Bad Boy (An Indecent Proposal) (9 page)

I could
feel the waves of anger wafting from him.

“Chase.” I
let out a deep breath. “You don’t own me. You know that, right?”

“Right.” He
was being uncharacteristically monosyllabic as he forced a fake smile on his
lips. “What was I thinking? You should have told me you were going out with my
brother.”

My jaw
dropped, and my knees went weak. I felt as though someone had just pulled a rug
from under me.

“
That
was your brother?” I asked in
disbelief.

He nodded
and raked a hand through his hair.

His
beautiful, short brown that I loved so much.

“But…you…you
don’t look alike,” I stammered.

“Yeah. We
get that often.” His eyes narrowed on me and something hard flashed across his
face. “
Why
are you asking? Do you
want Kade’s number?”

I stared at
Chase, unable to digest what had just happened. My body felt numb, as though I
had just been pushed into ice cold water. A cold, slick layer of sweat covered
my body, making me tremble.

“Wait…” I
took a deep breath to calm the sinking sensation in my stomach. “
That
was Kade? Kade is your brother?”

“Yeah.” He
smiled grimly and grabbed my hand again. “The one and only.”

Crap.

My stars
really sucked.

“Chase.
Stop.” I yanked my hand out of his, forcing him to stop at the staircase. My
head spun, my throat closed in, and my breath came in short, shallow gasps. My
body tensed as my fingers touched his back. His shoulders were rigid, but he
turned to face me, his expression gloomy.

I planted
my feet into the floor to steady myself for another confrontation with him, and
dropped my hand.

I couldn’t
believe it.

Basically,
the guy I had tried to get a date with was my brother-in-law.

Really,
under what kind of frigging stars had I been born?

“Kade.”
Feeling faint, I almost choked on that word as I searched Chase’s angry face
for a sign that it was all a misunderstanding. “That was the name on the note.”

His eyes
narrowed and something flashed across his face again. Slowly, he closed his
eyes and muttered something that sounded like ‘fuck,’ but I couldn’t tell for
sure. His reaction confirmed my fears. He was still willing to lie to me. He
harbored no intention of opening up to me any time soon.

I had no
time for his bullshit. I had no more patience for hot guys and their mind
games.

Husband or
not, Chase Wright was the past. He had to go.

“Fuck you,”
I muttered and turned around.

His fingers
clasped around my upper arm, the iron grip sending an unpleasant sensation
through my arm, like my blood supply had been cut off.

“I know how
it looks, Laurie,” he said.

I turned
back to regard him, my gaze filled with daggers of ice.

“Do you?”
My voice started to rise as I pulled my arm out of his grip. “I think you have
no idea, in which case let me paint the picture for you. You had me followed
all the way from home.”

“No,
Laurie. No.” He shook his head vehemently and pressed his palm against his
chest, right where his heart was located. “I had no idea he was here.” He
caught my doubtful look. “Or that Kaiden had you followed.”

I crossed
my arms over my chest, shaking my head. “Kaiden? I thought his name was Kade.”

“Kade is
Kaiden’s nickname.” He blinked at my cold expression. “What?”

“Why should
I believe you?”

“Because
it’s the truth,” he said. “Trust me when I say I had absolutely no idea he was
here.”

I laughed.
I was ready to trust him all right. “He’s your accomplice.”

“Accomplice?”
His eyebrows rose ever so slightly at the word. “That’s a big word for my
brother, particularly since he always had my back.”

“I don’t
think there’s one more suitable, considering he’s probably the guy who called
you. Did he send you the pics that had our faces circled with a red marker or
will you pretend you don’t know who did that, either?”

“The pics?”
Confusion crossed his features. “You know they were from your stepfather,
right?” His eyes narrowed. “And what phone call are we talking about?”

I swallowed
hard as I realized that I had just blurted out the truth.

“Did you go
through my phone, Laurie?” Chase asked slowly.

For a
moment, I just stared at him. Of course, I could just deny it, but what was the
point? The things he had done were so much worse.

“Not on
purpose,” I said. “It rang, and I assumed it was my phone so I picked up.”

I eyed him
carefully, not sure why I felt guilty when it was the truth. Besides, I had
every reason to be angry
at
him, not
the other way round. There was no way I’d feel bad at stumbling over something
that had helped me realize the whole
fake
marriage was a
sham
.

Talk about
irony.

Oh wait…

“Are you
trying to change the subject right now?” I asked. “Because I can tell you it’s
not working. I—”

He pressed
a finger to my lips, cutting me off. “I believe you.” He cocked his head, his
lips twitching. “See how easy it is? That’s how I want our relationship to
be—trusting and forgiving, with a sprinkle of hope.”

Sprinkle of
hope.

Who talked
like that?

“Let me
guess, you want the whole ‘agree to disagree’ crap, too?” I asked, my voice
oozing sarcasm.

He smiled.
“Wow, you’re reading my mind now.”

I stared at
him, unsure if it would get me into prison if I slapped him real hard.

God, I had
never been one to condone violence, but just this once…just really hard…

“You’re
obnoxious, you know?” I said.

“Yeah. I
get that one a lot.”

I shook my
head, and, at last, his smile died.

“Okay.” He
sighed. “How about this, I need you to believe me. Is that better?”

I frowned.
“If that’s your attempt at saying sorry and at worming your way back into my
trust, you’re wasting your time. You know why they say never trust a liar? You
lie once, you lie again, and before you realize it, you have created a whole
bunch of them, not knowing what’s true and not, and it all goes down the drain,
because no one believes them anymore. Tell me one good reason why I should
believe you, Chase?”

“Point well
taken,” he said. “I admit I don’t deserve your trust. I married you for selfish
reasons. I can’t deny it started that way, but now—” He paused, letting
the last word linger heavy in the air. “—
now
that we’re married, I want a chance to explain.”

I shook my
head, my head reeling from his words.

“Wow,” I
said at last. “You’re unbelievable. That’s the shittiest reason I’ve ever
heard.”

“I know.”

I looked up
to meet a glint of amusement in his eyes. His face was clean-shaven, his mouth
soft. His lips looked deliciously kissable. My pulse sped up at the thought of
kissing him for the sake of it. Just to be close to him one more time.

His lips
twitched and his gaze lingered on my mouth for a bit too long, as though he
could read my thoughts and had a few of his own.

I sighed.
“Chase, when I say you’re unbelievable, it’s not a compliment. What you did is
despicable.”

God.

What was it
with this guy and his ego?

“I know,”
he said again. “I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t. So, do you want an explanation
or what?” Judging from the way his fingers tapped on his thigh impatiently, it really
had to be important.

I shrugged.
“There’s no point in fighting it anymore.”

“No, there
isn’t. Not if you don’t want me pestering you for the rest of your life.” He
gave a short laugh and his fingers brushed mine, the motion sending a jolt of
pleasure through me. “Come on, birdie, we’re late.”

“Late for
what?”

“Just go
with it.”

“Fine.” I
sighed, already hating the fact that I was caving in.

***

We left the
hotel. The sun was still high on the horizon, and it was insanely hot. My damp
hair dried in minutes, and a layer of sweat covered my skin. I fought the urge
to tie my hair at the back of my nape as I followed Chase to a string of shiny
cars.

At first, I
didn’t realize what was happening, until a man standing in front of a black
Lincoln Stretch Limousine greeted Chase and opened the doors for us.

My jaw
dropped.

Oh, my God.

I stopped
in mid-stride.

“What now?”
Chase turned to face me and gave an exasperated sigh.

“I said I’m
giving you a chance to explain.” I gestured at the car and the driver. “I never
agreed to a date.”

“I know
that.” He grinned. “But why shouldn’t we have some fun in a smooth ride while I
get to explain?”

“Fun?” I
raised my eyebrows.

I didn’t
want fun. I wanted an explanation or at least some form of proof that Chase
wasn’t the bad boy I imagined him to be. Another limousine pulled in. The
driver threw an anxious glance at Chase, muttering something in Spanish I
didn’t understand.

“It’s
bulletproof and safe,” Chase said when he caught my expression. “Come on, baby.
We’re in the way.”

His hands
moved to the small of my back—his fingers warm against the thin material
barely covering my skin—and he helped me in. Before I knew it, the doors
closed behind us. I was about to ask him to let me out when I turned around to
scan our surroundings.

“Oh, my
god,” I exclaimed, overwhelmed.

Wow.

Talk about
huge. Talk about awesome.

The
limousine was much bigger than I anticipated and completely modern. While I
used to travel in luxurious cars when I was a kid, and having a chauffeur
wasn’t new to me, I had never been in a limousine. It could easily host a whole
party of ten, or twelve, or fifteen.

There was
even a mirrored, illuminated bar with crystal decanters and wine glasses, and
at the farther end of the cabin there were two mounted LCD TVs. The gray carpet
under my feet looked soft, urging me to pull off my shoes and bury my naked
feet into the plush fabric. The expensive, cream, leather seats looked
comfortable enough to snuggle up with a good book.

Even from
where I was half-standing, half-hunched, I could smell the scent of the
expensive leather. At the rear end of the cabin more bottles of wine and wine
glasses were stacked on a side rack next to an aquarium. I took a seat next to
it and peered around.

“You like
it?” Chase’s voice said behind me as the limousine began to move.

“It’s
okay.” I shrugged, trying not to look too impressed. He had outdone
himself—maybe a little too much.

Because he wants something.

“They’re
Siamese fighting fish,” Chase said casually, and I realized I had been staring
at the fish.

“Beautiful,”
I said and sighed.

Above us,
the mirror ceiling shimmered in an array of nuances, giving the impression of a
starry sky. As if on cue, the color changed from a beautiful emerald green to a
royal blue.

“Red or
white?” Chase asked and began to busy himself at the bar. His handsome face
looked even more gorgeous under the blue light.

“Red.”

“Red it
is.” He pulled a bottle of red wine from the minibar and poured two glasses. I
realized the bottle had already been opened. Was it my imagination or had Chase
known my choice even before I answered, or why else would he have opened the
bottle to let it breathe?

“I never
agreed to this, you know?” I said casually as he handed me a wine glass and sat
down opposite from me, his knee brushing mine in the process.

Of all the
places where he could have sat, why did he have to choose the seat next to
mine?

“Relax,
Laurie. It’s just a ride I booked for the day.”

“For the
day?” I stared at him. “Chase.”

He cast me
a sideways glance and grinned slyly. “I promise you’ll have fun.”

The fun
part again.

My body
heated up as images of him touching me flooded my mind.

Was it
wrong to want him?

Behind
tinted windows and within the confined space.

Under the
starry sky, and to the sound of bubbling water.

Actually,
why did those things so important that they occupied my mind more than my
initial plan to find out what he was up to?

Because I
wanted to touch him, kiss him, have him inside me. I wanted to repeat the
experience that had left me panting his name.

As if
sensing my thoughts, Chase’s gaze brushed my mouth. My lips tingled from the
memory of his heated kisses.

My heart
fluttered and my heart rate spiked up.

I had to
change the topic before I did something stupid and he noticed just how much he
had gotten under my skin.

“Is that
why you wanted me to wear the red dress?” I asked quietly, turning my attention
to my glass.

“No, I was
actually pining for the blue one you’re wearing.” His words surprised me and I
looked up again. He took a sip of his wine, his eyes never leaving mine.

“What?”

“I knew
you’d choose the blue one if I so much as mentioned the red one. Plus, it’s my
favorite color.” He winked at me. “It’s been ever since I saw you in your
little nightshirt.”

He always
knew what to say—that ability had been my downfall.

My throat
choked up. The nervous bundle inside my stomach was back with a vengeance. My
skin burned.

Back at the
hotel, I’d had a sip or two of alcohol. Now I felt as though I needed an entire
bottle. It was the effect Chase had on me. He made me nervous, more so after
what had happened between us. The fact that he was sitting so close to me made
it all even worse.