Chapter 31

If sixteen-year-old Summer could see me now… standing in my closet picking out an outfit to go out on a date with Chase Hunt, she'd never believe that after all this time the pining paid off. I can't help but feel giddy about tonight. I know I'm outside Chase's comfort zone when it comes to his type. I'm still very aware that, at the end of the day, I'm a person who challenges him, forces him to see and react to things differently. I'm not always certain that's something he likes, but he did ask me out tonight, so I have to assume he doesn't completely hate those things about me.

After landing on my outfit for the night and putting the finishing touches on my curls, I give myself the tiniest of all pep talks. I always say the nervous feeling and the excited feeling are really just the same. They go hand in hand and while I'm excited and ready, I'm also very aware that this is something high school me would have lost her damn mind over.

The knock at my door surprises me, even though I was fully expecting it. He's right on time. Exactly on time. Like my phone just changed to eight o'clock.

I quickly slip my feet into my heels and give myself one final glance in the mirror by the door. I went with a light pink dress that falls to just below my knees with a small slit up the side. When I open the door, Chase is wearing a navy blue suit with a white shirt underneath. The top few buttons are undone, letting his chest breathe a little and I feel like I could crumble at his feet.

Chase in a football uniform is hot .

Chase in a suit is downright captivating .

"Damn," he says as I open the door.

"Right back at you."

He blushes as we both stand at the door on either side of the threshold, taking in the sight of each other.

His hand extends to mine, pulling it to his lips and he plants a soft kiss on my knuckles, before intertwining our fingers together.

"Ready to go?"

I can only nod at his question, allowing him to completely take the lead for the night.

The restaurant is fancy when we walk in. I've never been to this area of town, but it feels like it's built for country club members and very, very wealthy people. The waiter places a bottle of champagne on the table just as we take our seats and I look around feeling as if I don't belong in a place this nice.

"So, uh, how was your day?" he asks and it instantly feels… weird.

"It was good. How was yours?"

"It was good."

We both nod and reach for our glasses at the same time. I watch as Chase almost spits out the champagne he just took a sip of, but he holds himself together.

"You can order a whiskey," I let him know.

"Yeah, I might. I just thought champagne would be nice."

"It is," I say, tipping my glass in his direction.

Date Chase is nervous and hesitant. He looks so out of his element and I can't figure out if it's me, if it's him, the place, or a combination of all three.

When the waiter comes back over, he goes over the specials and places a basket of bread down in front of us. Like starved animals, both of us reach for the bread, practically tuning out everything fancy the waiter says.

"Do you think I can get chicken tenders and fries here?"

Chase chuckles, pressing his lips together and he glances around the room. The chandeliers sparkle and there is classical Christmas music playing from the speakers. A giant tree in the back that you can see from every angle of the room and the water glistens out back.

"I'll get you chicken tenders and fries, come on." A grin makes its way across his face. He leaves a hundred-dollar bill on the table and grabs my hand as we briskly walk out of the restaurant.

There's a small chill in the air as we walk hand in hand down the block toward the parking garage where his truck is. Without a word, Chase's blue jacket covers my bare shoulders and he nods at me before he takes my hand in his again, squeezing it tight.

"That place was fancy," he says the moment we get into his truck.

"A little too champagne for our beer taste," I joke. "But the place was beautiful."

"I have an idea… if you can just go with it," he offers, and I nod with excitement. The night hasn't started exactly as I had always pictured, but that feels on brand for Chase and I in a way.

He pulls into Louie's parking lot before turning to face me. "I'll be right back," he says.

My fingers fidget in my lap as I sit in his truck waiting for him to return. I hear a song I love playing from the radio so I reach for the dial to turn it up and notice it's coming from his Bluetooth. I wouldn't have expected him to just leave his phone unattended, but it's sitting completely unlocked in the center console and when I glance at the playlist, it says Summer's Cleaning Jams.

He added my playlist to his phone?

Maybe it automatically syncs with his Alexa device?

A moment later he emerges from the building, carrying a large to-go bag. He's rolled up the sleeves on his white button up and my desire to straddle him in the driver's seat of his truck just rose tenfold.

"Tenders, wings, fries, mozzarella sticks, and pretzels."

He places the bag on the floor in the backseat and the truck smells just like Louie's, minus the beer, and I can't wait to dive in.

"You're listening to my playlist," I say as he puts the truck in reverse and his hand spreads open on the steering wheel, doing that hot spinny thing that guys do when they drive.

"CeCe asked for it a couple weeks ago when we were at home. A lot of the songs grew on me. Guess you've got good taste, Kincaid." He smiles with a shrug like it's nothing, but it doesn't feel like nothing to me.

Since Diane is at his house watching CeCe, we take the food to my apartment. Chase takes it upon himself, setting everything up and we both get comfortable on the couch with plates full of everything we love.

"Sorry about that restaurant," he says, wiping his mouth with a napkin.

I wave my hand in the air at him, "Are you kidding? The place was gorgeous. But you know, I just… I don't need fancy. This is perfect. It was a sweet thought, though, and now it's just a funny thing to look back on."

"There's one more thing I wanted to do tonight. I have to go get it from my truck, though. I'll be right back."

My eyes narrow, suspiciously, but also with excitement.

"Okay…"

He kisses the side of my head, right next to my temple before he heads out the door. It's quick and soft, like a routine, a common thing he does all the time and it fills my stomach with butterflies.

The door swings open and shut as I'm cleaning off the table and boxing up the rest of the food we didn't get to eat before placing it in the fridge. When he rounds the corner into the kitchen, he places a stack of board games on the counter with a prideful smile.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" I ask, playfully. "I don't lose at board games."

"You're all talk, Kincaid." His index finger wags in front of me, and I drag my eyes from his hands up his arm to the jawline that's sharp enough to cut glass.

He takes the pile of boxes into my living room, placing one in particular on the coffee table and the rest he moves to the corner.

"Scrabble it is," I say confidently, tossing my hair to the side and taking a seat opposite him on the couch.

After some time, the board in front of us is filled with short words, basic words, some naughty words and the name Don. I thought about challenging him about using a name, but technically, it's a word so I let it slide.

Although, the moment he tries to play "qe" as a word, I draw the line.

"It's not my fault you're out of letters." My voice raises and I start laughing while he pulls the letters off the board.

"You got away with using the word mote, what the hell is a mote?" He stands, placing both hands on his hips. His competitive edge doesn't just end at football, he's the worst at losing games. I love it.

"Mote," I say after pulling up the Scrabble dictionary. "a tiny piece of substance." I rise from the couch, getting into his personal space to gloat for a moment.

"You know I don't like to lose, Kincaid." He pulls me by my hip closer to him.

"I know. You're such a sore loser."

His fingers pulse against the fabric of my dress before he holds them steady in place, bringing his lips dangerously close to my ear.

"I fucking love this dress," he whispers against my skin. "Now, take it off."

"You lost, I should be the one giving the demands." My fingers begin to run down his chest, but he's quick and spins me around in one swift movement, pulling my back flush against his chest.

"Feel that?" he asks, his cock pulsing against my back.

I nod as I lean back, feeling how hard he is.

"Take off your dress." His voice is nearly a demand.

His hands run down my body, pulling me closer to him with every touch. My clit throbs at the attention he's giving me. I can feel the zipper slowly sliding down the back of the dress as he brushes my hair to the side, his fingers grip onto my arms and I shimmy out of the dress, pulling it down with my fingers when it reaches my hips.

"You have got to be fucking kidding me," he says, turning me around to face him as I stand there in a matching black lace bra and underwear set. He stares and then looks away briefly, only to bring his eyes back, but this time they're burning with so much desire, so much hunger. He moves even closer, backing me up into a wall and my chest pounds with anticipation.

"Do you like it?" I ask, slowly circling the fabric around my nipple with my fingers.

My other hand hovers over my stomach, just below my belly button but he pulls it away and drops to his knees in front of me, kissing my lower tummy.

He doesn't answer my question with words. He pulls one leg over his shoulder and tugs my underwear to the side. Spreading me open with two fingers just before his mouth devours me. The contact is sudden, but so welcome. I feel his tongue against my clit immediately and he circles over and over. I pull him closer to me, pressing his face against my center. His mouth around my clit is unbelievable.

"Oh, God. Chase," I pant as he sucks. I feel his fingers slide into me while his tongue continues to swirl over me. "Yes," I hiss as my head falls back against the wall in a slam.

He reaches his other hand up, cupping my breast and I place my hand over his, holding it in place.

Chase's tongue takes me to places I've never been and the way his fingers curl inside me has my orgasm building to new levels.

"More," I call out, and Chase looks up at me. I can see myself coated on his face as he briefly pulls away, but keeps his fingers thrusting in and out as he licks his lips.

"You going to come for me? Let it out. Let me see you get messy again." He smirks, bringing his face back between my legs and I press him closer to me again, needing to feel the friction against my clit as his fingers drive in and out.

Goosebumps line my skin as I feel my orgasm building and building with each dirty thought of Chase. His mouth on me is unlike anything I've ever felt before. I moan out his name again as my body begins to convulse, jerking back and forth against him while he squeezes my nipple.

Waves rip through my entire body as my orgasm sweeps me away and my back arches from the wall. Chase holds me in place and keeps his tongue against my clit as everything I have to offer coats his face.

"Oh, God." I shudder, finally coming down from the high.

"I could get used to seeing you like this," Chase says as he rises to his feet. He presses his body against mine, his hands finding their way into my hair as he brings his lips down to mine.

My hand reaches between us to unfasten his belt and he lets me pull it from the loops before his hands reach for the back of my thighs, picking me up and carrying me into my bedroom. When my back hits the mattress, I sit up slowly and reach my hands behind me to unclip my bra. I let it pop open and fall into my lap as Chase watches intently.

A low rumble sounds in his chest while he blinks his eyes slowly with a soft smirk before he pulls his shirt from his chest and lowers himself on the bed as I lie back. His mouth finds my nipple and he takes it between his teeth, gently pulling as a whimper falls from my lips.

His eyes scan my body. They linger between my legs as I spread them open for him, still in nothing but the underwear from earlier.

"You looking like this should be a goddamn sin." His voice husky and low.

From his back pocket, he pulls his wallet out and grabs a condom, placing it on the nightstand before turning his attention back to me.

"For weeks, I've wanted to know what it felt like to be inside of you." He leans forward, taking my underwear from both sides of my hips and gently sliding them off.

"God, Chase," I say, throwing my back against the pillow. "Please."

It feels like some cruel and unusual form of torture to be played with like this. Chase tosses my underwear to the floor and my legs instinctually open wider. My clit is already throbbing again for his touch.

My skin tingles as he skims his fingers over my inner thighs. There's no rush in his movements, even though everything inside of me wants to tell him to please, please fuck me.

He's as tempting as they come, hovering over me with his unruly hair dangling above my face, his wilderness scent drawing me in and his hands teasing me with every single touch.

"I need you," I whisper against his lips, pulling my face up to meet his.

"Here?" I whimper at the feel of his thumb as it glides slowly against my pussy.

"Yes."

The mere touch of Chase's hand sends shivers flowing through my body as he breathes against my neck.

He begins to remove the blue suit pants from his body as he pulls himself up onto his heels. His boxers slowly follow and my breath stutters, as if it's the first time I'm seeing him like this. At the charity dinner, the room we snuck into was dark, I went mostly by feel that night, which didn't disappoint. But seeing Chase like this makes me tremble. After he slides the condom on, he slowly brings himself back down toward me, letting his lips feather mine ever so slightly and I instantly feel my body weaken under him.

"You drive me fucking wild." He sucks on the divot of my neck briefly. "In all the worst ways," he whispers as he moves lower and kisses my collarbone. "And the best." He plants his lips on the swell of my breast and my back arches as he moves further down, swirling his tongue over my nipple.

His body rocks against me, but he doesn't push inside me. I'm spread so damn wide, my clit is screaming for something more. As if he can read my mind, he slides his hand between my legs and pinches my clit and I wouldn't be surprised if someone on the other side of this wall heard my scream. He groans at my outburst and slides his fingers down my center.

"Don't tease me, Chase. Be a good boy and fuck me."

His chuckle vibrates above me and he grins like I've just given him a green light to commit a crime.

Chase lines his cock up against me and I lift my hips as he slides himself in.

"Oh, fuck!" I cry out, my words are mumbled by my erratic breathing.

I can feel him moving slowly as he eases into me. He shudders above me with every movement, filling me so completely.

"God, Summer. Fuck." Chase brings his forehead down to mine and my hands lock behind his neck as his body shivers above me. "You feel so good."

He pulls out slowly and then thrusts back in, giving me an unimaginable sense of pleasure.

"Oh my god," I gasp. He pulls out again and then back in.

"I know," he whispers. "I know. But you don't have it all yet."

My breathing becomes a heavy pant as I process his words. Chase begins to move quicker, each thrust starting out with the smallest speck of pain that turns into the greatest pleasure.

"More." My hands roam his back, pulling him closer to me as he shoves his cock inside me again and again.

Feeling our bodies collide this way is pure euphoria. There's a piece of my soul that feels like he takes every single time his body slams into me. He's commanding and possessive, but still gentle and tender.

As mindful as he's being, I know he wants to unleash more. I want him to give me more.

"Fuck me harder, Chase."

He grunts and instantly our movements become erratic, near animalistic and he brings his thumb to my clit at the same time he pushes inside me.

His movements continue at a steady pace until he pulls out completely for a moment, wiping the back of his hand over his forehead.

"All fours," he demands.

He pulls me by the hips, flipping me onto my stomach and I arch myself for him, placing my face on the pillow.

I glance back at him through the hair falling in my face. "No pressure, but this is usually my favorite position."

"I think seeing you in any position is my favorite."

Both of his hands grab a hold of my hips just before the pressure of him pushing into me takes my breath away.

"Might need that pillow to drown out your screams." Chase shoves in again and I feel my entire body nearly fold at the pressure of him inside of me.

My whimpers are muffled by the pillow. His hand wraps around my hip, finding my clit once again as if he has the perfect map to my body. His fingers move in circles and my body stiffens as he moves faster against me.

"Chase," I call out, unsure if he's even able to hear me. My orgasm builds up as he continues to thrust in and out in rhythm with his fingers circling my clit.

"That's it. Come on my cock." His words a near growl before his head falls against my shoulder and I feel his body shudder.

"It's so much, too much, I—" My words are cut off by the way my release tears through me. There's little I can do to slow my body down as my hips keep moving, letting my orgasm completely consume me.

I can feel Chase's movements slow and become steady, his thrusts intentional as he holds my hips and I can feel his build up.

"Oh, fuck, fuck, fuck." His words are quick and low when he moves, until finally he stills behind me, and my body falls into the mattress.