said quickly, stepping out of the shadows.
“Chase!” Letitia exclaimed, clutching her chest. “My god, you scared me.” She took a deep breath, and then another. “What are you doing here so late? Is everything OK?”
Chase swallowed. What could he say to that?
No, you’re driving me crazy, I can’t get you out of my head.
“Where’s Seth?” he asked instead, looking past her, into the house.
Letitia blinked. “That’s none of your business,” she said, and Chase couldn’t take it anymore.
“What if it was?” he demanded, moving closer. She was pale in the moonlight, so beautiful, it hurt. “What if I wanted it to be?”
Letitia’s expression changed. “Chase…” she whispered softly, and dammit, the sound of his name on her lips was his undoing.
He couldn’t fight it any longer. He had to know, if she craved this the way he did.
And so he reached out, and pulled her into his arms, and finally, finally kissed her again.
Letitia didn’t know what was happening. One minute, she was regretfully telling her date that she wouldn’t be seeing him again; the next, Chase was on her back porch, his eyes flashing dark with purpose, his body taut with tension.
And his mouth…
His mouth was the only thing that mattered in the world.
Chase kissed her deeper, and she moaned against him, shocked by the surge of heat crashing through her, and the way it felt to be back in his arms again. Natural. Right.
Like she never should have left them.
Letitia’s head spun. She’d been second-guessing herself since the moment she’d explained to Seth that she just didn’t feel a connection. Maybe she was overthinking it. Maybe she was finding fault for no good reason.
But one touch from Chase, and she knew, there was no mistake. This was the only man she was meant to be kissing.
His was the only embrace that made her world tilt clean off its axis.
She pressed closer, her hands moving to tangle in his hair as his lips teased and caressed hers. Chase eased her mouth open, and slid his tongue deep; a sensuous dance that left her gasping. She was fire and thunder; heartbeat roaring loud enough to blot out the ocean tide. She barely registered the sound of her phone ringing, somewhere inside the house – she was too busy trying to feel every inch of Chase’s torso through his soft cotton T-shirt…
But he pulled back.
Letitia made a noise of protest, reaching for him again, but Chase was breathing hard, looking at her with regret clear on his face.
“Damn.” He swore softly. “That wasn’t… I mean, I shouldn’t have…” He took another step back. “I’m sorry.”
And then he turned and strode away into the dark.
Letitia stood there, dumbfounded. Her pulse was racing like she’d just run a marathon, her legs were weak, and there was a tight ache of desire nestled low in her belly. That had been, without a doubt, the most heart-stopping, earth-shattering, life-ruining kiss she’d ever had.
And he was sorry?
She walked back inside in a daze. She’d only just arrived home: Her bag was still by the door, and her keys on the counter. She poured herself a glass of cold water and slowly walked upstairs.
Sorry…
She stripped off her clothes in autopilot, blindly pulling a silky nightgown over her head.
Sorry…
She went to the bathroom, brushed her teeth, and stared blankly at her reflection in the mirror, removing her makeup with slowly, absent strokes.
He was sorry?!
Letitia stopped. “No,” she said aloud, finally piercing the haze of lust and confusion fogging her mind. He didn’t get to kiss her like that, and then literally run away. He didn’t get to break her weeks of self-control, only to disappear like it had never happened.
Just who did he think she was?
She grabbed her robe stormed downstairs, her anger rising, hot in her chest. Was this guy for real? Maybe he was used to yanking people around in whichever direction he wanted them to go, but she wasn’t going to take his hot-and-cold routine. She was a grown woman, dammit, and she deserved answers.
Now.
Letitia steamed out of the house and across her moonlit backyard, her feet bare in the dewy grass. She reached the Airstream, and hammered angrily on the door.
No answer.
“Chase?” she hollered. “Chase, I know you’re in there!”
“In where?”
His voice behind her made Letitia shriek in surprise for the second time that night. She whirled around – and promptly forgot whatever she’d been about to say.
He was naked.
Well, close enough. Chase was dripping wet from the ocean, water running in rivulets down