Chance folded a hand around her fingers and turned her until he could stare into her eyes. “I took a picture that first date. I used it as a guide, but I didn’t need to look at it very often. My memory of that moment is clear.”
“I remember too.” She whispered the words, throat tight with emotion. Her gaze darted between the painting and him. “Chance. It’s wonderful.”
“You mean it’s brilliant.” He brought her closer. “It’s what’s missing from the showcase. But only if you’re okay with that.”
She blinked hard then frowned for a moment, “Um. Of course. You painted it. You can do what you’d like with your work.”
“No, I can’t,” he insisted softly. “I can’t put this up and offer it for others to see without knowing you’re headed the same direction as me.”
She still looked confused. “Where are we going?”
The guys’ suggestion to be himself echoed in his ears, and a laugh escaped. He picked her up and swung her, loving the little gasp and rumble of amusement that followed.
When he set her down, he leaned over her, pressing her back in a dip. “We're going forward together, you and me. You caught my eye, and I think you’ve caught my soul. I know it’s quick, but from the first moment, we clicked. And this—” He twirled her upright and pointed to the image, to the love he’d tried to put into each brushstroke. “This is you in my heart. Not just in a painting, but for real.”
Her eyes glistened with moisture. Tears clung to her lashes. “Chance.”
He pushed forward, locking his hands on her hips. “Some might think I should hold my tongue. Date you for longer and make it crystal clear that we belong. I will do everything I can in that direction, but I can’t deny the words. I refuse to deny the feelings. I love you, Rose. I truly do.”
Her smile bloomed. Wide and bright. “Some might say it’s far too fast, but I feel it too. I have since the first moment I laid eyes on you.”
Heart pounding rapidly, he let his pleasure show. “I think that ’twas lust.”
“We do have plenty of that as well, don’t we?” Rose asked as she tapped his nose with her finger. “But I mean it. Everything about our time together has felt right. That first night in the bar—I’d never done anything like that before, but with you, it seemed natural. Easy. You feel right, as if we were meant to be.”
“Aye, I’m glad I’m not the only one.” He pulled her closer, lips hovering over hers. “Kiss me?”
She answered instantly. How could she not?
Gliding into the kiss meant pressing herself against him. Giving herself over to the taste of him. The feel and heat and pleasure he brought so easily. She slipped her hands to his back and dug her fingertips in. Hard muscles flexed under her fingers, his breath unsteady as he paused with his lips once again barely in contact.
“Anywhere you need to be tonight?” he asked.
She nodded. “Right here, with you.”
His expression went molten. “Good. Now, stay for a moment.”
He marched across the room and jerked open a drawer.
When he pulled out a handful of condoms, Rose laughed. “I’m extremely thankful right now.”
“You and me both,” he said as he returned to her side and scooped her off her feet. “Confession. I’ve taken to hiding them everywhere.”
“Like a treasure hunt,” she teased.
He jerked the quilt off the couch and tossed it on the floor. When she would have dropped to her knees beside him, he kept her standing. As he slowly opened the button on her slacks and undid her zipper, Rose flashed back to that first evening. To the first time he’d taken her to such heights.
They’d had sex many times since then, but this? This was more than sex. His expression said it all—
It was love. Love she felt as he loosened the fabric from her hips and pressed a kiss to her navel. Another to the edge of her panties.
Love made her quiver as he wrapped his arms around her torso and pressed his face to her skin. Breathing deeply and holding her tight.
Flutters in her heart. Flutters in her belly. Chance tilted his head back, and the hunger in his eyes made her brace for action.
Surprisingly, he went slow. Another kiss to her ribs, one to the tiny bow in the middle of her bra. His fingers moved against her back, and the hooks on her bra slipped free. One strap slid over a shoulder, the cups barely clinging to her breasts.
Instinct brought her hands up, but before they landed, he caught her wrists, trapping her, baring her as the material fell away. He let go for just long enough to toss her bra aside, then he was back in control.
