Entice

Chapter Thirty-Three

Chase

I’d lost complete control of myself when I’d caught Mil watching me, and then teasing her had done nothing except the inevitable. It had led me to this moment, where I was at a crossroads. I wanted her so bad — my body did. But my heart? I wasn’t sure where it stood.

All I knew is for the first time in a really long time, I saw Mil’s face, her face, not Trace’s. When I felt Mil’s body with my hands, she consumed my everything, and I wanted to wreck her for anyone else.

I wanted to brand her with my touch.

I wanted to sear her with my kiss, sealing her mouth with such strong memories of what my lips felt like against hers that she’d never forget as long as she lived.

Holding her in my arms, feeling her heartbeat against my hand as I removed the last shred of her lingerie.

It was the best feeling in the world. I wasn’t worrying about Nixon or Trace or some damn love triangle — it was just me and Mil. Just me and my wife, and I wanted — no I needed to love her like she deserved.

I closed my eyes… finally releasing the last part of me that was clinging to Trace. And when I opened my eyes? I felt like I could soar, as Mil looked up through thick black lashes, asking me the question every girl does when she’s in a vulnerable position. Will you love me? Will you leave me? Or will you give your body while you take all of mine?

I flipped over onto my back, pulling Mil on top of me. I figured she’d need to feel in control; she wasn’t one to give up herself willingly. But the minute she was on top of me, it was as if she was confused about what to do. Damn, my body was having no issues remembering what to do. I almost wished it would have, because then it wouldn’t be the fastest sexual experience of my life.

“Mil.” I cupped her face, dragging my mouth slowly across hers, memorizing her taste, then dipping my tongue into her mouth. She kissed me back, hard. Her hands tangled in my hair as her body moved slowly against mine.

I groaned — trying to rein it in. She was driving me crazy. Her nails dug into my shoulders as she moved her mouth to my neck. Holy shit. She bit me. Damn, that pain felt good. She bit again and again then sucked.

I just died.

They were going to find my body in this exact position come tomorrow morning, and my soul would be giving me a high five from heaven.

The friction between our bodies was driving me absolutely insane. I flipped her over onto her back, but she fought me. Wrestling match, party of two. I laughed when she slapped my ass, and almost bowed down to worship her when she winked and crushed my mouth with hers again.

“Mil, I can take about five more seconds of kissing you before I spontaneously combust,” I admitted honestly, my voice low and strained.

The little minx grinned like I’d just given her the keys to heaven, and maybe I had, because she reached for me and guided me to exactly where I wanted to be.

With a groan, I tried to go slow.

Then realized… I had to.

Confusion smacked me in the face like a two-by-four.

“Um, Mil…” My eyes searched hers.

Her face turned red, and then with a smirk, she jerked me against her, making my world explode in a thousand different rays of light.

I didn’t want to hurt her, but having her body surround me? Yeah, it was the best damn feeling I’d ever had, and with my self-control being that of negative ten… I moved against her, faster and faster until — she screamed.

I hoped to God it was a good scream. I hoped to God I hadn’t done some sort of irreversible damage and—

Tension built from my center, rendering me incapable of hoping anything else. Pure primal need took over. My blood heated, exploded to every inch of my body, through my veins. It pounded in my ears, roared. On the edge of my consciousness, I heard her whimper as she clutched my shoulders, her nails digging into my skin. All sense of rationality completely deserted me as we took each other over the edge.

With a shudder, I slumped against her, trying to keep my body weight off of her. “Tell me,” I croaked when I stopped gasping for breath.

“No, I need to—”

I held her firm. Her body shivered.

“How many guys, Mil?”

Her eyes closed as a single tear ran down her cheek. “You… only you.”

“Damn.”

“Are you mad?” she whispered.

I burst out laughing. “Yes, I’m pissed I’m the only guy who’s ever touched you here.” I placed my hands against her breasts. “The only man who’s kissed you here?” I trailed my fingertips down her stomach, in between our bodies. “Made love to you here.”

She shuddered, closing her eyes. I brushed a soft kiss against her lips. “Are you insane?” I kissed her again, this time harder, with possession. “I don’t think I could be happier. It’s possible I was already looking into any of your last boyfriends, you know, to find social security numbers and whatnot just in case—”

“You were going to order hits on my ex-boyfriends?”

“To keep you safe.” I nodded. “And to keep me sane, yes.”

“I think I may actually like you, Chase Winter.”

“Murder? That’s all it took to get you hot? Killing your ex-boyfriends?”

“No.” Her smile widened.

I nipped her lower lip. “Because I’m really good at sex?”

“No, and I wouldn’t know anyway.”

“Then why?”

“Because you gave me one moment — but you promised more. And…” she licked her lips. “…I believe you.”

My heart rammed against my chest as if it was trying to break free. I smiled, tucking pieces of her hair behind her ear, and kissed her neck. What was I supposed to say to that? Words lodged in my throat. I ran my hands down her arm and paused on her wrist, hovering over her scar.

“Are you ready to tell me?”

Mil tensed beneath me. I held up my hand. “Wait, before you say anything, I’ve got an idea.” Still fully naked, I got off the bed and grabbed the phone to call room service.

“Yeah, can I get a bottle of champagne and an assortment of—” I paused and smirked at Mil. “Chocolate. Lots of chocolate. Whatever you have.”

Mil’s eyes watered. I wasn’t sure if it was because of sexual excitement or just being excited about chocolate-covered strawberries.

“You. Stay.” I pointed at the bed.

“Oh?” Her eyebrows shot up.

Right. It was Mil. Telling her to stay was basically like throwing down the gauntlet, challenging her to do the complete opposite. “Please?”

Her eyes narrowed.

“Let me take care of you.”

Her entire body relaxed, as if I’d just told her I was going to save the world, and all she had to do was sleep through the battle until it was won.

“Five minutes.” I held up my hand and walked into the bathroom and started the bath water in the Jacuzzi tub. After a few minutes, it was full enough for Mil to sit in. Without saying anything, I walked back into the bedroom, scooped her up into my arms, even when she beat against my chest playfully, and placed her in the soothing water.

The knock on the door was soft, discreet.

“Stay.” I kissed her forehead and grabbed a bathrobe, tightening it around my waist as I opened the door. Without letting the guy in, I handed him a twenty-dollar bill and pulled the cart the rest of the way, locking the door behind me.

When I walked into the bathroom, champagne and food in hand, Mil was humming to herself.

“You hum?” I asked stupidly.

“Huh?”

“Hum?”

“What?”

I rolled my eyes. “You were humming.”

“Is that against Chase Winter’s rules? Humming in the tub? What would you rather I do?”

My body roared to life. “Well…”

“Stop.” Mil held up her hand. “Forget I asked.”

“Aw, baby, that’s like turning the key to an engine and then deciding not to drive… it’s just… cruel to the car.”

“Are you calling me a tease or a racecar driver? I’m confused.”

Sending her a smug smile, I set the full champagne glasses onto the counter and dropped my bathrobe. “Still confused?”

“Little chilly, Chase?” Mil reached for the champagne. I smacked her hand lightly.

“Little eager, Mil?”

“Ass.”

“Tease.”

She sighed, but I could tell it was a happy sigh. Mil was trying to act tough, like always, but I was beginning to see that second layer to her. All women, in my experience, were complicated. Each had her secrets and every single one had a way of hiding them. Mil’s fierceness was her armor — and it killed me to think that I could have possibly been responsible for making her gun-shy when it came to men.

“I’m getting in the tub.”

“Does that mean you’re kicking me out?”

“No.” I stepped in behind her and slowly slid down the porcelain. “It just means things are going to be snug.”

“I’m not so sure I can handle snug.”

I let out a hiss when the hot water surrounded me and a soft groan escaped from deep in my throat as I pulled her roughly against me. “If I can handle snug, you sure as hell can handle snug.”

Her soft sigh fanned across my chest, raising goose bumps that had nothing to do with being cold and everything to do with wanting a repeat performance of the last hour we’d spent together. She leaned her head over my heart. I reached out and tucked her hair behind her ear and kissed her temple.

“I want to know, Mil.”

My fingers lightly grazed that same scar again, this time pushing against it, as if by adding pressure, the words would come out of her mouth, the fear would dissipate, and she’d trust me.

“What if I tell you and you hate me?”

My heart clenched. “Mil, I could never hate you.”

“You could,” she said in a small voice. “You might.”

“Trust me.”

A few seconds of silence passed, and then Mil said, so quietly I almost didn’t hear her, “I was fourteen…”