Chapter 15
Just when I thought that Chase couldn’t get any sexier, this happens. Watching him go from my laid-back, sweet man to the hard, alert, assertive cop was maybe the hottest thing I’ve ever witnessed.
I’m so turned on right now, I’m throbbing between my legs. But I’m also a little scared and worried about whoever is in that SUV.
Chase sets out the flares, and with the headlights from his truck pointed at the vehicle, I can see him walk around the SUV to check on those inside. His face is hard and grim as he steps away from the passenger side, and then I see flashing lights and hear sirens. Chase rushes to the side of the highway, where he waves a flare in the air to flag the responders down.
From the darkness of the truck, I watch as Chase talks with an officer, gesturing to the SUV, and then back to me. I can’t tell what he’s saying, but every line in his impressive body is on full alert. It reminds me that when he’s with me, Chase is pretty calm and patient, but at the core of it all, he’s a cop. He’s in control, and he’s protective.
And it just makes me want to jump him.
After about fifteen more minutes of waiting as Chase speaks with the officers and other first responders, he returns to the truck and climbs in.
“What’s happening?” I ask immediately as he fastens his seat belt and starts the engine.
“Well, it’s their scene now, so we can go.” He puts the truck in gear, checks his mirrors, and gives a two-fingered wave at the first officer as he pulls out and drives around them. “Both passengers are unconscious and smell like a brewery.”
“Oh, shit.”
“Yeah. They were still alive when the EMTs took over. I don’t know what sent them into that tree, since there’s no weather to speak of. Could have been an animal.”
“Or alcohol,” I mutter. “I guess it’s a good thing they didn’t hurt anyone else.”
“That’s the silver lining,” he says with a sigh and glances my way. “Are you okay?”
“I’m totally fine.” I’m turned on, that’s what I am. I want to get my hands on him. I want to make him crazy, to feel the same things I feel. “How long until we’re home?”
“Maybe fifteen minutes. Do you need a bathroom or something? Shit, I’m sorry, babe. It didn’t occur to me?—”
“I’m fine,” I repeat and reach over to rest my hand on his hard thigh. “I just…I want to get you home. For stuff.”
“For stuff.” His eyes narrow on the road.
“Mm-hmm.”
He goes just a little faster, and that makes me grin in the darkness. I love that Chase has a hard time keeping his hands off me. That he’s not only affectionate, but our sex life is fun and not always missionary, in the dark, under the covers.
I have my knees pressed together on the seat by the time he pulls into his driveway, and I don’t wait for him to walk around to open my door before I hop out, meet him at the front of the truck, and take his hand before almost pulling him into the house.
“I hate to say it out loud, but maybe we should come up on accidents more often. But just fender benders.”
I spare him a grin, and as soon as the door is closed behind us, and we’re safely inside, I squat down before him and go to work, opening his jeans. He’s already rock-hard behind the zipper, and when I’ve pulled the tab down and tugged the button free, I nudge the denim and his boxers down his hips, and he springs free. He’s heavy, warm, and smooth, and I wrap both hands around him, pulling up and down twice before I lick the crown.
“I don’t know what the fuck got into you,” he says as he pushes his fingers into my hair and fists them there, “but, Jesus, remind me to do it every goddamn day.”
I chuckle and begin to lick and suck in earnest. I sink onto him and grip his tight, tender skin with my lips and pull up slowly, then my fingers journey over his balls to that sensitive spot underneath, where I rub firmly.
“Oh, God. I’m going to come, sweetheart.”
I don’t stop. There’s no way in hell I’m going to stop. I hum around him, moving a little faster, a little firmer, and feel him tense as he growls low in his throat and coats the back of my throat.
I swallow and then kiss his hip, in that sexy dip of muscle that I didn’t think was possible in real life and must have been photoshopped, but it’s true. It exists.
On this man.
On my man.
“Talk to me,” he says when he’s caught his breath. “What brought that on?”
I push up his T-shirt to continue kissing his abs. “Outdoorsy Chase is sexy.” Kiss his navel and he groans. “Family man Chase is hot.” I climb to my feet and kiss his neck. “Cowboy Chase? Yeah, irresistible.” I tug on his earlobe with my teeth. “But when you transformed into Cop Chase right before my very eyes and got all stern and bossy? Jesus, I was about to beg for you to fuck me.”
“You like the bossy stuff?”
“I had no idea that was a thing for me, but I guess I do. You’ve taught me all kinds of sexy things about myself.”
He hurries to pull his jeans up his hips, tosses me easily over his shoulder, and makes a beeline up the stairs for the bedroom, where he sets me on my feet and points to me.
“Get naked, but do not lie down.”
I blink at him, and he cocks an eyebrow, as if he’s asking, Did I stutter?
“No problem.” I whip my T-shirt off, and then I frown over at him. “Wait. We hiked all day and got a little sweaty, so maybe we should shower.”
“I don’t recall asking you to make any decisions.”
And with that, he strides out of the bedroom, his shoulders so broad, his ass so fucking sexy in those jeans, and I bite my lip, completely turned the hell on. He’s not being mean or abrasive, just bossy.
Like he was in the truck earlier, giving me orders because it was important. And I have a hunch that this is important, too.
So, I quickly shed my clothes, tossing them into the hamper, and I’ve just turned around when Chase returns. He takes my hand, kisses it, and leads me into the bathroom off of his bedroom.
“I’d already planned on a shower,” he says with a grin. “And then I’m going to give you a massage. I don’t want your leg cramping up again after today’s hike.”
“Oh, that sounds really nice.”
He narrows his eyes just a little. “I don’t think you’ll describe it as nice when we’re finished. Come on, get in.”
The water is warm and feels great, washing away all the grime from being outside all day. We don’t find any ticks on each other, but we do a great job of checking for them, and once we’re clean, rinsed, and finished, Chase shuts off the water and leads me out of the shower.
He takes his time with a big, fluffy blue towel, paying close attention to make sure I’m dry, and when I’m about to walk to the bedroom, he stops me.
“Where are you going?”
“To the bedroom?”
“Nope. You’re not dry.”
“My hair can air dry.”
But he lifts that brow again, and I feel a little thrill zip up my spine.
“Okay, what’s next?”
He’s mostly dry now, and still fully naked and half-aroused as he takes my shoulders in his hands and kisses my forehead tenderly. Then he kisses my nose and finally my lips.
“Don’t worry about what’s next, Blondie. I’ve got this. Okay?”
I nod, and he searches my eyes for a moment, and he must like what he sees there because he leads me to the vanity where he plugs in my blow dryer and treats me to having my hair blown out. He brushes and systematically moves the tool around my head, piece by piece, drying my hair, and when he’s finished, he even reaches for my face moisturizer and dabs some onto his fingertips before working it into my skin.
I like the pampering. Having his hands on me, his eyes on me with gentle affection. And finally, he takes my hand in his, kisses it, and leads me out of the bathroom, shutting off the light as we go.
“Lie on the bed, face down,” he says as he reaches for some lotion, and I do as I’m told. Happily. Willingly.
Joyfully.
And I sigh in delight when those big, strong hands of his start at my shoulders, and he begins kneading my muscles.
“You have the best hands,” I say with a sigh. “Just the best.”
“I’m glad you think so because I like having them on you.”
I lose track of time, and likely my own name, as he works his way down my body, rubbing my muscles. When he gets to my leg, I let out a little moan.
“Does it still hurt?” he asks, pausing on my calf.
“A little, actually. And that was a long time ago, but I have had a few cramps since then.”
“You didn’t mention that to me.”
I shrug and turn my head so I can see him. “They weren’t as bad as that first time, and I can usually walk it out. I pissed off that muscle at some point. Oh, yeah, that feels good.”
He finishes both legs and my feet, and then he sets the lotion aside and leans over to kiss my cheek.
“Roll onto your back, sweetheart.”
Not feeling shy or hesitant in the least, I do as he requests, and I bite the tip of my finger as his gaze drifts up and down my body.
“You have a mark, right here.” His finger drifts over a scar on my upper thigh. “What happened?”
“I walked into the corner of a desk when I was seventeen because I was reading a book and not watching where I was going.”
“Jesus, you must have hit hard for it to scar.”
“I was in a hurry to answer the door.” I sigh when his fingers brush over the inside of my thighs.
“Why does it turn you on when I get stern?”
I think that over, frowning. “Because you’re taking control of the situation, and I can trust that you have what’s best for me in mind and that you can handle just about anything. I don’t have to handle it, and I don’t think I’ve ever had anyone in my life do that for me before. Not even my parents. So being with someone who can take the worry away from me? Yeah, that’s amazing.”
He doesn’t respond right away, at least not with words. He covers me, kissing my shoulders and neck, and he takes my hands in his and presses them over my head on the mattress as he nestles between my legs and gently pushes inside of me.
“I’ll never let anything happen to you,” he whispers against my lips. We both sigh when he’s seated fully, and then he starts to move, slowly at first, building us both up to a fervor that always seems to happen when we’re together. “I’m happy to take care of you, especially like this.”
I grin, but then my jaw drops open when he slips one hand between us and presses his thumb against my clit.
“I didn’t know I could feel like this,” I admit with a whisper.
“Goddamn, baby.” He tips his forehead to mine, and we fall over the edge together.
It’s raining harderthan I’ve seen in years. I’m standing at the counter in the flower shop, watching through the window as it comes down in sheets, as if the gods are standing on the clouds, dumping buckets of water.
“It’s angry out there,” Ida says. “But it’s supposed to be done by this afternoon and become sunny again.”
“That doesn’t seem possible,” I murmur, shaking my head. “And we need the rain. It was a dry summer.”
The bell over the door dings as Holden Lexington pushes inside, dripping wet.
“You don’t own an umbrella?” Ida asks him.
“Hell no. I live in Montana. The weather changes on a dime.” He strolls inside to the counter and grins at me. “I need a bouquet of flowers, please.”
“Sure. Do you have anything specific in mind?” I ask him.
“Sunflowers, with red roses mixed in.”
My eyebrows shoot up in surprise. “That’s pretty specific.”
“They’re her favorite,” he says with a shrug. “Do I need to come back for them?”
“I can deliver—” Holden’s already shaking his head before I can finish the sentence. “Okay, no delivery. Give me five, and I’ll have them ready for you.”
“Excellent, thanks.” He chats with the other ladies as I pull the bouquet together, and I have to admit, the bright yellow and deep red are stunning together.
“She has good taste.” I pass him the wrapped bouquet with a smile.
“I’m the one with good taste,” he says with a wink. “Thanks, ladies. Have a good day.”
Just after Holden leaves, we see three people come running down the sidewalk, huddled under umbrellas. They rush into my shop, bringing the rain with them, and when they lower the umbrellas, I realize that it’s my parents.
“Mom?” I frown over at them, a little miffed that they’re soaking my hardwood floor. “Dad? What are you doing here?”
“Surprise!” Evan, the third in their little trio, offers me a big smile as he spreads his arms out wide, as if he just jumped out of a cake or stuck a landing at the Olympics.
“Hello, doll,” Dad says as they all walk over to me, and Dad leans in to buss my cheek. “We haven’t seen you in a while, and Evan thought it would be fun for us to come for a visit, since you don’t seem to make the time to come home.”
“I am home,” I say sweetly. My mom’s looking around the shop with a wrinkled nose. She never could understand why I would lower myself to retail. “How are you guys?”
“Oh, we’re just fine,” Dad says. The whole time, Evan just stands there, preening as if he found the holy grail. “Let’s head out and get some lunch.”
“I’m sorry, I can’t go. I’m working.”
“Surely you can trust your employees to take over for the day,” Mom says. “We’re here to see you.”
I notice that Ida doesn’t jump in to shoo me out the door the way she would if Chase was doing the asking.
“I honestly can’t, Mom. I’m sorry. We have a wedding tomorrow that we’re getting ready for.”
“Dinner, then,” Evan says, rubbing his hands together. “The four of us will go out, on me. It’ll be great.”
My first instinct is to say no. To stand my ground. But I find myself nodding. “Okay, that sounds fine with me. I’ll be done here at six, and I can meet you.”
“Wearing that?” Mom demands, eyeing my simple T-shirt and jeans. “Evan will want to take us somewhere nice, Summer.”
“You look great,” Evan assures me. “Trust me, there’s no place in town that requires formal attire. We’ll see you soon, Summer.”
And with that, they open their umbrellas, sending water spraying all over the place, and waltz back out the door.
It’s as though a mini typhoon just came through the place.
“I’ll grab a mop,” Sharla says with a sigh. “Evan annoys me.”
“Join the club,” I murmur, just as the door opens again, but this time it’s Jeannie, the manager of Mama’s Deli, just down the street. She doesn’t come inside but sends me an apologetic smile.
“I don’t want to get your floor all wet, Summer. I have a lunch delivery for you from Chase.”
At the mention of his name, joy rushes through me, washing away all the annoyance from just a few moments ago.
“Oh, thank you!” I hurry around the counter to collect the brown paper bag. “I’m sorry you had to come in the rain.”
“Oh, it’s fine. It actually smells really good out there, but I can feel fall in the air. Okay, I’d better get back.”
She waves, and then she’s off once more, running through the rain.
“Where is Chase today?” Sharla asks. “And where’s Lily?”
“They’re together, out at the ranch,” I reply as I unwrap a turkey on rye. I much prefer this to lunch with my parents. “He’s working on his new shop.”
“In the rain?” Ida asks.
“It’s his day off, and he wants to get a start on it.” I shrug and take a bite. “He said he’d keep Lily in the truck as long as it rained so she didn’t get cold. I offered to bring her here, but he wanted to hang out with her today.”
“Am I the only one who thinks it’s the sweetest thing that he’s kind of adopted you and your dog?” Sharla asks with a sigh. “It’s super adorable.”
“I agree. And Lily loves him. Half the time, she’d rather be with him anyway.”
“You can trust a man who’s good with animals,” Ida says with a wise nod. “Animals know who the assholes are. Now, speaking of assholes, why are you going to dinner with Evan?”
“Because I’m going to shut this down, once and for all. Evan claims to understand that we’re just friends, and then he pulls this? No. And my parents can’t just show up here, act like complete snobs, and disrupt my life like that. It’s rude, and it’s disrespectful.”
“So, you’re going to put them all in their place,” Ida says with a proud grin. “Good girl. I wish I could be a fly on the wall for that.”
Surprisingly, the thought of the confrontation doesn’t make me nervous at all. If anything, I’m anxious to get this over with.
“Hey there, beautiful,”Chase says in my ear. I just closed up the shop, and now I’m headed over to Ciao, on foot, because it really did turn into a nice day after the monsoon earlier.
“Hi. How’s it going out there today?”
“It was wet for a while, but the sun came out, and now we’re plugging along. I’ll head home if you’re done.”
“Actually, my parents surprised me today at the shop, and I agreed to meet them for dinner. I hope you don’t mind.”
“Of course not. They didn’t tell you they were coming?”
“No, I had no idea, and I’m kind of pissed off at them, actually. They were rude when they stopped by, so I’m going to have a very frank conversation with them.”
“Do you want me to meet you? For moral support?”
God, I love him.
“I don’t want to subject you to that. You do your thing, kiss Lily for me, and I’ll let you know when we’re done.”
“Sounds good. I’ll leave here before dark and head home. If you need a ride, just call me.”
“I won’t be drinking, but thanks. Oh, and we’re going to Ciao, and that doesn’t make me happy because you and I haven’t had a chance to go there yet.”
“It’s just a restaurant, Blondie. It’s fine. We’ll go another time.”
“Okay. Well, I’m here, so I’ll let you go. See you later.”
I hang up, pop my phone into my bag, and walk into the restaurant.
“How can I help you?” the hostess asks.
“I’m meeting three others here. The reservation was probably under Evan.”
“Oh, yes, they’re here. I’ll show you.” She smiles and gestures for me to follow her through the restaurant. It’s cozy in here, with white tablecloths that have parchment paper over them, and it looks like people are drawing on them with crayons.
Then, I notice the artwork on the walls. Some are obviously by kids, but others are beautiful works of art done by adults.
That’s kind of fun.
“Here you go,” she says, after leading me out to the patio seating, and I nod my thanks and then take my seat next to Evan.
“You’re finally here,” he says and leans over to kiss my cheek, as if he’s my boyfriend.
My parents smile at us, and I can just hear their internal dialogue.
“At last, she’s met a nice boy who has political aspirations.”
There’s already garlic bread on the table and a glass of red wine waiting for me. I’m not a lover of red wine, but I take a nice, long sip, making my dad frown. Then I reach for the bread.
“That’s a lot of carbs,” my mom reminds me.
“Thank God.” I eat half the piece in one bite, and my mom firms her jaw. She sent me to etiquette school when I was thirteen and is likely champing at the bit to tell me to behave myself. “So, please, tell me again why you’re here.”
“It’s a surprise,” Evan says and nudges me with his shoulder. “I thought it would be fun, and when your dad told me that they haven’t been to Bitterroot Valley in so many years, I thought they’d like to see the life their daughter has made for herself here.”
“And upon seeing it,” Mom says, “I’m glad we came so we can talk you into moving back to Helena, where you belong.”
I frown over at her. My father sighs, but he doesn’t disagree with her.
And Evan just continues to smile, as if he’s won the lottery.
“I love living here,” I inform her. “I have a business.”
“That you’ll sell, of course,” she says. “Certainly, once you and Evan are married, you won’t continue to make flower bouquets.”
“Wait.” I hold up a hand and whip my gaze over to Evan, who’s now squirming in his seat, but he flashes me that charming smile. “Marry you?”
“Not right away,” he says, clearly grasping for words.
“Try not ever.” I stare at my parents in disbelief. “I have a boyfriend. A man that I love very much, and it’s not Evan. I have a business and a community that loves me. Why would you ever think that I’d give all of that up to move back to Helena where I have nothing?”
“You don’t have nothing,” Dad says sharply enough to garner looks from the next table. “You have your family. And you’ll eventually see that marrying Evan is what’s best for you. You’ve been groomed to be a politician’s wife since you were a child, Summer. This is what your mother and I have always wanted for you.”
“You’ll be well taken care of,” Evan assures me and covers my hand with his, making my stomach roll. I pull away from his touch and glare at all of them.
“You’re crazy. First of all, I’m a grown woman, and arranged marriages are no longer a thing in this country.”
“You’d be surprised,” my father mutters, shaking his head.
“Second of all, I’m not moving anywhere. This is my home. Not Helena. I’m happy here, and as I’ve shown you over and over again, I don’t want anything from you. Not your money or your political connections. Nothing.”
“Keep going and nothing is exactly what you’ll get,” Mom says, her voice as cold as the Arctic.
“Fine by me. I don’t need or want anything from you.” I turn to Evan now and see that he’s frowning. His hands are in angry fists. “And you. You were supposed to be my friend. That’s all you were. I never played games with you. I never lied to you. I don’t have romantic feelings for you, Evan, and I don’t want any kind of a life with you. You know that I’m in a committed relationship.”
“This whole trip was a waste of time,” Dad says, and I nod in agreement.
“It absolutely was. We’ll go back to exchanging polite Christmas cards, and that’s about it. And as for you,” I turn back to Evan, “I want nothing more to do with you.”
I slap my napkin onto the table and storm out of the restaurant. I’m not one for public displays, but there was just no choice in the matter. There was no other way to get my point across.
What am I to them, some sort of whore? Someone who can be bought and paid for?
You’ll be well taken care of.
“Fuck that,” I mutter as I stomp down the sidewalk. “I can take care of myself. I’ve been doing it for the better part of three decades.”
Walking past the patio, I glance their way and find all three of them talking at once, frowning, clearly upset.
They can all go fuck themselves.