Realizing she’d misunderstood his transfixion, he put up his hands. “I’m sorry. We’re safe. It’s just that I saw you and…” Not knowing how to finish the sentence without admitting something he did not want to admit, he turned away and left the bathroom.
He stood in the center of the room for several minutes and tried to get his breath back. He couldn’t believe she could render him speechless, unable to move or think. Him. Chase Vickers. A man who could drive a speedboat at over a hundred miles per hour and not even get his heart rate up. He could consort with some of the most ruthless killers in the world during undercover operations and not even break a sweat. But one look at Lily Garrett lying in a tub full of bubbles, and he felt as if he were aeons out of his league.
“Chase.”
He didn’t turn at the sound of her voice. He didn’t think he could bear to see her in that towel again and not do something stupid. Like pull her into his arms and kiss her until neither of them could think straight. Or maybe tumble her into bed and ease some of the sexual tension that had been zinging between them since the start.
Only then did he realize that bringing her here had been a mistake. A big mistake that in the long run would probably cost both of them more than they bargained for.
“You okay?”
He actually jolted at the sound of her voice. He jolted again when she touched his arm. Her fingertips felt cool and soft against his suddenly feverish skin. Chase knew the signs. Racing heart, sweating palms, the rush of blood to his groin. It wasn’t the first time lust had gripped him when it came to this woman and it probably wasn’t the last. The problem was, his feelings for Lily went a hell of a lot deeper than simple male lust, and he couldn’t do a damn thing about it without digging a hole so deep he might not ever find his way out.
“I’m fine.” Moving away from her, he crossed to the table and stared down at the food he’d brought. He tried to conjure his hunger from earlier. But food wasn’t what he wanted. It wasn’t what he craved, what he needed more than his next breath.
“Any sign of the men?” she asked.
“No.”
“Any news on what might be happening?”
Knowing he couldn’t put off the inevitable, he finally turned to her and immediately wished he hadn’t. The oversize terry-cloth robe wrapped around her made her look incredibly small and feminine. Her hair was still piled messily on top of her head. Wet tendrils curled around her face and stuck to her throat. Her green eyes were so clear and lovely he thought if he got any closer to her he might just fall into them.
“I talked to Ben Parker before the battery died.” His voice grated like a coffee mill, so he cleared his throat. “He’s going to let Shane know we’re on our way. He’ll be expecting us.”
“What about Ty and Ethan?”
“Couldn’t call them.” He tapped the cell phone clipped to his belt.
Turning, she started for the phone on the night table. “You could call them from here.”
She picked up the phone to hand it to him, but Chase was instantly at her side. Taking her wrist, he usurped the phone and recradled it. “Not on this phone. If Ty’s or Ethan’s numbers are bugged, the call could be traced back to this room.”
“I didn’t think we’d be here that long.” She glanced down to where his large fingers were wrapped around her wrist, then slowly raised her gaze to his.
Chase knew he should let her go. He should turn around, walk over to that table, unwrap his food and forget about the crazy thoughts jumping through his brain. He didn’t let her go.
She stared up at him, her expression startled, like a little cat snared in the jaws of a pit bull. “What are you doing?”
“Making a mistake, probably.”
“Then be smart about this and stop it before it happens.” But she made no move to pull away.
“We both know I’ve never been smart when it comes to you.”
“We’ve gone down this road before,” she said. “It didn’t work the first time, and it won’t work now.”
“You sure about that?”
“I’m sure that mistakes are never a good thing.”
She made a halfhearted attempt to loosen his grip. He didn’t oblige. This wasn’t easy for him. He wasn’t going to make it easy for her. There was something between them. Heat. But something deeper. A connection so powerful he could feel it all the way to his bones. He was going to make her acknowledge it. He was going to make her remember.
“That’s where you’re wrong,” he whispered. “This one is going to be good.”
Taking her face between his hands, he lowered his mouth to hers.
Chapter Ten