A tingle ran down my spine and goose bumps popped up along my arms when his breath hit my neck, but I tried to act normal. Keyword: tried.
“You’re saying he’s a sore loser?” I asked under my breath. “Gee, couldn’t tell.”
“It’s not personal,” he said. “And it’s not because you’re a girl, either. It’s that no one ever beats him. Which is what makes it so great.”
Chase let his hand linger on my back as we continued down the hall. I was dying inside in the best possible way. He followed me into his room and closed the door behind us.
As soon as it clicked shut, I was hit with a whack ton of nerves. Suddenly I was jittery—skittish in a way I wasn’t usually with him. Sure, there was always a hefty dose of sexual tension between us, but most of the time, it manifested in teasing and banter, play-fighting and flirting.
Right now, it was manifesting in me being coiled tighter than a spring.
After tonight’s kiss, everything felt different.
We’d moved out of the friendship gray zone tonight. Our mutual attraction was out in the open, and the chemistry between us had proved to be explosive.
He switched on the lamp on the nightstand, bathing the room in dim yellow light. Then he turned away from me and pulled clothing from the wide dresser beneath the flatscreen TV. I threw my bag on the bed and rifled through its contents. I had a clean tank top, underwear, shorts, and best of all, a toothbrush. After spending the night with Chase under disastrous circumstances before, having the ability to brush my teeth this time was a huge relief.
Hygiene was important, after all. Not because I would be kissing him again or anything. But, you know…just in case.
Okay, even I knew we were about to kiss again. That was why the tension was through the roof and I was practically vibrating.
“I know I lost our bet, but you can still grab a shirt.” Chase nodded to the tall dresser beside him. “If you want.”
Want. Not need.
Was it wrong to want to sleep in one of his shirts even though I had my own?
Probably.
And yet, I was totally going to do it.
“Speaking of that,” he said. “Since you won, are you going to collect?”
“I haven’t decided what I want yet.”
He grinned. “I could give you some ideas.”
Heat spread through my body. My cheeks were likely the reddest they had ever been. He winked at me and went into the bathroom, shutting the door behind him. I perched on the edge of the bed in hopes of catching my breath.
The good news was, I definitely wasn’t tired anymore. The bad news was, I was so keyed up that I might never sleep again.
And I had no idea what, if anything, was about to happen.
OceanofPDF.com
CHAPTER 21
OceanofPDF.com
THINK SO
Chase
Bailey was in my room for a third time, and I wanted to pinch myself. I’d have said third time’s the charm, but I had no delusions about getting lucky tonight, and I was more than okay with that. Just getting to spend time with her, especially alone, had me flying higher than I’d ever been.
As I returned to my room with two glasses of water in hand, Bailey came out of the bathroom wearing a faded blue T-shirt from one of my minor hockey teams. It hugged the curves of her torso in a way that made me borderline jealous of the fabric. And the icing on the cake was the pair of black shorts she’d paired it with that showed off her mile-long legs.
I must have done something right in my life to end up here.
I walked over to the nightstand and set both glasses down before turning to face her. When our eyes met, I couldn’t keep the stupid grin off my face.
“You look so much better in my shirts than I do.”
Her lips curled into a wry smile. “You just want me out of the shirt.”
Well, that was also true. But James in my shirt was still pretty awesome.
“It may have crossed my mind.”
We stood, considering each other in the dim light for a couple of heartbeats. Faint chatter and video game sounds floated in from downstairs. My gaze fell to her mouth, and she caught her bottom lip between her teeth, her expression clouding over. She was nervous, but it was hard to tell whether it was in a good, excited way or a bad, anxious way.
“James.” I took a step forward, cupping her chin with my hand. Her skin was soft and smooth beneath my fingers, which were callused from my gloves and time in the gym.
She looked up at me through impossibly dark lashes, eyes wide. Her breath was quiet and shallow, like she was nervous or aroused, maybe both. “Yeah?”
“We don’t have to do anything tonight if you’re not ready.”
I wanted her so bad it hurt—literally—but more importantly, I wanted it to be right. Until then, I was going to compile a very long, very detailed list of all the things I would do to her in the future.
Plus, I had a hunch I could corrupt her a little if I was patient, and that would be well worth the wait.
“I know,” she said softly, looping her arms around my neck. “But what if I want to?”
All the blood left my brain. That was it. I was done.
I sucked my bottom lip, trying to get my head straight. I’d gone into this thinking we would just sleep tonight, that maybe it was for the best, because I didn’t want her to freak out after if we did fool around.
But no guy in his right mind could look at her and say no. And I wasn’t in my right mind at the best of times, let alone when I was around her.
My voice turned hoarse. “You might have to spell things out for me. I don’t want to push you.”
“Okay,” she said breathily. Her eyes were smoky, eyelids heavy. “Can we just kiss? Make out a little?”
“Of course,” I murmured, wrapping my other arm around her back.
Her expression turned serious, and she looked up at me, hesitating. “No sex.”
“You’re in charge here. I would never pressure you.”
Her eyelids fluttered shut as I slid my hand down to her neck and covered her mouth with mine. She let out a little sigh, parting her lips and granting me access. My tongue pushed inside her mouth, claiming, and she opened wider in response. She tasted better than I remembered, every single time.
Mouth still locked on hers, I took a few steps back, walking her over to the bed. Grabbing the backs of her thighs, I pulled her down with me so she was sitting in my lap, straddling me. Her legs spanned my hips, hair tumbling all over the place in a curtain.
Having her on top meant she would hopefully feel more in control. But the view was phenomenal too.
Bailey pulled back, gold-flecked eyes meeting mine. They were endless, captivating.
She let out a little gasp as I lifted my hips slightly, moving against her. Dipping closer, she found my lips again, her confidence growing. In response, I gripped her calves, squeezing, my hands sliding up to her thighs. The mental to-do list I’d created was multiplying by the minute, like kissing every inch of her body. At this point, I could fill an encyclopedia with ideas.
She tangled her hands in my hair, tugging, and I drew in a shuddering breath, grasping her tighter. Sliding under her shirt, I clasped her smooth, bare skin and moved my hands up her ribcage, stopping just below her breasts.
She kissed me again, deeper this time, and arched her back, grinding against me. It was delicious torture. Neither of us was wearing much, just two thin pairs of shorts, which meant she could feel exactly how much I wanted her in the moment. I wanted to touch her, to slip my hand beneath her waistband and find out if she was as wet as I suspected, but I wouldn’t push it.