An Indecent Proposal(38)

Of course, she had done it again, the little witch. Trust her to use every little opportunity to play her games.

“So, when will she be back?” I asked casually.

“I have no idea.” He leaned against the wall and crossed his arms over his broad chest, regarding me amused. “But I’m ready to bet she’ll take her time.”

I narrowed my eyes. “She will, won’t she?”

His lips twitched and there was a dangerously handsome glint of humor in his eyes. “Here we are. Just the two of us.”

He knows you’ve been trying to avoid him and likes the fact that he’s caught you off-guard.

And, judging by the ever-growing grin on his face, he was enjoying every minute of just how uncomfortable he was making me feel. Or why else would he point out to me that we were alone for no apparent reason?

I groaned inwardly at the realization that I had no escape route. I had no idea how to ignore his sexy body, which was all I could gawk at. It took every ounce of my willpower to turn away when all I wanted was to stare at the sex god before me and ask why the fuck he smelled so good.

“You look nice.” Chase pointed to my shirt before his hand touched my hair. “I like it when you wear your hair up like that.”

“It’s nothing.” I shrugged. “I do it every day.”

“It suits you perfectly, Laurie.” He smiled, his hand still playing with my hair. His eyes were so deep, it made me blush. “I like it natural.”

God.

The way he said it, it was as if his words carried a double meaning. Or maybe I wanted them to, because his shirt emphasized his broad shoulders and narrow waist, and my naughty thoughts were all I could think about. He looked so delicious, my mind was already undressing him. Before my eyes I could already see those rock-hard abs that were clearly defined beneath his shirt. I fought the need to graze my fingernails over them and see him quiver from my touch.

“Are you okay?” Chase asked. “You look a bit flushed.” His tongue flicked across his lower lip, sending a slow, almost painful pull between my legs.

“I told you, I’m fine,” I snapped. “Just tired and hungry, that’s all.” It took all my might to force myself to walk past him into the kitchen and keep my back turned to him as I grabbed a cookie jar and held it up behind him, offering Chase one.

“Is that all you want to share tonight?”

Holy bang.

There it was again—the subtle sexual hint. Or maybe not so subtle. Only I wasn’t so sure why he kept dropping them.

“Just the cookies,” I said shakily. In spite of my better judgment, I was still hoping that it was just a figment of my imagination. My hands trembled so hard I feared I might drop the jar any second.

Damn my hormones and their weakness for a pretty face.

Damn Chase for not making rejecting him easy on me.

Damn me for not being able to interpret the situation correctly much sooner.

I stopped near the table, afraid to turn and look at him. In the silence, I could sense him stepping behind me. And then he leaned forward, his hot breath grazing the delicate skin on my neck until I felt I might just be about to melt.

“Is that all I’ll get?” he whispered. His voice was low and husky, betraying a hint of arousal.

My heart jumped into my throat. There was no doubt now.

He was going for it.

Big time.

“I heard you the first time, and I think I gave you a pretty clear response,” I whispered, and turned around slowly. He was standing too close, oblivious to the effect he had on me. Or maybe he knew, and it was exactly what he wanted? Our eyes connected, and in an instant he closed the space between us, his hard body pressing into mine as his hands went around my waist, pulling me against his hard muscles.

“You know I want you, Laurie. There’s no secret about that,” he whispered.

And he knows you want him. Or else he wouldn’t touch you.

His gaze moved downward to my mouth, settling on it hungrily. I swallowed hard, barely able to breathe. If he kissed me now, I wouldn’t resist. The thought hit me with such force that I almost flinched.

I knew I had to get my wits back. Only, I didn’t want them back. All I wanted was to run my hands through his hair and pull his mouth onto mine the way I had never done with anybody else before—and all for a good reason. Chase had to stay out of this. It was for his own good. The people in my life weren’t safe. Pulling him into the mess that was my life without giving him a choice wasn’t fair.

“I know you want me, too, Laurie,” he whispered. His hand cupped the back of my neck, and his lips inched just a little bit closer, his breath caressing my mouth. “What’s stopping you?”