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  “Take me home, Sloane,” Chase said, struggling to hold it together.

  “No,” she simply said with a slow shake of her head as she released his hands so that she could cup his face in her hands, forcing him to look at her when he tried to turn his head away. “Talk to me, Chase.”

  “There’s nothing to fucking talk about, Sloane. Just take me home,” he said, reaching up to push her hands away.

  “No,” the stubborn woman said, forcing him to look at her.

  Beyond fucking furious that she wouldn’t even let him have this, Chase snapped at her. “You want to fucking talk?”

  “Yes,” she said softly as she gently caressed her thumb along his jaw, making it harder than it needed to be.

  “I’m going to spend the rest of my fucking life in that wheelchair!” he yelled, moving to shove her off his lap only to find his hands grabbing hold of her hips, knowing that he would fucking lose it if she left him now.

  For a moment, she sat there, searching his eyes for something while she continued to caress his jaw as he struggled to catch his breath and–

  “No, you’re not,” Sloane said, shaking her head as she carefully climbed off his lap, leaving him sitting there, struggling to make sense out of what she was saying as he watched her grab hold of his wheelchair and finish pushing it the rest of the way to his door. “But you will if you decide to give up now.”

  “There’s nothing to give up on. I’m never going to fucking walk again,” Chase bit out evenly.

  “Says who?” Sloane demanded, folding her arms over her chest as she waited for something that wasn’t going to fucking happen.

  “Says the fucking doctor!” he snapped.

  “I didn’t hear him say that,” the stubborn woman said, pissing him off.

  “He said that I have less than ten percent chance to walk again,” he said evenly as he watched her, praying that she just let it go.

  “And ten percent is more than most people get, Chase. You can move your toes, which means that there is hope for you, but not if you sit there feeling sorry for yourself,” Sloane said with a firm nod as she gestured for him to get in the chair.

  When he just sat there, staring down at the chair that he was going to spend the rest of his life in, Sloane continued, “I don’t know if you will ever walk again, Chase, and I’m not going to lie to you, but I do know that if you don’t get your ass in that chair and try, that you will regret it for the rest of your life.”

  He tore his gaze away from the chair to find her watching him through pleading eyes. He opened his mouth to tell her that he couldn’t do it when she said the one word that broke him, “Please.”

  Helpless to do anything else, Chase forced himself to get in that chair one more time.

  Chapter 25

  One Month Later…

  “How exactly did I let you talk me into this?” Chase asked when Sloane walked into the living room and handed him a Coke.

  “Don’t pretend that you don’t love this house,” she said with a teasing smile.

  It had taken most of the day, but they’d finally managed to get their bedrooms and bathrooms unpacked and had started unpacking the kitchen. It had been a long day and an even longer month. Between packing, paperwork, Chase’s physical therapy, volunteering, and moving, she was exhausted.

  She was definitely sleeping in tomorrow, Sloane thought as she looked for somewhere to sit only to decide that it would probably be a good idea to unpack the living room tomorrow when she spotted all the boxes surrounding the couch.

  “I didn’t say that,” Chase grudgingly admitted.

  “This house is perfect,” Sloane said with a look that dared him to argue.

  Chuckling, he took a sip of his Coke before he said, “Maybe.”

  Sighing heavily, she shook her head and said, “You don’t deserve this house.”

  “Would it make you feel better if I told you that I loved this house?” Chase asked as he placed his Coke on a box so that he could reach over and pull her down onto his lap.

  “It probably wouldn’t hurt,” Sloane said, wrapping her arms around his shoulders as she settled on his lap like it was the most natural thing in the world to do and that was the problem.

  Over the past two months, they’d become very close. He was one of her best friends and probably one of her favorite people on earth and

  This was a very bad idea.

  For seven years, she’d made sure that she didn’t cross any lines and now…

  This was a definitely a bad idea, she reminded herself.

  “I love the house,” Chase assured her as he wrapped his arms around her.

  “I knew you would,” she said with a satisfied sigh that had his lips twitching as she settled more comfortably in his arms before she waved regally for him to bring her to her room.

  “God, you’re spoiled,” he said, sighing heavily even as he released her so that he could roll them out of the room.

  “You knew this,” Sloane pointed out, pulling her legs in closer as he navigated his way around the boxes blocking his path while she felt herself relax on his lap.

  “True,” he murmured absently as she found herself thinking about that birthday kiss, something that she did probably more than she should.

  Neither one of them had brought it up since it happened, but she couldn’t stop thinking about it, how much she liked being in his arms, and how good it felt when he moved his lips against hers only to remind herself that this couldn’t happen. Even knowing that didn’t stop her from wondering what would have happened if he hadn’t stopped kissing her. She wondered if she would have regretted it and that was the problem.

  For the past seven years, her job had been her life. She hadn’t had time for anything more than a casual relationship and most of the time, she hadn’t even had time for that. She’d told herself that she would do this for ten years, save her money and get enough experience so that when the time came, she would finally be able to settle down at the program of her choice.

  That meant making sacrifices, putting her life on hold and taking on jobs that she hated because they paid more, being an unwanted guest in someone else’s home, and taking the brunt of her patient’s anger so that when the time came, she would have choices and Chase…

  Was a temptation.

  He was also one of her best friends and she wasn’t sure that she wanted to risk losing him, but god, was she tempted to find out just how good it would feel to spend the night in his arms.

  All too soon, they reached her bedroom door. With a sigh, Sloane kissed his cheek with a murmured, “Thanks for the ride,” climbed off his lap, and

  “When are we going to stop playing this game, Sloane?” came the softly spoken words as she reached for the doorknob.

  “I don’t know,” Sloane said as she glanced over her shoulder to find Chase watching her.

  Nodding absently, he said, “Fair enough,” as he grabbed hold of his wheels and moved to push back only to ask, “Is it because I might never walk again?” as his jaw clenched, making her heart ache because she knew how much the question cost him.

  “No, it’s because I don’t know if I can give you what you want,” Sloane said because she didn’t care if he could walk.

  She wanted him, probably more than she’d ever wanted any other man, but she’d never been any good at this. She didn’t even know if she could handle something like this and she wasn’t sure that she was willing to risk what she had with him for something that might not last past the morning. She just wanted

  “What if the only thing I want is what you can give me?”

  Chapter 26

  He should have kept his big fucking mouth shut, Chase told himself as he tossed his towel in the hamper and rolled into his room, wondering what had possessed him to push the issue.

  Because he was a fucking idiot.

  For the past two months, he’d been struggling to stop thinking about her, to stop wanting her, but with every passing day, he foun
d himself wanting her more than he’d ever thought possible and now…

  God, he’d fucked this up.

  Why else would he risk pushing her away? Chase thought, sighing heavily as he rolled over to his bed and started the one-minute process of transitioning himself and

  Found himself watching her through the patio doors that overlooked the pool and faced her bedroom and couldn’t help but notice just how fucking beautiful she was. As he watched her turn on the television and climb into bed, he thought about the first time that he saw Amy.

  He’d just turned fourteen and had been taking a shortcut through his family’s old orange groves on Hillside when he spotted her sitting under an orange tree looking so damn sad that he’d found himself joining her, doing his best to make her smile. It had taken him over an hour to tease a smile out of her and when he did…

  He knew that he was going to marry her one day.

  There had never been any question in his mind that he loved her. It never even fazed him that she hadn’t felt the same because he knew that they would end up together. For two years, he’d worked his ass off showing her how much he cared about her, how good it could be between them until finally, he’d had her and once he did, he’d worked his ass off to keep her.

  He’d made sure that she knew how much he cared about her, how much he loved her, was always there for her and made sure that she knew that she was worth the wait. He’d never rushed her for anything that she wasn’t ready to give him. He’d held her hand at sixteen, got his first kiss six months after that, and had patiently waited until she was ready for more. So, when she’d decided to wait until they were twenty-two before she let him touch her, he’d been fine with it. He’d also been fine with the fact that she wanted to wait to get married until after she’d graduated and started her career because he’d wanted her to be happy. He would have done anything for her, but she hadn’t felt the same way about him.

  When he’d needed her most, she hadn’t been there for him. He’d never thought that he would want another woman, never thought it was possible, but god, did he want Sloane, Chase thought as he watched her wrap her arms around her legs and laid her chin on her knees as she watched him.

  He’d wasted his life on a woman who hadn’t given a damn about him and had no idea how to get the one that he couldn’t live without. He’d give anything, absolutely fucking anything, to be able to walk into her room, Chase thought as he leaned back against the headboard and resigned himself to another sleepless night.

  A moment later, Sloane was climbing off her bed and walking toward her patio doors as he forced himself to savor one last look at her before she closed the curtains for the night only…

  She didn’t close them.

  Instead, she stepped outside, her gaze never leaving him as she walked across the pool patio and let herself into his room. He watched as she paused by the door to shimmy out of the soft cotton shorts that she liked to sleep in. Never taking her eyes away from him, she continued walking into his room, pulling her shirt off and dropping it on the floor, leaving him sitting there, unable to help but groan as he watched her push her panties down.

  He swallowed hard as he watched her climb onto the bed next to him. When she reached for his boxers, he raised himself up by his arms, never taking his eyes off her as she slowly worked them off him, freeing his cock as she pulled them down his legs. Once they were off, she dropped them on the floor and he was reaching for her.

  He cupped her face gently in his hands and leaned forward only to groan when his lips met hers. He kept the kiss slow as he dropped his hands so that he could pull her onto his lap. Before she finished straddling his lap, she was wrapping her arms around him and pulling herself closer so that the large teardrop breasts that had caused more than one sleepless night were pressed against his chest.

  She felt so fucking good in his arms, Chase thought as he slowly ran his hands over her back, noting just how soft her skin was. God, she felt amazing, Chase thought as he slowly ran his hands over her body, needing to touch every inch of her. She felt perfect, he decided only to groan when she kissed her way down to his neck as she ran her fingers through his hair.

  When her lips brushed against his chest, he sat back, releasing a shaky breath as she slowly made her way down his chest, kissing a line down his stomach as she moved back down his legs, the move causing her hard nipples to drag across his thighs. Another groan escaped him as he watched her do that thing that Amy never wanted to do for him.

  God, that felt so good, Chase thought as Sloane pressed a soft kiss to the tip of his cock. It felt even better when she took the tip between her lips and gently sucked it as she ran her tongue over the head. He watched as she slowly took his cock further into her mouth, a hiss of pleasure escaping him as she traced the underside with her tongue, taking his cock as far as she could before slowly pulling back only to do it again. When she released a moan around his cock, he thought he’d fucking died and gone to heaven.

  The next time she released his cock, he reached for her, pulling her into his arms, needing to touch her, and too fucking desperate for her to wait another minute. He took her mouth in a hungry kiss as he shifted her so that she was settled on his lap before reaching down and pushing against the mattress and moved them forward far enough so that he could lay down.

  Sloane followed him as he went, never breaking away from that kiss as he blindly reached back and grabbed hold of the pillow beneath his head and tossed it on the bed next to them. Once his head touched the mattress, he was reaching for her. He pulled her up his body as he pushed her until he had her straddling his shoulders.

  With one last push, he had her straddling his mouth and

  “Oh, god…” she moaned as he watched her grab hold of the headboard as he pressed another kiss between her legs while she shifted to get more comfortable.

  He took his time, pressing light kisses against her wet slit as he reached up and ran his hands over her, enjoying her soft skin against his hands. She felt so good, Chase thought as he traced her slit with the tip of his tongue and couldn’t help but groan. As he slid his tongue further between her lips, running it across her core and her swollen little clit, he watched her, watched the way that she licked her lips as she moaned, the way that her dark pink nipples tightened with need and felt his dick bounce in anticipation.

  Over the past two months, he’d thought about that night a lot. Every night he struggled to fall asleep as he imagined what it would have been like if they hadn’t stopped and every morning, he woke up hard and ready to finish what they’d started. Cold showers hadn’t helped and his hand had been a poor substitution for the woman softly moaning his name as he slowly licked her out.

  As he ran his hands over her sides so that he could cup her breasts, Chase watched her, needing to see her as he slid his tongue inside her. Her hands tightened around the edge of the headboard as her breath caught and her eyes closed in pleasure as she settled more firmly on his mouth, needing more. He ran his hands over her breasts, letting her nipples slide between his fingers as he slowly fucked her with his tongue.

  “God, Chase,” Sloane murmured on a whimper as she pushed down on his tongue.

  For several minutes, he laid there, watching her as she slowly rode his tongue, her moans becoming louder with every gentle roll of her hips. When he pulled his tongue back so that he could run it across her clit, she released a sexy groan, so he did it again and again until she was moving again, desperate to ride his tongue. By the time that he slid his tongue back inside her, her breaths were coming quickly, her back was arched, and she nearly fucking killed him with pleasure when he felt her walls tighten around his tongue.

  He ran his hands back down her sides and over her back so that he was cupping her ass when he felt the first tremor rock her body. Her moans became louder as he continued slowly fucking her with his tongue, desperate to watch her break apart and when it happened…

  God, he never thought he’d seen anything more beautif
ul in his life.

  When he felt her shift to move back, he pressed one last kiss against her slit, tearing another moan from the woman slowly making her way down his body. As she settled back on his lap, he wiped his mouth dry with his hand before moving to sit up only to find himself pushed back down by the woman who was driving him fucking crazy.

  Never taking his eyes away from her, Chase reached over and grabbed a pillow and placed it behind his head as Sloane settled on top of him. Before his head hit the pillow, she was there, tearing a groan from him as he felt her wet pussy press against the underside of his cock as she kissed him. Chase reached up and cupped her face gently in his hands, kissing her only to groan when he felt her shift forward so that the tip of his cock was pressed against her slit and

  “Do you have a condom?” Sloane asked against his mouth, making him bite back a groan.

  Shit!

  He hadn’t needed them in a long time and the last box he’d had he’d thrown out in a memorable fit of rage when he thought that he would never need them again. It had been a stupid move and one that he deeply regretted right now.

  Biting back a sigh, he brushed his lips against hers one last time as he murmured, “No.”

  “Then we should stop,” Sloane said, nodding absently even as she leaned back down to kiss him.

  “We definitely should.”

  Chapter 27

  “It’s okay,” Chase promised her, pressing a kiss against her forehead as he gently ran his hands over her back while she tried to tell herself that it was okay only…

  It wasn’t.

  She’d never been this turned on before, never thought that she would ever want someone this much or even consider doing something this stupid, but…

  God, she wanted him.

  As he turned his head so that he could kiss her neck, her hands tightened around the comforter as she licked her lips and found herself shifting on top of him. He felt so good, Sloane thought as he encouraged her to move forward so that he could kiss a path down her chest as his hands slid over her bottom and gently squeezed.