Page 30 of Rescuing Sadie

Sadie shrugged. “Maybe. I think he thinks I betrayed him in some way. Pretending to orgasm and kissing him made him think I wanted him. But when I kicked him, he must have realized it was all a lie. He’s obsessed with me. Or the babies he thinks I can give him. I think he’s built up this fantasy in his mind about starting a new school and having red-haired little girls following him, at his beck and call for his perverted urges. And he’s convinced I’m the only one who can give them to him.”

“Yeah, I think you’re right. He probably feels like you’re his possession. He grew up under his father’s thumb, so he sees women as being good for one thing and one thing only. Instead of disappearing, which he should have done, since the FBI is looking for him, he can’t get past losing you.”

Sadie shivered over him, and Chase would’ve smacked himself on the back of his own head if he could’ve. “I’m sorry, Sparky. I don’t need to continue talking about this.”

She immediately shook her head. “No. You aren’t saying anything I haven’t thought about myself. But I think it’s more than that. I tricked him. Pretended to like what he did. I think I hurt his ego, because I made him look stupid and because I got away from him.”

Chase nodded. “Yeah, I can see how that might make him even more obsessive.”

“I just…I really want him to leave me alone.”

“It’s better this way,” Chase said, then hurried to explain when she stiffened. “Think about it. What if he did disappear? If he’d gone to Mexico to hide out? He’d still be feeling the same way he does now. Possessive and like he owns you. But we wouldn’t know about it. You’d go about your life and not worry about him, thinking he was long gone. But then one day he could just waltz back into town and grab you.”

“You’re right,” Sadie agreed immediately, then shuddered. “When you put it that way, I’m totally glad he’s impatient, immature, and slightly insane.”

Chase carefully turned, keeping Sadie tucked into him until she was on her back and he was over her, resting his weight on his elbows. He tangled his fingers in her hair and held her head still. “You good?”

“Good?”

“Not worried over what I’m going to think about what you had to do in that room with that asshole?”

She dropped her eyes, then bit her lip as she looked back up at him. “You really don’t think less of me for letting him touch me?”

“No, Sparky. Not even a smidge. In fact, hearing about what happened from your perspective only makes me think more highly of you.”

For several seconds neither of them said a word, then Sadie whispered, “Make love to me?”

“If I do anything that makes you uncomfortable, you tell me,” Chase ordered. “If I touch you and it brings back too many bad memories, say something. If we start this and you panic, tell me. I don’t care if I’m inside you and you have a flashback, you say the word and I’ll stop. The last thing I want is this to be something you’re tolerating rather than something you want more than your next breath…which is how I want you.”

“Chase…” Sadie said, her voice breaking.

“You promise?” Chase pushed.

“I promise. I want you. Have from the moment I saw you. Please, make love to me.”

“Nothing would please me more,” Chase said, then dropped his head to hers.

Chapter Ten

Sadie closed her eyes and lost herself in Chase’s kiss. She’d been so afraid to tell him about how she’d led Jonathan on to stall him, but she shouldn’t have worried. She could tell Chase was upset on her behalf, but he wasn’t disgusted or turned off by what she’d done.

Thank God.

She opened her eyes when Chase pulled back and she felt his hands at her waist. He was sitting astride her, gently easing the shirt up her belly. She didn’t feel one second of angst about her position, even though Jonathan had held her on her back while he’d hurt her. She lifted her arms to assist Chase with her shirt and didn’t watch where it went when he threw it off the side of the bed.

His eyes were glued to her chest and there was a slight frown on his face.

She glanced down to see what he was looking at and didn’t see anything but her own skin. But she remembered the marks that had been there from the brutal way Jonathan had handled her. They’d lasted for a couple of weeks and had only recently faded away.

She brought her hands up to cover herself, but Chase caught them in his own. He kissed both palms then said, “Don’t hide from me, Sparky. Don’t ever hide from me. You’re beautiful.”

Then he blew her mind.

As if he knew exactly where the bruises had been, he leaned over and kissed the phantom marks. He laved her, as if his saliva had the power to further heal her wounds. When he was done, he moved down farther and laid his cheek on her belly. His elbows were cocked out, his hands covering the sides of her tits, his thumbs gently caressing her rock-hard nipples.

She would’ve thought he was asleep if it wasn’t for the movement of his fingers.

“Chase?” she asked after he didn’t move for almost a minute. “Is your arm all right? Does it hurt?”