“I can neither confirm nor deny.” Chance carries the bags into the kitchen and sets them on the counter before turning to face me. “I might’ve heard that you were going to have the house to yourself tonight, and that you’d probably just order pizza because you wouldn’t feel like cooking, so I figured I’d come over and cook you something better than pizza.”
“Better than pizza?” I cross my arms over my chest.Fuck, I’m not wearing a bra.“That’s doubtful.”
“Hey.” He pulls me into his arms and tilts my head back to look up at him. “I want you to enjoy this time without the kids. I know how rare it must be for you. I’m not trying to ruin that. I just want to cook you a nice meal, and if you want me to go, then I’ll be out of your hair. I promise.”
This man.
I rest my head on his chest, and let him engulf me in his embrace. His arms are solid, slightly bigger than they were in college. I can only imagine how good he looks now, on a professional athlete’s training regimen. I squeeze my thighs together to suppress the building ache.
“God, you smell good,” I murmur.
I should’ve made myself come in the shower. Then maybe I wouldn’t be ready to hump his leg like a dog in heat.
His shoulders shake with his low chuckle. “Did you hear anything I just said?”
“Something about cooking me a nice meal.” I hum, sucking in another lungful of his scent. “Sorry, I’m a little distracted at the moment.”
“Imagine how I feel with the sexiest woman alive standing in front of me without any pants on.”
I laugh. “Please. Nothing you haven’t seen before.”
“I’ve only seen it in my dreams for the last four years.” His lips are at the cusp of my ear. “I still can’t believe you’re really here, in my arms right now.”
I can feel the yearning rolling off of him in waves, crashing into my own desire. My brain short-circuits being this close to him. His voice in my ear, his arms around me, his lips mere inches from mine.
Torturing myself more, I lift my arms and run my fingers through his tousled hair. “I’ve missed you so much.”
“Me too.” He rests his forehead against mine, letting his hands skate down my ribs. He stops at my hips, being a gentleman even though my shirt is riding up, and I’m overcome by the notion of how much I don’t want him to be a gentleman right now.
Stephen had a taste. It’s only fair to let Chance have his, right?
My skin heats, my body coming alive, and it’s more than the way I felt in the shower. I’ve deprived myself of physical touch from another for so long, it’s as if my body is taking control right now, overriding the warning signals my brain is trying to send.
Slow down.
Don’t go any further.
You shouldn’t do this.
I helplessly try to stay in control, to keep my wits. But I know what this man can do to my body, the way he can make me feel, and the visceral need to have him pulls me under.
Maybe for one night, I can pretend like my choices don’t have consequences. For one night, I can forget about being a parent and do something selfish. For one night, I can be the person I used to be.
“Why don’t you go relax, and I’ll let you know when dinner is ready,” Chance whispers.
I lift my head a fraction of an inch, and brush the tip of my nose against his. “Forget about dinner, Chance.”
His hands ball my T-shirt into his fists. “You’re not hungry?”
I shake my head.
One of his hands comes up to rest at the back of my neck. “Do you want me to leave?”
I shake my head again.
“Then what do you want, baby? Use your words and tell me.”
“You, Chance. I want you.”
