The Changeup (Men of the Show) (9 page)

He finally gave in and the gentle side won out, or maybe he’d waited until he had the unrestrained side under control, she couldn’t be sure. His lips touched hers tentatively at first, but then he tilted his head to deepen the kiss.

The first touch of his warm lips felt like bliss to her and when he pulled her gently to him, her heart took off for the races and her blood began to boil. She threw her arms around his neck and tugged as she tried to mold herself against him. Although she was aghast at her uninhibited response, especially in public, Maddie couldn’t stop herself. She needed to feel him all over, wanted his hands and mouth everywhere.

Chase felt the quick change in her and responded in kind. Rough hands framed her face before he plunged them into her hair and opened his mouth, his tongue seeking out hers. This was not a timid, young man fumbling with inexperience, but rather a confident man who knew exactly what he wanted and how to get it. She let him take her where he wanted and was more than willing to follow.

When he finally broke the kiss, he was breathless as he rested his forehead against hers. “You have no idea how long I’ve wanted to kiss you.”

Maddie felt a gurgle of laughter bubble up in her chest and bit her lips. She couldn’t believe what she was doing, finally letting herself go. It felt so freeing.

When the blood rushing through her head finally died down, the sounds of the creek and distant cars came back reminding her exactly where they were. Sitting back a bit, she looked up at him. “Uh, is your roommate home?”

His brows creased a bit. She could tell he didn’t want to make any assumptions about why she was asking. “No, I don’t think so,” he said simply.

Standing up, she looked down at him and held out her hand. “Let’s go.”

* * *

The car ride home was quiet as Chase wondered exactly what Maddie was expecting once they got back to his place. He knew what he hoped—or rather prayed—she wanted, but he didn’t want to assume anything that made him look like an ass. Maybe she just wanted to chill out and relax in private, and he was just being a horned-up guy hoping they could continue what they’d started in the park.

He’d been so sure she was going to tell him they couldn’t go out again, and so surprised when she’d told him to kiss her. He’d wanted to kiss her ever since that first day in the park, but he’d forced himself to ignore the need since he thought she was going to need further convincing. Apparently, she didn’t. What he didn’t know was how much further she wanted to take things. He was going to have to let her lead the way. He wanted her to trust him and he didn’t want to do anything to jeopardize that.

Glancing at her out of the corner of his eye, Chase noticed how quiet Maddie had become, looking at the passing streets. She was obviously deep in thought. Maybe he was reading everything wrong. Maybe the kiss had been a major disappointment to her and she still wanted to end things, but she also wanted to make sure he didn’t leave her stranded somewhere after she told him to take a hike.

Putting the car in park outside his apartment, he looked at her questioningly, unsure of what to do next. Maddie smiled shyly at him. “Is Jerry home?”

Chase couldn’t see the single carport where Jerry parked his car from the street, but he glanced up the sidewalk to the front of house and didn’t see any lights on. He knew if Jerry were around, he’d be in the front room plopped in front of the TV playing some video game. “It doesn’t look like it.”

“Should we go in then?” she asked, opening the car door.

Chase took a deep breath and with his eyes following her as she walked in front of his car, shut off the engine before climbing out. He trailed behind her up the path to his door, giving her some space since he had no idea what was going on in her mind and it was a little unsettling. She definitely didn’t seem to be acting like someone who was going to give him the heave-ho.

Holding the door open for Maddie, he stepped inside and threw his keys on the small table that stood next to the door. He stayed where he was and watched as she wandered into the middle of the room and looked around with interest.

He and Jerry had furnished their front room sparingly, since it was only temporary housing. A brown suede love seat sat in front of a glass coffee table covered with sports magazines, video games and a mix of empty beer bottles, pop cans and water bottles. A large flat panel TV hung on the wall across from the couch and a huge black beanbag chair sat on the floor to one side.

“Sorry. We weren’t expecting any guests,” he said with a small chuckle.

“That’s all right. I’m not expecting that we’re going to be out here for long.”

Chase cleared his throat as a warm flush spread across his skin, and wondered why all of a sudden he was nervous. She was acting so unpredictably that he wasn’t sure what to expect, even though he was pretty good at reading people. “Um, okay. I’ve got to admit you’ve got me baffled now.”

Maddie raised an eyebrow. “Baffled?”

“Yeah, I was expecting some big speech about how this is the only time we can go out, how you’re too old for me and blah, blah, blah and now that it hasn’t come, I’m a little confused.”

She gave him a steady look as she walked slowly over to stand in front of him. “Do you want the speech?”

“No.”

“Good.” Closing the gap between them, she threw her arms around his neck and pulled him down to her, crushing his mouth with hers.

Quickly catching on, he lifted her up into his arms to diminish the height difference between them and walked them backward toward the couch, his lips never leaving hers. He sat her on the back of the couch, wrapping her legs around his waist as he threaded his fingers through her hair and ravaged her with a searing kiss. Hearing her soft moan only made his blood boil hotter as he tried to keep his head.

Knowing he needed to slow it down, that they were moving way too fast, things between them suddenly progressing at warp speed when it was a only few days ago he was trying to convince her to go on one date, Chase pulled back and lost his breath. Her cheeks were flushed a deep red and her lips bore a matching stain from his assault as they molded around her teeth in a lazy, pleased smile. Her normally crystal green eyes were now a deep dark sea green, warmed with passion, and her soft, lush hair flowed around her face, slightly mussed where his fingers had teased through it. Her chest heaved as she fought to steady her breathing, and he thought she looked like a siren sent from his dreams to seduce him and fulfill all of his fantasies. She’d never looked sexier and more beautiful to him.

“Are you sure you want to do this?” he asked, his voice low and husky.

“More than anything.” Maddie reached out to pull his mouth back down to hers, done with all the talk, but he stood just out of her reach. “What?” she asked with a faint scowl.

He eyed her intently and took a deep breath. “Look, I’m going to lay it out here. I’m all about honesty and being up front. I’m going to tell you like it is and I hope you’ll do the same. I don’t have time for the games and lies.”

She nodded, impatient with the continued conversation. “Agreed.”

“Okay, so...here it goes.” He took another deep breath, preparing to spill out his true feelings and praying she didn’t go white with fear. “I really like you, Maddie. I mean,
really
like you. I know everything is happening so quickly and I’ll be the first to admit I really don’t understand it, but I do know that I want things to work out between us and I’ll do whatever I can to make sure that happens, but you have to realize I’m not going to be around that much. You need to know that and you need to be able to trust me, otherwise it’s not going to work.”

Maddie dropped her hands from his neck as she looked at the ground by his feet. It would be their reality and she had even said so herself in one way or another, but it still was hard to accept. Could she give herself over completely to someone again and hope he was true in his intent, especially someone as young as he was? She would have to commit to this if she really wanted to give them a legitimate chance. Could she fully open herself up to being hurt again? If she didn’t do this now, would she ever be able to? Would she forever regret not trying with Chase and always wonder “what if”? Her eyes watered in frustration. She was annoyed that she continued to let Kyle influence her actions and decisions even all these years later. The jerk didn’t deserve any thoughts she wasted on him. He certainly didn’t give any to her or Bree.

Chase waited patiently for a few moments, but when she didn’t respond, he knew he had his answer. He sighed deeply not bothering to hide his disappointment and stood up straight. “That’s what I thought.”

Panic jumped in her throat when he backed away from her. It wasn’t what she wanted and that gave her a place to start. Before he could step away fully, she bunched her hands in his shirt and pulled him back. “No, don’t go.”

The sheen of her unshed tears reflected in the dim light of the room, but her voice sounded strong. Maddie reached out timidly and took one of his hands in hers. She struggled to put her thoughts into some semblance of order, but finally gave up and tried to speak from her heart.

“I’m a mess, I know.” Straightening up, she took in a deep, steadying breath. “I know what I have to do and I can honestly say I want to. I want to try. I know I was saying something completely different a few days ago, even a few hours ago, but I was lying to myself. I didn’t want to admit how much I liked you.”

“But that doesn’t mean you trust me,” Chase said simply.

“No, you’re right it doesn’t. I’m telling you right now though I want to try. I’m not going to trust you overnight nor would you trust me that quickly, but I want to try with you. I want you in my life more than the random times you play catch with my daughter.”

He let out the breath he’d been holding in a big rush. “Call me typical, but that’s good enough for me.”

Chapter Nine

Before Maddie could even react, Chase pulled her into his arms and shattered her with a devouring kiss. He didn’t hold back this time as he gripped her around the waist and pulled her tightly against him bending her backward. One hand palmed the back of her head, holding her in place as his tongue tangled feverishly with hers.

With one arm hooked around his neck, Maddie returned the heady hunger of his kiss. She worked her other hand down the front of his shirt, unbuttoning it, and when she’d finally reached the last button, she pushed the shirt aside and gave a muffled groan when she encountered his T-shirt. She ached to run her hands over his bare skin, to grab the tight muscles she could feel bunching beneath the thin fabric. She tugged at it impatiently and plunged her hand underneath, sliding her palms up and down his warm skin, across the taut ridges of his abs and over the soft happy trail that disappeared into his jeans.

He hissed a breath through his nose as he broke away from their kiss, ignoring her soft moan of protest. Hastily yanking off both of his shirts, Chase tossed them aside before reaching out and pulling her sweater over her head.

She softly trailed her fingertips across his beautiful chest, over his muscular shoulders and down his strong arms, the very image of strength and power. His skin was naturally tan, his forearms darker than the rest, with a clear line marking where the short sleeves of his uniform fell. A simple silver chain rested on his collarbone while sparse, dark hairs lightly covered his upper chest.

Enjoying how his skin tightened and tingled below her fingertips, he gently traced the thin straps of her white floral lace demi bra. He let his fingers trail softly down to outline the gentle swell of her breast delicately swaddled in the silky cup.

Feeling his fingers continue down toward her stomach as his other hand reached behind her back to unclasp her bra shot Maddie back into reality. She jolted upright and crossed her arms in front of her chest, alarm quickly spreading across her face.

“What is it?” he asked with a frown, taken aback by her sudden distress.

“I’m not twenty-two,” she stammered.

“I know,” he said in confusion. “I thought we already went over the age thing?”

She shook her head briskly. “No, no. That’s not what I mean. I don’t have the body of a twenty-two year old. I’ve had a child, Chase.”

When realization sunk in, he rolled his eyes. “Stop it, Maddie. You’re beautiful.” He gently pried one of her arms away from her chest and kissed her fingertips. “Perfect.”

Chase slowly pulled away the other arm, ignoring the look of horror on her face, and again reached for the clasp. She squeezed her eyes shut as her bra came loose and he lightly pushed the straps down off her shoulders. She could only imagine how he’d react when he saw her breasts didn’t look as full and perky without support.

“You look like you’re expecting me to run away screaming or something,” he murmured before gently kissing the side of her neck.

Maddie unclenched her eyes, but didn’t open them, and tilted her neck to the side, exposing more area for his lips to explore. She sighed in contentment as he continued his trail of hot kisses down the side of her neck, sending tingles throughout her body. “I keep waiting for it.”

“You’re ridiculous,” he said softly.

Empowered by his acceptance and apparent satisfaction, she pulled herself closer to him, letting her breasts press against his chest. Chase inhaled sharply as she gently nipped at his soft earlobe before starting a path of slow, savoring kisses toward his mouth, while her fingernails lightly scraped up into the buzz cut along his neckline. Turning her head, she kissed the two freckles along his jawline as her fingers twisted into his hair. She tugged his head up from where he was gently scraping his teeth against her shoulder and pulled his lips down to hers.

Levering herself up, Maddie pressed tightly against him and slowly rocked her hips. She could feel the hard length of him and an extreme sense of need hit her like an injection of caffeine. She was suddenly skittish, jumpy and reckless. Hot, molten lust erupted and spread everywhere within her. She tried to pull away from him while still kissing him frantically so she could reach down to unbutton his jeans, but her hands were so shaky that she couldn’t get a good grasp and groaned in aggravation before grinding against him again.

“Christ,” he growled as the urgency between them spiked.

Chase grabbed both of her wrists and manacled them behind her back while his other hand went under her butt as he carried her out of the front room and up the stairs to his bedroom.

She knew she wasn’t making it easy for him as she squirmed and twisted in his arms, needing him everywhere, but she couldn’t help it. The itch that she couldn’t scratch for years, that was always just out of reach, was finally within striking distance. It was impossible to ignore or fight against it.

Chase managed to make it to his room without both of them tumbling down the stairs. Stretching out on the bed, he pulled her down to him as he toed off his shoes. His fingers slid inside the waistband of her pants and followed it around to the front, where he effortlessly unsnapped them before dragging the zipper down. His mouth continued to work under hers as one of his hands gently cupped her, eliciting a gasp from her and a moan in response from him.

He was driving her mad. She wanted to get rid of their clothes so she could feel him move inside her, but he was taking his sweet ole time and she was about ready to jump out of her skin. She decided she was going to have to take control if she was going to survive the night.

“Jesus, Chase. You’re killing me,” she said breathlessly as she pushed herself up and onto her side.

Unhooking the back strap of her silver sandals, Maddie shucked them across the room and pulled her pants off, tossing them onto the floor. In nothing but her white lacy hip-hugging panties, she knelt between his legs and unbuttoned his jeans. Chase propped himself up onto his elbows to help her pull his jeans down his long legs with his socks following. He lay there in nothing but green boxers with tiny white polka dots, which he filled out very generously, as her eyes moved hungrily over him.

Her fingers began at his feet and worked upward, stopping to explore the muscles in his powerful thighs before gently brushing against the steel length of him struggling to break free from its confines. She could feel him pulse under her fingers and he took in a sharp breath at her light touch, which encouraged her to go further. Grabbing at the waistband of his boxers, she could almost feel him in her hand when he suddenly grabbed her wrist, stopping her.

“Shit!”

Maddie froze, afraid to move. She wasn’t sure what he was upset about, but she could only pray it wasn’t some embarrassing situation for him. She wasn’t sure exactly when guys learned more control, but she was afraid to look down.

“What?” she asked hesitantly while looking in the opposite direction.

She wasn’t sure what expression she had on her face, but whatever it was had Chase laughing so hard he shook the bed. “What are you thinking?” he asked as he struggled to breathe.

“Um, I don’t know. I’m not sure...” she mumbled.

“You think I just came, don’t you?” he teased.

“Well, I didn’t know. The timing did seem to fit...” She couldn’t bring herself to finish the thought and felt her cheeks flame in embarrassment.

Chase’s shoulders continued to shake in amusement as he pulled her down to him. He kissed her nose and then her lips. “I’m not saying you’re not driving me crazy and that I couldn’t go off at any minute, but I have a bit more control than that.”

“Then what is it?” she asked, still blushing.

“I was thinking that I don’t have any condoms and I’m guessing you don’t either. I definitely wasn’t planning on this.”

The smile fell from her face. “Oh! No, I don’t. Damn it.”

He pressed his lips against her hair. “Yeah, I agree, but we can...wait a minute!”

Maddie watched as he jumped up from the bed and threw on his jeans. He rushed out of the room and down the stairs, the sound of the front door opening and closing following a moment later.

“Huh...okay,” she said aloud to an empty room.

A few seconds later, the front door opened and closed again, and he stomped back up the stairs, taking them two at a time. He strolled into the bedroom with a victorious grin on his face and box of condoms in his hands.

“Uh, is there a condom vending machine outside or something?” she asked.

Chase chuckled as he threw the box on the bed and sat back down. “No. I remembered I had a box in my car.”

“And why would you have a box of condoms in your car?”

“Because you just never know. The groupies, you know,” he added with a smirk.

“Huh...interesting.”

“I’m just kidding. It was actually a joke, a little hazing from my teammates. I came out of practice one day and they had filled my car with them, had even blown up a few of the colored ones and stuck them all around the outside. I gave a lot away but remembered I had a couple of boxes left.”

“What nice teammates to be so concerned about your well-being and provide you with a lifetime supply,” she said as she put her arms around his neck and kissed him. “You look very sexy in just jeans, by the way.”

“Not as sexy as you in your panties, which I like very much, by the way,” he murmured.

Hooking her leg across his hip as they lay facing each other, Chase ran his hand up and down her smooth thigh before tucking it into her panties. He toyed lazily before thrusting deep inside her, catching her off guard with his quick change of pace.

Already in overdrive, she gasped and her breathing quickened as she started to tremble from head to toe. He drove her over the edge in record time, moving in tune with her and sending tremors coursing throughout her body while she twisted and bucked against his hand, moaning in ecstasy. When she fell onto her back panting, he quickly pulled down her panties and tossed them aside. He took in the complete naked length of her and his eyes went black, his control teetering on edge.

“You’re so beautiful,” he said in a raspy breath. “And you feel amazing,” he added as he pulled her closer to him.

Maddie felt revived. Renewed energy surged through her with impatience right behind. She propped up on her elbow and hurriedly started tugging at his pants.

“Why do you still have your pants on?”

“Good question,” Chase said as he watched her pull them down and away. She immediately returned for his boxers and threw those quickly aside. When he was lying fully naked beside her, she took him in her hand and squeezed gently as she stroked his warm, velvet skin. His vision clouded at her touch and he had to take a deep breath to steady himself, not wanting to prove her previous assumptions correct.

Reaching for her hand, he rolled her over and grabbed the box of condoms. Ripping open the box with one hand, he continued his assault on her mouth until he finally had to break away in order to tear open the wrapper. Repositioning himself over her, he looked deeply into her eyes as he gently brushed her hair away from her forehead.

The anticipation was killing Maddie and she struggled not to squirm and writhe underneath him. She expected him to take it slow, so she gasped with surprise when he suddenly plunged into her.

He slowly began to move, but soon insatiable need overtook him and each thrust was like the resounding pound of a hammer. It was as if a war had suddenly broken out between them as they tore and clawed at each other, panting as they greedily gasped for air. He was all over her, but it was as if she couldn’t feel him at all. She tugged and pulled down at him as he pushed her closer and closer to the edge.

As she wobbled at the precipice, she hooked her arms around his neck and pressed her open lips to his as the climax rocked through her. She rode it out as she held on to him and felt him tense in her arms.

As she tightened and convulsed around him, Chase couldn’t have held out even if he’d wanted to. He sought out her face, but saw nothing but a red haze of passion. Blinded by the overwhelming need for release, he finally gave into it with a low groan.

He collapsed down onto her and rolled off to the side out of breath. “Holy shit...I’m never having sex with someone who isn’t older than me again.”

Maddie laughed lightly as she tried to put words to what she had just experienced. It had been so beautifully devastating that she couldn’t do it justice. All she could do was purr in contentment as she languidly stretched from head to toe.

Turning her head, she slowly trailed her eyes up his long, beautifully sculpted body. He lay on his back, relaxed and still, with his eyes closed and his lips curved in satisfaction. Feeling her gaze on him, he reached out and pulled her into his arms.

Chase placed her on top of him, and threaded his fingers through her unruly hair to pull her face down to his. “Hmm,” he rumbled deep in his throat. “I could very easily get used to this.”

Even though his words caused a slight ripple of panic to shoot through her, she fought to hide it. She forced herself to remain in the moment and enjoy the best sex she’d ever had. She’d treasure the time she had with him and when it was over, she would walk away whole, complete and richer for the time spent with him.

But it didn’t stop her from wishing she were only a few years younger. She felt fragile and vulnerable, and she knew deep down that she’d just opened up her heart for Chase to take and crush.

* * *

Maddie’s lips kept up with his, but Chase could feel when a change came over her. One second she was soft and pliant in his arms and the next she was rigid and stiff. He could practically hear the gears grinding in her head. He knew her mind was eventually going to go into overdrive, but he’d held out hope that it wouldn’t happen as soon as it did. There was a lot they were going to have to hash out between them, but he wasn’t ready to break their closeness yet. He was going to have to distract her again.

He tipped his head back so he could look into her eyes. “Maddie...” he softly chided.