Page 21 of Hard To Love

Chapter Six

Chase fumbled with his keys, as he balanced me with his other arm, trying to keep me from falling flat on my face.

The real estate girl in me took over the second we stepped into his massive apartment. Everything screamed first class, as we made our way through the gourmet kitchen, which was surrounded with sub-zero stainless steel appliances and accented with a detailed mosaic backsplash.

My legs wound their way around the L shaped breakfast bar that led into a huge great room with long-paned windows along the back wall. They exposed a breath-taking view of Central Park. In spite of the alcohol, I was immediately able to calculate that we were sitting in some incredibly expensive Manhattan real estate.

I found myself wondering if he designed this look himself, as my fingers trailed along the rich, comfortable brown leather furniture. My head tilted to the left, and even in my fuzzy state of mind, I could tell that this was the work of a professional.

My curiosity was piqued when I spied a long hallway leading to the rest of the apartment. My body pulled away to explore on my own, but I ended up bumping my leg into a beautiful hand-crafted table instead.

“Oh, no you don’t.” He laughed while grabbing my wrists. “I’m not letting you fall down and break your neck in my apartment.”

His six-foot frame had me tilting my head back to get a better look at him. Even in the dim lights of his apartment, I could see that he was the kind a man that you did not let slip through your fingers. He was the type that you would sell everything you owned, for just one night with him. He was the golden ticket that every woman wanted to claim, and with the way his smoldering eyes raked over me, it felt I had hit the jackpot. And I was ready to collect my winnings.

Grabbing him by the shirt with my fist, I stood on the tips of my toes so our lips could connect. By the way his eyes widened, I smiled to myself liking the way I had taken him by surprise.

Playfully, my teeth pulled on his bottom lip as my hand flattened on the back of his neck, pulling him further into me.

His hands glided along my curves and over the smoothness of the silky material of my dress. The feeling of his mouth scraping over my neck as I tilted it to the side had my heart thundering against my chest.

My clumsy hands grabbed the collar of his custom-made shirt, ripping it open with one hard tug, causing the buttons to scatter to the floor.

He seized my wrist, his chest heaving as if he was fighting for control. “Well, aren’t you just full of surprises?”

I could see the approval in his eyes, perhaps sensing that I wasn’t the timid little creature he thought I was when we first met.

A smile stretched across my face, proud of my newfound assertiveness. Even though it was fueled by the many drinks I had earlier in the night. Up until now I always thought these feelings only happened in the pages of my romance books.

Consumed by the heat of the moment, I instinctively reached for his belt. His body stiffened as he captured my hands with his.

“Whoa!” He took a step back, seeming out of breath. His voice was strained as he spoke. “I’m a man who only has so much control, sweetheart. Please don’t test it. We need to stop now, before I lose it.”

My hands stilled instantly letting his words settle in while I felt the hot passion leave my body only to be replaced by cold, hard frustration. Thoughts of inadequacy and stupidity raced through my head. I blinked in confusion.

“Don’t you want this?” I asked, slowly backing away from him. I was completely confused by his sudden lack of interest. It seemed impossible that one moment in your life could go from being so good to so bad, so quickly.

Sensing the incredible momentum shift between us, he firmly held my hands and waited until I could muster the courage to look him in the eyes.

“Emily, I want you more than I have wanted anything in my life.”

While the heaviness in my heart started to lift, I was still very confused and hurt. Stumbling backwards, I managed to say, “I don’t understand.”

He pulled my body in close, staring directly into my eyes. I blinked to help bring his beautiful face into focus. “Listen closely. When I take you, and I will take you Emily, you will be very alert and you will remember every detail. I can promise you that you will not forget one second of it.”

I stood there looking at him, unsure of how to respond. My brain was alternating between unbalanced and exhausted. “Why did you bring me back to your apartment?” My eyes glanced around the room wondering how I could have misread the situation.

With a deep sigh, he seemed to ponder that thought for a beat. “I wanted to make sure you were taken care of and I wasn’t comfortable sending you home with all those people.”

He said it like he didn’t approve of my friends, which irritated me slightly. As the heat of the moment started to pass, I decided that I wasn’t in the right frame of mind to have this conversation with him right now, not to mention, that the sting of his rejection had left me speechless.

He silently led us straight to his bedroom and pulled me down on the edge of his bed. I pulled my hand from his and crossed my arms across my chest feeling like a kid that just got her candy taken away from her. This had him raising his eyebrow in silent amusement.

“I’m just going to freshen up before bed.” I sighed, stood up and headed toward the bathroom. His strong arms wrapped tightly around my waist as he tried to guide me across the room. “Oh, no. I can do this myself, thank you very much.”

I shook my head and unclasped his hands that were resting firmly on my hips. If he wasn’t planning on using those hands on me tonight, I didn’t see the need for him to keep them there.

His lips started to curl into a smile, letting me know that he was on to me. “Don’t pout. I promise the reward will be worth the wait.” He quietly laughed while pressing a kiss to my forehead.

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