Page 73 of #Starstruck

Because I would not say it before he did. I’d already spent most of our time together hoping our feelings were equal. I wasn’t willing to risk it, especially not with my heart on the line.

“Definitely worth it—even if you drive me insane,” he said in that low, rough voice that put all my nerve endings on edge with anticipation.

“You’re not alone in that, you know.” I couldn’t meet his gaze, worried he would see all the love and want I had for him. And that was what had become harder over time. I’d fallen in love with him, and I wanted to show him. I wanted to express those feelings physically. Even though I knew I wouldn’t.

“Obviously. Of course you want to get with all this,” he said, making me giggle and snuggle closer. “Despite what I want, I would never want you to regret anything that happens between us.”

I sort of hated that he was right. I would regret it. Regardless of how very much I would enjoy it up to that point.

Chase started kissing me then—soft, intoxicating, unhurried kisses that had me tightening my arms, wanting to melt into him. My heart thudded firmly and slowly, keeping time with his mouth.

He broke off the kiss suddenly. He turned me and pressed me flat on my back while he hovered above me, bracing himself on his elbows.

“What are you doing?” I asked, both alarmed and thrilled.

“That depends on what you let me do,” he teased, but I watched as the amusement faded from his eyes, replaced by a look of so much heartrending tenderness and longing that it made me feel like I was breaking apart. Then he used his lips to put me back together piece by piece.

I ran my hands over his upper arms, stroking the tensed muscles there, and made my way up to his shoulders and then to his thick, silky golden hair. I lightly dragged my fingertips along his scalp. I knew how much he liked that.

He made a sound of pleasure in the back of his throat that made every bit of me tingle. But he resisted deepening the kiss, keeping it featherlight but still tantalizing. It made me want to drown in his loving sweetness. Some part of my brain registered that I hadn’t brushed my teeth yet, but I completely did not care.

Especially once Chase trailed a column of velvet warmth down my throat that started a hot ache in my core. I arched my back, wanting to feel his edges and planes against my curves. My newly discovered feelings for him made it imperative that we get closer.

“This is going to get out of control if you keep doing that,” he murmured at the hollow at the base of my neck, but I couldn’t stay still. My entire body throbbed with need, and I tugged at him. Still too far away.

I sighed with relief and pleasure when he lowered his body to mine, but just as he did so, a siren started to shrill, loudly.

“What’s that?” I asked.

“The somebody’s-virtue-is-in-peril alarm,” he said, then pulled at my earlobe with his lips.

I pushed against him, and he pushed himself up. “Seriously, what is that?”

He rolled away from me and reached for his phone, then flicked through a couple of screens. “It’s the perimeter security alarm. Somebody’s on the grounds.”

I sat straight up. “Isn’t that a big deal?”

“My security company has an excellent response time. They’ll be here in a couple of minutes with dogs and big guns.” He put one hand behind his head, and he looked so comfortable and at ease that I wanted to hit him.

“Does this happen a lot?”

He frowned for a second. “It’s usually just some overzealous fan who figured out where I live. As soon as the alarm sounds, they take off. It’s one of the reasons I don’t want my fans knowing where I am all the time and knowing when I’m not home. They tend to get bolder when they think no one’s here to stop them. But you’re safe. Don’t worry about it.”

I pulled my knees to my chest and wrapped my arms around them. It bothered me that anyone would try to sneak into his home. “And you’re leaving today. I could house-sit for you.”

He propped himself up on one elbow, his eyes serious. “No way.

“You just said it was safe.” I hated the idea of some crazy person breaking in to lie in wait and then take a sledgehammer to Chase’s ankles when he got back. I had my Mace. I could take her down.

“I don’t want you here alone. At least at your apartment you have Lexi with you.”

“Not always.”

He put his hand on my foot. “But no insane people are trying to break into your apartment. And if you stay here and something happens, I don’t want to have to go to jail for permanently maiming the person who hurts you.”

The doorbell rang, making me jump. “It’s just the security team,” he reassured me as he got up to answer it.

While he was downstairs, I went into the guest room and grabbed my stuff. I used the bathroom and got ready for the day as best I could. I didn’t want to wear the same clothes I had yesterday, so I planned to stop by my apartment and get changed before going to class.

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