The Look of Love (The Sullivans): Chapter 23 + Exclusive Commentary from Bella
I hope you loved Chapter 22 of The Look of Love (The Sullivans)!
This chapter was not in the original version of the book. A few years the great team at Apple Books asked me to add an additional scene to the book for a special promotion. Now, everyone can read it! I hope you love getting the chance to spend a little more time with Chase and Chloe’s love story.
Enjoy Chapter 23!
If you’ve missed any of the previous chapters of THE LOOK OF LOVE, you can read them here —> Chapter 1 / Chapter 2 / Chapter 3 / Chapter 4 / Chapter 5 / Chapter 6 / Chapter 7 / Chapter 8 / Chapter 9 / Chapter 10 / Chapter 11 / Chapter 12 / Chapter 13 / Chapter 14 / Chapter 15 / Chapter 16 / Chapter 17 / Chapter 18 / Chapter 19 / Chapter 20 / Chapter 21 / Chapter 22
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
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. 😍
Two weeks later…
Chase grinned as he looked at the pile of dresses on the bed. He’d been a perfectly happy bachelor for three decades, but as soon as he’d met Chloe, he’d chucked out that life without a single regret. She was the woman he’d been waiting for.
And he was the luckiest guy in the world for getting to love, and be loved, by her.
As soon as they’d left Marcus’s Napa Valley estate two weeks ago, they’d gone to pick up Chloe’s things from her place in Lake County. Seeing the way she’d been living since leaving her ex—the sketchy neighborhood and even sketchier apartment building—infuriated him all over again on her behalf. If only he could have been there for her before now…
Yet again he’d had to remind himself that Chloe was strong enough—and brave enough—to take care of herself. It had helped, of course, when she’d put her arms around him, pressed a soft kiss to his mouth, and told him how much she loved him. They’d packed up her belongings as quickly as possible and left without looking back.
When he’d carried her over the threshold of his house hours later, she’d laughed in his arms. They’d barely made it past the foyer before he was stripping her clothes away and loving her. Since then, they’d christened every room at least twice.
But it was far more than their lovemaking that made Chase happy. It was getting to see Chloe’s smile first thing every morning. Reveling in the sound of her laughter throughout the day. Breathing in her sweet scent that lingered in a room. Knowing he’d be holding her close in his arms every night. It was also the way she brought so much color, so much life, into his home with her fabrics—all she’d had of value in her apartment—and her beautiful, bright spirit. Chase had always let artwork and photos take center stage in his apartment, but her quilts looked just right over his furniture. Made his house finally look like a home.
Looking at her dresses heaped on the bedspread, he thought that she could have his entire closet space if she wanted. Then again, compared to his sisters, she had an extremely small wardrobe. The only clothes she really had were the ones he’d had delivered to Marcus’s guest house for her that first day.
He was spinning into a fantasy in which one of the top designers in the city closed their showroom so that Chloe could try on whatever she wanted—with his hands-on help, of course—when she stepped out of the bathroom in a bra and panties, another dress crumpled in her hands. The necklace he’d had designed for her was the only other thing she was wearing. While he’d given her a proper engagement ring by now, he had also wanted to make sure she never forgot his proposal with the lavender flower, so he’d had a pendant made for her out of blue topaz and platinum in the shape of the bloom.
She stopped in her tracks when she realized he was leaning against the doorjamb grinning at her. “Chase.” She looked at the dress in her hands, then at the pile on the bed, then back at him. “I’m…” She sighed. “Nervous about meeting your whole family today.”
Within seconds he was tossing the dress in her hands onto the bed with the others. When he pulled her into his arms, she wrapped hers around his neck. Looking down at her beautiful face, he saw that the bruises her ex had put on her cheek had almost faded completely.
That slight marring of her skin just below her right eye from when her ex had snuck up on her on Marcus’s property still made fury rise within Chase. While it killed him to let the guy walk away, he intended to keep his promise to Chloe to let the law take it from there. Of course, Chase had told his brothers all about the guy. And since they hadn’t made Chloe any promises, if any Sullivans ever ran into him, the guy had better run as fast—and as far—as he could in the opposite direction. Or else.
Forcing thoughts of her ex from his mind, Chase said, “You don’t have anything to be nervous about. They’re all going to love you as much as I do.”
They were planning to head over to his mother’s house in Palo Alto in an hour for Sunday lunch. Chase’s siblings often came together for a relaxed weekend meal beneath the big oak tree in his mom’s backyard. Occasionally, his siblings would bring dates, but no one had ever brought a fiancée before. Chase couldn’t wait for everyone to meet Chloe. His mother, especially, was going to adore her.
“Marcus has always been so nice, and everyone else sounds amazing,” she said in a soft voice. “I know I’m being kind of weird about my outfit and—”
He covered the rest of her sentence with his mouth over hers. He already knew how much she longed to be a part of a family. He’d never forget the longing he saw in her eyes that first night at the mention of his close relationship with his seven siblings.
Sometimes, talking things through made the most sense. But other times, more could be said with a kiss. Especially when it came to nerves like this, Chase was all but certain that he knew exactly how to calm them. Because a little pleasure could go a long way…
She’d called their first kiss inevitable. And she was right—all of their kisses were utterly irresistible. Each press of his lips across her cheek and then to the soft, sensitive skin along her neck. The way she instinctively arched into him, breathing out some of her pent-up worries as he licked out against her collarbone. How she wound her arms tighter around his neck and whispered, “Chase.”
Every single time they made love, he marveled in the wonder of her, and the need that only grew with every kiss, every caress, every sigh of pleasure from her lips.
He wanted to savor every inch of her beautiful body, but the hunger that drove him whenever Chloe was near made his hands impatient, and within seconds he had her lacy bra unhooked and falling to their feet. Groaning with need, he ran his hands up from her waist to cup her full, gorgeous breasts. She trembled against him as he teased the taut tips with the pads of his thumbs, then she gasped softly as he lowered his mouth to lave her with his tongue, teasing her with the very edges of his teeth, before moving to give the same heady treatment to her other breast.
“I can’t get enough of you.” He lifted his mouth back to hers, and they kissed each other with such heat that he half expected them to go up in flames right then and there. “I’ll never get enough.”
He felt her lips curl into a smile against his as they broke for breath. “Good.” She drew back enough to smile up at him, her eyes hazy with pleasure now instead of nerves. “Because I’ll never get enough of you either.”
He swept her up into his arms, and when she laughed just as she had when he’d carried her over the threshold, his heart swelled even bigger inside his chest. He’d thought he’d been happy before Chloe, but the way he felt with her was a million times better than he’d even known it was possible to feel.
Carrying her over to the bed, he dropped her on top of the pile of dresses, making her laugh even harder as he moved over her.
“Impatient much?” she teased.
“For you?” He nuzzled against her cheek. “Always.”
He backed up his words by yanking her panties off. The only reason he didn’t tear them off was because she didn’t have nearly enough pretty things. But then, when he looked down at his fiancée, lying naked and perfect on his bed, he couldn’t think anymore. Could only want.
And give silent thanks, yet again, that she was his.
She was reaching for his shirt, but although he definitely wanted to be skin to skin, right now he needed to concentrate on her. So he took her hands in his and lifted them over her head as he kissed his way up her body.
“I want to touch you, too.”
“Soon,” he promised. He wrapped her hands around the bars on his headboard. “You’re going to want to hold on.” He grinned wickedly. “Because it’s going to be a wild ride.”
She half smiled, half moaned as he found her breasts again with his mouth at the same time that he ran one hand over her belly, then between her legs.
Sweet Lord, she was already so hot. So ready. He knew he was a greedy bastard, but if he didn’t taste her soon, he was going to go crazy.
What had begun as a way to calm her nerves about meeting his family had spiraled off into so much more. Into the same desperate, overwhelming desire—and deep emotion—he always felt with Chloe. Right from the night he’d first set eyes on her.
He was impressed by how she managed to keep holding on to the headboard as he ran kisses over her rib cage, then stomach, then hip bones. He loved the way she opened for him, not holding one single thing back as she arched up into his hands and mouth.
Looking up from between her thighs, he saw that her eyes were closed, a sexy smile on her face as she rocked against him. He wanted a million more days with her just like this.
But first, he was going to make sure they appreciated the hell out of this one...
Lowering his head, he took his first taste, already knowing just one could never possibly be enough. He’d barely pressed his tongue to the center of her arousal when he felt her hands in his hair and heard her crying out his name as she began to come apart.
He wanted to make her come again and again and again, until she couldn’t remember either of their names anymore—until she could barely remember anything apart from how good he was making her feel. But for all that Chase was lauded for his patience out in the field waiting for the perfect shot, before she’d even come down from her climax, he had ripped off his clothes, had her hands back in his, and was moving into her.
She opened her eyes as they came together and looked into his. “I love you.”
“I love you, too.” He’d never known pleasure like this—never known such joy either. “So damned much.”
He covered her mouth with his as their hips began to move deeper, harder, faster. Until everything was a blur. Everything but how much she meant to him. Everything but riding the edge of pleasure until it was so sweet, so perfect, that there was no other choice but to leap out over that edge into glorious free fall.
Hand in hand with the woman he’d love until the end of time.
* * *
“You definitely look more relaxed now.”
Chloe smiled languidly at Chase from the passenger seat of his car as they took the exit toward Palo Alto off of Highway 280. “I feel great. Even if your entire family is probably going to take one look at us and guess what we were doing right before we came over.”
If anything, his grin grew even wider, as if he was a conquering hero. Honestly, considering how good he’d made her feel, she was more than happy to let him wear his Sex God pride on his sleeve.
She was still a little nervous about meeting his family, however. Maybe it didn’t make any sense, especially if all of his siblings were as nice as Marcus. But at the same time, how could she not want them to like her? After all, she was going to be marrying into their family. The first sister-in-law. Not only that, but her past wasn’t at all clean or simple.
But though it still felt more than a little daunting, she’d finally learned that she couldn’t do anything other than be herself. Pretending to be anything else to try to get people to like her never worked. Not in the slightest. Which meant she would let her nerves go, take a deep breath, and enjoy getting to know the people who had helped make Chase the extraordinary man he was.
A few moments later he parked in front of a ranch-style home on a street lined with leafy trees. “Anything you need, Chloe, all you have to do is—”
She leaned across the stick shift to kiss away the rest of his sentence. “I’m going to be just fine. Let’s go in.”
He brushed his fingertips over her cheek. “Have I mentioned today how much I love you?”
“Only a million times.”
“Then I owe you a million more before tonight.” The hot kiss that followed seared away what was left of her nerves, so that by the time he came around the car to open the door for her, she was still a tiny bit dazed.
They weren’t even halfway up the walk when the door flew open, a stunning woman in her mid-twenties standing in the doorway. “She’s here!” the woman called out, then came dashing toward them.
“I’m Lori. You must be Chloe. You are beautiful!”
With that, Lori threw her arms around Chloe, surprising a laugh out of her. How could Chloe do anything but hug Chase’s sister back just as hard? And be hugely charmed by her at the same time.
“Naughty,” a man said from behind them, “maybe you should let Chase’s fiancée go before you scare her away.”
That voice was familiar. And when Lori did let Chloe go, she tried not to gape at the fact that Smith Sullivan was standing right in front of her. Oh my God. She’d seen him on movie screens so many times that for a moment she actually wondered if this could be real. But then he grinned, held out his hand, and said, “Chloe, it’s nice to meet you. I’m Smith.” The easy way he introduced himself, as if she might not know his name, had her grinning right back.
“It’s really nice to meet you.” She turned to Lori. “And you, too. Thanks for the warm welcome.”
Lori beamed at her, then grabbed her arm. “Come inside. Everyone is dying to meet you.”
Nerves tried to flutter up to the top again, but Chloe batted them away before they could take her over.
“Everyone, this is Chloe!”
Lori’s announcement had everyone stopping their conversations and turning to her. Chase’s arm went around her waist, a gesture of protection that she appreciated, but was pleasantly surprised to realize she didn’t necessarily need. Not when there wasn’t one single cynical, judging expression in the room. If her past bothered any of them, they certainly weren’t showing it.
One of Chase’s brothers, with close-cropped hair and slightly bigger muscles than the rest of them, stepped up, his hand outstretched. “Chloe, I’m Gabe. Great to finally meet you.”
Remembering that Gabe was a firefighter, she hoped that he’d be able to stay for the whole lunch rather than being called into the station. She was about to return the sentiment, when another of Chase’s brothers slid in front of Gabe.
By process of elimination, she knew it had to be either Zach or Ryan, since she’d already met Marcus, Smith, and Gabe. Given the outsize charm and good looks of the man standing in front of her, her money was on Zach. And yet, even as he shook her hand and said how glad he was that she was going to be a part of the family, despite how undeniably handsome he was, Chase was still the only man who made her heart flutter and her pulse race.
A carbon copy of Lori moved forward just then. Naughty’s twin, Nice. Only, as Chloe looked closer, she realized that their resemblance was only skin-deep. Because where Lori was a ball of energy, Sophie radiated a calm and a quiet that were extremely soothing. The way they dressed was different too. Lori’s clothes were bright and formfitting, highlighting her dancer’s figure, whereas Sophie clearly had no interest in calling attention to herself in a pale pink dress that lightly skimmed over her curves and fell below her knees. Still, her beauty was undeniable. Especially when she smiled.
“Chloe, I’m so happy to meet you.” Sophie clasped Chloe’s hands. “Anyone who makes my brother as happy as I know you do is someone I want for a sister.”
It was such a sweet thing to say that, for a moment, all Chloe could manage was squeezing Sophie’s hands. Finally, she found her voice. “I can’t wait to get to know all of you better, too.”
Chase’s final brother, Ryan, came into the living room from the kitchen just then. If she hadn’t already known he was a professional ballplayer, she might have guessed it by his sun-kissed hair, tanned skin, and the athletic way he moved. “Chloe.” Even his voice held a grin. “You’re here. And even prettier than Chase said you were.” He winked. “And believe me when I say, I’ve never heard him talk this way about anyone.”
She could feel herself flushing at his compliment as they shook hands. Thankfully, Chase saved her from needing to find a reply by saying, “Go get your own fiancée to flirt with, Ryan. Chloe’s mine.”
Oh, how she loved the way mine sounded when Chase said it.
Chase’s mother, Mary, was the final Sullivan for Chloe to meet. All of Chase’s siblings were extremely good-looking. But his mother simply glowed. Chloe knew she’d been a model decades before, but it wasn’t just the way her features came together that made her so stunning. It was the light in her eyes, the warmth of her smile.
So when Mary held out her arms, it was pure instinct for Chloe to walk into them.
“It’s wonderful to meet you, Chloe.” His mother held on to her hands as she drew back. “Chase wasn’t exaggerating about how lovely you are.”
“Thank you for such a warm welcome into your home.”
A moment later, she was swept up in the middle of all nine of them, surrounded by so much laughter, and so many rapid-fire stories about Chase when he was a kid, that her head spun. In the best possible way.
* * *
Chloe’s stomach actually hurt from laughing by the time she got up to help bring in the platters that had held the hamburgers, hot dogs, and grilled chicken the Sullivan family had demolished during lunch. She’d absolutely loved sitting beneath the shade of the old oak tree getting to know Chase’s family.
She’d seen him in action as a professional photographer, but today she’d gotten to see how much he loved to capture his family with his camera. He had such a knack for catching the people he loved right when they were laughing, hugging. But he wasn’t just brilliant at capturing emotion—he was utterly unafraid of it. Chloe could guess why. His mother simply overflowed with love, and support, for her kids. Where Chloe’s parents hadn’t been very open with their feelings, Mary held nothing back. And yet, she didn’t seem to be at all overbearing. It was more that Chase’s mother seemed happy to let her kids be exactly who they wanted to be—but would always be there to help them if they needed it.
Lori fell into step with Chloe as they headed into the kitchen. “I want you to know if I ever meet your ex, I’ll—” She made a very rude, extremely painful-looking gesture with her hands. One that had Chloe both feeling supported and laughing at the same time. They’d all shared so much about themselves with her, but everyone had been careful about the questions they’d asked Chloe about herself. Honestly, she was glad for the way Lori finally came out and said exactly what she was thinking.
Sophie appeared on the other side of Chloe, obviously having heard what Lori said. “I’m so sorry for what your ex did to you, Chloe,” Sophie said. “And I promise you that if I ever meet him, he won’t be able to walk the same when I’m done with him.”
Sophie was so quiet, Chloe thought, but fierce. Still waters clearly ran deep with her. The men who were one day lucky enough to love Chase’s sisters were going to have their hands full—and also would be two of the luckiest guys in the world.
Marcus was standing at the sink, his hands plunged into soapy water as they walked up. “Surviving our family circus?” he asked Chloe with a grin.
“I’m loving it.”
“Of course you are,” Lori said. “We’re super fun. Jill’s the only one who doesn’t seem to think so for some strange reason.”
Just like that, Lori’s mention of Marcus’s girlfriend had his expression going from happy to thunderous. Chloe had already seen how frustrated Chase was on his brother’s behalf. Clearly, all of them were worried about Marcus’s relationship—Lori was just a little more blunt about it than everyone else.
As if Mary had radar for when things were about to blow up between her kids, she redirected Lori out to the backyard again to pick up more plates. Putting her hand on Chloe’s arm, she said, “Would you like to see the quilt my grandmother from Italy made for me when I was a baby?”
“I would love to.”
Until today, Chloe couldn’t possibly imagine how resilient Mary must have been to recover from losing her husband in her forties. Especially when she had eight kids to raise. But now that she’d spent some time with Chase’s mother, she wasn’t surprised at all by her strength. Mary was both firm and gentle with her kids, depending on what they needed from moment to moment. And her home was so comfortable that Chloe understood why Chase and his siblings were all happy to come back for Sunday lunches so often. The ranch house was smaller than both Chase’s and Marcus’s homes, but perfectly homey and inviting.
Mary brought her into her bedroom and unfolded the quilt laid over an upholstered chair by the window.
“Wow.” Chloe had read about this style that had been born of the Sicilian-quilted linen textiles from the Renaissance period, but had never actually seen it in person. “It’s absolutely breathtaking.”
“I’d like for you to have it.”
Chloe felt her eyes go wide and her mouth drop open. She was that stunned. “Thank you, but—”
“I was swaddled in this quilt, and I wrapped all my babies up in it. One day, I hope you’ll do the same for yours.”
Tears sprang to Chloe’s eyes. “I don’t know what to say. You’ve already been so kind to me today.”
Mary folded the quilt into Chloe’s hands. “Just say you’ll accept my gift.”
“I’d love to, thank you.” But she needed Chase’s mother to know, “I’m sure our engagement seems really sudden, but I promise you Chase and I were friends first.” She held Mary’s eyes as she said, “And I love him with all of my heart. With everything I am.”
“I know you do. He obviously loves you just as much.”
Chloe took a page straight out of Lori’s book and impulsively threw her arms around Mary, the quilt a soft bundle between them.
Mary simply held her quietly for a few long moments before saying, “I’m sure my son is going to come looking for you soon. He doesn’t like to be too far from you for too long.” Mary smiled as they headed back into the yard, momentarily seeming to get lost in memories as she said, “It was just the way his father Jack and I always were.”
Just as predicted, Chase appeared beside them a beat later. “My two favorite women.”
Mary kissed him on the cheek, then left the two of them alone.
“What did I tell you?” he murmured into Chloe’s hair after he’d pulled her into a more secluded corner of the backyard for a private moment. “They all love you as much as I knew they would.”
“I love them all, too.”
She’d never felt as safe with anyone as she did with Chase, and she was amazed to realize that she felt just as safe with his family. Chloe had dreamed of finding true love one day. But she’d also wanted to be part of a loving family. She could hardly believe the Sullivans were going to be her family now.
The day had been mostly sunny, with occasional clouds covering the sun for a few minutes at a time. But just as she pressed her lips to his, rain began to fall. Everyone in the family hurried to gather up the rest of the plates and seat cushions.
Everyone but Chase and Chloe, who were more than happy to keep kissing in the rain.
Thanks for reading and keep an eye out for the final chapter!
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