Hot Protector(30)

She gasped and spun over in the bed. The wall she’d been pressed up against was definitely solid. It was also human. She sucked in a breath at his nearness. His utter perfection.

Chase lay on his side, one arm slung across her body, his naked chest a study in ideal human anatomy. She followed the line of dark hair that arrowed down his abdomen, disappearing into his shorts.

Oh, where did anyone on this earth get abs like that? Hard, defined abs that she wanted to trace with her tongue just to see if they tasted as perfect as they looked.

He never opened his eyes as his hand wandered from her waist to the curve of her ass where he tugged her in close. So close that she didn’t have to wonder if he was hard or not.

He was. Gloriously, hugely hard. Her gaze shot from his chest to his face. His eyes were still closed, and she swallowed.

Oh fuck, now what? She hadn’t intended to fall asleep out here with him, but after they’d spilled their guts and he’d held her hand, she’d felt such a sense of belonging that it had stunned her. They hadn’t said another word as the hockey game played on. She’d focused on their hands, on the warmth and rightness that flowed over her. It had been comforting in a way she couldn’t ever remember experiencing.

She didn’t remember falling asleep, but she was surprised he hadn’t wakened her. No, he’d gone to sleep beside her. And now he was really beside her.

“Mmm,” he said, and her heartbeat quickened.

“Um, Chase. Chase.”

“Yeah, baby?” he whispered. “You want it again?”

Again? What the hell?

No, no. Calm down. If they’d had sex, she’d damn well know it. They had not had sex. He was asleep and dreaming. Or something.

“No, I do not want it,” she said. “It’s me, Chase. It’s Sophie. Your, um, stepsister. Kind of.”

“Whatever game you want to play, honey,” he murmured before spearing his other hand into her hair and pulling her face toward his.

Sophie put her hands on his chest and pushed. “Chase! Wake up!”

His eyes popped open then, and he looked her over in that lazy way he had. “Hi, Sophie.”

He had not let go of her ass, she noticed. “Hi, Chase. Can you let me go?”

“You sure about that?”

His erection nestled against her pubic bone, burning into her. Her body responded with a surge of heat and moisture between her legs. Her sex sizzled with electric tingles every time he shifted his hips in the slightest. She wanted to grab his ass and rub herself against all that delicious hardness while pressing her mouth to his chest.

Before she could find her voice, he squeezed her ass one last time. “Much as I’d like to convince you otherwise, we gotta get up. Hawk will be here soon.”

He rolled away from her and sat up on the edge of the bed. After grabbing his phone and presumably scrolling through his messages, he stood and stretched, his bones cracking and muscles rippling as he reached skyward.

Then he grabbed his T-shirt and dragged it on over his chest, covering everything she’d been staring at. Her gaze dropped lower, and her heart flipped in her chest at the evidence of his arousal. Wow, that was quite an impressive bulge in his shorts. It lay against his body, pointing toward his heart… and it reached almost to the edge of his waistband.

Holy shit.

“See something you like?”

Her gaze shot to his. He’d arched an eyebrow, staring at her with a smirk on his handsome face. Daring her, she supposed.

She pushed herself up on an elbow and yawned. “Don’t be so full of yourself,” she said lazily. “I saw tons of hot guys growing up in LA. You’re nothing special, Chase.”

He snorted. “Liar. You’ve been staring at me since you walked into my apartment two days ago.”

Oh, he was irritating. And confusing as hell. Prickly one minute and sexy the next. Pulling her to him and pushing her away. Being so sweet it hurt and then being angry and defensive.

“That’s because I’m not yet convinced you won’t get tired of this and ditch me. I’m watching you in case you leave me.”

He sobered instantly. “I’m not leaving you, Sophie. I’ll protect you with my life. You can count on that.”

A knot formed in her throat. After the past two days, she knew it would be no small task to protect her. “Thank you.”

He shrugged. “No need to thank me. It’s what I do.”

She pulled her knees up to her chest and sat back against the couch. “You do this all the time? Run from bad guys and try not to get killed?”

His look was so intense it took her breath. “No, I don’t run from the bad guys. If they’re smart, they run from me.”