Page 113 of Lead Me On
“Shut up!”
“It’s true. Man, if I wasn’t already in love with you, I’d be out of here.”
For the first time, his talk of love didn’t make her feel nauseated. In fact, she felt rather warm inside. Scared to death, but warm.
“Do you love me?” he asked softly.
Okay, now the scared-to-death part had arrived. Oh, God. Since he’d walked out of her condo that night, Jane had been telling herself she missed his body. She’d stared at the phone, hands sweating with the need to call him, sure that she wanted only to climb on top of him and use him as stress relief again.
But the brutal truth was unavoidable. More than anything, she’d wanted to talk to him, to hold his hand, to watch a movie with his arms curved around her. And, yes, she wanted to have sex with him, because he used her body just the way she liked and then whispered of love afterward.
“It doesn’t matter,” she whispered.
“Sure, it’s totally inconsequential, but humor me.”
She loved him. She did. Even the things holding her back made her heart speed with sheer joy. His calloused hands and dusty shirts. His muddy boots and inked skin. And his frickin’ hair was turning her on like crazy. “You should hate me for the way I’ve treated you.”
He shrugged. “I’m pretty tough.”
“I’m scared. I don’t think I can do this.”
“You changed your whole life when you were sixteen years old. You really think you can’t change your dating habits at thirty?”
“Twenty-nine,” she muttered.
He winked. “I know.”
Her hands shook against the cup. “If I love you, I’ll have to be me for the rest of my life. Really me.”
“Don’t you think it’s about time?”
“Oh, God,” she breathed. Be herself? Herrealself? “Maybe. Maybe I’d like to try.”
Chase smiled, not looking nearly as surprised as she’d expected.
“Can you give me a couple more days? You were right. I need to work a few things out first.”
“Sure. I can get by that long.”
She picked up her purse, a red-hot mix of hope and terror swirling through her chest.
“But…” Chase stopped her with a hand around her wrist as she stood. “I’m gonna let my hair grow out next week, so you’d better make up your mind.”
Her eyes flew to his tattooed skull. Jane licked her lips.
“You’re going to miss your chance, darlin’.”
He knew. He knew she wanted to nibble her way all the way up, wanted to lick him, wanted to look down and see that tattooed head between her thighs… God, he was so arrogant.
He pulled her hand toward his mouth and slowly lowered his lips to her wrist.
“Chase,” she whispered.
His smile was pressed to her skin. “You didn’t look around that time, Jane. What if people are watching?”
She shook her head, too consumed with the shivers spreading up her arms from the feel of his breath on her pulse.
“You want to touch it?”
