The Naked Truth (The Honeybrook Hamdens Book 1) (9 page)

She struggled harder against his wrist and whispered, “I want to touch you, too.”

He didn’t release her, but she struggled in earnest now, pushing them both up from the ground with a mighty shove of her hips. He removed his hand from between her legs to give her a firm, resounding smack on the ass. She froze as he squeezed there and anchored her more fully against him once more.

Her breath was coming in pants and he waited. She tugged against him again, squirming to free herself and again, he slapped her, harder. Her breaths became moans as she arched against him. He growled low in his throat, his cock surging at her uninhibited reaction.

He closed his eyes for a moment and shook his head to clear it, then bent and sucked her nipple into his mouth. As he flicked it with his tongue and bit down, her whole body tightened. She was going to come.

All of Chase’s senses shimmered as he focused on her. The feel of her cherry tip in his mouth, and his swollen cock pulsing against her stomach. He delivered another stinging slap to her ass and sucked hard, grinding against her, as she flew over the edge. She bucked and rocked, and he pulled away so he could watch her.

She looked him straight in the eyes as she reached between them, took him firmly in her hand, and guided his swollen tip into her tight heat. His breathing grew shallow, and he strained to keep from thrusting, intent on letting her have this moment.

Then she grabbed his hair in her fist, pulling his mouth to hers in a hot, open-mouth kiss. She pulled back slightly and traced his lips with her tongue before sucking his lower lip into her mouth.

Unable to hold back any longer, he squeezed her hips tight and slid the rest of the way into her, inch by agonizing inch until he filled her completely. The sultry steam that enveloped them felt almost cool compared to the heat of her body. He began to move in long, deep strokes, thinking each one would be the last as his body demanded release.

Urged on by the sounds of pleasure pouring from her mouth into his, he thrust harder, faster. Her body tensed, and she climaxed again. He flexed deep as her inner muscles pulsed around him, squeezing.

He wanted it to go on forever. Wanted to be in that moment for a lifetime. But the pulling, sucking friction of her flesh against his was too much to take. “I can’t.” His guttural groan came a second before he did. The heat and pressure coiled low in his loins and then it was over. He was coming hard, his cock jerking deep inside her even as she shuddered in the aftermath of her own pleasure.

“
H
appy Birthday
.” Chase handed her the box cautiously, and she took it from him, grinning all the while.

She was 19. Nineteen and ready to take on the world. Ready to be an adult.

Gently, she peeled away the paper and found a cell phone inside.

“Chase…you can’t afford this.”

“I can. I’m making good money on the woodworking and I figured this way you and I can talk without worrying about anyone catching us.”

“About that…” She chewed on her bottom lip, wondering how best to start the conversation she’d been dreading for months now. Before she could get the chance, though, Chase pulled her into a warm embrace and she snuggled against him, breathing deep until his rich, heady scent coated her lungs.

She closed her eyes and then his lips were brushing her throat, teasing their way to the shell of her ear and back down to her collarbone over and over again until she arched into him, silently asking for more.

“Chase,” she breathed, and then her breath caught as he sucked her skin gently at first, then harder until she started panting and her fingers were twining through his hair.

Then she felt it. The little intense sensation she knew all too well. The one that spelled doom.

Shit.

She pulled away. “Did you just give me a hickey?”

“It’s not that bad.” Chase insisted as he inspected her neck, but once she got her hands on a mirror she knew there’d be no convincing her otherwise.

“Luke and Amy are coming home tomorrow for my party. You don’t think they’re going to notice this?” She reached into her bag and wrestled out her compact, then held it up to the offending spot. Then there it was—already bright red and spotty. A big, glaring hickey.

“They’re going to want to know who gave it to me,” she said. “Maybe we should just tell them. It was dumb to keep this secret in the first place. We’re adults, for Christ’s sake.”

“That will not matter to your brother. Trust me. Remember what he did to your prom date?”

Julie winced. “Okay, let’s go get a turtle neck.”

“It’s the middle of the night.”

“Walmart is still open. Now come on.” She took his hand and led him through the woods and back toward his car. When they got there, she swung herself into the front seat and stared straight ahead. It was going to be fine. The hickey, telling her brother—all of it.

But first, she was going to have to keep covering it up.

She must have reached for her pack of cigarettes at least fifteen times on the way into the city. Every time, though, she'd look down and find Chase holding her hand instead.

He'd take her palm in his and run his thumb along the seam of her fingers, then down the back of her hand, and she'd close her eyes, wondering over and over again what was waiting for her when she got off the train. She'd made all the calls, done all the arranging, but she knew better than anyone that sometimes things simply fell apart...and with Troy manning the show, things were pretty likely to fall apart.

Oh god, Troy.

Her stomach heaved again as she considered the idea of seeing his stupid blond hair again or his vain, selfish brown eyes.

How had she ever fallen for a guy like that when she'd once been in love with a guy like Chase? Had her standards seriously fallen that far?

She glanced over at him and quirked her mouth to the side. He really was something else. His chestnut hair was swept to the side and his eyes were thoughtful as he stared out the window at the rows of housing projects and factories they passed. All the while, he stroked her hand, soothing her almost absentmindedly.

"Chase?" she said, and he turned to look at her, his eyebrows raised just a fraction of an inch.

"What's up?"

"Thanks," she said. "I'm just...I'm not sure if I said it. About the house. Or about the bar with Luke. Or, you know, for all of this." She gestured with her free hand toward the window and he offered her a sympathetic smile.

"It's no problem. Just relax. It's going to be so much better than you think."

"You think?"

"I know. You're running the show. You've got this."

She considered him, the sincerity in his voice. The confidence he had in her. And for the first time all day long, she felt a smile tug at the corner of her mouth. "Thanks."

"No problem. You know, I sort of can't believe you lived out here."

"What do you mean?"

"The city is just...it's so dirty. It's not you."

"I liked it. It's fast-paced, you know? And I could work on my dreams. Eat weird food. I actually think you'd like the city."

"After living in Honeybrook, I'm not sure I could live anywhere else."

"Maybe one day."

"Maybe," he repeated, then this gaze turned toward the window again and Julie closed her eyes, waiting for the stop she dreaded most.

It wasn't long before it came. Only a few minor delays and then they rolled into the central terminal, right in the heart of the city. Chase bumped her shoulder with his. "You got this," he said again, and she nodded, trying her best to remember how she'd felt the first time he'd said it. Or even to remember what the smallest amount of confidence felt like.

They hustled onto the platform to find Trina waiting in the terminal with a sign that read "Julie Hamden" in her curly feminine font.

Julie smiled and rushed toward her friend, but the second she pulled away to get a better look at the other woman, panicked struck her deep and hard. Trina's normally flouncy black hair was wild, sticking out in all directions even though she'd tried to tame it with a tight pony tail. Her normally bright green eyes were dull and tired-looking and despite the rigorous beauty regimen the other woman kept, there were dark purple bags beneath each of her eyes.

"What's going on?" Julie asked, but Trina shook her head.

"Nothing. I'm just so glad to see you."

"Trina. Don't."

Trina let out a deep breath. "Angela is pregnant."

The company's star model, Angela, had been a favorite of Troy's for years, ever since her modeling debut with the company. To have her career essentially ended...

"Can she still do the show? Is she showing?"

"Not showing, but we're worried about the heels. If she falls..." Trina didn't bother finishing. She didn't need to.

"Okay, let's just see what we're working with," Julie said, then glanced back at Chase and made a quick introduction before the three of them started up the stairwell and into the bustling city streets.

The locale for the runway wasn't far from the train station, thankfully, and they made quick work of checking in at the security desk and bustling into the wide, reclaimed factory room. All the while, Julie held her breath, expecting to waltz into an empty room with cement flooring and cracked, bare brick walls.

Instead, the old abandoned factory practically shone with character. It was true that the floors were cinderblock and the walls were made of old, weathered cement, but all the details she'd been calling in from afar only made those features look glamorous--the long, exposed Edison lights dangling from the ceiling. The patchwork curtain behind the stage. The sea of worn wooden chairs.

It was all the perfect backdrop for her jacket designs.

It would have been the perfect debut.

She took a deep breath, then said, "Trina, wow, you've truly outdone yourself."

"I didn't do anything, really. I just made sure everything you put together got here."

"Oh, Trina, you don't give yourself enough credit." A new voice echoed from the far end of the room and Julie choked on her attempt to take another deep breath.

She'd known, hadn't she? That he would be here. That seeing him again would be part of the deal?

"Troy," she said, trying her best to keep her voice even. "You're here."

"Of course. The final alterations just came in. Rehearsal is tonight."

"Good, so everything is running smoothly." She nodded. "Well, I'm happy to hear that. I'm just going to check into my hotel and--"

"Julie, why don't you come back and see everything you've done? You should at least take a moment to see it. All the girls have been asking for you."

"I..."

I can't. I can't see them. I can't see the clothes. I can't do any of it.

"Is this the carpenter? Maybe he can take a look at the catwalk while he's here. It'll only take a moment." Troy grinned, then gestured for them to approach.

Julie glanced at Chase, then at Troy, then back again.

Chase gave her a slight nod and for some reason that was all she needed.

She took a step forward, then another, and after a deep breath she said, "Yeah, okay, let's take a look at the runway, then we'll head backstage."

Trina gave her a wary look, but Julie ignored it. She had to face this head-on. The only way out was through.

And when it was over? That's when she could really get her revenge.

Troy led them to the edge of the catwalk and then pulled Chase aside to show him the places where the wood had splintered on delivery. Julie watched them talking, thinking of how normally she would have patted herself on the back to see exactly how much better off she was. Chase towered over Troy, and though the other man was so well-dressed, he looked almost silly compared to the way Chase made a flannel shirt and jeans look like the hottest look all season.

Try as she might, though, she couldn't focus on that. She could only think of what was waiting for her next. What she'd see behind the curtain. How she'd react.

"It's going to be okay," Trina said from behind her and Julie turned to face her friend.

"You think?"

"I know. They might be your designs, but nobody could bring them to life the way you could. One day this'll be your show and you can make him really feel the effect of everything he's done."

"Yeah, I guess." Julie chewed the inside of her cheek, and then Troy called them over.

"Now, if we're done with the help, it's time to see where the magic is happening," he said, then with a cursory glance at Chase he added, "No offense."

Chase had the good grace not to respond, but Julie frowned and clenched her hand, caught between wanting to reach out for him and needing to pull a cigarette out of her bag.

In the end, she did neither. She just following Troy meekly until he pulled back the curtain and she was there, taking in all the sights and smells of the backstage.

Even now the place stunk of hairspray and spilled champagne, and her stomach roiled again at the familiar bright lights and organized chaos of it all.

Around the mirrors, a collection of girls were toying with their hair and putting on jewelry. A few of them already had champagne glasses in their hands. In the mirror, she locked eyes with the tallest of the girls, a black-haired beauty who was destined to be a star.

"Julie," the girl practically shrieked. "We've been asking about you every day. I'm so glad you're here." The other girls mumbled their agreement as they all turned to face her. None of them, she saw, were completely dressed yet, all in short silky robes that just brushed their knees.

"Hi Angela," Julie smiled. "How are--"

Then she stopped dead. An assistant was rolling in a long rack filled with clothes of every color.

Familiar clothes.

Julie swallowed hard, all too aware of everyone's eyes on her as she took in the jackets, pants, and tops she'd drawn. She'd put together. Everything was exactly how she'd pictured it, right down to the color choices.

Even the models had stopped and the room filled with silence as they all waited for Julie to say something, anything.

But what was there to say?

"The clothes are beautiful. This is going to be a great show." She swallowed hard, and then she felt the light pressure of someone's grip on her bicep and she turned to find Troy there, waiting for her.

“Julie, I was wondering if we might have a word alone. I’m sure your friend won’t mind.” He glanced at Chase, then added, “All the tools you need should be right where I showed you.”

“Actually,” Julie cut in, “Like I said, I should really be getting back to the hotel.”

Troy’s grip on her arm tightened and he led her back out to the stage. She didn’t have time to check if Chase or Trina were following or not because Troy’s heated whisper was already commanding her attention.

“This is the last time I’m asking. Come back.”

“Troy—“

“I’m not giving up. I won’t lie, I didn’t think you could do this—“

“So why don’t you sabotage me?”

“Because this show is just as important to me as it is to you. You know that.”

“I’m sure you have a point, Troy, why don’t you get to it?”

“We were good together. You and me. We could make a partnership out of this.”

“If you think for a second that I would—“

“I do. I know you had feelings for me. Once you see that what I did was really for both of us—“

“For both of us? Are you out of your mind?” She pulled her arm from his grip, then turned to find Chase, but he was nowhere to be found. She furrowed her brow and searched the room, but then Troy was talking again, louder this time and more insistent.

“Look, whatever you think of how things went down, there’s only one thing that I know for sure.”

“That you’re a complete asshole?”

“That I can give you everything you want. I have the connections, the skills, the talent. All you need to do is say yes, Julie, and all of this can be yours. You’ll have everything you ever wanted faster than you can imagine.”

She scanned the room again and found Chase standing beside the catwalk, hammer in hand.

“I can make my own way. Thanks.” She shot Troy a glare, then started off toward Chase. “Are you ready?”

He didn’t look at her as he followed her out the building, but once they were out on the city streets she let everything fly.

“Can you believe the nerve of that guy? Seriously.” She glowered, and then glanced at Chase. He was studying the cars as they streamed past, apparently lost in thoughts of his own.