Page 43 of Chasing Grace
She inhaled deep. His scent soothed—fresh air with a hint of pine and something more. Something uniquely Chase, that if she could bottle and take with her, she’d spray on all her pillows.
The sound of his steady breathing quieted the noise in her head, and his heartbeat against her back had hers winding down to match. Despite her thoughts on the matter, her body followed his lead. Her mind slowed. The throbbing between her legs abated, and the rhythm of his chest, rising and falling, pulled her under his current.
Resigned, she gave in to him—again—and giving the victor his spoils, she fell asleep in his arms. When she floated back to consciousness hours later, she felt rested and content.
For the first time in a long time, she’d slept soundly, free from alcohol and safe under the protection of Chase Mackenzie’s arm. Sometime during the night, he’d burrowed under her shirt, and his palm cupped her heated flesh.
His thumb traced a circular pattern around her nipple, his fingers occasionally tracking back and forth over the hard, sensitive tip. Afraid he’d stop but too aroused to prevent it, she arched her back, causing her breast to swell against his hand. In response, he groaned and ground himself against the crack of her ass. He was rock hard. And very large.
She answered his question by pushing her hips right back at him.
She wanted this.
She wanted him.
No denying it.
She was a fucking idiot.
His breath hot, he sucked on her earlobe, his teeth biting gently. He moaned her name somewhere in a string of jumbled words, and she had to concentrate hard to hear what he said.
“We can’t do this.” The biting didn’t stop. The teasing fingers didn’t retreat. The huge male body pushed against her harder.
She rolled onto her back, and his hand drifted to her other breast. The sensation too much, she shifted to face him. “So stop.”
“Jesus Christ, I can’t.”
He moved fast. Grabbing her ass with both hands, he rolled her on top of his chest. His palms sliding down her thighs, he split her legs wide so she could straddle his hips. His cock nestled at her sweet spot; she cursed the clothes between them.
Then he kissed her. Kissed her until she lost her breath and her ears started ringing.
“Fuck, we can’t do this, baby.”
With a groan of protest, Gray executed a two-handed push up against impeccable pecs.
Taking advantage of the space between their upper bodies, Chase checked his watch, and with a stab of his finger, the ringing in her ears ceased. The alarm silenced, disappointment hit her harder than she cared to admit.
He wasn’t fooling around—in any sense of the word. “You’re kidding me. Right?”
Chase grinned and smacked a palm down on her ass. Long fingers kneaded her flesh through the fabric of her pants. “Nope. Not kidding. We need to hit the road. We have a long ride ahead of us. And we’re not stopping again.”
As if she weighed nothing, he sat them both up on the edge of the bed. She frowned, and he kissed the center of her forehead, a consolation prize before he rose to his feet.
Her arms and legs still wrapped around him, he supported her weight with both his hands, solid on her ass. “I so hate you right now.” Gray dropped her feet to the dirty carpet. When her toes hit, she made to escape. She didn’t get far. Chase pulled her in tight against him, his grip inexorable.
“No, you don’t.” To prove his point, he kissed her again.
“Yes, I do.” She parted her lips, confessing to the lie, and his tongue claimed her pride.
CHAPTERNINETEEN
Gray’s asshad turned to granite by the time Chase slowed the beat-up Bronco. They’d switched vehicles in Albuquerque eight hours ago, and now they were on a dirt road on the outskirts of Palo Pinto, Texas.
He’d clammed up as soon as they crossed the state line, and given how much he liked to talk, the silence had been notable. He rolled to a stop and turned off the motor. Picked up by the wind, a swirl of yellow dust drifted alongside her window. In front of them, a gate hung open in a lopsided, abandoned kind of way.
In the distance, the swaying ribbons of golden grass gave way to clusters of shrubs and then a line of trees. Beyond that, the land pushed upward, a dark mass rising into the setting sun. A beautiful scene, and the light perfect, Gray wished she had her camera.
Chase didn’t see any of it. His focus on her, he brushed his fingers over her cheek, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. The barest of touches cut a thrill straight through her, and her skin pebbled in anticipation. When she turned to face him, his palm cupped the curve of her neck, and he pulled her toward him.
