The VIP Room (44 page)

W
hen Chase said
he was in town to clear out his parent’s old cabin, I don’t know what I expected, but I know it wasn’t
this
. For starters, I could see the reason it was taking him so long to clear out. Just the thought of the task was daunting.

The cabin was massive, by any standard, and was partly burrowed inside the face of the mountain. A long winding private road wrapped around the mountainside leading up to the cabin, with just enough width for a single vehicle to fit on. While the road had been paved, the sheer steepness of the trail was more than enough to ward off any but the best-suited off road vehicle. Fortunately, Chase drove a dark colored new Jeep Cherokee that could more than handle the incline.

The cabin itself was larger than most houses I had seen, and it was privy to a view that put that of the
Hanging Rock’s
to shame. The Parkway stretched out for miles in every direction, with the smoky hue of the mountaintops arranged like islands in the sky. Chase’s cabin was situated on one of the tallest mountains in the Parkway, and the altitude change had my ears popping.

We’d ridden in almost complete silence, and I could tell his mind was still on the phone call that had swept him away from the dinner table. I’d followed him out of the restaurant, leaving enough cash on the table to cover the bill, and overheard part of the conversation. While Chase hadn’t said much over the phone, his body language was more than enough to let me know that something was wrong.

Still, he hadn’t abandoned me like I thought he would. Instead, he’d invited me up to this monstrosity of a cabin, and I intended to make the best of it.

There was something alluring about the man, but I couldn’t put my finger on it. He was damned sexy, yes, that much was apparent just by looking at him. Even dressed down in jeans and button-down, with his hair in complete disarray, I’d been dumbstruck by his appearance. In fact, I’d shyly announced my thoughts on his appearance almost immediately upon joining him for dinner. And better yet, he’d obviously taken note of my efforts to dress up. I’d seen him glancing me over back at the restaurant, and even on the ride up to the cabin. His eyes would casually wander over my body, and I’d watch out of the corner of my eye as hit bit the inside of his lip as he took me in.

Just the thought of him looking at me like that had caused a distinct warmth to spread between my thighs and something inside me, something primal and raw, was begging for him to take me.

I barely know him
, I kept reminding myself.
And besides, he didn’t deny that monster comment.

That, in itself, frightened me a bit. My parents had warned me, very urgently, about even seeing Chase again. I could only imagine what they’d say if they knew what my body was craving.

Still, there I was, standing in the doorway of the largest cabin known to man, and staring in at the dank and dusty interior as Chase fumbled for a light.

“You weren’t kidding.” I said flatly as the room lit up.

“About what?”

“This place really is old and dusty. You’ve got a lot of work to do, pal.”

Chase chuckled, a deep guttural sound that I hadn’t heard him make before, and he moved further into the cabin. He reached the center of the room and started unbuttoning his shirt, causing my heart to slam into my throat as he did.

“What are you doing?” I managed, though my throat grew tight at the thought of him stripping. My imagination ran wild with thoughts of his large, muscular frame leaning over me and taking me into his arms.

“Relax,” he said with a smile. “Like you said, there’s a lot of work to do here. And I don’t intend to do it in this shirt.” He finished unbuttoning the shirt and stripped it off, revealing a white tank top underneath. His arms bulged with hard muscles, and I felt that familiar warmth return between my legs.

Holy shit,
I thought as I stared at him.
Now that’s a body.

“You can have a seat over there if you’d like,” Chase said, gesturing toward a sofa in the corner of the room.

I stared at him quizzically. “Come again?”

“Well,” he started, “I’m obviously not going to make you clean with me. I just like the company.”

That - the fact that he liked my company - forced a smile onto my lips. I blushed for what must have been the millionth time tonight and began stripping off my shoes. The hardwood floors felt cool against my bare feet, a nice relief from the agony of the heels I’d been wearing.

“Not a chance,” I told him. “You dragged me all the way up here. The least you can do is show me around.”

“Absolutely,” he said, then threw his hands in the air as though he were presenting a grand prize. “This, my dear, is the den. If you’ll follow me, I’ll give you the grand tour.”

I followed Chase through the cabin as he showed me into the kitchen - a huge and dazzling room filled with rustic features in addition to more modernized appliances and brightly colored granite counter tops that heavily contrasted with the cabin’s dark hardwood interior. From there, he showed me to the rear of the cabin, where we found a large library and study filled with literally thousands of books. We passed by several bedrooms, each of which could easily contain my tiny studio apartment, and several large and modernized restrooms. Though everything was on a single floor, the cabin had incredibly high ceilings that seemed to be made of stone as if they were carved straight from the mountain. Finally, we made our way through a series of spare rooms, none of which Chase said were dedicated to anything in particular, before finding our way back into the main den. All throughout the house, there were enormous windows that offered breathtaking views of the Parkway and the forests below. It was, for lack of a better word, staggering.

“Your parents,” I said once we’d returned to the den. “How long did they live here?”

“As long as I can remember,” Chase said with a shrug.

“And you?” I asked.

He took a breath before answering, a look of pain in his eyes. “Not very long. I was sent off to boarding school when I was five. My parents had money, but not a lot of compassion. I guess they figured a decent education was the best thing for me. I came home during the summers, but most of that time was spent in this cabin or in the woods surrounding it. Finished school and went straight off to university. Then, from there to New York. My parents passed away just after I started Hammer Industries, and I haven’t been back since. Thus the dust.”

He spoke with a tone of uncertainty and sadness, and I immediately felt compelled to comfort him. I stepped up behind him, placed my hands on his bare shoulders, and gently massaged his muscles. The feeling of his warmth beneath my fingertips was electrifying, and the same primal lust from earlier began mounting inside me.

“Chase,” I whispered, drawing closer to him.

In an instant, he turned toward me and threw his hands around my waist, clasping onto my hips with a distinct firmness. Before I knew what was happening, he leaned in and pressed his lips against mine, and I all but melted right then and there. I kissed him back, taking him in totally and completely, as our lips danced against each other’s. The longer we kissed, the more passionate it became, and soon I felt his tongue slipping between my lips and thrusting into my mouth. My own tongue danced against his, and I felt his hands moving from my hips and up my back, his grip still firm and strong. I wrapped my own hands around his neck, pulling him in deeper as our tongues continued to intertwine.

He tasted of sweat and honey, and his salty breath filled my nostrils as the passion intensified. I wanted him. In that moment, I wanted him more than anything in the world. I wanted him to lift me up and carry me into one of the bedrooms and have his way with me. But a single thought kept reverberating in my mind.

Depends on who you ask
, he’d said. He hadn’t denied he was a monster.

Still, my body protested against my better judgment, and I pulled him even closer, letting my fingers trace over the muscles beneath his shirt. At the same time, he moved his own hands over my back, teasing the zipper on the back of my dress. It was obvious that he wanted me as much as I wanted him, but he was, for some reason, hesitant. After building up enough willpower, I pulled away from his kiss before I ended up losing control altogether.

“Is something wrong?” he asked after a moment, his eyes boring into me intently, something dark and almost dangerous seeming to ignite behind them.

“It’s just…” I stammered, my heart and mind still racing from the kiss. “I don’t know…”

Chase pulled away from me then, a look of pain and frustration overtaking his features as he backed against a wall.

“What is it?” he asked me.

“I need to know,” I told him. “Why did my parents say you were ‘different’? Why don’t you belong here?”

Chase closed his eyes and took a long, deep breath.

I
held
my breath for what felt like an eternity, my eyes closed, and my heart racing. That moment of passion with Andrea has been the single greatest moment of my life. Her lips were pure pleasure, and the soft curves beneath her dress held more comfort than anything I’d ever come across. There was something about this woman, something wonderful and compelling, and I couldn’t shake the thought that she was destined to be mine. I’d never bought into the fated mates ordeal, especially after having been raised by two bears who all but loathed one another, but I just couldn’t get around the fact that I wanted Andrea more than I’d ever wanted anything in my life. When I’d kissed her, I’d felt, for the first time in my life, completely and totally at peace. More than that, I’d felt
whole.
Like I’d found the other half of my soul.

The entire trip up the mountain, I’d battled with telling her the truth about myself. That not only had I saved her from a bear in the mountains earlier in the day, but that I
was
a bear as well. As far as I knew, my parents were the only shifters in the region, so knowledge of my kind wouldn’t exactly be commonly held. I wanted to be honest with her, wanted her to accept me for who I am - primal beast and all - but, at the same time, I didn’t want to scare her away.

Still, I reckoned, it was her choice after all. She wanted to know if I was a monster, and she had every right to know.

“Yes,” I whispered breathlessly. I opened my eyes and looked deeply into hers.

“What?” Her jaw was firm, and her hands were planted atop her hips.

“At the restaurant, you asked if I was a monster. The answer is yes. I am.”

There was no turning back now. She’d want to know what I meant, and I planned to show her. Without waiting for her to respond, I inhaled sharply and shifted into my bear form, my massive predator’s body filling the corner of the room as I stood upright.

I could smell the fear emanating off of her, and her eyes transformed into saucers. She didn’t, however, scream like I expected her to. Instead, she just stood there, in silence, as though she was running calculations in her mind.

“You were the other bear,” she whispered after what several minutes. “The one that chased the big one away. I thought I saw something, just before I fell. It was you, wasn’t it?” The fear had all but vanished from her and she approached me without caution.

Andrea outstretched a hand toward me, and I crouched down, offering her my head. She ran her fingers through my fur, tousling with my ears like she might a pet dog, then placed a hand under my jaw. Andrea lifted my eyes toward hers, and I let out a soft grunt, signaling my attention. She stared me directly in the eyes, smiled, and whispered, “Thank you, Chase. For saving my life. And for
this.
This honesty.” Then she leaned forward and pressed her face against my fur, cuddling against me.

I shifted back into my human form and pulled her against me, embracing her firmly. My chest clung against her dress, naked from where I’d shifted into my bear form. I could feel her skin against mine where he dress ended, and my cock leapt to attention, my bear fully aware now. I gently pulled Andrea’s face back a bit, just enough to stare into her eyes. In them, I saw the same primal need that I knew she saw in mine.

Without so much as a word, I rose to my feet and swept one arm under Andrea’s legs and caught her back with the other. Lifting her against my chest, I leaned in and kissed her on the lips, and carried her toward the nearest bedroom.

C
hase carried
me into the bedroom and laid me gently on the bed, his lips never tearing away from mine. He hooked his hand beneath me, grabbing for the zipper on my dress, and pulled it downward. With the dress loosened, he left my lips for a moment and gently slid the dress down and across my body, revealing that I’d worn nothing but a black, laced thong underneath.

He climbed back on top of me, kissing me passionately, before whispering, “I want you.”

“And I want you,” I told him, running my hands down his strong chest and abs. His body was an absolute masterpiece, hard from one end to the other.

He stared down at me, obviously taking in the view. “You’re gorgeous,” he said, fondling my breasts before leaning in again to kiss me slowly, sending jolts of electricity down my spine.

I ran my fingers through his hair, moaning softly into his kiss. He tongued my mouth, slowly at first, then with a renewed hunger, grinding against me.

He kissed along my jaw, then mouthed my throat, before kissing my shoulder and slipping further down the bed. Chase ran his tongue over one nipple and mouthed my breast, his hand coming up to squeeze the other one, and rolling my nipple between his fingers. I offered soft sounds as he touched me, loving the feel of his every touch. His hands were strong and steady, and I couldn’t get enough.

“Gorgeous,” Chase muttered again, glancing up at me before turning his attention to my other breast.

I continued running fingers through his hair, watching him, and shifting my hips as the pleasure wracked my body and my pussy grew damp.

Finally, Chase kissed me between my breasts, gently squeezing them both, and watching my face. He leaned up to kiss passionately against my lips again, then moved lower, trailing kisses down my belly before sliding his fingers into my waistband and slipping my thong off my hips, caressing my skin on the way down.

Chase took a deep breath, biting his lip.

“Please,” I panted, smiling at him as I slid a hand between my thighs and stroked my clit. “I want you to touch me, taste me.”

Chase growled and flashed me a wolfish grin, wrapping his arm around my thighs and spreading me wide. I reached back to grab the headboard as he flicked his tongue from top to bottom before settling in. I moaned under the feel of his mouth on me, tasting and savoring my juices as he did. I dropped one hand back down to his hair, gripping it, as Chase’s hot breath moved across my skin, making me shiver and arch underneath him.

“God,” I whispered as he spread me even further and pushed his tongue inside. A series of small cries escaped my lips, and Chase seemed to take note of the sounds and shifts of my body, repeating the motions that gave the most reaction.

I could feel the heat building in my belly, sparks of pleasure wreaking havoc in both my mind and body. “Chase…” I whispered, lifting my hand, my voice faint with overwhelming need. “Don’t stop. Please.”

Chase doubled his efforts until I was writhing against him, then, without warning, he slid two fingers into my pussy, fucking me steadily as he focused on my clit with his tongue.

A few more flicks of Chase’s tongue, and my hips arched off the bed, trembling as I came. Chase pulled back, wiping his mouth and setting down my legs before climbing up on the bed and kissing me deeply. The taste of my own juices was somewhat erotic, and I felt the primal desire building within me again.

I pushed Chase backward and climbed on top of him, meeting his eyes for a moment before wrapping my hands around his firm cock. Then, I worked my way toward it, trailing kisses along his hard muscular body, before leaning in to lick his glistening slit.

“Oh God,” Chase groaned, his hand going to my shoulder.

I bathed the head of his cock with my tongue, licking up the slick pre-come. He panted, watching me, clearly wanting more.

I obliged, slowly swallowing his cock.

Chase groaned and fisted the sheets, obviously struggling not to thrust up as I bobbed my head, taking him down until the head of his cock struck the back of my mouth. I could hear his heavy breathing and noted that his eyes were tightly shut, his face a mix of pleasure and intense focus, mouth open as he sucked in air.

Finally, I pulled off and climbed up his body, straddling his hips as he pulled me into an animalistic kiss, biting at my lips as he rolled us over again and knelt between my legs.

I licked my swollen lips and gazed into Chase’s eyes, wanting him more than I’d ever wanted anything.

Shifting up my hips, Chase pressed inside, clearly wanting, but giving me time to adjust. “It feels so good,” I breathed, rocking up against him as he started to move.

“You’re perfect,” Chase whispered softly between breaths, watching my face as he fucked me slowly. He leaned in to kiss me and I kissed him back, our tongues flicking against each other as his pace started to increase.

Chase took my wrists and pinned them by my head as he sped up. I moaned, wrapping my legs around his waist, and doing my best to move and grind against him in unison. He nipped at my throat, and I strained lightly against the strong hands holding me down.

“Oh, Chase,” I moaned, pleading for him to keep going, and he began to drive himself into me. I cried out, bracing myself as he thrust hard and deep.

He made me feel wanted, needed, as he took me, claimed me for his own, the bed creaking slightly underneath us. My climax was building again, and my body arched in complete ecstasy. Chase groaned and thrust against me deeply, and I felt his hot seed burst from his cock and into my canal as we came together.

After a long moment, Chase climbed off and collapsed at my side, pulling my naked body against his.

“That was incredible,” he whispered in my ear, and I moaned my concurrence.

I rolled over to face him, kissing him deeply as I did.

“What now?” I asked him after a while.

“I don’t know,” Chase shrugged. “I have to go back to New York in the morning, to sort out everything at Hammer Industries. After that…” he trailed off.

I looked at him intently, a pang of sadness starting to emerge. There was a connection between us now, I could feel it. Whatever had just happened, I knew that there was no way I could be apart from this man.

“What if I came with you?” I said after a while.

Chase’s eyes lit up and he leaned up on the bed, propping himself on one elbow. “Would you?” He asked, excitement in his voice. “I mean, could you?”

I sat up to and nodded, “I can’t think of a reason why not.”

“Perfect!” Chase all but shouted. “I’ll go get everything ready. You lay here and get some sleep, we’ll leave in the morning!”

Chase leapt out of bed and darted toward the doorway, leaving me to stare at his bare ass with a smile plastered on my face.