It's impressive that a man of his built can be so gentle. My heart races as I think about all the things he could do to my body. I take a peek up at the man and find him watching me.
We talk about everything. I tell him about the day I lost my mom and how I've been on my own ever since. He tells me about his company and his family, and the more he talks, the more I realize that a man like him would never settle for someone like me.
I'm a single mom who works hours to no end to support my kid. I have no time to look after myself to the point where I forget when was the last time I got a trim or got my nails done. A man like him needs a woman who knows how to suit his every need, and I'm not that woman. I wouldn't be able to give him what he wants. I've been with one person in my entire life and I've never understood men and their needs. The realization sets in and I feel my mood going downhill. What was I thinking? It's obvious that he wouldn't want me longterm. And I don't have time for casual one night stands. I can't afford to be someone's toy, even for one night. And I definitely can't afford to be heartbroken, because the last time almost killed me. The man sitting in front of me has every power to shatter my heart to pieces. I have to be composed for my son and for me. I have to give him a better life, even if it means sacrificing my own.
I'm lost in thoughts when suddenly I feel warm lips on my wrist. I lift my eyes to see Chase smiling softly at me.
"What were you thinking about, sweetheart?"
I shake my head in defeat, taking my hand away, "I'm sorry Chase, I don't think this is a good idea."
He frowns and leans back in his seat. Even the way he sits exudes power and confidence. "Why? I thought we both felt something."
"I did... I do, but—"
"Just tell me one thing. Do you really have a cat?" Chase asks with a smirk, knowing damn well that I won't be able to lie to him again.
I shake my head in embarrassment, "No. I don't have a cat." I take a lungful of air and spit it out, "But I have a son." It's for the best to let him know before anything has happened.
Not even a muscle twitches on his face as his assertive gaze makes me feel like a bad person for lying to him. I expect him to just stand up and walk out the door but he surprises me yet again.
"What's his name?" He asks with a soft smile.
"Henry. He is four years old and the best thing that ever happened to me. He is the light of my life. Henry's father is not in the picture and he's never been. So it's just me and my little boy."
Suddenly, before he can ask anything else, my phone rings and I glance at the screen. It's my son's kindergarten. Shit.
"I'm sorry, Chase. I have to take this."
"Sure, sweetheart."
I press the green button, "Hello?"
"Elisabeth? Hi, this is Linda. I'm calling you to let you know that Henry suddenly got unwell and I think he has a fever. It's best for you to come to get him as soon as possible." Linda says that he was sick two times and it could be some kind of virus. I tell her that I'll be right there and hang up.
My head spins as I throw a panicked glance at Chase and scramble to my feet, "I'm so, so sorry. I have to go. My son's sick, I have to take him to a hospital."
In a blink of an eye, he's near me, stroking my cheek and holding me up, "Come on, I'll take you. My car is right out front."
"You don't have to, I'll take a cab or—" I stutter, thinking about my baby boy.
"Don't argue, sweets. I'll take you. It's the fastest way we can get there."
I nod, feeling the kind of fear only a mother can feel for her child. It's crippling in a way you can never imagine.
Chase urges me across the room, supporting me with his hand on the small of my back. I feel like without him by my side my legs would give out at any second. When we step outside, I see a midnight blue fancy SUV pull up. Chase helps me in, and as soon as he's in the driver's seat, I rattle off the address and we are off.
"Don't worry, sweets. He's going to be okay. We'll be there soon and we'll take him to the hospital. I already called them and asked to have a pediatrician ready for when we arrive." His knuckles are white as he grips the steering wheel and his jaw is clenched.
"You can do that?" I frown.
He sends me the most cheeky grin and says, "You can if you're me."
I place my hand on his and squeeze it in a silent thank you. "I'm sorry to ruin your evening. I'm sure this is not your idea of a good dinner." I sigh, a million emotions swirling in my chest.
"I loved every second of it, sweets. We'll have our second chance, I promise you. Now, you focus on your kid and we'll figure out the rest later."
Is this man even real?
Chapter 4
Chase
I can't stop looking at her. This woman is driving me fucking wild. She's all I ever wanted. I can't let her go. I want to protect her, to provide for her and to make sure she has everything she ever wanted in this life. She's caring and sweet, and the fact that she's a single mother makes me admire her strength even more.
As I drive us to the address she gave me, I can't help but stealing glances at her profile. Her soft features are now laced with concern and worry. Her eyes search mine in silent support and I give her what she's looking for. As soon as I stop at the red light, I pull her into me and kiss her with all I have.
Her sweet moans fire me up and as she opens that pretty mouth of hers, I go all in. I explore her, loving all the small sounds that she makes. Elisabeth is soft everywhere and I can't get enough of the feeling of her in my arms.
"Mmm, Chase?" She murmurs into my mouth.
"Yeah?"
"The light turned green."
I smile at her and floor the pedal. She makes me lose my composure and trust me, that doesn't happen to me.
Ever.
She's an exception.
As soon as I park near the building that was our destination, she jumps out of the car and turns to me, "You don't have to go with me."
I smirk and close my distance to her, "I'm going with you, sweets."
She nods and without second glance marches inside. I follow her to see her squat and open her arms, when a little boy comes barreling towards her. He is the cutest kid I've ever seen, not to mention a spitting image of his mother. Henry has a head full of dark brown curls and the same hazel eyes as Elisabeth. I watch the two of them and something pulls at my heart. The sight of that little boy hugging his mother with pure love and kissing her cheek makes my chest feel tight. I can't help but imagine what it would be like to come home and have them greet me like that. To have my child in my arms and my wife by my side. All I can see before my eyes are Elisabeth and Henry is my penthouse, laughing and living their best lives. Fuck, this is what's been missing for so long.
Them.
I feel a small hand tug on my leg. I look down and see those big round eyes concentrated on me.
"Who are you, mister?" Henry asks in an adorable little voice.
I crouch down and smile at him, "Hey, buddy. My name's Chase. I'm a friend of your mom's."
He contemplates my words for a second and replies, "But mom doesn't have friends."
I see Elisabeth turn pink as she scurries to put a big puffy winter jacket on him, along with a wooden hat and mittens. The little guy is fucking adorable in his snowman attire. I smile at him again, "How are you feeling, Henry? Your mom said you're sick?"
He pouts, "I just miss my momma."
I swear I see tears in Elisabeth's eyes. She turns around to search for something in her purse, but I think she just doesn't want Henry to see her cry.
"How about we get you checked and make sure you're okay? And then we can get you a new toy. What do you say?" Kids love toys, you can't go wrong with that.
"I don't want a toy." He shakes his head, making all the curly mess on his head fly around.
Well, apparently you can.
I squint at him, making him giggle, "What do you want, then?"
"I want a book!" He squeals.
I make a fak
e horrified face at him, "A book? What kind of book?"
He laughs again and the sound makes me smile. The kid is so adorable. "I want a book about dinosaurs!"
I nod in approval. "Then you'll get one. Come on, little guy."
With a satisfied grin, Henry runs outside, not seeming even a little bit ill. Maybe it was just a fluke, but I want to make sure anyway.
We follow him when suddenly I feel a small palm take mine and turn to see Elisabeth looking at me with wet eyes. She places the softest kiss to my jaw and says, "I can't thank you enough for what you've done for us today. You were so good to him, to me. It's like you're my guardian angel, saving me when I need it most."
No woman has ever spoken to me with such raw honesty. For a man like me, it means a lot. More than she could ever imagine. Women I've dated mostly used me for money or prestige, which played some kind of convenient role for me at the time. But this? This is real.
I tug her close to me and kiss her forehead, "Let's get going. I promised the little guy that I'll get him a book about dinosaurs. I always keep my promises."
She gives me a brilliant smile and presses deeper into me, as to get some of my warmth in this cold weather.
I press the button to open my car and I remember that I don't have a child's seat in it.
"Damn it," I murmur under my breath, thinking of a way to solve this. I pull up maps on my phone and look for the nearest mall. I spot one a few miles down the street and turn to Elisabeth, "Sweets, we have a problem. I don't have a seat for Henry in my car. There's a mall down the street where we can get one real quick if you don't mind."
Her beautiful face looks deep in thought when I address her, but she shakes her head at me, "Let me go ask if they have one here to borrow. I'm not sure if I can afford one right now." She looks almost embarrassed, lowering her gaze to the ground.
I pull her to my chest and put an escaped lock of her hair behind her ear. "Sweets, let me take care of you. Please, let me show you what I can do. I don't want you worrying about money or anything else at that point. I'll take care of everything."
She stares at me, blinking like a deer in headlights with those gorgeous eyes, "Yep. Now I'm a hundred percent sure you're not real."
I laugh and round the car to help Henry inside on the backseat and strap him with a seatbelt. "You good, buddy?"
He nods eagerly, "Yeah, I'm good!"
I smile at his adorable, awed expression and shake my head to myself. Elisabeth did good, raising him alone.
Not to mention she's hot as hell. Her figure is tempting me and her personality only makes me want to explore her more.
Until she is completely and utterly mine.
Chapter 5
Elisabeth
After we got a seat for Henry, Chase took us to the children's hospital, where he had a pediatrician check on Henry and make sure he's fine. As it turned out, it's just a stomach bug, and not anything more serious. To say I was relieved is an understatement. Having Chase by my side and have him holding my hand all this time has been unreal, like I'm in some kind of parallel world where I have someone to look after me. Which is indeed an intoxicating feeling. He makes me feel wanted and desired, along with protected and cared for. I don't want this to end but the rational part of my brain screams at me to stop these silly thoughts.
Just as we finished doing the paperwork, Chase insisted on paying for the appointment. I told him that he doesn't have to but he just gave me a smile full of mischief and pulled out his black AMEX. I sighed, thinking that maybe I fell and hit my head too hard and this isn't really happening. He is so over the top that I can't even deal with it. Maybe I'm in some kind of fairy tale and he's my knight in shining armor.
"Thank you so much for doing this. I'll pay you back, I promise." I stop to look into his eyes as we stand in the hospital hallway and I hold a sleeping Henry in my arms. The poor baby fell asleep from exhaustion as soon as the appointment was over.
Chase takes Henry from me and cradles him against his chest. The sight makes me hold my breath. He presses a soft kiss to my son's head and whispers to me, "Let me drive you home, sweets. You are both tired and it's well past his bedtime."
I think my heart just broke again because I've never experienced this kind of affection from a man. Even before Alec left me, he was never this caring. He never made sure I got home safely, never asked about how I feel or what I need. This kind of attention is new to me and makes me realize that there are different kinds of men out there. And something tells me that Chase is one of a kind.
As he drives us home, I stare at his handsome profile with thousands of thoughts running through my mind. He seems to catch my expression and asks, "What are you thinking about, Elisabeth?" The way he says my name makes me want to hear him say it over and over again.
I let out a breath and blurt out, "Why are you doing this? I'm sure you have a more interesting way of spending your evening than caring for me and my son."
All of a sudden, after a beat of silence, Chase throws his head back and laughs. "Sweets, you have to the most clueless person I've ever met in my life. Let me break it down for you," he takes my hand and places it on his muscular thigh, "You're mine now, baby. I'm not letting you go until we explore these feelings we have. And don't deny it, I know you feel it, too. I want you as I've never wanted another woman. I want to care of you. Both of you, and make sure you never lack of anything in your life."
I'm pretty sure my jaw is hanging open by the end of his statement as I'. Trying to wrap my head around it. He wants me? But—
"Stop thinking, sweets. It's simple really," He gives me a gorgeous smile that melts my insides, "You let me into that locked heart of yours, and I will do everything in my power to make you happy."
I shake my head in disbelief, "It's official. You're either not real or just plain crazy. You just met me, how can you—"
Chase turns to me once again and says in that deep, sexy tone of his, "When you know, you know."
I'm pretty sure I've fallen in love with him right at that moment.
Chapter 6
Chase
The clock on the wall is driving me nuts with their ticking sound. I can't focus on the heaps of papers in front of me because every thought I have ends with Elisabeth, her perfect body and her enchanting hazel gaze. I can't get the image of her holding Henry as we said goodbye on her front steps out of my head. I hate being far from her, I want to know what she's doing, if she's okay, if she needs anything. If she needs me.
As soon as I've put my car in park that night in her driveway, I knew I had to say goodbye. I took her hand and kissed it right where her pulse was going wild. But as always, she surprised me with standing on her tiptoes and leaning into me to place a heated kiss onto my lips.
"When can I see you again?" I asked as soon as she pulled away slightly to steady her breathing. She was still in my arms, with Henry sleeping soundly on her shoulder. I wanted to hold them close and never let go.
She looked sad as she muttered quietly, "I have work tomorrow, as any other day really, but how about this weekend?" She almost looked guilty that she can't spend some time with me whenever I want. But it's not what this is about. I don't want her to feel guilty.
"Look at me, sweets," I gently tipped her chin to look into her soulful eyes, "I want you any way I can have you. Whether it's for the weekend or for just one minute of the day. I don't want you to feel guilty just because you have things to do."
She nodded and I saw her features relax a bit. "I usually take Henry to a park not too far from here. Would you like to join us?"
"Sure, I'll pick you up at, say, ten?"
Elisabeth smiled at me, "Yeah, that'd be perfect."
I leaned in to place a kiss on her cheek and watched her disappear into the hall of her building. As soon as she was gone, I let out a huge breath and shook my head. If only I could have her come with me. For good.
It's currently an early Saturday morning and I'm trying to focus on the list o
f companies I have to go through, but nothing's working. I have to go pick Elisabeth and Henry up in a few hours but I can't wait no more. I've waited long enough. She gave me her cell number she we parted and we've been texting each other for a whole week. I'm pretty sure I'm in love with this woman. She's smart as a whip, funny and so, so tempting.
I decide to dress quickly and make a short stop at the mall to get a few presents for them. I won't be doing any work today, anyway. Not with the constant stream of thoughts about how would Elisabeth look naked, writhing under me as I bring her to the brink of pleasure.
I pick up a dozen of books of different genres for Henry, mostly science and nature ones but still suitable for his age. I also get different toy sets for him to build lego cars and houses, because hey, who doesn't like lego? By the end of my trip, I have a full trunk of presents and I also got something for Elisabeth. As soon as I saw it on the showcase, I knew it was made for her.
At exactly ten o'clock I'm parking my car near her building and take all the bags with me. Pressing a button I hear her melodic voice, "Hello?"
"Hey, sweets. It's me. Would you buzz me up?"
"Uh, y-yeah. One second." She sounds distraught and makes me frown.
Her building is old and not in very good condition, but it's in a relatively good neighborhood, so I let it slide. For now.
I knock at her door, and the sight that greets me is straight out of my wildest fantasies. Elisabeth is wearing a white tank top without a bra underneath, her nipples hard and poking through the thin material. Her smooth legs are clad into cut-off short shorts and I instantly get hard. Fuck, she's so hot. Her hair is hanging loose around her shoulders and she's make-up free, which makes the most gorgeous sight ever. I drop the bags to the floor and don't waste my time. I pounce on her like a wild animal as I move all at once. I pull her into my arms and her giggle turns into a moan as I rush her inside and my lips trace every available inch of her skin. My hands are gripping her ass and rubbing her against me as I pin her against the nearest wall.
Sweet Torture: An Alpha Billionaire Romance Page 2