Bad Company (Seven Deadly Sins #1) ✅ Completed

Chapter Eighteen: The Woman in Red

Chase tossed and turned, his body slick with sweat from both his fever and the dream he was currently trapped in. He was in the middle of the most intensely erotic dream of his life. He moaned aloud as ice cold lips grazed his fever-hot skin. It felt so good it was almost painful in its intensity.

 Eliza flicked her tongue out and touched the sides of his neck. He groaned again in pure male satisfaction. She sighed against him and whispered his name. He rolled her over, so now her body was pressed under his.

They were on his dad’s boat, the one he’d sold a few years ago. In his dream it still sat anchored in their usual spot at the lake. It was late and they were the only boat out tonight. The moon was full and bright, reflecting off the gentle ripples in the water. The night was clear and perfect, with hundreds of stars out. The shore was quiet, all the normal late night high school kids having cleared out long ago. Only the remains of a few fires strewn in various places gave any indication that anyone else had ever been there. Right now, in this perfect moment in time, they were the only two people in the world  

The heady scent of Eliza wrapped around him in the balmy night air. She was clad in a tiny black bikini, her skin glowing under the light of the moon. Her long brown hair was damp and a little unruly from their late night swim. They had laid out on the deck of the boat to let the night air dry their skin, but had begun a hot and heavy make-out session right after settling down on their towels.

He stared down at her now, into those expressive brown eyes that seemed to see everything at once. They were as black as pitch and they looked into his very soul, lighting a fire just under his skin. She smiled up at him now, and in her face he saw an excited sort of readiness and acceptance.

“Are you sure, Eliza? We don’t have to do this if you’re not ready.” He offered, trying hard to be a gentleman. He wanted her so bad but he didn’t want to rush things if she wasn’t ready. He could wait…it might kill him, but he could do it. He wasn’t like his friends – he couldn’t find it in himself to treat girls like that. His father had taught him better.  

She wrapped her arms around his neck and licked her bottom lip, before pulling it into her mouth and nibbling it just a little. Chase felt his stomach fall somewhere by his feet. She laughed a little, as if knowing the effect she had on him and how tightly he was wound tonight. “Oh, I’m ready, Chase. I want this with you. Now. Kiss me.”

He lowered his head, his mouth touching her soft lips and sunk into oblivion.

In his room, the small figurine he’d brought home from the gift emporium began to glow on his nightstand. It was a small female form, reclining on a chaise lounge. The figure was naked in repose, but it was made from a marble that was so smooth all the details had been worn away long ago. The only way Chase had been able to tell it was female was by the deep curve in the hips and the long hair of the figure. The marble had been cool to the touch, but it was small enough to fit into the pocket of his cargo shorts.  

He hadn’t told his dad or Eliza anything about it. Ms. Devillier had been clear no one could know she’d given it to him. He wasn’t to discuss it or tell anyone where he’d gotten it for any reason should someone discover it and question him about it. She’d said it would prevent the magical properties inside the statue from working properly.

He didn’t believe in love spells or charms or anything, but Ms. Devillier had insisted. She’d said she was worried about Eliza. That her mother had messed with her head and sometimes she kept those who would care for her at arm’s length. The little statue was a charm, a little something to let love in. She’d said it was half of a set and she’d given the male half to Eliza. She’d wanted him to have the other half. It would be just a little thing to make an old lady feel better. To know she was seeing a decent young man like him. Chase had agreed to take it – really it couldn’t hurt anything.

Besides, he really liked Eliza. At the very least, if she ever found out he had the other half maybe they could laugh about it.   

Now, as Chase slept, a soft red glow surrounded the figure creating an eerie effect in the darkened bedroom. The carved figure seemed to stretch a little bit, raising her arms over her head before finding a more comfortable position on her couch. She sighed, the sound too tiny to be heard by normal ears. Then she was still again - at least for a little while. But Chase never saw any of it; not the glow or the figure moving.

He was too busy having the best dream of his life.

~~ ~

Chase woke up the next day feeling exhausted and vaguely worn out. It felt like he’d been sick with the flu or had gone through football hell week all in one night. Through the weariness however, he also felt an odd sort of anxiousness. It crept over him. Even as he rolled out of bed and got himself moving, he felt it stirring just under his skin. It wasn’t a bad feeling though – actually, it felt sort of exciting.

As he made his way across the room to his bathroom, he stepped into the shower like usual. As he turned the water on, his mind turned back to the wild dreams he’d had all night long. He couldn’t remember ever having dreams so vivid or raw before in his life. The first had taken place at the lake, but it was only the start of a full night of steamy fantasies. Each dream varied wildly, but they all had a common, unifying thread – every single one featured Eliza front and center.

He thought Eliza was pretty and funny, and so different from all the other girls in town. It was what had really attracted him in the first place. Something about her just drew him in, but she wasn’t what he would consider sexy – at least not at first glance. Last night, his dreams had showed him how very wrong he’d been.

Eliza could be extremely sexy. 

Last night, she’d been every fantasy he’d ever entertained at one time or another. She’d been uninhibited, wild, and taunting in one dream - in the one where she wore the short plaid skirt and white button down shirt he secretly found sexy. In the next she was shy, demure, and innocent - at least until he'd come along.  She’d been everything he’d ever thought was even remotely hot in girls. Each dream was different, but they all left him out of breath and so turned on he felt a little crazed.

Even now, as he thought back on it it made his pulse race. He tried to calm himself down, but it was really difficult. Every time he closed his eyes he saw Eliza. The water against his skin only heightened the sensation that she was there with him. In his dreams she had run her hands all over his skin, shifting between hot and cold. She'd made him burn and shiver equally, and through it all she’d laughed and pushed him further, egging him on to do things harder, faster, until he was the one begging to stop.

Chase groaned just remembering it. He felt the anxiousness build inside him until he was practically chomping at the bit to be done already. Scrubbing himself down in record time, Chase jumped out of the shower. He didn’t bother drying off as he went through the rest of his morning routine at breakneck speed. When he was done, he threw on a clean t-shirt and shorts, grabbed his car keys and jumped into his car. He didn’t stop for breakfast or even coffee. His dad was already at the store, and would be waiting for him to walk in with an extra strong cup of coffee for him. Today his dad was going to have to suffer without his second cup.

He had to see Eliza first and nothing was going to stop him.

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Song Credit: I'm Burnin' For You - Blue Oyster Cult