Bad Boy (An Indecent Proposal) (7 page)

“It doesn’t
take a folder full of information to know you,” Chase said coldly. “You forget
I was inside you. Something happened between us. We connected. I felt it and
you felt it.”

My pulse
sped up, but not from the anger that seemed to course through me half of the
time I spent in his presence.

In his snug
white shirt that accentuated his tan arms and casual jeans, he looked relaxed
and comfortable, like this wasn’t a situation out of the ordinary and he used
to bail people out all the time. He also looked as if he was used to people
getting angry with him or maybe he had expected my reaction all along.

The
expression in his gray blue eyes seemed lost, though, as if he had no idea what
was going on between us.

He looked
so innocent, I wanted to scream. This was the man I had married and slept with.
The man I had trusted. The man who betrayed me. The man who still tried to
manipulate me with sweet words of nothingness.

I could
almost still feel him inside my head—inside my body, filling me, taking
his pleasure while bringing my own lust to new heights.

The memory
of him naked with my legs wrapped around his waist brought the usual tell-late
heat to my face. It also brought back the pain of his betrayal, and my promise
that I’d never see him again.

“Why are
you really here, Chase?” I whispered.

He regarded
me for a long moment. “In spite of what you keep thinking, there’s no hidden
motive.”

Only, I
knew that wasn’t true.

“So you
say.” I studied his face for a few moments in the knowledge that no matter how
many times I asked, he wouldn’t tell me. “You know what? Forget it,” I said
eventually.

Walking
past him, I took a left turn and headed into a back alley, Chase following
close behind me.

“Do you
even know where you are?” he asked.

I looked
around. “Does it matter? I’m going to call a taxi as soon as I see one. So you
can stop following me.”

“We’re not
in L.A., Laurie. This can be a dangerous place, as you should know by now. Come
on. Let me take you back to the hotel.” His fingers curled around my upper arm
and pulled me gently to him.

“Don’t
touch me.” I yanked my hand out of his grip.

He stepped
back with a hurt expression on his face. For a few seconds we just stared at
each other.

Was he
faking it?

Was he
seriously hurt?

I couldn’t
tell for sure.

“What did I
do wrong?” he asked at last.

“You’re
asking me? Seriously?” I inched forward, my finger poking his chest.

God, I
loved his hard body.

I had
almost forgotten how hot he was.

In spite of
my anger, I inhaled deeply to catch a whiff of his aftershave. And something
else.

His shower
gel. Had he taken a shower before coming to pick me up?

And his
hair. It looked like he just had a cut.

Why the
hell was I even noticing those things?

“I know you
lied to me,” I whispered. “The least you could have done before you married me
is be honest with me and tell me you’re Mystery Guy.”

“Who?”

“That’s the
name I gave you after we met in that elevator.”

“Nice one.”
He grinned but I didn’t return his smile. His smile died as he caught my
expression. “You weren’t joking.” He grimaced. “Okay, I admit I owe you an
explanation for my lies.”

The
gentleness in his tone touched me, pulled at my heartstrings, but for some
reason it also made me angry. A liar admitting or confessing all his lies?

That wasn’t
going to happen.

Lies are
like cobwebs. The moment you take one down, others will take its place. It was
impossible for Chase to admit to one lie and be honest when he was cagey about
everything else.

“I’m not
interested,” I said and waved my hand dismissively. “Not anymore. You had your
chance to explain everything. You didn’t.”

“No, you
never gave me that chance, Laurie.” His tone was accusatory. “You just ran off
and left your ring behind.” As if to prove his point, his hand slid into his
pocket, and he retrieved the ring. My jaw dropped. I stared at the narrow band
of gold shimmering in the daylight, imaging him carrying it around with him.

“Why?” I
asked.

He frowned,
not getting the question.

“Why did
you bring it with you?” I clarified.

“Because
we’re married.”

My eyes met
his gaze.

And there
it was again. That hurt expression that made me feel bad.

God, he
really deserved an Oscar for being such a good actor.

Next thing
I knew he’d be coming with the whole ‘where you end, I begin’ kind of crap. No
idea whether he ever took acting lessons, but he was definitely talented.

Something
broke inside me hard and fast—something I knew would make me forgive
Chase. It took all my willpower not to give in.

I glanced
at the ring. “You can throw it away. I don’t need it anymore.”

His eyes
narrowed on me again, the hurt expression from before gone—replaced with
so much coldness, it was palpable in the air.

His hand
closed around the ring.

“Are you
sure? Because the way you keep looking at and touching me, it looks like we’re
still on.”

His gaze
fell on my hand on his arm.

Holy cow.

When did I
touch him?

Damn my
body for wanting him the way it did.

Damn Chase
for knowing how to evoke the kind of primal instincts I didn’t know I even
possessed.

I drew my
hand back as if I had just been burned, wishing I could do the same with my
feelings.

Pull them
in, control them, banish them.

“I’m not
interested,” I said, more resolute. “What I wrote on the paper, I meant it. I
want you to stay away from me.”

He
grimaced, and something flashed across his face.

Disappointment,
I realized.

“If you
think I’ll give you up that easily, you’re mistaken,” Chase said.

“We’ll see
about that,” I muttered and turned away to the taxi halting at the corner.

Only after
taking my seat in the back and slamming the door did I throw a glance back,
expecting Chase to be standing here, ready to dash after me. To my surprise,
the space was empty.

Like a
ghost, he had just disappeared, his last words echoing in my mind.

I reached
the hotel in less than an hour.

The moment
I closed the door behind me, I sank on the bed, my arms spread out to either
side. As I stared at the ugly stained ceiling, all sorts of thoughts ran
through my mind. But it was not the state of the ceiling that kept my attention
busy.

It was
Chase’s words.

Chase’s
eyes.

Chase’s
lips.

And his
frigging, muscular chest.

How could
anyone so physically perfect have such a flawed character? I had never asked
him if he worked out, but there was no doubt that he was doing
something
to look so godlike.

Does it even matter, Laurie?

I groaned
inwardly. Since meeting Chase, I had asked myself that one question on numerous
occasions.

So far from
home, I had thought I could escape his allure and get a grip on myself. That
I’d stop wanting him. Stop fantasizing about having him inside me, and forget
all about his breathtaking eyes, which seemed to undress me at every
opportunity.

And yet I
found that I couldn’t escape the memory of his disappointed expression when I
walked away, and the stupid hope that he’d come after me, which he didn’t do.

But that
wasn’t even so bad.

Now that he
had bailed me out, new thoughts emerged. Thoughts that were so scary, they
confused me, and made me question everything I had found out about him.

Why did he
bail me out? He had married me. His mission was already accomplished. Or was
there more to it?

I stripped
off my clothes and stepped into the shower. The water was hot, relaxing my sore
muscles. I don’t know how long I stood under a stream of water, my body a
shivering mess, my fixation on Chase taking root in my belly, embedding itself
deep in my heart.

Chase was
like poison.

Seeping
into me, infecting me, leaving me with fragments of broken dreams—of hope
that there might be more between us.

I was so
absorbed in my thought, I didn’t hear the door opening.

The shower
curtain was drawn aside, and I jumped back, a scream escaping my throat.

I turned
and found Chase standing inches from me, watching me with a hungry look in his
eyes.

“What the
fuck, Chase,” I yelled. “You almost gave me a heart attack.”

He grinned sheepishly. “I never said I was the quiet kind.”
        

“Quiet?
More like creepy.” I turned the water faucet off and quickly covered my naked
breasts with my hands. “Fucking hell,” I muttered to myself. “You’re like the
devil.”

“I’ve heard
he’s quite charming, so thank you for the compliment, though I hate to
disappoint. I’m quite human.” He held out a white towel out of my reach. “Need
this?”

I inched
forward and grabbed it from him, then wrapped it around my body. My skin was on
fire from his intense gaze. I looked up—fury blazing in my eyes.

“What the
fuck are you doing here? This is my hotel room. I paid for it. You have no
right to break in.”

“I didn’t
break in…” Chase said and leaned against the wall, a smug expression on his
face. “Not exactly.”

I frowned
at his choice of words. “How
did
you
get in?”

“With
this.” His hand moved to his pocket, and he pulled out a key card. It looked
exactly like the one I had. “I asked for a visitor card.”

“And they
gave you one—no questions asked?” I asked incredulously, shaking my head.

“Well, they
only had one question, who I was. I told them I’m your husband.” His eyes
flickered with amusement. “I even offered to provide our marriage certificate
as proof, but what can I say? They weren’t interested in seeing it.”

That was
pure madness. I would file a complaint.

Heck, I’d
ask for a refund.

“Unbelievable.”
I shook my head again. “You still have no right to be here.”

“Relax,
Laurie. I wasn’t planning on staying.”

“Damn
right! You’re not.” I tightened the towel around my body before it accidentally
slipped off, not missing the hooded glance he gave me. A pull settled between
my legs. Chase’s lips twitched, and his eyebrows rose ever so slightly.

What the
fuck was he so smug about?

I followed
his line of vision, and to my mortification discovered that my left breast was
exposed.

I yanked
the towel higher, covering myself up as much as I could, as the heat traveled up
my neck and face.

“No need to
hide, Laurie. I’ve already…”

I rolled my
eyes, irritated. “Yeah, I know you’ve already had me.”

“I wanted
to say, I already told you how sexy you look, but you’re right, of course.”

The smug
bastard.

Of course
he wasn’t going to miss the opportunity to remind me what had happened between
us; what could still be between us if it weren’t for me discovering his
betrayal.

Knots
formed in my stomach.

Suddenly,
the bathroom felt too cramped.

I needed to
get out.

Pressing
the towel against my body, I stepped out of the shower cabin, making sure not
to get too close to him, and started to wring my dripping wet hair in front of
my mirror, my gaze avoiding him.

“Well, I
hope you got a good look, because you won’t get to touch me again,” I muttered.

My gaze
brushed his in the mirror.

I had
expected to see disappointment, maybe even anger, instead a flicker of
amusement flickered in his eyes.

“Are you
sure about that?” A smile tugged at the corner of his lips. “As far as I
remember, you were the one asking me to touch you. Maybe not so much to touch
as to fuck you. I believe your exact words were ‘I want you to be my first’.”

As I stared
at his reflection in the mirror my cheeks flamed. “For your information, I just
wanted to get it over and done with. It had nothing to do with you. It could as
well have happened with anyone. No offense, Chase, but you were just a means to
an end.”

“None
taken.” He inclined his head in mock-thought. “I won’t deny it that I’m glad it
was me because I doubt you would have had so much fun with someone else.”

“How would
you know that?” I turned to regard him, my lips pursed. “Maybe I faked it.”

“Considering
my experience and the little sounds you made, I doubt anything about our
session was fake.”

I stared at
him, my words failing me. Forget the experience part. “I made sounds?”

His lips
twitched. “No worries, they were cute.” He lifted a hand, as though to touch
me, then dropped it again, his tone mocking. “My only advice for you, next time
scream a little louder. It can be a real turn on.”

“You’re…”
My expletives remained trapped in my throat. “There won’t be a next time.”

“So you
say.” His eyes glinted with a hint of challenge. “Maybe I should say challenge
accepted?”

I scowled,
heat creeping into my bones. “It happened once. It won’t happen again. And when
I say that, I mean as in ‘never’.” I squeezed past him and dashed to the
bedroom to get dressed.

“Why not?”
he asked, following close behind me.

“Because
I’m no longer interested in you.”

“If you’re
so impartial, why don’t you remove that towel? I want to see your lack of
excitement at the thought of my tongue licking you all over,” Chase said.

The image
entered my mind too easily.

Oh, God.

That was
the last thing I’d ever do.

Struggling
to fight my labored breathing, I walked into the tiny walk-in closet and
switched on the lights.

“Surely if
you feel nothing, want nothing, it shouldn’t matter whether I see you naked or
not,” Chase persevered.

I turned
around, forcing my brain to come up with some witty response, but he was faster
and beat me to it.

“Thought
so, Laurie.”

I peered
into his gorgeous eyes. They were mocking but gentle, his expression soft.

Everything
in that room stopped still, and it was as if time did, too. It was in that
moment I realized how much I still loved him.

As if
sensing my emotional undercurrents, Chase moved closer and brushed a wet strand
of hair out of my face.

“I know you
still want me, Laurie,” he said tenderly. “I won’t make a secret that you’re
still on my mind, too.”

My breath hitched,
whether it was from the lack of space or from the intimacy, I couldn’t tell.

“You’re
delusional,” I managed to croak, which was rewarded with a chuckle.

“No, my
mind’s perfectly clear on what I want and what you need.”

Oh, the
arrogance.

I had to change
the topic—and fast—before his lips, so awfully close, would crash
upon mine. That was something I imagined would happen. If he kept doing what he
did, his hands playing with my hair, his eyes on my lips, speaking the kind of
words I wanted to hear, I’d lose all self-control and kiss him, because the
truth was…he was right.

My knees
were weak. My heart was racing. Deep inside I could feel hundreds of
butterflies fluttering, pounding against the fragile shield I had learned to
build in the past.

“What do
you want, Chase?”

He
hesitated. Dropping his hand, he took a step back and leaned against the wall,
his posture implying that he had no intention of leaving anytime soon.

“Why do you
assume I want something?” Chase asked.

I stared at
him. “Are you serious? You had a folder with an estimate of what my inheritance
is worth.”

His
lips tightened, and a guilty
expression fell on his face. At last he crossed his arms over his chest,
his eyes avoiding me.

I used the
silence to search for the most oversized piece of clothing I had, and found
nothing in the mess I had left behind the night before.

A thong
fell from between my clothes. Chase picked it up and lifted it to inspect it. I
thought I might just die from mortification.

“Are you
kidding me? Give it back.” I yanked it out of his hands.

Unfazed, he
sifted through my clothes until he found a short, red dress that belonged to
Jude. “You should wear it today.”

I grabbed
it from him, meeting his gaze. “Stop touching my things, okay? I’m not going
out with you.”

“It was
merely a suggestion.” His eyes sparkled with delight. I braced myself for
another one of his suggestions, but none came. Instead, his gaze remained glued
to my every move. Up close, he smelled fantastic—a deep, manly scent.

A deep pull
settled between my legs.

I wanted
him so bad, it hurt, and yet I couldn’t act on my desire.

I really
had to change the topic—do whatever it took to distract myself from my
stupid attraction to him.

“You didn’t
answer my first question. What are you doing here?” I found a pair of jeans and
a top

“Relax,
Laurie. I have no intention of staying here.”

I squeezed
my clothes against my chest, the layers of fabric helping to strengthen my
mental barrier. “You still had no right to come and see me.”

“You’re
right.” Something hard flashed across his face. He tried to hide it by turning
his back to me and walking out of the closet, but I caught it nonetheless. I
thought he had left so I peered out. He regarded me from the minibar, which I
had raided earlier.

“May I?” He
pointed to a bottle of something.

“I’m going
to change.” I shrugged, not bothering to answer.

While he
kept himself busy with the bottles and glasses, I used the opportunity to dress
quickly, all the while listening to make sure he wouldn’t try to come in.

But my fear
was unfounded.

He left me
alone.

He didn’t
look.

Not once.

He gave me
all the privacy I needed.

When I
returned to the bedroom, he was sitting on the bed, two glasses of alcohol in
his hand, his gaze focused on the floor. He passed me my glass, then patted the
space next to him. “Sit down.”

Under
different circumstances I wouldn’t have followed his command, but there was
something in his voice—an urgency—that made me listen to him.

That, and
the fact that the room had no other sitting opportunities.

It was just
the bed—a bitter reminder of our time together.

At last, I
sat down, watching him. In the silence of the room, he took a few sips from his
glass, his gaze avoiding me.