The Unrelenting Tide (Islands of Intrigue: San Juans - Christian Romantic Suspense) (29 page)
Read The Unrelenting Tide (Islands of Intrigue: San Juans - Christian Romantic Suspense) Online
Authors: Lynnette Bonner
Tags: #Mystery, #Romance, #Romantic Suspense, #Christian Fiction, #Suspense, #Christian Romance
She pulled in a breath. It was so sweet of him not to pressure her. She loved him, but the thought of getting physically intimate with him was…what? Not exactly
un
appealing, but something she felt better about waiting for. She couldn’t explain it. Not even to herself.
“Thank you, Chase.” She smiled up at him. “I appreciate your thoughtfulness.”
“Come into the house.” Squeezing her shoulder tightly, he guided her up the front steps. “I assume you’ve had lunch?”
“Yes…” Had she? Willing her knee to take pity on her, she cautioned a step. An alarming pain shot through her leg, throwing emphasis on the incline of the pathway. It didn’t help that the slim skirt was more confining than she was used to.
“Hurry, Darling.” Chase seemed oblivious to her struggle. “There are some people inside I want you to meet.”
“Oh, really?” Her stomach dipped. “Who?” She tried not to let her voice betray her anxiety, but it came out sounding pinched.
A mischievous grin played on his lips. “Let’s just leave it as a surprise.”
The ringing of his cell phone drew his hand to his jacket pocket and his attention from her. “Chase here.” He spoke into his phone, then held up a hand and stepped ahead of her, indicating his need to take the call in private. His tone turned urgent as he climbed to the porch and vanished around the corner of the house.
Left alone on the steps, she huffed out disbelief. She had only been here for five minutes. Couldn’t he let a call go to voicemail just once?
As she leaned on the pillar next to her, she kicked off her shoes and rubbed her sore knee. Scanning the sloping rock and flora garden on either side of the walkway, she scolded herself. It would do her no good to get angry at him on her first day. Besides, he clearly thought it appropriate to leave her to explore on her own.
Excitement pushed aside the anger. This was her house!
She glanced toward the corner Chase had disappeared around, but there was no sign of him. Dipping down to pick up her shoes, she faced the front door. Her nerves strained at the thought of running into Chase’s friends without him by her side, but restlessness stirred. This was her home too now, and she was dying to take a look around.
She stepped forward and gave the door a gentle nudge. Surprised by the weight of it, she pressed her palm to the wood and stuck her head inside as it opened.
Instantly, a gasp caught in her throat.
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