“Krista.” So much feeling was infused in those two simple syllables. Since he couldn’t say what he really wanted to say without either pissing her off, scaring her, or making her defensive walls erect even higher, he had to trust that they still had the connection they’d once had and he still felt. When he spoke her name, he was expressing love, need, passion, desire, and desperation.
For a moment, he saw her soften as her body swayed towards him. Her lips parted and he felt his head lowering nearer to hers. Just as he felt her sweet breath fan across his face, a flash of pain and confusion crossed her eyes.
Pulling away from him, she shook her head. Moisture pooled in her eyes as she briskly stated, “I have to get back to work.”
His heart sank as he stepped to the side, silently moving out of the way so she could leave. Without another word or so much as a glance in his direction, Krista was out the door.
Leaning against the wall, Chase closed his eyes. He honestly had no idea how to break through to Krista. He had no idea how to start building a bridge back to her heart. He had no idea how to start fixing the pain he had obviously caused her.
The path might not be clear, but the answer to those questions was as clear as a bright, sunny day: whatever it took.
Chapter Ten
Today is going to be a great day!
It was Saturday, Krista’s day off. Not only was tonight her sister Haley’s engagement party at The Grill, one of her favorite night spots, but she had a killer dress that her cousin Seth’s wife Amber had made specifically for her.
She was also going to be spending the day at a new spa that had opened next door to Haley’s shop Tempting. Krista, her sisters, and some of her cousins’ wives were going to spend the day being pampered. They would be getting massages, pedicures, and manicures. And before all of that, she was getting in a run. It was exactly the kind of day she needed.
Krista pulled into the parking lot of Harper’s Crossing High just as the sun was rising over the football stadium. She was happy that hers was the only car in the parking lot. Running was her time to think, reflect, process, clear her mind from all the noise, and center herself.
This week had taken quite an emotional toll on her. Finding Abby unconscious. Chase returning. Chase and her generating enough heat and electricity to power all of Illinois through a cold winter.
Yesterday in the conference room, she had almost succumbed to that heated passion. The moment he’d taken her hands in his and she’d felt his hot breath warm them, she’d been transported back in time to when that gesture had made her feel safe, loved, treasured. When they were teens, he’d always followed up her hand warming by lowering his lips to hers and claiming her in a masterful kiss. If they had been alone, those kisses would lead to much more. If they hadn’t been, they would lead to whispered promises of what was to come—namely her—when they were alone.
Memories, she was quickly discovering, were powerful motivators. Yesterday’s flashback-of-hotness had almost caused her to make a colossal mistake.
Luckily, when he’d placed her hand on his chest and she’d felt the power of his heartbeat beneath her palm, it had transported her right back from her walk down sexy-time lane to reality. His beating heart beneath his chest had reminded her of how her own heart had wanted to stop beating when he’d left. How hollow and painful her chest had felt without his hand warming, his kisses, his touch, his smile, his presence. She’d barely managed to survive after losing him the first time. There was no way she was going to risk herself, her heart, and her future for a few moments of erotic bliss. As good as it would feel to give in to her body’s desires, Krista knew she had to protect not only her heart, but also her soul.
Turning off the car, she realized she hadn’t even opened the can of energy drink she’d grabbed on her way out of the house yet she felt wide awake. Yesterday, when she’d gotten home from work, she’d fed and walked Bear, ate some dinner, and collapsed on her bed at seven thirty p.m. She’d been out like a light all night until woken by sounds of quiet barks and four paws brushing against her back. When she’d rolled over, she’d seen Bear, sound asleep beside her, smack dab in the middle of what she could only imagine was a dream where he was running since his front and back legs were both moving. After she saw that he was a-okay, her first thought was to roll back, close her eyes, and join him in dreamland. Instead, she resisted the tempting urge to do just that and threw her legs over the side of the bed.
Now, here she was, thirty minutes later at the high school track. She would have been here sooner but after brushing her teeth, pulling her hair up in a ponytail, and throwing on her dark navy sweats, a gray sports bra, white tank top, and her dark gray hoodie, it had taken her almost ten minutes to dig her running shoes out of her closet. The sneaky suckers were hiding behind Uggs, high heels, and several pairs of the arch-supporting work shoes she’d invested in right after starting at the hospital. Krista’s back did not appreciate the long hours on her feet.