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“Chase, my boy,” he says happily. “I see you brought the lovely Ms. Callahan this evening.” He lets Chase go and grasps my hand pulling it to his lips.

“Happy Birthday, Mr. Davis. Thank you for having me,” I offer.

“The pleasure is all mine, and you can call me Charles. I imagine “Mr. Davis” gets cumbersome when you have your own Mr. Davis to contend with.” He tips his head toward Chase. He’s obviously very fond of Chase, and it warms my heart knowing how he came to live with his Uncle early in his childhood.

“Chase speaks very highly of you,” I offer.

He looks at Chase with a grin. “He does? Sharing my secrets, eh, Chase?” his uncle jokes. So far I really like his family. Well, I haven’t spent much time with Cooper aside from that one charity dinner. And his Mother didn’t seem too thrilled with my presence, but the rest of the Davis clan are top notch.

Carson pops up behind me. “Gillian, looking stunning as ever,” Carson says as he comes up to hug me. Kat is close behind him, and she is drop dead gorgeous. She’s in a form fitting silver sequined dress with a sparkling fringe cut at mid-thigh. Her legs go for days, coupled with strappy silver heels.

I pull her into a hug. “Kat, wow. Did you make this one?” I ask, pulling back to assess her dress more closely.

“I did.” She smiles wide. “If you look really close you can see tiny pink sequins setting off the silver,” she adds. I can see them up close and the workmanship is impeccable. She will definitely design for the stars one day.

“It’s incredible. I’m digging the fringe! So hip, so now!” I gush.

“You’re biased,” she says lamely, but she can’t hide the huge smile plastered on her face. “I just wish I’d had the chance to make your dress,” she says with a pout. “Though Gucci does wonderful things for those curves. Damn girl! You are smokin’ hot.”

I smile wide as we spend a couple more minutes going over the fine details of our attire. Then Carson pulls Kat away to meet his family for the first time as his significant other. I stare off into the distance, holding onto the concrete banister. Chase is enjoying the company of his Uncle and his friends, and I want him to feel comfortable without having me glued to his side. I sip from my glass and enjoy the view of the lush gardens and the smell of fresh jasmine in the air. The yard reminds me of what Shakespeare’s
Mid-Summer Nights Dream
would look like.

“You know, you’re better looking than I expected.” I twirl to face the female voice behind me and am face-to-face with Megan, “the Bitch,” O’Brian. I wait for her to continue. “I am surprised by the similarities between us.” She cocks her head to the side. “Looks like he never did get over me. Which is good for me,
real
good.” Her tone is scathing and smug. I want to smash her perfect pointed face with my clutch. It’s heavy enough to make a dent or at the very least, scare the hell out of her.

Instead I choose to find out what she wants. “And why is that?” I ask, fully aware that I’m taking the bait.

“Because he’s going to be mine again.” My eyes squint in frustration. “Oh, I’m sure you’re nice enough, obviously pretty enough, but I was his first love. I was the woman he was going to marry,” she adds.

“You are his past; nothing but a distant memory,” I combat. It feels good to dig into her, even though everything she’s saying scrapes across my nerves like a metal scouring pad, feeding right into my insecurities.

“Ah, but you’re living proof that he isn’t over me. Why else would he choose to bring home a woman that could be my sister? He’s only dated blondes prior to you. I’ve been keeping tabs on him. I knew it was time to re-enter his life when I saw a picture of the two of you a few months ago in the society pages. I knew then he wasn’t over me.” She smiles evilly.

“Think whatever you want. Chase loves me,” I say with confidence.

“And you believe that? He tells every girl he wants to fuck that he loves them. He probably told you that you were his, right?” My eyes go wide. She knows she’s hit the nail on the head and goes in for the kill. “You’re a piece of ass to him. He probably fucked you saying, mine mine mine!” I almost threw up when those words spilled out of her perfect pink lips.

“Fuck you,” I tell her and tear off down the stairs. Tears build as the world as I know it crumbles. Holy shit. Everything she said, he did. Every single thing. He told me he loved me and then fucked me. He’s only said it twice but each time it was right before we made love or during. He’s never said it in the cold light of day. I bump arms with several people as I’m trying to get as far away as I can. A clearing opens and the moon shines down on me. I take a huge lung full of air, trying to catch my breath and calm the anxiety digging its evil claws into my heart and mind.

I think back to several of our intimate moments and the things he’s said.

You are mine.

You. Are. My. Woman.

I close my eyes and let the tears fall as I relive so many times where he’s
claimed
me. I believed every lie. He just wants a replacement for her…for Megan. What the hell am I going to do?

“Hey, Red,” a deep voice whispers across my ear. I back up quickly, my balance teeters as the spike of my stiletto gets caught in the cobblestone path. Cooper’s long arm reaches out and wraps around my waist, his hand against my bare back. “Well, now I’ve got you in my arms, what am I going to do with you?” He presents me with a devilish boy-like smile.

“Thank you for catching me.” I pull away from him and wipe at the tears in my eyes.

“Why is such a beautiful woman crying at a happy occasion? Do I need to kick my cousin’s ass?”

I smile. Maybe Cooper isn’t as bad as Chase made him out to be.

“Because I will. Wouldn’t be a hardship for me at all,” he adds with machismo. “What’s the matter, Beautiful?”

I look over to where Megan was standing. She’s still there, only this time Chase is with her. That didn’t take long. He’s smiling and my heart is breaking. She puts her hand on his shoulder and slides it down his arm to his elbow. That one simple intimate touch is my undoing. Chase is willingly letting her touch him the way I would, the way a lover does. It’s over.

“Um, nothing really. I just…” My shoulders fall and I start to sob.

He pulls me into an embrace, “Hey, hey, it’s okay.” I spend long moments crying into Cooper’s chest.

His hands hold me loosely around the waist; his fingers gently caress the naked skin of my lower back. The touch is too intimate and sends chills racing up my spine. That’s when I realize I’ve leaned my face on his chest and he’s whispering sweet nothings in my ear about how pretty I am, how I deserve someone better, someone like him. Holy shit. This is not happening.

I look up into Cooper’s face and he’s staring at me with eyes heavy with lust. I’ve seen that look many times but he’s not the man I want.

“You don’t need him, he’ll only break your heart,” he says.

“Get the fuck away from her,” I hear Chase’s booming voice about ten feet away.

Cooper pulls me close. “Why? You’re the one who left her crying and heartbroken,” he counters snidely.

Chase looks at me, fear and anger at war in his ocean eyes. I’m certain my own eyes are swollen and red from crying, makeup smeared beyond recognition. My breath is erratic and my nose is running. His eyes find mine and are questioning, but I can’t hold his gaze, preferring to look away. I can see “the Bitch” high tailing it over here, running down the steps behind him.

“What the fuck are you talking about, Cooper?” Chase asks.

“You tell me, cuz. This beautiful woman is crying and where were you?”

“With me.” Megan’s voice says from the stairs just off our location. “Chase, honey, you don’t need a sugary substitute when you can have the real thing.” She comes up behind him and brings her hands to his biceps.

He shrugs her off. “Gillian, you’re coming with me. Now.” He comes over to me and pulls my hand. “And  if you ever so much as touch her hand or a hair on her head, I will fucking ruin you, Coop. Stay away from my woman!” he yells and makes to drag me up the stairs. His grip on my wrist is tighter than ever.

“Chase, you don’t need her when you can have me,” Megan pleads. I try to pull away, not wanting to hear him pick her over me. I couldn’t bear it. Chase holds me fast not allowing a retreat. In fact, he pulls me to his side like he has so many times before.

Chase looks Megan up and down with a fierce scowl. “I’ve had you and so has everyone else at this fucking party. You’re a slut! I wouldn’t touch you again with a ten foot pole!” Her eyes go wide and her mouth opens in shock. “You broke my heart almost a decade ago. I’ve moved on. Now you need to. Why don’t you go fuck Cooper again? He’s available.” He continues up the stairs.

Fuck Cooper again? Oh my God. She slept with Cooper. Was it before or after their engagement? The details are extremely significant to me at this moment.

Chase doesn’t slow down, and I regret my expensive purchase on these stilts as I sway and try to keep my balance. The cobblestone walk is proving extremely difficult, and I fear I’m going to break my ankle.

“Stop, Chase.” He continues to yank my arm, his grip vice-like. “God dammit, I’m going to fall if you don’t slow the fuck down!” I scream and tug on his arm. Instead of slowing down he stops, faces me and pulls me up and over his shoulder fireman style, my ass in the air and my head dangling over his back.

“I’m not giving you the chance to run this time,” he says as he stomps through the garden and then the house. People at the party stop and stare at the blatant spectacle. Their mouths hang open, completely flabbergasted by the sight, except for his Uncle Charles and his Cousin Carson who are smiling like loons.

“Don’t let her go, my boy!” his Uncle calls and Chase lifts his hand in a wave as he passes, his other hand firmly planted on my ass. I can see his mother sitting in her wheelchair by his Uncle, absolutely furious with her son’s caveman behavior.

We make it to the limo and he hauls me into it.

“What the hell was that?” I ask as Jack speeds off. “Were you trying to embarrass me because if you were, it worked brilliantly!” I’m seething, ready to pluck his eyes out with my tweezers!

“What were you doing locked in an embrace with Cooper?” His tone is cold and accusatory.

“I wasn’t locked in an embrace. Pah-leeze.” It slips from my mouth with disdain. “He was comforting me after Megan “the Bitch” O’Brian basically told me that our relationship was a sham!”

Chase grips his temples and ruffles a hand through his unruly hair. “And you believed her? After everything we’ve been through?” His eyes search mine, the tone of his voice is broken, sad even.

“I had no choice. She said things, Chase. Private things. Things that I thought were only between us and she said you say them to every girl just to bed them!” My voice cracks as I explain.

“Gillian, I don’t know what she told you, but I’ve never said anything to you that I didn’t mean.” His eyes seem honest. He sounds like he’s telling the truth but my insecurities are running wild and I’m afraid.

“I need some time to think.” I cross my arms over my chest protectively, huddle against the door and look out the window. For the entire drive back all I can hear in the limo is the sound of our strangled breaths.

Once we arrive at the Penthouse he follows me into his bedroom and pushes me against the wall. His body crowds mine, chest to chest, heart to heart. With our noses practically touching I can see he’s hurting, but so am I. This is too important to back down now. We have to have it out, once and for all if we’re ever going to move forward.

His breath stirs the wisps of hair from my check. “Gillian, I’m not going to have that whore come between us. What we have is real. More real than anything I’ve ever known.”

“She said you tell all the girls that, she said that you tell everyone that they are yours!” Tears form, and I choke back a sob.

He slams his hand into the wall behind my head, and it scares me. The response is too much like Justin used to respond to me, using his fists to make a point. I flinch and instinct brings my hands in front of my face defensively.

“Baby, I’m sorry. I don’t want to scare you, I’d never hurt you. Never. It’s just...this makes me so fucking angry,” he confides. I nod and settle my hands back at my sides. My breath is labored, coming in heaving gusts. My heart is beating so hard within me I fear it might pound right out of my chest. He brings me to the bed and sits me down. He does the one thing I never thought he’d do in a million years. He kneels at my feet. The position is not one of power and authority, but of a man down on his knees in front of the woman he cherishes. He massages my thighs firmly as he reconnects with me. He’s always needed to touch me, even more so now.

There’s a heaviness in the air that wasn’t there before. The skin and hair on my forearms tingle and chills run up my spine. He looks at me with so much love in his gaze I’m incapable of looking anywhere but at him.

Chase clasps my hands and with one thumb traces an infinity symbol. My eyes mist over at the gesture. “Gillian, I want you. I’ve wanted you from the moment I laid eyes on you.” His eyes fill with tears and I’m shackled by the emotion he’s admitting. “I told you before, and I’ll tell you again. You are
mine
. I want you in my life, I want you in my bed, and I want you by my side. Always, forever, through infinity, Baby.” His fingers come up to cup my cheeks, his thumb caressing my cheekbones. For long moments he stares into my eyes. “I love you, Gillian Grace Callahan. I will always love you. I will always run towards you and after you, no matter what.”

“Chase--” I lick my lips.

“No, let me finish. What I had with Megan was over the night before our wedding when she fucked my cousin Cooper.” His head bows and he takes a deep breath. “I couldn’t wait until morning when we were going to get married. I had to kiss her goodnight. When I went to her room, I heard laughing and then…” He struggles for a moment. “I heard moaning.” It doesn’t take a genius to know what comes next. I close my eyes, feeling the pain he must have felt that night. “When I opened the door Cooper was balls deep in the woman I was supposed to marry in the morning. I can’t forget that image. I won’t forgive her or him. I knew in that moment that she never truly loved me. I represented what she was supposed to marry, supposed to have in her life.”