Chase flinches. It’s small, barely a twitch of his jaw, but I see it. He pushes off the door and paces into the living room, running a hand through his windblown hair. He looks like a caged animal, pacing the perimeter of his enclosure.
"I lied," he says, his back to me.
"To who? Me? Or him?"
He spins around, and the raw desperation on his face stops the breath in my throat. "I lied to my President because I wasn't ready to share the reality of you with the club. I’ve had my seed inside you, Cassandra. I’ve marked you. Admitting that out loud makes you a target, and I don't let anyone touch what I’ve already claimed."
He doesn't just walk over; he crowds me until my shoulders hit the cabin wall, his massive frame cutting off the light. His hands clamp onto my shoulders like iron bands, his thumbs digginginto my collarbones as he forces me to look up into that olive green, predatory stare.
"If I told Logan—if I told any of them—that I was compromising club business because I couldn’t breathe without you? Because the thought of you leaving makes me want to burn this whole town to the ground?" He shakes his head. "I couldn't look weak. Not with the expansion on the line. So I played the part. I talked like an Enforcer."
"So you sacrificed me to keep your reputation?" I challenge, my voice cracking.
"No." He growls the word, his thumbs digging into my collarbone, not hurting, but claiming. "I sacrificed my reputation to keep you. I thought if I played it cool, I could fix the permit issue fast, get the heat off us, and then... then I’d have you. For real. Without the timer ticking down."
I search his eyes, looking for the lie. But I don't see him. I see a man stripped bare, terrified and furious and aching.
"You called me a honeypot," I accuse softly.
"I called you the only thing that matters," he corrects, his voice dropping to a rough whisper. He steps closer, his hips bumping mine, forcing me back against the rough-hewn wall of the cabin. "When Oswald was in that room... when I saw the fear in your eyes... I realized I didn't give a damn about the permit. I don't care about the Outfitters. I don't care about the club's expansion."
He leans down, his forehead resting against mine. "I would have walked away from the patch today if it meant keeping you safe. Do you understand that, Cassandra? That is not a strategy. That is a surrender."
The fight drains out of me. My hands slowly uncurl and rise, finding purchase on his chest. I can feel his heart hammering against his ribs, a frantic rhythm that matches my own.
"You really lied to Logan?" I ask, needing to hear it one more time.
"I lied to my blood," Chase confirms, his lips brushing the shell of my ear, sending a sharp spark down my spine. "Because the truth was too dangerous to admit out loud."
"What is the truth?"
He pulls back, his olive green eyes locking onto mine. "The truth is that from the second I saw you in that town hall meeting, looking like an ice queen ready to cut my throat with a statute... I was done. It’s the pull, Cassandra. The crash. It hits you, and you don’t get back up."
My breath hitches. "The Thunderbolt?"
"Instinct. Fate. Whatever you want to call it." His hand moves up, cupping my jaw, his thumb brushing over my bottom lip. "I looked at you and I knew. You weren't a lawyer I had to beat. You were the other half of my soul I had to claim. The fake dating? The contract? That was just me buying time. Desperate, pathetic time to make you see me. To make you want me as much as I want you."
"I do," I whisper. "God, Chase, I do."
The words act like a match thrown into gasoline.
Chase growls, a low, primal sound that vibrates against my skin, and then his mouth devours mine. He isn't just kissing me; he's occupying me, his tongue thick and demanding as he forces meto submit to the taste of him. He tastes of whiskey, smoke, and an unyielding need to own every breath I take.
He slams his pelvis into mine, pinning me against the rough logs. I can feel the thick, heavy ridge of his cock pressing against my pussy through the thin wool of my skirt and the soaked silk of my thong. The friction of him against my slick barrier makes my pussy throb with a localized, aching need to be filled to the brim.
"Say it again," he demands against my lips, his hands gripping my hips so hard I know I’ll have his fingerprints as a permanent brand by morning.
"I want you," I gasp. "God, Chase, I want you."
"Good." He peppers kisses down the column of my throat, his teeth scraping the sensitive skin over my pulse. "Because I'm not letting you go. Not now. Not ever."
He pulls back just enough to look at me. His pupils are blown wide, swallowing the olive green. He rests his forehead against mine, his breath mingling with mine, harsh and ragged.
"So," I say, breathless, my hands still gripping his t-shirt to stay upright. "Where does this leave us? The contract is void if we’re... real."
Chase rests his hands on my hips, his expression turning serious. "The contract was void the minute I signed it. But the problem remains. Oswald is going to come back. And the town council is still looking for a reason to deny us."
"I can’t oppose you anymore," I say, the lawyer in me waking up. "It’s a conflict of interest now. A massive one."
