Chance on Love (7 page)

He turned to look at her. “I’ll see you in, Love.”

His deep voice, though warm, caused goose bumps to form in an instant. And though only mere inches of her skin were exposed, she instantly had the desire to cover herself.

With him.

Hoping he’d think of the gesture as nothing more than refusal and not an attempt to clear her mind, Stephanie shook her head. “No, uh, I’m fine.”

Chance smirked. “You are,” he said, his voice soft. “But I insist.” Without waiting to hear another word of her protests, he took the key out of the ignition and got out.

She gulped—at least she tried to gulp. Her mouth had suddenly gone dry. She didn’t need this schmuck walking her to her door like some teenaged beau. The nerve of that asshole, making her feel slightly insecure and nervous.

She was Stephanie fucking Love. She didn’t
do
insecure and she certainly didn’t do nervous. Yeah, she needed to tell the bastard off but good.

He opened her door and stood aside to let her exit.

Some of her bravado slipped just a bit, and she narrowed her eyes at him. Oh, he was good. Opening doors, walking women to even more doors...

She had his number. And if he kept this up, he’d be receiving a call.

“Thanks,” she said, getting out of the car, “but I’ll take it from here.” Forcing a smile, she sidestepped him and made her way up the walk to the porch of her modest cottage-style home.

“It’s not an inconvenience, really,” he said, after they made it to the front door. His voice was so near her ear, his warm breath tickled the side of her face.

They weren’t facing one another, but his body heat emanated from him, melting every inch of her. Her hand shook a bit as she withdrew her keys from her purse. She fumbled with them for a few seconds before finally grasping the house key.

“Here,” Chance said, giving her waist the lightest, briefest touch. “Allow me.” His hand reached around to close over hers.

The physical contact caught her by surprise, and she temporarily lost her balance. She made just the tiniest step back. That was all it took. She was now up against a broad slab of granite—his chest—and something even harder.

He sucked in a sharp breath just as hers left her lungs. She knew she should have moved, but she couldn’t. The feel of him there, with his body pressed to hers was too surreal. Literally, a dream—or fourteen—come true. Neither of them moved an inch.

After a few moments, he heightened the tension by increasing the pressure of his body against hers. He took the key from her, leaning in as he placed it in the lock and turned it. The soft click barely registered. His cock pushed against her even more. The man felt too damned good.

Her eyes drifted shut as she bit her lip to keep from moaning. The faint scent of his cologne drifted to her in the cold, sharp winter air, causing her to inhale as deeply as she could. She should have moved. She knew she should have moved. Only, she couldn’t.

After withdrawing the key, he turned the knob. “There you go,” he said, his breath warm on her neck, as he pushed the door open. He leaned his head down just enough for his lips to brush the sensitive spot right behind her ear.

She gasped before stepping into the house and whirling around. Her chest rose and fell as if she’d just run a marathon. “You,” she said, pointing an accusatory finger at him, “back off.” She knew what he was up to, trying to disarm her.

Chance followed her into the house, and she stepped back. He gave her a slow, sexy smile as he closed the door behind him. “Or what?”

She tossed her purse on the large, cozy club chair and folded her arms. “You don’t want to know.”

“I think I do,” he said, his voice husky and teasing. His eyes held a mischievous glint that dared her to go any further.

Stephanie, being Stephanie,
had
to go further. Holding his gaze, she took a step toward him. “I’m not scared of you, Valentine. You don’t make me quiver like a lovesick schoolgirl. This charming, carefree playboy shtick does nothing for me so you can stop wasting your time—I’m not impressed.”

He smirked. “Let’s fix that then.” Grabbing a handful of her hair, he pulled her to him as he slid a strong arm around her waist.

She ceased breathing once more. The feel of his stiff cock against her made her wet in an instant. Still, she couldn’t very well admit to how affected she was. The schmuck didn’t deserve her desire. And he sure as hell didn’t need to know about it.

She scowled. “Don’t you dare—” The rest of her protest, fake as it was, became lost as his tongue pushed into her mouth. She gave him a few weak slaps on his shoulder before melting against him. The man was rock solid, which was good because she was mush.

She wrapped her arms around his neck to steady herself. Otherwise, she’d hit the floor at any moment.

He slid a hand down to her ass and squeezed. She moaned, the sound muffled by his mouth.

So much for pretending she was unaffected. She pressed against the hard bulge in his pants. “You asshole,” she said, breathless, when he moved his lips from hers to her neck. Still, she held on to him as her head fell back to allow him better access. “I don’t like you,” she said as her eyes closed.

“Mm,” Chance murmured. “I don’t like you either. We’re even.”

Her eyes snapped open. “Then stop kissing me, idiot.”

“Stop letting me,” he said, his breath tickling her neck.

“Aren’t you seeing someone—or a few someones right now?” she asked, holding to him more tightly. She just needed an ounce more willpower to push this bastard away.

“No.” His tongue licked at her flesh and she stifled a moan.

Yeah, right. What about that call I overheard?
“So there aren’t any women out there that you
love?
”

“There are a few women I love. It doesn’t mean I’m in a relationship with them.” Chance raised his head to look in her eyes. “Are you trying to say you don’t want me?” He lifted the corner of his mouth just a bit.

She rolled her eyes. “You think every woman wants you? Some of us
are
immune to your deadly charms, you know.”

His attention landed on her mouth, lingering a few moments. “Are you?” he asked softly.

Stephanie frowned. “Of course.”

“Yeah?” He slid a hand down between them and stroked her pussy through her chic, dark gray slacks. “You’re not wet for me?”

Suppressing a moan, she struggled not to grind against his large, warm hand. “That’s,” she narrowed her eyes as she stared into his teasing gaze, “an involuntary reaction.”

The sound of his laughter was deep and seductive. “Right.”

“Shut up.” Dropping her arms from his neck, she stepped back. “Are you saying
that
,” she glanced at his crotch, “isn’t involuntary?”

He shrugged. “Maybe a little. But,” he stepped toward her, closing the gap once more, “I’m a grown man, Love. I’m not afraid of what—or who—I want.”

Stephanie peered into his face as she crossed her arms. “And what or who do you want?”

Chance gave her a slow, wicked smile. “Let me show you.”

Chapter 9

A dangerous spark of fire flashed from her eyes as she stared up at him. “The only thing I want you to show
me
is the back of you as you walk your ass out of my house.”

He may not have been able to stand the brat, but she turned him on like no one else ever had. Maybe it was her nasty attitude and the vibe she gave off of being ‘she who cannot be tamed’. Oh, she could be tamed. But he would have to be extra careful. She was a fucking tigress, this one. She thought him nothing more than a playboy. Hell, she wasn’t wrong, really.

Who had time for romance and love when there was a smorgasbord of sexy, willing women out there ripe for the picking? He had to admit, he was used to getting his way—in the sex department and every other.

Maybe that was why he was so intrigued by Love. She didn’t hesitate to look him straight in the eye as she told him to kiss her ass.

The smile remained firmly on his lips. Oh, he would do plenty of things to that hot little ass of hers. She wanted to use
him
so what was good for the goose...

Tilting her head, she put her hands on her hips. “And what the hell are you smiling about?”

Chance shook his head, though his grin stayed in place. “Nothing, it’s just unexpected, that’s all.”

She frowned. “What is?”

“I thought you were this take-charge, bold woman and, really, you’re shy. It’s kind of cute, actually.”

“There’s nothing cute about me, Valentine,” she said, glaring. “Cute and I not only don’t belong in the same sentence, we don’t belong in the same dictionary.” She pointed at the door. “Now get out.”

“You really can’t admit it, can you? Even though you’re already wet for me, you can’t,” he said, taking in every inch of her face. His gaze stopped at her mouth. It always stopped there. “You give me this bullshit about involuntary reactions when, really, you want me to fuck you.”

He waited for her expression to change, for her to show some disapproval or shock at his crude language. He should have known better. This woman gave as good as she got.

I’ll just bet she does...

Love dropped her raised arm to her side. “Who says you’d be fucking
me
and not the other way around?”

Chance chuckled under his breath. Yeah, she had balls of steel. “Only one way to find out. But,” he held his hands up, “if you’re scared, I understand.” That riled her, as he had known it would.

Her nostrils flared as she took a deep breath. “I’m not some virginal, delicate flower, Valentine. I’m sure you’re used to the whole ingénue act, but it bores me. Sorry to disappoint.”

“And yet you still haven’t admitted to wanting me.” He gently stroked his thumb over her bottom lip. “That
is
disappointing.”

“Sex with you isn’t a good idea.”

Chance nodded. “Because you could fall in love.”

Her eyes widened. “Because I hate you, smart ass.” She laughed lightly. “Fall in love,” she repeated, shaking her head. “Other than being my last name, that word means nothing to me—at least, not in the romantic sense.”

“Then we agree on something.”

She grabbed his hand, moving it away from her lips. “Miracles really do happen.”

Chance stared into her eyes. “I’m being upfront with you, which is more than you can say. I may not like you, but I’d very much like to sleep with you. Do you have the guts to be honest with me as well as yourself?”

She chewed her lip. God, he wanted to taste that lip again...among other things.

Finally, she spoke. “My body may want you, but that’s it.”

“And that’s all
I
want, so what’s the problem?”

“I’d hate for you to get sappy on me afterward.”

He laughed. “You don’t have to worry about that, trust me.”

She regarded him with wary eyes. “One night?”

“One. Unless, of course, you beg me for seconds in which case,” he smiled, “it will depend on whether or not you’ve been a good girl.”

“I don’t beg anyone for anything, pal. And as for being good, don’t worry. I’m sure I’ll be the best
you’ve
ever had.”

“Confident,” he said, cocking his head to the side, “I like it. Does this mean we’re on?”

She watched him for a few moments before heading toward her hallway. “Let’s fuck.”

****

God, what the hell was she thinking? This was an incredibly stupid idea. However, she was sick of having sex dreams about the man—this should take care of that little problem. Besides, he wasn’t wrong; she
was
wet for him. She practically stayed that way lately. It disgusted her, though, because she really did hate the bastard.

She heard his footsteps behind her as she made her way to the small bedroom. Without a word, she unbuttoned her blouse and threw it on the floor before starting on her slacks. She felt his gaze on her so she looked up to stare him down as she dropped her pants. Shy...yeah, right.

She swallowed a lump in her throat when he bared his chest. Broad and muscular, it begged to be touched. She also had the sudden urge to lick it. Oh yeah, there was an unmistakable ache between her thighs now. By the time he took his pants off, she was practically salivating. His cock strained against his underwear. Reflexively, she licked her lips.

Chance came over to stand directly in front of her. There was nothing teasing in the way he looked at her now. Boldly, he began to stroke her pussy through her panties as he stared into her eyes.

She grabbed his shoulders to steady herself, her nails digging into firm flesh. Shit, just the feel of his hand, his fingers, threatened to be her undoing. Bravado aside, could she really handle the likes of this man? A player extraordinaire, he knew exactly how to bring women to their knees.

And she didn’t doubt that once they were reduced to jiggly piles of Jell-O, he stepped over them casually, and never looked back.

Her breath hitched as he continued to stroke her. She finally found the resolve to speak. “Don’t kiss me,” she whispered, as she tried discreetly to rub herself against his hand.

He arched an eyebrow. “Excuse me?”

“Kissing’s intimate. We shouldn’t do that anymore.” She gyrated her hips, pressing her pussy to his fingers more roughly.

He flashed a dimple. “Yeah, that might be best.”

“Wouldn’t want you to fall in love,” they said simultaneously.

He widened his eyes. “Please.”

“You wish!”

They stared at one another a moment before Chance chuckled. She gave him a reluctant smile. Just a little one. That’s all the schmuck was getting out of her.

He returned her smile with a bigger one as he looked at her for a moment. He cleared his throat. “Well, then...”

“Yeah,” she said for lack of anything else to add.

He bent down, but stopped abruptly. “The kissing thing only applies to our lips, by the way,” he said quietly. “I plan to put my mouth everywhere else.”

Her stomach clenched as she stared into that intense gaze, even grayer at this near proximity. She forced herself to shrug, hoping to appear nonchalant. “I guess that’s okay.”