Drawn To You (Paloma's Edge) (23 page)

“What’s up?” I asked him as I opened the fridge and took out the pitcher of ice tea.

“I bought a six-pack. Have one if you want.”

I p
ut the pitcher back in the refrigerator and took a can of beer.

I took the seat across from him
, flipped the top up of the can open, and took a long pull. We’d looked at each other once when I’d been ready to stare him down if I had to.

“Thanks for the beer.”

Jake raised his head to me. Beth, Bri, and Mariska came down the stairs in brightly colored pajamas. I sometimes forgot that Beth liked to do girly things like paint her nails bright colors, even though I’d always noticed when she’d changed colors like she had tonight. Concern flitted across Beth and Mariska’s faces. Bri diverted her gaze as she slipped in between them and entered the living room.

The corners of Jake’s mouth twitch
ed. “We were just having a beer,” Jake said.

Beth didn’t look at me for confirmation. She walked down the remaining steps and Jake
stood up. By the time I pivoted around to throw away my empty can of beer in the recycling bin, Mariska was behind me.

She hugged me
as if she’d done it before and I patted her on the back. “Night, Chase,” she said, and headed to Jake.

“Have a good sleep, Mariska.”

Beth tugged my t-shirt, pulling me down to her. “Bri and I are gonna spend the night. I mean, the morning with Jake and Mariska. You can sleep down here with us.”

I cupped her neck. “Have your sleepover with your friends,”
I told her, because I intended to sleep with her for most of her nights.

***

Bethany

“You did get their autographs!” Mariska swayed me back and forth in her embrace. “Love you,” she whispered.

“Love you more
.” I’d told Jake and Mariska that Brianna and I had been unable to get their autographs.

Jake came up to me and I gave him his bookmarks from the band and one with only Sage’s signature
on it. With the bookmark in his hand, he wrapped his arms around me. “We’ll try to come by again if we can,” he said. I gave him a light kiss on his jaw and he turned to pick up his duffel bag.

“You’re welcome back anytime,” Gavin said
, and bumped fists with Jake.

As Jake
got into his car, he and Chase acknowledged each other with brisk nods. Jake winked at Brianna. They’d had said their “see you laters” enough times after we’d all fallen asleep late in the morning while we’d talked for hours on end.

***

Toward the end of work on Wednesday, I glanced at my phone and had received a new message from Chase. He’d sent me a good morning text. We’d had days when we texted nonstop, and others when we’d been too busy to text.

Chase:
I am minutes away from seeing your beautiful face.

Feeling the same excitement as the first moment I’d laid eyes on Chase, I locked my phone and put it in my satchel. I’d told Brianna that I’d be leaving with Chase today. Brianna had picked me up the past three days and had driven me home also, except for this evening. Derek hadn’t come back to the Paloma bar or to La Floridita. Whatever the guys had told Derek must’ve really gotten to him.

I logged off my profile on the HR database and Mrs. Clark was at my cubicle when I pushed my chair underneath my desk.

“Your uncle would like to see you before you leave for the day,” she said.

***

The hallway wasn’t bustling with energy like it’d been when I had my first day here. Nervous, my stomach quivered and my hands dampened.

“Bethany,” Uncle Anton said as I entered his office. I closed the door behind me.

“Hi, Uncle Anton.” I pulled in a deep breath to steady my nerves. He didn’t appear happy to see me like he had when I’d been in this exact spot before.

“Debbie and I wished we’d all been able to
get together more often.” He swallowed. “But we’re trying to help Cassidy with her pathological lying.” He settled his elbow on the table and pinched his forehead in frustration. “It’s difficult for me to believe that my little girl is a liar and hasn’t stopped lying since she was little.” He shrugged. “I just thought she’d grow out of it.” He was silent for a few minutes, but I maintained eye contact with him. “I know I’ve been preoccupied, but I don’t want you to feel like we’re not as happy to have you with us as we were when you’d accepted our invitation. Your”—he made a circular motion with his hands—“relationship with Chase worries me. I guess that scar he has gives him an edge, and he can be courteous—”

“Chase is courteous,” I interrupted in a level tone. He was my uncle, but I couldn’t allow him to make unflattering assumptions about Chase or his face
. “And he respects me.”

He nodded. “Fair enough. But I don’t think he’s the guy for you. Cindy used to be with guys who looked like Chase—”

I folded my arms, shooting him a pointed look as I cut him off again. “I don’t think so.”

“They weren’t the spi
tting image of Chase, but they had the same MO: misunderstood, magnet for women, and very guarded. Any of that ring a bell?”

“If you think so highly of him, why’d you hire
him? Have him in your house?”

“In fact, I do think highly of Chase. And he’s a suitable friend for Pierce. I wouldn’t have had him my house, much less employ the boy—”

“Then why haven’t you apologized to him yet? He won’t admit it, but he’s very hurt.”

He threw his hands up. “I have that on my agenda,” he answered dismissively. “Clearly, I’ve got my own messes to clean up, but there are some decisions that can’t be rectified. Chase may be one of those decisions.”

***

“Why’d you look like you were gonna snap someone’s neck?” Chased asked me after I’d finished an entire bottle of water.

“Uncle Anton doesn’t think that we should date.”

Chase chuckled. “Babe, does that really surprise you?”

His mood didn’t change at all. “After learning about Cassidy, it kinda does.”

“
Your uncle’s impression of me is his issue. He won’t change overnight or even at all, and he isn’t a bad person because he doesn’t think I am the right guy for you.”

I drew my eyebrows together. “No, he’s not a bad person
. ” Chase’s effort to be objective made me feel something stronger for him than I already had. I eyed the sign and realized that we were exiting Paloma’s Edge.

“Where are we going?”

“We’ll be there soon.”

“I don’t like surprises.”

“Think of it as we’re having you-and-me time. Away from all the noise—good and bad.”

***

Chase

“Babe, do you like it?”

Beth pivoted and jumped on me. Her heels fell off as I carried her and walked around the suite.

“Chase,” she breathed. “How’d you book this suite? It’s like an all white and gold palace in here.” Her gaze bored into mine. The doors to the balcony were open and I gripped my hands on her ass as we neared the ledge. We looked at the buildings and lights of downtown Miami. The breeze wasn’t as cool as Paloma’s Edge, but it still felt nice.

“Joel hooked me up with a huge discount here
. His uncle comes here often and gets discounts for friends and family. Joel said that he wastes all the discounts he gets ’cause he doesn’t come here. The Paloma is just as beautiful as it is here, but too many would see us check in.”

“Yes, they would. ” She sighed with a smile. “Joel can be a sweetheart when he wants to be, but he doesn’t want anyone to know.”

A corner of my mouth lifted up. “’Cause no guy wants to be called sweetheart.” I gave a small laugh. There was a knock on the door and I ran to get it.

“Room
service,” the bellman announced, and I opened the door as he brought our dinner to the table on the opposite side of the room.

“May I further assist you?”
he asked me.

“No, thank you.” I gave him his tip and he closed the door.

Beth peered at me suspiciously. “And when did you order dinner?”

“When we checked in.”

There was a wicked gleam in her eyes that told me she wasn’t hungry for the food. She unbuttoned her blouse and I stared at her breasts in this see-through white lace bra. Her rosy nipples hardened through them. When she unsnapped the front of her bra, I didn’t give a fuck about dinner anymore. “I am gonna have dinner later,” she whispered, and pulled her slacks down, letting them pool at her flawless feet. And as I made my way up to her again, she pressed her thumbs on the sides of her white panties, baring the curve of her hips. “This bed is perfect for rolling around naked in,” she teased, and turned around so I could see that she was actually wearing a white thong. She shimmied out of it and my chest collided with hers. She fell on the bed and I ripped my shirt off and had my pants and boxers off in a minute.

I moved on top of
her, watching her rapid breaths, the beautiful flush that developed over her entire body. “We’re both naked now,” I told her. “Hmm…where do you need me the most? Hmmm…these pretty tits.” I paused and rubbed my lips together. “Or your tight little pussy.” Her eyes dilated at my words, and I knew that she got really wet. With an anticipatory expression, her gaze slid to my dick.

Beth widened her legs and I chuckled. “Nah, babe.” I plucked her
puckered nipples with my fingers. “I’ll get there when I say so.” Running my thumb over slickness, I found that she was more than ready for me. I rubbed her arousal over my fingers and glided them onto her nipples.

As Beth exhaled, I
bent my head to her chest. Her nails raked her my upper back, urging me not to go any slower. I pushed her hands above her head, which made her breasts rise to meet my mouth. Nibbling and sucking on her, I ground my cock against her. Moaning, Beth’s eyes lowered. I gave her reddened nipples slow kisses and trailed my mouth down to her navel. Exploring her bright pink folds and her tiny opening, I took in her sweet and mildly musky scent. I ran my tongue along her pussy and when my mouth closed in on her nub, I fingered her.

“God, Chase!” Her hips
arched up, her pussy thrusting against my face. I lashed my index finger back and forth and delved deeper inside her. Writhing, Beth exploded all on my mouth and I lapped up ever drop. I’d never gone down on a girl because: A) I’d only cared about my pleasure, and B) No girl had ever inspired me to taste her cunt, and C) I’d do just about anything to show Beth how much she meant to me.

With dazed eyes, she sat up and held onto my arms.

“Thank…you.” She panted.

I chuckled.
“No, babe. Thank you.” I shook my head at her. The image of her stripping down to nothing and her coming undone would get me revved up for a long time. Reaching for my pants, I took my condom out of one of my back pockets, and observed her noisily swallow as I opened the packet and rolled the rubber down my cock. I slapped her thigh. “You’re gonna ride me.” Swiftly, I kissed her lips and lay on the center of the bed.

***

Bethany

Chase had made love to me with his mouth so exquisitely that he brought me over the brink more than once, but hearing his mouth on my mound made my clit still throb.

I wrapped my hands around his cock
and fondled his sac before I sank down on him inch by inch. While there was a little discomfort because he was not only long, but thick, once I sheathed him inside me fully, and began to ride him, my entire body hummed with joy. Chase really liked when I grazed my nails onto his chest. Raptly, Chase’s eyes swept over my body.

“
That’s it, babe.” My heart felt like it leaped in my throat.

His grip on my hips tightened. While still seated inside of me, he flipped me over
and I was on my hands and knees. Having complete access to me, Chase plunged in and out until he grunted, shuddering as he came inside of me. Seconds later, I’d climaxed for the fourth time tonight.

After Chase discarded his condom and we’d spooned for a while on the bed, he started a warm bubble bath. The scent of vanilla was even better than the honey and vanilla shampoo I used. I gasped as I took in the all white
marble bathroom. The bathtub could fit five people, yet it still looked inviting and right for the both of us. The bed and bathtub were just what a six-three man like Chase needed. For once, he hadn’t looked like he took up most of the space in a room.

Gently, he took my elbow and helped me inside. “Babe.” He knitted his eyebrows. “
Was I rough? You’ve been quiet.”

“You were awesome,” I told him. “You were everything I needed in each moment.” With a contented sigh, he joined me on the opposite end of the bathtub. “Was I—”