Still kissing her, I eased off with my fingers, gradually letting her down. Giving her a breather so I didn’t completely overstimulate her, I broke apart from her lips.

She drew in a shaky breath, watching me, her grip on my arms relaxing.

“Hi, baby.” I ran my free hand through her hair, tracing down her neck, down her arm.

“Hi,” she said, still breathless.

“Need a minute?” I asked.

She drew in a breath, cheeks still flushed pink.

“Maybe one.”

32. all mine

CHAPTER 32

ALL MINE

Bailey

As my heart rate slowed to normal, my brain resumed functioning, and a tidal wave of thoughts hit me.

This was happening.

Suddenly, I was nervous again. Mostly nervous I wouldn’t live up to what Chase expected. His sexual experiences could probably fill an encyclopedia, but mine would fit on a Post-it note.

Plus, he was big. A lot bigger than Luke. Yeah, things could stretch, but…how much? And would it hurt?

Chase held himself up on his elbows, hovering over me.

“Where’d you go just now?” His dark hair, now messy, tumbled over his forehead as he studied my face.

“I’m here,” I said softly, placing my palms on his upper arms. His skin was warm and smooth beneath them.

I wanted this. Wanted him. For more reasons than I could count—desire, intimacy, curiosity, affection. Because I cared about him and I wanted to be close to him. I wasn’t having doubts; it was more like an awareness of the gravity of the decision. One I couldn’t go back from.

He ran the pad of his thumb along my lower lip. “Do you have any idea what you do to me?”

There was such fondness in his eyes that my nerves abated instantly.

“No idea.”

His lips turned up in a small smile. “There are no words.”

I ran my hands along his muscular shoulders and pulled him closer. I could feel how hard he was as he pressed against me and kissed me deeper, claiming, demanding.

With his mouth still moving against mine, he slid his hands along my torso, tugging my lacy underwear down and picking up my legs to take them off. I found his boxer briefs and pulled them down. He lifted himself and slid out of them, all without breaking contact with my lips.

Breaking our kiss, he sat back on his knees and leaned over. He pulled open his nightstand drawer and fished around for a second, emerging with a condom wrapper. In a flash, he tore it open, unrolled it, and was hovering over me again.

Then his brow knit together. “Hang on.” He grabbed a pillow from beside me on the bed and, lifting my hips, slid it under me. “Better angle,” he said, probably noting my confusion.

More evidence that he knew a lot more than I did about what was about to happen.