Thrill of the Chase (Dangerous Love) (12 page)

T
hough she had settled comfortably beside Chase, her head on his shoulder, Erin had been quiet during their ride over to the restaurant. He was struggling with how to confront the situation. Clearly, Erin was hiding something. Chase had seen the look on her face when she received the text message in her kitchen. It was the same fearful look she’d tried to mask when the flowers had arrived at his penthouse. He didn’t want to seem like a jealous boyfriend. But Jesus Christ, he’d be damned if he was going to allow her ex to worm his way back into her life!

He helped her out of the car and nodded to his driver. She held on to his arm as he guided her into the restaurant. They were seated immediately, as his reservation was a standing one. He was such a frequent flyer that the owner made certain Chase wouldn’t have to wait. Though the atmosphere was comfortable and intimate, the restaurant catered to an upper-end clientele. It took weeks, sometimes months, to land a reservation. The food was incredible and the service nearly perfect.

Chase had gathered from the morning when they had picnicked on his bed that she didn’t shy away from rich and fattening foods. She had torn into that burger and those cheese fries without hesitation. He had enjoyed watching her eat. She appeared not to worry about the massive calorie intake. It was a refreshing change from what he was accustomed to. Gabrielle’s meals usually consisted of bean sprouts and maybe a carrot or two. Her model body was lean and sculpted in a way that any heterosexual man would crave. She was beauty personified. It was a pity that it was only skin deep.

Chase had dated others since Gabrielle, though they never lasted past a second date. Although each woman had been stunning, not one had had a personality or the ability to engage in a conversation with any degree of substance. He had begun to lose faith that he would ever meet anyone who could challenge him. That was until he saw Erin on the TV monitor.

Chase ordered a bottle of his favorite red wine from their waiter and sat back to enjoy the view. Erin looked incredible in the dress he had selected. His thoughts went to the lingerie beneath and he instantly felt his arousal mount. Later, he reminded himself. Surprisingly, there was something more pressing at the moment.

The waiter returned with the wine and took their dinner order. Chase sipped his wine as he watched the waiter retreat to the kitchen. He had thought about how exactly to ask Erin who this ex-boyfriend was without sounding possessive or demanding. But no approach came off as gracious in his mind.

Maybe it was best that he just come right out and ask. He inhaled and went for it. “The text you received at your apartment earlier this evening…was it from your ex-boyfriend?”

Erin’s hand began to tremble, making the wineglass between her fingers wobble. He reached for her glass and set it on the table. She was as pale as the pristine white tablecloth laid out before them. And against the pale backdrop was that look of fear that he truly despised. Chase covered her hand, though it continued to twitch beneath his palm. “Who is he, Erin? I need to know who can make you react like this.” The fear in her eyes mingled with another emotion. Pain? Sadness? He couldn’t definitely say which, but the thought of Erin being haunted, possibly taunted by an ex, drove him insane.

“He’s not worth discussing,” she said, never once looking at him.

“Trust me, the last thing I want to do is waste our time talking about someone you used to date. But something is wrong here, I can feel it.”

Erin had yet to regain the color in her face. She started to fidget, and just as he was about to demand the bastard’s name, Erin stood up and excused herself to the ladies’ room. He wanted to physically force her back to the table, but thought that would only escalate an already uncomfortable situation. He watched her disappear into the bathroom and then reached across the table and unsnapped Erin’s purse. He slid her cell phone out and quickly reviewed her inbox. It didn’t take long. The text she had received at her apartment was the very first one. He thought it was strange that a name wasn’t attached to the text, just a phone number. The sight of his own name and the apparent threat infuriated him. How the hell was he going to get through this night without losing it? He wanted to search for more texts, even check her email, but she would be returning at any moment. Chase retrieved his cell phone from his suit-jacket pocket and snapped a picture of the text and phone number. He shoved her cell phone back into her purse. Chase immediately went to his contacts for Sam’s number and forwarded the picture of the phone number to Sam, along with a text:
“Mind tracking this number for me?”
He pushed
SEND
and sat back in his chair.

His timing couldn’t have been any better. He looked up to find her exiting the bathroom. Chase stood up and forced a smile. Erin’s own smile appeared manufactured, and she took a seat at their table. Chase sat down and though he had a million and one questions to ask her, he simply stated, “I don’t want any secrets between us.” He pulled her chair next to his, and she took his hand. “I must have you completely,” he said, his voice slightly above a whisper. She leaned in, allowing him to take in the floral scent of her hair. He felt his cock grow hard, his desire escalating.

“Chase, dear. I thought that was you.”

Chase looked up to see a man and woman eyeing him and Erin.

Holy fuck.

Chase suppressed his shock and irritation and forced what many would probably assume as genuine warmth. He rose from his chair and kissed Victoria Green on the cheek and shook Edward Green’s hand firmly. This was not happening.

He had to get through this awkward scene as quickly as possible. Chase decided to do what was expected, and introduced Victoria and Edward to Erin.

“Erin, Edward and Victoria are supporters of the Maya Montclair Foundation,” Chase said, looking at Erin.

It occurred to him then that Erin probably had no idea what the Maya Montclair Foundation was. But she surprised him when she stretched out her hand and shook the Greens’ hands and said, “I believe with continued support, breast cancer and other cancers will be eradicated in the future.”

Intrigued that Erin had done her homework and knew about his foundation, he looked over at her and smiled.

But the Greens weren’t smiling. Mrs. Green appeared particularly perturbed, pissed off, in fact. Chase decided to intervene and bring the attention back on him. “So, you will be at the benefit this Friday?”

“Of course. You know we wouldn’t miss it,” Victoria said. Her lips curled into a wicked little smile, which made Chase uneasy.

“And how about you, dear?” Victoria asked, her gaze fixed on Erin.

Chase didn’t want to answer for Erin and assume that she was accompanying him to the event. But before he could concoct a response, Erin answered, “I’m looking forward it.” Chase detected an edge to Erin’s tone. Maybe she got the hint that the Greens were not her biggest fans.

“Very good. It was nice to meet you, dear,” Victoria said with a hint of sarcasm and a dash of what sounded like malicious delight. “Oh, Chase, I’m glad that we ran into you. Gabrielle is coming home soon and she is looking forward to seeing you.”

Chase had had limited interaction with the Greens this past year. And he had taken their absence as acceptance of their daughter’s breakup. But it was obvious that they hadn’t moved on as they enthusiastically announced Gabrielle’s return to New York. It was clear that the Greens assumed that their daughter and her fiancé would continue right from where they had left off.

Chase nodded at the Greens and wished them good night. He watched the couple leave the restaurant. He sat back down and looked over at Erin, who was now staring at him. Chase couldn’t be certain what was going through her mind at the moment, but he had a pretty good idea that she was going to ask how he knew Victoria and Edward.

“I don’t think they like me very much,” Erin said, a smirk forming on her face.

She certainly didn’t mince words.

“Unfortunately, I would have to agree with you,” Chase said, taking Erin’s hand in his.

Erin’s eyes narrowed and then, before she could theorize about why the Greens didn’t take a shine to her, he said, “Victoria and Edward Green are my ex-fiancée’s parents. They obviously carry some resentment that I broke up with their daughter. I’m sorry you were on the receiving end of that.”

Chase watched Erin closely. She appeared to be digesting what he had said. Erin took a hearty sip of her wine and placed the glass back on the table. “When was the breakup?” she asked.

“About a year ago.”

“Why did you break it off with her?”

Chase took care in formulating a response. He was not ready to divulge the details surrounding his breakup with Gabrielle. But it was possible he never would have to dredge up that disturbing part of his past if he handled things on the front end. At that moment, it became clear what had to be done. A year ago, Gabrielle had given him every reason to question relationships and his trust in women. Now, he couldn’t imagine his future without Erin in it. He needed closure to a part of his life that had every capability of tainting that future.

“We wanted different things,” Chase said, though the moment he heard himself say the words out loud, he had a feeling she wasn’t going to accept such a vague answer.

“Hmm. I see.” Erin raised her wineglass to her lips and took a sip. The smile did not reappear. “Looks like I’m not the only one with secrets.”

I
t wasn’t the distraction Erin would have chosen, but it seemed to have worked. The run-in with the Greens took the focus off that text message and onto Chase. She should have been relieved, but all Erin could think about was Chase with this other woman. She had never thought of herself as a jealous person, but then again she had never had a boyfriend about whom to experience such an emotion. Erin pictured him using his body to pleasure her, this faceless woman screaming his name as he made her come. The realization that Erin could be so possessive gave her an idea. Perhaps she could use her weakness to her advantage.

“Does it make you jealous that my ex has contacted me?” Erin asked. The waiter had just cleared their dinner plates and was on his way to retrieve two cappuccinos and a tiramisu for them to split.

“That would be an understatement,” Chase answered, his expression serious.

“Well, I don’t know whether to feel relieved or disturbed to hear that.”

He raised his eyebrows and stared at her.

“The thought of you with someone else, with your ex, makes me want to be sick. I’m not used to feeling so…territorial,” she said.

His expression darkened and Erin could feel the heat from his gaze. Erin wanted him and from the look on his face, she wondered if they would even make it home. Chase looked away and gestured to their waiter, who was on his way over with two mugs and dessert. Maybe it was a guy thing, or some clairvoyant ability, but the waiter made an abrupt about-face and went back the way he’d come.

Moments later, their waiter walked up to their table with the dessert and drinks in a to-go bag. In the other hand, he held the check. Chase handed the man his credit card and then withdrew his cell phone. He pressed one number and then she heard him tell Marcus to pull the car around.

Erin wasn’t the only one who wanted to get home. She needed him inside her, taking her completely, taking everything that she could give. Erin just hoped it was enough.

She met him with every thrust, every groan. He would pull out of her until only the tip of his cock nestled within, and then he would pound into her, claiming her, taking what was his. Chase lifted her legs over his shoulders and pushed deep inside. Her snug cunt squeezed him like a fist. He wasn’t going to last much longer and it bothered him that their intimate connection would be broken.

“Erin, you take it so deep,” he moaned.

He felt her tight channel clench down on him and she writhed beneath him, calling to him, to give it to her harder, faster…just more.

“I want all of you,” she cried.

“Ahh…Erin…I’m yours…take it all,” he groaned. He emptied his seed deep inside her and she sobbed his name as she found her own climax.

He collapsed on top of her, his breathing trying to find a steady rhythm. Fearful that he might be crushing her petite frame, he shifted onto his side and snuggled her close. Even after that incredible orgasm, he could feel his cock twitch against her back as she settled into him. Chase already wanted her again.

She must have felt his cock begin to swell, because she reached behind her and ran her fingers up and down the shaft. His semi-erection instantly turned into a full hard-on as she began to stroke him. “I can’t get enough,” he said. “It will never be enough.”

She turned her head slightly, giving him free rein over her neck. He kissed the heated flesh beneath her ear and then trailed down her neck with gentle nips. Erin squirmed and whimpered, but she never let go of his cock. He could easily come in her hand, but would rather feel her body surround his.

Chase took a nipple in his left hand and stimulated it into a taut point. His right hand navigated first to her hip and then to the neatly trimmed mound between her legs. Her curls were soaked, signaling that she was ready for him once more. Chase slipped one finger in and she gasped. Her heat against his fingers, the warm juices running down his hand and onto the sheets, sent him over the edge and he took her from behind, as she lay on her side. He lifted her leg over his, giving him full access and more depth.

“Too much…too much!” she screamed.

“Am I hurting you, Erin?” he asked, slowing his movements.

“No, don’t stop!” she panted.

Chase was overcome with emotion and rammed into her with a sense of urgency and unrelenting desire. He felt his body let go as spurts of semen pumped into her.

Her body shook as she clamped down on his stiff cock. Chase clung to her, soothing her while she trembled with pleasure. They remained in that position, Erin tucked into his arms, for some time. He kissed a wavy golden lock that had strayed from the rest of her gorgeous mane and inhaled her scent.

No. He wasn’t going to lose her due to his past. And he certainly wasn’t going to give her up or step aside so an ex-boyfriend could reclaim what was now his.