Bad Boy (An Indecent Proposal) - J.C. Reed Page 0,22

It had nothing to do with you. It could as well have happened with anyone. No offense, Chase, but you were just a means to an end.”

“None taken.” He inclined his head in mock-thought. “I won’t deny it that I’m glad it was me because I doubt you would have had so much fun with someone else.”

“How would you know that?” I turned to regard him, my lips pursed. “Maybe I faked it.”

“Considering my experience and the little sounds you made, I doubt anything about our session was fake.”

I stared at him, my words failing me. Forget the experience part. “I made sounds?”

His lips twitched. “No worries, they were cute.” He lifted a hand, as though to touch me, then dropped it again, his tone mocking. “My only advice for you, next time scream a little louder. It can be a real turn on.”

“You’re…” My expletives remained trapped in my throat. “There won’t be a next time.”

“So you say.” His eyes glinted with a hint of challenge. “Maybe I should say challenge accepted?”

I scowled, heat creeping into my bones. “It happened once. It won’t happen again. And when I say that, I mean as in ‘never’.” I squeezed past him and dashed to the bedroom to get dressed.

“Why not?” he asked, following close behind me.

“Because I’m no longer interested in you.”

“If you’re so impartial, why don’t you remove that towel? I want to see your lack of excitement at the thought of my tongue licking you all over,” Chase said.

The image entered my mind too easily.

Oh, God.

That was the last thing I’d ever do.

Struggling to fight my labored breathing, I walked into the tiny walk-in closet and switched on the lights.

“Surely if you feel nothing, want nothing, it shouldn’t matter whether I see you naked or not,” Chase persevered.

I turned around, forcing my brain to come up with some witty response, but he was faster and beat me to it.

“Thought so, Laurie.”

I peered into his gorgeous eyes. They were mocking but gentle, his expression soft.

Everything in that room stopped still, and it was as if time did, too. It was in that moment I realized how much I still loved him.

As if sensing my emotional undercurrents, Chase moved closer and brushed a wet strand of hair out of my face.

“I know you still want me, Laurie,” he said tenderly. “I won’t make a secret that you’re still on my mind, too.”

My breath hitched, whether it was from the lack of space or from the intimacy, I couldn’t tell.

“You’re delusional,” I managed to croak, which was rewarded with a chuckle.

“No, my mind’s perfectly clear on what I want and what you need.”

Oh, the arrogance.

I had to change the topic—and fast—before his lips, so awfully close, would crash upon mine. That was something I imagined would happen. If he kept doing what he did, his hands playing with my hair, his eyes on my lips, speaking the kind of words I wanted to hear, I’d lose all self-control and kiss him, because the truth was…he was right.

My knees were weak. My heart was racing. Deep inside I could feel hundreds of butterflies fluttering, pounding against the fragile shield I had learned to build in the past.

“What do you want, Chase?”

He hesitated. Dropping his hand, he took a step back and leaned against the wall, his posture implying that he had no intention of leaving anytime soon.

“Why do you assume I want something?” Chase asked.

I stared at him. “Are you serious? You had a folder with an estimate of what my inheritance is worth.”

His lips tightened, and a guilty expression fell on his face. At last he crossed his arms over his chest, his eyes avoiding me.

I used the silence to search for the most oversized piece of clothing I had, and found nothing in the mess I had left behind the night before.

A thong fell from between my clothes. Chase picked it up and lifted it to inspect it. I thought I might just die from mortification.

“Are you kidding me? Give it back.” I yanked it out of his hands.

Unfazed, he sifted through my clothes until he found a short, red dress that belonged to Jude. “You should wear it today.”

I grabbed it from him, meeting his gaze. “Stop touching my things, okay? I’m not going out with you.”

“It was merely a suggestion.” His eyes sparkled with delight. I braced myself for another one of his suggestions, but none came. Instead, his gaze remained glued to my every move. Up close, he