The Dark Prince (The Dark Prince Trilogy #1) (19 page)

The shower water was warm and cleansing as it washed away the past few days of grime and sweat. His cock, of course, had to come alive at that moment, but he didn’t do anything about it. Now wasn’t the time. He still had another phone call to make that he was dreading.

After washing the suds from his hair and body, Chase stepped out, then drying off with the towel. He threw on some clothes, not caring what they were. He happened to look into the mirror above the sink, seeing how tired he really was.

Back downstairs, Chase started some coffee and grabbed a breakfast bar to eat. He hadn’t eaten much the last day or two, and was starving. After hardly chewing his breakfast bar, the coffee was done and he poured himself a cup, taking it back to his office after checking that Summer was still asleep on the couch, having not moved an inch.

Of course, he stopped to admire her once more. Her brown hair was spread out behind her, partially covering her face from view. Her lips opened in a small pout. She was adorable, and he couldn’t help but think how much her life would have been different if he got to her sooner.

But he didn’t have the means to get to her sooner than he had. With Ivan as the Don of the family, Chase’s ass would have been snuffed out for going against his wishes. That was if Ivan was in a good mood. Once Chase was back in his office, he picked up his disposable phone, calling his contact in Las Vegas.

“Hello,” Asher answered after the second ring. He was just barely eighteen, but did what needed to be done, and fast. The young boy was strong and trustworthy. If it wasn’t for the fact that he was so young, Asher would easily be the second in command. If Chase ever needed someone to help him out in sticky situations, Asher was the man.

“Asher,” Chase said. “I hear I am needed up there.”

“Hey boss!” Asher said, not fearing the man. “Yeah. We have a rat or two down here, and I can’t figure it out for the life of me. I have a few ideas, but they seem to be hiding. I hate these mice, man.”

“I’ll be down Friday sometime. I’ll text you time my flight comes in,” Chase said. He knew better than to talk about rats over the phone, just in case one of the lines was tapped. It had happened before, and would again.

“Perfect! I can’t wait to see you again, bro,” Asher said. He always viewed the older man as a brother figure. Asher’s life was not easy, nor was it pretty. He grew up on the streets, and Chase found him trying to steal money from Trent one night about two years ago. Instead of killing him, like most mafia men would have, Chase recruited him to help keep eyes out in different places across the city.

Next, Chase booked the flight out to Las Vegas, picking a mid-morning flight. Normally, he’d pick one early morning, but knew that Summer would enjoy sleeping a bit more. He then picked out a hotel, Mandarin Oriental Hotel, getting a one-bedroom luxury suite. He would have gotten a room with a balcony, but didn’t want to overwhelm his wife more than he already would be. He was going to make this trip worthwhile for both of them. Summer needed a vacation, and there didn’t seem to be a better time or place.

Chapter 18

Summer woke up late afternoon to a growling stomach. Chase was found fast asleep, sprawled out on the couch at the end of her feet. She hadn’t expected him to keep her in his sights completely, nor did she expect him to be asleep. She didn’t even remember falling asleep as it was. Slowly sitting up, Summer saw Chase’s hair a mess, but clean. He looked, dare she think it, cute.

His head was laying back against the back of the couch, his legs spread out almost awkwardly in front of him. She felt tons better after a good long nap, her thoughts were clear, her body stronger than what it had been for what felt like weeks.

Slowly, Summer made her way up off the couch, making sure to not stir Chase. She wasn’t sure how long he had been there, but he needed sleep just as much as Summer had. They had a lot of things to talk about, and to do that, they needed to be in their right frame of mind and not be tired. She wasn’t a fan of talking to begin with, but she needed answers.

In the kitchen, she found a half a pot of cold coffee and an empty mug in the sink. She was sure that the coffee had been made hours ago, and gave no indication to how long Chase had been asleep. She almost wanted to make dinner for them both, but didn’t dare go against Chase’s commands about not lifting a finger. She didn’t want to bring anymore punishment her way.

It was hard to not do her normal chores, but nice in a way. With her clear thoughts, she saw just how lucky she was here. She wasn’t expected to do anything that she couldn’t handle in just a few hours, and was left with more than enough time to let her mind wonder. Often, she felt lost with nothing to do, but enjoyed it. It was new. Chase was . . . . a nice man and looking back she was glad that he forced her to marry him. It was better than whoever else she may have ended up with.

Summer did have to wonder what Chase would tell her. She wondered how much she wanted to know of the life he lived. Would she even be required to know the ins and outs of how Chase worked? Would she be able to survive whatever Chase wanted from her? It couldn’t be too bad, right?

Looking in the fridge, Summer didn’t see anything that looked at all appealing to her growling stomach. She wanted something greasy and tasty.

“Finding anything?” Chase’s sleep filled voice caused Summer to give out a small squeak, laying a hand over her now racing heart. With wide eyes, she shook her head. There wasn’t anything easy and fast to eat. She’d have to make something if she wanted to eat, and that sounded like a lot of work to do at the moment.

“How about we order something in?” Chase said, digging out a few food delivery pamphlets out from a drawer. “Have your pick.” He sat them on the counter closest to Summer to look through.

While he refilled the coffee pot with a yawn, Summer made her way to the take out papers on the counter. Looking through them, she decided on picking a pizza place which sounded good enough. She wasn’t sure if she would be a fan of Chinese food, or fish. Actually, she never wanted fish again. Even the smell put her off more often than not. But after having pizza after her small wedding, she would love to have it again.

“Pizza?” she asked quietly, shooting questioning eyes towards her husband. Her voice was weak, along with her choices so she was unsure what to make anyway. She felt out of her element here, once again.

“Sounds good to me,” Chase replied with a shrug while his green eyes lit with happiness at the small question. He’d take whatever he could get. “Pepperoni and sausage okay?”

“Yeah,” Summer replied surprised he was asking instead of just ordering. “And some breadsticks like the ones that were on a commercial?”

“Absolutely,” Chase replied happily. He hid his surprise at her words. He then placed the order while waiting for the coffee to finish brewing.

“How are you feeling?” Chase asked once the order was placed and he leaned against the counter, his hands bracing against the countertop, legs crossed over one another.

“Better,” she answered truthfully, taking a seat at the table. She tried her best to look anywhere but at him.

"You look better. Not that you looked bad, but tired. And like life was going to take you over,” Chase said, trying to not offend his fragile wife. Summer gave a small lopsided smile as his words. It was true. She had felt like that. Life
was
taking her over. She felt like everything was causing to her drown.

“I do feel better.” Summer then ran a hand through the ends of her hair that was over the side of her shoulder. “I’m sorry.” She glanced up through her eyelashes at her husband, waiting for him to beat her down once more.

“Hey, it’s okay,” Chase said, quickly taking a seat next to his wife and taking hold of her hand between both of his. His look was uncertain, but yet filled with truth. “I understand. I have been thinking about why you did what you did. I’m sure if the circumstances were different, things would have been too. I don’t blame you, Summer. I am still not sure if I wanted a child, as I never thought I did before. But next time, please talk to me before you take such drastic measures. Please,” he pleaded.

“That’s the thing,” Summer said, holding back tears. “I didn’t think. I just acted. I was scared of so many things, that I just acted without thought. I was afraid that it would have been Nick’s or I wouldn’t be able to keep it.” By the end of her little speech, tears fell from her eyes. She let her head fall downward, staring at her lap. She felt horrible for the way she had acted.

He moved to cup her face in both of his hands. Chase wiped the warm tears away with his thumbs, waiting for her eyes to meet his. When they finally did, Chase kept his voice soft and loving.

“There was no way that the baby could have been Nick’s, and even if it was, I would have claimed it as my own.” He took a deep breath. “You would have been able to keep it, Summer. I would have made sure of that. No parent should be torn away from a child because of how they were forced to live their life in the past. You are safe here, and this house is yours. Always.”

“There was a good chance I could have lost it anyway, though,” Summer said sadly. Thinking about it now, she felt a loss that she didn’t expect, but otherwise knew there wasn’t a thing she could do now.

“Yes, you probably would have. Your iron levels were low, which I have some tablets for in the bathroom to help with that. And also, you weren’t mentally or physically ready for a baby. But if there is a next time, I –
we
– will both make sure that you are able to handle growing a little one inside of you. But only if we both want it.

“In a few weeks, you can start on birth-control to prevent another surprise. Not that I will touch you again anytime soon, if and when that happens it will be your choice and you will be mentally and physically ready,” Chase said, making sure that she understood what was possible if something happened like this again. He wanted to make sure that she knew that there would be no option but her staying in the picture long term. Both her and the baby if there ever was one again.

Summer finally got her tears under control shortly before the pizza arrived. Chase wanted to bring his wife into a tight hug, but thought better of it. He didn’t want to push her too far. The front gate buzzer sounded, announcing the arrival of the food. After paying for the pizza and bringing it back to the kitchen, Summer had plates out on the table. After they grabbed a slice and a breadstick, they sat in the seats they had just vacated.

“Clare will be by tomorrow to see you, but then she’ll will go back to Ryder’s house. I thought it would be easier for her to just stay there since Friday I have a meeting out of town, which I’d like for you to come with me. It’s in Las Vegas, and we leave mid-morning. It shouldn’t take too long, but after the meeting, we can walk the strip if you are up to it,” Chase said between bites.

“Okay,” Summer replied, not sure what to feel. She didn’t know where Las Vegas was, or what the big deal was either.

"I already have your bag packed, so you don’t need to worry about it. I know we have tomorrow, but wasn’t sure if you’d be up to doing much,” Chase went on. He was nervous that his wife wouldn’t want to go or feel not up to going. He could always take her another time, but still felt it was wrong leaving her behind. He had never had to show someone that he cared. Summer nodded as she chewed her piece of pizza. It hit the spot, just as her body demanded.

Summer’s suicide attempt really made him think, and see, things with a new light, a new approach. He knew that he needed to have more of a relationship with his wife, at least communication wise.

"You can bring your iPad with us," Chase went on, hoping to get some sort of reaction out of his wife. “But you will have to attend the meeting with me, unfortunately. It shouldn’t take more than an hour.”

“Okay,” she repeated. She’d do just about anything to show this man that she regretted her choices, even though he didn’t act mad towards her. Heck, she was more upset with herself.

Chase got up to get another piece of pizza, along with a small white pill for Summer, setting it next to her cup of water. She easily swallowed it, knowing that it did in fact help her with her emotions. And since it was dinner time, about the time she took one the day before, it was best to keep it scheduled at that. Although Summer didn’t much care for being drugged or medicated, she just couldn’t deny that it was helping.

“So, after we eat, I can go over your two choices for the GED program with you,” Chase hinted, looking at his wife.

“Okay,” she said once again. Chase was about to comment on the one-word reply, but thought better of it. It was better than nothing at all out of his wife. He’d have to push his mob mindset that demanded more respect to the back of the burner when dealing with Summer. She was the person who had to live with the grumpy old man. Besides, he had a feeling no one ever took the time to care in the past if she talked or not.

Summer was told to stay sitting while Chase cleaned up the kitchen and the few dishes after they were both finished eating. Summer watched her husband as he moved around the kitchen humming to himself. Nothing seemed to bother him, and she wished that she could go about life like that. The jeans across his butt were tight, showing off his cuteness. Summer never thought that a butt could be cute, but Chase’s was small, fitting his frame, and just plain cute. She wanted to giggle at the thought, but was able to hold it in.

“What has you amused?” Chase asked, seeing Summer’s blue eyes light with amusement as he glanced towards her as he shut the dishwasher door.

“Nothing,” Summer said with a small smile, not wanting to give away her thoughts. It was something she wanted to keep to herself to lighten her own mood up when she was down.

"I'll get the answer eventually,” Chase returned with a smile, his eyes lighting up. “How about you go get your two options together, and we can talk about them in the living room.”

With a nod, Summer got up from the table and went to retrieve the two options she had narrowed down, along with her list of pros and cons for both of them. She left the others, as they were not what she felt would fit her needs. Chase ended his phone call to Asher, as he wanted to just do a quick check up on the boy, when Summer reached the living room. She took a seat where she had sat before, turning her body to face Chase.

“So what have you got?” Chase asked, taking the papers from Summer’s out stretched hand. Of course, he already knew what they were, but looked them over once more. They were similar to one another, with only a few major differences. One difference was the time frame, and the other was the requirements.

While most of the GED programs demanded volunteer time towards their programs, these two did not. One recommended having a few hours a week to volunteer and get out among people, but it was not a requirement.

“Why these two?” Chase asked, hoping to get some sort of insight to why his wife picked these two out of the seven he had originally picked out for her to look over.

"Mostly the time frame,” Summer said quietly, fearing she may have picked the wrong programs, no matter what Chase had told her she could pick. “They start later, and only last for four weeks, while the others lasted for nearly sixteen weeks.” These two programs took more time during the day, but it was worth it to get it done and over with.

“What else?” Chase asked, keeping his expression neutral and asking for more detail. He wanted to make sure that his wife could voice her options, getting her words out there to see which one she leaned towards more.