Authors: Cassandra Cole
CHAPTER FOUR
Jenna tossed and turned writhing in her bed. Sleep eluded her as she wondered if she had done the right thing. Chase had called her endlessly for the last couple of days, and left several messages on her answering machine. He apologized profusely and claimed his secretary had been the one trying to seduce him. She had walked in at the worst time, and had she waited a moment longer, she would have seen him push her unwanted advances away.
Though she had promised herself not to forgive him again, a part of her believed him. Besides, it wasn’t the first time another woman had blatantly tried to steal her man, she justified to herself. Some of the things he said actually added up, and did make sense. His story was compelling enough to have an element of truth to it. Nevertheless, she was beginning to feel like she no longer had the energy to deal with the continual emotional roller-coaster ride, despite the lavish gifts and adventuresome lifestyle they often enjoyed together.
Chase’s last message had been particularly touching. He apologized yet again, wished her a happy one year anniversary, and asked her to meet him at the spot where they had first met, to make up for what she had witnessed. He would be there waiting for her. He also added that if she didn’t come, he would have received the message loud and clear, and would never contact her again. This last part particularly ebbed at Jenna.
There was also a seeming air of anguish and desperation in Chase’s voice, which she had never heard before. This weighed on her, as she played the message over and over again. In addition, she couldn’t help but wonder what it would be like to never hear from this man again. The knot in her stomach at the thought of losing him forever was enough to have her deeply reconsider.
Finally, unable to take anymore, she decided to go. A part of her was disappointed due to her inability to keep her word with herself to never see him again. Yet another part of her was excited, and even reveled in the anticipation and tenderness of his touch, anticipating with hope, a look of anguish on his face for nearly losing her. The chemistry between them was on the level of obsessive, and she knew it had taken control over her ability to think straight, when it concerned him.
Jenna pulled up her car alongside the edge of the beach, several hundred meters from the Marina. She reminisced on the first day she had met Chase there. It was an unusually warm evening, and she had decided to go for a late swim at the beach while he was out running. When he saw her, he immediately slowed down and went over to talk to her, as she was drying off. He relentlessly pursued her.
She eventually gave in, despite her intuition on full alert of his ‘player’ approach. Chase was now standing barefoot on the beach with a stunning bouquet of red roses and a certain glint in his eyes that suggested that he never doubted, not even for a second, that she would come to him.
As soon as she got out of the car, Chase pulled her close, held her tightly and smothered her lips longingly until she almost lost her balance. The kissed lingered, growing in intensity, as he pulled her closer until she couldn’t breathe. She had loved how passionate his kisses were, and held on for a little bit longer before he gently pulled back.
“I’m sorry,” he groaned under his breathe while staring deep into her eyes. “You know you’re the only one for me”, he insisted. She nodded, leaning forward into his firm, muscular chest. .
Jenna was breathing heavily, feeling a mixture of excitement and strange sense of satisfaction, unwilling to speak so not to interrupt their growing passion. Chase scooped her up into his arms, and carried her toward a deserted area of the beach. Under the dusk of night, he was going to have her right there and then. He laid her gently onto the sand, and lay down beside her. He began to lift her sundress, and slid his fingers up her slightly parted legs, closer to her now moist panties. He was still hers, she murmured quietly to herself.
Chase gently and casually rubbed his fingers on a spot in between her thighs. This made her sigh and quiver, her body needing and wanting more. He quickly relieved her of her undergarments and grabbed one of her knees and lifted her leg roughly and wrapped it around his back. She was wet and ready, and her eyes begged him to take her,
now
. Chase was more than happy to oblige, but held off, teasing her beyond reason, she felt.
There was something about being intimate with him; perhaps the way it made women surrender to him, which gave him the ultimate power. To a man as ruthless and calculated as he was, sex was just another tool he used to persuade and manipulate women into doing his bidding. Just a cold and calculated action that served a greater purpose. Though he was not particularly in love with her, he was not ready to let go of Jenna yet, and he knew his irresistible charm, coupled by great sex and lavish gifts here and there, would keep her trapped in corner just the way he liked it.
He kissed her hungrily, taunting her lips with such savagery, as if to show her who was the boss. All Jenna could do was tremble and mold her body into his in a bid of complete surrender. Chase squeezed her supple thighs, and kissed her neck while whispering over and over again that he would never hurt her. When he finally felt she was sufficiently ready, he went in for the kill. Jenna’s whole body felt weak, as ecstasy erupted within her like molten lava from a volcanic mountain.
Chase exceedingly handsome, well-built, strong and able to support both his body and hers, in the numerous positions they found themselves in. In fact, he barely noticed that he did most of the weight bearing, as he was quite used to taking the lead and being in control. Jenna climaxed and clenched onto him so tightly that she thought she would be unable to breathe. He gently laid her on a blanket he had brought with him. He watched her gasp for air, while his own breathing was even. He kissed her longingly, and they made love again and again, to the sound of the roaring ocean. He would only stop when he was completely satisfied; satisfied physically, and satisfied when he knew she had completely surrendered to his appeal, being fully won back, yet again.
Heading back to the Marina together, in his sleek black, convertible Bentley, Chase was happy to have had his way with her, but mostly, that his false pleading could now end. He had her back. And easily too. The truth was he was still not ready to let Jenna go. She was his, and if they were to end their relationship, it would be on his terms.
During a moment of weakness, he had revealed a secret about his past to her. A secret which he would go at any lengths to make sure nobody found out about, especially Colt. Now that he was back in town and probably looking for answers to his memory, he had to be extra careful. He couldn’t risk having her figure out certain pieces to his life. He glanced over at her clueless face, and realized that it would be much easier than he thought.
CHAPTER FIVE
At the cabin, Colt lay in bed unable to sleep. Every time he closed his eyes, he was haunted by memories and glimpses of his past. The flashbacks had become more and more intense, ever since his uncle died. Yet, as hard as he tried, he couldn’t make out his parents’ faces in actual memories.
Lately, he was also having a memory of something he never had before. The memories were of another child. In these vague memories they were both running around inside a house, and he heard the boy calling his name. But, just as with his parents, he couldn’t make out the other child’s face. He tried to figure it out. Was it a neighbor, old childhood friend? Who was he, and why was he suddenly in his dreams too?
Questions bombarded his thoughts but he had no answers. He felt an urgency to recall the long forgotten story of his life. His missing past hung over his head like a dark cloud, figuring it all out would be the key to finally finding inner peace.
Unable to go back to sleep, Colt made the decision to go to his late Uncle’s house right then and there, he wasn’t even sure why, but he had to. It was after eleven in the evening, but why not, he thought. No one lives there anyway.
He quickly dressed and drove his old Jeep Renegade towards his uncle’s house. He parked several meters away and sneaked in through a side window, remembering the trick to unsealing the lock from the outside, with only a small flashlight on hand. He went into his uncle’s study and looked for anything that piqued his interest. He often entered his Uncle’s home through his office window as a boy, relishing in the scare he would give him when he walked in, as an inside joke for his stealth cleverness, entering the house unseen. His uncle practically lived in that room and it’s where they spent the most time together.
Digging through his uncle’s items, Colt knew he would intuitively know what was important and what wasn’t, he always had a six sense about things. And he was right. He found several old letters and a thick journal tucked away in a concealed locked bottom drawer, that suggested his uncle was trying to hide something important. He found a key taped behind a picture, an old secret spot his uncle had long ago revealed to him. Colt recognized he had just found what he was somehow meant to. He stuffed the items into the back of his jeans, pulling his sweatshirt over to conceal it, and went to leave.
Colt was so busy with his search that he didn’t notice a black SUV with darkened windows parked outside his uncle’s house. The mysterious man inside the vehicle made a phone call, “Hey boss, you told me to call if anyone tried to enter the house. There’s a guy that just went in through a side window, and in the house right now, he appears to be looking for something, do you want me to go in after him?”
“Thank you, Marco. No, just follow him and find out where he goes,” replied the voice on the other end. “We’ll take care of him later, but not at the house”. Colt hurried back to his car. This time he saw the SUV.
Colt always suspected someone was trying to prevent him from learning about his past. Maybe this was the answer. He wondered why that would be. Regardless, he smiled inside knowing if someone had been watching his uncle’s house that meant he was most certainly on to something. His safety was of no concern as he knew he had the upper hand with his elite training. In fact, being followed was far less concerning than the mysteries hidden behind his failed memories.
He reached his cabin and did a perimeter scan to make sure there weren’t others on his tail. He parked his car, entered his house and calmly locked the door, in a manner that suggested that he was oblivious to the fact that someone might have followed him.
He waited for some time, hoping that whoever was following him would try to sneak into his home, so that he could interrogate him then and there. After waiting in the shadows quite a while for his intended intruder ambush, Chase realized it wasn’t going to happen. He set the alarm, went to his room and started through the old journal and letters.
What he discovered stunned him, and he physically shook his head to try and somehow integrate what he just learned. He had a brother. In fact, he had a
twin
brother. He was alive and well, and lived in Horvath also. Colt felt his chest tighten and he caught his breath as he read on. He poured through the papers until his eyes involuntarily closed, due to the emotional shock learning he had a twin brother, a last remaining immediate family member, alive.
As a SEAL, he could remain awake for days, with only a brief shut eye. The news of a twin brother completely blindsided him, and he was at a total loss as to how to deal with it.
CHAPTER SIX
Chase woke up early the next morning to go for his usual jog. He was deep in thought and slightly distressed by the phone call he had received last night. Someone had been snooping around John’s house, and thanks to the tail he learned it was Colt.
Despite his doubts, Chase was almost certain that Colt had found nothing useful. He had paid John a huge sum of money to keep his mouth shut over the years. The old man knew better than to cross him. He was dangerous, and John knew it from experience. Few others had seen this side of Chase, but he rather everyone remained safe, while he kept the dirty secret.
But what did it matter, John was dead now anyway. If he had told Colt the truth, he would have confronted him a long time ago. Therefore, he relaxed a little more, confident there was nothing to find, and he had the upper hand on concealing the truth. Nobody crossed him, especially not John, he was spineless.
Just as Chase was contemplating the predicament and enjoying a cold drink in his Hotel lounge post jog, he watched one person enter he wished would disappear off the face of the earth: John’s estranged wife Valerie. Although not legally divorced, they had moved on from each other. The house was technically hers too.
“What are you doing in town? I told you to stay away,” Chase demanded angrily.
“I have been waiting for the money from the house for quite a while now. You promised you would sell it and send me funds, since you forced yourself as executor on the estate. I figured I would come and check on the status” she replied, trying to hide her fear.
“You shouldn’t have come here. I told you I would send you the money and I will. I’ve done plenty for you, and you know it. Now go back to where you came from and don’t bother me with this again. It’s being taken care of, I told you that.”
Valerie studied Chase’s face for a minute and sighed, “You still haven’t told him, have you? These things always come out. Don’t you see that the fact that you two ended up in the same college is fate trying to bring you together? You can’t really on his amnesia forever. Now that he’s back in town and has even bought a cabin, he obviously intends to stay. Someone will recognize him,” she warned him. She had heard Colt was back in town. He had come at the insistence of another SEAL on his team, whose place he had visited and he fell in love with the small town. Rex, was like a brother to him, so he took him up on the suggestion he live close by, besides, his Uncle lived here to, but sadly no longer.
“Just go back home and keep your end of the bargain and I will keep mine. Let me worry about Colt. Besides, he left Horvath when he was a young boy. I doubt anyone will recognize him. And anyway, if all goes as planned, he won’t be in Horvath for much longer,” Chase finally told her before leaving the lounge. Valerie always had a way of showing up during the worst moments. He hoped that she would heed his advice. Things were unraveling fast and he did not want the truth to come out. He was prepared to go to any lengths possible to keep her mouth shut, permanently.
Valerie was just like him; greedy and only cared about her pay day. Because of this, he knew he could control her. She was the only one left who knew his secret. Jenna only knew bits and pieces, and could never figure out the entire story on her own. Be that as it may, he decided to be extra cautious.
He called one of his bodyguards and asked him to make sure Valerie was out of town by midday. He also called his lawyers, to remind them that they needed to sell John’s house sooner rather than later. Chase finally relaxed a little, as he felt in control again. He was worth a fortune, and could have given her the money right there and then. But his greatest fear was feeling like he wasn’t in control, and he wasn’t willing to hand over the amount of money due her from the sale of the house out of shear principle. She was breaking her end of the bargain by just showing up.