“Well, thank god. Do you have any idea what time it is, and just how worried I was when I got back and Sutton’s whole house was practically empty?”

I let Reese vent while I paced the bank of the stream. It was the only spot I’d managed to get a call through and I’d been trying for a while. It was almost two a.m.

“You were nowhere to be found. Neither was Sutton. And all I could get was voicemail. You can’t imagine what was running through my head… what I was afraid might have happened to you. I saw some things last night I’ll never forget…”

“I’m fine, Reese. And thank you for worrying.” I took a deep breath, wondering where to even begin. “A woman… an ex-girlfriend of Sutton’s I think… showed up while he was upstairs with someone else. She was angry and making threats.” I exhaled. “But Chase got me out… everything’s fine…”

“You don’t sound fine,” she said. “Where are you? Is Chase with you?”

I paused for a second. “I’m at his place, and I’m fine. I won’t be home till morning. Just please, please… smooth things over with Gran about tonight and I’ll explain tomorrow.” The line went dead before I heard her reply. I turned back to the house and saw Ben coming toward me.

“It’s late… you may as well get some sleep,” he said, slipping a blanket around my shoulders. I was still in my little black uniform and starting to shiver. “Come in and get warm. You can take the master suite if you like, and I’ll sleep downstairs on the sofa.” He smiled gently. “He will be here. I promise.”

I let him lead me back up to the cabin. He even brought me a steaming mug of tea. And then he climbed back down the stairs and left me alone in Chase’s bedroom. A plaid work shirt was tossed over a worn chair, a pair of scuffed leather boots on the floor. The room was rustic, simple, and held a hint of the scent I knew so well. I undressed and slipped Chase’s shirt over my skin, grateful to sink down and curl up under the soft down comforter. Even his pillow carried the faint scent of woodsmoke. I breathed in deep, glad to be in his bed, even if I was all alone. He’d be here soon, everything would be fine… and we could pick up where we’d left off.

I ran my hands over my breasts, down my belly and between my legs. I realized I hadn’t had time, until now, to think about what had happened between us. Now there was nothing to do but think. I was tender, inside and out… my pussy lips were still thick and slick from his seed. I shivered, thinking of the risk we had taken. But there was something about waiting for him in his bed that made me ache for even more. The thought of him, all of him, naked against my bare skin was almost more than I could bear. Everything we’d shared so far, even our hot and furious fuck at the party, seemed to be leading to this place. Where we could bare everything to each other, and turn our chemistry into something deeper… more intimate. What better place for that to happen, than in this wonderful wilderness cabin, where everything reminded me of him.

I felt a warm, sleepy wave of sweet anticipation run through me and rolled onto my stomach, burying my face in his pillow. I had total confidence he would dampen down the scandal, no doubt lecture Sutton about his behavior, and then come to me in the night. For the first time in my life, I would wake up in bed next to the kindest, most wonderful man I’d ever met. He would take me again, and this time it would be slow and sweet and totally uninhibited… just the two of us, alone… for hours…

I snuggled deeper into his bed, his scent, grateful for the comfort it gave, and drifted off…

“Emi…”

I rolled over, unsure if I was awake, or still dreaming. My eyelids fluttered heavily. The room was still dark. Only a thin stream of moonlight shined in from the window. “Emi, honey…”

“Chase?” I pushed a thick strand of hair off my face and felt his hands, his solid warmth against me. “You’re here…? When did you…?”

“Only a little while,” he answered softly. I could see him only as an outline against the window. His face was shuttered in shadow. “I sent Ben back to the city. I wanted us to be alone.”

He stroked my cheek with the pads of his fingers. Unlike before, his touch was slow and lingering. Instead of like wildfire, this felt like a slow, deep burn. I could feel it reaching inside me, heating me from within, stirring the memories of the party and of the cool night air slipping up between my legs along with the velvet warmth of his cock…

“Is it over?” I asked, pushing up on my side. He climbed into bed beside me and reached out, his leg covering mine and pulling me closer. “What happened last night?”

“The girl’s name is Pam,” he began. His fingers kept moving against my jaw. Slowly, deliberately… demanding nothing. “She and Sutton were… together, about a month ago. As far as he was concerned, it was finished. But it wasn’t for her. And everything Sutton did after, just made things worse. He used her… and he threw her away.”

“I overheard a phone call,” I said. “He was telling someone to pay her off. He said every girl has a price… I guess she didn’t like his offer.” I put a hand on his chest and felt our mingled heartbeats. “But she had to know what kind of man he is,” I went on. “It’s not like he tries to hide it…”

“Only in broad daylight… like the rest of us,” he replied, cryptically. “I talked to her… I did what I had to do, on many different levels. Because it was time… and because I knew Sutton never would.” He paused, and I felt his heart beating faster. “I think the damage is contained, at least for now,” he went on. “But this is bigger than one angry woman, Emi. I’m not even sure where to begin telling you… I only know it’s never been so important for me to explain… to try to make this right…”

I caught his fingers in mine and pressed my lips to the very tips. I heard his breath catch hard, and smiled in the darkness. “I can see why Pam was angry, what with Sutton throwing that party and doing… well, doing what he was doing with another girl. And I can see how she could start an embarrassing scandal. That party was… well, I’ve never seen anything like it…

But you must have a dozen lawyers. And with his kind of appetites, I’m sure this isn’t the first time they’ve had to deal with this kind of thing… What I don’t get, is how it has anything to do with me.” I shifted, trying to see his face in the dark. “If you’re worried that this could hurt me, just because I was there… or maybe my business reputation…”

“This could cause damage you can’t even imagine, Emi,” he said. His voice was quiet, sad. “I did what I could to stop it. There are things I still have to do. If I could spare you, I would. But I owe you the truth.” He paused and took a breath. I could feel his heart pounding now.

“The price I pay for that truth may be everything I have… everything I ever really wanted, now I’ve finally found it,” he said, brushing his thumb across my lips, his voice thick with regret. “There’s something I have to tell you… and once it’s out, there won’t be any stopping it. You… my sister… Sutton… the business… It’s my fault, but we’ll all pay the price, and it’s been a long time in the making.

There’s a reckoning coming, Emily. And I’m the one it’s coming for.”