Tessa's Temptation (25 page)

“You’re my guy.” She nodded as she struggled to keep her eyes open. “It’s my job to take care of you.”

“It was my job to take care of you and look what I let happen.” He brushed the hair from her face. “The only thing your dad asked when I told him about us is that I give you a better life. One where you don’t have all the pain you grew up with.”

“You’re already doing that. What happened tonight, well, that was a freak thing and I’m pretty sure it won’t happen again. I’m willing to let it go.”

He would never forget her on the floor with that piece of glass pressed to her jugular. Never.

“You should let it go too,” she mumbled as she lost her battle with staying awake.

Chase watched her for a few minutes as she fell into a deep sleep. The stress of the day was finally starting to take hold of him too. He needed some air. He quietly made his way out of the room, switching off the lamp as he left.

He hit the bar in the living room, pouring a scotch as he thought about the past twelve hours. Downing the first one didn’t seem to do anything, so he fixed himself another.

“Resorting to the hard stuff, huh?” May asked. “That’s not like you.”

“It’s been a rough day.” He sipped his drink. “If anything had happened to her I don’t know...” He chugged the liquid, trying to stop his hands from shaking. “I had to be as strong as I could for her, but all of this would never have happened if I had cut Audra loose weeks ago and told Tessa what my suspicions were. I should have let her know about my past with Audra. I just kept hoping it would go away.”

“Shoulda, coulda, woulda.” May shook her head. “You know that’s not going to do you any good now. No sense in dwelling.”

“She’s my whole world, May.” He stood looking out the window at the soft snow falling. “She’s everything.”

“Anyone can see that.”

“I don’t always use the best judgment when it comes to her, but everything I do is for her. I just want her to have a good life.”

He had promised Pat he would take care of his daughter and never hurt her. He had no sooner left from his visit with him yesterday and everything came crashing down around him.

“Don’t you see, all she wants is to be with you? She doesn’t care if you screw up. Just take care of her and the rest will all work out.”

“I’m not going to screw up anything else with her.”

“Good because you’ll have to answer to me.” She took the drink from his hand. “Now you go upstairs and hold that girl. No funny business either.” She pointed at him. “You keep your hands off her tonight.”

If you only knew
.
“Stay the night in the guest room.” He looked outside. “It’s really coming down now; I don’t want you driving in this.”

“I already planned to stay in case she needed me.”

“Thank you.” Chase kissed her cheek. “You’re always there for me.”

“I’m there for the both of you.” She winked. “It’s my job.”

“I think it’s time we renegotiated your salary.” She was worth far more than he could ever pay her but she definitely deserved a raise.

“You’re a smart man.”

Chapter Twenty-eight

Tess ended the call and ran down the hall, bursting into Chase’s study. She couldn’t wait to tell him her news. This was going to be the best Christmas ever.

“Guess what?” she chirped. “My dad is getting released in five days!”

“One, you didn’t let me guess
.” He laughed. “And, two, I know.” He got up from his chair and came around the desk to her. “I spoke to his doctor this morning. He tells me they are quite pleased with his recovery.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Because your dad wanted to do it.”

“He sounded so relieved to finally be getting out of there.” He had been cooped up for months. Now maybe he could move on with his life.

“I’ve never heard him sound so relaxed and at peace. He still has an uphill battle with his physical therapy, but he’s headed in the right direction. I’ll do whatever I can to make sure things go smoothly for him.” He tapped the tip of her nose. “What’s more important for me is to keep that smile on my beautiful girl’s face.”

“You’re an expert at that.”

“All the arrangements have been made. They’ll be moving him here at the end of the week. I’ve arranged for a private nurse and a physical therapist. He’ll be well cared for and you’ll be able to see him whenever you’d like.”

“He can walk.” She smiled because she never thought she’d be saying that. “Before I met you they said that would probably never happen. You made sure it did.”

“He was determined to get better.”

“He was in a bad place when I moved in here. You helped him.” Her life could have turned out so much different if Chase hadn’t stepped in and made good on his promise to care for her while her father recovered. “You helped us.”

“Walking into that rehab center when your dad asked me to come visit that day was the best thing that could have happened to me. I needed you, sweetheart.” He took her face between his hands and kissed her softly. “More than you’ll ever know.”

“I like knowing you need me.”

“I’ll tell you every day.” He took a deep breath and she sensed he had something else to tell her but he was stalling.

“What’s wrong?”

“Why does anything have to be wrong?” He played with the ends of her hair. “I don’t want to spoil your mood.”

“We promised no more secrets.”

“I want to give you an update on Audra.”

“Oh.” She crinkled her nose. “She’s not coming back is she?”

“No, you don’t have to worry about her anymore.” He continued to twirl her hair around his fingers. “I spoke with her sister today. She’s been committed.” His eyes were sad and distant. This whole situation had drained him. “She’s in good hands, but she’s further gone then any of us had thought. She has a long ways to go.”

“I’m sorry.” She kissed his cheek because she needed him to know she wasn’t upset. “I know you care about her.”

“I hate what she did to you but she was my friend for a very long time. We shared good times too. I can’t help but feel that I may have contributed to some of her pain.”

“From what you’ve told me, she’s had issues for years. I don’t think she ever got over the guy who came before you. You tried to help her and I know you still are.”

“I just wanted to make sure she got into a good place. One that could help her work through her problems. I told her sister that I can’t be involved beyond that.”

“If you wanted to be I wouldn’t stand in your way.”

“That’s very generous of you considering what she put you through.”

“She’s sick.” She wrapped her arms around him and rested her head on his shoulder. “I know that now. I also know you’re a good person and you tried to do what you thought was best.”

“Audra has family and a good mental health team. I hope she’ll figure things out and heal. Beyond that, I can’t be involved. I learned from my mistake the last time she came back. I can’t be in her life.”

“You can be in my life.” She vowed to be the only woman he would ever need. “And in my bed.”

“Where else would I want to be?” He held her hand and led her to the family room. “Sit by the tree with me.”

“I love this tree.” She switched on the strands of lights that adorned the massive evergreen. “I’m going to be sad when the holidays are over. We never had a real tree when I was growing up. My dad’s going to love this.”

“I’m glad he’ll be home in time for the holidays.” He sat down on the floor by the fireplace and held out his hand for her. “Come here, I have something for you.”

“What is it?” She plopped down facing him cross-legged. “It’s not time for presents. We still have over a week.”

“This is one I have to give you today. It’s rather urgent.” He handed her an envelope. “Remember when I had you apply for a passport last month?”

“Yeah, you said everyone should have one. I don’t know why I needed one. I’ve never even left the state.”

“Well, not only will you be leaving the state, but you’ll be leaving the country. Tomorrow.”

“What?” She looked down at the envelope. “Where are we going?”

“In that envelope are two airline tickets to the Cayman Islands. A client of mine has a villa, one that I designed a few years ago. He’s always offering to let me vacation there, but I’ve never had the time or anyone to go with me. I want to take you there for a few days before things get hectic. Just the two of us. No distractions, no real life. Just us.”

“Can we do that?” A trip like this seemed like something that would require more planning.
Can people really just hop on a plane with less than twenty-four hours’ notice?

“We can do anything we want to do. You’re on winter break and I’m the boss, so...”

“It’s a tropical island?” She’d only seen pictures in magazines and scenes in movies. “Sun, sand, swimming?” She couldn’t remember the last time she’d been to the beach. Her dad used to take her to the ocean at Cape Cod when she was a kid but they hadn’t been there in years.

“All of that.” He laughed. “A private beach, a waterfall, a heated pool and a hot tub right in the backyard. It’s quaint and secluded. No one will bother us for days.”

Four days alone with him on a private island sounded like a dream. “Wait.” She realized how quick this was all happening. “You said tomorrow? I don’t even have a bathing suit.” How could he expect her to go away on a moment’s notice?

“Not that you’ll need one.” He grinned all smug-like and entirely too sexy. “I contacted your personal shopper and she’s taken care of everything you’ll need. Your luggage should arrive here within the hour.”

“I have a feeling you’ve thought of everything.”

“I want you to have a special Christmas.”

“I have you, my dad is coming home, and you already bought the land with the cabin. I couldn’t ask for anything else.”

“That’s the thing, Tessa, you never ask for anything.” He pulled her into his lap. “That’s why it’s so easy to give you everything.”

“My life has never been easy, but I just went with it because it was the norm for me. I’ve never had much, so I never really missed much. When I moved in with you I had one pair of jeans, some shorts, a few tops, and one dress. I didn’t even own a coat. Most of my stuff fit in a backpack and a duffle bag.”

“I remember thinking you deserved so much more. Even then I wanted to give you everything.”

“I wanted you.” She interlocked their fingers. “I was determined to succeed.”

“I remember that too.” He brought her hand to his mouth and moved his lips down to her wrist. “Now you’re stuck with me.”

“Being stuck with you is the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”

“So are you ready to go on an adventure with me?”

“To the island?”

“That’s just the beginning of a lifetime of adventures.” He wrapped his arms around her and cuddled her to his chest. “I have so many more things for you to experience.”

“As long as you’re right there with me, I’ll go anywhere you take me.”

“First stop, the Cayman Islands. Then we’ll hit Paris, Rome, London, Greece, and anyplace else you can dream of.” He kissed her knuckles. “I want to see it all through your eyes.”

“The only place I want to go right now is upstairs to our bed.” She pressed her lips to his. “I want you to make love to me.”

“I’ll always honor that request.” He laid her down by the tree, leaning over her. “We’re not going upstairs yet
though.” He unbuttoned her shirt, spreading it apart and tracing his fingers over her stomach. “I want you here, under the tree. My very own Christmas present.”

“Unwrap me
.” Her voice came out low and breathless.

“My little temptation.” He lowered his lips to hers as he skimmed his hands over her flesh. “I plan to unwrap this present real slow.”

Do you want to go to the island with Tessa and Chase? Check out their holiday adventure scheduled to release on November 9, 2014.

Tessa’s Holiday Temptation

Chase Carlisle has never been so taken by any other woman, but when he met Tessa everything changed. Falling in love with the younger, sexy vixen was easy. She tempted him in ways he couldn’t resist. Now that she was his he’d do anything to keep her happy, safe and fulfilled.

Tessa Burke had been mesmerized by Chase almost from the moment she saw the attractive, successful older man. He helped her during a low point in her life. Their whirlwind romance is just beginning and life couldn’t be better. When Chase surprises her with a tropical holiday getaway she can’t wait to spend four days alone with him.

Promises of sun, sand and swimming are in store for the couple, but will they ever make it out of the luxurious villa? This vacation may prove to be their hottest Christmas ever. Let the temptation begin.

A short story featuring Tessa and Chase from Tessa’s Temptation.