Ready To Love Again Blog Tour: Day in The Life of Chase

So today I have the Ready To Love Again blog tour stopping here.  The Author Annalyse Knight has written a beautiful book and I can't wait to share my thoughts of it with all of you, but first we have a great guest post.  Day in the life of Chase, one of the great characters from this book.  Let's get to know more about Chase and his life. 

Chase waved one last time as his mother drove away with Liz, Tony and Shawn for the day. He loved his kids, but he’d been looking forward to this day for a week. He finally had a few hours of uninterrupted time with Katie before he had to go to work, and she had requested a beach date. When she showed up with her little bikini and a sarong tied around her waist, it took every ounce of willpower Chase had not to turn into a Neanderthal, sling her over his shoulder, and carry her to his room. Instead, he led her to the living room and pulled her into his lap.

“I thought we were going to the beach?” she said with a raised eyebrow. Chase buried his face in her neck and nipped at the tender flesh below her ear.

“We are, but we have the house completely to ourselves and I thought . . .” He trailed off, letting her draw her own conclusion. Gooseflesh pimpled on her arms and he smiled to himself as her fingers wound into his hair and she tugged his mouth to hers. She gasped against his mouth as he pulled her closer until she straddled his hips.

“Mmmmmm, Chase.”

He loved it when she said his name in a throaty whisper. Tired of waiting, he stood with her and pulled her legs securely around his waist. She hooked her ankles together while his hands slid up her thighs. Their lips crushed together as he went for the stairs.

“Chase,” she whispered, pulling away and looking down at him. Chase grunted in response while his lips tried to seek hers again. She pulled further away and he growled at her teasing. “I really want to watch you surf.” 

He knew from the tone in her voice that she was determined to get her way and any hanky-panky he had in mind was going to take some convincing. Chase carried her up to his room, hoping the sight of his bed would give her second thoughts of halting where he hoped this was headed.

He laid her gently on the bed and then hovered over her with both elbows on either side of her shoulders. He hoped he had enough of an advantage to change her mind as he leaned down and pulled her bottom lip between his. Her fingers went to his back and she pulled his shirt over his head. 

Woohoo! She’s giving in.

“Are you going to surf in these shorts?” She pulled at the waistband to his cargo shorts.

What? Surf? All plans of surfing had flown out of his mind when she sauntered into his house in her bikini. He shook his head and continued to kiss a trail down her neck until he reached her collarbone.

“Then don’t you think you should get your wetsuit on?”

Chase stopped his kisses and looked up at her with pleading eyes. “You want to watch me surf now?” he asked, hoping that her answer would be no. Her breathing had picked up and her skin was slightly flushed so he knew she was having a hard a time resisting. The knowledge made him feel a little more powerful so he went back to trailing kisses down her shoulder. She sucked in a breath and he smiled to himself. 

Almost there.

Her hands were quickly on his shoulders as she gave a small push. “You are terrible,” she said with a laugh.

Chase groaned as he rolled onto his back. “Katie,” he whined, sounding like a five-year-old who didn’t get a treat while in the grocery store. He rolled onto his side and looked down at her. Her large green eyes stared back up at him and he felt the desire rolling off her. He didn’t understand.

“Did I do something wrong?” His hand went to caress her cheek and she shyly looked away and shook her head. 

“No, you didn’t do anything wrong,” she whispered. He gripped her chin between his fingers and brought her face back to his.

“Then what’s the matter?”

She closed her eyes and slowly took a deep breath before her eyes opened. “I haven’t stopped thinking about how hot you are when you’re surfing,” she said. 

That wasn’t at all what he expected. Was his sweet Katie having dirty thoughts about him and his surfboard? A lopsided smile started to form on Chase’s face as he thought about that possibility. 

“You’ve been having naughty fantasies about me surfing?” he asked, trying to clarify. She looked down and bit her lip before she met his gaze again and nodded. Chase groaned and flopped over onto his back. “Well then, let’s not make you wait any longer.” Even though it was hard to leave her, half-naked and in his bed, he found the strength to get up and make his way to the bathroom to change into his wetsuit. 

He held out his hand when he emerged and Katie quickly scurried off the bed. She placed her hand on his chest and her fingers trailed over the neoprene suit.

“I’ve always been curious as to what you wear under this,” she said in a seductive whisper. 

He groaned and shook his head as he grasped her hand and led her back downstairs. He needed to get her out of that room or to hell with surfing. Between all of the kisses and teasing that had gone on before they made it to the beach, Chase was ready to cool off in the ocean anyway.

Katie set up a large blanket and pulled off her sarong before situating herself on the beach. He kept his eyes trained on the breaking surf and resolved that he was going to do his best to make her little surfer fantasy become a reality. Before the desire won to curl up with her on the beach, he leaned down, kissed her quickly, grabbed his board, and headed toward the surf.  

He usually spent his time on the outside of the breaks, away from the surfers competing for the best waves. Surfing was more relaxing to him than thrill seeking, so he usually let the hotshots go first, but not today. Katie had picked a spot on the beach that was right in front of where the majority of surfers rode. Chase wanted to make sure she got a view of her fantasy coming to fruition.

Paddling out, he grasped the board and dipped it under a wave as it started to crash down. Under the water, all sound was replaced by the peaceful silence, until he popped back up and shook the hair out of his eyes. He passed the break and turned his board, waiting for the next wave.

Turning his board, he waited until he saw a decent wave coming then paddled with all his strength until it picked up his board and sent it sailing forward. Chase grasped the edges and stood up. His feet gripped the surfboard and he cut it sharp until he rode to the top of the wave and then dipped back downward to catch some speed. He zigzagged back and forth against the strong push of the water until it slowly died down and he sank back onto his board. Happy with his ride, he made his way back out until he was among several other surfers talking with each other.

“Hey man, did you see the hottie on the beach?” one of them called out to him. Chase glanced over at him and then back at the beach. Katie was the only girl he could have been referring to and Chase felt a small smile pull at his lips before he turned back to him.

“Yeah, she’s a beauty,” he said. 

“She’s definitely doable,” the surfer commented.

A low growl caught in Chase’s throat as he squinted against the sun to get a better look at the ass who eyed his girl. He was young, maybe early twenties, with dark hair and Chase had to admit he was a good-looking guy despite his crass attitude.

“Ah, this one’s mine,” the surfer yelled before he started paddling. Chase watched him as he easily stood up and got tricky with his moves. One of his friends chuckled as the surfer attempted to launch himself off the back of the wave and ended up falling off his board.

“Wipeout, dude!” His buddy laughed while the idiot climbed back on his board with a huge grin and a thumbs-up before he paddled for shore. 

“Good riddance,” Chase muttered under his breath. He spent the next few minutes watching the break and consistency of the waves as they rolled in, letting the others take the smaller ones. He saw a wave building and knew it was the one he’d been waiting for. He paddled toward the shore and jumped up when the wave caught the board. With a determination he hadn’t felt in a long time, he bounced across the water, trying to build up speed. He skated across the wave and then cut toward it. When he reached the top, he swiveled his hips quickly, snapping the surfboard back around until he had done a complete 360. Slightly stunned that he had done it, he passed a surfer sitting on his board who pumped his fist.

“Yeah man! That rocked!”

A huge grin took over Chase’s face as he neared the end of the wave. Sinking back down onto his board, he glanced up, searching for Katie on the beach. She was sitting up with her hand shielding the sun as she watched Chase. The surfer from earlier sat in the sand next to her. 

Chase set his jaw and pushed himself to paddle as quickly as he could to shore. When he strolled up the beach, Katie was turned slightly toward the surfer. He said something that made her throw her head back and laugh. Chase tried to play it cool, but he was fuming inside because he knew what the little twerp was trying to do. He laid his board down next to the blanket and she looked up at him and smiled. The surfer next to her scowled when her attention went to Chase.

“Hey, babe,” he greeted. Chase grasped the string in the back of his wetsuit and pulled the zipper down, peeling it off his shoulders until it hung off his waist. “Who’s your friend?” he asked, nodding to the idiot.

“Oh, this is Joshua,” she said, immediately dismissing the jerk next to her. “He was pretty impressed with your trick out there,” she said with a big smile. Chase cocked an eyebrow at the surfer and received a glare in return. Chase leaned down, took Katie by the hand, and pulled her up until she was in his arms. “Chase, what are you—”

He silenced her with a kiss. She sank into his arms, giving up on any kind of protest she may have considered. Her hand went into his hair and she tugged it, causing him to groan into her mouth. He broke the kiss and looked over at her admirer. He just rolled his eyes and shook his head.

Katie recovered from his attack and smacked him on the chest. She turned to face Joshua and began to apologize for Chase’s rude behavior. He smirked and Chase watched as his eyes raked down her body, stopping for a moment on her chest. Chase picked up his surfboard and held it under one arm while he dipped under Katie’s arm and lifted her onto his shoulder. She let out a little squeal and kicked her feet.

“Chase O’Donnell. Put. Me. Down,” she demanded with a laugh. Chase turned quickly, clocking the guy that was eyeing his girlfriend, with his surfboard. The surfer let out a howl of pain and Chase couldn’t help the smirk that played at his lips.

“Sorry about that, dude,” he said over his shoulder as he darted up the beach with Katie over his shoulder. 

“I’m going to let you have it when you put me down,” Katie said. 

Chase propped the surfboard against the fence when he entered the patio and then walked into the house.

“You can put me down, Mister Caveman. I think that you’ve proven your point,” Katie said with mock annoyance. Chase chuckled and smacked her on the rear as he headed straight for the stairs. She let out another squeal and he smiled as he threw open his bedroom door and tossed her on the bed. 

She bit her bottom lip and he could see she was holding back a smile but didn’t want to give up her annoyed facade. “That was so rude. I can’t believe you did that.” She crossed her arms over her chest and looked away. Chase couldn’t help but think how beautiful she was when she was flushed. Her hair spilled across the crisp, white sheets of his bed and her skin held a slight tinge of pink. Whether that was from the sun or from the desire she was holding back remained to be seen.

“Do you still want to know what I have on underneath the suit?” Chase asked. Her face snapped back toward him and she nodded, her gaze traveling down his chest and then back up to his eyes. He laughed, but it immediately faded when he heard the vibration from his pager.

“No!” Katie sighed, rolled over, and buried her face in the pillow. Chase took a disappointed breath and released it slowly as he went for the pager on his dresser. They had been together long enough that she knew when the hospital called there wasn’t anything he could do.

Please don’t be 911.

Chase looked at the pager and sighed when he saw the emergency code he couldn’t ignore.

“I’m sorry, love.”

She looked up from the pillow. “I’m going to stay in this bed until you leave or you won’t make it out of the house.”

He groaned and nodded. “That’s probably a good idea.”

Thank you so much Annalyse and Chase for spending the day with us and for sharing a bit of your life with us as well.  Next up my thoughts on Ready to Love Again.