Author: Bella Andre

Chase turned to see Ellen standing beside him. He’d been utterly enraptured watching Chloe dance with the models.

But it was more than beauty that made it impossible for him to take his eyes off her.

Day by day, minute by minute, she was transforming. She’d already been a butterfly, even standing on the side of the road, dripping wet with that horrible bruise marring her soft skin. So it wasn’t that she was emerging from her cocoon.

Rather, the colors on her wings were growing brighter, more magnificent, as the burdens, the fears she’d been carrying, fell away piece by piece.

“Inside and out,” he agreed.

Ellen remained by his side, both of them watching the dancing. Surprisingly, this was the first time he’d run into her during the shoot. Almost as if she’d made sure to stay out of his way.

Feeling bad about the way he’d stood her up that first night, he said, “I really am sorry about—”

She put her hand on his arm and her touch felt strange. Wrong. The song ended and when Chloe looked over and saw them standing together, her expression tightened, narrowed. Ellen quickly dropped her hand and waved. “Hi, Chloe!”

Chase watched Chloe’s mouth turn up into a smile that wasn’t entirely real as she moved toward them.

“Hmm,” Ellen said, “she looks mighty possessive of you.”

Chase didn’t have time to tell her it was mutual before Chloe was there with them.

“Hello, Ellen.”

Ellen smiled at her. “Wow, you have really gorgeous hair.”

Chloe blinked, clearly surprised by the compliment. “Thanks.”

The late afternoon breeze whipped up, blowing a strand across her face. Chase reached out, slid his fingers through the silken strand as he tucked it behind her ear.

He felt her breath catch more than heard it as their eyes locked. He’d waited all day to touch her again, for the chance to fill up his senses with her softness, her sweet scent, her innate sensual responses. Her hand came up to cover his, holding his palm against her cheek in an instinctive reaction to his touch.

Until Ellen broke the spell by asking, “How have the two of you enjoyed being here this week?”

Chloe dropped his hand like he had the plague and a faint blush stained her already flushed cheeks. Clearly, she’d only just realized she and Chase had been holding on to each other in front of Ellen.

“It’s been like living inside a fairy tale,” she said softly. She gestured out across the gently rolling mountains, covered in even green rows. “It must be marvelous coming to work here every day.”

Ellen nodded. “It’s pretty great. Except for when we get a bridezilla in, demanding to know why the grapes aren’t in fuller bloom for her big day. But really, that’s the only time it kind of sucks.”

Chase was glad to hear Chloe chuckle, her discomfort at seeing Ellen again—and accidentally touching him in front of the other woman—receding.

He liked seeing that possessive glint in her eyes. Loved it, actually. He doubted she even realized it was there—and that she’d continually been moving closer and closer to him, unconsciously staking her claim in front of a possible rival.

She might have repeatedly told him she couldn’t be with him, but that was her head talking. Her heart seemed to know better.

He knew better, too.

“Marcus wanted to be here to say goodbye to everyone, but he was called into the city suddenly,” Ellen told them. “He sends his apologies.”

Chase had a bad feeling about his brother’s frequent trips to the city. He’d always tried to keep an open mind about Marcus’s girlfriend, Jill. But Chase had never been all that crazy about her. None of the Sullivans were. Yes, she was beautiful, but her beauty wore thin beneath the layer of ice she walked around in. The stick up her ass didn’t help much either.

Chloe’s face fell. “Oh no. I really wanted to see him again before I left, to thank him properly for giving me a place to stay this week.”

She pulled the plump, soft flesh of her lower lip in between her teeth. Chase couldn’t keep his eyes from landing there, didn’t have a prayer of keeping the rest of his body from responding in kind.

He’d never wanted a woman like this. Not just with his body. Not just with his brain. Not just with his heart.

But with his entire soul.

Ellen looked more than a little confused. “You’ll see him again, won’t you, Chloe?”

Just then, Sara yelled, “Chloe, I can’t get out of this stupid thing! It’s starting to freak me out. Can you help me?”

Relief sweeping across her lovely face, Chloe said, “I’ve got to go help the girls out of their clothes. It was very nice to see you again, Ellen.” She held out her hand and the two women shook goodbye, at which point she turned and fled any more questions.

“Wait a minute,” Ellen said, still confused. “Why won’t she see Marcus again? Aren’t you and Chloe together?”

Chase ran a hand through his hair. The frustration he’d had a hell of a time keeping at bay during the day’s shoot was eating straight through his gut. “It’s complicated.”

Ellen looked back at Chloe, who was unbuckling one of the models’ bondage-inspired evening dresses. “Doesn’t really look all that complicated from where I’m standing. Heck, I practically got singed when you guys touched.”

He knew Ellen was right. There shouldn’t be anything complicated about a guy falling in love with a girl. Funny, in all the years of women falling for him, he’d never thought it would end up like this—with him losing his heart to a woman who was so afraid to lose hers.

And now, all he had was one final night to try and talk her around from couldn’t to forever.

He felt Ellen’s hand on his arm again. “A few nights ago, I was really disappointed that things didn’t happen between us, but honestly...” She flicked another glance at Chloe. “I really hope this works out for you. She’s very sweet. You make a beautiful couple.” She smiled widely at him. “How about I block out a weekend for you next year, just in case?”

Chase immediately saw a breathtaking vision of Chloe in a long white dress waiting for him surrounded by vines.

“Good luck, Chase.”

Ellen walked away and he turned back to watch Chloe carefully wrapping up one of the dresses they’d used that afternoon. He’d never relied much on luck before, never liked counting on something so elusive, so unpredictable. He’d always figured on talent and hard work to get him where he wanted to be.

But this time, Chase was afraid luck was exactly what he needed.

Chapter Fourteen

Chloe waved goodbye to everyone in the van as it drove toward the Sullivan winery gates, saying, “I’m really sad your shoot is over.”

“I am, too,” he replied as they walked back inside the guest house. It was always hard to shut the door on a good project. Especially this one, that had turned out to be so incredibly special. But, at the same time, he was glad that it was just down to him and Chloe now.

He slid his hand through hers, lifted it to his mouth, let his lips linger on her knuckles. “Would you go out on a date with me, Chloe?”

Surprise flickered in her eyes. “We’ve already talked about this.”

“I’m not talking about the future. Just tonight. That’s all I’m asking for.”

He could see her uncertainty, the way she was grappling with what she wanted...and what she felt she should be doing.

Finally, she said, “We both know I’m a sure thing tonight,” one side of her mouth moving up into a little smirk. “You don’t need to spring for dinner first.”

He wasn’t ready for the spark of anger that lit in him at the fact that she still seemed to think sex was enough for him, wasn’t ready for the impulse that had him challenging her with the words, “You want to have sex?”

Her eyes were tormented as she lifted her chin and came right back at him with one tortured word.

“Yes.”

His mouth came down over hers, but even then he was careful with her, despite the fact that he was pushing down her shorts and panties.

“Chase,” she moaned against his mouth, urging him on by pressing her hips into his hands, helping him strip her lower half bare.

He gauged her desire, her need, and knew that it was as big as his before saying, “I promised to always give you what you want. Tell me what you want.”

Her eyes were dilated almost to black and he could see everything she was trying to block out, everything she was trying so desperately to hide from.

“Please just take me.”

He pulled open her shirt, his mouth finding the tip of her breast through the pink lace bra. At the same time, her fingers were on his zipper, pulling, yanking and then he was in her hand and she was wrapping her long, slender fingers around him, stroking him so that he was impossibly hard.

He’d just promised her anything she wanted, vowed one more time to give her everything. And even though his heart felt like a bomb had hit it at the way she kept trying to put distance between them, he lifted her ass with his hands and told her, “Wrap your legs around me.”

He drove into her before either of them could take their next breath and her flesh tightened, grasped, clenched around him. He knew she wanted him to drive into her mindlessly. He knew she wanted to pretend that what they had was just attraction.

But damn it, he couldn’t do it.

Even for her, even when she’d just asked him point blank to do her, he couldn’t just take her like an animal against the front door.

“Chloe.”

Her eyes, which had been closed tight, opened slowly, blurry with lust. And all that emotion she didn’t want to feel. All that emotion that she was trying to push away because it hadn’t come at the right time or place. Because she wasn’t ready for it. Because she thought she needed to be strong and walk away from him tomorrow morning.

“I can’t do it, sweetheart. I can’t pretend this is just sex.” Chase needed to look into her face, wanted her to have to acknowledge the truth of what was between them as he said, “I love you.”

She sobbed out his name before kissing him like she’d die without his kisses.

His body took over, then, pure instinct as he drove into her, as she lifted herself up over him, then down so that they were connected utterly. Perfectly.

He felt her inner muscles go a split second before she gasped against his mouth. And then her head was falling back and she was driving her pelvis into his, entirely lost to the pleasure, to the way their bodies sparked and charged together.

Somehow he rode out her climax, every pull and tug of her clenching heat against him. He never wanted to have to leave her, never wanted to have to let her go.

But when she pressed her mouth against his shoulder and said the word “Love,” so softly he almost couldn’t hear it over the beat of his own heart in his ears, he fell all the way over the edge.

* * *

“Chase?” He’d carried them over to the couch and pulled a blanket over them. She’d only just caught her breath. “I know I’m always asking for this, but can we start tonight over again?”

She could feel his smile against her ear.

“Of course we can.”

Chloe shifted so that she was partially sitting up on the couch, but still in his arms. “They’ve all just left and now it’s time for me to say, ‘I’m really going to miss everyone.’”

His eyes were steady on hers. “This is my part, right?”

She knew he was teasing her and was amazed by how forgiving he was, rather than lashing out at her for trying to reduce what was between them to just sex.

“Yes, this is your part.”

“I’ll miss them, too, but I’m glad we’re alone now.”