected? You knew what we were going to do when you brought me here.”
“I knew we were going to have sex—but that. That wasn’t just sex.”
I laughed. “That was the result of pent up sexual frustration.”
“Let’s hope we both have more of it. I want at least a dozen repeats tonight.”
“A dozen? Aren’t you pushing your luck?”
“I already admitted to being cocky.” He kissed my neck.
“At least this time I don’t feel guilty about us having sex before talking.”
“We’ve done plenty of talking—but we still need to do more.”
“Oh? About anything in particular?”
“About you. About what happened, about how you’re feeling.” He repositioned me so that I was resting my head on his chest.
“Do we have to talk about that now?”
“Yes.” He rubbed my back. “I don’t want to be pushy, but I need to know you’re taking every step necessary to protect yourself—physically and emotionally.”
“I’m fine. Completely fine.”
“Your ex-boyfriend assaulted your friend. What would have happened if you’d been alone?”
“Nothing. He wouldn’t have hurt me.”
He put a hand under my chin so I’d look up at him. “How do you know?”
“Because he’s not the kind of guy who hits girls.”
“First of all, I didn’t just mean hit.”
I shivered at the implication in his words.
Chase wrapped me up tighter. “I’m sorry to worry you, but I’ve seen this enough. And are you sure you know what kind of guy he is? When you were together, would you have expected him to punch a guy?”
“No.” Chase was making complete sense, but that didn’t mean I wanted to hear it.
“Riley offered to walk you through the restraining order process.”
“I can’t do that. I just can’t.”
“Then what can you do? I care about you, Cara. How am I supposed to leave tomorrow if I don’t know that you’re protected?”
“Reed’s going to keep him in line, and I never walk anywhere alone at night. Besides, he wants to go to law school. Harassing me isn’t worth not getting in.”
“Will you promise me you’ll be careful? And you can always crash at Riley’s if you feel safer there. He wants you to know that.”
I ran my hand down Chase’s chest. “I’m going to be fine. I live in a house filled with people. I’m safe.”
“Will you do something else for me then?” He looked at me nervously.
“What?”
“Please don’t get mad and say I’m sexist and controlling or anything like that. Remember, I’m saying this as your boyfriend who cares about you.”
“Boyfriend?”
“Yes. What else would I call myself?”
I grinned.
“Okay, now that you’re in a good mood, I’ll continue. I know we talk every night at some point, but could you just call or text me when you’re in for the night?”
“Seriously?”
“Yeah. Even just to say you’re home.” His face was so open and honest.
“Does that really matter to you? Is it that important?”
“Very. My only other option is to hire a PI to follow you. I figured you’d prefer this.” He smiled.
“You can hold off on the PI. I agree, but no freaking out if you don’t hear from me until late. I go out sometimes.”
“I know. And that’s a good thing. You’re supposed to have an active and exciting social life. Well, if it involves girls.”
I swatted at him.
“I’m kidding, but you know I get that. I want you to enjoy college. Just tell me you’re going out late. You don’t have to tell me why or where you’re going. I’m not trying to play psycho stalker. Just give me a heads up that you’ll be late. If it makes you feel better, I’ll do the same thing.”
“You’re going to text me to tell me you’re home?”
“I already call you when I get in at night. That’s why you never get sleep. But I can check in and tell you when I’m going to an after party or something.”
“I love that you’re o
ffering that.”
“I can play fair. I want you to get the fact that this is not an attempt to be controlling. It’s just the only way I’m going to be able to handle being apart from you.”
“I wish you didn’t have to leave.”
He sighed. “I know. I’ll have more down time soon.”
“Good.” I snuggled into his side and closed my eyes.
“Oh no. No sleeping. We haven’t even had dinner yet.”
“Oh, dinner. What are we having?”
“We’re making eggplant parmesan.”
“You remembered that was my favorite.”
“I remember the important things.”
“Just the mention of it has me hungry.” I sat up, ready to get dressed.
“Here, wear this.” He got out on the other side of the bed and dug through his bag. He tossed me a t-shirt.
I read the front. “A Chance of a Lifetime shirt?” I slipped into the shirt and put my panties back on.
“You look too good in that shirt.” He came up behind me and squeezed my ass. “Please tell me I can get a picture of you in it.”
“How about I let you get a picture right before you take it off me?”
His eyes widened again. “Okay, that’s easy.”
He grabbed his phone and took a picture.
“Hey. I said you had to wait.”
“You said I had to wait until I was ready to take it off you.” He stepped toward me, tossing aside his phone and taking off the underwear he’d just put back on. “I’m ready.” He pulled off the t-shirt. “This should wake you up.”
Chapter Fourteen
I had a Chase hangover. As he’d promised, we hadn’t slept a wink. We’d had sex, talked, and had sex again. We’d even taken two showers the next morning—one to cool off after the sex we had in the first one. It was as though we couldn’t get enough of each other, and in some ways, we couldn’t. Maybe we were both trying to stock up on the physical intimacy so we could hold onto it during the time we were apart.
I held in the tears when he dropped me off outside my house. I knew it was only going to be a few more weeks, but I didn’t want to say goodbye. Every taste of Chase left me wanting more. I was going to have to keep myself busy. Sitting around and missing him wasn’t going to help anything. Besides, he kept emphasizing how important it was that I had a real college experience. Maybe he had a point.
My phone rang as soon as I got back to my room after catching up with a few of my sisters. I answered right away when I saw it was Jade. “Hey.”
“Hey! How are you?”
“In terms of the Aaron stuff or the Chase stuff?”
“Wait, what Chase stuff? I only heard about Aaron going psycho.”
“Chase drove down here to see me.”
“Seriously?” Her voice lilted. “That was really sweet. What did you guys do?”
“I’ll leave that to your imagination.”
“Okay. Point taken. Are you doing all right about the other part?” She avoided using his name again, and I appreciated it. Hearing it still sent a stab through me. I wondered if I’d feel that way every time I met someone with his name. Hopefully it would eventually fade. “What are you up to today?”
“Class, lunch with the roomies, and class. No plans for tonight.”
“How about a show? It’s another small venue one. It’s more electronic this time, but I think you’ll like it.”
I didn’t hesitate with my answer. Another show with Jade sounded perfect. “Absolutely. Want to do dinner beforehand?”
“Yes! I already need a break from school food.”
“I hear you there. Want to meet me at the house at seven?”
“Yes. I’ll be there.”
“Great, have a good day.” I hung up with a grin. I wasn’t wasting any time jumping into my keeping busy plan.
Before leaving for my class, I sent Chase a text. Going to a show with Jade tonight. I might be late.
I knew he was stopping by to see Riley before he left town, so I didn’t expect an immediate answer. I got one. Can I tell you how awesome you are?
Sure. You remember what flattery got you last time.
Oh, Cara. You’re killing me. Any chance I can get a quickie before I leave?
As tempting as it sounded, if he was being serious of course, I couldn’t go through the goodbye again. Let’s leave this visit with that shower. Nothing can beat that.
Fine, be that way.
Remember I’m awesome.
That you are. Miss you already. What show are you seeing?
I forgot to ask. Something electronic I think.
Maddox Trance? He’s doing a show at the Tin Oak tonight I think.
Maybe.
If it’s him, tell Maddox I said hi.
A friend of yours? Was Maddox Trance someone’s actual name?
Yes… let me know if that’s who you’re seeing. If so, he could be good for Jade’s show.
Oh, great! I’ll ask Jade. Have a safe trip.
Have a fantastic day. I’ll be thinking about you.
I pocketed my phone and headed out to class. The sun was shining, I’d had an amazing night with Chase, and I had a fun night planned with a friend. Things were going to be okay.
***
“I’ve got some exciting news for you.” I practically skipped out on the porch to meet Jade. I was still flying high. Kyle had seemed completely better in class, so even that guilt was starting to lessen.
“Exciting news, huh?”
“It turns out Chase is friends with Maddox Trance, and supposedly when we stop to get tickets, if we tell them who we are, they’ll get us backstage.”
“What!” She jumped up and down. “That’s awesome.”
“Chase thought this would give you a chance to talk to him about the show.”
“Awesome! Hopefully, Maddox is the type who stays up so late that five a.m. isn’t a problem.”
I laughed. “Chase seemed confident Maddox would be cooperative. Whatever that means.”
“Even if he says no to doing the show, meeting him will be cool.”
I had never heard Maddox’s music, but I took Jade’s word that he was good.
The night was warm, and we both dressed comfortably in jeans and sneakers, so we decided to walk over to the Tin Oak for the show.
“Without going into details, what was your night with Chase like? How are you feeling about everything right now?”
“It was good.” My body warmed thinking about the hours we spent together. “Almost too good.”
“Too good?”
“I mean I miss him already, and I keep waiting for the other shoe to drop. Why is he so determined to be with me? I mean, he can’t stay interested forever.”
“Why not? You’re gorgeous, smart, and funny. What more would he want?”
“He doesn’t seem to care that we don’t have much in common, but maybe he will eventually.”
“What do you mean you don’t have much in common? Just because you’re not into music?”
“Partly. I mean his show was the first one I’d been to that wasn’t in a giant stadium, and even then I’ve only been to a handful.”
“And this is your second in a few weeks. You were excited to come. That should tell you something.”
“Yeah. You’re right.” I’d been listening to more music than I had in my life. Admittedly, it was mostly Chance of a Lifetime so I could hear Chase’s voice, but still it counted for something.
“Of course I am.” She pushed the button so we could cross at the cross walk. “Now we just have to find me a hot musician.”
“You mean you aren’t holding out for Len?”
She shook her head. “He’s a nice guy, but I’m not the one night stand type. He figured that out—and he’s actually texted me a few times with stupid pictures. I get the sense he wants to be friends.”
“Well, that’s cool. I mean you’re so into music, being friends with a guy like that could be fun.”
“And he’s funny. We can all use guy friends. Like you have Kyle.”
“Yeah. Although that’s still pretty recent. I feel horrible about his nose.”
“He’s loving the bragging rights. He’s a really nice guy.”
“I know. He mentioned you two know each other.”
“Yeah, and he’s going to be taking over as the student manager at the station next year.”
“Really? But he’s only going to be a junior.”
“It’s pretty much unprecedented, but I’m glad it’s him. He’ll do a good job.”
“And give you a better time slot next year.”
“He better.”
There was no line outside this time, so we went right up to the desk. “Two tickets please, and my name is supposedly on a list to let us backstage.”
“What’s your name?” The guy looked up.
“Cara Winters.”
“Oh yeah. Right here, and is this Jade Cambridge?”
She nodded.
“Great. Put your wallet away, your tickets are free. Enjoy the show.”
Jade and I exchanged looks. “Thanks.”
“No problem.” The guy gave us a long look before handing us what looked like bright green business cards with our names on it. “Nice to meet you, Cara and Jade.”
“These get us backstage?” I asked.
“What were you expecting?”
“Nothing.” I followed Jade in.
“Not the backstage passes you imagined.” Jade bumped her shoulder into mine.
“Not exactly, but at least it’s a pretty color.”
Jade laughed. “See, I bet that’s part of what Chase sees in you.”
“What, my fabulous sense of humor?”
“Exactly.”
A small crowd congregated by the bar, and a few others stood in groups of three and four in the main area of the room. We were early, but I hoped for the band’s sake that more people showed up. Jade seemed unconcerned as we made our way to the stage.
There was no one blocking our entrance to the stage. No one asked to see our shining green cards either. Instead, we just walked back like it was something we did all the time. I guess it was our second time backstage recently.
The backstage area was dimly lit, and we walked slowly along toward the sound of voices. Finally, we came to a small room with faded walls, a worn out couch, and a folding table with bottled water. The couch was filled with four people, two guys and two girls.
The Hazards of Sex on the Beach Page 13