Chapter Four

 

The dream was always the same.

It started off with her being bored out of her mind at Cassandra’s rehearsal dinner, when all of a sudden, a breathtakingly handsome man in a suit appeared out of nowhere and told her that he’d been ordered to be her date for the evening. Of course, she agreed. Why wouldn’t she? But the more she talked to him, the more she liked him, and so she flirted with him. He was oblivious at first, but when she casually touched his thigh, he finally realized what was happening. Although she couldn’t convince him to dance with her, he did finally agree to walk out of the hotel restaurant with her and they found themselves at the pool. There was no one else around so she dared him to go skinny dipping with her, but again he refused her. Not one to take no for an answer, Rio stripped anyway and dove into the pool.

The man didn’t go in after her, instead he asked her to get out.

“Give me a good reason why,” she always told him.

“Because I’m ready to fuck you now,” he always said back.

That’s when she usually woke up, in total agony to be filled by him like he had promised. It was only after having satisfied herself that she usually remembered it wasn’t a dream at all. It was a memory.

This time though, when Rio opened her eyes after the dream, she remembered right away.

Because this time, Chase was looking down at her with the same hungry look he had that night at the pool.

“Chase! What are you doing here?” She sat up and grabbed the towel next to her and wrapped it around her, covering any view of her nipples that she knew had hardened in arousal during the dream.

He didn’t say anything at first and for a second she thought he’d take her right there on the cabana bed. The realization that she wanted him to only flustered her further. She jumped off before he or she did anything they’d likely regret—again.

“I’m sorry. I, uh, didn’t mean to wake you,” he said. The roughness of his voice confirmed her suspicions. Somehow, he knew exactly what kind of dream she’d been having, and she could only hope that he had no clue it had been about him.

“It’s fine,” she blurted. It wasn’t fine, though. She’d never been so mortified in all of her life. Why did Chase have a knack for throwing her off her game? He needed to go. “So, what are you doing here? I thought we agreed today was my day to use the cabana?”

He motioned to the ice chest on the floor. “We did, but I wanted to thank you for, you know, what you said last night, so I brought you some beer. Gustavo says it’s your favorite.”

Her embarrassment faded a little when she realized he was as flustered as she was. And that let her relax.

“Oh, that was really nice of you. Thanks.”

They stood there staring at each other, but neither talked. The only sounds between them were the waves crashing onto the surf and the hungry cry of seagulls.

This is dangerous.

“Well, I guess I’ve had enough sun for today. I think I’m going to go inside.”

“But you didn’t even have a beer,” he said, his voice thick and low.

“I’ll put them in a fridge and save them for later.”

“How about I take them back to my villa and we can have them over dinner? I picked up some fish at the store. We could kick off our truce with a good meal.”

Two days ago, Rio would have never thought she and Chase could even be in the same room for more than fifteen minutes. Now, he was inviting her to dinner? Her instinct was to say no, tell him she had plans with friends, but she’d promised Cassandra that she’d play nice after finding out what had brought Chase to the island in the first place.

She’d called her sister yesterday from one of the hotel’s landlines—after downing a few Mojitos—prepared to let her have it with every Spanish cuss word she knew. But before she could say anything, Cassandra had told her everything. Sure, Chase hadn’t been her favorite person in the world, but she wasn’t a bitch. If he needed to have a relaxing vacation for health reasons, then she wasn’t going to be the reason he ended up back in the hospital.

“Um, sure. But can it be a late dinner? I have to go dance at the bar tonight.”

He raised his eyebrow. “You have to?”

“Well, yeah. Marco, the guy who I was dancing with last night, I already promised him I’d be there.”

Why she was explaining this to him, she didn’t know. It was really none of his business.

She thought he’d ask more questions, but he didn’t pry, even after she noticed his fists clench at his sides. “That’s okay if you already have plans, I get it. We can do it another night…or not. It was just an idea.”

Rio couldn’t help but feel torn. On one hand, he was giving her an out. On the other, no way was he going to go back home and tell Cassandra that she hadn’t made an effort to bury the hatchet. “It’s okay, really. Let’s do it tonight if you don’t mind eating late?”

He shrugged and his fists unclenched. “I don’t mind at all. See you around?”

“I should be done by ten or ten-thirty.”

“Okay, see you then.”

Chase picked up the ice chest and stepped off the platform. Rio watched until he disappeared over the sand barge. Images from the dream flashed before her eyes. As a familiar heat spread from her cheeks downward, she fell back onto the cabana bed. Rio looked up at the crystal blue sky.

Dear Lord, what had she just gotten herself into?

* * *

Chase checked on the red snapper one more time. The fish was close to being ready. He, on the other hand, was far from it.

What on earth had he been thinking when he’d invited Rio over for dinner?

You know exactly what you were thinking.

He’d gone to the cabana that afternoon with the beer as a peace offering. He’d told himself he’d drop it off and head back to his villa and cook up the fish for a dinner for one. But then he’d stepped on the platform and saw her.

At first, he didn’t know she was sleeping. Her body was twisting against the bed’s cushion and small sighs escaped from her open mouth. When she didn’t stop even as he moved closer, he realized she was asleep and in the middle of a very hot dream. One hand cupped her breast while the other started to slide down her stomach. He ordered his legs to move so he could sneak away before she woke up, but they’d refused.

Then she’d opened her eyes.

He was as startled as she was. For a second, the thought occurred to him to ask if he could watch her finish. When he noticed the embarrassment in her eyes and the way she rushed to cover herself up, the question died in his throat.

That’s when the idea came to him to have her over for dinner. He’d wanted to see her again and spend some time with her. It was why he’d brought the beer in the first place. It would’ve been easy to send Gustavo with his peace offering. It would’ve been easy to walk away without asking her to come over.

Since when did Chase do easy?

So now he was grilling red snapper on the patio of his villa, waiting for Rio to finish dancing with some guy named Marco. He had no right to be jealous, so he reasoned that his concern was more out of loyalty to Cassandra and John than anything else. Who was this Marco anyway, and why couldn’t he find someone else to slither against on the dance floor?

A soft knock silenced his questioning.

Chase walked back inside the villa, took a deep breath and opened the front door.

He had been prepared to see her looking like she had last night—evening dress, stiletto heels, full makeup and perfectly styled hair. Like a performer. This time she looked literally like the girl next door. Her hair was down and she had a hint of blush in her cheeks. She wore a denim jacket with a white cotton sundress underneath and sandals. Although the dress was simple and basic, Rio’s body was not. The thin fabric outlined every curve and the short hemline left very little to the imagination.

He was definitely not ready for this dinner.

“Sorry it’s so late. I wasn’t sure if I should still come over,”‘ she said as she entered. “I stopped by my villa first to freshen up and change.”

“It’s fine, perfect timing actually. I was just about to take the fish off the grill,” he said. He ushered her to the patio where he’d already set out everything on the glass round table by the pool. The air was warm so there’d be no need to turn on the outside heat lamp, but he wondered if she’d be cold in her barely-there dress. He, however, was the opposite of cold.

“The view at night always takes my breath away,” she said as she took a seat and looked out toward the ocean.

“I know. Sometimes I can’t believe it’s real and not some movie backdrop.” He opened a bottle of beer and handed it to her. “You said you’ve been coming here since you were sixteen?”

She nodded and then took a sip. “One of my parents’ very close friends helped build this resort. We were one of the first families to stay here.”

As Rio talked, Chase prepared their dinner plates. Besides the fish, he’d also grilled asparagus spears and had bought a bag of salad.

“This villa is actually one of the newer ones,” Rio continued. “John and Cassandra have only stayed here a few times. Usually, my parents also stay with me in the other villa, but this year they decided to go on a cruise with their friends. We celebrated our family Christmas right before they left.”

Chase set down their plates and joined her at the table. “Well, I’ve only been here a few days, but I can definitely appreciate how beautiful it is here. It must’ve been pretty amazing to have basically grown up here.”

“It was. It is. I’ll be sad when I can’t afford to come here anymore.”

“What do you mean? I thought since you know the owner…”

“The resort is for sale,” Rio explained as she cut into her fish. “We’re pretty sure the new owners aren’t going to keep letting us come here for what we’ve been paying. The prices have gone up anyway over the last few years. The only reason why we can still afford it as a family is because of my deal with Marco.”

Chase stopped mid-drink. “What deal?”

“He’s the dance instructor here,” she answered after she finished chewing. “He took over for his mom a few years ago. She’s actually the one who taught me how to dance. I started performing with him as a favor to her to drum up business for her classes. When she retired, the owner asked me to continue performing with Marco in exchange for letting us stay here at the original prices.”

“So when you go dance in the bar, it’s like you’re working?”

“Yep. I mean, I’d probably dance every night here anyway, but at least I’m getting something out of it too. So I figured I might as well do it for as long they let me.”

“What about Marco?”

“What about him?”

“Does he know it’s just work for you?”

She was about to take a bite of her salad and then froze. “What do you mean? Oh, wait. Seriously? You think there’s something—”

“Well, from what I saw, those dances can get pretty hot and heavy.”

Rio started laughing. Hard. He didn’t think he was that funny.

She took another sip of her beer and then finally calmed down. “I’m sorry. It’s just the thought of him and me…We grew up together. He’s like my brother. Besides, I don’t think his husband would let us dance together if he thought there was any chance of us doing those moves in the bedroom.” She laughed again and this time Chase joined her.

It felt good. Not just because it was with her, but because he hadn’t laughed like this in a long time.

“Thank you, Rio, for coming over,” he said. “I was kind of forced into this whole vacation thing, so I wasn’t expecting to enjoy it. But this is nice.”

She smiled at him, a real, genuine smile. “You’re welcome. I admit I wasn’t too sure about us hanging out, but I think it’s nice too.”

They continued eating and talking about the resort and what they’d been up to the past few months. She already knew about his dad passing away, but she didn’t know that he’d been asked by the Board to take over as CEO and continue as CFO in the interim. He knew that she’d left “Dancing with Celebrities” after last season, but he didn’t know that she’d opened up her own dance studio in West L.A.

After they finished dinner, they took off their shoes and headed down to the beach with the last four bottles of beer. They’d had such a nice night. He wasn’t ready for it to end just yet.

“So tell me more about this studio of yours,” he asked as they walked toward the waves. “Was it strange to go from performing to teaching?”

“Not really. I was basically teaching contestants on the show anyway. When I finally left, I was kind of burned out—emotionally and physically. So I came here to regroup. One day Marco asked me to teach a few classes, and I realized how much I missed it. That’s when the idea of opening up my own studio seemed like something I could really make happen.”

Although he usually didn’t follow tabloid gossip or even watch a lot of television, Chase did make a special effort to keep up on Rio’s career. He’d heard about the drama between her and another dancer on the show and figured, like everyone else, that the end of their affair was the reason behind her leaving. So he didn’t press for more details.

“Good for you,” he said as they arrived at the cabana. “It takes a lot of courage to try something new like that. I could never see myself doing anything but being a rat in the wheel known as corporate America. I’ll probably die at my desk.”

He’d meant it as a joke and tried to laugh, but she didn’t.

They sat on the edge of the bed and looked out toward the ocean. “You know all work and no play can’t be good for you, Chase.” She took a drink from her bottle. He wondered at the concern in her voice. She couldn’t have known about what happened to him. Not unless she’d called her sister? But since there was no cell reception on the island, he figured that couldn’t be it.

Maybe, despite everything, she did care?

“I mean, we all need hobbies or something to do away from work,” she continued. “I know! You should come by the studio for some dance lessons. I have this one instructor, Veronica, she’s really good at helping people loosen up. Plus, she’s this smoking hot redhead, so that should really help you take your mind off of work, if you know what I mean.”

Chase chuckled. “Thanks, but you will never ever see me on a dance floor. I only do things that I’m good at and I know I’ll never be good at that. Besides, if on the off chance I’d ever consider taking a lesson, the only smoking hot instructor I’d want to put my hands on would be you.”

The moment he said the words, the energy between them shifted. They turned at the same time to look at each other. The moonlight and the glow from the cabana’s lanterns illuminated her face. She’d never looked so beautiful, or so confused.

He couldn’t blame her.

The night of John and Cassandra’s rehearsal dinner, they’d gone from polite conversation about favorite movies to fucking each other’s brains out in a matter of hours. He’d never acted so reckless or so wild before, especially with a woman he’d just barely met. His sexual encounters usually involved three dates and much less alcohol. But there was something about Rio that made him honestly forget who he was. So, when she’d asked him to stay the night in her hotel room and take the morning off from work so they could fuck even more, he’d agreed.

It wasn’t until he’d made it into the office later that he’d realized she’d turned his phone off sometime in the middle of the night. When a major client showed up at the office after not being able to reach Chase on the phone, George had tried to fix things, but only made it worse with his incompetence and lack of knowledge. They ended up losing the client that day and Chase and George spent the rest of the afternoon getting reamed by their father.

In turn, Chase had just grown angrier at his brother. Had George ever bothered to learn about their clients in the first place, he could’ve saved the account. Instead, he didn’t care about business or family obligations like Chase did. George did what he wanted, when he wanted. And Rio, well, she was the type of woman who could make a man forget those obligations. He didn’t need that kind of distraction. Not if he was going to take over the company one day. So, he’d ignored her texts and tried to stay away from her before the wedding.

Then, right before the ceremony, she’d confronted him. At first he’d blamed it on work, but when she kept pushing, he’d lost his temper. “It was just sex. I thought you knew that. I’m sorry if it meant something to you, but it didn’t mean anything to me.”

It had been harsh and he’d thought he actually saw her flinch. To her credit, she’d shrugged him off. “That’s all you had to say. It was a one-time thing, and I’m cool with that,” she’d said. “And, don’t worry, I’m not going to go all stalker on you or anything. Sheesh. Get over yourself.”

For the rest of the night, she’d stayed away from him. Just like he thought he had wanted her to.

And that’s when their awkward dance began. He had to work hard to push away his desire for her—to forget how it had felt to be inside her. And every time he was forced to be around her, the harder it was not to remember. The fact that she always made it perfectly obvious that she regretted their one-time encounter did nothing to quell his attraction. It only reminded him to hide it better.

Maybe it was time to stop hiding.

“I’ve missed you, Rio. Tonight has really made it clear to me just how much. I’ve missed talking to you. I’ve missed laughing with you. I’ve missed touching you.”

He moved closer, but she stood up. “Chase, I think you should know—”

“Look, I know I fucked everything up, and I’ve deserved everything that’s happened, but—”

“I’m sorry,” she interrupted him, “but I can’t do this again. I have to go.”

She hugged herself and started back.

His chest tightened and his breath caught in his throat, but not like before. If he didn’t do something or say something now, he’d never forgive himself. And no hospital stay or mandatory vacation could cure regret like that.

So he followed her.

“I was an asshole!” he yelled, making sure she heard him over the crashing waves.

“Yes, you were,” she yelled, not stopping to even turn around.

She reached the villa’s patio first and he grabbed her wrist before she got to the door.

“Rio,” he said when she finally looked at him again.

“I know what you’re doing and it’s not going to work. I don’t want you anymore.”

Her gaze dropped and it was the sign he needed. It was time to stop playing games and tell her what he really meant.

Slowly, Chase pulled her toward him. “Make me believe you,” he whispered as he searched her eyes. “Tell me I wasn’t the one you were dreaming about today. Tell me the memory of me fucking you isn’t what made you touch yourself in your sleep or made those sweet moans come out of that perfect mouth of yours. Tell me one more time that you don’t want me and I’ll let you go.”

* * *

Of course she still wanted him.

That’s why she was always so on edge whenever he was around. Her pride wouldn’t let her show him that she still thought about their one night together. So she had done everything to make him believe the opposite.

She didn’t want to want him.

Yet when he stroked the inside of her wrist with his thumb and moved his face closer to hers, her resolve to push him away nearly evaporated.

Nearly.

“You said it yourself. We’re too different. We don’t work well together,” she whispered and met his gaze head on.

He pulled her against him fully, and she felt his growing arousal. “I was wrong. There’s one thing we both know that we do together pretty fucking well.”

Chase whispered the last few words against her mouth. When she didn’t protest, he pushed in for a kiss. Warm, soft, and tentative.

It was nice, but nothing she couldn’t walk away from. That is, until his tongue swiped her bottom lip and jolted alive every sense, every nerve, making the rest of her resolve shatter in his arms. Sighing, she grabbed his shirt with both hands and kissed him back with fervor. His arms wrapped around her body, hugging her as if she might be carried away by the ocean breeze.

Their kisses turned hard and demanding, almost punishing. As if each of them had a price to pay for withholding such pleasure for so long.

“God, I almost forgot how good you taste. So fucking sweet, like cherry,” he mumbled in between kisses. “I want to taste you everywhere. Please tell me you’re going to let me?”

The thought of him licking her somewhere else made her legs weak in anticipation. “Yes, yes I’ll let you.” She gasped as his hand moved underneath her dress and cupped her through her silk panties. Then he slipped a finger past her thong and inside her slick folds. They both groaned at the contact.

“So wet. Just for me. All for me,” he said into her ear before nibbling on the lobe. “Tell me, do you get this wet when you dream about me?”

“Yes,” she whispered.

“Do you get so wet that you have to touch yourself like I’m touching you right now.”

“Yesssss.”

“Do you wish I was touching your hot slick pussy with my tongue instead of my fingers.”

“Dios mio, yes,” she said on a moan.

“Then I think it’s time to go inside.”

He removed his hand from between her legs and continued to kiss her as they moved together through the open patio door. When they reached the living room, he helped her out of her jacket and then put both hands on her shoulders and directed her to sit on the edge of a leather chaise lounge.

Chase knelt in front of her and spread her knees open. “I’ve wanted to do this again for so fucking long.”

She finally admitted to herself that she’d wanted the same damn thing.

He pushed her dress up and slid her panties down and tossed them to the side. Then he kissed the inside of each thigh and they trembled in response. When his mouth finally latched on to her, instinctively her hips bucked and she gasped in sheer satisfaction. With one long, slow lick, he set her on fire. She leaned back on her elbows and closed her eyes.

“You taste so good,” he said. Chase grabbed the backs of her knees and spread her open even further. He tongued her clit with determined but quick strokes, each one helping her climb to the top of a rumbling volcano of gratification. And when two fingers pushed inside her, she screamed and finally imploded.

Like the waves outside, pleasure rolled over her body, crashing so hard that they left her trembling in their wake. She was still quivering when Chase picked her up and carried her to his bedroom. Rio opened her eyes as he put her down gently on the bed. Without speaking, he helped her pull her dress over her head and then unhooked her bra.

“Fuck, you’re so beautiful,” he finally whispered before taking one nipple into his mouth. She moaned and dug her nails into his shoulders. After licking and sucking the other breast, he stood up and took off his own clothes.

Her breath caught at the sight of his naked body. She’d seen it before, of course, but two years ago she hadn’t taken the time to really look at it. To adore it like she could now.

“I love the way you’re looking at me,” he said. “Touch yourself like I know you want to.”

She obeyed without hesitation. One hand reached for her breast, still warm and wet from his tongue. The other moved between her legs straight to the tight bundle of nerves. Pure erotic lust zoomed through her as she watched him stroke his erection.

It was almost too much. She couldn’t wait any longer.

“Now, Chase. I need you inside me, now,” she moaned.

He stopped stroking himself and went to the bedside table. He opened the drawer and pulled out a foil packet. She’d wondered for a second if he’d brought them with him to the island, but it didn’t matter. All that mattered was that he was ready for her.

After sheathing himself, he knelt on the bed and spread her legs open. He grabbed his shaft and rubbed the tip over her throbbing clit.

“God, baby, I want to push myself inside you so bad, but I’m afraid the moment I start I won’t be able to stop.”

“Who says you have to stop?” She met his eyes and dared him to answer.

Instead, he slowly filled her. “Dammit Rio, you’re so wet,” he groaned from above her. “And your pussy is so tight. Just like I remember.”

Then he pulled out and pushed himself again. She lifted her hips so he could sink into her all the way and he thrust into her in earnest. He leaned down and took a nipple into his mouth. The rumble of a second orgasm started to build as he pumped harder and faster.

“Yes, yes, yes,” she moaned as she threaded her arms under his and clawed at his back.

“That’s right. Come again for me, Rio. Let me feel your pussy tightening around my cock so I can come too.”

It was the trigger she needed and she raced toward her climax, collapsing at its feet and surrendering to the fall. Above her, Chase threw his head back and shouted. Then his body stilled for a second before finally erupting into tremors. They groaned together and she held on to him until his breathing slowed and her pulse normalized.

Her heart, however, was still beating like crazy even hours later.