The Agreement (An Indecent Proposal) (17 page)

Chase found me outside the revolving doors, my arms crossed
over my chest as I took long, deep, calming breaths.

Gently, he turned me to him. “I’m sorry. I should never have
asked. It was not my business and—”

“No.” I shook my head. “I’m the one who needs to apologize.
I should never have drunk so much. Alcohol messes with my head.” I took in the concern
etched into his features, wondering whether I should share with him the events
of that fateful day. “When I saw the digits, I freaked out. It reminded me too
much of…” I trailed off, my guilt consuming me again.

“Do you want to talk it?”

“No.” I shook my head again. “No, I can’t.” I looked at him
again in the hope he’d forgive me. In the hope one day I’d forgive myself. “Can
you we please forget what just happened? It’s stupid, and I’m ruining our
evening.”

He took a long breath, his arms
dropping to the side in what I assumed was disappointment. “Sure.”

For a few seconds we stood there
until Chase broke the awkward silence. “See them?” He pointed to a couple
stepping out of a limousine. A woman in her thirties, dressed in a beautiful
bridal gown, was snapping at her newlywed husband, who could barely stand on
his feet.

Faint words carried over. “Why
didn’t you marry her, then? I leave you for one second, one frigging second,
and you’re already all over the fucking bridesmaid.”

“That could have been us.” Chase
smiled at me. “My point is things could be much worse. Being afraid of an
elevator or of darkness is human. We all have our own fears and demons to deal
with, but I want you to know that I’m here for you.”

“I’m not afraid of elevators,” I
said matter-of-factly. I didn’t know what came over me, but I grabbed his hand
and began to pull him behind me, as though to prove a point. “Come on. We don’t
have all night.”

The elevator doors opened.

Chase followed me inside willingly. “You sure you want
to—”

I nodded, feeling way too bold.

As soon as the doors of the elevator closed us in, I pressed
myself against Chase’s body and nuzzled my mouth against his neck to place a
kiss on his soft skin.

He didn’t resist.

The stubble on his chin grazed my cheek as his mouth found
mine, and our tongues met in a sensual tangle. His lips were soft and tender,
demanding without being aggressive, his tongue playing with mine.

His palm moved down the front of my dress, grazed my
breasts, and settled on the small of my back with possessive pressure.

He wanted me—I had figured that one out a while ago,
but now I could feel it in the growing tightness in his pants. His warm breath
caressed my face. His hands stroked my back.

I clasped my hands at the back of his neck and pulled him
closer. His hard length brushed my body, demanding my immediate attention. My
legs began to tremble, and I moaned against his open mouth, unsure whether to
continue or pull back. Luckily, the elevator doors opened with a soft whir and
Chase peeled himself from me, his face flushed with excitement as we stumbled
out into the vestibule. He didn’t glance at me while retrieving his entry card
from his pocket and swiping it.

“We’re here,” I said, stating the obvious. My tone reflected
the slight disappointment inside my mind.

Ignoring my needless remark, Chase let us in and closed the
door behind us. I almost expected him to press me against the wall and resume
our groping session, but his back remained turned on me, his shoulders
surprisingly tense, as though, like me, he was fighting to make the right
decision.

“It’s fine.” I pressed my fingertips against his shoulder
blade and trailed them down his back slowly. Even through his shirt his muscles
felt hard and strong. I bit my lip as I pondered my options. Maybe it was the
alcohol or my earlier freak-out incident, but something had ignited inside me
and I was eager to find out where it would lead me. Obviously, I wasn’t going
to go all the way—maybe just a few more kisses to get him out of my
system. And then I’d go to bed satisfied.

“I’m not taking advantage of a woman in your state,” Chase
said hoarsely without looking at me.

“And what state is that?”

“You’re drunk.” He turned to face me, his expression
unreadable, but his eyes were a grim blue, like a stormy afternoon.

“I’m not that drunk,” I whispered.

Chase shook his head and grabbed my hand, leading me into my
bedroom. “Good night, Laurie.”

“What about you?”

“I’m calling it an early night.”

He slammed the door. I stared at the empty space he had just
occupied. I should have been thankful for his self-control, but for some
inexplicable reason I found myself disappointed at his change of tone. For the
first time in my life I had actually
invited
a man to do more than just talk and he was blowing me off.

“Damn you,” I muttered, and texted Jude that I was going to
bed, then stormed into the bathroom and took a long shower that cleared some of
the fog inside my mind. It was almost midnight when I’d finished with my usual
evening routine, and I switched off the lights and went to bed, unable to sleep
for a long time knowing that Chase was sleeping next door.

Damn the hot guy.

I awoke to the faint sound of footsteps outside my door. The
room was bathed in darkness. I sat up straight and listened for more sounds.
My head felt surprisingly alert as I
threw a glance at my phone on the bedside table. It was shortly before four
a.m. Everything seemed quiet again, and yet I couldn’t shake off the eerie
feeling that
someone was outside my door. I could almost feel their
presence. It had to be Chase, because no one else had access to our suite, and
yet my heartbeat spiked and a faint sense of fear threatened to throttle me.

Carefully I got up and tiptoed to the door, then pressed my
ear against it. When nothing stirred, I opened the door and peered into the
darkness. Apart from the faint silhouettes of the furniture, the corridor was
empty
.

“Chase?” I
whispered, even though I didn’t expect him to answer. I waited for a moment or
two before realizing my sleepiness had deserted me, and my heartbeat hadn’t
noticeably slowed down. Whatever I heard, it wasn’t Chase, or he would have
replied. Straining my ears, I listened for more sounds, but they never came.

In a bold
moment of confidence, I headed for Chase’s room and let myself in, then stopped
in the doorway, realizing what I had just done. Whatever had woken me had
scared me a little, but not to the extent that it might serve as an excuse to
shack up with Chase for the night. I turned around to leave again but Chase’s
voice carried over from the oversized bed.

“Laurie?”

Could I
pretend it wasn’t me? Maybe I could lie that I had heard him talking in his
sleep and had hurried over, worried. Undecided as I was, I stood frozen to the
spot. Chase sat up, and the soft light falling through the open curtains
illuminated his body in a slow dance of light and shadows.

He was
naked.

Oh, come on.

My heart
began to beat just a little bit harder, and my mouth went dry at the image of
defined muscles and dark bed hair.

“What’s up?
You had a bad dream?” Chase asked, his voice deep and sleep-drunken, but sexy
as hell as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes.

Dammit,
that should have been my line. I bit my lip hard and cleared my throat. “No. I
thought I heard something, but it was nothing.”

My excuse
sounded so unconvincing, even I had trouble believing it.

“Sorry. I
shouldn’t have come here.” I turned my back to open the door, but his voice
stopped me.

“Wait.”

I turned
back to him, feeling the heat creeping into my face.

“You sound
scared.” To my chagrin, Chase stood and walked over to me in all his naked
glory. From head to toe. All hard muscles and pale skin that seemed to invite
my fingers to graze my nails over every tempting inch of him.

In the
middle of the night, bathed in the weak light of the moon, his body seemed as
lithe as a predator’s, his stride just as a dangerous.

I fought
hard to keep my gaze occupied on anything but his lower abdomen and maleness.
He wrapped his arm around my shoulder and led me to the bed, urging me to sit.
“Want a glass of water?”

I shook my
head even though I figured he might not be able to see it in the dark. He lay
down beside me and crossed his ankles, patting the space next to him. I
followed his silent invitation with apprehension, leaving some distance between
us.

“You can
relax,” Chase said softly. “I’m not doing anything you don’t want to.”

But that
was the problem…I wanted him to do something to still the sudden throbbing
sensation in my private parts. Gingerly I crossed my ankles and pressed my
thighs together, which only managed to intensify the sensation.

Oh, God.

His body
smelled so inviting of aftershave and warmth and—

Sex.

The word hit
my mind with such an intensity I almost jumped up and dashed for the door.
Only, my legs didn’t seem to want to follow my brain’s command. I bit my lip
hard and inched just a little bit closer to him. As though sensing my emotional
turmoil, Chase squeezed his arm under my shoulder and pulled me up until my
head rested on his chest. The gesture was probably supposed to infuse a sense
of calm into me, but it only managed to raise my awareness of his naked body.

So perfect.
So close. So available.

Damn it.

Slowly I
trailed my fingers up his abdomen, my fingertips barely touching his taut skin
and hard muscles. Chase drew in his breath sharply, and for a moment his body
tensed under my touch. In the darkness his gaze found mine with an intensity
that rendered me unable to breathe. And in that moment I knew I was ready.

“Don’t
start something you cannot finish, Laurie,” Chase said hoarsely.

Jutting my
chin out, I increased my pressure as my fingertips grazed up and down his
chest, coming dangerously close to the one part I had not dared to look at yet.
His breathing came labored, but if my touch tortured him he made no move to
stop me. In the darkness surrounding us I smiled as I realized I liked this new
development in our relationship, whatever that entailed.

I wanted
him. I wanted him so badly it hurt. To my surprise, I realized my body knew
exactly how to react to him.

“Laurie.”
Chase’s voice was a mere whisper, but the air charged with something. Before I
knew it, he turned, his body leaning over me. Underneath him, I felt hot.
Ready. His lips crushed mine, his tongue invading my mouth forcefully, sending
my abdomen on fire. I spread my legs slightly to accommodate his weight and ran
my fingers across his back, pulling him closer.

Chase
moaned into my mouth and his hand began to roam over my body, lifting my
nightshirt to expose my breasts, then to remove my panties. His kisses felt as
smooth as water falling down on me, covering each inch of my neck and breasts.

A strangled
sound caught in my throat as his hands forced my thighs apart and he settled
between them, his mouth eager to touch me in the one secret place no man but
him had ever touched.

I squirmed
against his open mouth, unsure whether to push him away or give in to the hot
sensations gathering deep within my core. And then his finger dipped into me,
gently at first, then with more fervor, and I knew I was lost. It couldn’t stop
this even if I wanted to. It felt too good to have him on me. Inside me.
Soothing the need he seemed to awaken like no other.

My back
arched and my hips lifted slightly against his slow thrusts so he could reach
deeper within me.

“Chase.” My
voice quivered, just like my body.

“Lean
back,” he commanded. “Don’t fight this.”

Even if I
knew how, I wasn’t going to.

Following
his command, I relaxed against the pillows and let him take control—the
kind of control I didn’t give him the last time.

I promised
myself that I’d go through with it. No turning back now.

Chase and I
were married, and even if it wasn’t real, I wanted him to be my first. It felt
right.

His tongue
circled my clitoris a few times and then he began to suckle while his finger
thrust deep inside me. I cried out as the room began to spin.

“Chase.” My
fingers clenched into the bed sheets, and with his name on my lips I fell hard
into a dark abyss of pleasure, rootless in a sea of lost reason.

“Dammit.
You’re hot,” Chase whispered. But I couldn’t respond. I could barely comprehend
the meaning of his words because my world came crashing down on me. Slow waves
of pulsating heat gathered between my legs, intensifying with each flick of his
tongue.

My
breathing came loud and fast, my pulse hammering in my ears.

He wasn’t
just good. He had the most talented tongue I’d ever met. His finger, slow but
steady, did unimaginable things to me. Things I never thought could feel so
great. If just one finger was great, what would it feel like to have him inside
me?

“Give me just one night so I can forget you,” I thought I
heard him whisper.

Forget me?

What the hell was that supposed to mean? Or maybe he meant
so he wouldn’t forget me. The question burned bright in my mind for a second
and then it was gone, lost in the throes of heat crashing through my abdomen. I
closed my eyes to relish it, realizing just how magnificent it was, his words
lost inside my mind.

My body—now wet and trembling—was like an open
pool, and then I felt my orgasm coming.

“Chase,” I whispered, trying to close my thighs, but he
stopped me.

“Don’t come.” That was all he said.

As if I had any control over my body.

From the
periphery of my mind, I felt Chase removing himself from me. Something rustled
in the silence and then his body was on top of me again. His mouth found mine
in a deliciously slow kiss. For a second I felt panic and the need to protest,
to tell him that I wasn’t ready for more, that this was all I could handle for
the time being. Only, my body seemed to harbor other intentions. It wanted him
so much.

Chase had
ignited a fire inside me that I knew only he could still.

Another
flicker of need pulsed between my legs. It was painful, and desperate. I lifted
my hips, unconsciously begging for the friction only he knew how to provide.

“Are you
sure you want this?” he asked.

I was, more
than ever. Chase had been wonderful to me, and even if our relationship wasn’t
real, I trusted him enough not to hurt me.

A
shuddering sigh escaped my lips.

“I am,” I
whispered.

Chase
settled between my legs, one hand lifting my ass, the other holding his weight.
I could feel his hard erection pulsing against my entrance. My body tensed, but
inside I could feel the tremors, and before I could think, he pushed slowly
inside me, gently, then stopped. A sudden sense of discomfort ran through my
abdomen. Not entirely painful, just strange. I had used my fingers before to
masturbate, but this sensation was different—too filling, too
stretching—and I wasn’t sure that I liked how it felt.

A piece of
Chase inside me felt like an invasion of my body.

“Don’t
move,” he whispered in my ear, his voice slightly strained. “You’ll get used to
it.” His muscles began to tremble, and I realized his skin was slick with a
thin layer of sweat. From the effort? From self-control? I had no idea. I hoped
it wasn’t discomfort.

“Are you
okay?” I whispered back.

“You’re
asking
me
?” He chuckled, and, in spite
of my nerves, I found myself smiling. “Never felt better. You’re just a little
bit tight, and it’s driving me crazy.”

“Oh.” I wet
my lips when a question came to me. “Does it hurt?”

“Not me,
no.” He laughed again. “Does it hurt?”

“No,” I
answered honestly. “It’s just…strange.”

“It will
change.” He moved slowly, the motion sending his erection deeper into me. He
settled his weight on one elbow, and his other hand moved to my clit. “Now I
need you to relax. Okay? Relax, Laurie.”

I looked up
into his eyes that seemed to swallow up the darkness, wondering whether that
was it—the one thing everyone seemed to rave about. It sure didn’t feel
worth all the hype.

His fingers
began to stroke my clit as he moved inside me in slow, deep thrusts. A thin
layer of sweat covered my back as the sensation between my legs changed, and a
strong longing took its place, demanding more. My hips rolled against him
naturally, slowly drawing his erection deeper, like it belonged there. Like it
always had.

Chase’s
sudden moan echoed in my ears, strangely amplified. Knowing I was the object of
his desire and the cause of his pleasure, a rush of elation ran through me.

I had no
idea that his sexy sounds and his movements could be such a turn-on. His
fingers, his erection, his hot breath—everything about him seemed to make
me want him even more.

“Is this
better?” Chase whispered.

I nodded,
and he lifted my legs in response. His erection slipped fully into me, making
me gasp from the sudden tension building inside. Chase began to move faster,
tentatively at first, then with a firm precision, each thrust entering me
deeper, each thrust bringing a new wave of sensations with it.

Burning,
all-consuming heat that rendered me unable to move or think, torturing me until
I was ready to beg him to stop because I could take it no more. My heartbeat
hammered so hard against my chest, I thought I might just pass out. The room
began to swirl again as the intensity of his thrusts changed from fast to slow
and deep, hitting a spot within me I never knew existed.

My hands
grabbed the sheets for support. I felt if I didn’t hold on to them, I might
just float away.

“That’s it,
baby.” Chase’s deep voice echoed in my ear, urging me to succumb to whatever he
was about to give me. The first tremor took me by surprise. The next one
rattled my body and sent my senses careening. My fingers clenched into his
shoulders as my core unraveled around him. Chase shuddered above me, his last
moan prolonging my own pleasure.