“I’ve dreamed of this,” he said, kissing her as he slid himself deeply inside. “It seems like I’ve wanted you forever.”
Harper moaned. Her arms went around his neck and she clung to him as he started to move, gripping her bottom to hold her in place as he surged into her.
Fierce, determined thrusts went faster, deeper, harder, and a soft moan escaped. Her skin felt slick and tight. Her body burned. She felt a hot, deep pull low in her belly, like strings being drawn tight, then pleasure erupted. Heat roared through her as she flashed into climax, crying out his name.
Chase didn’t stop, not until she reached a second powerful explosion. With a low, guttural growl deep in his throat, he let himself go, his muscles going rigid as he followed her to release.
Long seconds passed, their hearts pounding, their skin slick and wet. The water began to cool. Chase set her back on her feet and turned off the faucet. He stepped out of the shower and helped her out, handed her a towel while he dried himself and dealt with the condom she hadn’t realized he had put on.
With towels wrapped around them, he led her over to the stool in front of the dressing table. She was only a little surprised when he took out the brush she had purchased in town and began to pull it through her hair.
They didn’t talk, didn’t say a word. She wondered if he would sleep in her room or spend the night in the room next door, but when she looked into his eyes, she knew.
The heat was back, hotter than before. “You look surprised. You didn’t think I’d want you again?”
“I wasn’t... I wasn’t sure.”
She gasped as he lifted her into his arms, carried her into the nearest bedroom and settled her in the big king-size bed. “So you’re sleeping in here?” she asked softly, just to be sure.
He ran a finger down her cheek. “I don’t think we’ll be doing much sleeping. If tonight’s all I’ve got, I’m going to make it one we both remember.”
The next hour passed in a haze of heat and pleasure. Afterward they dozed for a while. The clock said midnight when they stirred. Under the gentle breeze created by the soft whir of the ceiling fan, her hair was almost dry. Chase slid his fingers through it.
“Like silk,” he said. Leaning over, he kissed her. “I want you, angel. I can’t seem to get enough.”
Exhausted as they both were after their grueling days in the mountains, they made love two more times before morning.
As Chase had promised, it was a night Harper would never forget.
Chapter Twenty-Two
It didn’t feel right, saying goodbye to Pia at the airport. Not after all they had been through together. But the jet was waiting on the tarmac, and Pia’s friend Christy had driven in to pick her up. The tearful reunion between the two friends only made Michael feel worse.
“Give me a minute, Christy,” Pia said to her friend. “I’ll meet you inside.”
“No problem.” Christy smiled. “Bye, Michael. Thank you for keeping Pia safe. I’m so glad you’re both okay.”
He was mostly okay. His leg hurt like bloody blazes, but he’d left his crutches on the plane. He didn’t want Pia remembering him as an invalid.
He waited till Christy was on her way to the executive terminal and he and Pia were alone on the tarmac. A warm wind whipped the simple pink blouse and jeans Pia had bought in Santa Marta. She looked beautiful.
Last night they had slept in the same bed, but they hadn’t made love. “I can’t, Michael,” she’d said. “Please understand.”
He understood completely. At least she had let him hold her.
He glanced down at the gauze bandage around his thigh, saw a hint of red seeping through. Harper had tried to get him to stay on the plane, but he had refused. He needed to do this, wanted to be with Pia a little longer.
“I’m sorry for everything,” he said to her. “If I could change what happened, I would.”
“I know that. It wasn’t your fault.”
“I don’t want us to be over, Pia. Tell me you want to see me again.”
Her big brown eyes filled with tears. “I need some time, Michael. I just... I want to forget everything that happened. I want it to all be in the past, but when I look at you, I remember.”
She didn’t resist when Michael drew her into his arms and buried his face in her warm dark hair. “Pia...”
She cried against his shoulder and clung to him as if she didn’t want to leave him, but then she broke away.
