The Secret (18 page)

“Okay,” I say in a whisper, honestly worried about what his next words will be.

“You need to think real hard about what it is you want, Babe. If it’s me, you’re going to be mine
completely
. I will
not
share you, Sophie. I know you’ve been dealing with a lot. I know you’re stressed out in ways I can’t even imagine,” he offers. “But this lying and keeping secrets and stripping bullshit you’ve been doing tonight? I’m not going put up with it, Baby. I’m not.”

“Chase…
”

“
There isn’t a fucking thing that I won’t do for you,” he continues, ignoring my words as he places his hands affectionately on my shoulders. “I love you more than anything. I will devote my every fucking breath to making sure that you’re happy. I will never lie to you. I won’t ever cheat on you. I swear to you that I will never, ever do anything to hurt you, Baby. I will take my last breath knowing I did everything in my power to make sure that every day of your life was better than the one before it,” he says, my eyes watering as he continues staring into me. “I will live for you. I will breathe for you. I will fucking
exist
for you and die the happiest man in the world if you let me,” he promises. “But I will
never
share you, Sophie. You will fucking own me, Baby, but if it’s me you want, you’re going to be mine completely. Now you need to make a decision, Sweetheart. Is that what you want?”

Overwhelmed with
the intensity of his words, I simply nod, unable to speak through the knot in my throat. A single tear slips from my eye and I wipe it from my cheek with the back of my hand. I can see him deliberating on what he’s about to say. Eventually, he touches me on my chin, angling my eyes back on his.

“D
id something happen between you and Jack?”

“No,” I tell him
, shaking my head immediately. “I promise, Chase.”

“Have you done
anything to make me question you, Sophie?”

“No,” I tell him, my
still watery eyes holding his. “I’m only yours, Chase. I swear.”

“I believe you
,” he says eventually. “That just leaves one more thing.”

“Hmm
?”

“You
wanna tell me why you stripped if you knew you weren’t jumping in the lake?”

Feeling the heat rise into my cheeks, I can do nothing more than shrug.
He reaches into the mini-fridge for a beer, carelessly tossing the bottle cap onto the dresser as he holds my eyes.

“I don’t really know,” I admit. “I know it’s really stupid, but
I was drunk. At the moment I just felt like it would be fun, so I did it.”

“So, you thought it would be fun to
let me watch you take all your clothes off in front of all those people,” he starts. “Including your ex-fiancé? You thought that would be fun?”

“
God, Chase,” I groan as I rub my palms over my eyes, finally sober enough to see how horribly I’d behaved. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking when…”

“W
ell, Baby,” he cuts me off, backing away. “Don’t let me ruin your good time,” he says, pulling the chair away from the table and setting it down hard in the middle of the room before grabbing his mp3 player and sitting down. “You wanna strip so bad? Go ahead. Strip.”

“Chase, I don’t
…”

“What’s the matter
, Sophie? I thought you said it sounded like fun?”

I have no idea what to say, so I stand there staring at him
like an idiot. I’m searching for any sign that he’s kidding, but finding nothing. The way his jaw is set and his eyes are locked on me, he actually still looks pretty pissed.

“Come on, Baby,” he says, his deep voice cutting through my panic.
“I’m not one to pat myself on the back, but tonight alone, I’ve helped kidnap you, I’ve chased you, I’ve watched you strip in front of your ex, I’ve saved your sweet little naked ass from a freezing lake and I’ve professed my undying love for you. I feel like I’ve more than earned just one little request from you and wouldn’t you know it? I just want you to let loose, have a little fun so that you can be happy. So if stripping is fun to you, then by all means, Sophie,” he says as the smirk he’s been wearing falls from his perfect face. “You strip your little ass off, Princess.”

“You’re kidding, right?”
I try, searching for the smirk that refuses to return.

“What do you think, Baby
?” he asks, holding my eyes as he takes a long draw from his beer. Anxiety builds in my chest as he switches on his mp3 player before tossing it onto the cheap hotel table. “Do I look like I’m kidding?”

One look into his azure eyes and I know without a doubt that he’s not. He’s pissed and my little stu
nt has not only just bought me my first night in Chase Mitchell’s dog house, he’s taking a front row seat.

Sweet Jesus, he’s serious. H
e’s actually going to make me strip.

In seconds,
‘Rump Shaker’ by Wreckx-N-Effect begins playing loudly in our room. For a split second, my heart stops as the last of the color leaves my face.

Oh my God.

“Chase, I’m so sorry,” I offer in a last ditch effort to save my dignity as my voice hitches in panic. “I shouldn’t have done it and I promise I won’t ever do it again, Baby.”

“You’re doing an awful lot of talking, Sweetheart,” he says, leaning back in his chair and staring back at me.

Letting out a deep breath of embarrassment, I begin to quickly remove my clothes. Unable to meet his eyes, I frantically pull his sweatshirt over my head, ignoring the music. I’m going to work on the drawstring of my Victoria’s Secret sweats in seconds when he clears his throat, demanding my attention.

“Slow down,”
he orders with a wink, his eyes raking over me. “Prolong the fun, Babe.”

“I’
m sorry, Chase! I am clearly not a fucking stripper, Baby! I’m in sweats! I don’t know what the hell I’m doing!” I exclaim feeling even more humiliated, covering my eyes and shaking my head slightly. “I can’t believe you’re actually making me do this!”

“
And I can’t believe you’re still trying to talk your way out of it after the shit you just pulled.”

As
I lower my hands, he finds my reluctant gaze. I can see in his face that he’s absolutely serious and not at all happy with me.

Shit
.

“
Okay, Baby…” I say releasing a deep sigh and facing him fully. “You’re right, I put you through hell… Just… Will you just promise not to laugh at me?”

“Cross my heart,”
he smirks, finally letting it reach his eyes.

“Okay
,” I concede with an internal groan of acceptance. “Can I please change the song?”

“Yes,” he says, raising his eyebrow
in surprise before handing me the mp3 player. Taking another pull from his beer, he leans back further into his chair watching me intently.

As
the opening notes of ‘Wicked Games’ by The Weeknd fill the room, I begin slowly peeling my clothes off. I feel his gaze traveling over my body as he lazily finishes his beer.

W
hen all that remains is a small, fitted tank top and panties, I raise my eyes to find his aqua globes traveling their way up. Slowly making my way towards him, I hold his eyes as I hook my thumbs into the lace around my waist playfully.

“You forgive me yet?” I whisper
.

“Not quite,” he
says, his voice rough. “You were a very bad girl.”

Climbing onto his lap I straddle him, loving the feel o
f his hot breath on my neck, I grind against him to the beat of the music. I feel his cock hardening against me, hear his breathing quicken. I reach down, holding his hooded gaze as I twist my hips into him harder and slip my top over my head, sending it flying across the room.

“How about now?”
I ask, my lips hovering against his as I grip the hair at the base of his neck roughly.

“
Closer,” he husks as he teases the elastic of my panties and holds my eyes as he palms my sex. “What about these?”

I twist my hips, pushing my sex into his grip to the slow, seductive beat of the music. Biting down on my lip slightly, I hear his breathing falter slightly.

“Rip ‘em off,” I rasp out, pulling a low groan from his chest as he finally gives me his lips, kissing me hard.

He pushes his hand into the pale blue lace boy shorts I’m wearing
, clutching my sex as he pulls away from me slightly. He winds his other hand into the hair at the base of my neck, meeting my eyes again as we pant against each other.

“Who does this
belong to, Sophie?”

“You own me, Chase Mitchell.”

“Good girl,” he growls as he pulls my lips back to his.

Those panties never stood a chance.

Sophie

When my phone wakes me the next morning, I feel absol
utely horrible. Not only do I have a killer hangover and feel sore from the night before, it’s pretty obvious already that I’m sick.

“Hello?” I scratch out, setting my throat on fire.

“Sophie,” my Aunt Debbie says sweetly into the phone. I’m about to answer her when I hear a muffled noise, followed by my mothers’ shrill voice.

“Sophia Paige? Where
are
you?”

“Good morning, Mom,” I groan into the phone, my head falling against the pillow in defeat
as I cover my face with my hand.

I’m about to attempt an answer, but b
efore I can, Chase reaches around me and takes the phone from my hand.

“
Good morning, Baby. Merry Christmas,” he whispers as he presses his lips to the back of my head before raising the phone to his ear. “Good morning, Mrs. Ryan.”

I can hear
her voice filling the receiver, demanding to talk to me. Chase says nothing for a while, instead pulling me back against his hard chest and running his hand over my bare stomach.

“Sophie isn’t feeling well, Mrs. Ryan
,” he eventually responds in his deep, post-sleep voice. “Rather than bother you, I insisted she come and stay here with me.”

She’s still complaining as
Chase reaches around and rests his hand on my forehead.

“I understand that
, but Christmas or not, Sophie is sick with a fever,” he tells her calmly with a blunt edge to his voice. “Her health and well-being are my priority. As soon as she’s taken care of, I’ll bring her to you.”

She offers Chase a few more harsh words as he continues to soothingly run his hands over m
e. Turning me in his arms, he rolls over so I can rest across his chest, rubbing my back as he selflessly endures my mothers’ rant.

“Yes ma’am,” he yawns into the phone, reaching for a tissue on the nightstand beside him and handing it to me
when I start to cough. “One of us will call you when we’re on the way over… Yes ma’am… Goodbye.”

Setting the phone down, he tosses it onto the mattress and looks down to face me and letting out a long sigh.

“Merry Christmas, Babysaurus,” I scratch out before coughing into the tissue I’m still gripping. “Thank you for talking to my crazy ass mother for me. That totally trumps all your presents.”

“You’re welcome,” he chuckles lightly before looking me over. “
I don’t need any presents, just you.”

“Done,” I manage, resting against him
for a moment before letting out a slight grumble. “I guess I better get up and get ready to go over there.”

“I’m taking you to a
doctor first.”

“Baby,” I argue.
“It’s Christmas day, no offices are going to be open.”

“Hospitals don’t close, Princess.”

“Chase,” I start, internally rolling my eyes at his suggestion. “I’m not going to the hospital for what is probably a chest cold.”

“
You just got over a cold, Sweetheart. You could have pneumonia or something serious now,” he says, ignoring me completely.

“It’s not pneumonia,”
I groan, rolling off the bed and heading to the bathroom.

“
Yeah, you’re probably right,” he sighs, following me. “Where did you get your medical license?”

“Same place you got yours, Dr. Doom,” I chuckle at my quick response, bringing on another coughing fit.

“You’re going to the doctor.”

“Chase,” I whine, grabbing him by the sides and resting my forehead on his chest. “Please don’t make me go to the hospital on Christmas day over a chest cold!”

“Sophie…”

“I promise I’ll go tomorrow if I feel any worse,” I bargain, cutting him off. “I’ll get some cold medicine from my aunt
or Lucy. My mom’s leaving this afternoon and I swear I’ll rest when we get back, just please don’t make me sit up there all day. I really think it’s just a cold.”

“Baby, you could get JT sick,” he tries, knowing my soft spot for my godson.

“If I thought I was going to, I’d have you take me right this second. You know I would.”

He looks me over, meeting my eyes and holding his palm to my forehead again.

“Okay,” he concedes, letting out a long sigh. “But you have to promise to take it easy and tell me if you feel like it’s getting worse.”

“I will,”
I promise, hugging myself back to his chest.

“I love you, Baby,” he whispers into my hair, making me smile.

“Love you too, Tiger Tush,” I respond, biting his pec and pulling a growling chuckle from him.

Bending to bury his mouth in my neck, he brushes his lips against my skin, causing a chill.

“If you don’t want me to test this ‘I’m not sick’ theory of yours, you’re going to have to behave yourself.”

I’m about to respond when my phone starts ringing loudly from the bed. With a loud groan of irritation from us both, he pulls away, pressi
ng his lips to my cheek.

“I’ll get it
for you, Babe,” he says. “Go get ready. Dress warm.”

Chase

As we pull into the driveway at Lucy’s, I glance down at Sophie and
it’s not hard to see how miserable she’s feeling.

“Are you warm enough?” I ask her to the third time since we got in the truck, causing her to lean her head against the seat behind us.

“Yes!” she answers me in a groan, taking a deep, labored breath and leaning against my arm. “Sorry, I just feel like ass and I’m stressed about going in here. Thank you for worrying about me. I’m fine, Lovebug.”

“Okay
,” I say, kissing her on the temple and opening the door. Seeing the mud on the ground, I turn to face her. “Come here,” I tell her, pulling her into my arms. Wrapping her legs around my waist, I savor in the feel of her resting against my chest as I carry her to the dry porch and set her down.

“Thanks,” she smiles up at me. I’
m about to answer her when the door creaks open behind us.

“Sophia Paige!” her mother’s voice grates through my nerves as I watch Sophie roll her eyes before
slowly shutting them. “What could have possibly taken you so long?”

Biting her lip in restraint, she plasters on a stiff smile and turns to face her mother.

“Merry Christmas, Mom,” she says quietly. “I’m sorry we’re late.”

“It’s bad enough that you left
in the middle of the night to do God knows what,” she arches her eyebrow dramatically, ignoring her daughters greeting as she whips around and makes her way back to the door. “You could have at least arrived in a timely manner.”

Following her into
the house, JT greets us happily, completely oblivious to Grace’s displeasure.

“Santa came! Santa came!” he cheers, causing the stress to leave her immediately.

“He did?”

“Yep!” he grins excitedly, making us laugh.

“You okay?” I ask her quietly.

When she nods, I kiss her on the back of the head and walk out to get the presents we’d brought with us.
I’m nearly to the steps of the porch when I hear the commotion coming from inside the house.

“Oh my God
!” I hear Sophie exclaim. Pushing the door open, I see her straddling a resistant Ana on the couch planting kisses all over her face. “I don’t care if you want a hug or not! Let me love you, jerk!”

“What the hell happened while I was outside?” I ask Drake who is watching the exchange in amusement.

“Analise and I are-” he starts, but Sophie’s scratchy voice cuts him off.

“
Holy mother!” she says, pulling Ana’s hand into hers as she takes in the outrageous diamond now adorning her left ring finger.

“Nice, man! Congrats,” I say, finally understanding as I pat my cousin on the shoulder and give him a wide smile before facing his new fiancé. “Welcome to the family officially, Ana.”

“Thanks,” she says, offering me a small smile as Sophie releases her hold on her and makes her way to Drake.

“Congratulations!” she says as she hugs m
y cousin. “Don’t piss her off. She’ll make you regret the size of that ring.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” he chuckles.

“You better be good to her, Mitchell,” she warns. “I don’t care if she’s pissed off at me forever, I’ll still kick your ass.”

After moving through the house to greet Lucy and her aunt, I watch as she shares a long embrace with Jack. When she pulls away, he wipes the tears from her cheeks and gives her a
quick kiss on the side of her face, whispering something in her ear that makes her nod and hug him again.

We spend the
next few hours exchanging gifts, watching JT play with the dozens of presents he’d received. The day is unusually laid back for having spent it in the company with Sophie’s mother. While Grace manages to make small remarks occasionally, for the most part, she sits on the couch and nurses her wine in silence. Every once in a while, she shoots Sophie a look but says nothing.

By the way she’s hitting that
wine, though, something tells me that won’t be the case for long.

Sophie

I’m trying my best to ignore my mother’s looks of displeasure, but the way she’s
been staring daggers into me all day is making it seem next to impossible.

I’m in the bathroom digg
ing through Lucy’s medicine cabinet when I turn to find her standing in the doorway.

“Mom!”
I jump, her sudden appearance startling me and causing my hand to clutch my chest. “I didn’t hear you come in.”

She says nothing, simply sips from the wine glass she’s been clinging to all afternoon. Her eyes wander over me for a moment before I become nervous.

“Do you need to get in?” I ask her quietly. “I was just getting some cold medicine, but I’m finished.”

I attempt to move past her, but she’s got me blocked in as she begins to slowly shake her head. Whether it’s in answer or disapproval, I’m not sure until she speaks.

“Where did I go so wrong with you, Sophia Paige?” she says quietly, her voice filled with malice and disappointment.

I’ve not seen her
so drunk in a while, but the glassy look her eyes hold are all too familiar. I’ve spent most of my adult life trying to forget that look with no success. I’m about to speak, to say what I’m not sure, but she cuts me off.

“You showed such promise as a
little girl,” she says, pushing a stray strand of hair behind my ear and causing me to shudder. “But now? I don’t even know who you are anymore. It’s like the daughter I raised is just lost forever.”

“Mom,” I say, my voice shaking with emotion. “I’m not lost…”

“You are,” she argues, swirling her glass before sipping from it again. “Today alone has proven that much to me.”

“How?”

“
How?
” she scoffs. “You’ve lied to me, dishonored both me and your father as far as I’m concerned…”

“I’ve barely spoken to you…
” I interrupt, but she’s not done.

“You’ve snuck around, hiding your indiscretions with that…
man
…”

“He’s my
fiancé
, Mother.”

“Aren’t they all?” she spits.
“Does he even know what you’re capable of, Sophia? Does he know what you are?”

“Mom,” I say in panic, but she ignores me, her voice taunting.

“Does he know he’s planning to spend his life with a killer? A whore, Sophia?”

“
What is the
matter
with you?” I say, tears filling my eyes again. “I’m your
daughter
!”

“
No!” she snaps. “The daughter I raised would never have turned into…
this
.” Her words are dripping with distaste as she continues to shake her head. “You are everything I feared you would be,” she spits. “After everything I’ve done for you, Sophia, you’d think you’d show a little more respect. You say you love this boy, yet you’re content with letting him throw his life away by spending it with you?”

“I
do
love him…” I manage, still unable to stop the tears that are flowing down my cheeks. I’m trying everything I can to get her to leave me alone. Not one to ever allow things to rest, she continues to taunt me.

“Clean yourself up,” she spits, taking stock of the
sweater and jeans I’m wearing. “If you can’t even come here on time and dressed appropriately, at least have the decency to not make everyone watch your pitiful sniveling.”

“
I’m sorry,” I try, attempting to dry my tears. “I didn’t think it would be inappropriate since we’re spending the day with family…”

“These people are
not
your family, Sophia,” she says, her tone mocking. “I am your family. Your father was your family. Not
these
people. You’re far too comfortable with strangers,” she accuses, glancing down the hallway in distaste.