CHAPTER NINETEEN
Chase
WAKING EARLY, I ROLL ONTO my side and watch Emerson sleep. She looks so peaceful right now. I think knowing that the James Corporation is safe is a major relief for her.
After we have breakfast, Emerson tidies up and I grab the Times and head into the living room. I’m sitting on the couch, my feet propped up on the coffee table, engrossed in an article, when Emerson blurts out, “Let’s go home.”
My head snaps up from the paper. “Come again?” I query.
“I didn’t stutter,” she says with a cheeky grin. “I said, let’s go home. Let’s go back to Nels Cove.”
“Really?” I ask.
Nodding her head, she says, “Really, really, Chase.”
“Really?” I ask again, my face etched with shock and confusion. “You want to come back to Nels Cove with me?”
Again, she nods her head and walks into the room and sits on the coffee table. “Yes, I really want to.” Pausing, she looks at me and I can tell she’s telling the truth. Her face has the biggest smile on it and her eyes are sparkling. “Chase, I love you and I want to be with you. The city will always be a part of me, but you are in Nels Cove and I want to be with you. Therefore, I’m moving to Nels Cove…permanently.”
“You’re serious, aren’t you?” I question her again.
Reaching over, she grabs my cheeks and gazes lovingly into my eyes. “Yes, Chase, I’m serious.”
Jumping up, I pull her in and wrap my arms tightly around her. “You have just made me the happiest man ever. I have been racking my brain about how I could make the move to the city, but now you’re coming back with me. Man, I love you, Emerson. So much.” Pulling back, I lower my mouth to hers. The kiss starts out slow and swiftly turns heated. Suddenly I pull back, breaking the connection. “What about the company?”
“I wanted to talk to you about that. Now that our companies are working together, I was thinking of promoting Sheridan to COO?”
“That’s a brilliant idea, Ems, on both accounts. She’s the perfect person to have as the chief operating officer. I trust her above anyone else to look after the James Corporation, and to oversee the new joint project, AAAAND I’m super excited to have you coming home with me.” Bending down, I kiss the tip of her nose. “But I do have one question.”
“Shoot.”
“Will you give up the cottage and move in with me?”
Shaking her head, she replies, “No, not yet, Chase. It’s too soon.”
“You said yet, so I’m okay with that, but I know that you will be living with me soon enough.”
“You are soooooo full of yourself, Chase Archibald, but I wouldn’t have you any other way.” She places a quick kiss on my lips before declaring, “I love you.”
“You’ll be full of me soon,” I say with a wink.
She slaps me on the arm and whispers, “What are you waiting for?” Raising her hands, she ever so slowly begins to unbutton her shift dress. She has two buttons undone when I pick her up, throw her over my shoulder, and stalk into the bedroom. We spend the rest of the afternoon naked in bed, just the two of us. The sun is setting, we are snuggled together, and I find myself grinning. I’m ecstatically happy. I’m in love and about to embark on a new adventure—bring it!
* * *
…Four months later
“Happy Birthday, Emerson,” I whisper as I sit on the bed next to my sleeping angel. Her eyes flutter open and she sees me holding a muffin with a candle, at that sight, she sits upright in bed.
“Chase,” she whispers, her eyes welling with tears.
“Spitfire, I didn’t mean to make you cry. I remember you telling me that this was a tradition, and I guess I wanted to continue that.” Leaning down, I go to blow out the candle but Emerson stops me.
“No, don’t, babe. These are happy tears. I haven’t thought about my birthday, not since last year by myself at the lake. I wasn’t sure I was going to do it this year, but I guess you made that decision for me. Now, hand me my birthday muffin so I can make a wish and then eat it.”
“Only if you share it with me.”
“Pfft, it’s my birthday, I’ll do what I want with my muffin. Now gimme, gimme, gimme.”
“Wow, we are demanding on our birthday, aren’t we?”
“No, that’s a muffin from Tiff’s and you know how much I love muffins.” I wriggle my eyebrows at her. “Oh…my…God. Get your mind out of the gutter.” She pauses, then seductively adds, “But if you play your cards right, mister, I might let you nib…” I don’t let her finish. I shove the muffin directly in front of her and hold it up, careful not to blow the candle out. “Happy Birthday, Emerson Grace James.”
“Thank you,” she shyly says, as she closes her eyes. Her lips silently move as she makes her wish. When she opens them again, she leans forward and blows out the candle.
“So, what did you wish for?” I inquire.
“If I tell you, it won’t come true.” She pats the bed next to her and I slip off my shirt and jump in next to her. She takes a bite of the muffin and moans. Yeah, Tiff’s muffins are that good. She breaks off a piece and offers it to me. Leaning forward, I take the morsel from her fingers, and when I pull back, I suck on the tip of her finger. Her eyes shoot up to mine as I continue to suck her finger and we keep staring at one another. Eventually, I pull her finger out, grip her chin between my thumb and forefinger and lower my lips to hers. Resting my forehead against hers, I whisper, “Happy birthday, Spitfire.” Emerson wraps her arms around my neck and lies back, pulling me on top of her. We make out like teenagers before I give her a birthday orgasm that she will never forget.
* * *
Keeping this surprise from Ems is killing me, and the closer we get to ‘go time’ the more nervous I get. She’s currently in the shower and I’m in her kitchen sucking on a beer to calm my nerves. My phone beeps with an incoming text.
BELLA - We are all set. Ready when you are
As I read the text, I let out a sigh of relief and whisper to myself, “Thank God for that.”
CHASE - Ems in shower. Be there in 30
Immediately I get a reply.
BELLA - HA, this is Ems, see you in an hour
Laughing at her reply, I don’t hear Emerson come up behind me, “What are you laughing at?”
Spinning around, my mouth drops open. Standing before me is a freakin’ goddess. Emerson is wearing a Grecian-style crème dress that looks absolutely stunning on her, and she’s holding these gladiator-style, brown sandals in her hand. A force beyond my control overtakes my body and I walk over to her, wrap my arms around her waist, and stare at her. “My God, Ems, you look absolutely gorgeous. Fuck the surprise, can’t we just stay here all night long so I can ravish you?”
“No, I want my surprise. Besides, we did that all day, I need a break if we are going to go for round two when we get home.” She winks at me and shimmies out of my grasp. She walks over to the couch and sits down, lifting the hem of her dress up to put on her shoes. I groan because her legs are silky smooth and oh-so-sexy. I’m sure she lifted it higher than necessary, but who am I to complain? She has the sexiest legs I have ever seen and currently I’m imagining them wrapped around my head. She glances up at me and shakes her head. “Later I will wrap these babies around your head.” She winks again before she turns her attention to putting her other shoe on.
My mouth drops open in shock, “How did you know?” I ask.
“You have that ‘I want to ravish you’ look in your eyes and your Chase’s apple is bobbing up and down.”
A laugh escapes me. “You and your renaming things. I’m pretty sure it’s called an Adam’s apple, babe.”
She stands up and walks over to me, grips my crotch, and whispers into my ear, “This is Emerson’s doodle.”
Leaning down, I whisper, “Say Emerson’s cock, and it can be yours forever.”
She pulls back from me, her eyes locked on mine, her tongue darts out and she licks her bottom lip. She steps forward and runs her index finger over my chest, toward my cock, circling it around my crotch, she leans toward my ear and flirtatiously coos, “Emerson’s cock.” She nips along my jawline before planting her lips on mine. Wrapping my arms around her, I crush her to me. I run my hands up her back and into hair. I hold her head to mine and deepen the kiss.
She pulls back, nipping my bottom lip before declaring, “It’s my birthday, let’s go. My cock and you will have to wait.” She spins around, grabs her clutch from the counter, and saunters out the front door, swishing her sexy hips from side to side with each step across the room. I groan in frustration and she laughs. “Come. Birthday. Now,” she says.
Shaking my head, I walk into the kitchen, I drop my empty beer bottle in the recycle bin, and pat my pocket to make sure her birthday present is there. When I feel it’s there, I can’t help but grin. Grabbing the keys to her Mustang off the hook, I slip on my boots and head outside to meet her. Closing the front door behind me, we head off for a birthday to remember.