So Damn Beautiful (A New Adult Romance) (28 page)

Finally, it was over. Chase helped me stand.
I felt somewhat dazed. He gazed deeply into my eyes, and for a
moment I was spellbound.

“Can I see it now?” I asked, as the pain on
the surface of my skin reminded me that I hadn’t imagined any of it
after all.

“You trust me, right?” he responded, a smile
playing over his lips.

“I already said I did,” I said, leaning into
him.

He led me to the full-length mirror in the
hallway, and I gasped at what I saw. Chase had tattooed me with his
tag: a beautiful, iridescent triple moon embellished with what
looked to be Celtic knots. But the knots, so intricate and
delicate, were his alias: LunaBomber.

He had branded me. Claimed me. As his.

“Now you’re mine forever,” he whispered,
standing behind me.

Our breathing got heavier as I turned my head
to meet his, which lingered at my shoulder.

“This feels kind of . . . retrograde,” I
said, trying to hide my arousal. “Like I’m cattle or
something?”

That made him laugh. “Yup, my own special
golden calf.”

I looked back in the mirror. It was so
breathtaking that I wanted to run my fingers over the imprint, but
Chase placed a bandage lightly over it instead.

“You don’t want to fuck with this for a
little while. The aftercare is kind of a pain in the ass, but it
won’t hurt in a couple days,” he said.

“It doesn’t hurt now,” I insisted. “I feel
amazing.”

He brushed my cheeks with his fingertips. “I
love how you take the darkness and alchemize it into something
beautiful.”

“I don’t think I could do that without you,”
I breathed.

He pulled my hair and gave me a full, deep
kiss. I felt that familiar gravitational pull that sent me
careening wildly into his arms. His hands were all over me—not
gentle and considerate this time, but ripping fabric, clawing at
flesh.

“Chase . . . are you sure . . . is this
okay?” I said, looking around us. “Martinique—”

He growled, “Fuck Martinique! I want you
right now, and nothing’s going to stop me.”

He flipped me over onto the tattoo table and
peeled my jeans off. I mildly resisted. “But, Chase, what if
someone comes in?” I felt utterly powerless, in the most delectable
of ways. But I wanted Chase to overpower the last vestiges of my
resistance. “I don’t want anyone to see us!” I attempted to push up
against him, but he seized my hands and pulled them above my head.
“I don’t think we should do this right now.”

“I think we both know you’re lying. You'd
probably love it if some other guys came in...watched us, then took
you,” he said.

Desire made my cheeks redden as I reached for
Chase.

“I want you, Annie,” he whispered, as his
teeth grazed my breasts. “I can’t stop thinking about you. About
being in you.”

I could feel the need between my legs
increasing. “Yes, Chase, whatever you want,” I found myself saying
as I felt his body coming down on mine. His fingers grazed my
nipples as he kissed me all over, and then his mouth was on me,
devouring me. I screamed out loud as his tongue went over my most
tender flesh, alternating between tracing lightly, excruciatingly
lightly, and more deeply, and I thought I might drown in the tidal
wave of bliss that came over me. The sensations became almost too
much for me to bear, and I tried to push him away, but he held on
tight, grasping me by the hips and pulling me into him.

“Please stop, Chase, please!” I moaned. And
that was when my second orgasm crashed through me—it was almost
violent, but nothing I could say or do would keep his relentless
tongue from snaking over me. At that point, I seemed to have lost
my entire will. As my legs contracted over his shoulders, he
continued to force orgasm after orgasm from my exhausted body. I
felt weak and spent under his command. I didn’t know how much more
I could take, and that was when he rose above me easily and pushed
himself into me. I could feel my legs spreading wider for him,
wanting to accommodate all of him, to feel the torturous sensation
of him diving into me, opening me in ways and places I could never
have dreamed of.

“You are going to keep coming for me, Annie,
until I say it’s over,” he murmured. “You don’t get to call the
shots here—you already know that.”

It was crazy, but while my mind wanted to
buck up against him, push him off me, I felt my body responding,
thrilling at the sensation of his hands on my wrists. I had never
been dominated before, and I’d never believed I’d actually get off
on it, but there was something about Chase’s words, his touch, that
made me want to simply surrender. I could feel his hips thrusting
hard into me, and there was nothing I wanted to do to stop the
liquid beauty of him inside me. He slowed down somewhat so I could
relax a little, and I felt the slow rise of the flame between my
legs as he churned luxuriously into me. I wrapped my legs around
him as I felt yet another orgasm being torn from me. The juncture
between our two bodies was everything. I couldn’t let him go. My
ego seemed to disappear as he buried himself in me, over and over
again.

That’s when I realized that he hadn’t slipped
on a condom. “Chase,” I said weakly. “We can’t . . . we can’t . .
.” I could barely finish my sentence. My breasts were jiggling from
the sheer force of our lovemaking. I was exhausted.

He seemed to read my mind, because he pulled
out easily, and in one swift movement, he was in my mouth. I
swallowed him down, eager to please him as he had pleased me. His
hands were on either side of my head, and I took him in, deeply and
sweetly. I could feel his muscles tensing and his breath getting
more and more shallow. “Fuck,” he gasped, and that was when I felt
his elixir filling my mouth, pouring down my throat like the
sweetest ambrosia. His body shuddered and I stayed there, just like
that, milking him for every last drop of his desire.

Finally, he pulled away and I wiped my mouth
with the back of my hand. I felt sated, full, incredible. Chase
eased down on the chair next to me, and I scooted down to sit in
his lap. I could feel his heart beating rapidly as I placed my head
on his chest.

“That was epic,” he breathed.

I laughed happily. “Did that feel . . .
good?”

He looked at me like I was crazy. “I don’t
know if you’re a demon or an angel, but I don’t really care either
way. I’m officially addicted.”

“You were ready to share me with every Tom,
Dick, and Harry outside!” I exclaimed.

He rolled his eyes. “That was just talk,
Goldilocks. I don’t think I could bring myself to share you with
anyone else.”

I felt both flattered and guilty. I’d never
really talked about Harrison with Chase, and I was afraid of what
he might do if he found out. In some ways, I felt like I was
double-timing both of them. Chase seemed to feel my tension
immediately. “What’s up, Annie? Penny for your thoughts?” he said,
caressing my hair gently.

I winced. “Penny for your thoughts” was an
expression that Harrison liked to use. My previously blissful mood
quickly plummeted. I felt suddenly worn out.

“It’s just . . . I don’t want you to feel
like you’re not free. I’m sort of . . . seeing someone now,” I
explained. “I mean, it’s nothing like what you and I have. The
other guy and me . . . we haven’t even had sex yet, and I was
planning on breaking it off . . .” My voice trailed off. I was
afraid to look at Chase. But he cupped my face in his hand and
forced me to gaze into his eyes, which were clear and fierce.

“Listen, Annie, you’re a free woman. We’re
both adults here, and what you do is your own business.” I couldn’t
tell if he meant it or not, but his words made me feel somewhat
alarmed.

“I know that, Chase. But the thing is, I’m
breaking up with Harrison. I don’t want to be with anyone else but
you. This happened so quickly, and I didn’t know if it was going
anywhere or not. But I want it to. And I want you . . . so badly. I
don’t know what I’d do if I lost you.” I almost whimpered at the
thought.

He looked down at me, and I could read pain
in his eyes. “Babe, you won’t lose me. And even though I’m one of
those guys who can get it whenever they want, trust me when I say
it’s seldom worth the bother. What happened just now, right here .
. . that’s not something I find very often. Most girls just lie
there like they’re some kind of prize or something. I don’t think
most of them even wanna fuck—they just do because they think
they’ll get something out of it.” He sighed. “Too many chicks with
daddy issues out there. But you? You’re different.” He cupped my
breast with his hand as he looked at me. “I can feel your passion.
I can feel how much you open up. And the way you surrender?
Goddamn! It’s like I’m making love to a porn star or something . .
. granted, one who’s generally soft-spoken and unassuming, but you
have no idea how rare that is.”

If only Chase knew about my sad excuse for a
sexual past. Would he still feel the same way? My entire body felt
like a live wire brushing up against his perfect skin. I couldn’t
help but laugh. It all felt so unreal.

“I can’t believe this is happening,” I
sighed. “You, me . . . doing it in a tattoo parlor in the
Bronx!”

“Yeah, well, get used to it, Goldilocks,”
Chase said, encircling my nipple with his warm mouth. “This is how
I roll.”

I pushed his head away, gently. “Hey, this
means you’re doing a damn good job on the Quentin Pierce mural,
right?” I asked, trying to sound casual about it.

He pulled me to him, sending another shot of
pure adrenaline into me. “You bet your sweet ass, Goldilocks. Like
I said before, you’ve earned your stripes. You have me now, one
hundred percent.”

I spent another glorious night at Chase’s, our bodies and souls
fusing together effortlessly, knowing exactly what the other wanted
and needed. When it was time to leave and go back to Manhattan, it
felt like I was reentering the world of civilians. I glanced around
at the women I saw on the train, some of them reserved and prim as
they buried their noses in a book or iPad. I wondered if any of
them had experienced the caliber of passion I experienced every
time my skin was against Chase’s. It was as if I was in possession
of a precious secret that few people had any knowledge of.

I remembered a time when I’d suggested to
Peter that we try something different, maybe more foreplay, or sex
outdoors—anything that would deepen the mood and take us to another
level of intimacy. He’d groaned and complained and even gone so far
as to call me demanding. “It’s just sex, Annie! Seriously, you’re
making a big deal out of it. Getting all crazy and out of hand
takes away the fun.”

Now I knew I’d been dealing with a boy,
rather than a man. I’d almost believed Peter, but my experience
with Chase had convinced me that skill, seduction, and playfulness
were the hallmarks of a true lover.

I hugged myself tightly, wanting to savor
every last memory of the previous night. If I’d believed I was
incapable of multiple orgasms before, I was dead wrong. Chase had a
way of extracting every last ounce of pleasure from my body, much
more so than I had ever thought I was capable of.

As I entered the dorm, I felt like I was
floating on cloud nine. I was surprised to see Kendra with a stern
expression when I opened the door. She sat down on my bed, arms
crossed across her chest, glaring at me.

“What’s up?” I said nervously.

“Where the hell
were
you last night,
Annie?” There was a hint of an accusation in her voice.

I was tempted to tell her the truth, but my
words wouldn’t come out. It just sounded so . . . wrong. I’d lied
about my attraction to Chase for weeks, so I was afraid Kendra
would feel betrayed by my silence about what had really been going
on between us. “I was with Harrison. Is something wrong?”

Kendra rolled her eyes, and for the first
time, I could see real anger on her face. “Don’t lie to me, Annie.
Yannis was hanging out with Harrison all last night, so I know you
weren’t with him. Your mom’s been worried sick—she tried calling
your cell phone, but you didn’t pick up, so the landline’s been
ringing off the hook. I demand you tell me what’s going on. And if
you lie to me one more time, Annie, I’m gonna wring your neck. You
know your nostrils flare when you’re telling a fib, right? Yeah,
well, that’s how I know.”

I sighed and slumped down next to her,
throwing my overnight bag on the floor. “I, um, I was with
Chase.”

“Chase Adams?” She said his name like it was
poison.

“Yes! And please don’t look at me like that,
Kendra. We’ve been working together really closely on the Quentin
Pierce project, and I don’t really have a choice but to see him
whenever I can, since he does his work mainly at night.”

“I bet he does,” she shot back, unamused. She
was looking at me strangely. “Fuck! Is that a hickey on your neck?
Now, I
know
I didn’t see that on you yesterday.” She put her
hand over her mouth. “I knew it! I
knew
it! That night you
came home at five a.m.? You were with Chase, weren’t you? You’re
totally sleeping with him! I didn’t want to believe it after I saw
that blog post, but it’s all starting to come together now.”

I cringed at her words, which didn’t sound
congratulatory in the way they usually did. “Kendra, it’s not like
that . . .”

“Whatever, Annie—please don’t try to
sugarcoat this for me! You and Chase are fucking, and you didn’t
have the decency to even tell me about it.” She lowered her voice,
as if someone might be listening to us. “Does Harrison know about
this?”

I flopped down on my back and covered my face
with my hands. “No . . . I mean, I tried to break up with Harrison,
but he wouldn’t let me. He told me . . . that he was developing
very serious feelings for me, that it was like nothing he'd felt
before.”