He grunted but said nothing, which in Chase terms meant he didn’t agree but didn’t want to argue with me. Stubborn man.

I elbowed him gently. “I don’t have any evening classes, anyway. The only time I stay late is when we’re on deadline for the paper.”

“Good,” Chase said. “I’ll pick you up on those days.”

“What if you have a game?”

His eyes gleamed. “Then you’ll be there watching me.”

“Sometimes, Carter.”

“All the time, James.” He grinned. “Starting with our next game. We have to win this one. It’s a male pride thing now.”

I laughed. “I’ll come. But honestly, you don’t have to pick me up from campus every time I stay late.”

“But I want to.” His tone brooked no argument. “Besides,” he added, “it would be a good excuse to squeeze in sleepovers.”

“Do we need an excuse?”

“I guess not.” We came to a stop by the truck, and he dipped, his lips meeting mine. A rush ran through me, electric and exhilarating. I curled my fingers around his coat and pulled him closer. He slanted his mouth against mine, deepening the kiss for a moment.

“Let’s go,” he said when he pulled back, nodding to the truck with a crooked grin. “I want to make good on what I said earlier.”

No time was wasted once we got back to Chase’s. We stumbled into his bedroom in a blur of kissing and groping, sighs and murmurs. Mouth still fused to mine, he shut the door behind us and locked it, then steered me over to his desk and switched on the lamp.

After another minute, we broke apart, breathless and dazed.

He gave me a slow, deliberate once-over in the dim light of his room. “You are wearing entirely too much clothing, James.”

“Oh yeah? What are you gonna to do about it?” I asked, giving him a playful look.

“I’m not going to do anything.” His voice turned dark and satin-smooth, like rich black coffee. “You’re going to take it off for me.”

Oh…my.

My pulse kickstarted, sending a surge of adrenaline through my veins.

“You want me to strip for you?”

“Uh-huh.” He nodded, lips tugging into a rakish smile. “I’ll make it worth your while.”

“I might need a few drinks in me first,” I said. “Like, approaching XS number of drinks.”

Chase slipped his warm hands beneath the fabric of my sweater and ran them down the sides of my torso until they landed on my waist. Ducking his head, he skimmed his lips along the curve of my neck, alluding to kisses without delivering.

“I know you don’t have a shirt under that sweater,” he murmured against my skin, “so there are only two layers between me and you in a bra and underwear. And I can take those off with my teeth.”