The Ivy House

chapter 36

The moon was full and it came in through the window, suffusing the room with light. Phoebe sparkled like silver and he brought her to him, kissing her gently, sweetly. Slowly, he undressed her, reverently addressing her body with his mouth, feasting slowly and fully on her. Something had changed for him and he wanted to savor her. So far, whenever he had been with her, it had been wild and passionate, the ice queen with the fire dragon underneath. But tonight, now, he wanted to savor every minute of her. When she tried to rush him, he just shook his head and held her hands, letting his fingers brush over her, gently teasing and testing, watching her as the pressure built, knowing she was practically begging for release. Still, he decided to torment her a little more, taking his time as his hands roamed over her, as she writhed and moaned with pleasure.

Finally, she sat up and pulled him to her. “Now,” she whispered, and when he smiled, she said, “Please, I need you.”

He was undone then and he pushed himself into her slowly, feeling her hot wetness close around him, hiding him tight. He pulled in and out slowly, and as her hips rose up to meet him, he moved faster and she matched his rhythm. Thrust for thrust, they moved together in a slow, steady beat, pushing them higher and higher towards the edge. They reached it together and he gave one more moan and dove into her fully, and he watched as her eyes filled with pleasure. He held back no longer and followed her over the edge.

Afterwards, they lay together, and she fell asleep beside him, curled around him and, for once, he hadn’t been thinking of the best way to disentangle himself without waking the woman next to him and making his escape.

No, instead, all he wanted to do was pull her closer to him, breathe in the scent of her hair, feel the rise and fall of her chest underneath his hands. He had stayed that way, unable to sleep, trying to understand just why he felt this way about a woman whom he’d only known a short time. This was totally different from what he had felt about the other women he’d let into his life.

Now he lay awake in the early hours of the morning, listening to the sway of the branches outside the window, hearing the sound of a warning buoy gently toll in the distance. He’d understood what she said about love. His own parents were reasonably happy, but he’d never given much thought to what he wanted. He had been too focused on winning at sailing and building his business to get entangled emotionally.

None of his other girlfriends had stayed long, and he’d grown tired of them long before he found some way to set them free gently or they’d wised-up and gotten out. Phoebe wasn’t fragile or a delicate flower. She didn’t need to be protected. She was self-contained. Talented.

Phoebe hadn’t held back on him tonight. He’d finally had all of her; she’d given freely. He didn’t want to let that go. That realization made him pull her tighter to him, causing him to kiss her hair, trace a finger down her bare back, relieved to see the way she murmured and turned, arched towards him.

Chase wasn’t sure whether he’d ever have enough of her, the way her red-gold hair blew in the wind or her blue eyes sparkled when she found something she thought was beautiful or interesting or the way her nose scrunched up and her freckles blended together when she concentrated. He knew that he’d bought his way into her life. She wouldn’t have stayed if he hadn’t offered her a job.

He fought against that thought as he kissed the nape of her neck, running his hand along her spine, cupping her buttocks to him, until she turned, her eyes awake, her mouth reaching for him. Chase wrapped himself around her, nudged her legs gently open, and pushed all thoughts of tomorrow away for the moment.