Ready To Love Again (21 page)

“Shhh, go back to sleep.” This was a needless request since she closed her eyes and a soft snore came from her parted lips before he made it to his room. He stifled a laugh at the unladylike sound while he nudged open the door to his room.

Once he’d laid her on his bed, Gina pulled off Katie’s shoes. He got out of the room while Gina continued to strip Katie of her clothing. Once Katie was changed into a pair of pajamas, Gina left, sending him back into his room with a wink and a nudge.

Chase agonized over the decision to climb in bed with her. Sitting on the end of the mattress, he argued with himself over whether she would mind. There were so many factors to consider. What about the kids? What would they think? Would Katie freak out when she woke up next to him? Would she think he’d taken advantage of the situation?

It wasn’t until Gina passed by his room and told him to stop overanalyzing the situation that he made his decision.

Chase trusted Gina more than he did himself in this circumstance, so he took her advice and slid in next to Katie. He turned toward her and brushed the hair away from her face while he watched her sleep. Sliding his arm under her neck, he pulled her against his side, careful not to wake her. Before he drifted off, he felt a comfortable peace wash over him.

This is something I could get used to.

Chapter 11

Chase heard a soft purr in his ear, waking him from a deep sleep. His eyes fluttered open, and he looked down to see thick, chestnut hair splayed across his arm. Katie’s head lay on his shoulder, her small hand wrapped around the fabric of his T-shirt. He pushed the corner of his pillow into the mattress so he could see the clock on the nightstand.

It was still early, and he could hear the familiar sounds of Gina making breakfast for the kids. Chase pondered whether he should get up and help her. Having Katie in his arms, warm and comfortable, didn’t do anything to persuade him to move.

A small moan came from her parted lips, and he wondered if her pain medication had worn off. She had rolled onto her hand during the night, and he worried it might hurt when she finally woke.

Katie whispered something unintelligible, then burrowed closer to Chase, making him chuckle under his breath. He was patient while he waited for her wake up, wanting to catch a glimpse of her striking eyes. Her fingers twitched on his chest before unraveling from his shirt, sliding down his stomach, and stopping above his naval before hitting anything vital. Chase let out the breath he’d been holding and tried to ignore the errant thoughts he had of them both with a little less clothing.

A small smile played at Katie’s lips before she let out a long sigh. She shifted until her chin rested on his chest, and then her lashes fluttered open, giving him the reward he sought.

“Good morning,” he whispered, hoping she wouldn’t freak out over their being in bed together. She smiled up at him and leaned forward until their lips touched for a brief moment. Chase trailed his fingers down her arm, grasped the hand that threatened to embarrass them both, and pulled it up to his lips. He brushed his mouth over her palm and looked into her sleepy eyes.

“Good morning,” she whispered.

Katie shifted her weight until she could pull her bandaged hand out from under her. The move pressed her against his side, one of her legs wedged between his. His worry about upsetting her vanished when her mouth met his again. Chase’s hand slid up her arm and threaded into her hair while he deepened the kiss. With an eagerness that stunned him, Katie opened her mouth and attacked his lips. A spike of desire ran through his body, and he pulled her across his chest, a shudder rippling through hers.

A short thought flickered through his mind, warning him to stop before things went too far, but that thought was forgotten when she pulled away and he saw the longing in her eyes. The hand he’d wrapped in her hair tugged her back down to him until their lips melded together.

Soft kisses turned hungry while Chase trailed his free hand down her side, grazing the side of her breast and stopping at her hip. He rolled her onto her back and hovered over her before reclaiming her lips with his own. Slowly, he eased himself between her legs, giving her enough time to protest if she thought they were moving too fast. He felt like a starving man. It had been a long time since he’d felt anything close to what he did at that moment, and he couldn’t get enough of her. Chase broke their kiss and looked down at her, needing reassurance that she wanted him as much as he wanted her. Her hair was in wild disarray from his hands, her lips were swollen, and her cheeks were flushed, but there was no reluctance in her eyes.

Chase bent down to kiss her again, but Katie let out a small squeak and shoved him away. He rolled onto his back, baffled at her response, and hoped he hadn’t screwed up by misreading her signals. When his head hit the pillow, he looked up in time to see Tony jump right in the middle of the bed. Shawn followed close behind him.

“What the hell?” Chase hollered in surprise when Tony scampered up the bed between them.

“Come on, Dad! Aunt Gina made pancakes.”

Chase smiled to lessen the bite of his words until Tony grabbed the covers and started to pull them down. Chase’s arms clamped down on the comforter before his desire for the woman next to him became obvious to them all.

“Go,” he commanded. “We’ll come down in a minute.”

“But, Dad, they’re getting cold,” Tony said, continuing to tug on the comforter.

“Anthony, now.” Chase regretted his abrupt scolding, but it was the only way to get both boys out of the room. Tony crawled off the bed with his head hung low and walked toward the door with Shawn.

“My dad’s not usually such a grouch when he wakes up in the morning.”

“My mom is,” Shawn said with a shrug.

When the boys closed the door, Chase looked over at Katie. She was flat on her back, staring up at the ceiling. He rolled toward her and wrapped his arm around her waist, tugging on her hip until she faced him.

“Are you okay?” His anxiety over moving too fast was reflected by his voice.

“I’m perfect,” she said with a smile. “But it’s kind of awkward to have your kids sneak up on you when you’re making out.”

Chase chuckled and kissed her nose, relieved she didn’t seem upset about him going too far. “Go have breakfast. I’ll be down after I take a shower.”

After a long, cold shower, Chase greeted his family, giving Katie a quick kiss on the cheek. He felt her eyes on him while he poured a cup of coffee, and he found that he liked it—a lot. Chase took a long sip out of his mug before he met her meaningful stare. When their gazes connected, he knew it wouldn’t be long before they were intimate. The hunger in her eyes mirrored his own feelings, and a part of him was excited at the prospect. The other part was terrified.

“Dad?”

Chase broke eye contact with Katie and turned to his son. “Yeah, slugger?”

Tony looked apprehensive while he pushed the pancakes around on his plate. “I’m sorry for—”

“You didn’t do anything you need to apologize for,” Chase said.

“But you were mad when I tried to get you and Katie out of bed,” he said. Chase heard a snort come from Gina before she left the kitchen.

“Katie slept in your bed?” Liz asked her father. Tony nodded and turned back to his dad.

“In Mom’s bed?” she questioned again.

Chase could see the eruption coming, but he knew there wasn’t anything he could do to prevent it. Katie’s eyes were downcast, directed at her plate as if something more interesting than pancakes were on it. The awkward silence that followed was better than the outburst he expected, but not by much. After a moment, Liz stood and, without a word, she walked out of the kitchen, leaving her half-eaten plate of food on the table. Chase sighed and ran his fingers through his hair.

Tony, oblivious to what had happened with Liz, turned to Katie. “So are you going to have another sleepover soon?”

Katie chuckled. “I don’t think so,” she said, looking over at Chase.

“I have to work evening shifts for the next couple of weeks, so maybe later.” Chase winked at Katie over his coffee. Both boys let out a simultaneous groan, frustrated that it would be a while.

“I figured I can drop the kids off at school, and then you can drive me to work. I’ll bring Katie’s car home tonight,” Gina said when she came back in and fixed a plate of pancakes, handing it to Chase.

“I need to go to work,” Katie said.

Gina shook her head. “No, you don’t.” Her arms folded over her chest. “Doctor’s orders. Besides, I’ve already talked to Amelia, and she said to take today off.”

Katie muttered under her breath when Gina left the room to get the kids ready. Chase smiled. There was no point in arguing with Gina. While he finished off the rest of the pancakes, Katie went upstairs to take a shower and change into something Gina had loaned her, and his sister took the kids to school.

Gina returned a short time later and began to clean up the kitchen. “So what were you two doing when Tony came in your room this morning?”

Chase ignored her, hoping to stop the teasing before it started.

She thought aloud. “Hmm. I’ve never heard you yell at Tony for coming into your room before. You either didn’t want to be interrupted, or you were in a compromising position,” she mused, making Chase’s ears heat up with embarrassment.

“Drop it, Gina.”

The sound of Katie’s footsteps on the stairs ended their conversation for the moment, but Chase wasn’t fooled into thinking it wouldn’t come up again.

“Ready?” Chase asked Katie when she stepped down from the last stair. She nodded, and he took her into his arms. Gina and her teasing were forgotten when he stared at the beautiful woman in front of him. He brushed his lips against hers, and she relaxed in his embrace.

“Get a room,” Gina said, poking her brother in the ribs. “Let’s go. I’m going to be late.”

He felt a huge sense of disappointment when he dropped Katie off at her house. She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek, and he watched her until her front door closed. With a heavy heart, he backed out of her driveway and onto the busy road.

“I really like her,” Gina said.

“Yeah. I do, too.”

Gina chattered away about her upcoming wedding and the stress of all the details involved in making her day perfect. Chase tuned out most of what she said and inserted an occasional
mm-hmm
or nod whenever she paused. His mind was fixed on the memory of Katie in his bed and the unease he couldn’t seem to shake.

“Then Daniel put on a purple skirt with some matching heels and did the Macarena.”

“Mm-hmm, that’s nice.”

“Chase!” Gina’s tone made him turn and look at her with a raised brow. “You didn’t hear a word I said, did you?”

Shamefaced, Chase shook his head. “Sorry, Gina.”

She huffed, folding her arms across her chest. After a few minutes, she gave him her angelic smile, and he knew he was in trouble.

“What are your plans with Katie?”

He couldn’t tell if she had some kind of dastardly plan to put into motion. “We’re going to take the kids to the Good Old Days in a couple weeks.”

“No. I mean, just the two of you?”

“We haven’t talked about it.”

He pulled into the turnabout in front of the aquarium.

“Okay, my stupid brother. I think you’ve forgotten how to date.”

“Give me a break, Gina. It’s been over thirteen years.”

Ignoring his snarky comment, she continued. “You need to think about doing some things without the kids. I don’t have any major events scheduled for the weekend in three weeks, so I’ll take all the kids,” Gina said, climbing out of the car. “You think of something special to do with your sweetheart.”

She gave Chase a small wink, then dashed across the street and disappeared into the aquarium. He pulled back onto Cannery Row and thought about her proposal.

Images of Katie lying in his bed with her cheek on his pillow flickered through his mind: her hair fanned out behind her, the taste of her on his lips, her hands traveling across his body.

Then Liz’s words struck him like a slap back into reality—
“In Mom’s bed?”
Her disappointment, anger, and tears during the last three years crashed around him like tumultuous waves, extinguishing the flames he felt for Katie. His chest tightened while Liz’s words echoed in his mind.

What have I done?

He felt like he’d betrayed every memory he ever shared with his wife. A pain gripped his chest, cutting off his breath while he recounted the times he and Terri had made love in that bed. Other memories flashed through his mind: lying in bed talking about their children’s futures, Terri nursing Tony at three in the morning, reading a book to Liz. His breath came in quick gasps, and he pulled over to the side of the road. Chase recognized his symptoms for what they were—another panic attack.

Somewhere in the back of his mind, he knew he was being ridiculous, but his emotions screamed that he had been unfaithful. Chase managed to get a grip when another fresh wave of guilt assaulted him over his struggle to let go of his wife. Katie deserved more than his halfhearted attempt at a relationship, but he was too selfish to give her up. He could already see, in the short time they’d been together, that she could pull him from murky depths of his grief. Needing to reassure himself he was making the right decision, he reached for his phone and dialed her number.