He soaked in the sight of her freshly washed face and those eyes that had always pulled him in, and he realized…
I still love her.
It was probably why he had yet to settle down. Thirty was still young, he knew. And sure, he’d played the field now and then, just as she probably had, too.
But in that moment, Chase realized his lack of desire to pursue a life-long relationship had less to do with his age and more to do with the woman in his arms.
“I lied before,” she whispered softly.
“About?”
Scottie held his gaze a beat longer before lifting up onto her tiptoes and pressing her lips to his. “I am hungry,” she kissed him again. “Just not for food.”
“Scottie, I don’t think?—”
“Good.” Her interruption confused him until, “I don’t want you to think. And I don’t want to think, either. Not about Tommy Gallo or Dustin McVey…” She feathered her lips against his in a tantalizing way. “I don’t want to think about anything at all. For once, all I want to do is feel.”
Chase ignored the massive hard-on growing behind his zipper as he tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. “You have no idea how much I want that, too. But?—”
“No.” Her tone grew stronger. More confident. “No buts.”
“You’ve had a helluva night, Scottie.”
“I’m aware.” She didn’t so much as flinch. “It’s not the first traumatic evening I’ve experienced, and in comparison to the first, this was nothing.”
“That man put his hands on you.” The muscles in his jaw twitched with the clenching of his teeth. “You have a fucking knot on the back of your head from where he?—”
“I know exactly what it’s from, and I understand why you’re upset.”
“Upset?” He dropped his hold and took several steps backward. “Sweetheart, ‘upset’ isn’t even close to how I’m feeling right now.” Chase ran a hand over his face to keep the disturbing flashes from tonight at bay. “But more than that, I’m worried about you.”
“I’m fine.” She took a step toward him.
“You’re not fine. You’re?—”
“Fine,” she reiterated sharply.
The bite in her tone was admittedly a welcomed one. It also reminded him of how strong she used to be. How strong shestillwas.
Strong. Resilient. Amazing.
The woman was all those things and more. And she was still walking toward him. Each of her bare, padded footsteps chipping away at his resolve to keep taking things slow.
Sex isn’t what she needs tonight, dickhead. No matter how much you want this, you can’t?—
“I know what you’re thinking,” Scottie’s sweet voice broke through his internal thoughts. “But you’re wrong.”
“Yeah?” He arched a single brow. “What am I thinking?”
Other than the fact that I’d love nothing more than to strip you down and make you mine.
“You think if we sleep together, you’d be taking advantage of the situation.”
Damn, she was good.
“Tell me how that’s wrong.”
“For starters, I know what Tommy Gallo did to me wasn’t personal.” Another step closer. “He’s an abusive drunk who came at me the way he did because I’m the one who happened to be outside when he got there. Not like Dustin McVey, who specifically soughtmeout to fulfill some sick, twisted fantasy.”