Page 43 of Escape You

“Mia, I’m barely holding it together here. I want you so much it hurts.” He nuzzled my neck, then planted pecks on my skin, building a wet trail down to the curve of my breast and my navel. The wicked smile he flashed sent tiny flickers of pleasure down my spine.

“I’ve never done this before. I’ve never come inside a woman without a condom.” He glided a hand down my mound to rub his cum all over my clit. I arched my back in response when he buried two fingers inside me. “Something inside me wants to say thank you.”

I laughed, digging my fingers around his wrist. “Well, if you want to thank me, don’t stop.”

“Yes, ma’am.” He scooted up to capture my mouth with his. His deft hand made quick work of it, and I came inside of two minutes.

The room went dark and completely quiet for several beats while the orgasms died slowly around my clit. I let out a breath and rolled on my side. Jesus, I had a point, a thought before. What was it?

“Don’t go to sleep. We have to talk,” he whispered on my shoulder. His teeth grazed my skin, and I leaned against him ready for another round. Not that I could go for another one, but I was willing to try.

“What do you want to know?” I inhaled and waited for my heartbeat to come down to a normal pace.

“What’s your favorite dessert?”

“Cheesecake with strawberries on top,” I answered without thinking.

“Brother? Sisters?” He kneaded my hip.

“One older brother. He was killed over ten years ago.”

“I’m so sorry. What happened?”

I hadn’t thought about little Joey in so long. “He betrayed his friend, and that got him killed.” Alarms blared in the far, deepest recesses of my brain. Shit. Why was I telling a stranger about my family? “What the fuck?”

Chase sat up on the bed, hands up in surrender. “I’m sorry. Force of habit. You answered one question, I had to ask the next.” His face turned red, and he shuffled away from me. He studied me for the longest time, as if trying to get some big revelation about me. “Why don’t you wash up? I’ll get us a plate to eat, and then we’ll have that talk.”

“I don’t have anything to say to you.”

“But I do.” He bounced off the bed and strode to the bathroom.

So that was it? He was all business now? He’d made it to four in the morning before he decided to kickstart his plan to take over my crew. I wasn’t a traitor. Family came first. I glanced over at the terrace, and the dark sky loitered with bright lights beyond the thick cement rail.

The small buffet setup was still there. The chafing dishes looked like they were still going. As soon as I thought of food, my stomach grumbled. When I got up, my thighs felt sticky. Maybe Chase was right. I needed to wash up first. I walked up to the bathroom threshold and knocked.

“All yours.” He swung the door open, wearing nothing but a towel. I stepped aside, suddenly aware of how naked I was. The look on his face told me his mind was already racing to that place. Instead of kissing me again, as I wanted, he did the decent thing. He picked up my towel off the floor and pressed it to my chest.

“Gee, thanks.”

“Don’t mention it.” He walked to the other side of the bathroom to his closet.

I showered quickly while Chase got dressed ten feet away from me. Through the foggy shower door, I could see him in his boxer briefs, facing his clothes. My fingers itched to run my hands over his muscular thighs. Letting out a breath, I pulled the lever all the way to the left and waited for the cold water to set me right.

When I was frozen all the way to my center, I hopped out and grabbed a clean towel. I finished drying off and then spotted my own clothes and toiletries sitting on the vanity dresser. If I didn’t have bigger fish to fry today, I’d be offended by how he was picking out dresses for me. I blow-dried my hair, applied makeup, and put on the white chemise.

I joined him at his small table where he had several plates loaded with food that was actually still hot. We ate our pasta and bread in silence. After all the hot sex we’d just had, it felt odd to be this far apart. Everything about Chase was so contradictory. One minute he was this man sitting in front of me, kind and patient. The next, he was Rossi’s minion and totally pissed at me.

He’d said he had something to tell me. Rossi’s plan, no doubt. My whole being told me I could trust him, that I wasn’t wrong about his character, even if he was a direct decedent of the devil incarnate. Could I trust him with the only thing I valued more than my crew? Would he tell Rossi about our baby? Did he even understand how dangerous it would be for our baby to grow up in this world his grandfather had created for himself?

“Mia.” He cleared his throat.

“I’m pregnant.”

He coughed and took several small sips of water before he glanced at me with a curious look in his eyes. “Well, that was fast.” He pointed a finger at the bed.

“Don’t be a jerk. You know what I mean. From before.”

Sitting back in his chair, he grinned at me. “Thank you for telling me. Why did you wait this long? This whole night could’ve been avoided.”

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