Electric! (7 page)

With a slight shake of her head, she said, “I suppose I’ve
always considered myself a bit of a prude. You know, not really capable of
evoking a man’s desire. Not really capable of feeling it myself. And certainly
much too inhibited for someone like you.”

“How do you feel now?”

Her stomach fluttered. “Like I could fly.”

He groaned. “You realize you’re making a case for me to
pursue you even more relentlessly.”

She turned in his arms. “What more do you want from me?”

Chase stared down at her, that genuine expression on his
face and in his eyes that had drawn her in from the beginning, even if she
hadn’t fully realized it until now.

She swallowed hard. The intensity of his gaze both excited
and unnerved her.

He said, “I wouldn’t have wasted two years hitting on you
for just one night, Cass.”

Her breath caught. “But…this is just sex, right? I mean—”

“No,” he interjected. “It was never just about sex. You have
to know that.” He pinned her with a hard look. “You really and truly have to
know that.”

“Yeah, but… Well…” She shifted from one foot to the other.
Then she bucked up and asked, “You honestly haven’t been waiting two years for
me to come around, have you?”

Chase released her. He plowed a hand through his hair and
paced alongside the coffee table.

“I didn’t think so.”

Drawing up short, he said, “No, you don’t get it. I did
wait. The first year, I
waited.
You were all that I wanted. No one else
would do. I didn’t even try to get you out of my system with someone else. I
didn’t try to relieve the tension or frustration or
anything
…not with
another person.”

Cassidy clutched the fur to her breast and asked, “And
then?”

He crossed his arms over his bare chest. He wore his briefs,
but was otherwise gloriously naked.

“Cass, this isn’t something I’m proud to admit. Yet…” He
shook his head. “It’s not like I cheated on you,” he muttered under his breath.
“Feels like it. But that’s not the case, right?”

“Of course not.” So why’d it already feel like a betrayal?

Her brow furrowed. Come on, they weren’t an item. Even now.
They’d made no declarations of exclusivity before or after they’d had sex. So
why was she suddenly so unreasonably upset he’d slept with another—or more than
one—woman these past two years, when he’d been flirting with her?

It didn’t make sense. Nor would she voice her irrational
thoughts, because it wouldn’t be fair to Chase. She’d been the one to fight the
attraction. She refused to be a hypocrite. So she kept quiet.

He said, “I was in Tacoma meeting with clients. There was a
woman at the hotel bar who looked a bit like you. More and more with every beer
I had. I ended up buying her a drink. Going up to her room. I fucked her, Cass.
Plain and simple. Well.”

He let out a humorless laugh. “There was nothing plain and
simple about it. I told her I was hooked on someone else and that she resembled
that person. She was okay with the scenario. She was hooked on someone too that
she couldn’t have. Married guy. So I guess it was…a fantasy. Only with someone
who looked a little like you getting me off, not just my own hand.”

“Chase.” She had no idea what to say. Except, “If you’re
feeling guilty—” because he truly did look as though he was—”don’t sweat this.
I’m the one who keeps the wall between us.”

He sank onto the sofa, his hands dangling between his parted
knees. Not exactly a defeated stance, but a somewhat stoic one she’d not
expected from him.

“I wish I would have been strong enough to hold out.”

She stared at him. His gaze didn’t waver. And in it, she saw
his usual honesty.

“Chase.”

Shit. Tonight, there was no escaping how much he had always
been a solid presence these past two years, and how he’d never made this
attraction too hard on her. He’d flirted outrageously, yes. But in an enticing
way that engaged her. And when he sensed her discomfort? He backed off.

Cassidy blew out a long breath. Then she joined him on the
sofa, tucking her legs under her. “I have to apologize.”

His brows knitted. “For what?”

“Because…” She sighed. “I’m not sure I can explain this
right. But, at first, I didn’t take your flirting seriously. You’re just so…
Well, shit. Meg always pegs it—you’re freakin’ hot.”

He laughed.

“I’m not immune to you by any stretch of the imagination,”
she confessed. “I’ve been attracted to you—like insanely so—since we met. Yet
there’s so much about me and you that shouldn’t mesh, and I also know my very
dismal sexual history and so I’ve just thought,
what’s the point
? While
still fantasizing that there just might be one.”

His gaze locked with hers. A flicker of
how could you?
made her cringe. As in,
how could you have kept this to yourself for so
long?

She added, “You have to know. You pay way too much attention
to not understand why I am the way I am. Aside from the sexual-disappointment
part, that is.”‘

“I want to date you,” he said. “Really date. As in…we’re not
seeing anyone else.”

Cassidy sucked in a breath.

He rushed on. “You can forgive me for the hotel incident,
right?”

“What’s to forgive?” she was quick to ask. “We weren’t
together, Chase. There was no indication of us being together. Just a lot of
innuendos and teasing. You didn’t cheat on me.”

His jaw clenched briefly. “But I was thinking of you while I
was screwing some other woman.”

Okay, this was getting complicated. As she’d known it would.

“Don’t think like that.”

“It doesn’t bother you?” he challenged.

“How about I let it flatter me?”

He reached over and twined his fingers with hers. “I hate
that I couldn’t hold out long enough for you.”

“Chase.” Her insides coiled. “Why the hell is this
your
fault?”

“I’m an asshole for wanting you, wanting you, wanting
you…then having sex with someone else.”

“How can I take offense to that? Seriously, Chase.” Cassidy
realized the full extent of what she had going with this man—without having
really known it before. She raised their entwined hands to her chest and said,
“Tell me exactly what you want from me.”

He stared deep into her eyes and—without hesitation—said,
“Everything.”

Chase watched Cassidy closely, as though he could actually
see the wheels churning in her head.

Yeah, he might have gone too far this time.

Conversely, he just might have pushed her to that make-or-break
point.

“Say something,” he told her as he continued to study her.
She had an indefinable look on her face and clearly struggled with the
direction in which she might take.

Yet she surprised him. “I want you to make love to me. And I
want you to ask me out on a real date. And I want you to just…give a gentle
shove to move me along, but continue to understand that I have issues. A career
I love.” She shook her head. “
Issues.
”

He could sense the panic welling within her. But she’d laid
it on the line. He grinned.

“This is a lot for you. I recognize that. And I appreciate
that you’re willing to talk about it, not just brush me off. Cass…” He leaned
toward her and kissed her. “I’ll be cool with whatever pace you need to take.”

Her eyes clouded, telling him how unsure she was of the
course they plotted.

“Cass.” He clasped her by the shoulders to steady her. He
could practically feel her anxiety attack coming on, he knew her that well.
“You can’t tell me that you don’t trust me.”

She nodded.

“And you can’t tell me that I’ve done
anything
to
fuck things up between us these past two years, aside from the one thing that I
deem inappropriate.”

“You didn’t cheat on me,” she repeated.

“I never will.”

She sucked in a breath, let it out slowly. “I
finally
spark with someone, Chase. I
finally
feel normal. I
finally
feel
as though I’m not some freak anomaly out there that will forever float on her
own, never connecting with anyone. Can you imagine how wonderful that feels?”

His lips swept over hers and he muttered, “We can do this,
Cass. We can make this work.”

“Promise,” she insisted.

He sensed her uncertainty, but when he stared deep into her
eyes, he saw her intense need to believe in something. To believe in them.

“I won’t let you down. I swear it, Cassidy.”

“I’m kind of panicking here.”

He grinned, despite the intensity of the situation. “I won’t
be surprised if you experience a few more waves of apprehension. Big step we’re
taking. It didn’t exactly happen quickly—been two years in the making. And yet,
it is happening quickly. I swear, I saw you in the country club tonight and
could not fathom how I was going to play it cool with you.”

She let out a soft laugh. “Come on. You always play it cool.
You’re that cocky football player everyone loves and I’m the geeky math club
girl.”

His lips brushed over hers. “You’re cool enough to hang with
me.” He winked.

She stared intently at him. “After all the effort you’ve
expended up to this point… I wouldn’t want it to be for naught.”

“You’re nervous to start something with me. I get that. Let’s
give it a try, anyway.”

He grinned again. She closed the gap between them, stretched
on tiptoes and kissed him. Sweetly.

“Now we’re getting somewhere.” He scooped her up in his
arms. “Which room are you camped out in?”

“Master suite. End of the hall.”

He carried her in that direction. With her arms around his
neck, she snuggled close to him.

Chase entered the large room and set her gently on the bed.
Then he flipped the switch on the gas fireplace. Soft, flickering light from
the flames dimly illuminated the room, and cast shadows in the corners.

“How romantic,” she said.

“If we’re going to do this, let’s do it right.”

He headed to the door.

“Leaving so soon?” she asked quizzically.

“Forgot the condom.”

“Ah. Of course.”

He retrieved it and when he returned, he found Cassidy lying
on the bed on top of the down comforter. She’d unpinned her hair and the long
strands fanned out on a pillow. She’d left the fur blanket in the chair in the
corner and was fantastically naked, completely and unabashedly bared to him.

He groaned. “That is exactly the way I like to see you.”

With a teasing smile, she said, “I think I can do this. It’s
kind of bizarre to feel this way. Foreign for me, actually. But you’ve got me
all lit up, Chase. I like it.”

He slipped out of his briefs and joined her.

“You’re not cold, are you?”

“Not with the fire going.”

He lay on his side, propping himself up on one elbow. His
fingers grazed her delicate collarbone, then down to her breast. He palmed the
full, enticing mound and gently caressed. Then his thumb swept back and forth
over her hard nipple, pebbling it even tighter.

His head lowered to her chest and he flicked his tongue over
her nipple. She squirmed a little and it spurred him on. He suckled the taut
center as he continued to cup her breast in his hand.

Her fingers skimmed up his arm and then tangled in his hair.

“Chase,” she murmured, desire in her voice.

His mouth stayed on her breast and his hand moved down her
body, over her quivering stomach to the apex of her legs. He stroked her labia
and her breathing picked up.

“My neglected body parts appreciate everything you do to
them,” she said.

“Trust me,” he muttered against her breast, “I’m more than
willing to give them all the attention they need.”

He was already addicted to her sexy body and the way she
responded to him. He’d sensed from the beginning they’d be good together. Too
bad it’d taken so long to convince her, but Chase couldn’t quibble over that
now. Especially since all the longing and anticipation and slow seduction
seemed to create a more intimate bond between them.

Chase was not a man who shied away from romantic and
emotional entanglements. Granted, he hadn’t been involved with a woman in a
very long time, but it wasn’t because he didn’t want a serious relationship. He
just hadn’t found the right woman for a lasting one. Until now, perhaps…

He knew better than to rush into thinking that what had
transpired with Cassidy this evening was the ultimate in relationships, but he
was certainly more than ready to travel the path with her.

She sighed contentedly as he slowly stroked her pussy lips
and his tongue curled around her nipple. Then he targeted her clit with the
pads of two fingers, and her breath hitched.

“That’s so good, Chase.” Her back arched and her hips
rocked. “Your hands and mouth on my body… I love it.”

Music to his ears.

He picked up the pace a little, massaging that sensitive
knot of nerves as he sucked harder on her nipple. Her body jolted.

“Yes,” she whispered.

Chase eased a finger inside her, pushing deep. She gasped.

He treated her other breast to alternating licks and suckles
as he worked a second finger inside her tight pussy. He stroked her quickly and
she writhed beside him.

“Make me come.”

The heel of his hand pressed against her clit as he finger fucked
her. Harder, faster.

“Oh God, Chase.”

Her breathy moans filled the quiet room, driving him wild.
Her hips rolled and she kept up with his rhythm. He stared down at her. Her
eyes were closed, her lips slightly parted as heavy, lustful pants fell from
them.

Chase’s chest pulled tight. She was a vision, to be sure,
but in the heat of passion—particularly when it was him sparking all that
pent-up passion—she was an absolute fantasy come to life.

He thrust deep inside her and said, “Come for me, Cass.”

She groaned.

“I want to get you off,” he whispered against her temple. “I
want to watch you completely lose yourself in what I’m doing to you.”

She squirmed a bit more and her hips raised. Chase teased
her nipple with his tongue as he pumped inside her with long, deep strokes.

“Yes,” she said on a sharp breath. “Oh God, yes.” Her chest
rose and fell quickly and her breathy moans turned into small cries of
pleasure. “Chase.”

Her hips bucked. She squeezed his fingers as her entire body
tensed. And then a sexy scream tore from her mouth and he felt the heat and
moisture deep inside her as she climaxed.

Chase cataloged all the expressions that crossed her
beautiful face, from desire to the pinnacle of arousal to relief.

“Oh God.” She panted. She continued to milk his fingers with
the contracting of her inner walls. Her eyelids fluttered opened. “Jesus,
Chase. That was sensational.”

“Yeah,” he said with a lusty edge to his voice. “Watching
you come makes me incredibly hard.”

She smiled. “We only have one more condom. How do you want
me?”

His grin was a tight one. “You’re doing me in with this
adventurous side.”

“What would be the point of holding back?” she asked. “I
already caved. Might as well see what other sinfully delicious things you
intend to do to me.”

He grunted. “How tempting you are…”

“Go wild, Chase,” she said with a wicked glint in her eyes. “Knock
my socks off.”

He chuckled. “You’re naked, so I think I already did. And
P.S.—you are drop-dead gorgeous. I can’t take my eyes off you.”

She studied him a moment. “I have not been able to fathom
what you’ve seen in me the past two years, when I’m so tightly wound.”

His hands roamed her body because he was incapable of lying
next to her and not touching her.

“Maybe part of the attraction was that I wanted to unravel
you. Get you all hot and bothered so you’d loosen up. Lose your inhibitions.”

“Mission accomplished.”

He kissed her, then said, “Not so bad to just let go, right?”

“You win,” she said. “Now kiss me again.”

She didn’t have to ask him twice. Their lips and tongues
tangled and it was easy to let all of the fiery sensations raging within him
completely consume him. Chase liked getting all caught up in the moment with
Cassidy. He liked how restless with anticipation she made him. How he felt as
though he had to have her right this very second.

And, actually, he did need to have her right this very
second.

Breaking their kiss, he whispered against her lips, “I want
you.”

Her fingers curled around his cock and she stroked him
slowly. Chase groaned.

She shifted and forced him to as well, so he lay on his
back. Positioning herself between his legs, she started up with the slow
pumping again. Then she dragged her tongue along his cock, from base to tip,
teasing the underside of his head. She took him deep in her mouth and Chase’s
body jerked.

“Fuck.” He groaned. His hands plowed through her thick mass
of hair. His hips lifted as her head bobbed. “Cass.” He let out a hiss of
breath.

He’d fantasized about this a million times before and the
reality of Cass blowing him was nothing short of sexy and erotic. Hot as hell.

Especially since he’d wanted this for two years. Had ached
for her for two years. Had been dying to be inside her for two years.

His breath hitched several notches and liquid fire rushed
through his veins.

“Suck me hard,” he said in a strained voice.

She did, the suction eliciting a low growl from him.

He could easily come in her mouth. Wanted to and yet, when
he exploded, he wanted to be deep inside her.

“Cass.” He released her strands of hair and gently pushed at
her shoulders. “Babe. Enough. I don’t want to come like this and you are making
me all kinds of crazy.”

Her head popped up. She nibbled her lower lip a moment, then
asked once again, “How do you want me, Chase?”

“On your hands and knees, with that very fine ass in the
air.”

She hedged for all of two seconds. Then assumed his desired
position, making his cock throb at the sight of her—and her willingness to give
him whatever he wanted.

He slipped from the bed.

“Back up just a little,” he instructed. “Toward the edge.”

She did as told.

“Damn,” he said with appreciation in his voice. “You are so
gorgeous.”

She threw him a glance over her shoulder. “I’m trying very
hard not to think of the fact that, come Monday morning, I have to face you
across a conference room table at work and not blush over knowing you’ve seen
me naked. And on my hands and knees.”

He smirked. “I’ve conjured this mental picture many times. You’re
even hotter in person.”

His gaze slid from her face, over her shoulders, down the
long line of her prominent spine. Then his eyes landed on her ass and he
groaned again.

He palmed the cheeks and massaged them, squeezing lightly.
Cass watched him, heat radiating in her eyes, as well as the distinct hint of
exhilaration as she pondered what he intended to do to her.

One hand shifted and he stroked her clit, causing her back
to arch and her ass to lift higher. He plunged two fingers into her pussy and
she pulled in a quick breath.

He stroked her rapidly, getting her all worked up again.
When he felt the tension build in her body, he withdrew his fingers, sheathed
himself and thrust into her, hard.

She cried his name as she came, her cunt clenching his cock.

He stilled for a few moments, letting her ride out her
release. Then he moved inside her at a quick pace, driven by his lust…and the incredible
sight of her. Not to mention the fact that she didn’t balk at the things he
wanted to do to her.

His hands clasped her waist and he pumped hard and fast,
making her breasts bounce and pushing harsh breaths of air from her lungs.

“Chase. Shit.” She pressed back against him, wiggled her
ass, ground fiercely. “Come inside me,” she said in a raspy voice.

With a sharp shake of his head, he told her. “Not until you
have another orgasm. Like this.” With him hammering into her, and her breathing
all jagged and her eyes full of the need for another powerful release.