At some point during the drive back to my place, the mood shifted from playful to solemn. Something was weighing on Chase’s mind, and whatever it was could probably explain his multiple altercations in the game earlier tonight. I was tempted to ask, but when he was reticent like this, prying wouldn’t get me anywhere, so I held out.
After a few minutes of silence, Chase spoke up. “Have you talked to Derek lately?” He signaled and pulled onto my street. The veins in his forearms bulged as his hold on the steering wheel tightened. Suddenly, he was tense, and now I was too. We rarely discussed my brother, for obvious reasons.
“About what?”
“I met with him the other day.”
Alarm bells sounded in my head. When Chase was vague about details and slow to get to the point, it was a fishing expedition to determine what I already knew. Which, in this case, was nothing, as I was taken completely by surprise by this revelation.
Though Derek had acted strangely when we last spoke.
“Why did you do that?”
Chase parallel parked against the curb and killed the engine. He unbuckled his seat belt, turning to face me, wearing an unreadable expression. If I had to guess, I might have said he looked nervous, which was a look I was unfamiliar with on him. Chase was always sure of himself, almost always forthcoming.
A wave of uneasiness engulfed me. Please tell me they didn’t have some kind of argument about me or Luke.
He dropped his gaze to the steering wheel, his brow lowered. “I may have loaned him some money.”
“You what?” I stared at him, unblinking. It wasn’t remotely close to anything I expected him to say. “Why am I only hearing about this now?”
But…Everything came together then. This explained Derek’s evasive behavior over the phone. He told me Christmas was back on at our parents’ and said things were less dire financially, but he’d been unable to explain why. After several dodged attempts to get answers out of him, I’d given up. Derek was a terrible liar, but when he stonewalled me, he was impossible to crack.
“I asked Derek not to tell you. But it’s progress, because we were able to get along. Right?” Chase raised his dark eyebrows, trying to affect a look of innocence. He was still in a charcoal gray suit from his game earlier, with his tie removed and the top buttons of his white dress shirt unbuttoned. It was hard as hell to get mad at him when he looked like this. And he knew it.
“Don’t change the subject.”
Then again, he did have a point. Derek and Chase agreed to meet, engaged in a discussion that must have been at least civil, and came to some kind of agreement. It was oddly encouraging—even if I wasn’t sure how I felt about the money part.
I frowned, twisting my leather purse strap in my hands. “Is that why Christmas is back on at my parents’ place? I’ve been racking my brain, trying to figure out how it’s suddenly possible from a financial perspective. You’re telling me that was you?”
“Possibly?” Chase gave me a sheepish look that cut through my defenses like a hot knife through butter.
He was great at evoking a specific combination of emotions in me—frustration mixed with amusement and affection. Lucky for him, it usually led to hot sex. If I wasn’t careful, he’d seduce his way out of answering my questions and we’d skip straight to the sex part.
“Was it?” I repeated, trying to stay firm. Thank god we were in his truck and not yet inside; if this conversation was happening in my bedroom, it would be taking a dramatically different trajectory.
“Technically, I offered him a long-term loan. What he did with it after that, I can’t say.”
I nodded but said nothing. My mind was trying to process the situation, but I was going in circles without any resolution as to how I felt.
“James.” Chase nudged me. “You mad?”
I turned to look at him. “I don’t know?”
Mad wasn’t the right word. Exasperated, maybe. And a war of other emotions raged in my mind in addition to that. The whole situation made me feel vulnerable, which was why I had hesitated to tell him in the first place.
Everything else aside, I’d forgiven Luke for doing so much worse—repeatedly. Thoughtless things, hurtful things, horrible things. It had my sense of right and wrong all kinds of skewed. I didn’t know what was and wasn’t worth getting upset over. Especially something with good intentions behind it from someone who’d been nothing but caring and thoughtful.
“I see what you were trying to do. But I can’t believe you did that.” The last words were harsh, but my tone wasn’t. Raking a hand through my hair, I nervously combed through the tangles at the ends. I was overdue for a haircut I couldn’t afford, which was ironic, given the topic at hand.
“For what it’s worth, I’m sorry for going behind your back.” Reaching across the center console, Chase took my hand in his. His skin was warm and rough as he stroked my palm with his thumb, moving back and forth.
“I appreciate the apology.” My shoulders relaxed in response to the combination of his words and bodily contact. “How much did you give Derek, exactly?”
“Fifteen grand.”
My breath snagged. As in, fifteen, followed by three zeros?
“Carter.” I grimaced. “That’s a lot of money.” I could live off that amount for a long, long time. I lived on significantly less than that, in fact.
“I’ve spent money on worse things.”
I widened my eyes. “Fifteen thousand dollars’ worth?”
“Well, no,” he admitted. “I know I joke about being an idiot, but I’m responsible when it comes to finances. I’m not going to be one of those athletes who blows through his paychecks and ends up broke. My dad drilled being frugal into my head before I even learned how to count.”
“This isn’t what I would call being frugal.”
But the mention of his father made it that much harder to lean into being angry with him. Any time the subject came up, hints of vulnerability surfaced. And they so rarely did that I didn’t want to risk shutting him down emotionally.
“Do you want to get into the money thing?” he asked, tone gentle. “Because we can. I’m fine with it, but I don’t want to make you uncomfortable.”
Make me uncomfortable? I was already there. Chewing my bottom lip, I scanned my apartment building. Most of the windows were dark. A chill was seeping into the truck interior now that the engine was off. I wasn’t sure why we were still parked outside instead of going in, but it was difficult to pause the conversation now that we’d started.
“I don’t need specifics,” I said, glancing back over at him. “I’m just confused.”
“Let’s say that this amount of money isn’t enough to worry over. Promise.”
I shook my head. “Fifteen thousand dollars is a lot, no matter how you slice it.”
Chase uttered a cross between a sigh and a frustrated growl, slumping back in his seat. “I have no way to counter that without getting into specifics.”
I didn’t want to look like I was asking for his bank account balance, because I definitely wasn’t, so I changed the subject.
“Why didn’t you come to me about helping?”
“You would have said no.”
Defensiveness struck me, and I opened my mouth to protest.
But he gave me a look, cutting me off with his end-of-discussion voice. “Tell me it isn’t true.”
It was true. One hundred percent true. And we both knew it.
I pinched the bridge of my nose. “You’re the most stubborn person I know. You literally do whatever you want, don’t you?”
“Kind of, yeah. Been doing it for nearly a decade.” He looked down at where our hands were entwined on the black leather console between us. His brow furrowed, and he took a deep breath before meeting my gaze again. “After my dad died, my mom checked out mentally. I was forging signatures on school permission slips and completing my own hockey registration online by the time I was twelve. I’ve been calling the shots for almost as long as I can remember.”
My stomach pitched. More vulnerability, more difficulty staying angry with him. And honestly, this explained so much about the way Chase was. Stubborn, independent, and set in his own ways.
I knew, deep in my heart, that he’d done it because he cared and thought it was the right thing. It was the calling the shots without me part that was the issue.
“We have to be a team. You know, make big decisions together.”
“I know.” Chase tugged my hand and pulled me closer to him. “I guess some habits are hard to break. I’ll do better.”
“Okay.” I nodded. “That’s fair.”
He tipped my chin up, and his deep brown eyes held mine, so full of affection that it nearly made my heart burst. “I love you.”
“I love you.”
He slanted over the console, brushing his lips against mine for a heartbeat. Just long enough to make me melt but brief enough to leave me wanting more. He knew what he was doing—that simple act made me that much less angry and that much more distracted. A shiver ran down my body, whether from the chill or his kiss, I wasn’t sure. Probably both—the temperature inside the truck had dropped into unbearable territory, and my teeth were nearly chattering. Since Chase ran at a million degrees all the time, he hadn’t noticed, but I was turning into an icicle.
“I’m freezing,” I said. “Let’s go inside and finish talking there.”
Or not talking, as I suspected the case would soon be.
Once we were safely inside my apartment—with the luxury of insulation and central heating—I slid off my boots and started for the living room, expecting him to follow. Chase grabbed me by the hips instead, stopping me. He walked me a few steps backward so I was up against the wall in the front entry. His lips tugged into a grin that was impossible to resist.
“You know…” He dipped his head, planting soft kisses along the base of my throat. One hand slid down my backside and squeezed. A rush of heat ran through my body from head to toe, eliminating any remaining trace of chill as it went. “I could make it up to you.”
“Oh? How’s that?”
His lips traveled up the curve of my neck, hovering over the shell of my ear. “It requires getting you naked.”
CHASE
Having Bailey on top of me in the truck was a tease in the best possible way, but now it was time for the real thing.
I shrugged off my suit jacket and tossed it onto the desk chair, followed by my tie. With my eyes locked on hers, I crossed the room to where she stood. Her pupils dilated as I placed a hand along her lower back, walking her over to the bed. The backs of her legs bumped the edge of the mattress, and we came to a stop.
She gave me a playful look, batting her eyes at me. “So, what did you have in mind?”
“I don’t know. How mad are you?”
“Oh, pretty mad.” She furrowed her brow and tried to glare, but her mouth tugged at the corners.
“Guess I have my work cut out for me, then.” By the time I was finished with her, she’d forget all about what we’d talked about in the truck. I moved in to kiss her again but stopped as she halted in response, her smile fading.
“What about your”—she bit her bottom lip, cool fingers gingerly tracing from my forehead to my jaw—“your face. Does it hurt? I don’t want to hurt you.”
I shook my head. “Nah. I’m about to be so distracted I won’t remember they’re even there.” In fact, I’d already long since forgotten about both injuries. And the game.
Right now, I was focused on one thing and one thing only.
Bailey unbuttoned my dress shirt, then moved on to unfasten my belt and pants. My fingers landed on the hem of her soft black sweater, and I tugged it up and over her head. Her lacy black bra showcased her small breasts perfectly and hinted that she might be wearing skimpy underwear that matched. In a blur, we were half-undressed and I was fully fucking hard, ready to bend her over the bed, but I had plans before I let things go that far. I undid the button of her jeans and kneeled to peel them off her body before tossing her pants and socks aside. I was right—she was wearing nothing but a hot-as-fuck tiny scrap of black lace that sat on her hips. How the hell did I get so lucky?
“I love undressing you,” I murmured, still on my knees in front of her. “It’s like unwrapping a present.”
Slowly, I kissed my way back up the soft skin between her legs. Nudging them a little wider, I grasped her inner thighs and held them apart for access. She let out a soft, throaty sigh as my lips found the juncture of her inner thigh, and I circled the outer perimeter. Tension coiled in her body, and her breath grew shallow. She was waiting for me to move on to her most sensitive spot, but I took time. Teasing her was half the fun.
“These are very, very sexy.” I ran a finger along the hem of her lace underwear.
My mouth landed on her center over the thin material, and she let out a soft gasp. She sank her hands into my hair, tugging and pulling me closer.
“I wore them for you,” Bailey said, voice strained.
“In that case, we can keep them on for now.” I dragged them aside and closed my mouth over her clit, sucking gently.
She moaned, throwing her head back as my tongue laved against her and I savored every minute. Being between her legs was one of my favorite things in the world.
“Chase…” My name was a shaky breath across her lips. “I don’t think I can hold myself up if you’re doing that.”
With my hands on her hips, I pulled her down to sit on the edge of the bed, spreading her legs apart. She leaned on her elbows, watching me with a dazed expression. There was a point in time where she would have felt self-conscious fully on display like this. Now she was completely confident in front of me, and I loved it. Sometimes, I couldn’t believe how lucky I was.
My gaze fell to my belt lying on the floor next to my knees, and I grabbed it.
“Trust me?” I asked her, gripping the strip of leather in both hands.
Bailey studied it for a beat, and her eyes lifted to meet mine. “Always.”
Glancing down, I threaded the tail end through the buckle to make the first cuff, looping back again to make a second. In a flash, we had a makeshift set of restraints, and I was about to have some fun.
“Impressive,” she said.
“I did my homework.”
She watched as I pushed to stand, looking up at me with a mixture of desire and adoration in her eyes. I scooped her up and repositioned her at the head of the bed before taking her wrists in my hands and pinning them above her head.
“Green?” I asked before I went any further.
Her mouth pulled into a smile. “Green.”
One at a time, I slipped her wrists into the belt, then tightened it until she couldn’t escape. Once her wrists were secured, I kneeled beside her. “Is your toy charged?”
Bailey’s eyes widened slightly. “Yes.”
I retrieved the silicone vibrator from her nightstand and switched it on, adjusting the intensity to one of the low settings. That meant I had room to increase it, gradually driving her more and more wild.
Fingers, tongue, and toy, I teased her until she was shaking. Bailey cried out, straining against the leather handcuffs. I slid a finger inside her soaking wet heat, followed by another. She moved in rhythm with my strokes, pelvis tilting, and her walls clenched around my fingers as she neared the peak.
She let out a gasp. “Yellow.”
My head snapped up in alarm. I immediately shut off the vibrator, crawling up her body to check on her. “Are you okay?”
Bailey’s bottom lip poked out in a pout. “I want a kiss.”
I suppressed a laugh. How could someone be so cute and so disobedient at the same time?
“I thought you were getting overstimulated.”
“No, I was getting lonely up here.”
“Well, we can’t have that.” Dipping my head, I brought my lips to hers. She sighed as my tongue slipped into her mouth, the two of us falling into a deep kiss.
“Do you want me to untie you?” I murmured, planting a trail of open-mouthed kisses down her neck.
“Not yet. But I need you to make good on all this teasing soon, or I’m going to lose my mind.”
Oh, now she was trying to call the shots? Cute.
I pressed a thumb where my tongue had been and worked it in small circles. “You want to come?”
“Yes.” She whimpered, cheeks flushed pink and eyes glassy.
“Say please.”
“Please.”
Switching the vibrator back on, I placed it to her center, and her body jolted. I brought my lips to her swollen bundle of nerves, devouring her with the aid of the toy. With another few strokes of my tongue, her back arched and her legs shook uncontrollably. She cried out, louder this time, pleading for me not to stop, coming apart in my mouth. Her hips swayed against me over and over again. Eventually, she slowed, little by little, until she stopped moving against me entirely. I eased off her once I’d pulled every available ounce of pleasure from her, pulling away and giving her a break before she got too sensitive.
Leaning on one elbow beside her, I studied her face. “Still mad?”
Her skin was dewy, her expression dazed, and her hair a tangled mess. She always looked so fucking hot after an orgasm.
She laughed. “No, but I feel a little weird about how noisy I was.”
“Don’t. That was so hot that I’ll think back on it daily.”
Reaching up, I unfastened the belt and freed her wrists. I stroked the delicate skin, carefully inspecting for any signs of abrasion or bruising and finding none.
“But what about you?” She brushed her fingers down my body and beneath my waistband, then wrapped her hand around me. Pleasure shot through me in response to her touch.
“I want to bend you over this bed and make you come again.”
Bailey gave me a wicked smile and pushed me onto my back. Her breasts brushed my skin while she planted a trail of kisses down my chest and abs and worked herself lower as I helped her tug off my black boxer briefs.
“But I’m liking the idea of a detour along the way, if that’s what you’re suggesting.”
She gripped me with one hand and took me into her mouth, her tongue sliding over the tip in a way that sent an agonizing bolt of euphoria rocketing through me.
“Fuck.” I sucked in a sharp breath, threading my hand in her long hair. “Your mouth feels so fucking good.”
She hummed a low laugh, her mouth vibrating against me. After another minute or two of watching her, I was dangerously close to losing it.
“Baby.” I squeezed her shoulder. “You’re going to have to stop if you want me to make good on the rest.”
Bailey looked up with a sexy little smirk. “Okay.”
She crawled up to the head of the bed beside me, and I yanked down her underwear with a renewed sense of urgency. I came to hover over her again, our mouths crashing together. My plan had been to fuck her from behind, but suddenly, I wanted nothing more than to see her face when I made her come again.
Emotion overtook me, and I slid a hand up the side of her throat, pulling back from our kiss. “Look at me.”
Bailey opened her eyes and blinked up at me. Her gaze stayed locked on mine, and she drew in a breath as I pushed inside her. I thrust once, twice, and she let out a throaty moan; the sound was feminine and vulnerable, and somehow, it almost undid me.
I stilled above her, watching her, countless thoughts swirling in my mind.
“What’s wrong?” she whispered.
Nothing was wrong. Everything was right. Everything.
“I just love you.” I dipped my head and bit her neck gently. “And I love fucking you.”
