Bad Boy (An Indecent Proposal) (19 page)

At last, I decided to stick to the truth as I replied,

Yes.

Club 69 was one of the most prestigious nightclubs in Los
Angeles with similar establishments in NYC and major cities in the United
States. That’s where the celebrities hung out, where scandals took place, and a
long line of paparazzi waited day and night to take that one major picture that
would make them rich. Unsurprisingly, it was a place I didn’t frequent. The
fact that Chase did, rendered me both impressed and pissed beyond my wildest
dreams.

The moment I stated my name, the bouncer opened the doors
and motioned me inside. I stopped in the doorway to gawk. Boy, was it big and
sparkling, with loud music, stunning light work, and exquisite decorations on
various levels. Gorgeous women seemed to stand around at every corner, their hungry
eyes scanning the crowd for what I assumed where celebrities or someone at
least half-famous to hang on to for the night.

Dressed in a short but inconspicuous black dress, I wriggled
passed the crowd swaying to the music blaring in the background.

How the fuck was I supposed to find my way to the bar? I
considered stopping a scantily-clad woman to ask for directions, then decided
against it. By the time I found the bar, I was fifteen minutes late and sure
Chase had probably bolted figuring I was a no-show.

As soon as my eyes fell on him, my breath caught in my
throat.

He looked so darn sexy.

Sexier than in my naughtiest thoughts.

He was so gorgeous, it took my breath away.

Judging from the tailored business suit and the leather
briefcase occupying the seat next to him, he looked like he had worked late.
And maybe he had. He was so engrossed in his drink, I had a few moments to take
him all in before he felt my stare on him and turned.

His eyes swept over the crowd, focused on the entrance for a
few moments, and then they found me.

His expression relaxed a little, and a smile lit his lips as
he waved at me.

I headed for him, barely able to contain my own smile.

“Hi Laurie.” He stood and leaned in to kiss my cheek. His
lips brushed my skin, sending jolts of pleasure through my body.

“Chase,” I whispered, my mouth opening and closing as I
struggled for words.

“I got us a table.” His hand moved to the small of my back
as he guided me through the crowd to an upper level where the noise level was
bearable and everything seemed more relaxed.

“How are you doing?” he asked as soon as I had sat down and
he had taken his seat opposite from me.

“I’m great. How are you?”

God, could I sound more breathy?

“Busy but good.” He smiled and moistened his lips. His gaze
swept over my body, but didn’t linger the way it had a few months ago. My heart
dropped just a little bit. Had he moved on already? “It’s good to see you. You
look beautiful.”

“Thank you. It’s good to see you, too.” Heat crept up my
body and face. “You look…” My throat closed in.

He looked perfect.

Like a god.

So sexy I wanted to rip his clothes off and make love to him
right there and then.

God, I missed running my hands over his body, kissing every
inch of him.

“I’m not dressed to fit the crowd,” Chase said nonchalantly.
“I had a business meeting here an hour ago.” As if to emphasize his words, he
let his hand run down his business suit. The ring on his finger sparkled in the
lights. He noticed my glance and lifted his hand in the air, a soft smile on
his lips. “Still married, remember?”

“Yeah. Got to play the part and all.” I nodded, swallowing
down the sudden lump in my throat. “How’s everything going for you?”

“Good. Much better than expected.” His expression remained
relaxed, as if nothing could faze him. “The guy knows how to put up a fight.
I’ll have to give him that. But thanks to your mom’s last will, he’s going to
lose. Big time. I know my game.”

Of course he did. I wouldn’t have expected anything less
from Chase Wright.

“How sure are you?”

His lips curled into a show stopping grin. “Very sure. Let’s
say we could be toasting.”

“Can’t. I’m very superstitious,” I said faintly.

He shrugged. “I’m not. It’s a good case.”

“Do you need my mom’s letters?” I asked even though I hoped
he’d say ‘no’ because I wasn’t ready to disclose the dark parts of her yet.

He cocked his head to the side and regarded me interested.
“Why are you asking? Do you have them with you?”

“Just one. It’s the one I think you should read.” My hands
trembled slightly as I picked up the photocopy I had made and passed it to him.

 
“May I?” He
pointed at the piece of paper

“Yeah, go ahead.” I shifted uncomfortably in my seat as he
started to read.

“I’m going to get us a drink,” I mumbled, ready to jump to
my feet.

“No need. I already ordered before you arrived.”

Like on cue, a woman appeared with a tray and placed our
drinks in front of us.

I began to sip my cocktail nervously, my gaze focused on the
dance floor below. Club 69 was stunning. Everyone seemed to have such a great
time—everyone but me.

At last, Chase leaned back, and his eyes settled on me in
silence.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” he said softly, pushing the piece
of paper toward me.

“I couldn’t. It’s not something that can be said in an
email.”

“I get it. It’s not something you can discuss.” He stared at
the piece of paper with a deep frown, his thoughts miles away.

Or maybe that was what I wanted to believe.

“So what do you think?” I asked. “Could it be Kade? He’s the
same age and he looks like my mom and my grandfather. If you could convince him
to get the test done, then—”

“I already got it.”

“What?” My heart lurched. “When?”

I had waited weeks for an answer, and he managed to get the
results within twenty-four hours?

He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Today. This
morning. The results came back a few hours later.” He downed his glass before
his gaze met mine again.

My body began to tremble with anticipation. My mind was
barely able to form the words, and yet I couldn’t stand the tension. I had to
know.

“What did the test say?”

The silence that followed became unbearable. The seconds
that ticked by felt like an eternity.

“He’s your brother, Laurie,” Chase said slowly.

A gasp escaped my mouth, and I closed my eyes. “Oh, my God.”

Kade wasn’t just the man who had come up with the plan of
deceiving me; he was also my brother.

“Are you sure?” I asked.

“I’m positive. There’s barely any doubt.” He opened his
briefcase and handed me the results. “I wouldn’t have thought it, but you’re
right. Based on the genetic profile you share the same mother.”

“What did he say?” I stared at the results, then at Chase.

He shook his head. “Kade doesn’t know yet.”

I frowned. “How did you get him tested?”

Chase’s lips twitched, and for a moment his perfect face
reminded me of the seemingly carefree guy from our first meeting. God, he was
so beautiful it took my breath away.

“My doctor friend, you know, the one I mentioned, called him
to tell him he might have caught a sexually transmitted disease. Kade being the
manwhore he is, bought it, so he stopped by the clinic straight away.”

I didn’t know whether to laugh or be shocked.

Another silence.

“Why didn’t you tell him the truth?” I asked.

Chase hesitated. “Look, I’m not trying to sway your
decision. It’s your call whether you want to tell him or not, but if you ask
me, I don’t think telling him is a good idea.” His fingers clutched at the
papers, almost crumbling them. The movement made me nervous. “I’ve known him
most of my life. Kaiden has a lot of anger issues, particularly toward his
adoption. In my opinion, he’s not ready to face the truth.”

“What makes you say that?” I asked

“His anger issues are out of control,” he said quietly.
“He’s a sex addict.”

“Oh.” I swallowed, embarrassed. “The manwhore part wasn’t a
joke.”

“When Kade turned eighteen, he was offered the opportunity
to find out who his real parents were. He decided against it. Instead, he
became obsessed with our parents’ death.” Chase winced, hesitating again as he
considered his words carefully. “You need to understand. They had died a few
weeks earlier. He loved them. We fought. I stupidly called him a bastard and
almost lost him. He actually asked me never to bring up the adoption again.”

“Then why did you help me find out?”

“I want you to know the truth, and to be honest, I wanted to
know, too.” He looked up, his gaze intense. “So, do you want me to tell him? If
you do, it’s best he hears it from me.”

I let the thought sink in for a moment, then shook my head.
“Is it wrong that I don’t really want to?”

His fingers curled around mine. “No, it’s not wrong. You’re
afraid.”

I nodded. “It’s all happened so suddenly. To be honest, the
idea that I might have a brother shocked me.” I searched his gaze and found
warmth and understanding in it. “My biological father’s alive. I have other
siblings, too. I don’t even know if I’ll ever be ready to meet him.”

“Because of what your mom wrote.”

I nodded. Waves of anger wafted over me. “He never tried to
contact me. He didn’t give a shit about her. What kind of man leaves a pregnant
woman behind?”

“Someone who’s not ready.”

Maybe. I took a sharp breath. “And yet he has his own family
now. His life moves on even though he knows that I exist. All he ever had to do
was write me a few lines. Maybe even call. He chose not to.” Tears began to
cloud my vision. But it wasn’t sadness that threatened to choke me. It was
anger addressed at a man I had never met. At a man I had no desire to ever
meet. “I think I’m ready to move on and forget.

“That won’t be possible, Laurie,” he whispered. “You need
closure. It doesn’t have to be now, or tomorrow, but someday, you will have to
seek it out. And Kade will need it, too. Just not as long as he’s fighting his
demons.”

“I know.” I eyed him. “I don’t blame Kade. The last thing
I’d want is for him to feel abandoned. But there’s a letter my mom wanted him
to have. I don’t know what to do with it.”

“Save it for the right time. Maybe after the trial’s over.”

“Yeah.” I nodded. “How much longer is it going to take?”

“The judge is a friend of mine. The case will be over before
the end of summer.” His eyes grew distant, and when he spoke, his tone was low.
“That’s when you’ll get your divorce. Just like you wanted.” His gaze was
tense, an open question. “That’s what you want, right, Laurie?”

I bit my lip so hard, I could almost taste the blood. “I
really missed you, Chase,” I said instead.

“You don’t have to lie,” he repeated the words I’d said in
Acapulco.

I laughed. “It’s the truth.”

“So you say.” His eyes sparkled, and for a moment there was
silence.

He cast his eyes down, avoiding my gaze. I pondered what
else to say, how to convey just how I had missed him without giving away the
true magnitude of my feelings for him. His gaze met mine, and I realized his
expression had changed.

There was a glint in his eyes. The same glint I had glimpsed
in Acapulco. My heart lurched as my feelings began to crush me.

“It’s been three months,” Chase said slowly.

“Yes.” I forced myself to smile, but my nerves got the best
of me. “Time flies, doesn’t it?”

He shook his head. “Sadly, not for me, no.” His fingers began
to trace circles on my naked arm. The familiar gesture was so erotic, my breath
hitched and slow pull settled between my legs. “Are you sure you want the
divorce because, you know…” Standing, he retrieved something from his back
pocket and pushed it across the table.

I peered at the jewelry box, stunned.

“You still have it?” I asked.

“Yes. I sleep with it next to my pillow.” He winked, making
it impossible to tell whether he was joking, or not. “Besides, this is worth a
fortune.”

“Now you’re being stingy.”

“I know, right?” He winked.

Definitely joking.

I shook my head. “Why, Chase?”

“You know why. I already told you a hundred times. I’ll
gladly repeat it if you need to hear it again.” He smiled gently. “I’m in love
with you.”

His choice of words rendered me silent. It was no longer
‘I’m falling in love with you more and more every day.’ It was ‘I’m love with
you.’

Definite.

Period.

“You really mean that?” I asked, my voice breathy.

He nodded and leaned over the table. His grip on my hand
tightened. “I’ve never been more serious in my life. Indeed, if the situation
wasn’t so tense, I would have asked you a question.”

“What question?”

He slid over, occupying the seat next to mine, and pressed
my hand against his heart. “I would have asked you to marry me. In fact, that
was the first thought that occurred to me back in the lift, when I thought we
were about to die. I wanted to ask you to be my wife.”

I leaned back, my gaze connected with his, my mind devoid of
thoughts.

When the meaning of his words finally dawned on me, I let
out a laugh. “So you admit you thought we were going to die. Because I remember
I kept insisting the possibility very much existed, and you kept claiming
otherwise.”

He grimaced. “Now that it’s over, yes, my beautiful wife, I
admit you were right. It took a near death situation to make me fall in love
with you, but it happened that day.”

He had been in love with me from the first day we met?
“You’re hilarious, Chase.” My eyes filled with tears.

“No, I’m not,” he said quietly. “In all honesty, Laurie,
you’re the woman I want in my life. And so…” He opened the box and slid the
ring onto my finger. “I’m asking you to stay my wife.”