Chase turned the lock and held the door while she walked past him across the red tile entry into a living room decorated in a tropical motif. Ceiling fans stirred a gentle breeze, and a blue ocean lapped at the shore of the bay outside the windows.
“Don’t worry about Kil,” Chase said. “When Dawson walks out in the morning, he’s going to find a shiny new Land Cruiser waiting in the parking lot.”
“Oh, I should have thought of buying him one. You can add the cost to your bill, and I’ll gladly pay for it.” She could afford it. She rarely touched her inheritance. And she owed Kil Dawson so much. Owed all of the men so much, especially Chase.
“It’s already taken care of,” Chase said, tossing their shopping bags up on the beige-and-white floral-print sofa. A tray of snacks and a bottle of wine sat on the white wicker coffee table. “There’s not going to be any bill, angel. It’s been my honor to help you find your brother.”
Her throat tightened. “Chase...” She knew the money wasn’t important to him—he had more than enough of his own. She just wished there was some way to repay him for what he had done. Chase had helped her find Michael, and he had protected her. She hadn’t the slightest doubt he would have given his life before he would have let anyone hurt her.
He was exactly the hero she had imagined him to be all those years ago. Tonight was their last night together. She had no idea whether she would see him after they got back to Dallas, no idea if Chase felt any of the things she felt for him.
Tonight, she didn’t care. Not if he wanted her, too.
“I need to take a shower,” she said softly, her eyes on his face.
Chase didn’t look away. “Me, too.” The heat was there, simmering between them, yet he made no move to touch her. He was leaving it up to her...if she had the courage to take what she wanted.
“These older hotels,” she said softly. “There isn’t always enough hot water. Maybe we should...share.”
Hunger rose like a dark cloud moving across his features, and the gold in his eyes seemed to glitter. He tipped his head back and drew in a deep breath, as if he wanted to make sure he got it right before speaking.
“I want you, angel. More than I’ve ever wanted a woman. But once we’re back in Dallas, things are going to get...complicated. Your family and mine. There’s no way it could ever work.”
She didn’t believe it. If he cared enough, they could find a way. It didn’t matter. Not tonight. She couldn’t make him fall in love with her, but she could have this night with him, a single night to remember.
“I don’t care. I’ve never felt this way about a man before. I’ve never felt this kind of need.”
“Harper...baby...” His hand stroked her cheek. She was tall, but Chase was taller. Going up on her toes, she leaned in and pressed her lips to his. Strong arms came around her, hauling her against a hard-muscled chest, and his mouth crushed down over hers.
She knew the taste of him, remembered it from the last time he had kissed her, remembered the feel of his lips, soft yet determined, taking what he wanted, giving her pleasure in return.
He kissed the side of her neck, nipped an earlobe, kissed her again. “Are you sure, honey? I’d cut off my arm before I hurt you.”
She wasn’t sure about anything but this clawing need unlike anything she had ever known. “I want you, Chase. Please...”
He slid his hands into her hair and tilted her head back, kissed her long and deep, kissed her until she could barely breathe. She could feel the rough edge of beard along his jaw, and a slice of hunger burned through her.
Scooping her into his arms, Chase carried her down the hall into the bathroom. The minute her feet hit the floor, Harper reached for the hem of his camouflage T-shirt and stripped it off over his head, leaving his gorgeous chest bare. Beneath the ladder of muscle across his flat stomach, his camo pants hung low on his hips. Hard muscle rippled every time he moved.
Chase pulled her back into his arms and kissed her, a hot, wet, saturating kiss that seemed to have no end. His tongue slid over hers, hers tangled with his, and heat rolled through her. Desire unfolded low in her belly, and moisture collected between her legs. Chase pulled her black long-sleeved T-shirt over her head and tossed it away, unhooked her bra and slid it off her shoulders.
Filling his hands with her breasts, he bent his head and took a hard tip into his mouth and bit the end, suckled and tasted until her knees went weak.
Harper moaned.
Still, as he reached for the snap on her jeans, nerves suddenly struck and uncertainty trembled through her body.
Chase paused. “What is it, baby?”
“I’m just... I want you to like the way I look.” She was a slender woman, her breasts not that big.
Chase caught her chin, bent his head and kissed her. “I like everything about you, angel. Everything.” And then he was stripping away her clothes, cupping the back of her head to hold her in place as he ravished her mouth.
He paused long enough to turn on the shower and strip off his own clothes, then stepped into the warm spray and pulled her in beside him. Chase soaped his hands and they began to roamed slickly over her body—her breasts, her belly, her hips—sliding into forbidden places, making her hot all over.
Her hands moved over his amazing body, fingertips slipping wetly over sinew, dipping into muscular valleys, down his flat belly. She loved touching him. She could touch him for hours.
Chase shampooed her hair and his own. They rinsed beneath the warm spray and then he was kissing her again, lifting her as if she weighed nothing, wrapping her long legs around his waist. He was thick and hard, nudging the entrance to her passage.
