Angel Baby (19 page)

There was no time to draw away quickly in embarrassment. As
soon as their lips met, Chase wrapped one arm around her waist and pulled her
entire body toward him. She moaned and placed her hands on either side of his
face, loving the feel of him, the taste of him as he deepened their kiss. She
shifted in the seat, trying to get even closer. Chase slid out from behind the
steering wheel, and lifted her by the hips to sit her on his lap. There was no
mistaking his excitement and Claudia suddenly felt her body get moist and hot
in response. Wanting him even closer, she turned on his lap and slid one thigh
across his legs to straddle him.

"Claudia..." he whispered against her mouth as she
pressed against him intimately.

"Yes, Chase. Yes."

Chase moved his mouth to press light kisses across her
cheek.

"I think you're getting yourself into more trouble
here."

Claudia realized he wasn't kissing her anymore, and she
opened her eyes to look at him. He looked like a man in pain.

"What's wrong?" she whispered.

He shook his head and said, "This. I want this, but not
here, not now. Not out of a sense of gratitude because I came to your rescue
again."

"Is that what you think?" she retorted, as she
slid off his lap. "That I'm trying to pay you back for the ride?"

He didn't answer but steadily held her gaze.

"It so happens that I show my gratitude with thank you
notes, or perhaps small gifts. I don't feel the need to have sex in a parked
car to thank someone for a damn ride!"

Claudia jerked the car door open and jumped out.

"Wait," he insisted as he got out of the car and
followed her. "You've misunderstood. Look, I just don't want you doing
something on a moment's impulse that you'll regret tomorrow."

"Oh, and I don't know my own mind? Give me a
break," she said as she turned and prepared to walk up the stairs to her
front door. "I'm an adult, Chase. If you don't want me, just admit
it."

Chase grabbed her arms and swung her around to face him. He
leaned in until their breaths mingled. "If I knew for sure you made the
conscious decision to go to bed with me, and that you wouldn't regret it, let
me tell you, we wouldn't be standing here talking about it. We'd be back in
that car, and I'd be so deep inside you you wouldn't know where your body ended
and mine began."

 Not saying another word, he turned around and stalked to
his car. Her heart pounding wildly, all Claudia could do was stand there, open-mouthed,
and watched him drive away. 

Claudia didn't know how many minutes passed as she stood in
front of her house thinking about what Chase had just said. Their kiss had
aroused her, but his words had nearly driven her out of her mind.

Finally feeling the chill on her stocking-clad legs, she
walked up the steps onto the front porch.

"Oh, no, my keys," she moaned aloud as she
remembered she'd left her purse in Andrew Worthington's car. Crossing her
fingers, she reached for the door knob anyway. As it spun easily in her hand,
she again thanked her lucky stars she was comfortable enough in her home to
forget to lock the door occasionally.

Claudia draped her coat on a chair in the living room and
went upstairs to change. It was late, and she should have just gotten ready for
bed. Somehow, however, with all her nerve endings tingling and an unfulfilled
excitement churning inside her, she imagined she would have a tough time
falling asleep.

"Of all moments to prove what a nice guy he is,"
she muttered as she recognized Chase probably thought he was doing her a favor
by walking away from her.

It didn't feel like a favor, though.

Restless, Claudia went back downstairs, slipped her shoes
and coat on, and went outside. Glancing up toward the star-filled sky, she took
a deep breath and blew it out slowly. Her breath hung in a cloud before her
face, and she breathed again, deeper, enjoying the bite of the cold air as she
drew it into her mouth.

Loathe to go back inside the empty cottage, knowing she’d
have trouble sleeping with Sarah out of the house, she made her way down the
steps onto the lawn. Claudia drew her long wool coat tighter around her body as
she soundlessly made her way across the grass. Not even thinking about it, she
proceeded into the woods, and walked the thirty feet or so through them. Able
to see clearly from the starlight shining through the nearly bare trees, she
didn't pause until she came to the edge of Chase’s lawn.

A few downstairs lights were on. His car sat in the circular
driveway in the front of the house. She hesitated. Standing outside in the cold
night, she felt the nearly physical pull as his home beckoned warmth and comfort.
Even more, she knew, it called to her with excitement and passion. All she had
to do was walk across the lawn, knock on his door, wait for him to open it and
tell him, with a completely clear head, that she wanted him. 

As much as she wanted to walk toward that declaration, she
simply couldn’t make her feet move another inch.

"Coward," she muttered under her breath.
"What are you waiting for?"

There was no doubt in her mind she was ready to make love
with Chase. Her body had been ready for weeks, and her mind had finally caught
up. But knowing that, and walking right up to boldly knock on his door to tell
him so to his face, were two entirely different things.

Chase couldn’t see Claudia’s driveway from his house. In the
summer, he couldn’t see the cottage at all, since it was hidden behind the
trees, and in the winter he could just make out the back. That didn’t stop him
from looking out the window over his kitchen sink, however, as he wondered what
she was doing.

"Paxton, you're an idiot," he told himself
angrily. "Only a fool would turn around and walk away from the invitation
in those green eyes."

Knowing he'd be unable to sleep, he glanced at the clock and
saw it was nearly one a.m. Unable to resist, he walked through the house and
out the front door. He glanced across the side lawn toward the woods and
Claudia’s house. No lights were visible. He imagined she was already safely tucked
into bed for the night, thanking her lucky stars that she hadn't made a
colossal mistake. He was just about to turn and go back inside when he caught a
flash of something near the trees.

“Claudia,” he breathed, not even fully seeing her in the
darkness. He walked toward the woods, seeing a light outline reflected in the
moonlight. With each step he took, her silhouette became more clear. She stood
watching him, her cream-colored wool coat clearly visible against the dark
backdrop of the trees.

Claudia watched him approach her, but she didn’t try to back
away or slip into the shadows. There was no walking away from this moment, she
knew that now. If the lights had gone off one by one in Chase’s house,
indicating he’d gone to bed, she would have silently returned home and
continued wondering what would happen between them. But, instead, he’d found
her.

“A little cold for a night walk, isn’t it?” he asked when he
walked to within a few feet.

“Umm-hmm,” was all she could reply.

She remained silent as he came closer. His body radiated
warmth. When he was just a few inches away, she swayed toward him, drawn by the
heat of him, and his smell, and those dark, shining eyes.

He met her halfway...more than halfway. Before she realized
his intention, he’d caught her in his arms, drawing her against his body. She
wrapped her arms around his waist and tilted her head back, silently urging him
to close that final few inch gap and kiss her.

She didn’t have long to wait. In a moment shorter than a
heartbeat his lips were on hers, and she sighed. His kiss was all she
remembered, and all she imagined.

He slid the palms of his hands up and down on her back, then
around to cup her arms, then finally down to wrap his fingers in hers.

"I know my own mind, Chase," she whispered as he
moved his mouth to her jawline.

She saw his smile in the darkness just before he captured
her lips in another kiss. She shivered, from the pleasure, from the cold, from
the relief of finally giving in to the feelings which had been driving her for
so long.

When the kiss ended, he drew her even tighter in his arms.
“You’re cold,” he whispered against her hair.

Claudia didn’t say anything as he drew her hands up to his
mouth and pressed kisses on her fingers. Closing her eyes, she savored the feel
of his lips on her skin, loving how he made her feel adored and cared for. “I’m
sure it’s warmer inside,” she said in a low voice.

"Yes, I'm sure it is."

He curled one arm protectively across her shoulders and led
her to his house. They paused inside the doorway only long enough for Chase to
push her coat off her shoulders to the floor. Before she realized his
intention, he was bending down to pick her up.

"Don't carry me," she protested weakly.

"Shut up and kiss me, Claude."

She smiled, reached a hand up to cup his face and complied.

In the kisses they had shared before, Claudia had always
been sure of Chase's desire for her. But there had been a certain restraint, a
pulling back. Now he hid nothing. He was hungry for her. He caught her mouth
with his and positively inhaled her. She'd never felt so desired in her life.

He paused as they entered his bedroom, and gently let her
slide down his body until she stood in front of him. Claudia watched him reach
over to flip on the light switch, then glanced quickly around.

His room looked just the same.

Claudia bit her lip as she stared at the bed, remembering
Sarah's birth in that very spot just one year before. Chase caught her eye and
smiled softly.

"I think about that night a lot, too," he
admitted.

Suddenly shy, remembering he had seen her in an incredibly
intimate moment, Claudia lowered her eyes. Chase caught her chin and lifted her
face to his.

"It was the most amazing experience I've ever had.
Seeing your strength and resilience, and now knowing you for the incredible
woman that you are, has made me want you more than I ever dreamed
possible."

Claudia's breath came faster as Chase moved his fingers to
her neck and gently began stroking the tender skin beneath her ear. Slowly, so
slowly it nearly drove her insane, he trailed his fingertips across her
collarbones until they met at the top button of her dress. He caught her mouth
in a kiss, sliding his tongue against hers just as he deftly slipped the top
button free and moved his fingers down to the next one.

The room was cool with the October night air, but Claudia
didn't think she'd ever felt more hot. Her clothes stuck to her, annoying her
sensitive flesh, and she nearly purred as Chase slid her dress from her
shoulders and let it fall to the floor.

"You're beautiful," he whispered as he looked down
at her.

Claudia felt no embarrassment at his eyes traveled down her
body to her black lacy bra. She saw the pulse in his temple pound and watched
him part his lips and draw in a deep breath. Her skin tingled in reaction and
she felt her nipples grow hard under his gaze. As if he couldn't resist, he
bent and pressed his mouth against her breast, breathing hotly through the
lace. She moaned. Her knees feeling week, she raised a hand to his shoulder for
support.

Chase was on fire. He had been burning for this woman for so
long he couldn't remember the man he was before. In his mind he tried to go
slow, to remember it had been a very long time since Claudia had made love. But
that very thought excited him beyond measure.
She wanted him.
Her body
was begging him silently to please her, and he was going to do exactly that.

Sliding his hands down her midriff to her waist, he nudged
her backwards until she fell back onto the bed. Chase turned his attention to her
long legs, starkly pale against the dark green comforter. She didn't shrink
away under his admiring stare, but instead raised one arm and reached for him.
He moved toward her instantly.

"You're a little overdressed, I think," she said
softly as she tugged the bottom of his heavy cotton shirt out of the waistband
of his jeans. Impatient, he helped her, yanking the shirt up and off. She put
her arms around his neck and pulled him down to lie beside her on the bed. Then
her cool hands were on his chest, stroking him until he couldn't hear anything
but the pounding of his own heart pumping hot blood through his veins.

Claudia couldn't stop touching him. It was amazing to her
that his flesh could feel so warm and pliant, yet cover the hard rippling
muscles of a perfectly toned male body. She wanted to feel more. Reaching for
his belt, she quickly unbuckled it, and pushed away his hands when he tried to
help. Though she wanted to pause and savor the feel of his hard erection
pressing hungrily against his clothes, her own hunger wouldn't allow it. She
quickly unfastened his jeans and pushed them down, loving his groan as she
allowed the back of her hand to slide along the rigid length of him.

Then she had to just look. Claudia sucked in her breath at
the sight of him, masculine and proud, almost desperate to have all that male
strength inside her body. .

"Look at me like that and this is going to proceed a
lot quicker than I'd planned," Chase said as he shrugged the rest of the
way out of the jeans and kicked them to the floor.

The obvious evidence of his desire for her gave her
tremendous confidence. Slowly rising to her knees, Claudia slid one leg across
his waist and straddled him. He arched up into her, as if answering the demands
of his own body, and the feel of his thick erection pressed against her made
her hiss with sheer anticipation.

Offering him a deep sultry smile, she reached behind her
back to unfasten her bra. His eyes darkened as she slid the straps down her
arms. Before her breasts were even fully exposed, he'd leaned up to place his
mouth on them. She moaned as he breathed warmly through the fabric,
anticipating the more intimate feel of his mouth on her bare skin.