With a low rumbling noise, he threaded his hand into her hair, and captured her lips with his. Reagan moaned into his mouth as their tongues danced together. The world around them ground to a halt as they stood there, trapped in their passionate embrace.
Reagan had no idea how long they kissed, but when they eventually broke apart, she could feel the flutter of her heart racing. Slowly, she reached a hand out to touch Chase’s chest and smiled to realize his heart was beating just as fast.
“That was…” Chase’s voice trailed off as he took in a deep breath.
Reagan simply nodded. “Yeah. It was.” The intensity between them was scary yet exhilarating. She didn’t quite know what to do now.
“Well at least we know chemistry isn’t a problem between us.”
She looked up at his words, and saw Chase smiling down at her. She knew he was trying to lighten the situation and appreciated it. Reagan adjusted her purse and took a step toward the elevator before looking back at him.
“Well. Let’s get this date started. Where are you taking me?” she asked again and hoped he would slip and tell her a hint.
“Ah, you’re going to have to wait and see,” he responded, as his mouth quirked up in a grin.
Reagan studied him in the elevator on the ride down to the main floor of her building. He was dressed simply, in jeans and a vintage looking t-shirt. But his tattooed arms were visible, and with his arms crossed in front of him, she admired the muscles cording on his forearms. He gave off an aura of confidence and when her eyes met his, a smile stretched across his face.
“Like what you see, Red?”
She huffed out a breath before she replied, “Oh please, you already know I think you’re sexy. Asking me that is just asking me to fluff your ego.”
Chase stood up straight from where he had been leaning against the wall of the elevator as it ground to a stop. Just before the doors opened, he leaned in close, looked her up and down and whispered in her ear. “Just wanted to remind you why you said yes to this date. If you’re lucky, maybe you’ll see something you’ll like even more, later.”
Reagan stared at him, taken aback by his cocky response. She quickly recovered, and placed her hands on her hips to look at him indignantly.
“If I’m lucky? Excuse me? I thought I told you I don’t like cocky. If anything happens tonight, you’ll be the lucky one. That is, assuming I don’t decide to just go back upstairs.”
She had to struggle to ignore the voice in her head that tried to convince that his words proved that all he wanted was sex. Chase’s eyes sobered and she thought she could see a hint of vulnerability hidden deep inside. That alone softened her toward him once again.
“Sorry, Red, please don’t go.” He held out his hand to her as he stepped off the elevator.
She avoided his hand but walked off the elevator to stand beside him. With her arms crossed in front of her body, she looked up at him expectantly.
“I really am sorry, Reagan. I didn’t mean to make any assumptions about you, or us, or tonight. I got ahead of myself but should never have been that disrespectful. I hope you can give me another chance, even though I know I haven’t exactly earned it yet.”
* * *
Chase wanted to kick his own ass. In the moment it had seemed such an innocently flirtatious comment, but he knew Reagan needed—no, she deserved—respect and gentle handling. He could sense she was still uncertain about the two of them together, and his crude words had almost ruined his chances. It was just so damn easy to let their flirting take on a life of its own.
This time, when he reached out his hand for hers, he was relieved beyond belief when she threaded her fingers with his. He squeezed gently and gave her what he hoped was a grateful smile.
“Can we start again? Or at least pretend those last few minutes didn’t happen?” he asked hopefully.
Reagan nodded slowly. “Okay.”
Chase let out the breath he had been holding. “Thank god.” He was rewarded by a giggle from the stunning woman at his side. He gave her a bashful grin. “Hey, you had me worried I seriously screwed us up before we even began.”
Reagan pulled him to a stop and looked up at him seriously. “We’ve danced around each other for over a year. I don’t like cocky jerks, but I do like you, Chase. So, let’s get this date started and just see what happens.”
Chase nodded and leaned down slowly, giving her a chance to pull back if it was too much too soon. When she didn’t, he gently pressed his lips to hers. He kept the kiss brief, too brief for his liking, but he knew he had salvaged the evening by the softening of her mouth against his.
“Okay, Red, let’s go.” He reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a pair of bright purple ankle socks. “You’re going to need these tonight.”
The look of confusion on Reagan’s face brought a chuckle from deep in his chest. He decided to be bold and wrapped his arm around her shoulder as he walked her to where he had parked his car just outside the front door.
“Chase, where the hell are you taking me?” she demanded, as they climbed into his car.
Chase laughed in response, as he pulled the car out of the parking lot and onto the road.
