The Heart Has Reasons (59 page)

Dorman
yelped as Chase levered his straightened arm into the air and held it
there.  Planting one bare foot between the man’s shoulder blades, he
leaned down.  “I’m going to marry Larissa.  If you ever trouble her
again, I’ll break every fucking bone in your body.”

Teeth
clenched, Dorman managed to choke out, “Let me up!”

“As
I see it, you have two choices.  To leave quietly, or to leave amid the
blaring of ambulance sirens.”

“I’ll
go quietly.”

Chase
removed his foot from the man’s back, released his arm, and stepped back. 
Arrogance no longer in evidence, Dorman got awkwardly to his feet, massaging
his shoulder.  Puppy excrement now Rorschached the front of his tee
shirt.  He muttered an angry, “Goddamn it,” under his breath and, being
careful to hold the front of the shirt well away from his face, peeled it over
his head.  Face glowing bright red, he stepped back into his flip-flops
and said with strained bravado, “I’m finished with Larissa.  You’re
welcome to her.”  He hurled the soiled tee shirt to the ground and stalked
toward his truck.

The
engine roared to life and the truck rocketed down the alley with a screeching
of tires.  Chase carefully retrieved the discarded shirt and deposited it
in the trashcan.  The now wide-eyed Yumiko was still standing where he’d
left her, and he thanked her as she handed the puppy across the fence. 
When she finally found her voice, her first question was not one he’d
expected.  “You really going to marry with Larissa?”

“I
am, but Larissa doesn’t know it yet.”

“I
don’t tell her,” she promised.

Normally
Chase wasn’t one to stand around making small talk, but since the subject was
Larissa, he was in no hurry to escape.  He was impressed but somehow not
surprised to hear that when Yumiko’s toilet wouldn’t stop running, Larissa had
fixed it for her.  She’d rewired one of Yumiko’s lamps and had even
installed a ceiling fan in her living room.  “Larissa know how fix
anything.”

When
he finally returned to the house, he found that Larissa had somehow slept
through the backyard skirmish.  He fed the puppy and, once it was sated,
carried it into the bedroom and deposited it onto the foot of the bed.  It
immediately bounded across the rumpled sheets to lick Larissa’s sleeping face.

She
jerked awake and squealed, which only intensified the puppy’s assault. 
Grabbing the small, furry form, she hugged it to her and planted several kisses
atop its head.  Raising heavy-lidded green eyes to Chase’s, she gave him a
sleepy but blissful smile.  “I love the smell of puppy breath in the
morning.”

He
lowered himself to sit on the edge of the mattress and brushed sleep-tousled
hair from her face.  “So, what’s his name?”  When her cheeks flushed
and her eyes slid away, he said with feigned affront, “You gave the dog my
name, didn’t you?”

“Don’t
be so conceited, it had nothing to do with you.  I named him Chase because
he chases his tail.”

“Yeah,
I’m sure I’m gonna fall for that.”

“I
guess we’ll have to call him Chase Junior.”  When he gave her a mock
glare, she laughed.  “I’ll rename him.”

“Thank
you.  I met Yumiko and, just so you know, you and I are old friends who’d
lost touch.”  He leaned down to give her a kiss.  “I took the liberty
of rummaging through your pantry, and since neither frozen dinners nor ramen
noodles make for a very nutritious breakfast, I’m going to run to the
store.  Is there anything in particular you’d like?”

“Surprise
me.  You know I have absolute trust in you.”

* * * * *

Accustomed to men who expected her to
wait on them, Larissa watched, fascinated, as Chase moved confidently about her
kitchen, creating an odd picture of masculine domesticity.  Dressed in
nothing but khakis, his jaw dark with stubble, he was so incredibly sexy it was
all she could do not to throw herself at him.

Now
encased in aluminum foil, the bundled bills sat on the table before her. 
“I can’t believe I left
eighty-thousand dollars
sitting out in plain
view overnight.”

He
turned the strips of bacon sizzling in a skillet.  “At the time, I believe
you had more pressing matters on your mind.”

“I
did, but
still
.”  She got up and shoved the foil-wrapped bundle
into the back of the freezer, behind a stack of frozen dinners.  “Monday,
we’ll rent a couple of safe-deposit boxes but, in the meantime, having this
much cash in the house makes me extremely nervous.”

“It’ll
be fine for two days, but one box will be sufficient.”

She
cast him a sharp glance.  “I told you I’m only keeping
half
.”

He
paused in the act of beating egg yolks and cream together.  “I’ll wrestle
you for it.  Loser keeps all.”

“Yeah,
like that would be a fair contest.”

“To
make us more evenly matched, I could coat your naked body in oil.”

“Would
you be naked as well?”

He
gave her a lascivious grin.  “If you insist upon it, I suppose I’ll have
no choice.”

The
mental image of the two of them nude, coated in oil, and wresting, caused her
stomach to do an erratic dance.  “Hmm.  I might just be amenable to
this suggestion of yours.”

“And
you have the nerve to accuse
me
of being a pervert.”

She
felt warmth flow into her cheeks.  “It’s not my fault.  You’re
corrupting me.”

The
corners of his mouth quirked up.  “I haven’t even
begun
to corrupt
you yet.”

His
words sent a little thrill coursing through her, making regions south of her
naval thrum as she imagined the myriad possibilities.  As if he could read
her mind, he gazed back at her, insolent grin still in place.  Feeling her
cheeks grow even warmer, she dropped her eyes and sought a change of
subject.  “Honey, are you sure you don’t want me to help?  I could at
least grate the parmesan.”

“It’s
all under control.”

While
water came to a boil on the stove, she said, “Somehow I never imagined you
being handy in the kitchen.”

“After
my old man split, my mother and I moved in with my grandmother.  Both of
them worked — my mother
two
jobs — and I did what I could to ease their
load.  I helped my grandmother make dinner every night and found that, not
only did I have a knack for cooking, I enjoyed it.  Sometime this weekend,
I’d like to go shopping for some decent pots and pans.  And an espresso
machine.  I don’t know how you can drink this instant.”

“I
hope you realize you’re going to spoil me.”

He
gave her a wink.  “It’s a tactical maneuver.  I intend to spoil you
to the point where no other man will do.”

“You’ve
already done that.”

Ten
minutes later, he dished linguine carbonara into bowls he’d pre-warmed in the
oven.  Larissa took a bite and closed her eyes in ecstasy.  “Oh my
god, this is to die for.  And here I thought all your skills resided in
the bedroom.”

He
grinned lewdly as he skillfully twirled linguine onto his fork.  “You’ll
find that I’m full of surprises.”  With deceptive casualness, he asked,
“Is the guy in the black pickup truck still troubling you?”

She
rolled her eyes.  “He calls or comes by a few times a week, but I won’t
answer the phone or the door, and Brendon won’t let him in the salon.  Why
do you ask?”

“He
stopped by while you were asleep.”

She
froze with her fork halfway to her mouth and stared at him for the space of a
dozen heartbeats.  “Did you hurt him?”

“Only
his pride.  I doubt he’ll be back.”  He regarded her silently for a
moment.  “
Should
I have hurt him?”

She
gave it a brief moment’s consideration.  “No.  He’s a
pain-in-the-ass, but I don’t think he intends me any harm.”

“He’d
better not, not if he values his life.”

They
cleaned up the kitchen together.  While Chase showered, his cell phone
rang.  “Ah, shit,” he muttered from behind the shower curtain. 
“Would you get that?  I was supposed to call Travis last night, and I
completely forgot.”

“But
… what if it’s Cheyenne?”

“What
if it is?”

With
great trepidation, she flipped the phone open.  “Hello?”

There
was a pause on the other end, and then a man with a voice as smooth as black
velvet, said, “Larissa?”

“Yes?”

“This
is Travis Barker.”

“Hello,
Travis.  Chase is in the shower.  He apologizes for forgetting to
call you last night.”

“Then
I assume you didn’t shoot him.”

She
laughed.  “No.  But while I have you on the phone, I’d like to thank
you — and I hope you’ll convey my thanks to Roach and Mad Dog as well — for
what you all did for Chase.  He’s very lucky to have you all for friends.”

“Believe
me, it was our pleasure.  I take it things are going well between you and
Chase?”

“Everything’s
absolutely wonderful.”

“Then
I guess there’s no chance of me stealing you away from him.”

She
laughed again.  “Not a snowball’s chance in hell.  Would you like him
to return your call?”

“There’s
no need.”

After
they said their goodbyes, she turned to find Chase leaning indolently — and
magnificently naked — in the bedroom doorway.  “Not a snowball’s chance of
what?”

“Of
Travis stealing me away from you.”

He
crossed the room toward her.  “You may have spoken too soon.  Travis
is a good-looking son-of-a-bitch.  He could pass for Denzel Washington’s
younger, better-looking brother.”

“Honey,
Denzel Washington’s brother has nothing on you.  Now come over here and
lie down.”

* * * * *

Chase sprawled back onto the bed as
ordered.  Larissa knelt astride his body and, when he tried to wrap his
arms about her, she grabbed his wrists and pressed them to the mattress.  “Just
relax,” she ordered.  Starting at his neck, she worked her way slowly down
his body, using lips, and tongue, and teeth.

The
muscles in his stomach jumped and quivered as her mouth caressed his
abdomen.  She nuzzled lower, then kissed the velvety head of his penis,
which jerked at the touch of her lips.  “You wouldn’t let me do it in the
motel,” she said as she flicked her tongue back and forth across the
shaft.  “Do you trust me now?”

“I
trust you,” he whispered breathlessly.

“Are
you sure?” she teased, trailing the flat of her tongue along the length and
over the tip.  “I wouldn’t want to do anything you’re not comfortable
with.”

A
groan escaped him.  “Ah, Jesus, Larissa, I’m comfortable!  Don’t
torture me.”

She’d
been kneeling, but now she shifted position to sit between his legs, with her
own splayed straight beneath his.  “Why not?  You tortured
me
. 
Now it’s your turn to suffer and beg.”

Every
nerve ending in his body was firing in anticipation.  Despite the fact
that he’d made love to her countless times in the past twelve hours, he was as
horny as if he’d been celibate for six months.

When
she leaned forward to engulf him, he moaned aloud.  Oh, blessed Jesus,
being in her hot sweet mouth was almost as wonderful as being between her
legs.  His shaft throbbed as her tongue did the most amazing things, while
her unconventional sitting position left both of her hands free to explore his
body.

When
she deep throated him, his eyes popped open in shock, to find green eyes
watching him.  Her mouth worked its way to the top, and then back down
again, to the very root.  Jesus, no woman had ever taken him so deep in
her mouth before.  She had absolutely no gag-reflex.

He
closed his eyes again so that there was nothing but her mouth and the intense
pleasure she gave him.  Her hands never stopped moving, trailing over his
stomach, his chest, his sides, his thighs, sending a surge of swooning ecstasy
to heat the pit of his groin.

He’d
found that most women tried to rush matters when they went down on him, but
Larissa’s mouth slid up and down his shaft with exquisite slowness, as if she
wanted to make it last forever.

It
was having the opposite effect, though, since the very slowness of her
movements seemed to make the pleasure all that much more acute.  She
seemed to sense that he was treading close to coming, for she suddenly removed
her mouth from his cock to lavish her tongue over his testicles.  The
pleasure was almost too much to bear.  “Jesus, Larissa.  You have no
idea how good that feels.”

Before
long, she took him back into her mouth again, while her hands stayed busy at
his testicles and the sensitive area just below them.  Then there was
nothing, no thought, no words, nothing but sensation and an ecstasy so profound
it was nearly unbearable.

As
his orgasm once again neared, she again removed him from her mouth. 
“Don’t torment me, Larissa.”