“A year ago, I thought living in this house and working in this town would be as magical as Pikes Peak.” She shrugged and said, “That’s before I knew what I know now.”
She walked toward the kitchen, and to the left were steps to a basement. Switching on a light she was prepared to go first, but Chase caught her arm.
“Let me go first,” he said and stepped in front of her.
“Chase!” she gasped. “Is that a gun stuck in the back of your belt?”
“Hell yes,” he said, pulling the six-shot revolver out of his belt as he descended the stairs.
“Is that from the gun collection I saw in your office?”
“Yes. This is a Ruger Blackhawk .357 Magnum.”
“I didn’t say anything the other day, but I’m afraid of guns.”
“I’d be happy to give you lessons so you won’t be,” he said. Reaching the bottom of the stairs, he flipped on the overhead light in the room to his left. It was an empty family room. To the right was the laundry room with an older model washer and dryer. “All clear.”
A boom exploded overhead, and Jade jumped. “Thunder?” she asked.
“I wish. We need rain, but it hasn’t rained in three weeks.” Chase chuckled. “Fireworks on the Peak.”
“Yes, right! Come on!” She hurried up the steps, but Chase took his time and admired the view. Having turned off lights as they left rooms, Jade had flipped the switches off in the living room and kitchen by the time he reached the top of the stairs. With only the light from the hallway dimly filtering through to the living room, he saw her framed by the plate glass window. She turned to him and pointed beyond her backyard to the peak. “Beautiful.”
“Beautiful,” Chase agreed, looking at her.
Fireworks burst above the highest summit of the southern Front Range of the Rocky Mountains. Jade took Chase’s hand and led him to the sofa facing the display, blasting off from a height of 14,115 feet to glitter among the twinkling stars in the night sky. Jade vanished around the corner to the kitchen. Before he sat down, he placed his gun on the fireplace mantel and heard rattling in the kitchen. Jade quickly returned with a bottle of Pinot Noir and two glasses. She couldn’t suppress a laugh as she whispered how she’d hidden the wine and a corkscrew behind cleaning supplies under the sink. He didn’t think it was funny but popped the cork and poured the wine as she held the glasses. He set the bottle on the hardwood floor at the end of the sofa, as there was no coffee table.
“Let’s toast to the fireworks,” she said.
“They aren’t as beautiful as you.” He paused and added, “Youare themagic, Jade.”
Shyly, she shrugged and said, “To our Memorial Day weekend?”
“And your jubilee birthday.”
Glasses clinked. Chase wrapped an arm around her as they watched the fantastic show centered in the window like a movie. Jade sipped her wine, and he threw his back in a few swallows. As they started on glass two, his gut said she’d told him the whole truth and nothing but. And if she hadn’t? He’d been kidding himself to think he could walk away from her. But maybe he should, at least for tonight. She was safe and had new locks on her doors. Again, the last thing he wanted was for her to feel she’d traded one prison for another.
When a rapidly erupting finale brought the colorful display atop the mountain to an end, Jade smiled at him. He pulled her into his arms and kissed her. Their kisses deepened, and tongues played. Her delicate fingers laced through his hair at the back of his head while her other hand came to rest on top of his belt buckle. He’d better say goodnight while he still could. He pulled back and swept a lock of hair away from her cheek.
“I guess you have to get up at the crack of dawn in the morning?”
“Stay with me tonight, Chase.”
Chase stared at her for a moment, then moved off the small sofa to the thick carpet. She slid into his arms and between his legs. Chase hauled his Triple C Ranch tee shirt over his head as Jade pushed the overall straps off her shoulders. He dropped his shirt on the rug, and Jade’s tube top joined it. Admiring her full breasts, the crotch of his jeans grew tight. Chase lay back in front of the fireplace, bringing her down on top of him. She placed her arms on either side of his shoulders, and when he tugged on a lock of her hair, she lowered her lips to his. As they kissed, with blood rushing into his loins, he rolled her off him to the rug and leaned over her. He figured he’d never get used to how gorgeous she was, and that made him smile. He unbuckled his belt, and she pushed her overall shorts down her thighs. As he unbuttoned his fly, she kicked off her overalls.
Taking hold of her panties, Chase paused. She nodded, and when he pulled her panties off, her naked body trembled from head to toe. He tilted his head in question, and she nodded yes again. Her shiver had beaded her breasts, and he closed his mouth over a cotton-candy-pink tip.
“Mmm,” Jade moaned and arched her back as he kissed her other breast.
Chase slipped a hand down her flat tummy. Between her legs, she was silky soft and dewy wet. Spreading her velvety folds with gentle fingers, he explored. She was going to be a damn tight fit. Tighter than he’d ever had, and not only that, he felt it. A barrier. Proof of her virginity and of her telling him yet another truth. Moving his hand from between her thighs, he shoved his boxers off and rolled on top of her. She spread her legs for him and wrapped her arms around his back. What happened to his decision never to make love to a virgin? Jade Taylor walked into his life and shook him to his core. That’s what happened. He pressed his male hardness to her soft femininity.
“Are you sure, Jade?”
“Yes, Chase. Make love to me.”
“I’ll pull out before—”
“No, don’t,” she interrupted, hugging him. “It’s not the right time of the month.”
