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I laughed and took a seat, looking out over the calm water. "So what is so special about this exact spot?"
Chase looked at me and put his hand over his heart, acting as if I had fatally wounded him. "Sweets, I'm shocked. You don't remember?"
I shook my head, laughing at his actions. "No, I'm sorry, I don't."
"Come here." He got up off the bench and moved a few steps ahead. When I didn't jump right up, he waved his hand impatiently, signaling for me to join him. "Come on."
I rolled my eyes, let out a breath, and stood, taking a step forward and stopping beside him.
"No, it was more like here," he said more to himself as he grabbed me and positioned me where he wanted me to stand. "What about now?"
"I'm sorry, but I've got nothing." I giggled, shrugging my shoulders.
"Trust me?" he asked as he stepped closer to me yet. I could feel the heat from his body and smell his cologne as he stepped in even closer to me. My heartbeat accelerated, and I let out a breath as Chase stepped up against me, his chest lightly brushing against me.
"Yes," I answered, my voice shaking, swallowing hard.
"Close your eyes," he whispered. I could feel his breath on my cheek as he leaned in and tenderly brushed his lips across mine. My eyes opened instantly, and Chase pulled his head back to watch my reaction. The first thought I had was to pull away, but that thought was soon replaced by curiosity. Instead I leaned in closer toward him, and he bent in again, this time pressing his lips hard into mine. His arms slowly and gently wrapped around my body and pulled me even tighter against him, his tongue brushing against mine.
It didn’t take long before I was lost—lost in his kiss, lost in his arms, lost in the moment between us. I heard nothing around us, and I had forgotten everything. When his tongue brushed through my mouth again, I pressed my body harder into him. His hand rested on my cheek as he sucked my bottom lip into his mouth, finally pulling away, leaving my lips feeling empty.
"Open your eyes. Now do you remember?" he whispered.
I opened my eyes and looked into his and gently smiled. In an instant it all came rushing back to me. The old courthouse now turned into the Whisper Wind Restaurant off in the distance behind him. "I do, I so do. This was the place of our very first kiss."
"Hopefully, this one was a little better than that first kiss so long ago." He chuckled and brushed a strand of hair off my face, studied my gaze, and then leaned in and met my lips again.
"A little," I mumbled and met his lips again.
Chase Malone knew how to kiss—gentle yet firm, with just enough tongue, and like everything else he did, he put his whole self into it. I was now afraid of what it would be like to sleep with him if he put that much effort into kissing. I was scared that he would ruin me completely for anyone else.
12
Chase
Ihadn't wanted to stop kissing her. I had wanted to get lost forever in those lips of hers. She tasted so good, and I almost lost it when I heard that gentle moan escape from her as I pulled her body into mine and ran my hands through her long, soft hair. I couldn't remember the last time that a kiss had been so good that I didn't want it to end. I sadly realized that it had to end when I felt Sophie shiver in my arms. The wind had picked up, and I knew I needed to get her back to her apartment, back to warmth and safety and privacy.
A light rain shower had started coming down about a block away from her condo. We had picked up our pace but still got stuck in a sudden downpour that stopped as soon as we hit the front door. We had both taken a hot shower, changed, and now we sat in front of the fireplace on the floor, TV on in the background. A small buffet of Thai food was spread all over the coffee table in front of us.
"Oh my, that was delicious," Sophie said, placing her plate on the table and sitting back against the couch.
"I'm glad you enjoyed." I brushed a strand of hair from her eyes. "How about you find something to watch, and I'll clean up."
"Oh no, that's not necessary. I got it," Sophie said, getting ready to get up, but I took her hand off the plates and shook my head.
"I got it," I said sternly and grabbed our plates while she flipped through the channels and piled some of the takeout containers on top of them and carried them into the kitchen. I cleaned out the leftovers and put them in the fridge. I put the dishes into the dishwasher, and then grabbed one of the chilled bottles of wine from the fridge and two wine glasses. Since we had shared our first kiss, something had changed between us. Not only was I more at ease, but Sophie was as well. The only thing I was worried about now was how she might react if something happened between us tonight.
When I re-entered the living room, Sophie was curled up at the opposite end of the couch from where I normally sat. As soon as I sat down, Sophie grabbed the blanket from the back of the couch and wrapped herself in it, using it almost as a shield.
"IsThe Wedding Singerokay?" she asked.
"Sure." I shrugged and poured us both a glass of wine, handing her a glass.
"What's with you?" I questioned.
"Nothing." Sophie couldn't fool me; something was bothering her.
"Please, Sophie, I'm not a brand-new guy in your life. Normally, you have your feet in my lap, and you’re sprawled out hogging the couch. Instead, you are curled up in the corner hiding under a blanket. What's going on?"
