He walked his fingers up my stomach, stopping momentarily at the band of my bra, then continuing higher. With my nipples between his thumbs and index fingers, he pinched them gently through the pale yellow fabric. They hardened beneath his touch, the need growing between my legs. All his attention—and he knew exactly how to work me—had me two seconds away from melting into a puddle.

“This too.” He slid the straps of the bralette off my shoulders. “Very sexy. Going to look great on my floor.” He slid his hand behind my back and unfastened the clasp, then let it fall to my feet. With both hands, he skimmed the sides of my ribcage and palmed my bare breasts. “God, you’re so perfect.”

With a hand behind my back, he turned us around and took a few steps, then eased me onto his bed. He placed a soft kiss on my lips before standing up and relieving himself of his clothing.

I swallowed and scanned his body leisurely, marveling at every sculpted inch of mouth-watering perfection. Planes of muscle beneath smooth, perfect skin. V-shaped indents in his torso that I wanted to sink my teeth into. And a light trail of hair leading to the waistband of his black boxer briefs, which barely contained his erection. Liquid heat pooled between my legs, my impatience growing by the second.

Chase cocked a brow, his lips forming a smirk. “Are you checking me out, James?”

Checking out, ogling, gawking, in giddy disbelief that he was mine. Same thing.

“Absolutely.” My voice was breathy.

He kneeled on the bed, the mattress dipping beneath his weight. Once he’d settled between my legs, he hovered over me, his muscular arms fencing me in. His fresh, clean fragrance invaded my senses, comforting me and stoking the inferno within me all at once. I’d never felt so crazed and so calm at the same time.

Chase tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. “I missed you, baby.”

“I missed you more.”

The days we’d spent apart felt like an eternity—likely because I was scared it would be an actual eternity. Thinking back on it made my heart ache all over again, even with him here on top of me.

“Impossible,” he murmured, planting a kiss below my ear. Goose bumps formed on my upper arms in response. He dragged his lips down my skin and landed on my collarbone, placing another soft kiss. “I’m sorry I was in a bad mood earlier.”

My heart tugged. After what he’d been through, apologizing was the last thing he needed to do.

“Don’t apologize. There’s a lot going on,” I said. “I understand.”

“Good news is, I feel better now.” He curled his fingers around the waistband of my underwear and slowly dragged them down. I lifted my hips slightly, helping him pull them off, and he set them aside.