Cowboy Take Me Away (18 page)

“So tell me, anything else you like apart from Transformers?”

The table fell quiet as Harris pushed up onto his knees, reaching for a piece of pizza and answering Chase.

“Yeah, Spiderman's pretty cool.”

Chase laughed. “How about Batman?”

Harrison's nose wrinkled. “Not as cool as Spidey.”

“You know how to shoot a web?” Chase asked, glancing at Hope and making her smile.

“Sure do,” Harrison said, dropping the slice of pizza to his plate and pretending to blast Chase.

They all laughed and Hope took a big gulp of wine. The night was going so perfectly that it terrified her.

 

Chapter 9

“You make this look so easy,” Hope said, leaning in close to Chloe to see her hand.

“It is!” Chloe grinned at her as she hid her cards. “I was hustling at card games when you were probably playing with Barbie dolls. It's second nature to me.”

Hope laughed, sipping her beer. She'd ditched her wine earlier and decided to drink with the boys. “So Chase wasn't joking when he said you could beat the pants off any man?”

Chloe giggled and leaned into her, like they were old friends. It was nice, just hanging out and having fun, relaxing. She hadn't done this sort of thing in a long while—first her parents had fallen ill and she'd been alongside them as they both battled treatments, then her marriage had started to crumble, the ranch had slipped out of her grasp … There hadn't been a lot of time for just having fun for longer than she could remember. And Chloe was right—she'd been the little girl playing Barbie and Ken, make believing cute little romances and expecting to have a husband and family of her own one day, on her ranch.

“One day I'll tell you my story,” Chloe said, raising the stakes of the game they were playing without breaking for a pause. “And maybe then you can tell me all about how you managed to keep Chase all hot under the collar over you for a decade.”

Now it was Hope's eyebrows shooting up in surprise. “Don't be silly.”

“Oh, I'm not,” Chloe said. “I've never seen him all rubbed up the wrong way like this before.”

“We have history, that's all,” Hope told her. “And things didn't exactly end great between us.” She wasn't sure how much Chloe knew, or how much she wanted to tell her.

“Hey, it's none of my business,” Chloe said, grinning at the boys as they stared at her, her voice low. “But one thing I do know is that when you're dealing with a King, you have to tread carefully. It's way too easy to put your heart on the line, even when you're least expecting it.” She sighed. “I never thought I'd feel like this, but Ryder came along and everything changed.
Everything.
”

Hope nodded. Oh, she knew all right. She doubted she'd ever feel the way she had about Chase with another man, so she completely understood that when Chloe had fallen for Ryder, she'd fallen damn hard. But at the same time, she couldn't let things get that serious between them, because then her lie would seem even bigger.

“You do well managing these boys on your own,” Hope said. “One King would be handful enough for any woman and you've got to put up with all three of them.”

“You know what? They were intimidating when I first met them, but they're all gorgeous. And I don't just mean to look at. They'd do anything to look after me, all of them, and there's not many guys out there in the world like that.”

“Don't I know it,” Hope muttered. “Chase is about as far removed from my ex-husband as is humanely possible.” She'd known her ex since they were kids in elementary school, but the older he'd become the less she'd actually
known
him.

“I'm out,” Chase said, standing up and winking at Hope across the table.

“And just like that he's got you in his web,” Chloe whispered, nudging her with her elbow. “I think they practice that sexy wink.”

Hope laughed at Chloe, but her eyes were trained on the man standing across from her. His shirt was all crumpled now, sleeves pushed up to his elbows, and a beer bottle was hanging casually from his hand. If he was the only man left on earth, she'd be damn lucky to be the last woman.

He drained the rest of his beer, left the bottle on the table, and walked around to her, dropping a hand to her shoulder. She shivered at his touch.

“You see the little guy fell asleep?” His words were soft, low as he bent toward her.

Hope looked over her shoulder at Harrison, saw him flopped face first on the sofa, a Transformer still clutched in one hand.

“He's had a great night.”

“I know. He's pretty fun to hang out with, and he seemed to like showing us all up when it came to Transformers.” Chase raised an eyebrow. “And you? Have you enjoyed your night here?”

The husky, deep notes of his voice sent a delicious rush of anticipation through her. She licked her lips, suddenly aware of how painfully dry they were. “Me too.”

He edged closer. It was like they were the only two people left in the room, the only sound reaching her ears the echo of his breath. She raised her eyes so she was staring into his, no longer nervous of being so close to him, or of seeing the blatant desire in his gaze. She'd consumed more alcohol than she'd planned on, but she wasn't drunk—just enough was coursing through her body to give her the kind of confidence she'd had the last time they'd been together.

“Why don't I show you my new house?” He reached for her, his fingers colliding with her arm. He didn't move straightaway, but then he ran his hand down her arm, not stopping until his fingers caught hers. “What do you say?”

“Yes,” she murmured, her lips parting as he leaned in, waiting for his kiss.
Screw saying no. To hell with being sensible.

Chase bent lower, but he passed her lips, his mouth falling closer to her ear. “Let's go then. Harris will be fine here with the others.”

Hope let out a breath she hadn't even known she was holding. She kept her fingers looped with Chase's as he turned, facing the table they were only a few feet away from. Reality came crashing back when the others all glanced up at them, still consumed by their card game.

“I'm taking Hope over to see the house,” Chase said. “You guys all right to keep an eye on the little man?”

Chloe looked straight at her, her smile genuine. “Go for it. He's safe here with us.”

Hope returned the smile. “Thanks. I don't think we'll be long. But call Chase straightaway if he wakes up.”

Chase tugged her along tight to his body as they walked. He let go of her hand and slipped his arm around her instead, and she didn't hesitate to tuck under his arm, her head to his shoulder. He was warm against her, his abs taut where her hand rested against his side.

“How far away is it?” she asked.

He pulled open the front door and she went just ahead of him, settling back against him once it was closed.

“Not far.”

They walked in silence, the moon illuminating their surroundings. Stars filled the sky, the only disturbance to an otherwise black canopy overhead. Hope kept her head tilted as she walked, admiring the night and trying to stop her heart from hammering so hard it jumped out of her chest.

“Hope,” Chase said, slowing down, then turning her around to face him. He still had his arm around her, only now it had slid partway down her back, and he'd raised his other to cocoon her even closer to him.

She watched him, raised her hands to his chest, palms flat to his T-shirt. She grasped the fabric, ready to tug him in, only Chase didn't need to be told what to do.

He bent, his body accommodating for her height, head dipping as he sought out her mouth. Chase's lips pressed to hers, so gently at first that she moaned in his mouth, desperate for more, wanting to strip him right then and there.

But Chase wasn't letting up. He kept his lips soft, brushing against hers; even when she tried to yank him closer he held his ground, his body immobile, a statue made from stone. Hope was desperate for more, wanted every inch of him against her, his mouth hard, his body tighter to hers.

“Slow down, tiger.” His deep whisper against her mouth drove her wild.

“Maybe I don't want to go slow,” she muttered. After trying not to think about him sexually or any other damn way all night, she was ready to jump him. She wanted him here, right now, on the grass if she had to. So long as every part of her was touching every part of him, she'd be happy.

“Come on.”

Chase grabbed her hand again and started walking. She had half a mind to throw a tantrum and refuse to move, but she didn't. Whatever the hell he felt for her couldn't be anything like the way she was attracted to him, because if it was, there was no way in hell he'd have been able to just stop like that.

Hope followed along blindly, no longer giving a damn about how pretty the sky looked or what they were passing. She was like a doe in heat, desperately following the scent of a stag up ahead.

“It's just there,” he said.

Hope stopped walking and looked at the big two-level house up ahead. Nate hadn't been joking when he'd said it was massive.

“It's huge.” The others hadn't been lying when they'd said it was fit for a family of ten.

“That's what all the ladies say.”

Hope thumped him hard on the arm, grinning when he howled with laughter.

“The house. I was talking about the house, you idiot.” And just like that she was no longer so hot under the collar she was incapable of speech.

“Ah, Hope, you never did like my jokes, did you?”

“Screw you,” she muttered.

“Funnily enough, that's exactly what I'd like you to do.”

Hope glared at him, ready to call him out. Only when her eyes met his, bathed in moonlight, all sense fled her brain again. Chase went to say something, his lips parting, but instead of uttering a word he lifted her up in his arms so fast she didn't have a moment to protest.

“I thought…”

“What?” he asked gruffly, marching at a rapid pace, his arms locked tight around her. “That I didn't want you because I didn't strip you naked just now?”

“Mmm, something like that,” she responded.

“Sweetheart, I was trying not to push you.”

Damn, push away.
“You don't have to go easy on me.”

“Fuck, Hope, I'm trying to show you that you're different.”

“What if I don't want to be different?” She had no idea why she was saying what she was saying, why she wasn't just keeping her thoughts to herself.

“You want me to treat you like a one-night stand, is that it?”

Chase barged the door open with his shoulder, backing into the dark house. It was all framed up with some of the walls completed, although it was hard to see in the half light. But what she could see was Chase as he stared down at her.

“Yeah,” she told him, her voice barely audible. “Maybe I do.”

“You should have fucking said so before,” he muttered, dropping her to her feet and backing her up against a wall. She barely had time to register what was happening before he had her pinned, his big body not giving her an inch of wriggle space. He pushed his forearms against the timber wall, bracing himself in front of her, his mouth dangerously close to hers.

“Tell me what you want,'” he ground out.

She gulped. “You,” she mumbled. “I want you, Chase.” Her voice became more confident as she spoke, her eyes trailing their way up his chest until she met his gaze.

“Well, that's good.” His voice was as sexy as a shot of whiskey thrown over ice. “Because I want you, too.”

Hope sucked back a breath as Chase took one arm off the wall and stroked a finger down her cheek, caressing her lower lip before dropping his mouth to cover hers, his hand sliding around her. The moan that escaped her was deep and guttural, responding to the heaviness of his lips, the decadent way his tongue slid into her mouth and teased against hers, sending spasms of pleasure through her body. She wanted him so bad it was almost painful, her need for him so deep she wanted to wrap her legs around him right then and there.

“I've been waiting a long time to do this to you again,” he whispered, no longer bracing his weight against the wall at all. Now his hands were all over her, relentless, skimming her waist as he shoved her top up.

Hope didn't let his mouth leave hers for a second, her hands wrapped around his neck, tugging him closer. She sucked hard on his lower lip when he tried to pull back before covering her lips with his again, over and over, gasping for breath when he forced her back hard against the wall, shoving her top up high until he could yank it over her head.

Hope's fingers fumbled with the buttons on Chase's shirt. Frustration got the better of her and she yanked hard, no longer caring about undoing them—she just wanted it off. Now.

“In a hurry?” he asked, laughing as she ripped the rest of his shirt open and forced it back, pleased when he shrugged out of it.

“Yes.” She pushed up his T-shirt, annoyed he was wearing two layers. His damn cowboy getup was way too hard to get out of. When he was finally bare chested she took a second to admire the man in front of her, ran her hands down his chest, sliding them around his waist. Her eyes had adjusted to the almost darkness, could make out his body. It was then, when Chase gave her a wicked grin, that she realized she was almost naked from the waist up, her lacy bra the only thing left covering her.

“Pretty,” Chase said. “But it'd look better off.”

Hope gasped when Chase expertly flicked the clasp at the back one-handed, her bra falling forward. He pulled it away, discarding it, his eyes fixed firmly on her bare breasts.

“As kissable as I remembered them,” he growled out, dropping lower, his mouth covering one of her nipples as he ran his tongue around her delicate areola before closing harder over her skin and sucking, first soft then hard.