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I should probably stop him, but I don’t.
I want to feel him against me. I want his warmth to crack through the ice in my veins and allow me to pretend for just a second that everything is going to be okay.
“Addison,” he whispers longingly, his lips against my temple.
The heat of his breath tickles, but I don’t shy away from it. Soon, his kiss is moving down my cheek and along my jaw.
It would be so easy to tilt my head and press my lips to his. To close my eyes, breathe him in, and let the stress of the past few days just melt away. But I can’t cross that line. Not while he’s married to someone else, and not while his entire world is in upheaval.
“We can’t do this right now,” I tell him, my voice shaky and unconvincing. My heart and libido are screaming at me to shut up, but my brain is cheering me on.
“I know,” he says against my ear, turning his head away but staying fastened around me.
I’m not sure how long we stay like that, but it doesn’t seem like long enough when a cell phone sounds from the kitchen.
He sighs and pulls away reluctantly. “Excuse me,” he says, standing and heading that way.
I do my best not to stare at his ass, but I’m only human. A very weak, very hormonal human who has a particular weakness for all things Chase Prescott.
After a few moments, he comes back into the room, regret written along every inch of his face. “That was work,” he says, smacking his phone down into one palm. “I hate to do this, but I really have to go in. It shouldn’t take me long, maybe a couple of hours. I’d offer to take you with, but we still have a lot to discuss before...”
“Before we start introducing me to everyone,” I finish.
He nods slowly as I rise to my feet, feeling the ache in my muscles from sitting for too long. I also suddenly realize I need to pee like... now!
“I’m sorry,” he says, and the tone of the room shifts back to awkward. “We still have a lot to talk about. Maybe you can come back for dinner?”
“Um, actually, I think I could use some time.” I don’t trust myself to be able to handle his presence again so quickly. I already feel like I’m spiraling. “Maybe tomorrow?”
“Okay,” he says slowly, looking down and then shooting his eyes back up to mine. “Wait, so you’re still staying at the motel?”
I nod. I don’t know why, but I feel slightly embarrassed at not having somewhere nicer to stay. However, I dismiss that thought as soon as it enters my mind. I know Chase doesn’t give a crap about how nice of a motel I’m staying in and neither should I.
“Ah, well, it might be kind of weird, but you really can stay here. I won’t even make you sleep on the couch,” he says with a twinkle in his eye. But then he rushes to continue. “And by that, I mean I have a spare bedroom, not that I’m insinuating you’ll be sleeping with me. I mean, in my bed. Sleep in my bed.”
Emily suddenly speaks up from the doorway with, “Sounds like you guys worked things out, then.” She’s changed into a head-to-toe penguin onesie, the hood pulled up over her head. The yellow bill of the penguin is large, covering so much of her face that she has to tilt her head back to peer up at us.
She really is impossible not to like.
“You’re nosy,” Chase says.
Emily only shrugs and walks through the living room on her way to the kitchen.“I was thirsty and couldn’t hold off any longer. I’ll be out of your hair in a jiffy and right back to bed.”
“You’re fine. I was just leaving,” I rush to say.
“We’ve already said you could stay here. For as long as you want.” His eyes look hopeful.
“I really appreciate the offer.” I look back and forth between the two of them. “I’m just not quite sure I’m ready for that yet.”
Emily nods. “There’s still a lot for you two to figure out with all that baby business.”
“You know?” Chase asks in surprise.
Emily shrugs, backing away slowly before disappearing into the kitchen.
Chase turns back to me, eyebrows drawn together. “Listen, not to sound like an asshole, but I don’t really like the idea of you staying in a motel when we have the space here. I’d prefer for you”—he looks pointedly at my belly—“and the baby to be closer. How long are you staying?”
His look of worry causes a slight pain in my chest, but I don’t have the time to analyze that right now. “I don’t know. I haven’t really made any plans.” My teeth sink into my lower lip. “What about Willow?”
