Page 31 (1/2)
"If you don’t stop arguing over o ho her hands to her teo, I just want to sleep"
She was unaware of the concern that filled the air Tihter bloody; Celia knew she’d have nightmares for years to co to destroy his sanity So help hi to kill
"I’ll get her signed out of here," Sanjer promised "I’ll be there in an hour, Chase Have my room ready And soht"
Chasein her eyes the vulnerability there, the almost hidden fears and desires He didn’t bother to hide his He wouldn’t ht He had dared to take his eyes off her when everything inside hio with her, to chase after her
She was stuck with hiht ulti both of theed to hied
He picked her up in his araze
"I told you," he whispered then "It doesn’t change Only the circumstances do"
"And I told you," she whispered back "Bet me!"
Chapter 17
Dr Sanjer checked Kia again after Chase took her to his apartment and put her to bed She kneas his bed The h to cli at the ceiling, counting off the hours as she tried to figure out exactly how she had ended up in his bed With him in it
She was dressed in one of Chase’s T-shirts and her bronze panties A sheet and a finely sewn heirloom quilt covered her, and beside her Chase lay, his ar there wishing she could roll away froh distance between theh her
She had drea with him Now that she was there, in his bed, sleep was the furthest thing from her mind Kia just wanted to ht now, inside her
Chase lay relaxed against her, his head close to hers, his larger, e to stroke her hand along his arainst his chest, and ask hi her head up,her heart up, and she had no idea how she was supposed to act now, or how she was supposed to feel
Lying in his arht the eh to hide from Tears flowed fro to turn in his ar hi That was the problehtened, and so terribly off balance now
Which orse? Lying alone in her own bed, or lying with Chase and fighting to hold herself away froht well break my heart"
Her eyes jerked open as Chase shifted beside her and leaned up, staring down at her as he lifted his hand from her hip and brushed a tear from her cheek
"It’s the headache," she whispered, her lips treently "Dr Sanjer can’t give you anything ertipsandher flesh as another tear fell
"You’re never going to let entle, easya bit of the pain away
Oh, that felt nice Her lashes fluttered closed for a e penetrate her brain
"Never," he agreed, but his voice was soft, easy A whisper of knowledge that flowed through her as he shifted closer to her, or did he pull her against hiers didn’t stop that slow, easy glide, and the more he caressed the hollow at the base of her head, the hed
"When Caet headaches," he told her "I’d watch Mom rub his head She said even kids kne to stress out You don’t have to stress out, Kia I’ll keep you safe"
"Froainst his chest
"Froentle tone
She let a bittersweet sers stroked her neck Kia knew she should be pulling away Better to deal with the headache than to deal with Chase, in his bed, curled against him as the darkness wrapped around them, heavy with sensuality
"Why did you hide for the past two years, Kia?" She felt his lips against her brow again "Why didn’t you let Rebecca Harding and her little friends take the fall as liars rather than putting it on your head and taking everything on your own shoulders?"
Why had she? She breathed out roughly, her fingers digging into the co her as she tried to hold on to her detero," he assured her "Tell me why?"
"Because it was easier," she finally whispered And it was only partially the truth "Rebecca didn’t start that grief, Chase I did I trusted the wrong person, and Ih whisper was breathed against her cheek "Right here, right now, Kia Give me the truth"
"Because I kneouldn’t be able to stay away from you, and I didn’t want to humiliate myself further"
There She had said it She ad even to herself She was licking her wounds; it was a partial truth She was embarrassed Who wouldn’t have been? But she had also known she eak Drew had seen it Even Rebecca had known of the fascination Kia had for Chase And the thought of further rejection had kept her curled inside herself like a frightened child