Breathe (Colorado Mountain #4)(129)

I was on top of him wearing one of my nighties. He was under me, not wearing anything. He’d made love to me. I’d cleaned up, come back to bed and climbed on top of him. Thus commenced my avid perusal of his awesome chest hair.

“The house smells like my perfume,” I said quietly and this was no lie. I’d cleaned it up while Chace did the dinner dishes (even washing!) but the smell was still strong.

“I’ll buy you another bottle tomorrow,” he muttered, his hands moving over my skin low on my back and my booty. He’d slid up my nightie to gain access and, as ever, this felt nice.

“Chace,” I whispered then didn’t know how to go on so one of his hands dipped low and cupped my behind.

“Promised I’d try not to get that pissed again,” he reminded me softly.

“It isn’t that,” I told him.

“What is it?” he asked.

I took in a breath and let out the words. “You impersonated me with my friends.”

“Yep.”

I blinked.

That was his reply. Yep.

“But –”

“They were all over you and didn’t lead in slow. First it was about me and how you weren’t with me but I was with someone else and it degenerated from there. I get why you’d be pissed but I think you get why I did what I did.”

“How would you feel if I did something like that to you?”

“I was doin’ somethin’ f*cked up, like lyin’ to my friends about you or puttin’ my life in jeopardy, I got caught out, I hope I’d have the balls to own it and take my licks.”

This fraking sucked because it was a really good answer.

I had no idea I scrunched my nose thus communicated this to Chace until his body started to shake under mine, his arms closed tight around me in order to slide me up and I focused on his face to see he was smiling.

When he got me face to face with him, he left one arm angled across my back, hand cupping one cheek of my bottom. But his other hand lifted and he tucked my hair behind my ear, his eyes watching before his hand cupped my jaw and his thumb stroked my cheekbone and lips.

When he started doing this, he asked gently, “Why’d you tell them I was with someone else?”

“Well, um… because, uh –”

“Faye.”

Frak.

“It was after that kiss at the Station that went bad,” I said quickly.

I saw his eyes flash with remorse but I powered through.

“They knew I’d been crushing on you for a while. The whole mission with finding out who killed Misty was about easing your pain and getting you to notice me. So, I had decided I was going to avoid you at all costs after that happened at the Station and that meant avoiding discussing you with them. So I lied and said you’d moved on. I didn’t share when things happened for us because I wanted to make sure it was real and good and might last before I blew up their pretty bubble. We’ve never met but we care about each other a whole lot so I didn’t want to blow up a bubble that would just as quickly burst.”

“This bubble isn’t gonna burst, baby,” he whispered and my body melted into his.

“I hope not,” I whispered back.

His eyes dropped to my mouth as his thumb slid over my lips and he muttered, “Best kiss I ever had.”

My head tipped to the side and his eyes came back to mine as I asked, “Pardon?”

“In the Station. Best kiss I ever had.”

I melted more into him and whispered, “Chace.”

“Fought the pull of you. Lost.”

Oh God. I liked that.

“Honey,” I breathed, my hand sliding up his chest to his neck.

“Was comin’ home from Deck’s, saw your lights on, late. Didn’t even think about it. Stopped and sat in my truck on the street lookin’ up at your apartment, wonderin’ what you were doin’ up so late. Five seconds later, there you were on the street, oblivious to everything. Told myself not to follow you. Followed you. Fuckin’ glad I did.”

“You knew where I lived?” I whispered.

“Knew where you lived. Knew where your parents lived. Knew what you drove. Knew where you worked. Knew what you ordered at the diner. Knew everything I could know about you.”

Oh my God!

That was huge.

My fingers dug into his neck and I kept whispering when I said, “Chace.” But I couldn’t think what else to say.

“Best thing I ever did, goin’ after you,” he whispered back. “Got my dance with you. Led to different kinda dances with you. Best thing I ever f**kin’ did.”

His words affected me so deeply, since I couldn’t hold it up anymore, I dropped my head and buried my face in his neck.

His hand at my jaw slid back into my hair and his head turned so his lips were at my ear.

“Love your hair, Faye,” he murmured.

And I loved everything about him.

Absolutely everything.

I didn’t tell him this. I lay on top of him, feeling the power of him under me, the warmth of his hand on my behind, his fingers sifting through my hair and I memorized every nuance of it.

Finally, Chace broke the silence.

“You gonna read or fall asleep on top of me?”

“Fall asleep on top of you,” I muttered into his neck.