Page 35 of Tormented Bastard
Anxiety made the walls close in, the need to get out of this room a priority. I opened the door to my room and listened. Other than the storm noise, the house was quiet—at least the part of it I could hear in a house this size. I slid out and shut the door behind me quietly.
My footsteps were silent, the tile freezing beneath my feet. I tiptoed my way down the stairs into the large open living space. On the other side of the living room, a hallway led off somewhere to the left. Down to Chase’s room I assumed. It was as far away from my room as it could be under the same roof. It didn’t get past me that he put me in that room on purpose.
Still tiptoeing like I was sneaking out and didn’t want my mother to hear, I crossed the kitchen and through the archway that led toward the foyer, elevator, and a room that looked like an office. It was neat and tidy, with state-of-the-art computer equipment and one wall of windows that looked out to the front of the house.
I continued my DIY house tour and came upon a door that opened when I turned the knob. An enclosed staircase led down into darkness, and I had a momentary skitter of fear run down my spine. Every bad horror movie I’d ever seen ran through my head. I rolled my eyes at my melodramatics and flipped on the lights. When I got to the bottom, my jaw dropped.
Holy shit. There was a whole other house down here. Living room, kitchen, small eating area off the kitchen, and a hallway with doors. There was even a set of sliding doors that had a patio beyond them. The view was probably amazing when not being obliterated by a storm.
I followed the hallway and looked into the first room, which was a bedroom made up for guests. It was odd to me that Chase had all of these rooms set up for guests but to my limited knowledge, he rarely had them. Maybe his family came to visit more than I thought? I shook my head. Not my business. I was only here now as a place to stay until the bridge opened. I’d failed in getting Chase to agree to help me. I still had that mess on my hands waiting for me.
But for now, there was little I could do cut off physically from the world. The burden of it all settled on my shoulders, causing the ache between my shoulder blades to ramp up. The next doorway was dark, but when I turned the light on, I found a huge room that would give any gym a run for its money.
So, that’s how Chase stayed in such great shape.
Every piece of exercise equipment needed for the arms, legs, and any other muscle group was arranged circuit style. Along the mirrored wall were racks of weighted plates and dumbbells. In the back corner was an open area with mats that were perfect for yoga. I walked in that direction, leaving the door open behind me.
I sat cross-legged on the mat and closed my eyes, focusing on my breathing. The tension in my body began to dissipate with each breath. In this space, away from Chase, away from being able to hear the storm outside, I could finally relax. I decided to let the motions come as they wanted. Usually, I followed the yoga sequence I knew in my head, making sure I did each and every one properly. But right now? The thought was exhausting, so I just let my body decide what felt good and how it wanted to flow. Thoughts of the charity event and what would happen if I royally fucked it up tried to invade my peace, but I pushed on them until they quieted down to a dull roar.
Keeping my eyes closed, I lifted my arms and stretched side to side. I moved into child’s pose, relishing the stretch and letting the feel of it sink into my muscles. I lifted up and moved into another pose. As I came out of a stretch, a motion in the mirror caught my eye. I gasped when I saw Chase leaning against the doorjamb watching me. His arms were crossed over his bare chest, and he had a pair of gray sweatpants on.
Son of a bitch. Those pants really were like lingerie for men. They didn’t hide a damn thing.
Not like I’d forgotten how well-endowed Chase was.
I cleared my throat. “Hey, did I wake you?”
He shook his head, his gaze raking down my body from the top of my head to the tip of my toes. It was as though his gaze branded my skin by the way my skin flushed under his heated stare.
“Not at all. I couldn’t sleep so I thought I’d come down and lift some weights,” he said, but didn’t move farther into the room.
I stood and smoothed a hand down my shirt. “Yeah, I couldn’t sleep either. Sometimes yoga helps relax me enough to fall asleep. But I can go so I’m not in your way.”
He pushed off and started toward me. His walk was almost predatory. I bit my lip, my feet glued to the floor, caught in the laser beam trap of his stare. He stopped in front of me, so close I had to tilt my head back. I looked up to find his strong jaw tight and his eyes darkened with desire to a deep emerald green.
“You’ve been nothing but in my way since you set foot on the island, Eden. Plaguing me at every turn. You’ve got me all confused. You torment me. I want to help you and yet it might destroy me.”
With every sentence, he moved closer, and I tilted my head back until his lips were so close to mine I could smell the mint of his toothpaste and the soap on his skin. I clenched my thighs to try to relieve the pressure building between my legs. I was mesmerized by his words.
“I want nothing more than to take you upstairs and fuck you until we can’t remember our names. But—”
I laid my fingertips on his lips. “No buts.” I licked my parched lips, his eyes following the motion of my tongue. “I want that too, Chase.” The huskiness in my voice and the fire between my legs was familiar. Chase was the only man I’d ever been with that made me feel like I’d spontaneously combust.
One hand cupped my cheek before he slid it into my hair. He fisted my strands and pulled gently, making our gazes meet head-on. “Are you sure you want this? If I kiss you, I won’t be able to stop. And there will be no running this time, agreed?”
For the life of me, I wasn’t sure I could run this time if I tried. I knew I should say no to this. But I was older and wiser than I had been before when it came to Chase Hanover. I walked away before. I could do it again.
I was pretty sure of it.
I slid my hands down to his shoulders and held on, his scar a small bump under my palm. “Yes, I want this. I want you, Chase. And I won’t run this time. But it’s just sex. It can’t be anything more than just sex. This will be the last time we do this. You’re never coming back to New York, and I’ll never set foot on this island again.”
“Just sex. For the last time. Works for me.” The words barely passed his lips before he crushed his mouth to mine in a soul-searing kiss. His lips were soft and full and coaxing. But it didn’t take much coaxing to get me to open for his tongue. He consumed me, drank me in, pulled me under until I could barely stand on my own. One arm banded around my waist and pulled me up against him, his cock hard and insistent against my belly.
Fuck, I needed him inside me. It had been a long dry spell without the real thing. As much as my toys were good to get me off, there was no substitute for a hot, hard man. Especially when the man was Chase Hanover.
Without breaking the kiss, he moved us over to one of the weight benches where one section of it was lifted into an inclined position. “Sit down,” he murmured against my lips. “And lean back.”
I lowered myself to the bench and leaned back against the raised section. Our eyes locked as he knelt in front of me and spread my legs apart. He broke the stare to look down at me, his gaze so intense that shyness reached out and tried to take hold of me. Instead, I lifted my chin and forced myself to keep my legs open when they wanted to close and hide from his stare.
