Bad Boy (An Indecent Proposal) (14 page)

“What is it with you women and your tendency to exaggerate?
The next thing you’ll be doing is dragging met to a nearby hospital.”

“I was going to suggest that,” I said dryly.

He laughed until he noticed my expression. “This—” He
pointed to the split lip “—is nothing. My brother and I fought a lot, so
I’m pretty used to a little bit of blood and a bruise or two. Frankly, if we’re
being absolutely honest, I let that kid beat me on purpose to get your
attention.”

I crossed my arms over my chest and regarded him in mock
disbelief. “Yeah, right. That’s what
you
say.”

“Trust me when I say I could have easily beaten his ass.” He
grinned, swollen lip and all, and I couldn’t help but shake my head, marveling
at his ego. “The fact that you’re still here makes me think you’re the kind of
woman who’s into tough guys. Since you seem more into boxers than lawyers, I
could change my profession for you,” Chase said. “For you, I’d do anything.”

“Great,” I muttered. “Now you’re delirious, too. Your head
must have been hit.”

He chuckled and fished his phone out of his pocket. “I’m
calling the driver to pick us up. We’re having ice cream.”

I stared at him. “You’re kidding, right?”

“I don’t see why we shouldn’t.”

I shook my head. “Chase, you can’t run around like this.
Tell your driver to pick you up and take you back to your hotel.” I bit my lip,
my thoughts a hailstorm as I watched Chase busy himself with his phone.

“Where are you staying, by the way?” I asked as soon as he
had finished the call.

“Why are you asking? Are you thinking of paying me a visit?”
His eyebrows rose.

“No, Chase.” Emphasis on ‘no’. “I’m definitely not sleeping
with you again, if that’s what you’re thinking about.”

“Who said anything about sex? See, you’re the one with the
dirty mind.” He smirked and I rolled my eyes. “You just keep mentioning it.
It’s like you can’t think of anything else when you’re around me.”

His ego was unbelievable.

“What?”

“I was thinking of my mouth needing some—” he babbled
something undistinguishable, then pointed to his lip. “Sorry, it’s really hard
to speak. On a second thought, it really hurts. Maybe you could help a man out
here.”

I inched closer and touched his cheek before I realized it
was all a pretense so I’d feel sorry for him.

It was working. But it wasn’t that I felt sorry for him. He
hadn’t been completely wrong about the tough guys part.

“You’d better not be trying what I think you’re trying right
now,” I said. “You’re not exactly sexy with all that blood on your face.” I
scowled which only had him laughing out loud. “Just to be clear, the only
reason I’d accompany you to your hotel is to make sure you don’t end up jumped
on by someone else.”

His laugh bellowed behind me as we left the marketplace and
returned back to the street. Waiting for the limousine, I turned to Chase.
“Where are you staying? You never told me.”

His lips twitched. “I’m afraid to disclose that bit of
information, but only almost.”

“Almost? Why would you…” I broke off mid-sentence and stared
at him.

Why the hell was he smiling? And why the hell did his eyes
shimmer like he was up to no good?

Slowly, realization kicked in.

No way.

I closed my eyes and gave an exasperated sigh. “Please don’t
tell me you’re camped at the same hotel, Chase.”

Because that was exactly the kind of thing I should have
expected from Chase.

“I am,” he said with a smug grin. “The place isn’t so bad.
However, I do have some concerns. The walls are so thin I swear I’ll be able to
hear you take a shower and that’ll drive me crazy if I can’t join you. And why
didn’t you choose a hotel that offers certain bedroom services or adult
channels?”

I narrowed my eyes on him. “What for? So you can watch
porn?”

“I thought you weren’t jealous.”

“I’m not.” I groaned inwardly as heat traveled up my chest
and settled in my face. “Like you were saying, the walls are too thin. No one
needs to hear your private business while you’re watching that stuff.”

“I thought you might be into watching it together.”

Hell, no.

The only naked booty I wanted Chase to see was mine.

Jealous?

Hell, yeah. I was.

My cheeks flamed up even more.

“Your face says it all. As long as we’re married, I won’t
look at any other woman” Chase said, as though reading my thoughts, and inched
just a little bit closer. “I can be a patient man, Laurie, though I don’t think
I’ll have to wait particularly long until you’re back in my bed. But to ease
your worries, and to be absolutely clear, you do not owe me.”

I stared at him, my blood boiling.

Those were the exact words I had told Jude.

“I think I’m going to kill you.” I muttered. “You did not
book yourself into the same hotel. Please tell me you didn’t.”

“Why would you make such a statement when you know you’re wrong.”
He winked. “In fact, I went to all the trouble to book the room next to yours.
I thought it’d save us time.”

“Save us time in what way?”

“The time you waste between getting that booty call and
arriving at the designated meeting place. The quicker you’re there, the faster
you can get to the fun part.” He laughed out loud, seemingly pleased with his
reasoning.

I stared at him, open-mouthed.

His sexy smile curved into a panty-dropping grin. My
heartbeat went through the roof.

He was right, of course. If I were to want to pay him a
visit in the middle of the night, the location of his room mattered a great
deal. However, as much as the idea appealed to me, it wasn’t going to happen.

“Is your brother staying with you?” I turned away from him,
changing the subject.

“Of course not.” He sighed. I could feel his gaze on me.
“What? You still don’t believe me that I had no idea he was here?”

I rolled my eyes. “No, I don’t. You’re a liar.”

“Only when I have no other choice. Unfortunately, your trust
issues are beginning to turn into a problem. I’ll sign us up for therapy as
soon as we’re back home.”

What?

“What do we need a therapy for?” I asked.

“We need to build trust if we want to save this
relationship.”

This relationship.

“We don’t have a relationship, Chase.” Hopefully, if I said
it often enough, my stupid heart would stop skipping beats at every single
meaningless word of his.

“On paper, we do.” He grinned. “I’m still your husband,
aren’t I? That should count for something.”

“Fake husband,” I stated the obvious.

“No one would agree with you now that we’ve consummated the
marriage.” He was smiling, but his tone was serious. I sensed we were entering
that gray legal area of his again.

“It was a mistake,” I mumbled.

“I don’t think that’s the way you feel.” His eyebrows shot
up. “I think, given the chance, you’d repeat the experience in a heartbeat. You
know how I know?”

I knew I should take the bait and yet I couldn’t help
myself. “How?”

“You’re wet. A man has his ways of telling.”

“You’re unbelievable and the kind of jerk my mother would
have warned me about.” I stared at him as the limo pulled up next to us, his
laughter strangely intoxicating. Heat settled between my legs. I pressed them
together, realizing that I was wet. Very much so.

“Maybe,” Chase whispered. “But I actually think she would
have given you her blessing.”

Throughout the drive back to the hotel, my mind kept
wandering back to his words about my mom and the way he had looked when he spoke
them. However, as much as I would have liked to talk about it, we had more
pressing issues to attend to.

Such as his split lip and the fact that he had just taken a
beating for me.

 
“Why didn’t you
tell your brother that we got married?” I asked back at the hotel.

Chase was sitting on my bed. I was kneeling at his feet,
wiping caked blood off his lips. Every touch sent my heart racing. Strangely,
in spite of the intimacy, the gesture felt natural—as if I had always
done little things for him.

His lip was still swollen, but at least he was clean.

“I thought you guys were close,” I added, my gaze focused on
his beautiful face.

“We are,” he said. “That’s the thing. He’s my best friend.”

“Didn’t look that way when you two met in the hall.”

“That’s because we got in a fight before you and I married.”
The way he said it made me stop and listen up.

“About what?” I put away the wet towel and sat down on the
bed, eyeing him in the silence of the room. He looked exhausted, but more than
that, he had a wild glint in his eyes that didn’t escape me.

It must have been a taxing fight.

“About you,” he mumbled.

“Hmm.”

The heaviness of the situation was oppressing. Unsure what
to do with myself, I decided that I needed to keep both my hands and my mind
busy—anything, just not look at him.

Resuming my position, I dived the towel into the bowl of
alcohol and wrung it, then pressed it back against his wound.

“Why?” My voice came low, strangled.

His eyes remained glued to me for a few seconds. At last, he
sighed. “I don’t know.”

I frowned. “You don’t know?”

“Okay, I know why we fought. I don’t get why he acted the
way he did. It’s like he doesn’t get it.”

“Get what?”

His fingers circled around mine, and he pulled me onto his
lap, his body close, his scent irresistible. “Would you believe me if I told
you that I’m starting to fall in love with you?”

My breath died in my throat. My vision swam. My knees grew
weak. His honesty surprised me, shocked me, confused me.

My words remained lodged inside my brain.

“You…” I shook my head, frowning. “Why?”

“Why? Really? You’re asking me the same thing he did?” He
groaned. “I told him that I had feelings for you. His response was that it’s
impossible to fall in love with someone so quickly and that I shouldn’t let my
feelings interfere with our plan.” His grip on my fingers tightened, as though
unconsciously he was trying to hold on to me. “He was afraid I wouldn’t go
through with the wedding to get the inheritance.”

“But you did,” I said.

“Yeah, but…” He looked up. His eyes met mine in something
deep and intimate. “I also did it because I like you. And because I cannot bear
you dating anyone else but me. Particularly not my brother.”

“I don’t know why you keep saying that. He isn’t even my
type.” I blurted out the words before I could stop to think what I was saying.

“He isn’t?” Chase asked, his gloomy expression slowly
lifting.

I shook my head. “No.”

“Then who is?”

I looked away, but not before a smile tugged at my lips.

We both knew it. No point in denying it. But I didn’t want
to spell out the obvious either.

“Then why would you want to go out with someone other than
me?” he asked.

My attention turned back to him, my breath coming out
shallow. “Maybe because I was trying hard to move on from you.”

“Do you still want to, now that you know the truth?”

I swallowed.

Did I?

“Probably, yes,” I whispered. Was it the truth? I didn’t
know. “But it doesn’t mean I haven’t developed feelings for you, too.”

His hand moved to the nape of my neck. Slowly, he leaned
forward and his lips met mine.

Closing my eyes, I surrendered to his kiss.

He kissed me as if I was a delicate flower.

As if time had stopped.

As if he and I were the only people in the world.

His lips parted gently, silently urging me to deepen the
kiss. And I did so willingly, letting his tongue explore my mouth.

I lay down on the bed, and his body moved between my parted
legs. His hands began to roam over my body, trailing up the naked skin of my
thighs as he pulled up my dress.

I stopped his hand, but only for a second. “Chase?”

“Hmm?” His eyes were hooded, mirroring my own lust.

“This will be the last time,” I whispered and arched my
back, signaling that I was more than ready for him.

For a moment, Chase stared at me, his eyes shimmering with
desire intermingled with countless unspoken questions, as though he couldn’t
believe my invitation. And then he began to undress me in a hurry, his hands
flying over my body, squeezing beneath my clothes.

His lips started to kiss my naked skin, leaving a wet trail
behind. I let him touch me, caught up in the heat of the moment, and moaned as
his hand moved in determined strokes over my inner thighs.

“You’re really something,” Chase whispered.

“I hope that’s a good thing.”

“The best.”

My body yearned for his touch, my mind marveling at the heat
his hands left behind. Cupping my breasts, he sucked one nipple in between his
lips, then paid the same attention to the other, until they became so hard it
almost hurt.

I threw my head back and pulled him on top of me, my body shivered
against burning skin. My fingers roamed over his back, his broad shoulders, and
finally settled in his silky hair. I wanted him naked. I wanted him inside me,
filling me, stretching me.

“You sure kept me waiting,” Chase murmured and pried my legs
apart, settling between my thighs. His breath brushed my naked skin, my most
sensitive spot.

“All good things are worth the wait,” I said.

Especially you.

“You’re so right about that.”

As soon as his tongue licked my clit, I moved.

“Don’t,” I whispered.

My words stopped him. With clouded eyes, he gazed at me.
“Why not?”

“I won’t be able to control myself.”

“I have all time in the world, if that’s what worries you.”

I shook my head. “I don’t want to wait. I need you now,” I
whispered.

“You sure?” As if to point out what I’d be missing, his
tongue brushed my clit again, and again, his fingers rubbing against my folds,
almost sending me over the edge.

“Very sure,” I half-whispered, half-moaned, and let out a
sudden gasp as his tongue probed my entry.

Oh, my God.

It felt so good.

My sex clenched, fueled by the soft, penetrating motion of
his tongue.

“Fuck me, Chase,” I whispered. “Fuck me, now.”

His fingers pulled back.

The sudden emptiness surprised me.

Had he listened to my command?

I opened my eyes and saw him standing. The look in his eyes
was fierce and wild.

“What are you doing?” I mumbled.

Why the fuck wasn’t he moving?

Undressing?

Doing
something,
rather
than just staring at my exposed flesh?

I lifted one leg high up in the air to give him all the view
he wanted. It was something I never thought I’d be doing for a man—be
proactive, straightforward with my desire.

“If it’s going to be the last time, then I’ll do it on my
own terms,” Chase said, his eyes hooded. “I want you to do as I say when I say
it.”

I nodded, fascinated by his pure primal energy. He peeled
off his shirt and jeans. My tongue wet my suddenly dry lips as he removed his
belt and unbuttoned his jeans to reveal his magnificent erection.

I expected him to drop the belt. Instead, he held it up. “I’ll
hold on to this.”

He leapt onto the bed.

My heartbeat quickened as his hand grabbed my wrists,
pinning me to the spot. The belt went around my wrists and the headboard, his
touch gentle but definite, the look in his eyes, something I had never seen
before.

It was dominant, and possessive. And so fucking sexy. His
voice was husky, his breath hot against my suddenly cold skin.

“You’re not going to forget me,” he whispered in my ear.

As if anyone would.

His voice was deep and strained, filled with control and so
much desire, I knew it could easily match mine.

My body trembled as I watched him kneel and take his hard
cock into his hand, his fingers moving up and down his hard shaft, his eyes
never leaving me. The strokes were slow and measured, his breathing raspy, as
his gaze traced every inch of me, lingering on my breasts, the soft spot
between my legs.

His heady smell permeated the air, making me painfully aware
just how much I wanted him. My sex clenched again, my mouth watered at the
thought teasing him the way I knew he was about to tease me.

“Let me taste you,” I begged, eager to take him into my
mouth.

“Not today, baby. Today it’s all about you.”

I couldn’t stop the shudder running through me as he moved
between my legs, spreading them wide apart to settle between my thighs. Two
fingers squeezed inside me, probing, stretching. I moaned and lifted my hips
just a little bit, urging him to go deeper.

“You’re wet for me,” Chase growled, his tone almost feral.

How could I tell him that I was always wet for him? Always
ready.

“Tell me what you want, Laurie.” The command was sharp. Not
answering was not an option.

“I want you to fuck me,” I whispered, my eyes locked with
his. “Just tonight. For the last time.”

His eyes darkened, but not with lust. Flames of anger
flashed through them, turning the gray blue a few shades darker.

“As you wish.”

His hands busied themselves with the belt, tightening even
though I could barely move my wrists.

I closed my eyes, feeling him settling, the head of his cock
against my folds, my wetness coating him a moment before he slid inside me, one
inch at a time. I felt my mind losing focus. Another shudder rocked me as he thrust
into me until I could take no more and shifted, the size and weight of his cock
too big.

A bit uncomfortable, too tight.

And yet the burning and desire didn’t stop.

I wanted more.

I wanted everything he had to give.

His hand moved down to my clit, rubbing it in slow,
relentless strokes, until the pressure inside me built up, ready to throw me
over the edge.

“Don’t fight it, Laurie.” His voice was hoarse, aroused by
the fact that he was deep inside me twitching, but not moving, stretching me,
but not giving me the friction I so desperately sought.

We were connected, linked, my body shaking with exhaustion,
screaming for the release only he could give me.

Soon, I knew, I would come, no matter whether he moved or
not, because his fingers were doing a hell of a job.

The oncoming climax was hanging over my head like a sword.

“Please just fuck me,” I begged.

“Not yet. You’re too tight for me. I want you to be
completely wet, otherwise it’s going to hurt.” His tone was strained, as though
he was having a hard time controlling himself.

His words made no sense.

I was wet, wasn’t I?

His fingers moved faster while his body and his cock stood
still. My hips lifted to grant him deeper access.

He groaned but didn’t move.

Damn it.

His fingers moved faster. The pulsating ache between my legs
intensified. And then I felt it. My body relaxed, and my insides began to burn.
A moan escaped my breath as his fingers continued to rub the sensitive spot one
more time before he pulled out and then plunged his cock deep inside me,
spreading me wide open.

My pulse spiked. I opened my eyes and caught his intense
gaze.

“Please,” I whispered, ready to beg some more.

“By the time I’m done, I’m going to be so deep inside you,
you’ll never think of another man again.”

Please, as if anyone could ever take his place inside my
mind. Or heart. Or pussy.

I shook my head, my eyes wild. The pressure was too much,
the waves of lust and pleasure rocking me too hard. I flicked my tongue over my
parched lips.

“Chase.” His name found its way past my lips as I peered
down at the spot where our bodies connected.

He pulled out almost to his crown, the moisture glittering
on his long shaft. And then he leaned forward and kissed me hard, his mouth
crushing mine just as his cock thrust inside me in one straight move.

All the way in.

He had never kissed me so wildly before. His cock had never
been so deep inside me.

His mouth stifled my moans while his fingers resumed their
torture on my clit.

Slowly at first, he began to move, his thrusts measured
while his lips moved to my neck, my collarbone, my cheeks, and then back to my
lips. My body tightened, my chest heaved as I started to rock against him to
meet his hips.

“Lift your legs higher,” he commanded.

The air cold against my feverish skin, I obeyed and fully
opened myself to his thrusts. His movements became harder and faster, as if he
wanted to bury himself deep into me. My vision began to spin, and the initial
pulses changed to tremors. My hands struggled against their restrains. Closing
my eyes, I moved my hips against his, but it was impossible to keep up his
speed.

“Chase,” I cried a moment before every muscle in my body
tensed.

And then the climax crashed through me.

It didn’t take long for him to follow. One more hit, and the
second orgasm rocked through me.

Fucking hell.

I smiled, savoring the moment because I knew our moment
together wouldn’t last.