I slid onto my side, putting us face to face.
“Mare, there is nothing dirty about you or what we did. Listen, I don’t have all the answers, I won’t pretend to either. What I do know is that we’re good together. I think we’re worth trying to figure this out. Gage is not a monster, I really do think he’d be on board once he saw how happy we are…or could be.”
My fingers tried to stroke the worry lines away from under her eyes, but to no avail. She flopped onto her back, her arm covering her eyes. Then she sat up, wrapping her arms around her knees, the uneasiness evident in the slope of her shoulders.
“Chase.” She turned to look at me as she rested her cheek on her bent knees. “I wish I could feel comfortable with that, I just don’t.”
I rubbed the soft skin of her back as she sat looking at me, waiting for my response. My initial reaction was to tell her she was being ridiculous.
I knew I needed to tread lightly and give her space for her emotions this time. It didn’t end the way I wanted last time.
“Come here.” I pulled her against me, and this time she didn’t fight it. “I’m not going to keep pushing. I’ll let this happen as it comes. All I know is that when we’re together, we’re happy. Not just me, us. We are both happy, and you can’t deny that.”
She nodded, it was reluctant, but she did.
The quiet of the room lulled us into a connected solitude as we held one another. The tick of the clock seemed in rhythm with her heart. Her breathing evened out, and I was certain she’d fallen asleep. I gave it a few more minutes before trying to lift her off my shoulder.
“Where are you going?” Her voice was groggy with sleep.
“I’m heading home.”
She pulled on my arm as I attempted to rise from the bed.
“Don’t go,” she whispered.
She was full of mixed messages tonight.
“Stay, Chase. It’s late, just stay.”
The giddy feeling it gave me, and the hope as well, from this overnight invite scared me. I didn’t want to get too excited about what it could mean.
But it was hard not to.
CHAPTER 11
Maryellen
His arms were amazing to look at. He had one bent over the top of his head, and the other under me. They weren’t very comfortable though; the muscles were hard and not very pillowlike. But they were sexy. He had great biceps. Not too big, not too small. And, my god, the abs peeking out from the sheets. I wanted to run my fingers along them like I did last night. At least my hand was already on his chest. His pec muscles were perfect. Firm, but not so big that he appeared to have boobs. Some guys get them too big, but not his. He wasn’t too hairy, either. Just the right amount sprinkled across his chest.
I was so confused. My heart wanted him. No, more than my heart: my body, my soul, every part of me wanted to try this with him, except for my damn brain. I wished I had more control over how my brain worked, but I didn’t. It kind of controlled me instead of the other way around.
I hated I was playing with his heart with my mixed signals.
“Are you done analyzing me?” Chase asked.
“I didn’t know you were awake.” I peeked up at his face, and his eyes were still closed.
“I could feel it, your eyes were drilling holes through my body.”
As I started to sit, he yanked me onto his lap. I yelped, and my hands landed on his chest to center myself.
“Do you like what you see?” he asked.
His hands went around to my ass, giving it a squeeze. It put pressure against me, pushing me down against his hard dick. The sensation went straight to my core.
I knew exactly what he was doing.
“Chase…” I picked up my phone. “I have to be in the office in less than an hour.”
