Years of therapy, self-development, and of course, discovering the people and activities who brought joy into her life, had brought Reagan out of being a shy teenager and into a sassy adult who was able to put on a powerful image of a confident, sexy woman. But underneath that façade was the real Reagan, the one she was slowly revealing to Chase. The woman who doubted her dreams and abilities, who was overly critical of her appearance, and didn’t believe herself to be worthy of true love. The woman Reagan desperately wanted to leave in her past so that she would be free to live into her future.
“Chase, take me inside.”
She saw his eyes flash with lust and something else, something she was not ready to acknowledge. Then Chase climbed out of the car, and strode around to her side, opening the door to help her out. Together they walked inside, and when she turned the lock on her front door, he took control of the moment, pushing all of Reagan’s worries out of her mind.
Chase guided her into her bedroom, kissed her, then prowled around the room. He closed her drapes, blocking the light coming in from outside. Then he turned on a lamp in the corner that bathed the room in a warm glow, and turned down her duvet. Only then did he come back and take Reagan’s hand and walk her gently to the side of the bed. He pushed her to sit down, and she complied without hesitation. When it came to their physical connection, there was no denying what was between them.
He knelt down between her legs and placed his hands on her knees before looking her straight in her eyes, with a gaze that pierced her soul.
His voice was a low rumble when he said, “Let me worship you, Reagan. Let me show you with my body and soul what you mean to me. Maybe then you’ll have an easier time believing the words.”
* * *
Sunday morning, Reagan awoke tangled in Chase’s arms. She was naked, something that had never happened with any of her ex-boyfriends. She had always been too self-conscious and had pulled on a sleep shirt. But Chase had done exactly as he had said yesterday, more than once. They had spent the afternoon lounging around her place, enjoying each other over and over again until finally they both collapsed into a boneless sleep. Now she could feel the hard heat of Chase’s body against hers, his heart beating steadily underneath her ear. His head was turned away but the rise and fall of his even breaths told her he was still asleep. She took the opportunity to let herself just feel the sensations of being naked with a man. Somehow Chase was breaking down all of her barriers, all of her defenses and making her feel like a seductive woman. The sense of power that came with this newfound confidence was fragile but filled her with hope. Hope that Chase would always see her as the beautiful woman he told her she was, and hope that she would continue to believe it herself.
He stirred underneath her, his head turning slowly so that his lips could find her skin. His gentle kisses on the top of her head brought a smile to her face. It felt so natural, so comfortable to be in his arms like this, waking up together.
“Morning, beautiful,” he rumbled, his voice heavy with sleep.
Reagan turned and pressed a kiss to his torso, where her head had been resting on his muscled chest.
“Good morning. For a guy with solid muscle, you make a pretty decent pillow.”
Chase laughed, then without a word of warning, flipped Reagan onto her back and reared up over her.
“Happy to accommodate your pillow needs any time, Red,” he replied, with a smirk. “Now, there’s something I need to do. A favor I need to repay…” With that, Chase flipped the covers up over his head and moved down between Reagan’s legs.
She gasped when his hands gently but firmly pushed her legs apart, and his fingers ran up the inside of her thighs. The answering rush of heat to her core said more than words could just how turned on she was.
“Goddamn, you drive me crazy, woman,” Chase said, his voice muffled by the blanket.
Reagan’s body moved, her hips undulating, desperate for his fingers to move closer to her sex. “If you want to talk about driving someone crazy, I think I know a thing or two about that.”
Chase’s head popped up with a sexy grin. “Oh, I’m sorry, am I teasing you, Red?”
She glared down at him, but quickly dissolved into a smile at the sight of his rumpled hair, twinkling eyes, and satisfied smile. She flopped her head back on the pillow and reached a hand down to the back of his head. “Yes, Chase, you are.”
“Well, if you would stop talking, I could get to work.” Came his laughing reply.
Reagan tightened her fingers in his hair and mock growled in response. His laugh was thankfully short as he dove into her with his fingers and mouth, turning her growl into a moan within seconds.
Chase was a master with his tongue, alternating between long sweeping licks from end to end, and sucking on her clit with just enough pressure to skyrocket Reagan toward her orgasm. His long fingers played her like he was playing his guitar, with skill and precision.
Moments later, far too soon for Reagan’s liking, she felt the unmistakable surge of arousal flood her body. Her back arched, hands gripping Chase’s hair so tightly it was a wonder she didn’t pull any hair out. He sped up his movements and at just the right moment, when the peak of sensation seemed to be almost too much for Reagan to bear, he curled his fingers to just the right angle to make her explode.
When she came down from the high of climax, she became aware that Chase had crawled up the length of the bed and was stretched out beside her, one hand propping his head up, the other lightly stroking her from hip to shoulder. He had a very satisfied smile on his face, and a soft, affectionate look in his eyes.
“God, you’re amazing, Reagan.”
Reagan sighed. “Normally, I would agree. But you did all the work that time, Chase, and you did it well.”
Chase’s head fell back with laughter in response. “Oh, Red, why the fuck did we wait so long to do this?” Then he leaned down and kissed her softly on the lips before he sat up. “Now, time for some real food, then I’d better get going. If I’m meeting the parents tonight, I need to get some shit done today. What do you want for breakfast, babe?”
Reagan watched him climb out of bed, pull on his jeans and walk out of her bedroom. He was so comfortable in her home, it was easy to envision him being there all the time. “Slow down, sister,” she whispered to herself. “Too soon. Way too soon.” Needing to move on from that tempting idea, she quickly got dressed herself and went to join Chase in the kitchen.
After a quick breakfast of fruit salad and scrambled eggs, which Chase declared incredible with Reagan’s secret addition of a sprinkle of seasoning salt, he left to go and run some errands. Reagan pulled out her phone to text Callie. Some time with her best friend would hopefully help her get her head into the right place.
REAGAN: I hope you’re not working today. I need you. Can we meet for a run? (Haha. A walk. With coffee.) I need to talk.
