Chase sighs and rolls his eyes. “I know. I’m sorry. You’re right. And I didn’t get that at the time, but I should have. I do now. I’ve already told her that as soon as everything with the house is wrapped up that it is best if she and I don’t speak anymore.”
“Really?” I’m surprised. “How did she take that?”
He shrugs, his lip curling up a bit in his familiar grin. “About like you expect. I don’t think she believes I’m serious, but I promise you that I am. As soon as the house closes I’ll even get a new phone number. I’m done with her. You were right about her, I just didn’t see it.”
“Why do you now?”
“She admitted that she was goading you, trying to piss you off. She said she was just trying to help, because she didn’t think you were right for me. I know that’s bullshit. Whether it’s because she wants to get back together or that she’s jealous of you, or just that she’s a complete bitch, I don’t know, but enough is enough.”
I take a deep breath and turn slightly from him, looking at the dinner table with our empty plates and a bowl still filled with pasta. I’m relieved that he finally sees Denise for who she really is, and it’s hard to stay mad at him. I don’t want to be mad at him. “You hungry?”
“Starving.”
“I’ll get you a plate. Sit down.” I pluck the rose from his hand as I pass him on my way to the kitchen. No sense letting it die just because I still don’t know what to do with the famous blond poker playing hunk that’s standing in my dining room. I don’t have any vases, so I put it into one of the empty wine bottles from the other night which are still sitting on our counter.
“It’s a good thing I made extra,” I say as I come back with his plate and start heaping it on. I’m just talking now, and I know it, trying to avoid saying anything of substance because I have no idea what to say. Chase is sitting in Evelyn’s seat, but suddenly his hand reaches out and closes on mine. It’s warm, firm, and insistent.
“Lila,” he says softly.
“Chase,” I reply, slowly shaking my head. I’m not sure what I’m still objecting to, though. His touch has sent sparks through my body. I’ve missed him more than I’ve wanted to admit, even to myself. It’s taken seeing him again to realize just how much.
“The whole thing with the house, initially, was to prove something.” His voice is soft, just above a whisper, and I stand very still next to him as I listen. His hand is still holding onto mine and I have no intention of trying to break contact. “At first it was to prove something to you - that I wasn’t who you thought I was. That there was more to Chase Anderson than some famous poker player who lived his life out of a suitcase and moved from game to game. But since then I have come to realize that, in fact, for the last few years that’s actually what my life has become. I’ve been living for the moment, fearful of settling down because I thought I’d get bored. But after I met you, I realized something.” His grip tightens, pulling me toward him as he stands and my gaze finally raises to meet his. His blue eyes seem deeper than normal, like an ocean with a tide that is drawing me in to try and drown me in its depths.
“What?”
“I realized that I wasn’t scared of being bored. I was scared of being alone. I’ve never even considered that before you came along, because it was never true until that moment. In the past, people would come and go from my life and it wouldn’t even affect me. But as soon as you left, it became obvious why. I hadn’t ever met anyone I felt this strongly about before. I knew I didn’t want you to leave, but it wasn’t until you did that I realized just how much I really needed you to stay. My life has been empty before you, Lila. And I never even realized it.”
“So you want me back because you don’t want to be lonely?”
His eyes get even bluer somehow, but then I realize it’s just a reflection of the light. Light that is bouncing off the moisture that is pooling along its rims.
“No,” he breathes. “I want you back because I love you.”
Chapter 28
All pretense of being angry anymore has drained from me. I’m not sure who moved first, but all of a sudden I’m up against the wall of my dining room with my lips locked onto Chase’s as his hands slide along the sides of my body. They travel down my ribs and along my hips, squeezing and kneading the flesh before making their way back up again. His touch is as familiar and welcome as my own, and I’ve missed it a lot more than I had been willing to admit.
Our lips are hungry for each other and his tongue is hot in my mouth as it pushes firmly against my own. I suck on it gently, teasing him with the idea of what is to come.
“Fuck Lila, don’t leave me like that again,” he whispers after pulling his mouth away from mine and moving his attention to my earlobe. I shiver against his hot breath.
“I won’t,” I promise. I really won’t. It was a mistake to leave in the first place. I can’t judge Chase for Harry’s sins.
A gasp escapes my lips as his hand slips between my jean covered legs, pressing against my hot core. I’m sure he can feel the heat coming off of me as he inhales sharply as soon as he makes contact.
“You’ve missed me, too,” he growls, noting my arousal as he slides his fingers against me. There are entirely too many clothes between us.
My hands pull at his shirt, my fingers pushing at each button to loosen it. Once I have enough of them undone I slide my hands under the fabric and run greedy fingers along his hard body. I love his chest and abs, but I circle around to his back and rake my fingers along where I know he has his tattoos. Chase responds by biting my ear even harder and I let out a little shriek and then a giggle.
“Hey, everything okay out- oh shit, hello. Sorry!” I look over just in time to see Evelyn’s back as she turns and runs back into her room.
I feel my face redden. “Let’s move this into my room,” I say, grabbing Chase’s arm and pulling him along behind me. My room is hardly prepared to entertain a man, especially one as put together as Chase, but I’m not about to let that stop me. Kicking yesterday’s panties under my bed before he can see them, I swing him around and push him backwards. I watch with a grin as the back of his legs hit my bed and he lands down across it on his back, his shirt half open showing me his chest and his blue eyes sparkling up at me under a raised eyebrow.
I quickly straddle him before he has a chance to get up and pull off my shirt, exposing my braless chest. “I’m in charge today, Mr. Anderson,” I say as I lean down to kiss away any protests he might have. His firm grip closes around my breasts. I doubt he was planning to object.
I can feel him bulging underneath me, the hardness of his cock pressing through both sets of our pants. It’s not enough for me. Reaching below, I flatten my hand and slide in into his pants until I make contact with his burning flesh. Chase groans into my mouth. “Fuck I missed you,” he pants. I silence him with my tongue and lips. No more talking. I need to feel him inside of me.
My hands fumble around at his pants as I try to pull them open. Chase takes the hint and he begins to work on mine. It takes longer than I want, but soon both of them are pushed down along our legs and piled on the floor at the foot of the bed. I reach across his body to my nightstand and yank it open before dunking my hand into the draw and fishing around. Luckily I still have some condoms in here, saving me the embarrassment of wandering over the Evelyn’s room to ask to borrow some.
As quick as I can I rip open the package and slide it down along his length before straddling him again. Then without any more hesitation, I reach behind and position him at my already moist center before sitting down, drawing him inside of me in one hot instant.
We both gasp in unison at our connection. My ass is sitting against his hips, his cock buried as deeply as it can go. I can feel it pulsating within me, waiting for me to take control and start to move. I want to enjoy the feeling of fullness for a few more moments though, so instead I lean forward and kiss him again. Chase’s hands grab hold of my ass, squeezing them as he kisses me ba
ck.
Finally I can’t wait any more and start to move my hips, rocking them against his manhood, stimulating him into expanding even further within me.
“Fuck, Lila, you’re amazing,” he whispers. I’m back in a sitting position, using my knees to support my body and lift myself up and down along his slick length. I can feel his urgency, his firm hands trying to lift and pull me faster. I go with it, knowing he needs his release more than I need mine right now. I got what I wanted as soon as I filled myself with him.
My hips move faster as I watch the expression on Chase’s face turn to pure ecstasy even as his blue eyes are shining up, locked onto mine. I believe him when he says he loves me. I can see it.
With a groan, the tips of his fingers dig into my ass as he pulls me down hard against him. His cock explodes inside of my body, and he lets out a roar as he finally finds his release. He’s still spasming inside of me as I bend down along him to kiss him again. My breasts touch the fabric of his open shirt, the only piece of clothing that still separates us. Chase hugs me tightly against his body, slowly rolling until we’re side by side.
“That was amazing,” he pants. “Just give me a few minutes and-”
“Don’t worry about it,” I interrupt him. “I got what I wanted as well. You’re here.”
“I’m not going anywhere. Not without you, anyway.”
“I’m not sure I’m ready to go back to Vegas just yet,” I say. I promised Evelyn I’d help her pack. She’s leaving in just a few more days and I’m not sure when I’ll see her again.
“That’s okay. We’ll figure out a plan. I’m in no rush, as long as I’m with you it doesn’t matter where we are.”
I smile at the sentiment, but I know the logic behind it isn’t sound. “You’ll need to get back eventually. And I can’t leave forever either. I have to find a job. Evelyn is moving out.” He raises an eyebrow at me and I sigh. “She got a promotion at work, but she has to move to Chicago. She’s leaving Saturday.”
“Wow,” he says.
“I promised to help her pack, and I want to say goodbye to her when she leaves.”
“Of course,” Chase nods. He runs his fingers lightly up and down my body until I feel goose bumps start to rise along my flesh. “Can I help?”
I shrug. “I’m sure she’ll have no objection to an extra pair of strong hands, although you might have to stick to packing things like the kitchen and dining room. I think she’d die of embarrassment if you tried to help pack her underwear drawer.” He laughs. “I’m serious, I think she has a bit of a crush on you, Mr. Anderson. No surprise there.”
“Pots and pans it is,” he smiles. His fingers are still running along my body but have moved from the outside of my thighs to the inside now. It’s distracting.
“Really, though,” I say, shifting my legs slightly. Not to get away from him, but opening my thighs just enough to give him better access. He takes the hint. “What are we going to do?”
“I have a few ideas,” he says, his curious fingers finally landing on the prize I know he was after. A shiver runs up my back as soon as he makes contact.
“That’s not what I mean,” I say. But it’s a start.
“I know,” he smiles. “We’ll figure it out. Later.”
Yes. Later. My thighs open a little bit more.
Much later.
Chapter 29
Although Chase stayed in town for the week, as promised, he got his own room so as not to make Evelyn feel crowded or like we were pushing her out. I didn’t object because the hotel was close by and every time we had sex in my apartment with Eve around, I felt like I had to stay quiet and restrained. After the week we’d had together in Vegas where we could be as loud as we wanted, I felt spoiled and held back. So most nights would end in loud, passionate sex sessions at his hotel room, after a day of helping my roommate pack.
Although our packing sessions really only lasted a few hours each day - from when Evelyn got home from work until she determined that she’d had enough. Still, with Chase’s help the packing moved faster than she had anticipated anyway. And each night after we had called it quits, the three of us would have dinner together until Eve was tired, leaving Chase and me to retire back to his hotel.
I’m finally starting to see more of the benefits of a paid room from Chase’s point of view. Each day we come home to a tidy room, fresh sheets and towels, and no concerns about being too noisy. Although I do sometimes wonder whether any guests on either side of us can hear some of our more vocal sessions.
The only problem is, I still haven’t figured out what I want to do. Since that first night, Chase and I have been avoiding the topic of our near future by engrossing ourselves in our immediate future. Sleeping late, lounging at the hotel pool, sex, packing, eating, more sex, back to sleep. It only takes a couple of days for that to become a routine that lulls us away from thinking about what we will do when it all ends. Now that Friday has arrived, we have even less than usual to distract us. Evelyn is off work, staying at home to handle the movers, and Chase and I are headed over there later to keep her company. But the prospect of her leaving is impossible to ignore now that it’s finally upon us. Once she’s gone, there will be no more reason for the hotel, no more afternoon packing sessions or roommate to keep company, no more excuses for us to ignore the inevitable questions of what to do next.
Chase is sitting on one of the chairs by the window, the skyline of Toronto looming over his left shoulder as he scrolls through his phone. As the week has gone by, he’s been on it more and more, responding to questions about where he’s been and what he’s doing. Not only from friends or other poker players in Vegas, but from fans expecting to see him at yet more tournaments he’s cancelled to hang out with me instead.
He denies it, but I know he’s missing the action. I’m starting to worry that he’s soon going to realize that life with me will actually be terribly uninteresting, a fact that I’ve mentioned on more than one occasion.
“What are we going to do?” I ask, sitting down on the edge of the bed next to his chair. I reach out and put one hand down gently on his knee to get his attention.
“Did you want to go to the pool again?” he asks, not looking up from the tweet he’s writing.
“No, I mean in the grand sense. What are we going to do?”
Now I have his attention. His thumbs have paused mid-sentence and he looks up at me.
“I know you’re bored,” I continue. “Hanging around a home all day isn’t really your style. You’re all about the adventure. The gambling, the motorcycles, the skydiving, and whatever else it is that you spend your off hours doing.”
“Lila, as hard as it seems to be for you to believe, I appreciate my downtime as well. I’m enjoying this. Us. I’m not anxious to go back. I don’t have to go back. That’s part of this lifestyle. I don’t answer to anyone but myself and what I want to do. You’re who I want to spend my time with now.”
Now. But how long is that going to last? I’m not entirely convinced that a lifestyle like this can keep a man like Chase satisfied. Hell, after the taste of his lifestyle last week, I’m not sure I want to go back to a life like this either.
“Eventually we both have to go back to our lives,” I insist.
Chase shrugs, more with his eyes than his shoulders. “Why can’t our lives change? Why can’t this be our lives?”
“What’s this? We aren’t doing anything. We’re in a hotel.”
“I’ll have a house soon.”
“I don’t live in Vegas.”
Chase stands up and comes to the bed, pulling me up and into a hug. “You worry too much,” he says softly. “We’ll figure it all out. There’s no rush to do it right away. I know you don’t want to be dependent on me, and I get that, but at least for now don’t worry about money or anything like that. I have enough to go around, and the thing I’ve figured out about it is, it’s useless to have when you’re alone.”
I start to shake my head but he squeezes me tigh
tly. “Lila, I’m serious. We’ll figure out something that works for both of us, I promise. But for now, let’s just relax a bit. Consider this just being on vacation for a little while.”
I laugh lightly at the thought.
“I’m serious,” he says. “In fact, let’s make it a real vacation.”
“What do you mean?” I pull back from his embrace a bit to look at him. His eyes are serious, although they do have a little excited gleam to them.
“I mean, let’s go somewhere. You can’t have a proper vacation in your own city. So that means no Toronto or Vegas.”
“Chase,” I start to protest with a little shake of my head.
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