Page 84 of Chasing Grace
Kate Emerson had been both the other woman and the woman left behind. It had taken a few years and her brother leaving for Gray to realize the truth. Being married to a man who put service to his country above all else made for a lonely life. So when she turned sixteen and blew out the candle on her red velvet cupcake, instead of a wish, she’d made a vow. She wouldneverfall for a military man.
And yet, here she sat.
In love with a Type A, married-to-the-military control freak.
It was official. She was an idiot. Or as T would say—a brainless boob.
Oh God.She wanted to talk to Tara so bad it hurt. She checked her watch, two hours to go before she left for Savannah. Groaning, she hugged her legs to her chest and clunked her head down. Her classic self-preservation pose. She had a tendency to use it often.
Hoping to empty her head, she listened to the rapid beat of her heart. Focused on the erratic rhythm, she became aware her bruised hip thumped like it had a pulse of its own. Not surprising after the pounding she’d received. She wasn’t sure which had been harder, Chase or the door. In fact, her hip wasn’t the only body part still throbbing. Chase was a very large, capable man. In all the ways that counted.
Caught off guard, her body jerked when he entered the room and she had to resist the urge to throw herself into his arms. Instead, she left her chin resting on her knees, and for added security, kept her gaze trained on her bare feet.
She needed a pedicure. And a lobotomy. Quite possibly not in that order.
A long-fingered hand interrupted her train of thought and her line of sight. “Come here,” he said with quiet command.
Heart attempting to gallop right out of her chest—through her rib cage—she put her hand in his. He pulled her off the bed. She kept her head down. Oddly enough, she found herself looking at his toes as well as hers.
Where in the hell had his boots gone? And why the hell did he have nicer feet than she did?
Life wasn’t fair.
He lifted her chin. Her stubborn eyes refused to follow, but she now had a very nice view of his smooth chest. “Look at me.” His voice sank into her skin, deep and demanding.
She lifted her gaze to his and the dam broke, her regrets flowing fast and furious. “I’m sorry, Chase. I never should have pushed you to have sex. I was angry and I—”
His lips on hers swallowed her guilt.
“Stop,” he ordered against her mouth before lifting his head to look her square in the eyes. “Let’s get a couple of things straight. I was wrong to try to keep you from going to Tara. You had every right to be angry with me, and I’m sorry. I want your trust, but I have to earn it. So from now on, we make important decisions together. Full disclosure on team Chase and Gray. Okay?”
Oh God! Were they doing this? Wasshedoing this? Chase and Gray. Together? It sounded right. It felt right. Even though she had no clue how they would make it work. She swallowed the lump in her throat and nodded.
“Okay. Second, no more apologizing. If I didn’t want to have sex with you, I wouldn’t have. Got it?” She nodded again, and he kissed her quick. “I’m an idiot, and I thought waiting until the mission ended was the right thing to do. God, I was so fucking wrong, Gray. Believe me. From now on, anytime you want to have sex, I’m all in.” Running his hands up the sides of her body, he took a step back to take her shirt off.
She wasn’t wearing a bra. Generally speaking, she didn’t need one.
“Jesus. You’re beautiful.” He threw her shirt into a corner and kissed her again, pressing her against his chest, his hands warm and solid on the skin of her back. He teased his tongue over hers while his hands trailed south of the border to venture inside her yoga pants.
Then crouching in front of her, he slid her pants down over her hips, taking them off by lifting one trembling leg at a time. When he was done undressing her, the stretchy pants, along with her underwear, joined her T-shirt on the floor.
He stood and took a step back, intense black eyes examining every inch of her skin. She didn’t try to cover herself. He’d already seen most of what she had to offer. She had no piercings, no tattoos, and she didn’t wear any jewelry or makeup. She was just Gray, from the top of her head to the tips of her toes. “Spin.”
She did, slowly. When she came back around, he’d invaded her space. “Now what?” she whispered.
“Now, I’m going to kiss every cut.” He kissed the hole in her head, and her heart stuttered. “Every scrape.” He kissed her palms one at a time, and her cheeks flushed. “And every bruise starting here.” He brushed her hair over her shoulder, his fingers skimming over her skin and trailing down her spine before he touched his lips to her right collarbone.
Warmth flooded her chest, and Gray snorted. How could she not? “That could take a while.”
“We’ve got time,” he mumbled, focusing his attention along the line of fading bruises left by her seat belt.
Cupping her breast, he brought his lips to her nipple, and she moaned. Her knees were already weak when he made his way to the other, his tongue teasing and demanding.
Kissing his way down her body, he dropped to his knees while Gray’s hands trailed up his neck. The short hairs on the back of his head felt like a soft bristle against her fingers. When she reached some length she could grasp, she took hold and pulled in hopes of getting his attention.
Not the least bit distracted, he continued about his business.
She pulled a little harder. “Chase?”
