Entice

Chapter Seven

Mil

If you asked me, rejection sucked worse than getting shot at, and I’d been shot at a lot. Chase’s muscles tensed as we walked to the waiting SUV. Because of the seriousness of the situation, I’d turned down the opportunity for a vacation. Right. That was the last thing I needed, but Chase wouldn’t have any of that, so we were stuck together for four days in the last place I wanted to be.

Vegas.

To be fair, it was close to fly to, and the cabin we were supposed to rent for the extended weekend had fallen through.

Our flight left tomorrow.

I had seven hours alone with the man before I was able to drink myself into a stupor on the plane. God help us all.

I stole a glance at Chase. It would be easier if he were ugly — unfortunately, he was a god masquerading as a mortal. He was so sexy that I swear it strained my eyes to look in his direction for periods longer than five seconds. Dark hair fell just below his ears, meeting a strong jaw line that was just as muscular as the rest of him. When he was pissed, that same muscle twitched like crazy. His teeth were a perfect white and almost looked predatory when he smiled. A large warm arm wrapped around my waist, and I was reminded all over again why I’d wanted him in the first place. Chase was anything but safe. In fact, he was damn hazardous to my health. But he was also loyal. And I needed loyal more than anything.

I knew whatever he learned from me — he’d take to his grave.

If he hadn’t totally ruined my first sexual experience when I was fifteen, it’s possible I’d like him — well, that and the whole fact that his heart wasn’t even in his possession anymore. But maybe that was a good thing; it made what we both had to do easier. He killed, bribed, worked — and I stood by and let him.

“You okay?” Chase asked after he’d gotten into the car and buckled his seatbelt.

“Peachy.”

“Don’t say peachy, Mil. It doesn’t suit you. Kinda scares the hell out of me.”

“What do you want me to say, Chase?” I played with the radio, trying to fill the car with any kind of distracting noise. I’d even take classical music over the erratic beating of my own heart.

“That’s just it, Mil.” Chase pushed my hand away from the controls, pushed a few buttons, and turned to me as music began to filter throughout the car. “I’d rather you offend the shit out of me than ask me what the hell I want you to do. Don’t ask, Mil. Be who you are. Be a bitch. Yell, scream, just don’t be…” A muscle ticked in his jaw as he ground his teeth together. “Don’t be submissive, okay?” He turned the ignition over and the SUV growled to life.

I burst out laughing.

“What?” He scowled, rolling his eyes.

“Thought guys liked that sorta thing,” I said in a throaty voice, then gave him a once-over.

“Only the ones who got something to prove, and sweetheart, I’m pretty sure I’ve proved over and over and over and over—”

“Stop saying over or I swear I’ll jump out of a moving vehicle.”

“—and over…” he ignored me. “…again.”

He pulled out of the church parking lot and drove toward the hotel, which rhymed with hell. Perfect.

“Pretty sure that last time you tried to rock my world, it went very badly,” I pointed out just to spite him.

The car slammed to a stop.

“Are you trying to kill us?” I yelled, slamming my hand against the dashboard while my seatbelt nearly choked me to death.

“Let’s get one thing straight, Mil.” The light was green, but Chase was staring at me as if he had all the time in the world; a slow burn invaded his eyes as he met my gaze. “I didn’t know what the hell I was doing then, but now…” His voice trailed off.

“Now?” I challenged in the most confident voice I could manage. “What? You’ve been practicing? Is that it, Chase?”

With his violent twist of the steering wheel, the SUV turned so abruptly I would have hit my head against the dashboard had my seatbelt not been on. We came to a sudden stop in the middle of an empty gravel parking lot. Dust burst into the air all around us. Chase rammed the gearshift up and grabbed me by the back of my head before I even realized he was moving. All I could do was gasp as our lips collided.

And then his tongue was in my mouth.

And I was dying.

Little bits and pieces of my soul, my heart, my defenses crumbled at each coax, at each touch of his tongue, his lips. His hands moved into my hair and tugged, not hard but enough to hurt. A moan escaped from the back of my throat, and I leaned into the kiss, moving my lips beneath his. It was like his mouth was coaxing the life out of me, beckoning my soul, and I was powerless to stop the flood of emotion he demanded I give. But how could I forget? That’s how it had always been with Chase.

He was like an addiction, a very very bad one. I’d always been told that if you feed something it grows. With Chase, I’d done nothing of the sort, but it hadn’t mattered, because after one taste… my body had remembered. It had kept Chase in the most secret parts of my subconscious and hidden him until it was time. The clock had struck midnight. I. Was. Screwed.

All too soon his mouth left mine. He released his hold on me and stared into my eyes. “Practice makes perfect.”

“R-right.” I couldn’t find my voice. Who was that weak-minded female speaking? Me? Really? Where the hell was my gun when I needed it?

“Oh, and Mil?” He tugged my hair again, gentler this time, and winked. “Didn’t take you for a moaner.”

“Ass.” I jerked back and crossed my arms.

“Hey!” He lifted his hands into the air. “Anytime you wanna moan while I pull your hair, fine with me. Just don’t forget my name.”

“Huh?” I really should learn to stop responding to the man.

“My name,” he said just above a whisper. “I want you to say it.”

“Because I might forget?” Not wanting to show him that he affected me with his dangerous words, I slumped even lower in my seat. I hated that he was winning again and that I felt like the weak one.

“Nah.” He put the car back in drive. “Because it sounds so damn good coming from those swollen lips.”

For the first time in twenty years, I was absolutely speechless for more than ten minutes. Every time I tried to open my mouth to speak no words would come — maybe I was in deeper than I’d realized. Maybe I wasn’t as prepared for what had to be done. Those were my last thoughts as Chase turned off the SUV. The last words in my head as I touched my lips with my hand and memorized the burn of what it had felt like to have his mouth on mine.

Such a good burn. I craved the burn. I’d always been attracted to danger. And Chase? His very name was the definition of the word.

“Ready, wife?” Chase nudged me with his elbow in the most unromantic way known to humanity.

“Ready,” I croaked. But I wasn’t. I wouldn’t ever be. Because I hadn’t predicted this. In every possible outcome, the answer had been the same.

Marry Chase — fix family.

Never had the odds turned against me.

But I felt the twist. I felt the turn in my gut. Hell, I felt it in my chest as I watched him hop out of the car and grab his bags.

He could possibly own me — and I’d let him. Because as we walked wordlessly into the hotel lobby, as the lights burned my eyes and caused me to squint, I’d never felt so alive.

And it was all because Chase Winter had not only scolded me, but kissed me, put me in my place, and caused me to forget my own address.

I blinked a few times then squeezed my eyes shut.

“Mil? You wanna room upgrade?” came Chase’s voice.

I shook my head no.

He upgraded anyway.

The ding of the elevator came too soon. The sliding of the key card too fast. And suddenly the room was too hot.

And I was alone with my husband.

Never had I imagined I’d be so attracted.

Let that be a reminder to any woman out there — math can fail you, logic will lead you in the opposite direction. Numbers? Not always solid. But your heart? That’s the biggest failure of all, because just when you’ve told yourself it’s safely in your keeping, it gets freaking stolen by a guy with green eyes and dark hair.

The sound of the door clicking shut almost had me bolting for the window. And then every ounce of air was sucked out of the suite. Chase turned. His eyes met mine, demanding, craving, lusting. I clenched my fists, letting my nails bite into my flesh.

My heartbeat pounded hard against my neck, making me dizzy. And it had only been a few hours.

Hell.