His arms go around me and he lifts me up, carrying me back a few paces and setting me down next to the hammock.
“Take your pants off,” he instructs, voice deep and full of lust.
My fingers tremble and I look right into Chase’s eyes as I pull down my fabric shorts. I’m not wearing underwear, but Chase already found that out when he finger-fucked me. Still, the sight seems to take him by surprise and I think he’s going to lay me down and have his way with me right now.
Instead, he has me sit on the edge of the hammock and he drops to his knees, putting my legs over his shoulders.
“Lay back,” he orders, and my heart starts hammering away the moment I do. The hammock swings forward, bringing my core to Chase’s face. His tongue lashes against me and I cry out. Twisting the ropes of the hammock in my hands, I lift my head and watch Chase. Minutes later, I toss my head back as I come again, so hard it makes my vision blackout.
This time, Chase settles next to me, gently stroking the inside of my thigh until my heart stops racing and I can breathe again. I twist in the hammock and kiss him. We’re laying sideways on the hammock, with our legs dangling over the edge. I slide my hand down Chase’s stomach, pushing the elastic band of the pajama pants out of the way. I pump his cock in my hand a few times before I move over, straddling him.
Chase keeps his feet planted on the ground and his hands on my waist to steady me as I position his cock under me. We lock eyes as I move down, pushing his hardness into me. Chase lets out a moan, which turns me on all over again. He slides a hand up under my T-shirt, thumb circling my nipple.
I lean forward onto him, trying to fuck him but not flip us over in the hammock at the same time. My movements are more of a grind than a thrust, but I don’t think Chase minds. His breathing quickens and suddenly he picks me up and moves us to the ground, where he lays over top of me and drives his cock in and out of me hard and fast until he comes.
His head drops against mine. Both panting, we lay there for a minute trying to catch our breath. My wind chimes ring out around us as a cool breeze blows through the night.
“That was fun,” I pant, curling my legs up and giving his ass a squeeze.
“I’d do it again.” He gives me a cheeky grin and gets up, grabbing my shorts and tossing them to me. I clean myself up the best I can before I stand. We go inside and into my bedroom. Chase sits on the bed while I use the bathroom, emerging in a new pair of pajamas.
“Now I’m tired,” I say, sitting on the bed next to him.
“Me too.”
“So,” he starts, putting his arm around me. “I came inside you. Twice.”
“Oh, yeah. Um…” I stopped taking birth control after Jake died. There was no point. I’ve never had a regular cycle, and keeping track of when my period is due has fallen to the wayside with everything else going on. But I do know it’s been at least three weeks. I should get it soon. Fuck. I hope so. “I don’t have anything. And the chances or getting pregnant are against us, right?”
Chase gives a grim nod then shrugs. “I don’t think I have anything either. And probably. Just, uh, let me know. I don’t usually do that. There’s something about you that makes me lose control.”
I look at Chase, the man who just fucked me senseless minutes ago, and feel shy. Do I need to ask him to stay the night? Is it a given? We talked about getting up and going to church together, which implies going to sleep and waking up together, right?
“We can go to bed,” Chase says slowly as if he’s reading my mind.
“Do you mind if I shower first?”
“Not at all.”
“Okay, and I have an extra toothbrush if you need it. I’ll leave it out on the sink. The shower and toilet have their own room in the bathroom, so you can come in and brush your teeth.”
“Okay, thanks.”
I get up, wondering if I should have invited Chase to shower with me. We’ve had sex twice, and he’s been up close and personal with every inch of me already. But in the heat of the moment, it’s hot. When I’m naked and shampooing my hair…not so much. I mentally roll my eyes at myself. I need to stop over-thinking.
I brush my teeth then take a quick shower, then get out and towel dry my hair the best I can before getting dressed. Chase is in bed, under the covers, reading the book I had left on my nightstand from a few days ago.
I’m not sure I’ve seen anything hotter in my whole life.
Chase jerks his head up, looking startled, most likely from the sound of my ovaries exploding.
“This is surprisingly good,” he says, closing the book.
“It’s very dirty.” I throw back the covers and get in bed next to him. My heart skips a beat and nerves tingles down my spine. I’ve spent the night with Chase before, just never in this sense.
Deliberate.
“Now I’m even more intrigued.”
“Quinn Harlow is one of my favorite authors.”
Chase puts the book down and turns off the light. He takes me by the waist and pulls me close, then spoons his body around mine. Physically, I’m exhausted. I haven’t had that many orgasms in one day in, well, ever. I haven’t gotten much sleep the last few days and my body longs for it, but my mind won’t shut off, though tonight, it’s not necessarily a bad thing.
Because after over a year of living in the dark, I’m finally starting to see the light. And the sunshine on my face feels so damn good.
* * *
“You’re still getting ready?”
I turn away from the mirror, hair wrapped around my curling iron, and almost burn my forehead. I blink. Once. Twice. Three times.
“Not everyone can just throw on a suit and look as good as you,” I finally muster, still taking in the sight of Chase. His button-down shirt is tucked into gray dress pants, belted around his trim waist. His normally messy hair is neat and right now he really could pass for that mega-rich CEO he pretended to be the first time we met. The transformation from rugged bad boy to sexy-man-in-a-suit is making my brain turn into mush.
“You’d look good in anything,” he tells me, crossing his arms and leaning on the doorway to the bathroom. He got up this morning and went home to shower and change before church.
I pull the hot iron from my hair and smile at his reflection. “Thanks, but I think we have to agree to disagree.”
He raises his eyebrows and crosses the room, stopping behind me with his arms wrapping around my waist. His lips find my neck and I close my eyes, leaning into him. And then I feel the heat of my curling iron not a moment too soon, and jerk it away from my arm at the last second.
“You’re distracting,” I murmur.
“You say it like it’s a bad thing.” He slides his hands down my thighs and inches my skirt up.
“It’s not.” I set the curling iron down inside the sink and hold onto Chase’s arms. “What time is it?”
He looks over me and down at his wrist. “Seven thirty-two.”
“Shit.” I’m nowhere near ready and I still have to feed Marley.
“I’m going to take that as you need me to stop distracting you.”
“Yeah,” I groan, not wanting him to step away. “We don’t want to be late. Walking in late is worse than not going to church. If you’re not there, you have the chance of the whole ‘out of sight out of mind’ thing and people might not notice. But if you walk in late, everyone sees you.”
“Makes sense.” Chase shakes his head. “This town is weird.”
“It is. Which is probably why I like it. I fit in.”
“You do fit in, but you’re not like some of the others.”
“What do you mean?” I wrap another section of hair around my curling iron.
“You’re not judgmental.”
I meet Chase’s eyes via his reflection in the mirror. “I’m the worst. I judge everyone and I judge hard. I just don’t say anything.”
Chase laughs. “I don’t believe that for a second.”
I smile back at him and quickly curl
the rest of my hair, and then we rush out of the door, swing by my parents’ to feed Marley, and then speed to church.
“If lightning strikes me, you’re going down with me,” Chase says, looking at my hand in his as we walk through the parking lot.
I laugh and shake my head. “You’re not going to get smote. Smited? Smoted? Whatever. The worse thing that’s going to happen today is a lot of questions and a little bit of gossip.”
“People gossip at church?”
“All the damn time.”
“I don’t feel as bad about not going to church now.”
We make it halfway through the parking lot before someone stops us, asking how I’ve been and who Chase is. The same thing happens three more times before we make it into the chapel, and I swear I can feel eyes on us the entire mass. Being the subject of gossip and stares is nothing new to me. I’m well aware that being born a Belmont makes me interesting—to the people of Summer Hill at least. But today it’s bothering me. Are people thinking it’s too soon for me to be with another man? Jake’s been gone for a year and a half. When is it socially okay to get on with my life?
And more importantly, why do I care?
Chase and I take a seat in the back minutes before the service starts. Lisa and Rob come in not long after we do, and slip into the pew next to us. Rob is in his uniform and is either on the clock or going to work right after this. Most of the town, including its police officers, attend church on Sunday morning. It never dawned on me until right now that this is the perfect time to commit a crime.
Chase and I walk out of church hand in hand, and his brother waves him over as we get to Chase’s car. Lisa is fast approaching, so Chase goes over to see Josh while I wait by the Mustang for my cousin.
“This is Chase’s car?” Lisa asks incredulously.
“It is. You seem surprised.”
She purses her lips and looks from the car to Chase. “What did he do before he moved here?”
“I don’t know.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, it’s never come up.”
“Interesting.”
“Why is it interesting?” I ask.
“Because I know how much a car like this costs, and the fact that he’s wearing a designer suit and an expensive watch makes me wonder what the hell he used to do.”
“His suit is designer?”
“Yes. I might have taken a minute or two to check out his ass and saw the label. His ass is very fine, but I’m sure you’re aware.”
“It is,” I say and force a smile. I have asked Chase about his previous line of work, and he’s declined to comment. In fact, he told me it was a long story. My mind races and I can’t come up with anything rational. He said he moved around a lot. He could be a traveling nurse for all I know.
“So,” Lisa goes on. “You guys came together. Does that mean you spent the night together?”
That brings a smile to my face. “Yes. And before you ask, yes. Twice and it was fan-fucking-tastic.”
Lisa beams. “I’m honestly feeling a tad jealous you got to hit that.”
I laugh at her and turn my head to look at Chase. He’s crouched down, smiling as he talks to his niece.
“And everything went okay?” Lisa asks, and she doesn’t have to explain for me to know she meant emotionally, not physically.
“Yeah. It felt right, and we were very much caught up in the moment both times. He’s easy to be around, as lame as that sounds. We haven’t known each other long, but it’s like I can just relax and be myself around him. It’s hard, sometimes, not to compare him to…to Jake though.”
“I bet that’s normal.”
I nod. “Yeah. It’s a little weird. It’s not like we broke up and I have negative feelings toward him. It’d be easier if that were the case. Chase has been really understanding. I think that’s the biggest part of why this feels so right.”
“Is this more than just a fling?”
“I think so. It feels like it’s more.” I shake my head. “If it doesn’t come up, I’ll ask him.”
“No, you won’t,” Lisa says point-blank, raising an eyebrow.
“Fine. I probably won’t because that’s one awkward conversation waiting to happen. But…” I trail off and look back at Chase. “I think he feels it too. He’s coming back over today. We don’t have plans other than to lounge around until dinner.”
“Fucking, you mean.”
“Oh, for sure. I probably want it just as bad as he does.”
Lisa laughs. “He’s into you. More so than a fling. I can tell by the way he looks at you.”
I can’t hide my smile. “Good,” I say shortly, not comfortable with gushing over Chase like a teenage girl.
“Are you bringing him to family dinner tonight?”
“No, not yet. Mostly for his sake, though. Having your sister, my sister, and all of our parents in one room is overwhelming even when you’re part of the family.”
“That is the truest thing you can say about our family.”
* * *
“How was your date?” Mom asks as soon as I’m through the door that evening. They just got back into town a few hours ago, but since my mom doesn’t actually do the cooking—or the setting of the table, or the cleaning up after dinner—having us all over for dinner isn’t an issue.
“You went on a date?” Sam asks, turning around so fast she almost bumps into me.
“Didn’t you see them together at church this morning?” Vanessa, Lisa’s older sister asks, handing off her sleeping toddler to her husband. “I thought Lisa said you went out with that Henson guy.”
“That is him,” I tell her.
Vanessa makes a face of surprise. “Really? He looked so…so…”
“Not like a Henson?” Lisa supplies and her sister agrees. “You’re such an asshole, Nessa.”
“Lisa,” Gran scolds, voice coming from across the foyer. I swear she has better hearing than I do. I take off my shoes and take my phone from my purse before the housekeeper takes it to hang up. I look through the sea of my family members for my mother, whose hair and makeup are perfectly done. You’d never guess she stepped off a plane hours ago. Her eyes, more blue than green like mine, sparkle and she’s trying not to smile. My mother might be ridiculously posh at times, concerning herself with more than what others think than with what’s going on in the world, but I know she cares.
“It was fine,” I say simply, but my smile gives it away.
Chapter 16
Chase
I fall into bed at three am Friday morning. I smell like alcohol and smoke, but I’m too damn tired to shower. This week passed in a blur, and thanks to Sierra, it was a beautiful fucking blur.
I stayed at her house the rest of Sunday after church until she had to go to her parents’ for dinner. Monday, she came over after work and stayed the night. The next day, I brought lunch to her at work and stayed for the remainder of her break before I had to come back here and work at the bar. She had me over Wednesday night and since she didn’t have to be at work until the afternoon Thursday, we spend the morning in bed together, reading, fucking, and cuddling.
It’s the last thing I’d thought I’d do. Lying in bed with my arm tucked under Sierra, holding a book with my other free hand, having to put it down every time I needed to turn a page because I didn’t want to disturb Sierra. It sounds so lame to say we spent the morning in bed together reading, but when Sierra got to a sex scene in her book, she read part of it out loud to me, turning us both on enough to recreate the scene ourselves.
Being close to someone like that isn’t something I do often. Or ever. Things are different with Sierra and all that bullshit about finding that one person out of millions who you’re meant to be with doesn’t sound so shitty anymore.
The more time I spend with Sierra, the easier she is to read. She’s scared. Keeps her heart guarded. Sometimes, when she gets too close or acts too comfortable, it’s like she catches herself and pulls back.
With
Sierra on my mind, I pass out and dream of her, waking four hours later with enough energy to get up and shower. Regretting going another day without grocery shopping, I grumble when I look inside my fridge for something to eat. Settling for stale cereal with the rest of the milk, I drag a chair over to the large window and eat while watching the river.
I move to the couch, flipping through channels when Sierra calls. My heart skips a beat when I see her familiar number on my screen.
“Hey, babe,” I answer.
“I didn’t wake you up, did I?” she asks.
“No, I was up already.”
“Oh good. I was planning on leaving a message for you to listen to when you got up. Why are you up so early? You worked late last night.”
“Couldn’t sleep. I’ll go back to sleep later, though. Are you on your way to work?”
“Yeah. And that shipment of books I ordered Monday is supposed to come in. I’m pretty excited about it.”
I can tell she’s smiling as she talks. It’s fucking adorable.
“While I have you on the phone, I might as well ask you if you’d be interesting in going to a bonfire tonight at Rob’s house.”
“Do you want to go?” I ask her.
“Kind of,” she says after a moment’s hesitation. “I haven’t been to anything like that in a long time.”
“Then let’s go.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah. There’s probably nothing else to do around this town anyway, right?” I joke.
“Well, there is me.”
Fuck. Me. “You’re so fucking hot, Sierra. And I will do you. I’m going to fuck you senseless until you’re coming so hard you’re screaming my name.”
“Oh…oh my,” she breathes. “Today’s going to go by slow now that I know what’s waiting for me.”
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