“Mmmm, I know, beautiful.”
She lost sight of him as he dropped to one knee. He pulled on the crotch of her shorts firmly, and she felt him move the barely-there fabric over to one side, exposing her warm and wet sex to him. She stared at herself in the mirror, seeing the foreign wild look in her eyes. Then she saw nothing but darkness when he tongued her slit, tickling his way down to her clit. She moaned, riding the pleasure.
“Fucking hell, Harper.” He slapped her ass twice, then rose and yanked down her jean shorts and panties.
Reaching around her, he opened the top drawer in the bathroom cabinet, taking out a condom from the box there. When he stepped in behind her, his eyes on hers in the mirror, he began unbuckling his belt. There was something there in their depths that made her feel more wanted than ever before in her life. The way he craved her, lusted after her, was something raw and real and insanely beautiful.
Once his jeans hit his ankles, he ripped the condom wrapper open then sheathed himself. His potent gaze returned to hers when his hand held her bottom, the tip of his cock pressing against her soft folds. She was more than ready for him. He entered her slowly, pulling back a bit before he slid all the way inside.
She could not take her eyes off his intense expression through the mirror. The way he watched her. How her body excited him. His desire flooded her with heat while his cock slid in and out, stroking her perfectly, hitting the right spot over and over again, making her moan.
“I wish you could see what I see,” he growled, glancing down. “Goddammit, girl.”
Pleasure blinded her when his thrusts began to pick up speed. She imagined what he saw—his thick cock disappearing inside her. The image only fueled the pleasure, intensified by the way he wanted her. How crazy she obviously drove him. And it made her crazy too. Because this was pure lust, a buildup of wanting something so badly and the satisfaction in the win. Every clench of his jaw and deep moan that he gave spoke of his longing finally being filled.
A force she could not ignore pulled them together. His gaze found hers in the mirror again. This was a statement of ownership, for both of them, and something so much more meaningful than that. With his shirt in place, his hands digging into her hips, he pumped his h
ips in a rhythm that was hard and dirty and exactly what she wanted, and more.
She tried to stare into the contained strength in his eyes, but he began driving into her faster now, every thrust filling her perfectly, sending her up onto her toes. The rising euphoria forced her eyes closed. She free-fell into the pleasure Chase offered and in the statement he was making right now.
She might not be his forever.
But she was certainly his for right now.
And that was perfectly fine with her.
Chapter 7
On the morning of the inspection at the guest ranch, Chase woke well before sunrise. When Harper had finished working at the Spurs and had crawled into his bed a few hours before sunrise, he had recalled waking enough to gather her into his arms before drifting off to sleep. Part of him wished he was still there with her now. The other part of him could not have stayed in bed a minute longer. Three months of hard work had led to this day.
Knowing he would do nothing but wake her by fidgeting around his house and making noise, he fed Houdini then gave him the insulin shot before driving to the ranch, his headlights guiding his way. After he cut the ignition in the driveway, he watched the sun rise over the mountain peaks with Houdini lying on the passenger seat next to him. With a sigh, he leaned his back against the seat, taking this moment all to himself.
Along the way he had done everything right, not rushing his career path. He had gone to the right college for business, following in Shep’s footsteps. He had been mentored by Joel, getting the hands-on experience he needed. And he saved for over ten years to put himself in a good financial position. Years of dreaming about heading up his own construction build was not a dream anymore; it was a reality.
Damn, that felt good.
Once the sun rose higher in the sky and brightened up the day, showing the horses grazing in the pasture off to the left side of the farmhouse where the barn also stood, Chase exited the truck, placing Houdini gently on the grass. With the puppy running around the grounds, he set to examining each cabin and the comfort station for his own peace of mind that everything was perfect.
By the time the building inspector’s truck came driving up the driveway, Chase was confident of the work he and his team had done there. He quickly scooped up Houdini, who was attacking the grass and chewing it, then watched the inspector park his truck.
Once he exited and reached Chase, the tall and lanky man held a clipboard with papers in one hand and offered the other. “Chase Blackshaw?”
Chase nodded. With Houdini in one hand, he returned the handshake. “Todd Hackney?” He had learned the man’s name from the receptionist who called him from the city to set up the appointment.
“Yup.” Todd reached for a pen from the front pocket of his shirt.
Chase studied the man there to inspect his work. Likely in his early forties, Todd looked oddly familiar. He wore a black T-shirt slightly too small for him, with dark jeans and a big gold belt buckle. His tan-colored cowboy hat looked too clean. His cowboy boots were too shiny. He clearly did not spend much time outside.
Todd flicked his pen. “All right, let’s see what you’ve got here. It’ll take me a couple hours to get through the inspection. Feel free to hang around, or I can call you when I’m done.”
Houdini wiggled in Chase’s arms, so he set him down. “I’ll stick around.”
“Sounds good.” Todd gave an honest smile then strode forward, clipboard in hand. The puppy chased after him, giving a loud bark. Todd stopped to stroke Houdini’s back before continuing on toward the comfort station.
Right as Todd disappeared inside, Chase’s cell phone beeped. He grabbed his cell from his pocket, discovering a text from Harper.
I just woke up. You’re not here.