Author: Bella Andre

Chloe’s eyes flew open as the bubbling streams assaulted her sensitive skin. At first it was too much, too many sensations coming at her at once, but then, as she got more used to the water moving across her sore muscles, she found herself growing even more relaxed.

Quickly, she realized that if she lifted her legs up so that her knees were bent and her feet were flat on the bottom, two of the jets on either side of the tub shot straight between her legs.

Lifting her hips into the jet streams felt decadent. Sinful.

And just plain good.

Moving her hand from between her legs back to her breasts, she cupped one in each hand as the water worked between her legs in the nicest possible way.

She rocked her hips up and down as she got closer and closer to the sweetest orgasm she’d had in a long, long time. Chase’s face appeared again and she didn’t even bother to stop herself from fantasizing about his kiss, about his large hands on her instead of her own.

A strange sound tried to work its way into her subconscious, but she was too far gone to pay it any attention. And then Chase’s name was on her lips as her entire body tightened down and then exploded in a thousand delicious pieces, her hips bucking closer to the wonderfully strong jets, her fingers tightening on her own breasts. Oh God, she loved this feeling and suddenly couldn’t think why she’d gone so long without it.

She was about to relax deeper into the tub when her brain rewound back to that moment when she’d been coming. To the sounds she’d heard, but dismissed as her body flew over the edge.

Opening her eyes, she was still disoriented enough from her orgasm for a few seconds that she was sure she couldn’t be seeing what she was seeing: Chase, standing in the doorway of the bathroom, one hand on the doorknob.

Surprise—and dangerously strong lust—were written all over his face.

Chapter Four

Chloe closed her eyes again, held her breath, and went completely under the water as the jets turned off on their own. She held her breath as long as she could, all the while praying that when she came back up the door would still be closed and locked…and that Chase seeing her not just naked, but masturbating in his brother’s bathtub would be nothing more than a bad dream.

Alas, when she came back up for air and opened her eyes, there he was, standing right where he’d been a minute ago.

Despite the fact that she was already in warm water, she could feel an extra hot flush of mortification quickly covering her skin, head to toe.

At least, that’s what she told herself it was.

With a snap of water and skin, she shoved her thighs together and lifted her knees to try and hide her naked bottom half, while simultaneously crossing her arms over her chest to cover her breasts.

Forcing herself to meet his gaze—green eyes that blazed with enough heat to set off a fire extinguisher—she said, “The door was locked!”

Good thing she already knew better than to expect an apology. Because Chase didn’t look the least bit repentant. “It must not have locked all the way.”

Her lips shouldn’t be on the verge of tilting up into a grin. None of this was funny. Rather, it would have been funny if it were happening to anyone else, like, say, in a movie she was watching.

But this wasn’t a romantic comedy.

This was her screwed-up life.

“Do you always break into the bathroom when you have guests?”

At long last, he looked a teensy bit chagrined. “I didn’t see your things in the bedroom. I thought you might have decided to leave again.” He paused, his gaze softening behind the desire that still radiated from him. “I was worried about you.”

The sweetness of that final sentence hit her right in the solar plexus, right where she was still stupidly vulnerable, making her eyes close at the force of it.

She knew she should just keep her eyes closed. Because when she made the mistake of opening them again to be brave and look him in the eye, what she saw on his face made it impossible for her to tell the difference between his desire and his sweetness.

How could she when they were both wrapped up in one far-too-gorgeous package?

Oh God.

She’d been so stunned by seeing him standing in the doorway that she’d completely forgotten the name that had passed her lips as she was coming.

She gulped. Hard.

Knowing there was only one way to play it, she said with far more bravado than she actually possessed, “I know a lot of Chases, by the way.”

He raised an eyebrow, the corner of his mouth twitching with an obvious urge to grin. “Really?”

He held her there in that half-smile for longer than was fair. Especially when both of them knew she’d likely never met a Chase before in her life.

“People usually tell me it’s a pretty uncommon name.”

Well, what was she going to say to that? But now that the initial stab of mortification and surprise had passed, Chloe became even more aware of the position she was in.

Whatever Chase’s mother had taught him, she’d clearly forgotten the lesson on leaving a naked girl alone to regain her composure. Because instead of letting her get out of the tub and get dressed in peace, he let his appreciative gaze flicker up and down her bare skin.

Her hands itched to cover herself up more, but even though the naked girl on his bed had been a good thirty pounds thinner than Chloe, why did she have to be ashamed of her curves?

She’d been told one too many times by one certain person that she needed to lose weight. She was never going to diet again. Not for anyone. She was keeping her muscles and curves, thank you very much.

Throwing on that cloak of bravado again, she said, “I’m still naked here, you know.”

“You certainly are,” he stated, his pleasure at her naked state clear and up front.

Why wasn’t she more irritated with him?

Or, more to the point, why wasn’t she scared?

He was big. Way bigger than she was. His hands could do incredible damage to her. Not to mention other parts of his body that could hurt her.

And yet…she wasn’t afraid of him. At first, she’d been wary about getting into his car, but then, when he’d started talking about his family, that wariness had disappeared. She’d tried to force it to reappear in the kitchen when he’d insisted on looking at her cheek, but the truth was, she hadn’t been running because she was afraid he’d hurt her.

No, she’d wanted to run because of a different kind of fear entirely.

She’d been frightened of her response to him. Of how strong—and immediate—it was.

And now, here she was, naked and wet in rapidly cooling water, still feeling that response. More than ever, in fact.

Irritated with herself for this strange weakness, and with Chase for being such an obstinate guy, she said with no small measure of sarcasm, “You don’t take a hint very well, do you?”

He grinned, a beautiful smile that did funny things to her stomach. “I’m better with direct requests.”

“Get out.”

He grinned again, a good solid laugh coming alongside it. “Want a towel first?”

“So by better you meant terrible?”

His response was to move farther into the room rather than out of it. He pulled a thick, plush towel off the heated rack. “Here you go.”

He held out the towel just far enough away that she’d have to stand up, step out of the tub, and walk over to him to reach it.

Stalling, still trying to figure out just why she was going along with this crazy game the two of them were playing with each other, she said, “So what happened to the other naked girl? Still waiting for a three-way?”

“I sent her home.”

Deciding there weren't a whole lot of reasons left to hold back her sassy mouth, she made a little face and let loose with, “Poor thing. Was she disappointed by how fast you got off?”

A muffled laugh came from Chase. “I’m afraid this wasn’t her lucky night. She found her clothes and left right after you did.”

Hmm. Well, that was surprising. She didn’t know many men who could send home a beautiful naked woman without first taking what was offered.

Why wasn’t he leaving her alone, too?

And, more to the point, why didn’t she want him to?

Both of them knew that if she started screaming, that if she really wanted him to go, he’d go. Instead, they were playing this little game.

A game she was having way too much fun with.

So much fun, in fact, that if it went on much longer she was bound to do something really stupid.

Really, really stupid.

No.

She was done with stupid. Her marriage had been made entirely of it, after all. And look what that had gotten her. A big, ugly bruise on her face, her car in a ditch…while she hid out in a stranger’s house and tried to ignore the fact that she still needed to figure out how to deal with it all.

The frustrating thought had her forgetting all about the game she and Chase were playing, just long enough that she stood up to grab the towel before she realized what she’d done.

Stunned, she stood before him, shockingly aware of each bead of water as it slid across her skin and back down into the tub.

Chase’s green eyes dilated almost to black as he looked at her. “My God, you’re lovely, Chloe.”

She wasn’t sure he was aware that he’d said the words aloud, but the reverence in them shook her. No one had ever looked at her like that, like he’d never seen anyone or anything quite so pretty.

No. Not pretty.

Lovely.

Maybe it was the power of that one word, when up until now she’d only ever heard hot and sexy, that kept her standing there, still naked and dripping.

Waiting.

Anticipating.

Wanting.

She knew exactly what was going to come next, could practically choreograph what every single guy on earth would do in this situation. Chase was going to charm her into agreeing to have sex with him, and in the morning she’d hate him for taking advantage of her sensual weakness when her heart wasn’t at all in it. But, mostly, she’d end up hating herself.

Only, as the seconds ticked by in time with the overly loud beating of her heart, even though Chase clearly wanted nothing more than to rip off his jeans and join her in the tub, he didn’t. Even though they both knew he was big enough and strong enough to be inside of her before she took her next breath, he didn’t so much as move an inch closer.

Chloe couldn’t believe it. She hadn’t given him permission to touch her. And, amazingly, he wasn’t taking it anyway, wasn’t taking whatever he could from her just because he was bigger and stronger than she was.

A sharp pang landed right behind her breastbone, right in the center of that heart that had been so bruised and battered.

Was it possible that, for the first time in her life, she’d actually met a man who wouldn’t ever touch her, who wouldn’t even try to make a move...unless she let him? Was it actually possible that despite the intense desire in his dilated pupils and the way the muscles in his jaw were jumping at the self-control he was using to remain right where he was, Chase would never lay a hand—or his lips—on her unless she outright asked him to touch her? Could it be possible that he’d never press his lips against hers unless she begged him to kiss her, until she was ready and desperate for his touch, for his lovemaking?

Visions of that desperation shouldn’t be so clear to her, shouldn’t already be running through her mind like a sexy videotape. But they were so ridiculously clear—and potent—that it took every ounce of self-control she had to force herself to shove them away before pushing the words from her heaving lungs.

“I’ll take that towel now, thanks.”

There’d never been a less sexy statement said between a man and woman.

So then, why did she suddenly feel so breathless?

* * *

Holy hell.

Chase had done his fair share of crazy things, been party to plenty of acrobatic sex sessions.