Making Chase (7 page)

Nathan blinked several times and Matt gasped. Tate was the only one who seemed unsurprised.

“Just when I think people can’t get any worse, you go and lower the bar, Melanie.” Nathan shook his head as he moved toward Tate. But Matt was going to protect Tate, not anyone else.

“We all have our crosses to bear. Matt, I’d like to go.” Tate’s voice was remote, flat and it sent a chill down his spine.

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“We’re not going anywhere. You and I are here to dance. Nate, I think you and I need to share a beer when your sister and I are done dancing.” Matt guided Tate back into The Tonk, keeping his body between her and Melanie at all times.

Melanie grabbed his arm. “Remember what you come from, Matt Chase. She’s a fat nobody, you come from better.
We
come from better.” He shook himself free with a sneer. “You could have fooled me, Melanie. You best be aware that Tate’s my girlfriend, I won’t tolerate any nonsense.” He continued past her and back toward their table.

He felt sick and saw Maggie watching Melanie with narrowed eyes.

Cassie leaned in and spoke to Beth, appearing to hold her back. Anne had a look on her face that scared the hell out of him but luckily she stayed seated. Liv whispered in Maggie’s ear and he worried all hell would break loose any moment. Not that Melanie deserved to be spared the wrath of every angry person at the table, but he didn’t want Tate to feel any worse than she already did.

“What just happened?” Beth demanded and Tate shook her head.

Nathan told them and gasps sounded around the table.

“I can’t believe that bitch!” Maggie hissed.

“Oh I’m gonna smack a bitch down,” Anne growled but Tate reached out and touched her sister’s arm.

“Please don’t do this. I don’t want to make a big deal out of it.” Matt hated that she sounded so resigned to the treatment she’d just received.

“Tate, when I first came here with Kyle you should have seen the way some of them reacted. I know how it feels. We’re on your side. People like her aren’t the majority and even if they were, they don’t count.” Maggie shook her head vehemently as she spoke.

“Tate I’m sorry you had to be subjected to that kind of thing. Melanie is—” But Tate interrupted Matt before he could finish.

“Just saying what half the women in here are thinking. I really don’t feel well and I’d like to go. I can catch a ride with Beth if you want to stay here.” Tate wouldn’t meet his eyes.

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He took her shoulders gently. “Don’t you go away on me. I don’t give a crap what anyone else thinks but my family and you. You got me? You don’t let these small-minded idiots chase you off. Please, stay here with me. Let’s dance.”

“Tate, don’t let the Melanies of the world ruin this. Matt is here with you. She’s jealous. Show her you’re better than she is,” Beth said softly.

“Listen to your sister, sweetness.” Matt kissed her.

Tate sighed. “Okay, okay. Let’s get dancing then.” Relieved, he stood and helped her up before leading her to the dance floor.

She was graceful and sexy as she moved. He’d never seen a more natural dancer than Tate Murphy. He loved the way she lost herself in the music.

After another couple of hours he leaned over and whispered in her ear, “Sweetness, I’m dead on my feet. Do I still have that in? Because I have condoms and after a cup of coffee, I’ll be ready for you.” She threw back her head and laughed and that simple thing filled him with joy.

“Let’s go then. I have condoms too.”

They said their goodnights and headed out into the evening. He didn’t fail to notice the sneers and outright hostility some of the people showed toward Tate as they left.

“If we go to your place do you think I could squeeze breakfast out of you in the morning? You’re a damn fine cook as well as being mighty lovely to look at.”

“I’ve never met a man more full of it.” Tate shook her head but could only barely stifle a smile.

“Does that mean yes?”

“I suppose so. You don’t have to sleep over you know. I wouldn’t be insulted if you wanted to go.”

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“Tate, you don’t know me all that well so I’ll excuse you this one last time. I’m gonna repeat, I don’t say things I don’t mean. I wouldn’t have angled for breakfast if I hadn’t wanted to stay over.” She drew a breath and nodded. “All right.”

“That’s my girl.” He pulled into her driveway and escorted her to the door. She bustled around, kicking off her shoes before padding into her kitchen.

“I’m starting a pot of coffee,” she called out and he wandered in, smiling at her.

“You look good with your shoes off. I like it. I like being here. Your house is nice, comfortable.”

She smiled. “Thank you. I wanted to build a home. I…” She trailed off, turning quickly to open the cabinet and pull down two mugs.

“You what?”

“Do you take sugar?”

He put his hand out to stop her movement. “You what? Tell me.

Share with me.”

“I didn’t grow up in a home. I grew up in a place where I slept.

Sometimes. A lot of the time I didn’t sleep because I wanted to be sure my brothers and sisters were okay. I saw this place and I knew I wanted it. I knew I could make it into a place where I could sleep safely. Where my siblings could come and feel safe too. God, Matt, you should go. We are so different it’s not funny.”

His stomach clenched. “Tate, why would I leave? We aren’t that different. Not really. We both think family is important. We’re close to the people we love. We’re so much alike.”

“Tell me, what’s your memory of your eighth birthday?” He smiled. “My dad took me and my brothers out to the lake. We went camping and I caught this piddly little catfish. He skinned it and cooked it up like it was the biggest fish ever caught. He tells people about it to this day. You’ll like my dad, he’s a good man.”

“I bet he is. You know what my eighth birthday was like?” 68

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He shook his head warily.

“My mother left the night before my birthday. Beth was a year old, so tiny. But I was already more of a mother to her than ours was. My father went on a bender after he beat the hell out of Tim for protecting me from the intended beating. I had to stay home from school on and off for two weeks to take care of Beth, Nathan and William, none of them were in school yet. Tim and I traded off going to school back and forth to keep the welfare workers away.”

Matt swallowed hard. He couldn’t imagine.

She put her hands in front of her face a moment and then pointed at him angrily. “Don’t. God, don’t look at me with pity in your eyes. I didn’t tell you that for pity, I told you to underline the differences between us, Matt. Other kids had it worse. At least I had a bed to sleep in. I have a good life now. I own a business, a home. I don’t need pity.” He looked down at her, small, her hands fisted at her sides. Damn, when did he start feeling so protective of her? Need welled up then as he reached out slowly to cup her cheek.

“I don’t pity you.” He bent to kiss her but when she was barefoot, he had to bend his knees to reach her. Instead, he picked her up and sat her on her kitchen counter, making a space between her thighs to get to her. “Give me your mouth, sweetness. I need that.” Tate didn’t quite know how to handle it when he did that. He heard the bad stuff and still wanted her. Not out of pity. It unnerved her. And yet, she still wanted the hell out of him. Giving in to her desire, she reached up, sifting her hands through his hair and fisted, grabbing him and pulling him to her.

His kiss was eager and passionate. A moan of approval came from him as his hand swept up her neck to cradle her head while he continued his sensual assault on her lips.

He broke away long enough to speak against her mouth. “You taste good enough to eat, Tate. I think I need a snack to tide me over,” he murmured as he moved up to nibble on her ear lobe. Tate gasped as he ran his tongue around the outer edge and dipped it inside.

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Waves of warmth headed down her neck, over her nipples, straight to her pussy. She melted, molding her body to his.

The coffeemaker beeped that it was done and he sighed softly, stepping back and helping her down off the counter.

“Let’s take that into the bedroom, shall we? We can sip between smooches.”

Blinking quickly, she gulped and poured two big mugs, adding sugar whether he liked it that way or not.

She took both mugs and led the way down the hall to her bedroom.

He watched as she placed them on the small table in the corner and turned shyly.

She laughed. “You sure you don’t want to run away?” He got serious and shook his head. “I don’t want anything but to be inside you, Tate Murphy.” He paused. “You don’t have any idea what you do to me do you?”

“I don’t understand it. Why me?”

Remaining there in the doorway, he knew she was nervous. She picked up the mug of coffee she’d just put down and took a sip. He didn’t fail to notice the slight tremble of her hands as she did.

“Sweetness, I want you so much I think I’m going to have a stroke. All the blood in my body is now in one spot and I’m slightly dizzy from it,” he said with a rueful grin as he motioned toward his cock. “Can I show you how much I want you? What you do to me? Again? Because if you recall, we were in a similar situation last weekend. Only now we’ve got condoms.”

She nodded, staying silent. He took one step and then another and another until he reached her. He switched on the light and took a sip of the coffee. “Ahh, nice and sweet like a proper Southern woman knows how to make it.” He winked.

She smiled, shaking her head at him.

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“I want to see you,” he said, coming to stand in front of her. Finishing the last of the coffee, he got down to business, popping buttons on her dress one by one.

“Turn off the light,” she whispered.

“No, I won’t be able to see you if I do that. I want to see your curves, sweetness. We did it your way last time. Let me see you.”

“But…” She blushed and he paused to quickly pull his own shirt off, tossing it in the nearby chair.

“See, I’ll go first.”

“Yeah, like that’s a comparison,” she grumbled but he couldn’t help but love the way she stared at his body. It wasn’t that he hadn’t been sized up by the fairer sex before. But this was different, this was Tate looking at him like he was the best thing since Christmas morning.

“Sweet holy fuck. Oops, sorry, my fuck problem again. You’re beautiful. Matt…” she hesitated, wringing her hands, “…I’m not…my body isn’t like yours.”

He chuckled and kissed her quickly. “I should hope not. Not that there’s anything wrong with that.” With a grin, he took her hand and put it over his cock. “This is what your body does to me. I’m not lying when I say you’re sexy.”

He got back to work until the last button on her dress slid free.

Slowly, gently, he slid the dress back, letting it drop. She stood there for a moment, blushing, her eyes screwed shut tight.

Reaching out, he drew a fingertip down the curve between her breasts, right along the lace of the sexiest red lace bra he’d ever seen.

Her panties matched, high cut on her hips. She was a little Venus there, delicate and yet larger than life.

“You still with me, sweetness? You’re so damned beautiful, so sexy. I can’t believe you wanted to hide yourself in the dark. Your skin is amazing, flawless.” He smoothed his palms over her arms, down her stomach and around to cup her ass briefly.

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Her eyes opened a little bit but she still looked dubious. He’d have to change that. Tracing the lace of her bra, he reached around and undid the hooks, letting it fall and join the dress.

Such pretty, alabaster-pale skin. He saw the faint tracery of blue veins just beneath. Her breasts were large and heavy in his hands, nipples hard and dark pink. They hardened further when he brushed his thumbs across them. He looked up to see her catch her lip between her teeth. Still, nervousness vibrated through her and he could tell by the way she stood she wanted to cover up.

Murmuring softly, he lay her down on the bed and eased her panties off. A triangle of closely trimmed pale curls shielded her pussy. She moved her hands to cover herself but he took them, kissing each one and putting them down on the bed.

“Please don’t try and hide yourself. You are so damned beautiful and sexy I can’t wait to be inside of you,” he growled, pulling off his pants and shorts.

Her eyes widened as he stalked toward her and he was pleased by the look of hunger on her face.

He got to the bed next to her and she smiled up at him. “Now, where was I?” He waggled his brows.

Taking a deep breath, Tate sat up on her heels. “You’ll have to wait,” she said and took his cock into her hands. He slid his palms up her arms and into her hair but when she took him into her mouth, his head lolled back.

“Ahhh, you’re so sweet. Heaven on Earth,” he murmured, caressing her scalp. Her hands stroked the length of his cock when it wasn’t in her mouth, palmed his sac, ran over the muscles of his thighs and dug into the flesh there with her nails, pulling him closer to her, deeper.

He watched as that pale, sunny hair slid forward, hiding her and revealing her in turns. She may have been shy but she certainly wasn’t shy about making him feel good. He loved that. They were far more evenly matched in bed than he’d first imagined they’d be and the 72

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surprise was a good one. He knew from the weekend before that she was tireless and inventive and tonight was no different.

And yet it was. He felt like it was the very real beginning of everything he wanted to have with her for the future. She’d let him in just a bit. Told him some about her childhood and she was there, naked with the lights on. That trust in him was as much an aphrodisiac as anything ever had been.