Bad Boy (An Indecent Proposal) - J.C. Reed Page 0,51
Strangely, in spite of the intimacy, the gesture felt natural—as if I had always done little things for him.
His lip was still swollen, but at least he was clean.
“I thought you guys were close,” I added, my gaze focused on his beautiful face.
“We are,” he said. “That’s the thing. He’s my best friend.”
“Didn’t look that way when you two met in the hall.”
“That’s because we got in a fight before you and I married.” The way he said it made me stop and listen up.
“About what?” I put away the wet towel and sat down on the bed, eyeing him in the silence of the room. He looked exhausted, but more than that, he had a wild glint in his eyes that didn’t escape me.
It must have been a taxing fight.
“About you,” he mumbled.
“Hmm.”
The heaviness of the situation was oppressing. Unsure what to do with myself, I decided that I needed to keep both my hands and my mind busy—anything, just not look at him.
Resuming my position, I dived the towel into the bowl of alcohol and wrung it, then pressed it back against his wound.
“Why?” My voice came low, strangled.
His eyes remained glued to me for a few seconds. At last, he sighed. “I don’t know.”
I frowned. “You don’t know?”
“Okay, I know why we fought. I don’t get why he acted the way he did. It’s like he doesn’t get it.”
“Get what?”
His fingers circled around mine, and he pulled me onto his lap, his body close, his scent irresistible. “Would you believe me if I told you that I’m starting to fall in love with you?”
My breath died in my throat. My vision swam. My knees grew weak. His honesty surprised me, shocked me, confused me.
My words remained lodged inside my brain.
“You…” I shook my head, frowning. “Why?”
“Why? Really? You’re asking me the same thing he did?” He groaned. “I told him that I had feelings for you. His response was that it’s impossible to fall in love with someone so quickly and that I shouldn’t let my feelings interfere with our plan.” His grip on my fingers tightened, as though unconsciously he was trying to hold on to me. “He was afraid I wouldn’t go through with the wedding to get the inheritance.”
“But you did,” I said.
“Yeah, but…” He looked up. His eyes met mine in something deep and intimate. “I also did it because I like you. And because I cannot bear you dating anyone else but me. Particularly not my brother.”
“I don’t know why you keep saying that. He isn’t even my type.” I blurted out the words before I could stop to think what I was saying.
“He isn’t?” Chase asked, his gloomy expression slowly lifting.
I shook my head. “No.”
“Then who is?”
I looked away, but not before a smile tugged at my lips.
We both knew it. No point in denying it. But I didn’t want to spell out the obvious either.
“Then why would you want to go out with someone other than me?” he asked.
My attention turned back to him, my breath coming out shallow. “Maybe because I was trying hard to move on from you.”
“Do you still want to, now that you know the truth?”
I swallowed.
Did I?
“Probably, yes,” I whispered. Was it the truth? I didn’t know. “But it doesn’t mean I haven’t developed feelings for you, too.”
His hand moved to the nape of my neck. Slowly, he leaned forward and his lips met mine.
Closing my eyes, I surrendered to his kiss.
He kissed me as if I was a delicate flower.
As if time had stopped.
As if he and I were the only people in the world.
His lips parted gently, silently urging me to deepen the kiss. And I did so willingly, letting his tongue explore my mouth.
I lay down on the bed, and his body moved between my parted legs. His hands began to roam over my body, trailing up the naked skin of my thighs as he pulled up my dress.
I stopped his hand, but only for a second. “Chase?”
“Hmm?” His eyes were hooded, mirroring my own lust.
“This will be the last time,” I whispered and arched my back, signaling that I was more than ready for him.
Chapter 17
For a moment, Chase stared at me, his eyes shimmering with desire intermingled with countless unspoken questions, as though he couldn’t believe my invitation. And then he began to undress me in a hurry, his hands flying over my body, squeezing beneath my clothes.
His lips started to kiss my naked skin, leaving a wet trail behind.