Offside: Rules of the Game Book 1

We blindly started up the stairs, mouths locked together and hands groping in a frantic, needy blur. Mistakenly thinking I had reached the landing, I took a step backward and nearly lost my balance on the final stair.

Chase’s hand flew to my lower back, steadying me before I fell. He chuckled quietly, breaking our kiss.

“Still clumsy,” he said. “And as adorable as always.”

“Or maybe you have me flustered.” Flustered was putting it mildly—I was overcome. My level of desire had sped off the charts, like he’d floored the gas pedal and cut the brakes at the same time. It hadn’t been long, but being without him was torture.

“That’s the goal.” With his hands spanning my waist, he squeezed me, his tone teasing. “Without the falling down part, that is.”

With another, more careful step, we reached the top of the staircase, and Chase steered me toward his bedroom, then slammed the door behind us. He tugged my soft pink sweater over my head and tossed it aside, then spun me around. My shoulders hit the bedroom door, and I drew in a breath as its cool surface pressed against my skin.

“Got a thing for doors, Carter?” I peered up at him, biting back a smile. “There’s a bit of a theme going on here. Car doors, bedroom doors…”

He grinned. “I can’t help it if they’re the perfect thing to pin you against.”

The air was pulled from my lungs as his lips crashed down on mine again. He kissed me like it was the first time, like it was the last time, like we were the only people in existence. I lost myself in him, my yearning intensifying with every sweep of his tongue.

He crushed me against the door with his broad frame, curving his hands down the small of my back and splaying them to grip me roughly from behind. With my palms under the hem of his black T-shirt, I soaked up the heat of his smooth skin. Now that I had my hands on him, I couldn’t stop touching. I was making up for lost time, my fingertips greedily mapping every inch of firm muscle. He was solid under my touch, heavy and immovable.

Still pressed against me, he nimbly unfastened my jeans, then took a step back only to peel them down past my hips, leaving me in nothing but a pale yellow lace bralette and panty set. The bralette had thin straps and plunged to a deep V in the front, and the underwear was little more than a flimsy scrap of fabric.

“Fuck me,” he murmured, more to himself than to me. His gaze flicked back up to meet mine, his mouth tugging into a wolfish smile. “Is this new?”

With his fingertips, he traced my hipbone, skimming beneath the delicate material. Goose bumps popped up in the wake of his touch, my body crying out for his hands to move lower.

“Sure is.” I’d bought the set two weeks before, and it had sat in my drawer waiting to be put to good use. A few days ago, I wasn’t sure it ever would be. I’d never been so happy to be wrong.

Chase let out a low rumble of approval, his attention lingering on my body. “It’s hot.”

He walked his fingers up my stomach, stopping momentarily at the band of my bra, then continuing higher. With my nipples between his thumbs and index fingers, he pinched them gently through the pale yellow fabric. They hardened beneath his touch, the need growing between my legs. All his attention—and he knew exactly how to work me—had me two seconds away from melting into a puddle.

“This too.” He slid the straps of the bralette off my shoulders. “Very sexy. Going to look great on my floor.” He slid his hand behind my back and unfastened the clasp, then let it fall to my feet. With both hands, he skimmed the sides of my ribcage and palmed my bare breasts. “God, you’re so perfect.”

With a hand behind my back, he turned us around and took a few steps, then eased me onto his bed. He placed a soft kiss on my lips before standing up and relieving himself of his clothing.

I swallowed and scanned his body leisurely, marveling at every sculpted inch of mouth-watering perfection. Planes of muscle beneath smooth, perfect skin. V-shaped indents in his torso that I wanted to sink my teeth into. And a light trail of hair leading to the waistband of his black boxer briefs, which barely contained his erection. Liquid heat pooled between my legs, my impatience growing by the second.

Chase cocked a brow, his lips forming a smirk. “Are you checking me out, James?”

Checking out, ogling, gawking, in giddy disbelief that he was mine. Same thing.

“Absolutely.” My voice was breathy.

He kneeled on the bed, the mattress dipping beneath his weight. Once he’d settled between my legs, he hovered over me, his muscular arms fencing me in. His fresh, clean fragrance invaded my senses, comforting me and stoking the inferno within me all at once. I’d never felt so crazed and so calm at the same time.

Chase tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. “I missed you, baby.”

“I missed you more.”

The days we’d spent apart felt like an eternity—likely because I was scared it would be an actual eternity. Thinking back on it made my heart ache all over again, even with him here on top of me.

“Impossible,” he murmured, planting a kiss below my ear. Goose bumps formed on my upper arms in response. He dragged his lips down my skin and landed on my collarbone, placing another soft kiss. “I’m sorry I was in a bad mood earlier.”

My heart tugged. After what he’d been through, apologizing was the last thing he needed to do.

“Don’t apologize. There’s a lot going on,” I said. “I understand.”

“Good news is, I feel better now.” He curled his fingers around the waistband of my underwear and slowly dragged them down. I lifted my hips slightly, helping him pull them off, and he set them aside.

“Because you’ve got me naked?” I whispered.

He pulled himself upright and kneeled before me, his eyes blazing a path down my body. “Because I’m with you.”

Our gazes met, and his expression turned tender, his lips tugging into a smile.

Despite how exhausted I was after the past few days—and how tired I looked, based on what I saw in the bathroom mirror earlier—I felt beautiful because of the way he was looking at me. Because of the way always looked at me.

Reverently.

Chase grabbed the backs of my thighs, pulling me down so I was wrapped even more tightly around his body. The only thing separating us was the single layer of his boxer briefs. Once upon a time, I would have felt self-conscious, exposed. But right now, all I felt was wanted in the best possible way.

He nuzzled my neck and drew in a slow, indulgent inhale. “Have you noticed that we fit together perfectly?”

I pressed back against the pillow and sank my fingers into his silky hair, tugging gently. He hummed quietly in response, a smile breaking out against the skin over my clavicle.

“Mm-hmm.” I nodded. “Almost like it’s a sign.”

“Oh, it’s definitely a sign.”

Chase clasped my hands in his and guided them over my head. Strong fingers handcuffed my wrists, pinning my hands to the mattress. I wriggled against his grip in mock resistance, but he didn’t give an inch.

“Red?” He eyed me, expression playful.

“Green.”

He leaned closer, and our lips came together again in a brief, chaste kiss.

“Bright green,” I added, lifting up an inch and kissing him again. “Or dark green. Whatever the greenest green is.”

Chase huffed a low, husky laugh, but then he furrowed his brow, his expression going serious. Shifting his weight, he dropped his chin and let out a cross between a growl and a sigh.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing. At all.” He shook his head and peered up at me, flashing me an utterly devastating smile. “Just have some conflicting feelings.”

“Why?”

Chase pulled my hand up to his lips, kissing my fingertips. “Because on the one hand, I want to take my time with you.” He grinned, sinking the softest of bites into my index finger. “But I also want to bend you over and fuck you into the mattress.”

I could see his dilemma—both of those options sounded highly appealing. Part of me wanted him to go slow, to be loving and gentle. The other part wanted to be claimed, taken, his.

“I vote both.”

“Yeah?” His eyes danced.

“Yeah.” My voice turned breathy. “Definitely both.”

“We do have all night.”

He captured my mouth with his, then drew in a ragged breath and fisted my hair at my nape and tugged. I let out a whimper, and a fireworks display of desire went off in my body in response. His tongue swept deeper into my mouth, working with an intentional precision that reminded me of all the other things his mouth could do.

His other hand traveled past my waistband but came to a stop at my stomach. The flutter between my legs intensified, growing into a delicious, agonizing throb. Heat flooded my veins, and my skin grew feverish despite the cool air of the room.

Chase’s eyes turned midnight dark as I dragged my fingers down the stacked muscle of his torso. I continued my travels until I reached beneath the waistband of his boxer briefs. Pulling his hand from my stomach, he helped me work them down his hips. I grabbed the hard length of him, eliciting a low groan from the back of his throat.

He returned the favor by sliding his fingers against my slick entrance. I drew in a soft gasp, a shimmering veil of pleasure falling over me. He slid one finger inside me, then another, and stroked me in a slow, tortuously divine pattern. Whimpering, I tightened my grip on him, causing him to utter another feral sound in response.

It quickly turned into a game of who could tease the other person most, and he was winning.

A shiver ran through my body, causing my legs to tremble. “You’re such a tease.” His touch had me so intoxicated, my words left me with a slur.

“I know,” he said, voice husky. “I love teasing you. But right now, I need to be inside you.”

“Yes,” I sobbed. My hips swayed against his hand as another needy sound escaped me. “Please. I need you.”

“I love you.” He dipped his head and placed a kiss on the hollow of my throat. “More than you’ll ever know.”

“I love you.”

We collided again, lips searing together, breathing the same air. My body buzzed with anticipation. I was desperate for his skin against mine, the feeling of him inside me, the way he sounded when he said my name when he was on the brink.

When he pressed into me, we both drew in a breath. A paradoxical mix of relief and longing coursed through me at the sensation being of filled by him. He came to a halt, and I shifted beneath him impatiently, encouraging him to move.

Chase pressed his temple to mine, his inhalations and exhalations shallow. “Give me a sec,” he said, laughing a little. “I was already way too fucking turned on going into this.”

I smoothed my hands up and down his shoulders, giving him time to compose himself. After a few seconds, he pulled out partway and thrust back into me, nudging the perfect spot only he’d ever found. A strong dose of pleasure shut my brain down completely. All that existed was this moment. His body in mine, us together.

The pressure in my core started to build immediately, turning everything a little hazy. I matched his movements, the two of us falling into a perfect rhythm.

“I could do this all day.” Chase rocked against me again, deeper, pulling a soft moan from my lips. “Especially when you make sounds like that.”

With his next thrust, pleasure overtook me. I closed my eyes and sank my teeth into my bottom lip, giving in to the sensation. He stilled again, and I forced my lids to flutter open, finding him studying my face, dark brown eyes serious.

“Are you mine, James?”

My chest tightened, and the deluge of feelings that hit me had nothing to do with sex.

“Completely,” I said. “Are you mine?” I cupped his square jaw.

He leaned against my hand, his expression softening, the tenderness only I got to see shining in his eyes. “For as long as you’ll have me.”

“You’re going to be stuck with me for a long time, then.”

I let out a gasp as he flexed his hips, sending off another surge of pleasure.

“That’s the idea.” His voice was strained.

Chase moved one hand beneath my thigh, lifting me off the bed slightly. The angle made everything intensify a thousandfold. He hit the right spot again, making my back arch and my lungs take in a sharp, involuntary breath. With each rolling thrust, I drew closer and closer to oblivion.

I whimpered, scrambling to pull him tighter against me. “I’m so close.”

“Fuck.” Chase growled. “Me too.”

Reaching up, he slid a hand to the side of my neck. He ducked his head, grazing my ear with his lips, his warm breath fanning my skin. “Be good and come for me first.”

His words alone nearly sent me over the edge. I tensed around him, digging my nails into his back as he thrust again, causing everything but him and the way he worked himself over me to fade. He moved against me relentlessly, over and over, until I was a babbling, squirming mess.

The sensations became too much, too intense, too pleasurable. A string of words left my lips that might have been a prayer or plea, I wasn’t sure. All I knew was that if he stopped, I’d die. It made no sense, but I knew it with a certainty.

“Chase.”

Just as the world around us exploded, I looked up and locked eyes with him.

He slammed against me, his body shaking in release before falling still. With a groan, he collapsed, draping his heavy body on top of mine. His heartbeat hammered against his ribcage so hard I could feel it against my own.

“You’re too hot.” Chase buried his face in my hair spread out on the pillow. “That should have lasted way longer.”

“No way. That was perfect. I love when we finish together.” I ran my hands up and down his arms, tracing the defined swells of his muscles.

He huffed a low laugh and kissed my cheek. “It is a good way to go.”

After another beat, we reluctantly pulled apart, and I darted to the bathroom to clean up. When I returned, he was sitting up against the headboard with the sheet draped low around his waist. I stepped closer, and he tugged me back into bed, wrapping his warm body around me.

Soft lips landed on my shoulder and traveled up the curve of my neck. I sighed, melting against his body. His rough, warm palm smoothed down the side of my ribs, to my upper thigh, and back again. Suddenly, he paused, releasing his hold on me.

“Look at me for a sec.”

I rose onto my forearm and turned to face him. His fingers bracketed my jaw, tilting up my chin. Something that looked like worry skirted his face for a split second.

“Losing you would have been the biggest mistake of my life,” he said. “I’m never letting you go again.”

“Perfect. Then I’ll never have to leave this bed. It’s comfy.”

It really was. Plush duvet, crisp sheets, pillows that were a perfect mix of fluffy and firm. The company was a bonus too. Hell, I’d have slept on the ground as long as I was with him.

His expression shifted, and he gave me a mischievous half smile. “That aligns nicely with my plans for round two. And maybe round three later tonight, after some food.”

“At that rate, I won’t be able to walk tomorrow.”

“Also part of the plan to keep you in my bed. Can’t leave if you can’t walk.”

I nestled into the crook of his neck, breathing in his scent. A low, satisfied hum rumbled in his chest.

I closed my eyes, relishing in the comfort he always brought me. When I opened them again, my gaze fell to his phone where it sat on the nightstand. The small spiderweb crack in the corner was gone. “Is that a new phone?”

“Yeah,” he said. “Broke the old one.”

I peered up at him. “Dropped it?” Maybe I wasn’t the only clumsy one.

“Uh…” Chase trailed off, looking sheepish. “Threw it against a wall, actually.”

I raised my eyebrows, waiting for him to elaborate. I’d never seen him lose his temper and take it out on an inanimate object like that. It was difficult to imagine.

He shrugged. “Told you. I have a low tolerance for frustration, which includes being apart from you.”