Chasing Trust: A Small Town Steamy Romance (Harper Family series Book 3) Page 9

  Eventually, the sun dipped down behind the skyscrapers that lined the street across from the beach, and long shadows stretched along the sand. If he could find a way, he would slow time and live in this perfect moment for a bit longer.

  He shifted Serena so she was looking at him. His gaze traveled to her lips and her tongue swiped across them. That was all the invitation he needed. As her hands slipped around his neck, his slid to her waist, his fingers digging into her hips as he lowered his head. The minute his lips brushed hers, he was a goner.

  Her mouth was soft against his, the sweet flavor of strawberry cotton candy on her lips. He tilted his head, this time sliding his tongue along the seam of her mouth. She hesitated a moment and then opened to him. He didn’t waste any time sweeping his tongue into her mouth, tasting her, drinking her in. Her arms tightened around his neck, like she needed the support. Thank God they were sitting down. Otherwise his knees would surely buckle from the depth of sensation. After all these years, after what he’d seen in the world, he’d come full circle, back to the girl that inspired him.

  He squeezed her waist, his fingers itching to slide up her torso, to palm her perfect breast. But he hesitated. She’d placed her trust in him today, and he knew her inner struggle after he’d waited so long to tell her who he was. He wasn’t about to betray that trust. Besides, now that he was staying in Cedar Hill for a little while, he’d have plenty of time to explore every inch of her body.

  And he had every intention of doing exactly that. When she was ready.

  She pulled back slightly and her gaze landed on him. “Wow.”

  “Yeah.”

  This time, she took the initiative, pulling him firmly against her body. Her breasts pressed into his chest as she slipped her tongue into his mouth, demanding and tantalizing at the same time, tongues tangling until they both broke away breathless.

  “Sorry, about that. I got a little carried away.”

  “You’re free to get carried away anytime.” He pressed his lips to hers again, a brief reminder that he was right there with her. She lowered her gaze, pink coloring her cheeks. He tucked his knuckle under her chin, raising it up so she would know that he meant every word he was about to say. “Don’t ever apologize for the way you feel. For acting on those feelings. You have nothing to be sorry or embarrassed about.”

  He pulled her to him, and her arms snaked around his back. They enjoyed being together for a few more minutes, until he felt her shiver.

  “You’re cold. It’s probably time we head back.”

  She collapsed against him. “I don’t want today to end.”

  “Well, today may end, but the feeling doesn’t have to. This isn’t like the last time. I’m not leaving. Not now that I found you again.” He stood and helped her to her feet, tucking her to his side as they made their way down the sand and up to the boardwalk.

  He reluctantly released her at his jeep, depositing her into the passenger seat, and then grabbing a blanket from the back to tuck around her legs. He’d thought to put the top on, the fall weather growing cool when the sun set, but it could still get chilly in his jeep.

  “Thank you.”

  He couldn’t resist placing one more kiss on her lips before shutting the door and hurrying around to his side. Once he had the heat blasting, he turned the jeep toward Cedar Hill.

  She reached across the console and slid her fingers through his, and that’s where they stayed for the entire, way-too-quick drive. If only he’d known all those years ago that she lived only a couple hours away from New York, where he often frequented his publisher and friend, would his life have been different? Would hers?

  None of that mattered anymore. Right now, she was here with him and he was keeping no more secrets from her. They could move forward with a clean slate and explore what was developing between them.

  His foot eased off the gas pedal as he turned onto the dirt road that led to her cottage. As if by driving slower, he could delay having to let her go. But all too soon, he pulled into the parking lot that her cottage shared with the shelter. She hesitated, seemingly not wanting to get out any more than he wanted her to.

  He may be a little out of practice on this entire dating thing, but one thing was for certain —he was walking her to the door. If only to sneak another kiss before she went in. “Wait right there.”

  He hopped out and circled the jeep, meeting her on the path to her cottage. They reached the door and she hesitated. Did she want to invite him in? To continue what they had started at the beach? Is that what he wanted, to fall into bed with her the first chance he got? His body said yes, but his mind said no. Serena deserved better than that.

  He didn’t even have a place to call home. Could Cedar Hill be that place for him? Because Serena belonged here, among her family and the animals that she loved and that loved her in return. But he couldn’t stay in one place for long. Each time he tried, he grew restless, his gaze turning to the horizon and the next place he wanted to explore.

  But was home a place or a feeling? Because for the first time, Serena had him reconsidering. Because with her, he felt a peace he had never felt before.

  He swept her into his arms and his mouth took hers, vowing to give her a reminder of their day before he left her. She came willingly, her mouth opening to his. His hand slid up her belly and brushed the side of her breast. She pressed it into his palm and he cupped the heavy weight, his thumb brushing over her nipple. She moaned into his mouth, her hands clinging to his back as he sipped and licked at her lips.

  He had to stop or he would take her right there on the porch. She felt too good, too right in his arms, like she was the piece that filled the hole inside him. The one that had been missing all these years.

  He pulled back and rested his head on her forehead, his breathing ragged. “Good night, Serena.”

  Chapter Nine

  Serena ran her finger over Chase’s contact information in her phone. She’d replaced the original photo she’d taken of him with the selfie of the two of them on the Wheel yesterday. And she’d been staring at it almost continuously ever since.

  What would have happened if she had invited him in last night? It didn’t take a genius to know that he wanted to come in. To continue what they’d started on the beach and had picked up on her porch. And she’d wanted him to come in. So much. Had wanted to pull him in and not stop until he was making love to her.

  But she hadn’t… because she was scared. Scared to trust him. To trust anyone.

  She’d never had a serious relationship with a man. Not because she hadn’t had offers, because she had. But she’d never let anyone get close enough to her for a betrayal to hurt. Not after David. After him, she had kept mostly to herself. Sure, she’d dated, had relationships, but they hadn’t been deeply intimate. Instead, she’d focused on relationships that met both of their needs until one of them decided they were done. And she would then easily move on, because she hadn’t emotionally invested in those men.

  Chase was different. Because he was the man everyone had fallen short of her entire life? Maybe, maybe not. Something had been different with Chase from the day she met him, before she knew who he was. But deep down, she must have seen in him now what she had back then. That their souls had connected. And when they met again, their souls recognized each other and she saw in him what she had been looking for all this time.

  But that introduced one big problem—he wasn’t staying. Sure, he was here now and had said he was sticking around for the time being, but for how long? When would his need to travel kick in again and when it did, would he leave her without a word?

  What if she was able to convince him to stay? To make Cedar Hill his home. They could travel together and he could show her the places that she’d only seen through his photos. Then they could come back and make a home here, near her family.

  She was getting ahead of herself. They had had one date, although it was quite the date. He’d taken a chance that she would reject him when he told
her his real name. It was time she took a chance, too.

  She pressed the button and brought her phone to her ear. After two rings, a sleepy voice answered on the other end. “Hello.”

  “Hey, Chase. It’s, uh, it’s Serena. Did I wake you? I’m so sorry.”

  “No, it’s fine. I’m up.” His voice was ragged and rough.

  She pictured him running his hands through his messy hair, the deep brown strands falling long over his ears. He was probably scrubbing his hand down his face and blinking his eyes. Was he naked or had he kept on his boxers when he tumbled into bed last night? Either way, she could imagine the curves of his muscles as he stood to his feet and stretched. She had felt the definition of his back and abs when she’d had her hands on him last night. Had itched to slip her hands beneath his shirt and feel his skin against hers.

  “Serena?”

  Even though he wasn’t in the room, she felt the heat rise on her cheeks. Blasted fair skin—she was never able to hide her emotions from anyone. “I was thinking. It’s a nice afternoon. I thought I’d head out to a winery. Did you want to join me? Maybe see a little bit of what Pennsylvania has to offer?”

  The words rushed out on a single breath. She was afraid if she didn’t get it all out, that she would lose her nerve before she could ask him.

  There was silence on the other end. Had she gone too far, asking him to come with her? Was he regretting yesterday and trying to find a way to let her down easily?

  “That sounds great. Should I pick you up?”

  She sank down on the couch in her living room. Now that he’d said yes, she could finally breath again. “I can drive if you’d like. Since I invited you.”

  “You may have called first, but I had been laying here, manufacturing an excuse to call you myself.”

  She stifled the squeal that wanted to escape. “Okay, sure. You can drive.”

  “I’ll see you in a little while.”

  She rushed around the house, getting ready, spending a few minutes with Roscoe and Rascal and the four cats that called her little cottage their home. Anything to make the time pass faster while she waited.

  Finally, he knocked at her door. When she threw it open, Chase gathered her into his arms and pressed his lips to hers, his tongue sweeping into her mouth like he was exploring every inch of her from the inside out. Her knees wobbled and he tightened his grip around her.

  She broke the kiss and ran her fingers along her lips. “That was quite the greeting.”

  He turned toward his jeep. “If I didn’t do it right, I can go back out and try again.”

  She squeezed him tighter. “Oh, no you don’t. That was exactly right. Let me grab my purse so we can go.” Before she dragged him into the house and made love to him right there on the couch.

  They settled into his jeep and after a short drive through some of the most scenic countryside in Pennsylvania, the brilliant reds and bright yellows of the fall trees guiding their way, they pulled into the Paramour Estate Winery. She’d never been before but many of her friends had sworn it was a perfect place to go with a date.

  He helped her out of the car, like he had done twice yesterday, and then turned to the back of the vehicle.

  She pointed at the directional sign. “Should we head into the tasting room?”

  He straightened, a camera in his hand.

  She threw a questioning glance at him.

  “I don’t go many places without it. I would have taken it yesterday, but I didn’t want to make you too uncomfortable. And I had other things on my mind.”

  She smiled, memories of yesterday at the Steel Pier flooding her mind. Despite its rocky start and Chase’s revelation about his identity, she would still chalk it up as one of the best days of her life. Right alongside her other day with Chase at the Steel Pier when she was fifteen. That had to mean something, right?

  “How about we take a walk before we go in? I’d love to shoot the vines with the mountains and the bright sky.”

  She stepped up beside him and he steered her toward the vineyard, his hand resting on the small of her back. When she would read about a man doing that in one of the many romance novels that filled her eReader, it always sounded so romantic.

  The books were right.

  The heat of his hand permeated the thin flannel of her shirt and warmed her back. The gentleness of his touch made her feel protected and cherished. She wanted to sink into Chase’s embrace.

  They wove through the rows of yellow-leaved vines heavy with grapes ready for harvest. The scent of sweet fruit swirled around them. Chase would stop from time to time, frame a shot, then move on.

  She loved seeing him in his element, doing what he was meant to do. His appreciation of being outdoors, or capturing the perfect photo, oozed out of his pores.

  He stopped and locked his gaze on hers. “I’ve traveled all around the world, seen many spectacular places, but I have to say, this is some of the most beautiful landscape I’ve seen.”

  The intensity of desire swirling in his eyes drew her in and she stretched up, wrapping her arms around him. His kiss started sweet but quickly intensified, his arms coming around her and pulling her to him.

  A minute later, he broke the kiss and stared into her eyes. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to do that.”

  “Do what? I’m the one that kissed you.” She spun around and continued down the path.

  Chase’s laugh followed behind her. She took a few more steps before she realized that he hadn’t caught up. When she turned, his camera was raised and she heard the gentle click of the lens as he snapped photos. She waved her hand and turned away. “What are you doing? Why are you taking pictures of me?”

  He jogged up to her and pulled her hand down. “The light was perfect and I wanted to capture that entranced look on your face as you walked through the vines.”

  Well, damn. How could she protest when he put it so beautifully? Her gaze dropped to his lips, slightly swollen from kissing her.

  He grabbed her hand and practically dragged her back toward the building. “Oh, no, you don’t.”

  “What?”

  “If you keep looking at me like that, we’re never getting to the winery. Shoot, we might not make it out of the vines before I have to have you.”

  “Oh.” She’d never had someone express their feelings so directly. Most men her age were still finding their confidence and while they outwardly appeared self-assured, it was more cocky than confident… and a total turnoff to her.

  Not Chase. He didn’t hold anything back. He wasn’t shy about saying exactly how he felt and what he wanted. If only she had that kind of confidence. But come to think of it, she never would have been so audacious as to initiate a kiss with anyone else. Chase brought out a boldness in her that she didn’t know she had. And she liked it.

  She stepped into the winery ahead of Chase. She hadn’t known what to expect when she suggested this trip, but the winery certainly didn’t disappoint. Small bistro tables were scattered around one side of the wide, expansive room. Huge barrels lined the back and a bar stretched the entire length of that wall. At the far end of the room, two musicians were tuning acoustic guitars and a third was making adjustments to a drum set.

  She turned to Chase. “Did you want to sit at the bar or a table?”

  He gestured to a small opening in the back corner, the light dimmer than the rest of the room. “How about that one in the back?”

  When she threw a questioning look at him, he quirked a single eyebrow and smirked. His hand landed on her back again as he steered her around the small tables, more than half of them full of couples and larger parties drinking wine and enjoying the atmosphere.

  Once they were settled, they studied the menus for a minute before deciding on the artisan meat and cheese tray with baguettes and three wines to taste.

  As they placed their orders and handed over their menus, the gentle strains of acoustic guitar accompanied by a light drum beat filled the room. The talking quieted to a w
hisper as the deep, rich voice of one of the musicians joined the melody. Chase rose to his feet quietly and brought his camera up. After making a few adjustments, he captured shots of the band playing and the crowd enjoying the music.

  He pulled his camera from around his neck as he sat. “That’s it. I promise. No more today.”

  She waved him off. “You don’t need to apologize for being who you are. It didn’t take long for me to understand that taking pictures isn’t just what you do, it’s a part of you. I see you study everything with a distinct eye, looking for the right angles and proper light. It’s fascinating to watch.”

  He leaned in so his face hovered right over hers. “I don’t think anyone has really understood me like that before now. My father never wanted to hear anything except how I was preparing for college and law school, and most people that see me immediately think I’m a sleezy journalist trying to catch someone misbehaving. I never wanted and have never been that kind of photographer.”

  “I think I knew that the first day I met you. I’d never seen anyone as young as you be so intent about taking photos. Normally the people I saw taking pictures were trying to document a family vacation or their kids’ milestones.”

  Their waitress interrupted to slide their platter of meats and cheese onto the middle of the table and then three half-full glasses in front of each of them. She welcomed the interruption to catch her breath. Every conversation with Chase seemed to steer in a serious direction. She’d never met anyone like him—his intensity and emotional connection to the world overwhelming.

  For a few minutes, they sampled the wine and cheeses and let the music fill the space between them. As one song transitioned into another, a few couples proceeded to a makeshift dance floor positioned in front of the musicians. The singer’s soulful words rose above the dancers, his words of love and commitment striking a chord deep within her.