Chapter 12
Chase
Ican’t help myself. I push in deep, and she feels so sweet. So tight.
I can’t believe I’m doing this. Fucking her.
I don’t know what I’m thinking; I just know I can’t stop. I can’t control myself around her. Every fiber of my being wants every little piece of her. Everything I can have before she leaves. Before she’s gone forever.
“Fuck, you feel good,” I grind out. Too good. I thrust deep once more, feeling her walls snug tight around me.
She tips her chin up so I can kiss her lips as I push in again, and she moans into my mouth.
“Yeah? You like that?” I whisper against her cheek.
“Yesss.” She rests her head on my shoulder, tucking her arms around my neck, and her legs wrap around my hips.
I grip her thighs, hoisting her up on my hips, but it brings me even deeper.
She lets out a broken moan, and I have to grit my teeth to keep from coming in seconds like a goddamned teenager.
I take her weight and step away from the wall, gripping her ass and bringing her up to slide over my cock.
And when I hoist her up again, she tips her head back to meet my eyes.
Her green eyes are soft and dreamy as I fuck her, and I swear I’ve never seen anything so beautiful in my life.
“That’s right.” My breath hitches with every stroke as I lift her ass until she’s groaning right along with me.
But my arms are trembling from the exertion. I set her down. “Turn around, baby.”
She tips her head back to kiss my lips as I spin her.
Then I slide my hands all over her beautiful ass before guiding my cock between her thighs.
She bends for me, and I push in, watching my cock disappear inside her as she squeezes around me.
Then I grip her hips and bring her beautiful ass back, a little rough this time.
“Mmm…” Her head rolls to one side as I take her harder.
“Yeah, just like that?”
She nods, her head swaying now, and she arches her back, bringing me in even deeper as her fingers grip the ledge.
I wrap my hand in her long hair. When she turns over her shoulder to watch me fuck her, I know I don’t ever want to stop. I just want to stay right here forever, thrusting into the slick heat of her tight little pussy and giving her everything she needs.
But I need the release. Her eyelids grow heavy, and she’s making those breathy sounds again.
The ones that make my balls ache. The tension builds deep at the base of my cock, and I angle in deeper as she grinds her hips back against mine.
But the sounds she’s making shift in intensity, her pitch sliding lower, and she’s groaning with every thrust. I’m gonna get her again if I can just hold out a little longer.
“Yeah, I’ll give it to you, baby.” I’m close, but I keep it steady for her. “Just the way you like it.”
I lick two fingers, and when I slide them over the firm nub of her clit, her legs tremble. She grinds her ass back against my hips, and her groans become wails. I can feel my own tension building. I can’t stave it off.
When her body goes rigid in my arms, her walls squeezing and then fluttering around me, I buck hard—every muscle in my body clenching as tight as a fist—until I feel that rush at the base of my cock and explode inside her.
Ecstasy crashes through my body in wave after wave as I come deep inside her, my hips jerking against hers until I’ve given her every last drop.
She whimpers under me, her hands reaching back to hold my hips to hers, and I stay inside her as long as I can—until my legs threaten to give out underneath me.
When I withdraw, I sit on the shower floor and pull her down on my lap.
We stay tangled together, the cooling water washing over us and our heart rates settling.
Then I stand with her, setting her down and washing her gently.
I clean myself and turn off the water before scooping her up in a towel and carrying her to the bed.
She lays her head on the pillow, and I kiss her beautiful mouth as I crawl in beside her.
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you,” I whisper against her lips. I bring my hand to her cheek, letting my thumb trail over her birthmark, and she nuzzles against my fingers.
“You didn’t think you could trust me.”
My heart aches at her words. “No, it wasn’t that.” I shake my head slowly. “I don’t tell anyone.”
“Why?” Her tone is gentle, and it feels like she’s peering straight into my soul. It makes me want to tell her more.
“It wasn’t a good time in my life,” I hear myself admit.
“It was my dad’s idea, so I should have known better.
But I was always into music, and I love dancing.
” She grins and I flash her a quick smile back.
“But it wasn’t what I thought.” I shake my head.
“The only thing anybody cared about was the money, and there was nothing but greed and backstabbing behind the scenes. I couldn’t trust anyone except for Garrett.
He was the only one like me. The only one who cared about what we were creating. ”
“Wait. Was Garrett—” Her eyes grow big. “Holy shit. I didn’t even recognize him. How did I not put that together, between the two of you?”
I snort. “Well, we both look a little different now.”
“That’s fair.” She laughs, but then her eyes grow serious. “I understand, though. I know what you’re talking about. But I had my mom looking out for me.” Her hand touches along my jaw. “My art is mine, and that’s only because she fought tooth and nail to make sure it got set up that way.”
“You were lucky to have her.”
“I know.” She runs her fingers down my chest, and my skin tingles in their wake. “I’m sorry you didn’t have someone looking out for you.”
The empathy in her eyes catches me off guard. My chest feels tight with emotion.
Back when I was still performing, I used to tell my friends how miserable I was. That I didn’t know who I could trust and who was just using me. They’d laugh it off and tell me I was spoiled. That I was fortunate to be famous. That everyone wanted what I had.
Except me.
But Harper’s seen it with her own eyes. She knows what it’s like.
“Thanks,” I whisper, but my voice comes out a little shaky. “I should have told you.”
She elbows me gently, her smile teasing. “You said you worked in the music business”—she makes her voice go low to mimic mine—“then you let me believe it was as a security guard.”
I snort. “Not my proudest moment.”
She nods, a slow smile tugging at the corner of her mouth. “I had a feeling though. You understand me in a way other people don’t, but I didn’t know why.”
My throat tightens at the realization. She’s been going through so much, and I know exactly what it’s like—I’ve been there. I could have been a support for her. Instead, I let her think she was alone in it.
“I’m so sorry, Harper.”
She interlaces her fingers with mine. “Promise you’ll never lie to me again?” She makes it sound like we have a future together—more than one day—and I don’t mind going along with that for a little while. Imagining how things would be if we didn’t live in separate worlds.
“I promise I’ll never lie to you,” I whisper, and I mean it.
She curls her finger in the air. “Come here.”
I roll to move over her, taking her cheek in my hand and kissing her full lips, but when I move back, her eyes drop to my shoulder. She reaches to touch my scar gently.
One more thing I don’t like to talk about. But I don’t want to keep secrets from her anymore. She’s open and honest with me, and she deserves the same in return.
“It was an IED—a bomb. I was hit by shrapnel.”
“Ohh, no.” Her eyes soften as she trails her fingers along the ragged edges, and though I know she’s doing it, the sensation is numbed where the scars run deep. “You were in the military?” Her voice is quiet.
“Marines.” I tap my shoulder. “This one ended my service. Three surgeries and two years in rehab.”
Her brows draw together. “It was serious.”
I tip my head. “I was proud to serve, and I was one of the lucky ones. I got to come home. Hug my little sister. Some of my men didn’t.”
“Oh, Chase.” Her eyes are misty, and I realize mine are too. It’s not easy to talk about my service, but it feels good to let her in.
She’s quiet for a while, then she whispers, “Do you ever miss it?”
I nod. “All the time. I miss the people—the sense of belonging. The mental discipline. The Marines made me who I am today.”
“Mmm.” She snuggles in against my body, wrapping an arm around me as she tips her chin up. “I love who you are today,” she whispers, and I’m looking into those beautiful green eyes with their little gold flecks and realizing nothing is under control anymore.
I’ve overstepped every boundary and lost sight of my own responsibilities.
She’s leaving tomorrow. There’s a crazy stalker somewhere in this city who’s obsessed with her.
And still, all I want to do is wrap her in my arms and make love to her all over again.
Show her how good she makes me feel and give her everything she deserves.
Instead, I joke, “You’re not so bad yourself.” She smirks, and the expression is so sweet, I can’t help myself. “Actually, you’re incredible.” I bring my thumb to her full lips, brushing over them gently.
“My real name is Lisa,” she whispers.
I grin. “Lisa, huh?” I’m studying her face, trying to see her as a Lisa, but it’s tough. She still looks like a Harper to me.
“Lisa Johnson.”
I chuckle. “Really? Lisa Johnson?”
“Mm-hmm.” She beams up at me.
“Wow.” To think: Years ago, little Lisa Johnson was riding a school bus right here in Cupid City. But I bet even back then she was a firecracker.
“It’s OK, though,” she says. “I like it when you call me Harper. It used to feel fake when people would say it, in the beginning. But not anymore. I think Harper is who I am now.”
I smooth a hand over her long, damp hair, letting my fingers trail over her breast. “Well, I think you’re incredible, Harper Slade.”
She grins, bringing her face up so I can kiss her sweet lips. “Is Chase your real name?”
I snort. “Uh, yup. It’s not Baby C, if that’s what you were thinking.”
She laughs. “Just checking.” Her fingers trace along my jaw. “It’s Chase Corbett, then?”
“That’s right.”
She nods slowly, and I bend to kiss her once more before wrapping her in my arms.
“I listened to your music.” I kiss the top of her head.
She chuckles. “Yeah, I know. Are you secretly a fan?”
“I am now.” I feel her grin against me, and I’m remembering her voice in that first verse. “You’re like nothing I’ve ever heard before.” I trail my hand down her arm, then over her hip. “Your voice is beautiful.”
“Thank you.”
But now I’m curious. “Do they let you write your own songs, or—?”
“Yeah, I write them.” She tips her chin to look at me for a moment. “They’re all mine.”
“Wow.”
She wrote that incredible song. She’s not just unbelievably talented; she’s brilliant.
“What about the guitar? Do you play that too? Or is that someone else on your album?”
She laughs. “What is this, twenty questions?”
“I’m curious.” I want to know everything about her now.
“Yeah, I play. That’s me.”
I lay back, stretching my arms out in amazement. “You’re fucking kidding me.”
“Hey, you’re no slouch.” She grins, crawling over my lap. I feel the slide of her pussy as she straddles my thighs, and my dick thickens underneath her.
Fuck. I can’t let myself get distracted again. It’s not safe.
I slide her hips back, moving her off my cock. But she pops up on her knees and settles herself over me again, and I don’t have the willpower to move her away this time.
“I knew I’d seen those dance moves before,” she whispers, and I groan.
But she laughs. “Uh-uh. There’s no shame in it. I’m a huge 6ixPack fan.”
“Really?” I’m not buying it.
“I mean it!” But then her expression shifts, her eyes suddenly serious. “You’re the sexiest man I’ve ever met, Chase Corbett. I love the way you dance with me, I love the sound of your voice, and I love the way I feel when I’m around you.”
My heart thumps at her words. It doesn’t seem possible that this incredible woman could be feeling these things about me. We’ve only known each other for a couple of days. But I’m looking into her eyes, and I know she means every word.
“I’m falling in love with you,” she whispers.
What?
She’s falling in love with me?
No. It’s the sex that’s got her confused. It’s my fault for taking things too far. Messing with her judgment.
“Baby,” I whisper, but she lies down, nestling her round breasts against my chest, and I can’t deny the fact I feel it too. That warmth between us—a sense of belonging I’ve never known with anyone before. I’m falling in love with her too.
I’ve been falling so hard I couldn’t see straight. Couldn’t even keep her safe.
But nothing between us makes sense. My life is here in Cupid City, and her life is…out there. Onstage and on the radio. She’s in everyone’s hearts. She belongs to her fans, not to me.
Like it or not, that’s the way things are.
I tip my head down to kiss the warm, damp hair on the top of her head. “It could never work between us, Harper. You know that, right?”
Her lips press to my neck and she kisses me. “It could, though.”
“No.” I shake my head. “We have completely different lives.”
She tips her head up, and her eyes meet mine. “You could come with me. Be my bodyguard.” She says it quietly, and I hear the vulnerability in her words.
It’s breaking my heart, because I want to be there for her. I want to be the one keeping her safe. Protecting her from all of it. Shielding her from the ugliness. But I made a promise to myself I would never go back.
I don’t belong in that world. I never did.
I wrap her up tight, holding her close and wishing things were different. Wishing I could keep her here in my arms forever and never let her go. But…
“I can’t.”
She nods slowly, and my body floods with shame and regret because I know I just broke her beautiful heart.