Submission: Guilty Pleasures #3 Read online

  He held me for a long time, saying nothing, just cradling me against his body. Slowly the shaking stopped. I struggled to sit up and he shifted next to me, pushing himself up against the head of the bed.

  He sat up suddenly, leaning over the side of the bed. He turned back to me, just as suddenly, pulling the blankets away from my body.

  “There’s blood on your clothes, Abby. Did he hurt you?” His voice was low, but urgent. He held me away from him, searching my face, my body, and a look of alarm on his face.

  I shook my head, stilling his hands. “No, Chase. It’s Jake’s. He broke the window on my car, cut his hand I guess. He grabbed at me, but I drove away.”

  Anger flashed in Chase’s eyes, deep and intense. I remembered the anger I’d seen in Jake’s eyes earlier tonight, anger directed at me, and I tensed in Chase’s arms. But when he spoke his voice was still calm.

  “I’m not angry with you, Abby.” His arms tightened around me, pulling me back against him. I rested my head on his shoulder, taking a deep ragged breath.

  “Can you tell me what happened?” He repeated the question he’d asked before.

  “I went to see Jake, went to his house.” I heard him draw a sharp breath.

  “You said I shouldn’t, that it wasn’t safe. But I couldn’t just talk to him over the phone.”

  “I know, Abby. I know.” His hand rubbed my arm.

  “Chase, he was...he really scared me.” I shivered, closing my eyes.

  He drew me even closer. I thought if he could, Chase would somehow pull me inside of him, if it would make me stop shivering.

  “I parked the car and got out, went to the house door. But he came out of the tower room, dressed in...well, dressed for a session. Wearing what he wore for our sessions.”

  Images of Jake, the first time we had a session, wearing nothing but those thin gray sweatpants, riding low on his narrow hips, his lean body moving gracefully around the tower room...his arousal so very obvious. Before he blindfolded me, leaving me with only my imagination.

  Seeing him tonight, in the same sweats he wore when he was with in session with me, coming from the tower...where Jane was. The betrayal was complete; he’d taken her back as his sub, and as his lover.

  I sighed. “And then, well, it got ugly. Jane was there. He tried to tell me he loved me, told me that he’d send her away.

  “He grabbed me, held me, pushed me against the door.” Chase was still rubbing my arm. He kissed the top of my head softly.

  “And all the while, she was watching, standing in the doorway. Smoking a cigarette, watching us fight.” My voice had gotten loud, the anger I’d pushed down finally coming to the surface.

  I turned to look up at Chase. “How could anyone do that? How could he betray us...me. Just like that? I don’t understand.”

  “I can’t answer that, Abby. And honestly, I don’t suppose he can either.”

  Chase sat with me until I started to fall asleep. I felt him pull the covers over me, his hands brushing the hair away from my face. He left the room, leaving the door open, the dim light from the hall spilling across the floor. I thought I heard voices, but I was too tired to care. I drifted into an uneasy sleep.

  It was a long time later when I felt the bed move, Chase’s scent, leather and hay, and him, washing over me as he crawled beneath the sheets. His hands went around my waist, pulling me against him, my back against his chest. The hall light was out, the room dark.

  He held me a long time but I knew he wasn’t sleeping. Finally I squirmed around, facing him.

  “What is it, Chase?” I reached out, touching his face in the dark.

  “Just thinking.” He shifted, rolling on his back, pulling me to him, my head finding that same safe comfortable place on his chest. I rested my hand on him, his skin warm beneath my fingers.

  “It’s been hard, hasn’t it? I’m sorry, Chase. I’ve put you through a lot. I never meant for any of this to happen.” I felt him sigh, his chest rising and falling beneath my hand.

  “Abby, it is what it is. Can’t change that, just like I can’t change my past.” He shifted, reaching to turn on the lamp by the bed. He looked down, tipping my face up to his.

  “Where does this leave us, Abby? I don’t want to be the default choice here. I’ve never liked being second in anything.”

  I met his gaze, the uncertainty in his eyes making my heart hurt.

  “Chase, you’re not. I went to Jake to tell him it was over, that his lying wasn’t something I could handle.” I sat up, reaching out to touch his face.

  “I love you, Chase Thomas.” I leaned over, kissing him hard.

  He pulled away, his eyes serious. “I love you too, Abby Phillips. But where are we with trust? Do we have enough here to keep this going?” There was hesitation in his voice.

  “I told you before, Abby, my past is my past. It’s not pretty. It’s who I was...not who I plan on being...not with you.”

  “I know, Chase.” I put my head back on his chest, idly running my hands over his skin.

  “I loved Jake. Or...I thought I did.”

  I felt him take a deep breath.

  “And your past is your past. It’s not your past I fell in love with; it’s the man I know now. The man who’s here with me.” I placed my palm flat on his chest, over his heart.

  “The man who loves me, even though I put him through hell.”

  His laugh was there, that familiar rumble that I felt more than heard. I smiled.

  “You know, the better the horse, the harder they are to break.”

  I swatted at his chest. “I’m not a horse!”

  Chase laughed, rolling me onto my back.

  “It was meant as a compliment. Some of my best friends are horses.”

  He leaned down, kissing me hard before pulling away. A smile played around the corners of his mouth.

  “You know, someone’s going to have to tell Celeste that she’s not first in my heart anymore.”

  I returned his smile. “Well, she’s your horse. I suspect if I tried, she’d bite me.”

  His smile deepened. “I suppose she would at that.”

  I ran my fingers over his lips.

  “It’s good to see you smile, Chase. It’s been a long time.”

  “And it’s been a while since I’ve seen a smile on your pretty face.”

  He buried his face in my neck, still smiling, his lips warm on my skin, kissing me softly, nibbling my earlobe, tracing a gentle trail down my neck.

  Lifting his head, he looked at me in the soft light.

  “And if I have anything to say about it, I plan to put a smile on your face and make sure it stays there. Starting now.”

  He moved over me, his body pressed against mine. I ran my hands over his chest, looking up into his eyes. I let out a long breath, relaxing for what seemed like the first time in weeks, letting go of all the confusion and doubt that had consumed me.

  “I like that idea. I like it a lot.”

  He held my gaze for a moment longer. “So this is it then? This is us...together?”

  I nodded my head. “This is us, Chase. Just us.”

  Just us together was so incredibly beautiful. Chase was gentle and slow, his lips and fingers tracing slow lines over my skin, trails of fire that joined and blended, lighting a blaze deep inside me. There seemed to be no moment where he wasn’t attentive to what I wanted...needed...without saying a word.

  When he entered me, it was every coming together we’d ever had, magnified. He held himself above me, his body warm, his scent filling my nostrils.

  I ran my hands down his strong back, over the smooth skin, over the strong curve of his ass, leaving my hands on the sides of his hips, in that place where I could feel his muscles moving as he flexed his hips forward, slowly driving himself into my accepting body.

  He held my face between his hands, his eyes never leaving mine, as he rocked himself back and forth. I was lost in the depths of his brown eyes, not really aware of anything but the heat
of his body and the feel of his cock filling me.

  I saw him smile, and I smiled back. “What?”

  He kissed my forehead. “You. You’re humming. I’ve never heard you do that before.”

  “I don’t think I’ve ever been this relaxed before.”

  He cocked an eyebrow. “You’re not supposed to be “relaxed”. I must be doing something wrong.”

  I shook my head. “No, Chase, what you’re doing is exactly right.”

  And he did do everything exactly right, for a very long time. I soon gave up humming for short cries, exchanged those for screams and moans, as Chase took me on this journey with him.

  When I came, the first time of many, I clung to him, my body far from relaxed, every muscle taut, pulling me toward my release. He held himself above me, his own climax held back, letting me toss and thrash beneath him. I felt like my body wanted to rise off the bed, the only thing keeping me from flying away Chase’s weight.

  I finally opened my eyes, looking up at him. There was a smile on his face. I traced the corner of his lips with my fingers.

  “Hey...thank you.” My voice was soft, a bit hoarse from screaming.

  He kissed my fingertips. “You’re welcome.” He hesitated, still watching me.

  I cocked my head. “What?”

  “You. And this...” He shook his head. His voice was rough when he spoke. I had the impression he was holding back tears.

  “This...where you go, where I send you. That I can give you this, just by being with you, by making love to you.” He shook his head.

  “What you do to me, Abby.” His eyes were soft. “What you do to me is the most wonderful thing a man could ask for.”

  And he buried his face against me then, his body tense, moving quickly inside me. And he took his release then, his body trembling, crying out as he filled me with his heat, his tears warm on my neck.

  It was a long time before we fell asleep, both of us unable to get enough of the other, both of us finally sensing there was nothing between us, nothing to keep us from loving one another.

  The sunlight through the windows woke me. Chase must have pulled the drapes open after he got up.

  I stretched, the cat grumbling as my feet unearthed him from the covers.

  “Get up, lazy cat. There are things to do...mice to catch, bugs to chase...all that nifty stuff you get to do here.”

  He looked at me, yawned and curled up on Chase’s side of the bed.

  “Who are you talking to?”

  Chase was leaning against the doorframe, jeans and shirt already slightly dusty, smelling vaguely of hay and horse.

  “The cat. Why are you up so early? And why didn’t you wake me?”

  I sat up in bed, holding my arms out to Chase. “Come wake me up...” I smiled, but Chase stood in the doorway.

  “Nope, not today. I have other plans...for you.” He crossed the room, pulling the blankets off the bed.

  “Come on, get dressed. I’ve got something to show you.”

  The barns were cool and shady in contrast to the blazing sun outside. I’d brought an apple for Celeste and she accepted it without hesitation. It had taken her a couple weeks to get used to me, but she seems to have forgiven me for replacing her in Chase’s heart.

  Chase led me down the row of box stalls to the other end from Celeste’s stall. There was an unfamiliar whiny and stomping coming from one of the stalls.

  “Did you get another filly for breeding?” Chase had bred Abby’s Smile recently so it seemed odd he’d have bought another so soon.

  “Not quite...” Chase being mysterious drove me nuts.

  “What is it? Or who is it? Another stallion?”

  He smiled, taking me by the hand. “Come on.”

  He opened the top half of the door to the last stall. There was a beautiful horse, a chestnut mare, looking around at her surroundings, obviously new to the ranch.

  “Well, what do you think?” Chase leaned on the door, looking at me, not the horse.

  “I think she’s a nice horse. You know I don’t know anything about horses though.” I turned to him.

  “Why ask me?”

  “Because she’s yours, Abby. I bought her for you, to ride, to pet, to feed apples to.” He pulled a shiny red apple out of his pocket, handing it to me.

  “Here. See how she likes you.”

  I was staring open-mouthed. “You bought me a horse?”

  Chase laughed. “Yes, Abby. It’s what I do. I buy horses. And I buy things for you. So, I bought you a horse.”

  The apple was cool in my hand. I held it out tentatively toward the horse. She ambled over, sniffed the apple and then bit it in half. She chewed contently for a moment before taking the rest from me. I reached out to pat her nose and she snorted against my hand, looking for another apple.

  “Well, I guess that’s a positive sign.” I laughed, the horse nosing my hand.

  Chase put his arm around my shoulder. “I want you to learn to ride so you’re comfortable around these things. Plus, you need something besides that mangy cat to keep you occupied.”

  He turned me to him. “I know it’s been a big adjustment, being out on the ranch so much. I wanted to give you something that made you feel you were part of the place, not just a guest. If you don’t like her, well, no harm done.”

  I hugged him hard. “I do like her. It’s just a big surprise, in more ways than one.”

  “You’ll teach me to ride?” I looked up at him.

  “You bet. Nothing will give me greater pleasure.” He kissed me, his lips on mine sending that familiar but delicious thrill through me.

  He broke away, looking down at me, his eyes dark. “I have an ulterior motive though. There are a whole bunch of places on this ranch we haven’t, well...“broken in”, which you can only get to on horseback.”

  I laughed. “Are you getting tired of having me in your bed already, Chase?”

  He smiled down. “Never.” He nodded at the horse.

  “You can name her if you like. She’s got a long pedigree name, but you can pick out something you like, something shorter.”

  The horse and I regarded each other for a moment.

  “Nawashi.”

  Chase’s eyebrows went up in surprise. “Really? And you know what that word means?”

  I nodded. “You bet. The Internet is my friend. I looked up what all that fancy knot tying you did to me is called. And the person who ties them. ‘Rope master’...”

  Chase laughed. “Okay. She’s your horse. It’s a rather unusual name though.”

  “I’m an unusual girl, I guess. That first night was a very important one for me though, because it’s the first night that we met and I want to always remember it.

  He pulled me against him. “I’d happily tie you up anytime you need to remember.” His eyes held his smile, but his voice grew serious.

  “I love you, Abby. For many, many reasons, but right now because you’d name a horse an obscure Japanese term that reminds you of being bound and tied.”

  His lips brushed mine, a lingering kiss following.

  “And I wouldn’t want it any other way.”

  ~ * ~ * ~

  About The Author

  Adriana Hunter writes stories for those who live to dream. Her stories run the gamut, from romance, fantasy, paranormal to captivating stories of seductive medieval nights, and wild, adult fairytales.

  If you are fascinated by unique tales Adriana will deliver on her promise to create spellbinding stories that will tantalize your senses and provoke your imagination.

  http://www.AdrianaHunter.com & http://www.SpicyTales.com

  From The Author

  I’ve been creating stories for as long as I can remember. My childhood was a difficult one and I found solace in the beautiful worlds’ and flawless characters that I would create. As I got older, realism set in and I discovered that the most captivating characters in my mind were the ones that reflected our true nature. Beautifully broken characters. Imperfec
t men that have to be unraveled layer-by-layer and complex women who are often desperate to hide the pain that burns inside of fragile hearts, and at times, threatens to possess them completely.

  I sincerely appreciate you as a reader and it is my hope that my stories take you on a journey that frees your spirit and gives you the chance to leave your troubles behind, if only for a short while. As someone who wants nothing more than to tell my stories, you truly mean the world to me, so thank you for making it possible for me to live my dream. Through this journey I’ve discovered the incredible healing power of opening up my heart and mind and bearing my truth to the world.

  Thank you so much for being an integral part of my journey.

  Adriana Hunter

  Connect with me @ http://twitter.com/spicytales

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