Claire smiled at his words, but her heart had been reminded of the hurt. But the evening refilled her happiness, and soon she was laughing at Chance’s stories about his adventures and misdeeds. She had never imagined she would enjoy herself so much in his company, but she did. By the end of dinner, she was completely comfortable with him, and she had even started fantasizing about him.
They danced to a live band playing, and when he held her close, she felt the ground move under her feet. His touch sent volts of electricity racing along her spine. Chance didn’t seem to notice her discomfort, or if he did, he had a good way of hiding it.
“Did you enjoy your evening?” he asked her when they stood outside her door at the end of the night.
Claire leaned against the doorjamb and folded her arms. “It wasn’t what I expected. I must say, I thought you would be a complete asshole.”
“Oh, so I guess I was only half an asshole,” he teased.
“Maybe just a little,” she giggled. “But not too bad.”
“Would you mind terribly if I kissed you right now?” he asked.
Claire’s heart flipped as he spoke the words. She felt her body rising from the ground, and she held onto the door for support. She couldn’t recall if any man had ever asked her permission before he kissed her.
Claire felt him lean forward, holding her eyes with his, blue on hazel, and brought his lips to touch hers, softly and gently. Then she closed her eyes as they touched. She felt his breath on her skin, and it intensified the deeper she got into the kiss. His hands touched her body, and she felt him shiver like he could hardly contain himself. Then he ended their kiss.
Claire’s eyes opened a few seconds after Chance parted his lips from hers. Then, so lightly, he traced her throbbing lips with his index finger as he bit his. Claire noticed him looking behind her at the bed and she nodded. He looked at her, his eyes asking her if they could go into her room. She nodded again, and he held her as he gently nudged her into the room and towards the bed. They stood in her room kissing, and just when Claire thought he would make a move and take off her clothes, he broke the kiss again.
“Thank you so much for dinner,” he said. “But I need to leave you to get some rest.”
Claire wanted to scream at him for abandoning her, abandoning her throbbing body, but wasn’t that what she had wanted? A man who would not pester her for sex until they got married? Funny how she hadn’t wanted to have sex with Trent even after years of dating him and while engaged to him, but now she was willing to give up her virginity to a man she had just met. She looked at Chance, and instead of disappointment, she was grateful he was able to control himself and stop things before they went too far.
“Thank you for a great day,” she said. “I’ll see you in the morning.”
***
Claire jumped out of her sleep with a smile on her face and a glow deep inside her. She remembered how that used to feel so many years ago; she felt especially blissful this morning.
She threw the covers back and leapt from the bed. She checked the clock on the bedside table and saw that it read a quarter to seven. Her alarm had been set for nine. She sighed and went to the bathroom; she might as well wash up. She wouldn’t go back to sleep. As a matter of fact, she couldn't remember the last time she’d felt more awake. Her mind snagged on Chance, and she remembered how his lips felt on hers. She touched them in lieu of the actual kiss she would have preferred.
It was too early for breakfast, so she pulled the robe tighter around her and ventured onto the balcony. She slid the lattice doors back and saw Chance doing the same. The sight of him left her breathless, and she gripped the door, watching him watch her. His lips curled upwards, and her heart skipped several beats.
She eventually found her voice and mobility and moved to the rail as well. "I find it a strange coincidence," she told him and folded her arms.
"What?" he asked her.
"That you just happen to be in the room directly across from mine," she replied, laughing.
“I needed to keep an eye on you," he said nonchalantly. “Besides, it’s a nice view from here.”
Claire blushed at his insinuation. "I bet," she giggled.
"So, what are your plans for today?" he asked her.
"I'm doing it," she said and waved her hands around.
"You have got to be kidding me," he said. "You want to stay in on a day like this? Come on!"
"Well, Amy is busy, or I think she will be, and so is my mom. I think I’m on my own,” Claire said, hoping he’d take the bait and offer her company.
“Not with me around,” he beamed. “I can find something for us to do.”
“Oh, yeah?”
“Yes,” he told her. “Right after breakfast?”
“Why not?” Claire shrugged. Not like she had anything better to do. She hadn’t seen Amy for a while, and the last time she had, she had been with some guy. Chance wasn’t a bad way to spend the day, so she waved and went back inside.
She had just finished dressing and was heading downstairs when she ran into Willow in the hallway. “Mom?”
“Why does that sound as if you aren’t certain?” Willow asked.
“Because I haven’t seen you much since we got here,” Claire said. “That mystery guy has made you wild.”