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.