The Look of Love (The Sullivans) by Bella Andre: Chapter 10 + Audiobook + Exclusive Commentary from Bella

I hope you loved Chapter 9 of The Look of Love (The Sullivans)!

In Chapter 10, Chloe is fighting her attraction to Chase…but as you’ll see, it’s a losing proposition. Things are about to get even steamier! 😃

If you’ve missed any of the previous chapters you can find them here:

Chapter 1 / Chapter 2 / Chapter 3 / Chapter 4 / Chapter 5 / Chapter 6 / Chapter 7 / Chapter 8 / Chapter 9

Enjoy Chapter 10!

Note: You can also listen to THE LOOK OF LOVE for free!

AUDIOBOOK:

Chapter 1 / Chapter 2 / Chapter 3 / Chapter 4 / Chapter 5 / Chapter 6 / Chapter 7 / Chapter 8 / Chapter 9 / Chapter 10

CHAPTER TEN

copyright 2022 Bella Andre / Oak Press, LLC

Please Note: My books are sexy and emotional love stories. Which is to say there will be lots of scenes where the hero and heroine are smooching (and doing much, much more!) in nearly all of my posts. 😍

Chloe packed her bag first thing the next morning and put her jeans and T-shirt back on.

Last night had been too close. She’d wanted Chase too much.

Which was why she couldn’t stay here any longer.

A new basket of pastries and fruit was on the counter for her again, and pride should have dictated that she walk right by it, but that would have been plain stupid. She didn’t have the money for a taxi. Which meant she was going to be walking out of here, down long country roads until she could find a bus stop.

Pride was fine and dandy. But not when she was going to desperately need the fuel to keep going.

Only, what had tasted so delicious the previous morning was sawdust in her mouth now, and she had to force herself to eat the croissant she’d picked up.

Of course, the folded note with “Chloe” written on it in Chase’s handwriting didn’t help, either. As she chewed and swallowed, she stared at the paper.

She swore Chase’s note stared back at her.

It would be better not to read it. It would be smarter just to walk out of here, say her thank-yous and goodbyes and forget she’d ever met a beautiful man whose kisses tasted like heaven.

But Chase had been nothing but kind to her. So kind, in fact, that instead of taking her the way she had so desperately wanted the previous evening, he’d not only put a halt to their kisses, but had also actually pulled his hand from between her legs after she’d come for him and walked her home without another touch.

Oh, God, that first kiss had been intense. Wicked. Perfect. She could have kissed him all night. Chloe had dreamed of that kiss all night long, could still feel the way they’d almost been taking breath from each other’s lungs. She’d woken up aching for another kiss…and for the chance to cuddle up with Chase under a blanket somewhere and just kiss and kiss and kiss all night long.

If she’d just been angling for another orgasm, she might have been able to deal with the ache. After all, she’d proved in the bathtub a couple of nights ago that she could give that to herself.

No, it was that urge to cuddle with him, that desperate desire to feel warm and safe, which frightened her. She had to leave.

But the truth was, she’d wonder what had been in his note every second of every day if she didn’t look at it. As she grabbed it off the countertop, the edges crumpled with her rough nervous handling.

Chloe,

I hope you slept well. One day soon, I’m hoping to be able to enjoy breakfast with you. I’m looking forward to that. A lot.

Please join us again today. Everyone thinks you’re great.

See you soon,

Hotstuff

HOTSTUFF

P.S. It does need all capital letters, don’t you think?

Somewhere between the A lot and the crossed-out Hotstuff, all the tingly, mushy feelings that Chloe had been trying to squash inside of herself popped back to life. Bigger and stronger than they’d been before, even.

Last night she’d been riding a light buzz and enjoying herself until Marcus had begun asking innocent questions. She’d gotten nervous and worried about all the problems she hadn’t dealt with yet and started guzzling his wine.

Any other guy but Chase would have taken advantage of her slight tipsiness, especially with the way she’d been begging for him. But, yet again, just as he had in the bathroom that first night, he’d walked away from temptation. Not because he didn’t want her, but because he’d known she wasn’t all there, that the wine had dulled her sense and reactions just enough for her to give up control without a thought of protecting herself.

They’d been so close to what she’d wanted and a not-so-secret part of her wished that he hadn’t stopped them from making love, that he had just taken advantage of the fact that she was a little drunk.

What was wrong with her? If that’s what she was wishing for, then she had some serious problems. And Lord knew if she couldn’t control her mind—or body—around Chase any better than that, staying was definitely out of the question.

It didn’t matter that she still had nowhere to go. It didn’t matter that her situation with her ex hadn’t changed and that she still needed to deal with the police and see what they could do—if anything—to help her. Chase was doing an amazing job of making her feel like a princess, but her life wasn’t a fairy tale; it was in shambles. Enough of this fantasy winery land, with the beautiful clothes, pretending that this great guy was hers.

None of that was reality, and there was no such thing as Prince Charming. Staying here, pretending, was just prolonging the inevitable for another three days: dealing with her ex, making sure he never hurt her again and then rebuilding her life from the ground up and making sure it was the life she wanted this time.

She took a breath and tried to prepare herself for the difficulty of saying goodbye to Chase.

Because something told her it was going to be harder than getting hit in the face by her ex. More painful than driving into a ditch. And worse than standing in the middle of a hailstorm.

Chase hadn’t just been nice. He hadn’t just been sweet. He’d also been incredibly honorable from the first moment he found her on the side of the road in the pouring rain.

She owed him the same respect. She wasn’t just going to sneak away. She wasn’t going to just leave him a note like a coward.

She needed to head out to the vineyards where he was photographing the models with his crew, pull up her big-girl panties and say a proper goodbye to his face. Sneaking out was for wimps. Even though the wimp inside her longed to prevail, it was time for her to learn how to be strong.

And it was time to tell Chase goodbye.

* * *

“Chloe, thank God you’re here!”

Jeremy looked frazzled. And not just because he’d been enjoying the fruits of Marcus’s cellar along with her the previous night.

“Chase was just about to send me to the guesthouse to see if you were up yet.” His glasses were on crooked as he explained, “Alice has the stomach flu.”

“I’ll go check on her,” Chloe immediately offered.

Jeremy grabbed her arm. “No! I mean, a doctor has been in to see her, but we can’t risk anyone else getting sick if they don’t have the flu already.”

Chloe shook her head. “But I’m not part of the crew. I can stay with her and then you all can—”

She felt Chase’s presence a split second before he moved into her line of vision. His smile made her stomach do flip-flops. “Good morning, Chloe,” he said, and then without pause, “We need you to take over for Alice.”

Chloe blinked once. Twice. “Me?” She frowned. “What makes you think I can take over for her?”

“You were a lifesaver yesterday,” Chase replied, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

“A lifesaver?” she echoed with disbelief. “I sewed up one dress with one tiny tear.”

“You did more than that,” he insisted. “I saw you talking with Alice, helping her put outfits together. She changed course a couple of times yesterday, and it was because of your suggestions.”

Chloe shook her head. “They were offhand comments. I wasn’t trying to take over her job.”

“I know that. She knows that. But the fact is, you’ve got a great eye for color and pattern. You instinctively know what works. And the models trust you. They like you. That matters more than you know. If they feel great, they look great.”

She opened her mouth to protest again, but before she could, he moved a little closer, close enough that her already racing heart all but jumped out of her chest.

“We all need your help. I need your help.”

How could she say no to him? He’d saved her that night on the road. Instead of being a rapist ax murderer, Chase had been a full-on knight in shining armor. And now he needed her help.

But, just then, just as she was about to tell him she’d stay to help, his gaze moved to the bag over her shoulder, then to her jeans and T-shirt, before returning to her face. When his gaze met hers again, she could see that he knew exactly what she’d been coming here to do: to say goodbye.

He didn’t hide his disappointment from her. And, oh, she couldn’t believe how much she hated seeing it. She wanted the man back who looked at her like she was beautiful, like he wanted her so badly that he was barely a breath away from taking her.

That was when she realized that even though she’d come to say goodbye to his face, it didn’t change the fact that she was running again.

“I’d love to help.” She looked between Chase and Jeremy. “Just tell me what you need me to do, and I’ll do it.”

Jeremy dragged her off almost before the words were out of her mouth. But not before she caught Chase’s smile. And the fact that whatever disappointment had been there was now erased…desire and appreciation taking its place without even missing a beat.

* * *

The day flew by. Chase didn’t really need much direction with the clothes, and Chloe felt that he was only asking her opinions to make her feel involved. At first she was reluctant to say much. She didn’t want to screw up his photo shoot, after all. But, just as it had been the day before, it was hard not to get swept up in the magic of it all.

They were creating beautiful fairy tales out in the vines and, without overthinking it, she began to cinch in the waists on dresses and sew up hems. Not only that, but when she actually disagreed with the way he’d put together the accessories and he took the shots both ways, she was amazed to realize that her choices were the better ones.

And through it all, even though they were surrounded by the crew, attraction pulsed between them.

A part of her wanted to run again. After all, she had so much practice with running that it seemed the easier choice. But with every hour that she spent working with Chase and his crew, she realized she simply couldn’t leave them in the lurch. Plus, in those moments when she forgot to worry, she realized she was enjoying herself. A great deal.

At the end of the night, Amanda said, “We heard there’s an awesome Mexican restaurant downtown.”

Chase raised an eyebrow. “Everyone had more than enough to drink last night, courtesy of Marcus’s cellar.” When everyone looked crestfallen, he said, “Okay, maybe one margarita. Max two. And for those of you who are underage, no margaritas at all.”

As everyone grinned, Chloe could guess how he was with his sisters. Loving. Protective. Careful with them. But not overwhelming them with rules and regulations.

He was obviously a great brother.

And he’d make a great father.

Father? What was she doing thinking about things like that? she wondered as the thought stopped her in her tracks. But she didn’t have time to dissect it because Jeremy had just asked, “Should we save you guys seats?”

Chloe felt Chase’s eyes on her, knew he wanted her to make the decision to either go with the group and hide out in the crowd like a coward…or face him alone.

Planting a smile on her face that she was sure no one bought, she said, “I think I’m going to hang out here at the winery again tonight.”

“I’m going to stay on-site tonight, as well. Have a good time without us,” Chase told his crew and models. “But since I don’t want Kalen to have to work any harder than she already is on makeup, make sure you get some sleep tonight, ladies.”

When everyone had left, Chloe said, “I’d like to go check on Alice. I hate that she’s been all alone today.”

Chase nodded. “That’s exactly where I was headed.”

As they drove over to the hotel where the crew was staying, the silence between them was fraught with all the things Chloe knew couldn’t remain unsaid for too much longer. Soon, his patience was going to run out with her. And then she’d have to talk about what had happened. Her throat closed up even thinking about it, and she was glad when they got to Alice’s hotel, even if she felt kind of horrible about the fact that Alice’s illness was saving her from having to figure out how to be alone with Chase…and keep resisting him.

Only, when they knocked on Alice’s door and the young woman croaked out, “Who is it?” in a very sleepy voice, Chloe belatedly realized it might have been a better choice to leave Alice alone for the night to sleep off her flu.

“I think we woke her up,” she said to Chase right before Alice opened the door.

She looked horribly pale and weak as she said, “Hi, guys.” She held up a hand. “Don’t come too close, I don’t want you to get this.” She turned a little green as she put one hand over her stomach and said, “No one should have to feel like this.”

“Alice, is there anything we can get you?” Chase asked.

“No,” she said, “the nurse you sent over this morning has come back to check on me a couple of times. All I want to do is sleep now.”

After saying a quick farewell so that Alice could collapse back on her bed, they headed back to Chase’s car.

“Poor thing,” Chloe said, and then, “That was really sweet of you to send a nurse out to make sure she was doing all right.”

“She got sick on my shoot. It was the very least I could do.”

Chase waited until they’d pulled back up in front of the guesthouse before turning to her. “We need to talk.”

“I know.”

She could feel his eyes on her. Intense. Heated. And a little bit hurt.

“You were going to leave.” It wasn’t a question.

“Yes,” she admitted softly, “I was.”

He was silent for a long moment, long enough that her gut twisted tighter and tighter with every moment that ticked by before he asked, “Why?”

She shook her head, hating how difficult it was to be honest. But knowing she had to be. “I obviously can’t control myself around you.”

Finally, thank God, Chase’s mouth moved up into one of those beautiful smiles of his. “I’m glad.”

“No,” she insisted, “it isn’t a good thing.”

“Why not?” he wanted to know, and she could hear the heat now in his words. Could feel it radiating off of him, as a matter of fact. “Why do you think you need to control yourself around me?”

She opened her mouth to tell him all the reasons why, but suddenly, all she could remember was how good it had felt when he was kissing her, how shockingly good his hands had felt as they moved across her skin.

Oh, God, everything had been good. So, so good.

“I—” She stopped, tried to straighten out her head before continuing, but it was difficult when her attraction to Chase was this strong. “We—”

Darn it, instead of her thoughts straightening out, they were spinning off in a crazy direction.

A really crazy direction.

She was changing a lot of things in her life, right? She was going to stop running. She wasn’t going to back down from a threat anymore. And she was going to stand up and take what she wanted when she wanted it.

Lord, did she ever want Chase.

She couldn’t be thinking this, knew better than to even go there, but—

“Oh, hell,” she muttered.

Chase lifted an eyebrow at her soft curse, and she made herself face him squarely.

“I can’t believe I’m about to say this.” She swallowed, then grasped her hands in front of her in a nervous gesture she couldn’t contain. “I honestly don’t even know how to say it.”

“You sure know how to keep a guy on the edge.”

Chloe took a deep breath and forced herself to just spit it out. “Maybe we should have a fling.”

Just as she’d been able to feel the heat of his desire, now she felt how strong his surprise was at what she’d suggested.

“A fling?”

She could feel a flush moving across her skin. “Sure. Like you said, why not?” Beyond nervous, she started babbling. “Last night was really great and you’re right—I was a little drunk, and I probably would have woken up in the morning and felt weird about it all.” She forced herself to slow down and to look him straight in the eyes as she said, “But I’m not drunk now.”

“No,” he said, his intense gaze never once leaving her face, “you’re not.”

“I’ve decided I’m going to stay to help. For the rest of the shoot. I’m not going to pack my bag up again and come find you to say goodbye. No matter what happens, you can count on me.”

Somehow, she’d assumed that if she suggested a fling, if she swore to him that she was going to stick around his brother’s vineyard until the photo shoot wrapped up, he’d jump all over it. When he didn’t, she suddenly felt terribly awkward.

But even as she wondered why he wasn’t just grabbing her and taking what she was trying so pathetically to offer, she couldn’t stop herself from saying, “You and I obviously have something between us. We’re both consenting adults. It just seems to make sense while I’m here and you’re here that we could maybe just, well, enjoy that.”

Slowly, carefully, he asked her, “Are you saying you want to have sex with me?”

Oh, God. She could almost climax just from the husky sound of his voice…and from the thought of actually—finally!—getting to have sex with him.

“Yes.” The word came out shaky with need. “A lot.”

At that, his mouth quirked up at the two words she’d stolen from his breakfast note.

She could feel, could see, how much he wanted her. And yet, he still wasn’t pulling her into his arms, wasn’t just taking her right there between the rows of vines under the rising moon.

“Of all the things I thought you were going to say to me tonight, Chloe,” he said slowly, carefully, “this wasn’t on the list.”

Seriously? She’d just killed herself laying it all out on the line and he was going to be honorable again, wasn’t he? That was what all of this was about. That was why he hadn’t just taken her already, hadn’t dragged her up against him and ripped off her clothes.

She loved that he was trying so hard to think of her welfare. But not sleep with him now that she’d made the decision to have a fling with him?

No, no, no!

“Kiss me again.”

She could see how much he wanted to kiss her, and yet instead of pressing his lips against hers, he used them to say, “I promised myself I wouldn’t take anything from you that you didn’t want to give.”

“I want to kiss you, Chase,” she told him in a voice that shook with that wanting. “And I want you to kiss me. All day long I’ve wanted you to kiss me.”

* * *

Chase took her hand, hurried up the front steps and kicked open the front door, not stopping in the living room even though it meant waiting another few seconds for the pleasure he’d been craving. He wanted her in a bed, the way he’d been picturing her for forty-eight straight hours, naked and flushed with desire—and pleasure—for him.

In the end it felt like hiking halfway across the county just to get to the bedroom, but then, finally, they were inside the room. Chase closed the door and locked it, before forcing himself to drop her hand and step back a few inches. All he wanted was to take, but he knew he couldn’t. Not until he made sure, one more time, that Chloe would be okay if they did this.

“Are you sure you want to do this?”

“Yes.”

She hadn’t hesitated, but still he had to ask, “Absolutely certain?”

“Yes.”

Again, there was no hesitation, only a growing irritation in her eyes that he was stalling. But he cared about her too much to do anything to hurt her.

“Once we start, I’m not going to be able to stop. I want you too badly.”

At that, the faint irritation in her eyes was pushed aside by need, her eyes dilating from the force of her arousal.

He didn’t want to scare her—didn’t ever want her to be scared again—but she needed to know. “This is your last chance to change your mind.”

Before he could take his next breath, her fingers threaded into his hair and her mouth was on his, her tongue pushing against his. He lifted her into his arms and moved to the bed, his mouth never leaving hers for a second. There was no finesse, no gentleness, in their kisses.

How could there be when they were both pure need?

Just that quickly, all thoughts of honor were forgotten.

All that mattered was Chloe. Worshiping her body.

And loving her.

Thanks for reading and keep an eye out for Chapter 11!

Would you prefer to read THE LOOK OF LOVE (The Sullivans) as an eBook? Download the eBook for FREE from the following retailers:

Amazon Kindle US: http://bellaandre.com/TLOL_Kindle

Apple Books: http://bellaandre.com/TLOL_Apple

Barnes & Noble Nook: http://bellaandre.com/TLOL_Nook

Kobo: http://bellaandre.com/TLOL_Kobo

Google: http://bellaandre.com/TLOL_GooglePlay

Amazon Australia: http://bellaandre.com/TLOL_AmazonAU

Amazon Canada: http://bellaandre.com/TLOL_AmazonCA

Amazon UK: http://bellaandre.com/TLOL_AmazonUK

Audible audiobook (Note: The audiobook is not Free, only the eBook): http://bellaandre.com/TLOL_Audible

iTunes Audiobook (Note: The audiobook is not Free, only the eBook: http://bellaandre.com/TLOL_iTunes