One Night Standards

Sometimes You just Need a Good Cry

Delilah's POV:

"You will reach your destination in 500ft." came the disembodied voice through the speakers of my Bronco -one of the only things that I had insisted on keeping when Cade and I split up- as I eased along the gravel, tree lined, gravel road making my racing heart pound even harder than it already was. The anticipation of what was to come, of seeing Chase again, had been so distracting that I'd taken off work early, claiming that I wasn't feeling well; something I never did. And honestly, I wasn't feeling all that well but not because I was sick or anything. I was more so drained than anything considering how little sleep I have been able to get the past few days

When I rounded the last curve the cabin came into view, taking my breath away and making me come to a complete stop so that I could take it all in. The house was just like any cabin in that way that it was natural wood but that's where the similarities stopped. The entirety of the first floor had what I could only assume is a wraparound porch, its beams made from longs that hadn't been treated so that you got the full effect of being in nature. Huge floor to ceiling windows framed each side of the set of massive French doors that sat at the stop of the stone steps that lead onto the porch. I couldn't imagine the natural light that they would let into the house.

There was one thing for sure, if this was Chase's idea of a small cabin in the woods, I hated to see what he would considered a mansion to look like. Thoughts of his home in Nashville popped into my mind and were soon followed by the memory of the swing on his back porch. Wonder is there is a swing here? I'd damn sure be up for another round of that...

Dragging my mind from the gutter, I eased the Bronco towards the house, stopping right in front in wide steps right off the circular driveway. Just as I was switching off the engine, Chase sauntered out of the house in nothing but his swim trunks and a hat on his shaggy haired head and leaned against of the natural wood beams. The flex of his muscles as his arms crossed his chest and all of his tanned skin on full display made my chest feel like it was about to explode and my core clench with need. No man should be that damned gorgeous. Yet Chase was that damn gorgeous and his ass knew it too.

As if I was scared that making too much of a sudden movement would break the moment, I slowly climbed out of the car and walked towards him, my eyes never leaving his. With each step that brought me closer to him, I could see the questions he wanted to ask in his gray eyes. When I reached the top step, Chase towered over my 5'4" frame. One of his big hand cupped my cheek and sent a delicious shiver down my spine. I waited with bated breath as he leaned forward and placed the gentlest of kisses on my lips before breaking contact.

"You've been crying." His words were more of a statement than a question. Chase laced his fingers with mine and pulled up onto the porch before pulling me closer to him. With his eyes still locked with mine he added "Tell me what's wrong darlin. What can I do to make whatever is bothering you better?"

Suddenly, all the words that I had been ready to say, all the things I wanted to tell him about how epically pissed Annabeth was, froze in my throat as tears began to pool in my eyes. Maybe it was self-preservation or maybe it was just a lack of trust in general, but I couldn't bring myself to utter that words that were right on the tip of my tongue. The last thing I wanted him to think about me was that I was weak or a cry baby. Unable to say anything for the risk of losing the thread I had on my tears that was quickly raveling, I simply shook my head 'no' hoping with all hope that he didn't push me on talking.

"I got you." He said and he pressed my face into his chest. Him holding me like this was all it took for the damn to break. Sobs tore though me with such force that I reminded myself of a wounded animal. I wasn't even sure if I was simply crying over the loss of Annabeth's friendship or if Cade and his betrayal and the fact that he left me over something that I had no control over was a factor too. Both were as good a reason as any for someone to have a full-fledged breakdown but combined, it was hell on the body since I'd not really let myself cry over Cade and his betrayal and the hand that life had given me except for in a handful of extremely weak moments. I wasn't the type to wallow in my own self-pity and hated when I got like this. Damn! Why wont the tears just stop?

I was so lost in my sorrow that I didn't even notice Chase had lifted me in his arms and carried me inside the house. I didn't notice that he had settled us onto the couch with me in his lap until I had no more tears to cry.

"You have got to be regretting your involvement with me right about now huh?" I said, trying to add a little humor to hide the fact that I was embarrassed about the way I had just crumbled apart. It was a coping mechanism that I've had for as long as I can remember.

"Not in the least." He said softly, using a long finger to tip my head back so he could look into my eyes. Honey brown locked with stormy cloud gray and I was once more lost. "A man is supposed to me there for a woman when she needs a shoulder -or in this case a chest- to cry on. And baby, I am the very definition of a man. It doesn't matter to me that you had a good cry. From the way I see it, you were long overdue. I don't want you to ever feel like that you can't cry when you need to when your with me. All I ask is that you tell me what the problem is so I can do my best to make it better."

"I think it's the culmination of everything that's happened over the last few months; Cade, Annabeth, my PCOS."

"Still want to stomp that motherfuckers ass for hurting you." Said Chase, his gray eyes becoming a deeper gray, reminding me of the big thunderheads that Cade and I had watched build off the beach in Miami on our honeymoon. I remember wondering then if I had ever seen anything as beautiful but I knew know that while nature is beautiful, Chase's eyes when he slips into protector mode are even more so.

"He's not worth it." I said, trying to remove myself from Chase's lap. But his arms banded around her holding me tightly in place.

"Still doesn't mean I don't want to." Said Chase once he had my full attention again. "As far as Annabeth, I'm going to go out on a limb and say that she didn't take things well."

"If you count telling me to leave her apartment, to never contact her again, and blaring 'Whiskey Glasses all night as taking it well, then I'd say she didn't do too bad."

"That bad huh?"

"Yes." I said softly. "She said I broke her heart."

"I knew she had feelings for you, it was written all over her face." Said Chase.

"You didn't even know her until that night and you could see it. I've known her for nearly 30 years. Why the hell couldn't I see it before it was too late?"

"Because you didn't think that what you were seeing was what it really was. Sure, you knew it was love but you thought that it was just a love that two friends share, not the kind that they write about in romance novels." Said Chase.

"And what do you know about romance novels?" I said jokingly, desperately latching onto a new topic.

"Between me and you, my guilty pleasure is reading smut on this app I have on my phone." Said Chase whispering conspiratorially.

"You mean like Wattpad?" I asked in disbelief. Never would I admit that I'd taken to reading the fanfics about him recently; yet one more reason why I was behind on the manuscripts that I should have finished a few days ago. I swear, that app just draws you in...

"Yes. There are some amazing authors on there and just about every genre you could think of. But the absolute best are the fanfics that are written about me." He said, wiggling his eyebrows.

"Is that so?" I asked.

"Oh yes. Where do you think I learn half the tricks that I know in the bedroom?" said Chase.

"Well, what do you say we test out your theory and see if you have any new tricks up your sleeve?" I said. I needed to fully clear my mind of all the shit that was clouding it and if there was one thing I knew, an orgasm from Chase would leave my mind shattered into a million pieces and I wouldn't be able to think about nothing. The Calgon commercial popped into my mind then except instead of me wanting some bath salts to take me away, I wanted Chase's cock to make me forget everything.

"Ask and Yee shall receive." Said Chase, lifting me from the couch and slamming his lips down over mine.