The Look of Love (The Sullivans #1)(37)

She was coming that fast, her inner muscles squeezing and clenching around his shaft until he stiffened, pulled her closer and groaned her name into their kiss.

Her heart raced as she tucked her head against the crook of his neck. He tasted clean and sexy, like a man who’d just given a woman incredible pleasure at the breakfast bar.

“Just like I said,” he murmured against her hair, “I’ll take you over breakfast any day.”

She couldn’t believe she was sitting there, naked on his lap, her legs still wrapped around him, with a smile on her face.

But she was.

“Last night...now...it’s been amazing. Just amazing.”

She felt his arms tighten on her for a moment, wondered if it had been the wrong thing to say, to tell him what she was feeling when she was in his arms.

But then, he was giving her bottom a light smack and saying, “Go find some clothes before I take you back to the bedroom and make us really late,” and the easiest thing was just to tell herself that everything was okay.

Their fling was going great. And it was still just a fling.

Definitely just a fling.

* * *

Ten minutes later, they were headed out to the vineyards. Wisps of early morning fog lingered beneath a rising sun that promised warmth. And yet, despite the beauty all around them, despite the fact that the shoot was going well, despite the fact that Chloe had willingly trusted her body with him again and again, something grated inside of Chase.

No question about it. Chloe was right. Their night together had been beyond amazing.

But the whole honor thing was still bothering him, a feeling that he should have had more control, that he should have waited until she was even more ready for everything he wanted to give her...when more than just her body wanted to be with him.

Because he wanted more from her than just a few nights. He wanted a hell of a lot more than just a fling.

They were standing near Marcus’s huge infinity pool, which looked out over the rolling hills, when his brother walked over to say, “Good morning.”

Chloe turned to his brother with a wide smile. “Hi, Marcus.” She gestured over the pool. “You really have a lovely home.”

Chase watched Chloe flush as the adjective she’d used registered.

Lovely. His special word for her.

“It’s just stunning,” she amended a moment later, as if she had recognized the same thing, that the word was now off limits for anything but what he saw when he looked at her.

They all took a moment to appreciate the killer view. Marcus turned to Chase. “Sorry I wasn’t able to check in with you yesterday. Something came up in the city that I needed to go deal with.”

“Anything you need my help with, just let me know.” Chase made sure to keep his offer light, easy. But he wanted to make sure Marcus knew he was there to be a sounding board for whatever was going on with Jill. Just because Chase didn’t really like her, didn’t mean he couldn’t help, right?

Jeremy rounded the corner, saying, “Who’s got coffee?” in a voice that sounded like death. When he saw Marcus standing there, he stumbled and would have fallen into the pool if Chloe hadn’t caught his arm in the nick of time.

“M-Marcus.”

“Feel free to have at my coffee maker.”

Their mother had raised them to accept everyone–gay, straight, whatever–and Marcus had always dealt well with Jeremy’s adoration, careful not to feed into it, or give any false hope, without being mean about it.

Still, when Jeremy opened and closed his mouth without saying anything, Chase was glad when Chloe wrapped her hand more firmly around his arm, and said, “I’ll go with you and you can tell me what we’re working with today. I can’t wait to get my hands on more beautiful clothes.”

When they’d disappeared inside the house, Marcus said, “Is Chloe working for you now?” Chase quickly explained about Alice. “Sounds like Chloe is saving the day left and right for you,” Marcus noted. “Maybe you should add her to your permanent team.”

“I want her to be more than a part of my team.”

Marcus didn’t say anything for a long moment. “Have you told her this?”

“No.” He already knew what she’d say if he did. “I need to find out what happened to her the night I picked her up.”

But even then, even if she eventually trusted him with her past, with her troubles, he wasn’t convinced she’d choose to stay with him…or that she’d choose to love him.

* * *

Chloe did even better her second day, as if she’d been born to the job. Even when he did a host of water shots, needing each of the models to get into the water, she wasn’t afraid to get right in there with them. After falling in, she emerged with a giggle, then repeatedly held her breath and went under the water to make adjustments with needle and thread and clips and pins.

He was switching to a different camera when he was stopped by the sweet sound of her laughter. Unable to keep from staring, he saw her there in the pool, surrounded by sun and blue sky and a group of people who had all come to quickly adore—and respect—her.

* * *

Dinner with the models and crew that night was full of laughter, especially when Jeremy urged Chase to share his stories of life on the road.

As flan was brought out for everyone, Chloe was wiping away moisture from her eyes from laughing at one of his better tales. “Please, be serious. No matter what anyone says, I refuse to believe you actually walked into the cage at the zoo with the lions.”