Chapter Eight
A s Lauren gave Chase the directions to the bed-and-breakfast where they’d be staying, she couldn’t help but notice that he’d grown quiet and subdued since leaving her parents. There had been a noticeable shift in Chase’s mood at the end of their conversation in the car before they’d driven away, and for the life of her she couldn’t figure out what she might have said to cause him to revert back to the reserved man she’d met at the bachelor auction weeks ago. Not quite grumpy and standoffish, but definitely guarded once again.
The entire evening with her parents and her gramps had gone so much better than she’d anticipated. Chase had been confident, but respectful and sincere, all things that had gained favor with her father. He’d managed to charm her mother and impress her gramps, which wasn’t an easy feat. In fact, on the way to the door as they were leaving, her gramps had whispered in her ear, “He’s a keeper,” which was probably the biggest stamp of approval Chase could have gotten from him.
But for Lauren, she couldn’t forget how he’d replied to her mother’s question at the dinner table, about how serious it might be between the two of them. Lauren had initially been mortified that her mother had been so bold, but the way Chase had lifted her hand to his lips for a kiss in such a sweet manner, then responded with, “What I can tell you is that Lauren and I are still getting to know one another, but what I’ve discovered so far, I like. A lot,” made everything inside of Lauren melt. In that moment, she wanted to believe those words, wanted more than anything for them to be true, but she also knew she had to be careful not to read too much into the things Chase said or did this weekend because she’d essentially hired him to be the perfect boyfriend. And that’s exactly what he’d been tonight.
She glanced over to the driver’s seat, seeing the slight frown on his face that made him look much too serious. Maybe Chase was just tired, she reasoned, which was something she could relate to. Between the drive and dinner at her parents’, it had been a long day. And her family was a lot to handle if you were someone who wasn’t used to so much stimuli in a short span of time.
She wanted to ask Chase if he was okay, but she refrained from doing so. The last thing she wanted was to come across as one of those women who was insecure, or needed validation when there was silence… even though she hoped Chase was in a better mood once they got to their room, since she’d made some very bold and brazen plans for their night together.
“You’re going to make a left at the next stoplight, and then the Fairview Bed and Breakfast is going to be on the right,” she said, giving him the last of the directions.
Minutes later, he pulled up to the curb in front of a large colonial-style house, with a gabled roof and a porch adorned with hanging baskets of flowers. A wooden sign with the name of the inn hung from an ornate wrought-iron bracket near the entrance. Lights were on inside, and a few outside, giving off a warm and inviting atmosphere.
After getting out of the car, Chase grabbed their bags from the trunk, insisting on carrying both of theirs as they walked along the cobblestone path, then up the steps to the door. The owner of the place, Betsy Martin, greeted them as they entered the inn and stepped up to the counter just off the entryway.
“Lauren, it’s so good to see you!” the sixty-something woman said in a bright, cheerful tone. “Your mother mentioned that you’d be staying here the weekend of your sister’s wedding, but I didn’t see a reservation under your name.” Her gaze shifted to Chase, sparkling with unmistakable interest as she unabashedly checked him out. “So, I’m assuming it must be under yours?”
“Yes, ma’am,” he said in a polite tone, and smiled as he retrieved his ID from his wallet and passed it across the counter to Betsy to validate his reservation. “The name is Chase Gossard.”
“Well, it’s a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Gossard.” Betsy beamed at him like a young schoolgirl, much to Lauren’s amusement. “Welcome to Fairview. And Lauren, welcome home.”
“Thank you,” she replied, while they waited for Betsy to finish checking them in.
Warmth suffused Lauren’s entire body when she felt Chase’s arm drape across her shoulders and he pulled her closer to his side. Most likely just for appearances and Betsy’s sake, but Lauren was not at all opposed to the intimate gesture, not to mention that his pensive mood had thawed a bit during the drive to the inn.
Betsy glanced up from her computer screen, smiling as she, too, noted how much they looked like a romantic couple. “So, your room is located on the second floor right up those stairs, at the end of the hallway. Here’s your key. Breakfast is served between seven and nine in the morning in the dining area, buffet style, and you’re free to enjoy the gardens out back during the day if you just need a place to sit and take advantage of this wonderful weather.”
“Sounds perfect,” Chase said, flashing her a charming smile.
“I hope you two enjoy your stay, and if you need anything else that’s not already in your room, you just let me know.”
“Will do,” Lauren said, and led the way up the stairs Betsy had indicated, with Chase following behind carrying their bags.
“Well, that was nice,” she said in a low voice only Chase could hear once they’d reached the second floor. “I hope the rest of the weekend goes just as smoothly.”
“No reason it shouldn’t with me by your side.”
Reaching the last room down the hallway, she glanced over her shoulder with a cheeky grin for Chase. “Yeah, you’re a great distraction. By morning, most of the town will know that I’m shacking up with a gorgeous man at the Fairview Bed and Breakfast.”
He arched a brow. “Shacking up?”
She inserted the key into the knob and gave it a turn, her eyes still locked on his. “A girl can hope, right?”
Before he could reply, she opened the door and they stepped inside the spacious room, complete with a small, cozy sitting area and their own private en suite.
He set their luggage down and swore beneath his breath when he saw the single queen-size bed in the room. “I told Victoria to book two double beds.”
That fierce frown was back again, and the last thing Lauren wanted was his assistant to get reprimanded for something that wasn’t her fault. “Don’t blame Victoria. She did exactly what you asked her to do. I called a few days ago and asked for one queen-size bed under your reservation.”
“Why would you—” The confusion glimmering in his eyes cleared as understanding dawned. “Lauren—”
“Chase, do you want me?” she asked, interrupting what she already knew was going to be an argument she didn’t want to have. She’d also decided that the direct approach was best, even though she knew there was a possibility of a rejection that would undoubtedly sting.
He groaned, his expression conflicted. “I think we’ve already established just how much I want you the night at my place when I nearly fucked you on my kitchen countertop.”
The memory of that hot encounter caused an arousing heat to settle low in her belly. “I just wanted to make sure that hasn’t changed.”
“No, it hasn’t,” he said, bracing his hands on his hips. “But other things haven’t changed, as well, like the fact that this is just one weekend together, for the sake of putting on the pretense of a happy couple. But the reality is, I don’t do long term because I don’t know how. I don’t do commitments because I don’t have that ability. I can’t make you the kind of promises someone like you deserves.”
She swallowed hard and let him have his say, even though the words he spoke hurt more than she’d ever admit out loud. But she’d also learned enough about Chase to know that this was his deeply ingrained belief system, that everything in his past influenced how he viewed relationships, or his ability to have one. Being alone was all he knew, and while a part of her couldn’t fault him for trying to protect her, the other part, the woman who desired him, didn’t want his honorable sacrifice. If this short time with Chase was all she could have of him, then she wanted it.
“I’m not asking you for a commitment, or promises,” she said, and despite the nerves suddenly taking hold, she stubbornly held his gaze, her next statement just as raw and honest as his. “All I want is one no-strings-attached weekend with you, Chase. You gave me a small taste of passion that night in your kitchen, and call me greedy, but I want more. We’re two consenting adults who are attracted to one another, so what is the harm in enjoying each other without the expectation of anything more? People hook up all the time.”
His jaw clenched and he pursed his lips, looking torn, but he didn’t say anything more and she had no idea if she’d managed to change his mind, or not.
Grabbing her suitcase, she set it on the upholstered bench at the end of the bed, then opened it up. Feeling his eyes on her, she dug through the contents until she found what she was looking for—her toiletry bag and what she planned to wear to bed.
Swallowing back the emotion gathering in her throat and schooling her features, she turned to face him again, her chin lifting. “I’m going to change and wash my face and brush my teeth, so just think about what I said… and I hope you’ll change your mind by the time I come back out.”
After walking into the adjoining bathroom, she closed the door then leaned back against it, exhaling a deep breath as she clutched her items to her chest, where her heart was beating so hard it echoed in her ears.
She had no idea if she’d managed to change Chase’s mind, but she had one last weapon in her arsenal to try and sway him. One he hopefully wouldn’t be able to resist.
***
Feeling as though he was about to let something incredibly special and rare slip through his fingers, Chase watched Lauren head into the en suite, head held high and shoulders straight.
That pride she displayed was nothing less than he’d expect from this woman who’d dared to challenge him more than anyone else ever had. But despite that stubborn and determined fa?ade during her bold speech moments ago, her eyes had spoken the truth. Beneath her bravado he’d seen a vulnerability that made his heart ache and shattered all the defenses he normally had no issues keeping in place when it came to women.
The realization should have scared the shit out of him, but he was tired of fighting his attraction to Lauren when he wanted nothing more than to feel her warm, naked body beneath his and hear his name on her lips when she came all over his cock. He speared his fingers through his hair and groaned at that erotic image playing out in his head. One he’d jerked off to more than a few times since that evening in his kitchen.
She’d taken a huge risk putting herself out there the way she had, knowing he could turn her down once again. But if he was completely honest with himself, he wasn’t immune to Lauren, and out of every argument she’d made there was one statement he couldn’t get out of his head, no matter how hard he tried.
“You gave me a small taste of passion that night in your kitchen, and call me greedy, but I want more.”
Yeah, that. So brazen and genuine and real. Like the woman herself.
If there was one thing Chase could do, it was to give Lauren what she’d asked for, what she’d never experienced with another man. And who was he kidding, anyway? The thought of any guy other than him fucking her until she was limp and sated from multiple orgasms and drunk on passion made him feel more than a little possessive.
She wanted a final answer when she came out, and he was ready to give her an honest one. Between the two of them, rules had already been established. Lauren knew where he stood, and he was prepared to agree to her no-strings-attached request. For just this weekend together, she was his, and he planned to take advantage of the next two days with her, guilt-free.
Decision made, all the tension Chase had been holding on to seemed to drain out of him and his head cleared, so he was able to relax and focus on her pleasure tonight, and nothing else.
He could hear the water running in the bathroom, and while she finished up, Chase stripped down to his boxer briefs, then sat down on the bed to wait for her to come out, his mind already jumping ahead to all the things he planned to do to her for the rest of the night.
A few minutes later the door opened, and he was unprepared for the sight that greeted him. Lauren stepped out and walked toward him, a brazen seductress in a skimpy, sheer little nightgown that had all the blood in his body rushing straight to his dick. He boldly looked his fill, taking in her small but pert breasts beneath the translucent red fabric, the curve of her waist and hips he wanted to grab with his hands, and the ridiculously tiny scrap of material posing as panties.
Lust thrummed through his veins and he raised his eyes back to hers, seeing the barest hint of nerves in the way she bit her bottom lip and shifted on her bare feet. Clearly, a part of her was bracing for a second rejection, and he quickly dispelled her misgivings by allowing a smile to lift up the corners of his mouth.
“Were you planning on wearing that to bed?” he asked, tipping his head.
She fiddled with the lacy hem of the nightie, and picking up on his playful demeanor, she responded in an equally teasing manner. “That all depends on what you’ve decided. I’m either going to wear it all night to torture you, or it’s coming off. Your choice.”
He chuckled because he loved this woman’s sass. “I definitely want it off,” he said, giving her the answer she’d been waiting for, and he didn’t miss the relief that flickered across her features.
That was all he needed to know he’d made the right choice. Her.