I nudged him. “Okay, moving on.”
“What’s the rule here? Are guys allowed inside your house?” Chase nodded toward the door.
“Yes, but only downstairs. You can’t go upstairs.”
“So, no full tour?” He made an exaggerated sigh. “Such a disappointment.”
I pushed his arm playfully. “You’ll have to live your fantasy in other ways.”
“Yeah, the only fantasy I’m worried about right now is getting you alone.”
Juliet coughed. “Okay, Cara, why don’t you go pack real quick.”
“Be right back. Please don’t run away screaming.” I kissed Chase’s cheek.
He smiled. “I’ll be here.”
By the time I made it back downstairs, Chase and my roommates seemed to be best buddies. I’m not sure if they’d ever made it inside, because they were out on the porch when I got back down. “What have I missed?”
“We just told him lots of embarrassing stories about you.” Juliet stuffed a hand in the pocket of her jeans. “Be impressed that he’s still here.”
“I guess that means he passed the test.”
“So far he’s a keeper.” Mallory leaned in to me. “And he’s hot, so have a good time tonight.”
Chase tried to hide a grin, but he wasn’t successful. He’d heard every word she said. He took my hand and led me back down the steps to his car. He opened the door, waiting for me to buckle before closing it.
He slipped into the driver’s seat. “All right. You’re finally mine again.”
“Oh? Yours?”
“Yup. Unless you have other roommates for me to meet.”
“No. Just those two.”
“Good. We have a little bit of a drive.”
“Uh, where are we going?”
“I wanted something quiet for tonight.”
“Meaning…” I felt a shiver of anticipation. Quiet with Chase sounded perfect.
“I thought you liked surprises.”
“When did I tell you that?”
“I guess you haven’t…I just assumed it by your personality.”
“Yeah… not exactly. I like to be prepared.”
“You’re prepared.”
We drove in near silence for a while. It’s funny, for a musician, Chase didn’t seem to listen to music much. Or maybe it was just around me. “Does the radio work?”
“Yeah. Why? Want to listen to something?”
“I was just surprised you didn’t have it on.”
“I never listen to music in the car—weird, I know.”
“Not weird, just different.”
“Let me guess, you’re the sing along to music as you drive person.”
“Absolutely.”
“Do it to my music ever?” He rested a hand on my leg.
“I need a CD or something to do that.”
“I’ll take care of that.”
“I’d also love a t-shirt.”
“A t-shirt?” He glanced at me strangely.
“I want a Chance of a Lifetime T.”
“You don’t seem like the oversized t-shirt kind of girl, but I’ll give you one later.”
“Why does it have to be oversized? Don’t you make them in cute girl sizes?”
He looked at me strangely. “No…”
“And you have a hot girl in your band.”
He laughed. “Jessa has never complained about our lack of ‘cute shirts,’ but I’m sure she would appreciate you saying that about her.” He made air quotes.
“I’ll have to talk to her.” There wasn’t a chance I was going to do that. The girl referred to me as fuck and run. She terrified me.
“She’s been asking about you. My whole band has been.”
“Yeah? Wondering what exciting exploits I’m up to now?”
He laughed. “Something like that.”
We discussed the importance of cute t-shirts, and before I knew it, we were pulling off onto a side street. “A friend of Riley’s owns this place. He never uses it this time of year, so he didn’t mind us borrowing it tonight.”
I gazed out at the row of small homes. “A cottage on the beach. That definitely beats a hotel.”
“I came by earlier to drop off some food—so we should be set for the night.”
I unbuckled and opened my door. “Nice. You think these other cottages are empty?”
“Why?” He pulled my bag out of the back seat. “Already thinking about getting me naked on the sand again?”
“Yeah, no thanks. I’d prefer a bed this time.”
“I just want you. I really don’t care where.” He put his hands on my hips, dropping my bag to get full use of his hands. “I think you got even more gorgeous since I last saw you.”
“I’d tell you flattery won’t get you anywhere…. but it probably will.”
He brushed his lips against my ear. “Will it get you inside?”
“Yes.” I turned in his arms, letting him know I was ready.
We walked down the row of white, tidy cottages. I could hear the sound of the waves in the distance as I waited for him to unlock the door. We walked in, and he closed the door behind us, locking it before pushing me up against it. “Alone at last.”
I ran a hand down his chest. “I’m so glad you’re here.”
“So am I. It’s been way too long.” His lips went right to my neck as he used a hand to capture mine and pin them above my head. It was a more assertive move than I expected from him, and I liked it. “You’re not getting a wink of sleep tonight.”
“I’m not?” I pushed my body against his. “What am I going to be doing?”
“Me. You’re going to be doing me, babe.”
I laughed. “How long have you been waiting to use that line?”
He slipped his free hand under my long sleeve t-shirt and bra, cupping my breast. “A while.”
“Yeah?” The feel of his hand made the need so much worse. I’d been waiting for his touch for too long.
He unclasped my bra, releasing my breasts. He let go of my wrists long enough to pull my shirt over my head and to finish removing my bra. As soon as the material hit the floor, he had my hands pinned again. Shirtless, the position felt far more vulnerable. He continued undressing me, using his free hand to slowly slide down my jeans. He left them wrapped around my ankles. My panties followed my jeans. He pulled off his t-shirt as his eyes devoured my body. He still had my wrists captured, and my jeans and panties at my feet made them feel just as bound.