Holding Her Breath (Indigo) (26 page)

His hand moved up to her inner thigh. She gasped and then moaned, lying her head against his shoulder. Not much longer after that, her hose hit the floor and Chace’s hand rubbed against her naked skin, pushing her skirt up to her hips.

She looked up at him and realized that neither of them were going to be satisfied with what they’d been doing. That night, they would go further. She was going to forget everything but him for one night. She wasn’t going to worry about getting too attached to him or anything else.

Her kissed her greedily. When she was able to pull back, she stood and reached down for his hands. He stood and pressed his hands to her lower back after laying his forehead against hers. She bit her lower lip, wondering how she’d held out as long as she had. She knew their relationship was about to change in huge ways. A part of her she’d tried to ignore until that night was excited, wanting those changes to happen.

“It’s been a long time for me, Chace. Over a year.”

“I’ll take good care of you,” Chace whispered to her before tugging at her earlobe with his teeth. “I promise.”

Whitney’s knees nearly buckled at the heat of his touches. He picked her up and carry her to the bedroom. Lying her down on the bed, he traced his fingers over her stomach and down her thighs. She began unbuttoning her blouse, her hands shaking with desire and anticipation. He sat on the side of the bed and moved her hands away from the buttons, kissing them after he did. He ran his fingers down her now exposed cleavage, around the edges of the top of her bra. But he left the last few buttons buttoned.

“I want you now,” she said, reaching for his belt.

He took her hands in his. “No. We’re not going to rush it.”

His words sent a thrill of shock and pleasure through her.

Sex had always been much like a business transaction before, and she hadn’t minded it much because she’d told herself she didn’t have time for romance in her life. However, she’d been missing more than she could have ever imagined.

He lowered his head, placing kisses in the areas his hands had just touched, slowly unbuttoning her blouse the rest of the way as he did. She eagerly shrugged out of it and tossed it across the room. She felt his teeth, gentle yet insistent, against the skin just above the cup of her bra. She started to unhook her bra, but he grabbed her wrists and shook his head.

He held her wrists with one hand and ran the other down her sides and over to her navel. He trailed kisses down from her breasts to her lower abdomen and she shivered beneath the feverish warmth of his mouth. His hand slid between her back and the mattress to unzip her skirt and she moaned her gratefulness when he yanked it off her and tossed it to the floor. He pressed his hands into her thighs, massaging the creases at the tops of them with his thumbs. She writhed beneath him, her mind numb with pleasure and thoughts of pleasure to come.

“Chace,” she whispered, burying her hands in his hair as he planted kisses that brought her nearly unbearable amounts of pleasure on her hip, just above where she really wanted his mouth. She was out of her mind with need for him. He teased the sensitive skin where her thigh and hip joined with his tongue. She cried out and pushed her legs further apart for him.

He responded by moving his kisses lower, pushing the wet folds of skin open with his nose before setting her on fire with his tongue. Her desire for him had been building ever since he’d started her foot massage and it didn’t take long for the waves of pleasure to roll over her and for her to feel the sweet release all over her body.

Chace trailed kisses back up to her mouth, kissing her softly as she helped him out of his clothes with a hot eagerness. They threw his pants and shirt across the room. His grunted with pleasure as she nibbled at his ear before kissing his neck, her hands moving up and down the tense muscles of his back.

He tossed her bra to the floor and bit at her nipples, causing her to whimper, weak with pleasure she hadn’t known it was possible to feel. His hand slipped between her thighs and found the spot his tongue had found a few moments earlier.

“Make love to me. Now,” Whitney whispered to him.

He rubbed his thumb over that very sensitive spot until she came to the brink a second time, stopping just before she went over. She whimpered as he pulled back.

He grabbed a square packet from the nightstand. She heard it rip open. She closed her eyes and arched her back in anticipation, hungry for him to touch her again. She opened them when she felt the welcome pressure of his body on top of hers. He leaned on one elbow and used his free hand to guide himself into her.

She barely noticed the momentary tightness. She reached up for his shoulders he thrust against her slowly at first, but with a growing intensity.

He reached down, surrounding her breast with his palm. The pad of his thumb caressed her nipple. She ached for him. Each touch made her want the next one even more.

“How can you know all the right ways to touch me?” she whispered.

He responded not with words, but by shifting against her so that she felt him in just the right spot with every move of his hips against hers. With every move, in, out, up, down, he took away her ability to utter another word—to even think one.

Just as she began to hit her mind-obliterating apex again, he rolled her over and entered her where she was wet and hot for him from a new angle. She let out a scream of pleasure that she could no longer hold back.

* * *

He groaned as she tightened and released around him, no longer able to hold back. When their throbbing stopped, he lay against her for a moment, careful not to put too much of his weight on her. Her back moved under his chest.

Getting women into bed had never been a problem for Chace. He’d never even had to try. But he’d never been with someone like Whitney. The way he felt inside of her, making love to her, was different. If he hadn’t been sure before, now he was. Whitney was all he wanted.

He rolled off her, and she turned to her side. He looked down at her, stroking her hair away from her face.

“Amazing,” she said.

He’d never heard her so inarticulate, yet he knew exactly what she meant because he felt it, too. He never wanted to be without her again. His arm instinctively went around her. He hugged her to his chest. He wanted to protect her even though he was the one she probably needed protection from. After all, the only thing between them now was his lie.

She curled her head against his chest and ran her hand up and down his side.

He kissed the top of her head.

“I feel so open and vulnerable to you. But for the first time? That thought doesn’t scare me,” she said.

Immediately, he felt badly about the fact that he still hadn’t told her about Kelly. But he just hadn’t found the right time and way to do it yet. It certainly wasn’t after what they’d shared. He couldn’t risk losing her forever after that. Not when she was finally letting him in. He just needed a little more time to show her he was serious. To make sure she wouldn’t run when he told her. He had to make sure she was completely his before telling her something like Kelly might be having his baby.

“You’re so quiet. You okay?” She kissed his cheek.

“I’m better than I’ve been in a long time,” Chace said truthfully. “I’m just thinking.” That was mostly the truth.

“About?” She trailed kisses over his jaw.

“Us.” Again, mostly the truth.

“I was thinking, too,” she said.

“About?” He kissed the top of her head.

“Us making love all night long.” She ran her fingers up and down his arm.

“Don’t you have to work in the morning?” But he was already nibbling at the lip she brought within reach.

“Well, if you don’t want to…”

Chace grinned, sitting up in the bed and pulling her onto his lap. “Hold on now. I never said anything crazy like that.”

* * *

After what could barely be called a nap, Whitney was glowing even if she had to be tired.

“I want you again. Before work. But I don’t think I can. After last night, I’ll be lucky if I can walk straight,” she said, winding her arms around his neck after he kissed her good morning.

“I’ll be here when you get home from work.” He kissed her cheek. “That is, if you want me to be.”

“Of course I do. You better be.”

“You’re so gorgeous,” he whispered, running the backs of his fingers over her cheeks. “Especially in this light. And you’re just—perfect right here right now. Do you have time for me to shoot you? Just a few shots before you go get ready for work.”

She blushed. “Sure. As long as you keep it PG.”

He grinned. “Of course. Only shoulders and up. Everything else,” he said and kissed the top of her breast to emphasize his point, “is for me and me only.”

She moaned wistfully. “If only I weren’t so sore…”

“Don’t worry. We have lots of days and nights ahead of us.” He was already out of bed and headed for his camera bag as he spoke.

“I hope so,” Whitney called after him.

“Me, too,” Chace muttered when he was in the living room and out of her hearing range. Especially after he found a way to tell her about Kelly. And it had to be soon. After all she’d shared with him the night before, it was even more wrong than before to keep this huge secret from her. Still, the thought that she might never share it with him again made it clear that he couldn’t tell her yet. No, he couldn’t say a word until he was sure he wouldn’t lose her because of it.

After her deliciously sleepless night with Chace and a very good morning with him, the prospect of her eval with Kim seemed a little less scary. She was so gone over him, and there wasn’t even any point in trying to deny it anymore. She smiled all the way to the office and knew that everyone on the metro that morning must have thought her a fool. Her demeanor, so different from the day before, seemed to throw everyone at work off.

Her good mood held up all the way until she entered the somber atmosphere of Kim’s office and shut the door behind her. Kim sat at her desk with her hands primly folded together on top. She looked like she was about to inform Whitney that one of her closest relatives had just died.

“Good morning, Kim.” Whitney smiled. She was determined to have a good attitude about this even if she had to force it.

Kim nodded, dismissing the greeting without a word. “We have a lot to talk about this morning.”

“Okay.” Whitney started to feel shakier about the evaluation as Kim’s eyes bored into hers and a small frown creased the corners of Kim’s mouth.

“Whitney, compared to your work at your last evaluation, I have to wonder if you’re the same person.” Kim pointed to a folder on her desk which looked like a personnel file and shook her head. “The word ‘atrocious’ comes to mind. That may be a bit harsh, but I find it’s better not to sugarcoat these things.”

She knew she’d been a little distracted lately, but she hadn’t thought she’d done badly enough to warrant words like “atrocious.” She was still turning in a decent work product. The settlement negotiations in the Bevyx case were going well. She had two copyright cases briefed and expected to win one with little sweat on a motion to dismiss, and the other had a promising counterclaim that she’d come up with all by herself. Well, with a little unwitting inspiration from Chace.

“You’ve been flitting about the office like some absent-minded child.” Kim shook her head. “Barely professional. Not carrying your weight at all.”

Lies. All lies. She wanted to tell Kim that, but she knew saying anything would only make the situation worse.

“If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you don’t even want to be a partner any longer. Do you?”

“Of course I do.” Whitney’s heart lurched in her chest and her throat burned.

“Well, you’re certainly not acting like it. What have you given me to take to the committee? Work ethic? Substandard. Team effort? Substandard. Work product? Poor at best. You’ve even started coming in on your own schedule.”

Whitney had been late one morning. And so she’d stopped coming in early. So what?

“Andersen is very disappointed in these changes in you.”

Her heart lodged in her chest. “Can I say something?”

“Whatever it is, is it really going to help your case?” Kim raised an eyebrow.

Not with Kim evaluating her, it probably wouldn’t. Still, she had to try. “The Bevyx case is going well and—”

“Thanks to me.” Kim sniffed. “Left up to you, who knows what shape it would be in right now?”

Whitney couldn’t believe what she was hearing. She’d carried the weight on that case from moment one. Her, not Kim—her.

Kim splayed her fingers in front of her, inspecting her fingernails as she spoke. “There’s been a marked change in you. I’ve heard rumors of a new man in your life.” Kim looked up at her. “Now I know your personal life is none of my business.”

No. It wasn’t. But Whitney wasn’t in a position to say so.

“Still, let me give you a little piece of friendly advice, mentor to mentee.” Kim leaned back in her seat. “I used to be like you. Young and full of unrealistic dreams. I thought I could have a relationship with a man and still give everything to this job that it required. Thankfully, I realized I was wrong before it was too late. Let me pass along a free piece of advice. Whatever this distraction is, get rid of it. If you want to be a partner at this firm, that is.”