Chapter Seventeen
When they gotback to the ranch they checked on the horses and Ella convinced Dawn to come back to the cottage with her. She opened the door and asked Chase, “Do you want to come in?”
“If you want me to.”
In answer, she took his hand and pulled him inside. She tossed her purse on the coffee table, took off her jacket and threw it on the couch. Then she began to unbutton her blouse, yanking the shirttails out of her skirt. She shrugged off the shirt and it fell to the floor. Chase stood there smiling, watching her.
“Are you going to stand there all day or are you going to get rid of your clothes?” she asked, pausing with her hands on her skirt zipper.
“Door number two. Definitely.”
Stripping as they went, pieces of clothing were tossed down, making a path to her bedroom. By the time they reached her bed they were both naked. And he was definitely ready to go. Ella wrapped her hand around him, stroking his length.
“You’re killing me,” he gritted out.
“Want me to stop?”
“Hell, no.”
So she stroked him again. And again. Until he moved her hand and pushed her back on the bed, following her down. Bare skin against bare skin, sex against sex. He was hot, hard, throbbing. Her thighs clenched around his hips, her hips rising up to meet him. Chase groaned and rolled off, long enough to grab a condom from her bedside table drawer and put it on. Then he was back, driving inside her with a smooth thrust. She gasped, loving the feel of him. He kissed her and began a slow ride, thrusting in deeply and pulling back slowly until he was almost out before driving inside her again.
Ella wrapped her arms and legs around him and hung on. She kissed his shoulder, then gave it a love bite. He groaned and kissed her lips. Her inner muscles tightened, clinging to him as he drove in and out. She spiraled up, again and again until she came in a rush, a shattering of a starburst. She barely heard his guttural groan as he spilled inside her.
Much later, they lay in Ella’s bed with Chase propped against the headboard with his arm around her. She was half sitting up and had her head on his chest.
“I’m glad you’re not mad at me.”
She laughed. “Obviously. We wouldn’t be where we are right now if I was.”
He laughed and tilted her head back to kiss her. “I hadn’t thought about it until after this whole mess with the photo, but I can’t guarantee that kind of thing won’t happen again.”
“Yes, I figured that out.”
“Is that a problem for you? You don’t need to worry. I don’t plan on kissing any woman but you, but there will still be gossip.”
“I guess I resigned myself to it. Especially after your groupies at dinner.”
“I wouldn’t call them groupies. Hell, they couldn’t have been more than nineteen or twenty.”
“Age has nothing to do with it.” She moved so she could look at him. “Don’t worry. I’ll deal.”
“I realized something when I was trying to get rid of Gina. She asked if we were serious, and I told her we were headed that way. But I don’t know how you feel about that.”
She started to speak but he held up a hand. “Let me finish.”
“Okay.”
“I also realized I haven’t told you how I really feel. How could I expect you to tell me how you feel if I don’t tell you?” He picked up her hand and kissed it.
“You don’t need to put a label on it. We care about each other. That’s enough for me.”
“It isn’t enough for me.” Her heart started to pound; she stared at him. “I’m in love with you, Ella. And I was so dense I didn’t realize it until that night when I told Gina about you.”
“I—I didn’t expect this. I don’t know what to say.” Yes, she did. She was simply afraid to admit it. To herself, much less to Chase.
“Is ‘I love you too’ beyond the list of possibilities?”
She cupped his cheek. “No.”
