Fair Lakes Series Box Set

by Kaylee Ryan, Lacey Black

  Chase snorts. “Hated you? Hardly. I loved to torment you. Still do, actually. It’s one of my favorite hobbies.” My eyes narrow a little as I watch him slowly bringing my palms up to his mouth. “I was infatuated with you and I had no clue what to do about it. I tried to work you out of my mind and forget you, but it never worked.

  “No one was you.”

  My mind is reeling from his confession. I can’t believe he just told me he’s wanted me for years. Freaking years. While my sister may have repeatedly told me what Chase and I had was a form of foreplay, I didn’t actually think she was right.

  “Wow,” I whisper, not really sure what else to say.

  “So, now you know all about the real Chase Callahan. When I told you I hadn’t been the playboy you accused me of being, I meant it. Yes, I may have been that man in the past, but I haven’t been recently.”

  “Why did you keep up that façade?” I ask, the question tumbling from my lips.

  “Habit, I think, and because that’s what everyone expected from me. I went to the bars and stuff, but I always went home alone, Gabs. Always. Even when it may have looked like I hadn’t.”

  His words ring loud in my ears. So many times I watched him flirt with someone and just assumed he went home for a night of mattress Olympics. Even after he swore to me that what I saw wasn’t always reality, I still questioned his validity. But now, looking at him in the eyes, I can see that everything I may have known about Chase Callahan wasn’t correct. It was a disguise, something comfortable and familiar he kept in place so no one would ask him questions or expect more from him. The revelation is somewhat startling, to be honest.

  Everything I’ve known about him is wrong.

  And I hate that I’ve always thought the worst of him.

  “I’m sorry.”

  “For?” he asks.

  “For always assuming you were this carefree playboy.”

  “Like I said, Gabs, for a while, I was. I partied and slept with my share of girls, but not recently. Not in a while.” He brings my hands up to his mouth, my palms still faceup. His lips dance along the sensitive skin, sending shivers of desire shooting through my body and goose bumps tickling my arms.

  “Thank you for telling me all of that,” I say as he tucks my hands back into his bigger, rougher ones.

  Again, he shifts until he’s sitting beside me on the blanket. The sun is almost to the horizon and we have the perfect view to watch it fall behind the trees. I’m very much aware of his presence beside me, my body humming with anticipation. For what, I’m not sure, but I can feel it nonetheless.

  “Gabby?” he whispers as the last bit of fiery orange dips behind the trees.

  “Yeah?” I ask, my voice hoarse and shallow.

  He turns, his nose a whisper away from my own. I can feel the tickle of his breath against my lips. “I really want to kiss you.”

  My heart dances in my chest, my fingers twitching with the need to touch his skin. “I really want you to kiss me,” I reply, knowing it’s one thousand percent fact.

  “Are you sure?” His eyes search mine, looking for validation.

  “Definitely.” There’s no blurred friends line anywhere near us. I’m pretty sure we passed it a long time ago, but I wasn’t ready to see it or admit the truth. I do want Chase and probably always have. Yes, there are unanswered questions, and yes, there are valid concerns, but at the end of the day, I just want to feel this man’s lips against mine and not care about what comes next.

  Day by day.

  That’s how we’ll take it.

  He moves a fraction of an inch closer. If I were to just lift my mouth a hair, we’d be touching, but I don’t move. I wait for him. “Gabrielle, if I kiss you, I don’t think I can go back to the friend zone,” he warns.

  “Chase, I don’t want to be in the friend zone either. I want to see where this leads,” I confess. He stares back at me with wide, hopeful eyes. “You took a chance on me and told me all about your past, so I’m ready to take a chance on you too.”

  His eyes close as if he’s savoring the words I said. When they open, there’s a little happiness mixed with desire. “I promise not to hurt you.”

  “You can’t promise that.”

  “I can, and I do. I promise, baby. You’re safe with me.” Chase lets go of my hands and brings his up to cup my face. His thumb is gentle as he caresses my jaw and turns his head ever so slightly. “I’m going to enjoy the hell out of kissing you,” he adds just before his lips graze gently across mine.

  A cat purrs, but then I realize it’s just me. I’m actually purring as he applies a bit more pressure with his skillful lips, taking this kiss from nice and sweet to holy shit! His tongue is warm as he coaxes open my mouth and dives inside, stroking expertly against mine. His hands are still gripping my face, his thumb gliding down the column of my neck. This is, hands down, the best kiss of my life.

  Passionate, yet unhurried.

  My body burns with need, my panties pretty much useless. Shit, that’s pretty much the state they’re in anytime he’s around. Inept little scraps of material that I would love to see him take off… with his teeth.

  I gasp for air, but Chase doesn’t pull back. Instead, he slowly drags his full lips down my chin, raining open-mouthed kisses on my flushed skin as he goes. When he reaches the hollow of my throat, I feel his tongue lapping against my skin, and I swear my entire body is practically levitating off the blanket.

  When his eyes finally lock on mine, I see the fire burning brightly in his blue eyes. I don’t care that we’re in public or that we just decided like two minutes ago to give this—whatever this is—a try. I’m ready to throw caution to the wind and my panties in the water and take.

  Take him.

  “I want more,” I whisper into the quiet of the night.

  Chapter 8

  Chase

  My body is on fire. I feel her everywhere, yet she’s still not close enough. Her whispered confession pulls me out of my Gabby-induced fog. “More of what, baby? I need you to tell me.”

  “You. This. Everything. I just want more” is her breathy reply.

  “You said you want to see where this goes, and I want that. More than anything I want that. But if this is… more than just kissing, it’s not just more; it’s everything. You’re mine.”

  Her eyes widen at my words, but she doesn’t argue them. “Okay” is her softly whispered confession into the night. One word causes my heart to pound like a bass drum in my chest.

  When I lean forward, she has no choice but to lie back on the blanket. I rest my weight on one elbow and the other slides under the hem of her shirt. I’m greeted with the softest, smoothest skin I’ve ever felt. “You’re beautiful.” My confession has a small smile gracing her lips. “So soft,” I murmur, letting my hand roam over her ribs. Bending farther, I press my lips to hers. Lazily, my tongue swipes at her bottom lip, and when she opens for me, I take my time tasting her. I’ve wanted her like this for too damn long. I need to savor her. Savor this moment.

  She turns on her side, and my hand slips around to her back, holding her close. When she throws one leg over mine, I know I’m in trouble. She makes me forget where we are, that we’re not alone—although this little piece of real estate gives us that false impression.

  “Not here.” My eyes scan our surroundings. I’d love nothing more than to take her here with the sunset as our backdrop, but no way in hell am I risking someone seeing her.

  Not my Gabby.

  She’s mine.

  “Here,” she says, gripping her hands in my shirt and pulling me closer to her. Her lips press against my neck, and I swear just the feel of her soft lips on my skin has my eyes rolling back in my head.

  “We have to go. Now,” I add, letting her know I’m not playing. I kiss her one more time, just a quick peck on the lips, before pulling away from her warmth and jumping to my feet. She lies back on the blanket, her hands resting on her belly, staring up at me. “Gabs,” I say in warning,
holding out my hand to help her up.

  “Chase,” she counters.

  “We need to go.” Her eyes flash to my dick, and it twitches as if her attention is all for him. “You like what you see, sweetheart?” I ask as she stares unapologetically.

  “Come here.” She crooks her index finger, and I cave. Almost.

  Instead, I start packing up the bag I brought, and sling it over my shoulder. Crouching down, I trace her jaw with my index finger. “Baby, we need to go.”

  “I like it here,” she says as her hand reaches out and brushes over my cock.

  Fuck this. Stepping off the blanket, I push it toward her, when it’s bundled up around her, I scoop her up in my arms and she squeals with laughter.

  “Ch-Chase,” she sputters. “What are you doing?”

  “Taking you home.”

  “Bu—” She starts to argue but I cut her off.

  “I’ll bring you back. We can come here whenever you want, as often as you want, but right now, Gabrielle, I need to be inside you, and I’ll be damned if I’m going to do that with an audience.”

  “You love attention,” she quips.

  “I love your attention. And before you say it, fuck no I don’t want anyone else to have it. I don’t want anyone else to hear you when I make you come, and I sure as fuck don’t want them to see what you’re hiding underneath these clothes.” I stop at my truck. “So, yeah, baby, we’re going home.” Without having to tell her, she reaches for the handle on the door, and pulls it open. I use my leg to push it open all the way, then set her gently onto the passenger seat. My hand grips the back of her neck, and I pull her into a kiss. It’s sloppy and hurried, but the way her nails are digging into my forearms, I know she likes it. We don’t have time for slow right now.

  I need to get her home.

  I need to get her naked.

  I need to make her mine.

  Forcing myself to pull away, I rest my forehead against hers. I need to catch my breath. With willpower I didn’t know I possessed, I separate my body from hers. She turns in the seat, and I reach around her and buckle her in.

  “I can do that,” she says softly.

  “I know you can, but I take care of what’s mine.” With that, I kiss the corner of her mouth and close the door. My long legs carry me to my side of the truck, and the door is barely shut behind me before I have the engine started, and we’re on the road.

  We’re quiet for several minutes, both lost in our thoughts, when her voice fills the cab. “Whatever happened to bench seating in trucks?” she asks.

  I glance over at her. “What?”

  “This.” She points to the center console. “What happened to bench seating? You know, the girl sitting in the middle, the guy’s arm slung around her shoulders.”

  “I’m sure they still make them.”

  “Then why didn’t you buy one of those?” she asks, and I know she’s serious by the tone of her voice.

  “I wanted this one.”

  “But this one”—she points again to the center console—“is keeping me away from you.”

  I should be ashamed of how her words make me feel. Like I want to spout poetry and shit. Only Gabby has ever had this kind of effect on me. “I’m sorry, baby.” I don’t know what else to say and she genuinely sounds disappointed.

  She’s quiet the remainder of the ride. Our entwined hands rest on the devil of a console, and we’re just content to be. At least we are until we turn on to my street. She pulls her hand from mine and unhooks her seat belt. I’m thinking she’s eager to pick up where we left off; however, when I pull into the driveway, she climbs over the console and straddles my lap.

  “There.” She grins and kisses me while rocking her hips.

  My hands grip her hips and help to guide her. “Gabs,” I mumble against her lips.

  She pulls back, her eyes full of fire and need. “Sorry.” She shrugs. “I couldn’t wait any longer. You’re sitting here behind the wheel, looking all sexy. The veins in your arms as you grip the wheel. The way your thumb kept tracing over my knuckles. The simple knowledge that that damn console was keeping me from sliding over and being closer to you… I had to get that out of my system.”

  “Never apologize for taking what you want. Not from me.”

  “What if I want something I’m not sure you’re willing to give?”

  I smile and tuck a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “Gabs, you should know by now, after tonight, there is nothing I wouldn’t do for you or give you as long as it’s within my power.”

  Reaching out, her eyes never leaving mine, she places her hand over my heart. “I want this. I know it sounds crazy, but this feels right. Being with you, not fighting, just being, and it’s hours old if that, and I can’t help but want it all the same.”

  “It’s not hours old, not for me.”

  “Me either,” she confesses.

  “As for this.” I place my hand over hers. “It’s already yours.” It’s not a confession of love, but it’s the next best thing. She’s buried deep inside me, and if I thought she was truly ready to hear it, I would tell her that I love her. Fuck, I’d ask her to marry me.

  “I guess you want to try the goods first, huh?” She laughs, making light of the situation.

  I’m not laughing. Cupping her face in my hands, I wait until I have her full attention. The glow of the moonlight now the only light, but it’s bright enough that I can see her. “I don’t need to try the goods, baby. I know what it feels like to kiss you, to have you in my arms. I know what it’s like to have your things in my home, to come home to you. I know the furious rhythm of my heart anytime you’re near, hell, anytime I hear your name. I know that you’re all I want. All I’ll ever need. So ‘the goods,’ that’s just icing on the cake.” I drop my hands and pull her into my chest, hugging her tightly against me.

  She buries her face in my neck. “I like this side of you.”

  “What side is that?”

  “This, open, honest, not mean Chase. The way you tell me how you’re feeling without hesitation.”

  “Only you,” I tell her. She’s the only woman to ever make me feel this way, and the only one who gets this side of me. What I thought I had with Melissa doesn’t even come close to comparing to how I feel about Gabby.

  “Chase?”

  “Yeah, babe?”

  “Can I ask you a favor?”

  “Anything.”

  She lifts her head and her eyes find mine. “Will you make love to me?”

  Out of all the things she could ask for running through my mind, that wasn’t on the list. “That’s an honor that I will gladly accept. Can I ask you a favor in return?”

  She nods shyly.

  “Stay.”

  “Stay?”

  I nod. “Here, with me. Don’t keep looking for a place. Don’t leave. Stay here with me.”

  “This thing between us, it’s so new.”

  “Please,” I ask, running my hand gently up and down her spine. “Stay.”

  “That’s an honor that I will gladly accept.” She gives me a watery smile as she tosses my words back at me.

  “Let’s get you inside.” I open the door, and she climbs off my lap and is out of the truck. I trail along behind her. She waits for me to unlock the door, and once we’re both inside, I lock it back up. Standing in the middle of the foyer, we stare at one another. The reality of tonight crashes in around us. The clarity of what’s about to happen and what it means is thick between us.

  One step. Two steps. Three steps. I’m in front of her. Placing my hands under her arms, I lift her, and she wraps her legs around my waist. “I can’t believe I’m about to say this, but if you want to wait….” My voice trails off.

  “Are you backing out on me, Callahan?” she sasses.

  I squeeze her ass in my hands. “No. I’m telling you that regardless of your decision, you will be in my bed tonight, and every night moving forward. I’m telling you that tonight sealed your fate, and you’re m
ine. I don’t care if you want to wait for sex, that doesn’t change the outcome of who you are to me.”

  “Who am I?”

  “My future.”

  Her hands tangle in my hair as she pulls me into a kiss. This one is different. I can’t explain it, but I feel it everywhere. Maybe it’s the realization that we’re not fighting. I don’t have to fight with her to get her attention; instead, I can focus my energy on loving her. It’s with that thought my feet start to move. Blindly, I carry her through the house, mindful of my steps, not wanting to injure either one of us as we make our way up the steps. When we make it to my room, I sit on the bed with her in my lap.

  My hands roam over her, touching her everywhere as I lazily kiss her. I was in a hurry to get her here, to be in this moment with her, but now that it’s here, it’s time to slow things down. It’s time to savor and cherish.

  “More,” she mumbles as she rocks her hips.

  “You’re not rushing me,” I murmur, pulling away to trail my lips down her neck.

  “This is not a one-time thing, Chase,” she says, tightening her grip on my shoulders when I nip at her ear before soothing it with my tongue.

  “I know that, but it’s the first time I get to feel you,” I say, tilting my hips and making her moan. “We’re not rushing this.”

  “Torture. This is pure torture.”

  “I’ll make it worth it, sweetheart. I promise. Stand for me,” I request. It takes her a minute to register what I’ve said, but slowly, she unhooks her legs from around my waist and I help her stand, making sure she’s steady on her feet. “Arms up,” I instruct, and without a word, she raises her arms in the air and allows me to remove her shirt. My hands run up and down her sides, relishing the feel of her soft skin under my fingers.

  “You have me at an unfair advantage.” She grins.

  “This what you want?” I ask, raising my arms in the air. I make no move to pull my T-shirt over my head. I leave that to her. Grabbing the hem of my shirt, she pulls it up over my chest, over my head, and tosses it on the floor.