“But he was going on a trip, remember? He won’t be there.”
Chase chuckled and pulled out his laptop, typing something in and then showing her the screen. “About that…looks like he changed his itinerary or maybe he was never going anywhere at all. The photographer didn’t care about Ford—he was there to snap a picture of another guy but Danny was in the background. He’s here at his residence in Williamsburg. We can go see him tomorrow after we visit Peyton.”
The senator’s behavior did raise several red flags. He’d been anxious to answer as few questions as possible without actually looking like he didn’t want to talk to them.
“Are you going to give him some warning of our impending arrival?”
“Hell, no. I think a surprise is in order, don’t you? I bet he’ll be thrilled to see us, especially when we tell him we talked to Guy.”
“You’re a devious man, Chase Jennings.”
Winking, he dried his hands on a towel after rinsing the last dish. “I think you like that about me. Do you think you could go to sleep now or do you want to watch some television? I can put on a movie.”
Instead her gaze drifted out to the back deck that overlooked the James River. She could use a little peace and tranquility in her life and that spot seemed perfect. “How about we sit outside for awhile? Maybe with a glass of wine?”
Chase’s smile widened, his shoulders visibly relaxing. He needed the quiet as much as she did and he’d already told her he liked to sit out there and enjoy the weather.
“Perfect. Go on out and I’ll pour us a couple of glasses.”
She was settled into the glider with a throw over her legs when he joined her, a glass of cabernet in each hand. He sat as close as possible, their thighs pressed together and his arm around her shoulder as they listened to the crickets and the rustle of branches against the house. Neither one of them said anything, content to simply be together.
She didn’t know how much time had passed when he finally spoke. “Does your head hurt?”
“I have a few bruises here and there but I was lucky, really. The headache is gone although I have some sore spots where the glass cut me.” She looked up at him, her hand running along a nick on his jaw where a piece of debris had scraped it. He hadn’t shaved since this morning and his stubble tickled her fingertips. “You got hurt too. Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. You were sitting closest to the lobby so you took the brunt of the blast.”
She didn’t move her hand away, too lost in the heat of his body and the smell of his skin, citrus and spice. She couldn’t make out his features clearly in the dark but his chest rose and fell rapidly with each breath and she would have sworn that he was staring at her lips.
Awareness vibrated between them, raising the temperature, and she shoved the blanket off of her legs and took a sip of her wine. Her insides quivered with excitement and anticipation as he continued to watch her closely even in the dim light. The thud of her heart sounded loud in her ears as he reached out to run a stray strand of hair through his fingers. His hand brushed her cheek and she couldn’t suppress the gasp of arousal that burst from her lips. The simple touch had sent a bolt of pleasure straight to her core and she had to press her thighs together to control the growing ache that was building between them.
Taking her glass from her trembling hand, he set both of them down on the side table before cupping her jaw in his large palms and tilting her head up. He was going to kiss her. She knew that and she wanted it but as usual, Chase didn’t do it exactly as she expected.
First, he grazed his lips over the tip of her nose before kissing each closed eyelid in turn. Mouth gliding, he nuzzled her ear, nipping at the lobe before soothing the small hurt with his tongue. He even traveled up to her temple and pressed a supremely gentle kiss to the cut on her forehead. By the time he was finished she was boneless in his arms, completely swept away by the sweet sensuality of his ministrations.
It was then and only then, when she would have given him anything that he’d asked for, that he took her mouth with his own. One hand slid to the back of her head, his fingers tangling into her long ponytail, the other gliding down her spine to the small of her back where it splayed there, pressing her closer to his strong frame.
Bailey wasn’t aware of the specifics of the kiss, lips and tongues. The world had gone fuzzy, spinning around, and she let herself drift on a cloud of pleasure as he ravished her mouth, showing her without doubt how he’d pleasure the rest of her body. Thoroughly and well.
Yes. A million times yes.
Sex had never been a big deal for Bailey. Frank hadn’t been a particularly passionate man so she’d often wondered if she was missing out. She’d filled her life with other inclinations and until this moment had been pretty content with it all, but now she’d been woken up from her long slumber. Losing Frank had allowed her to bury the physical side of her nature, which she hadn’t been that comfortable with in the first place. Maybe that’s why she’d ended up with Frank. Deep down she’d known that he’d never bring out this earthy, sensual side of herself. But she’d be safe and cared for, never taking a chance or living on the edge.
Never truly living at all if she were honest.
Mewling in protest when he broke their kiss, her fingers grabbed onto his t-shirt, the material wrinkling in her tight fists as she tried to pull him back. Chuckling, he easily captured her wrists and lifted her arms so they were wrapped around his neck. Clever man. That left her torso completely open to his explorations.
She would have dubbed him Magellan – if she’d been capable of speaking at all – as his eager and talented fingers slid up and down her back before deliberately finding every spot of sensitive flesh he’d could reach. His hands had slid under her loose tank top, the rough palms grazing her already hard nipples.
No, he wasn’t so much an explorer as a pirate. He was stealing moans and groans from her with every heated caress but clearly, his aim was a much more valuable treasure. His fingers glided over her hips and then to the juncture of her thighs where he found her swollen and begging for his touch. His skillful caresses quickly had her digging her nails into his shoulders and sighing his name.
So good. So very good.
He wickedly played with her, but his attention was soon pulled in a different direction. He abandoned where she needed him most and slid his hands up her ribcage to cup her breasts in his large palms, his thumbs toying with the tips until she was squirming on his lap. She was pressed directly against the hard length in his jeans and she wantonly rubbed against him until he was the one groaning her name. Payback. He wasn’t the only one who could tease and torture.
White-hot need ran through her veins like wildfire and she slid her hands under his shirt, desperate to feel the muscled flesh and explore every inch of his body that she was allowed. His own impatient fingers were hooked into the waistband of her yoga pants and he tugged lightly on the elastic, letting her know in no uncertain terms what he wanted. She was happy to oblige.
She wasn’t sure how he managed it but somehow her pants and tank top ended up on the wood decking at their feet. It felt wild and wicked to be completely nude while he was still dressed, the fabric of his clothes rubbing at her bare flesh and sending sparks of arousal straight to her clit as she straddled his thighs.
His hand ran down her spine and paused at her bottom, giving her generous ass cheek a squeeze before traveling to her front, his fingers delving between her thighs. She threw back her head and cried out his name as two fingers slid easily into her tight channel and his thumb strummed back and forth over the swollen button.
Her grip on his biceps tightened and the world tilted as he found a sweet spot inside of her. He never broke his rhythm, his fingers thrusting in and out while his hot, wet mouth found a peaked nipple. Nipping at it with his teeth, he pressed his thumb against her clit more firmly, shooting her over the edge and straight into heaven. Shaking and shuddering, she chanted his name as her orgasm swept over
her until eventually she was nothing but a sweaty, trembling mess in his lap, her head on his shoulder.
He gave her a few moments to catch her breath and that was all she wanted. Her need wasn’t nearly sated yet. Inside of her was where she had to have him and soon. Reaching down, her fingers fumbled with his zipper and he came to her rescue, unzipping his fly and pushing down his jeans and boxers. Curses flew out of his mouth as he tried to situate them comfortably but to her surprise he gave up and lifted her as he stood, her legs wrapping around his waist automatically. Carrying her to the deck railing, he settled her bottom on it at just the perfect height. For a moment, she glanced over her shoulder and it looked a long way down to the banks of the river. She wouldn’t die but she would probably be wearing a cast or two if she fell.
“I’ve got you, sweet. I won’t let anything happen to you.”
That she knew, so she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him down for a searing kiss that had toes curling and her lips tingling. When he lifted his head, his eyes were soft and adoring and she allowed herself the luxury of basking in that admiration, feeling sexy and desired. Now that she’d experienced this feeling, she was going to want to do it again. Often.
He nudged her opening but paused before plunging forward, his forehead dropping to hers.
“Are you on anything? I don’t have a condom out here. I’m clean, by the way. Just passed my yearly physical with flying colors.”
Thank goodness one of them was capable of rational thought. Her mind was filled with only one thought – being with him.
“I’m on the pill, and I’m healthy too.”
“Thank God,” Chase groaned, his tone pained. “I’m not sure I could have stopped long enough to search for a condom. Or if I even have any.”
It was kind of cool that he wasn’t the type to have birth control tucked all over his house as if he did women on his deck all the time. She’d like to think that perhaps she might be the first. If not, then at least it had been awhile.
With the less sexy business out of the way, there was nothing more to keep them apart. He pressed forward slowly but inexorably, stretching her until he was in to the hilt. Her lids fluttered closed and she moaned his name at the feeling, so full. His own breathing was ragged and labored, his jaw tight with the effort to hold back as she grew accustomed to the intimate invasion.
“It’s okay,” she breathed, her fingers flexing on his wide shoulders. “I want it.”
Her legs tightly wrapped around his lean hips, she breathed in sharply at his first movement, slow and most definitely deliberate. With each subsequent thrust, his groin rubbed her already swollen and sensitive clit, sending her closer and closer to the pinnacle. Her body teetered there, reaching out, begging for that ultimate moment. She arched her back and let the cool, night air run over her nipples, feeling them tighten even further and sending a rod of pleasure to her abdomen. She needed him and she needed more.
“Faster. Harder.”
Her voice didn’t even sound like her own but he understood her plea, slamming into her with more force and speed until she finally broke into a thousand shining pieces that matched the stars above them. Chase found his own release as her body clamped down on his, their lips colliding in one last hot, sweaty, messy kiss that lasted until they were both wrung out and exhausted.
They sat for a long time, sucking air into their aching lungs and pressing butterfly kisses to cheeks, jaws, eyelids, and necks. Eventually Chase lifted her back up and carried her into the bedroom where they both collapsed into a tangle of arms and legs.
A deliriously happy tangle.
She’d made the leap and she wasn’t sorry. She trusted Chase and he was worth taking a chance on.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chase could hear the water running in the bathroom and had to fight the urge to barge in and join Bailey in the shower. Last night had been everything he could have hoped for and then some, but she’d been through so much. He didn’t want to assume that she wasn’t having any sort of regrets this morning. Maybe even a twinge of guilt. She’d been with the same man since her college days and she’d barely dated after Frank’s death. An intimate relationship with Chase had to throw her off-kilter, at least a little bit. He wanted to be sensitive to her feelings but he also wanted to fuck her against the shower wall. The big question was which urge was stronger.
The inner debate was raging when he heard his name being called through the door. He opened it just enough to stick his head in while trying to avoid looking at Bailey in all her naked glory. If he saw her all wet and soapy there would be no doubt what part of him would win the battle and the war.
“Chase?” Her voice echoed off the tile walls. “Would you scrub my back?”
If she had been Eve offering him an apple she couldn’t have sounded more seductive. Or maybe all the blood had abandoned his brain and he wasn’t thinking or hearing straight. All he knew was he was hard and ready just that fast, heat sweeping through his body all the way to the tips of his fingers. This woman was going to be the death of him.
Stripping out of his clothes, he opened the shower door and took in the most beautiful image he’d ever seen. Soap slid down her tempting curves, over her breasts, down her belly, and between her thighs. Her long, dark hair was slicked back, exposing her neck and the love bites he’d given her during round two in the bedroom. His woman.
Strong protective instincts welled up inside, stronger than he’d ever experienced and for a moment he knew real fear; fear that she’d be harmed or lost to him. He would do everything in his power to keep her safe.
“Chase?” she asked, her head tilted to the side in question. “Are you coming in?”
He was standing in the open shower doorway looking like the fool he was as water leaked onto his tile floor. Quickly he shed the few clothes he wore and entered the steamy cubicle, shutting the door firmly behind them, creating their own little world. At least for the next few minutes.
She handed him the washcloth and he poured some body wash into it before rubbing it into her shoulders and down her spine. She sighed and braced her hands against the tile wall, letting her head fall forward, happy to allow him to explore. He ran the washcloth over every inch of her luscious flesh, paying special attention to her nipples and between her legs. By the time she was squeaky clean, she was panting and shifting from foot to foot, her back pressed flush against his front.
Tossing the washcloth away, he wrapped one arm around her hips, his fingers delving into the juncture between her thighs while the other hand lifted her face for a kiss. Their tongues tangled and played as he pressed two digits deep inside her wet slit, enjoying the sound of her hiss as he hit a particularly sensitive spot. She mewled and wriggled her hips as he pumped in and out lazily, never giving her the exact sensation she needed to go over. This was only meant to be a taste, an appetizer, not the grand finish. That fantasy of taking her up against the wall…
“Chase,” she groaned. “Please…”
“Yes, sweet. It’s time.”
Turning her in his arms, he lifted her until she was propped against the wall, her legs wrapped snugly around his waist. With one stroke he was inside of her, her tight walls already milking his shaft and making it hard to hold back. Luckily she was as overheated and anxious as he was. She bucked her hips, her nails digging into his back as he began a hard and fast pace, both of their needs too great. There would be other chances for slow, sweet lovemaking but this moment wasn’t one of them. She was urging him on with her breathy pleas in his ear, raunchy words falling from her innocent lips and making him even hotter and more aroused than he already was. She was the perfect combination of angel and sinner and he was the lucky recipient of her debauchery.
Teeth gritted and jaw locked, he reached between them to rub circles around her clit, knowing he couldn’t hold off any longer. She tightened around him, crying out his name as she tumbled over with him right behind her. His orgasm ripped through him, almost sendi
ng him to his knees with its intensity. When it was over and he could breathe normally again, he slowly lowered her legs to the shower floor, his own body trembling with aftershocks.
Bailey pressed soft kisses to his chest and abdomen, a smile on her beautiful face. She looked happy, content and he was sure his own expression mirrored hers. For the first time in longer than he could remember, he was happy. What they had together felt right. It had happened fast but now that she was here, he couldn’t imagine living his life without her. Did she feel the same? When this was all over, could he convince her to give them a chance?
Of all the things they’d found out to be a lie this one thing was true…he wanted a future with Bailey Scott.
After their shower and breakfast, Bailey and Chase had stopped at the hospital to see Peyton and been rather surprised to find she already had a visitor. Detective Ellis Hunter sat next to her bed, reading her the morning paper out loud while he sipped his coffee. Bailey hadn’t thought much of the bullheaded cop but if he kept doing things like this for her friend, she might just change her mind.
“Any change?” she asked him, wondering how long he’d been sitting there. The nurses had warned Bailey and Chase about the strict rules regarding visitors in the ICU.
Ellis looked up from his paper and shook his head. “Not really. At one point I thought she sighed but it might have been my imagination. The doctor was in about fifteen minutes ago though and seemed satisfied. He said she was stable and that she simply need to rest and heal.”
“They let you in here?” Chase questioned. “I’m kind of surprised about that.”
Ellis smiled and folded the newspaper, laying it on the bedside table. “About that…turns out the doctor in charge of the ICU is a guy I helped when his ex-girlfriend was stalking him. When I told him that I was keeping watch over Peyton for safety purposes, he allowed me in. My relief guys have to sit outside the door though.”
Standing, Ellis waved Bailey toward the chair he’d been occupying. “I think I’m going to stretch my legs and get some breakfast since you two are here, if you don’t mind.”
Wicked After Midnight (Midnight Blue Beach Book 1) Page 19
