His lips were soft against mine, hesitant at first, then hungry. The kiss deepened, and I made a small sound in the back of my throat that seemed to break something loose in him. His hand slid from my face into my hair, tilting my head back as his mouth moved to my neck.
“God, I missed touching you,” he breathed against my skin. “Been thinking about this since that day at the hotel.”
I arched into him, my fingers finding the buttons of his flannel. “Chase...”
“Tell me to stop,” he murmured, trailing kisses along my collarbone. “Tell me this isn’t what you want.”
Instead, I pulled him closer, working the buttons free one by one. His skin was warm under my hands, muscles tensing as I explored. When I scraped my nails lightly down his chest, he groaned.
“Elena...” He pulled back just enough to look at me, pupils blown wide with desire. “We need to get you a bed.”
I laughed breathlessly. “Sorry. I planned to go tonight.”
His answering grin was wicked. “I’ll make it work.”
He shrugged out of his flannel, laying it on the floor beside us before easing me back onto it. The wood was hard beneath me, but I barely noticed, too focused on the way he was looking at me—like I was something precious, something worthy of worship.
His hands slid under the hem of my sweater, warm against my ribs. “Can I...?”
“Yes,” I breathed. “Please.”
The sweater joined his flannel on the floor. His fingers traced patterns on my skin, featherlight touches that made me shiver. When his mouth followed the path of his hands, I gasped, arching up into him.
“You’re so beautiful,” he murmured against my stomach. “So fucking beautiful. And so strong. So brave.”
His words, so different from Peter’s cruel comments about my weight, my clothes, my everything, made my throat tight.
Chase noticed my hesitation immediately, pulling back to look at me. “You okay, Sweetness?”
I nodded, pulling him back down to me. His mouth found that sensitive spot below my ear that made me forget everything except how good this felt. How right. His hands slid lower, teasing along the waistband of my jeans until I was practically squirming beneath him.
“Chase,” I gasped as his fingers popped the button of my jeans. “Wait...”
He froze instantly. “Too fast?”
“No, god no.” I laughed breathlessly. “Just... do you have...?”
Understanding dawned in his eyes, followed quickly by frustration. “Shit. No. I didn’t exactly plan for this.”
“Me neither.” I bit my lip. “And I assume you’ve... I mean, since we...”
His brow furrowed. “What?”
“Been with other people,” I finished quietly. “Since the hotel.”
Something dark flashed across his face. “No.”
“Oh.” I blinked up at him, surprised by the intensity in his voice.
“There hasn’t been anyone else, Elena. Not since you.” Histhumb traced my bottom lip. “What about you? Besides...” His voice hardened. “Him.”
I looked away, my throat tight. “Just... Peter.”
Chase went very still above me. The muscle in his jaw ticked. “Did he...?”
I couldn’t meet his eyes. “He took what he thought he was owed as my husband.”
“I’ll fucking kill him.” The raw fury in Chase’s voice made me flinch. He immediately softened, though I could feel him trembling with rage. “Elena, that’s rape. You know that, right?”
