The Pursuit (Capitol Love Series Book 2) Read online

  “Remember, no peeking,” she said as she slid onto the floor.

  She knelt between his knees and traced his muscled abs with her tongue as her fingers moved across his pecs and nipples then back down to his stomach, where she grazed the hot, hard erection pressing against his jeans. Chase’s sharp intake of breath made her smile, and she was impressed that he kept his promise not to peek. She undid her bra and dropped it to the floor and climbed back into his lap. She reached for his hand and cupped it to bare her breast and held it there while she leaned forward and kissed his neck.

  “Oh god,” he said, his fingers closing possessively over her breast.

  Then he twisted around and had her flat on her back in one effortless move. He hovered over her, looking at her half-naked body in the moonlight for a long moment until she stretched up her hands to touch his chest.

  “My turn,” he said, catching her wrists and guiding her arms up above her head. “Eyes closed.”

  Her heart was hammering in anticipation, and a moment later, she felt pastry filling on her lips and opened them to suck the sweet cream off his fingers, moaning in delight. A second later she felt something cold between her breasts, and then he was licking and sucking the creamy filling from her skin. She kicked her heels against the couch cushions and writhed until he finally closed his mouth over her nipple and sucked hard. She arched her back, and he slid one hand under her to guide her toward him and planted kisses in a line from her breastbone to the waistband of her skirt.

  She kept her eyes closed, her body alive with sensation as she anticipated what he would do next. He caught both her wrists in one hand and pinned them above her head as kissed her hard on the mouth and then his mouth was on her neck, hot and ravenous and moving lower to enclose each nipple in turn.

  “Chase,” she moaned.

  Then her eyes flew open and they both went still at the sound of footsteps on the front porch.

  “Are you expecting anyone?” he whispered.

  “No,” she whispered back.

  Whoever it was knocked on the door, which was a relief because it meant it wasn’t Carol or Savannah.

  “Is the door locked?” Chase asked.

  She tried to remember, but it seemed like ages ago since he’d walked in, fully clothed and a virtual stranger. “I don’t know.”

  He grinned. “Well, someone could get an eyeful,” he said as he unzipped her skirt and slowly, quietly pulled it down away from her hips.

  “What are you doing?” she protested.

  Without answering, he pushed her panties aside and slipped a finger inside her. She let out a yelp of surprise and pleasure, and he cupped his other hand lightly over her mouth. He leaned close, his finger going even deeper inside her, and she groaned but it was muffled by his hand.

  “Shhhhhh,” he whispered, his breath hot against her ear.

  Rayne felt herself getting wetter and realized she’d never wanted a man so much in her life. She flicked her tongue against the palm of his hand, which was still across her mouth, and he pressed down a little harder, and she licked and tugged at his skin with her teeth until he let out a low moan.

  She heard the sound of retreating footsteps outside, and he took his hand away from her mouth.

  “Upstairs,” she said breathlessly.

  “I’m not sure I’m ready,” he teased even as he let her slide out from under him.

  “Well,” she said with a sly smile, as she stood up. “I don’t want to make you do anything before you’re ready.”

  Standing in nothing but her panties, she held her hand out to him. Chase stayed where he was, taking her in, his eyes moving over her like a caress. “Goddamn, you are breathtaking,” he said.

  She pulled him to his feet and kissed his chest as she unhooked his belt then unbuttoned his jeans. He dug his fingers in her hair and tried to control his breathing as she slid his zipper down. She shoved his pants down his hips, careful to keep his boxers in place, and he exhaled in a slow hiss. After he’d stepped out of his jeans, she pushed him down on the couch and straddled him. He started to put his arms around her, but she shook her head.

  “Uh-uh. No touching. Remember?”

  She lowered herself onto him until she met his erection through the thin cotton of her panties. She started to rock, slowly at first, holding her body up and away from him, and watching him watching her, mesmerized. His gaze flicked from her face to her bare breasts to her crotch, and it was as thrilling as being caressed by him. She threw her head back and danced and bucked, never losing contact.

  “Ready yet?” she asked, looking him in the eye.

  “I’ve never been more ready for anything in my life,” he said.

  He put his arms around her and stood up, and she wrapped her legs around his hips and let him lift her as she forced her tongue between his teeth, smiling at the sharp intake of breath and the growl in his throat.

  She swung her feet down to the floor and took him by the hand then led him up the stairs slowly, turning around to kiss him every few steps and gently lifting his fingers away when they reached for her breast or hip. When they got to her bedroom, the moonlight was shining in through the open blinds brightly enough that she could see his face, flushed with desire. She grabbed a condom from her nightstand drawer, and he took it from her without a word. By the time she had stripped off her panties and laid down on the bed, he was naked and ready.

  She had a brief view of his gorgeous body before he joined her on the bed, and they collided in a tangle of arms and legs and he was inside her before she knew it. She breathed out a startled “oh!” at the explosion of pleasure that coursed through her body. Then he rolled onto his back, pulling her on top of him, and drew her face in for a kiss before gently pushing her upright.

  She smiled down at him as she rocked and twisted, and he squeezed her breasts and then pressed a finger to that hot button of desire, which only made her writhe more wildly against him, harder and faster until she let out a shriek and her whole body shuddered as she exploded in wave after wave of pleasure. She rocked against him hard, and he met her motion for motion until he bucked up against her, growled, “Oh god,” and let go inside her.

  She felt the hot release and collapsed against his chest. He wrapped his arms around her, brushed the hair from her face, and kissed her gently on the lips, breathing in deeply as though to inhale the scent of her.

  “That was even more amazing than I imagined,” he said.

  “Oh?” she teased as she snuggled against him. “Have you spent a lot of time imagining this?”

  “As a matter of fact, I have.” He ran his hand lightly down her bare arm then brought her fingers to his lips and kissed them.

  “How long?” she asked as she nuzzled his neck.

  He paused. “Since at least an hour ago.”

  She swatted at his chest, and he pulled her tighter, and she suddenly felt all the fatigue and tension drain away. She was totally at ease lying naked beside him and not even interested in what the morning would bring.

  She dozed off in his arms and awoke moments, maybe hours later. It was still dark out, and his hand was warm against her stomach and his breath was hot on her neck and then she was kissing him and he was kissing her back. They made love again, hot and fast. The third time, they slowed down.

  Chapter 9

  Chase opened his eyes to sunlight streaming in through an unfamiliar window. In a second, it all came back to him—the whole glorious night. He’d been with his share of women, but nothing had ever come close to what he’d experienced with Rayne last night. Grinning as he pondered round four, he rolled over to snuggle her, but she wasn’t there.

  The door was wide open, and he could hear her moving around downstairs so he got up and pulled on his boxers. On his way down, he found his jeans slung over the
railing and paused to put them on. He continued into the living room, where he found his shirt draped across the back of the couch. He pulled it on as he headed for the kitchen, where Rayne had her back to him as she filled a tea kettle at the sink.

  “Morning, sexy,” he said from the doorway, his voice hoarse with sleep.

  She squeaked in surprise and spun around to face him.

  “I didn’t hear you get up,” she said.

  She was wearing a yellow terrycloth bathrobe, and he was wondering what, if anything, she was wearing under it. Intent on finding out, he started to move toward her, but when she quickly turned back to the sink, he felt a little flicker of uncertainty and stopped.

  “Everything OK?” he asked.

  “Yeah, of course. It’s fine,” she said as she turned on the burner under the kettle. “We’re all out of coffee, but I’ve got tea. And eggs. Unless you’d prefer some leftover quiche. I could heat it up—”

  As she babbled, Chase closed the distance between them in a few strides, put his hands on her shoulders, and turned her toward him. Then he kissed her on the lips.

  “Chase, I think we—”

  “Could I take you out to dinner tonight?” he asked as he linked his hands loosely around her waist.

  “You mean, like a date?”

  Chase looked down at her flushed face and tousled hair and fought the urge to scoop her up and take her right back to bed.

  “Well, yeah. That’s what people do when they’re dating,” he said, tucking her hair behind her ear. “They go on dates.”

  “Are we dating?”

  “I certainly hope so.”

  She stepped away from him, and his heart went a little cold because she wouldn’t look him in the eye.

  “It just feels...weird,” she said.

  “What does?” he asked, trying to keep his voice steady.

  “Not being able to tell my best friend that I hooked up with an amazing guy because I know she won’t be happy for me.” She glanced at him and then away. “It makes me think this isn’t a good idea.”

  He fought to keep his frustration in check. He ached to touch her, but he sensed that would be the wrong move. Instead, he leaned a little sideways to put himself in her field of vision.

  “This is between you and me, Rayne. It’s got nothing to do with Savannah or Colin or Crystal or anyone else. Just you and me.”

  She smiled but still managed to look sad. And tired. “I wish it were as easy for me as it is for you.”

  He straightened up, and she must have seen the hurt in his face because she rushed to continue. “I wasn’t trying to insult you. I just meant that our friends aren’t as important to you as they are to me. Oh god, I’m making it worse.”

  He started to back away. “If you’re regretting last night, just say so.”

  She put her hand on his arm. “No, I don’t regret it. I’m just thinking maybe we should take it slow.”

  He gazed at her, thinking slow could be good, he could work with that, when the tea kettle burst into a high-pitched whistle. She moved away from him to turn off the burner. He followed and put his arms around her from behind and hugged her to him, kissing her ear. To his surprise and pleasure, she relaxed back into him.

  “We can go as slow as you want,” he said, nuzzling her neck. “All I ask is that you give it a chance before you make up your mind. And that you leave everyone else out of it.”

  She twisted around in his arms to face him, looking much friendlier now. “Fair enough. But I’m having dinner with Savannah tonight.”

  He smiled. “Then another night. Whenever you want.”

  “OK.”

  “And what are we doing about Savlin?” he asked, using the merged version of Savannah’s and Colin’s names that drove them crazy.

  She smiled but didn’t answer right away. Instead, she studied him for a long moment, and his heart beat a little faster, afraid of what her answer might be and wishing he knew how to read her expressions better.

  “I say we keep this between us for now,” she said. “And cool things off until we get through this fundraiser. OK?”

  He nodded slowly. Waiting wouldn’t be easy, especially since it was making whatever was going on between them start to feel like more than a fling, but he didn’t want to think about that now. He had something more pressing on his mind.

  “You mean cool things off starting tomorrow, right?” He tilted her face up and kissed her on the mouth, letting his hand stray to the belt of her bathrobe.

  “Chase—” she started to say, but he gave the belt a tug and slipped his hand inside. He felt bare skin and breathed in with a sigh—and smiled when he heard the breath catch in her throat.

  “Breakfast in bed?” he asked in a soft voice.

  A thrill went through him when she put her arms around his neck and whispered yes in his ear.

  A couple hours later, they stood in the living room, fully clothed, and Rayne wrapped her arms around Chase for a good-bye kiss.

  “Still a hard no on dinner tonight?” he asked as he slid his hands down to squeeze her ass through the snug yoga pants she’d tossed on before walking him to the door. “That thing I did before, with the swirl and the biting, that didn’t change your answer by any chance?”

  Rayne grinned and kissed his jaw. “Sorry, no. But if you keep working on it, maybe next time—” She yelped in surprise as Chase suddenly picked her up.

  “You didn’t seem to think it needed work an hour ago,” he said as pressed her up against the wall next to the door then let her slide down the length of his body until her feet touched the floor.

  Laughing, Rayne wrapped her arms around his waist.

  “But I do like the part where you talk about next time,” he said, brushing her hair behind her ear.

  Her face turned a serious. “Me, too. But we agreed to wait until after the gala, remember?”

  Chase nodded slowly. “I’ll do my best to keep my hands—and mouth—off you until then.”

  “It’s only three weeks,” Rayne reminded him as she ushered him out the door.

  “I’ll be counting the days,” Chase called over his shoulder as he walked down the porch steps.

  Three weeks was a hell of a long time to wait, and he didn’t want things to go cold between them, so Chase took every opportunity to keep the heat simmering. A few days later, he stopped by her office to take some photos of the building, and afterward, he walked into her office and shut the door behind him and swept her up into a kiss before she could protest. And though she was shocked at first, she kissed him back, and he was seriously wondering whether her bathroom door had a lock on it when she finally broke away.

  “Is that you cooling things off?” she asked as she tried to put her hair and clothes back in order.

  He leaned against the edge of her desk and watched her. “You and I might have different definitions of ‘cool.’ And you look fine, by the way. Better than fine.” He reached for her hand, but she snatched it away at the sound of someone knocking and then opening the door.

  Sheila stood in the doorway. “Oh, I’m sorry! I didn’t realize you were busy.”

  Chase said, “It’s fine. I was just leaving. I’ll email you the photos I just took, Rayne.” Then he winked, she blushed, and he sauntered out the door. Mission accomplished.

  A week later, Rayne stopped by Zipped to talk to Colin about the catering for the gala and was a little thrilled—and nervous—when she spotted Chase at the far end of the bar. He waved hello, and she responded with what she hoped was a friendly but casual smile. She’d specifically come in the early afternoon when Savannah would still be at work. Rayne had been avoiding her as much as possible because she wouldn’t be able to lie if Savannah asked a direct question, and Savannah always knew when Rayne had a secre
t.

  Now she realized that if Colin figured it out, it would be the same as telling Savannah but worse because she’d be hearing it from Colin. Rayne’s head was spinning, and she prayed that Chase would keep his promise and behave himself.

  “Rayne! Where have you been hiding?” Colin asked as he slapped a cocktail napkin in front of her and started fixing her a club soda with lime.

  “Hiding? Why would I be hiding?” Rayne asked with a nervous laugh.

  Behind Colin’s back, Chase caught her eye, gave a little shake of his head, and mouthed the word “relax.” She took a deep breath and reached into her bag for her notebook.

  “Have you had lunch yet?” Colin asked, standing poised at the register.

  “No, but—”

  “No buts. Kale and cranberry salad with organic chicken sound good?”

  Knowing it was useless to protest, Rayne nodded. After Colin finished typing in her order, he came over and leaned on the bar in front of her and said, “All right, hit me. What do you need and how much of it do you need?”

  “I can’t tell you how much we appreciate you donating all the food,” she said. “It’s going to be a huge piece of why this event is successful.”

  Colin waved away the compliment. “Just give me the numbers, kid. I can’t let my good-for-nothing brother contribute more than me to this event. I have a reputation to uphold.”

  From down the bar, Chase called out a muffled “Hey!” around a mouthful of burger. Colin ignored him, keeping his eyes on Rayne.

  “Well, we’re estimating about two hundred people, although we can give you firmer numbers in about a week,” she said, consulting her notes. “We’d like a bar and appetizer stations spread throughout the house to make sure people move around and see everything. Crystal is going to provide the desserts and coffee service, so you don’t have to worry about that.”