Hot Protector(25)

He’d said he wanted to be inside her. Pounding away until his head exploded.

Her nipples beaded. An achy heaviness settled in her core. A wild part of her wanted that so much.

The sensible part was terrified. No matter what he said about her being hot or her body being appealing, she knew the minute he saw her he’d notice the rolls and dimples of her flesh. He was tight and toned, beautiful.

She was soft and malleable, like a marshmallow. It wasn’t a good combination.

“I, um, wow,” she stuttered.

The silence swelled to unbearable proportions. He shoved a hand through his hair and got to his feet to remove his dishes from the table. Her ears grew hot, and her skin itched with his nearness as he moved around behind her, washing his bowl and plate.

She wanted him to turn around and touch her, and she didn’t at the same time. What would happen if they crossed that particular bridge? There would certainly be no going back, that’s for sure. It would be weird.

Or would it? Chase was the most intensely beautiful man she’d ever seen, and she wanted to experience what it would be like to have sex with someone so pretty. When would she ever get another chance?

If you’d only lose thirty pounds, Sophie, you could be so pretty.

If you want to get a boyfriend, you need to lose weight, Sophie.

Don’t you want to get married someday? Then you’ll need to lose weight. Men don’t like having sex with chubby women…

She kept her gaze on the wall opposite, arguing with herself until he stood by her side and she had to look up at him. She very deliberately kept her eyes off his groin, though she wanted to look. Was he hard? Or had he made that up?

“Finished?” he asked, nodding at the plate and bowl in front of her.

“Um, yes, thank you.”

He took the dishes and then he was behind her again, clanking things in the sink. When he was done washing, she still hadn’t moved. Her heart pounded and she had no idea what to say.

He came over and stood with his hands on the back of the chair he’d been sitting in and looked at her steadily. “Look, I’m sorry I said that. I was out of line. I just wanted you to know that Tyler and your mom are idiots. You’re hotter than fuck, which you should know since we’re running from a man who went nuclear because you wanted to break up with him. He clearly hadn’t gotten enough of you yet.”

She pulled in a breath. “Grigori and I never…”

She couldn’t finish the sentence. Her skin flooded with fresh heat. Why had she admitted that? She knew how ridiculous it sounded. How unbelievable. They were two adults who’d gone on a few dates over the course of a month—who doesn’t have sex in that time?

Chase’s hands appeared to tighten on the chairback as he stared at her in disbelief. “You and Androv never hit the sheets together?”

She shook her head. If she told him Grigori had never even tried to get her into bed, how pitiful would that sound? “We only went on a few dates. He’s a busy man.”

“Not too busy to attack a hotel maid or send murderous men after you.”

Sophie shrugged uncomfortably. “I’m sure we’d have gotten around to it eventually.”

“Honey, it’s all I can do to keep my hands off you. If Androv wasn’t trying to get into your panties on the first date, he’s either gay or impotent.”

For some reason, that made her laugh. And shiver, because hands. All. Over. Her.

“You know how to make me feel good, Chase.”

His eyes gleamed. “You don’t even know the half of it. Spread your legs and I’ll make you feel better than you’ve ever felt in your life.”

She wanted to be shocked at his boldness, but instead she found herself trying to imagine all the ways in which he could make her feel good. She might not have a ton of experience, but she had a great imagination. And that imagination was conjuring up all kinds of wickedly erotic things right now.

“I thought you didn’t like me,” she said a touch breathlessly. She had to remember what was going on here. Who they were. Everything had changed so quickly, and she was reeling.

He gave her a lazy grin that awakened fresh heat in her core. “You’re growing on me. You’d grow on me even more if you let me see what’s under the robe.”

She pushed to her feet and pulled the robe tighter around her body, using it like a shield. “I honestly can’t tell if you’re making fun of me or if you’re being serious.”

“Which do you want it to be?”

The washer stopped then, as evidenced by the loud buzz. It made Sophie jump, but her gaze stayed locked with Chase’s. What the hell was going on here? Why was she so turned on by him, by this situation? And why in the hell was she seriously considering telling him she wanted everything he had to offer?