He was closing in on her, and Gwen’s feet felt rooted to the spot. She couldn’t have moved then, no matter what. But, well, she didn’t want to leave. Not when he was telling her his secrets.
“I wanted to be the one touching you.” He stopped in front of her. And Chance lifted his hand. The back of his fingers slid over her cheek. “I wanted to be the one holding you. The one giving you pleasure. The one giving you everything that you needed. But first, I had to get Ethan out of your life.”
Her gaze searched his.
“You broke up with him. Told him to stay away, and I thought I might have a shot with you.” His fingers fell away from her. “Then he came after you and…that night…you saw me for the man I truly am.”
She grabbed his hand. Her fingers curled around his.
“You told me to stay away, and I did.”
Gwen licked lips that had gone too dry. “I was terrified and angry that night. Haven’t you ever said anything you didn’t mean?”
His gaze fell to her lips. “Yes.”
She waited, hardly daring to breathe.
“I can’t do this,” he whispered.
Those were the words—the four painful words—that had pierced her heart on Christmas Eve.
“Those are the words I didn’t mean. Because there was never anything more that I wanted to do…than just to be with you.”
She blinked because her eyes were filling with tears. Crazy, ridiculous tears but—
A knock sounded at the door. No, not now!
“What is it?” Chance demanded, his voice roughening.
The door opened behind Gwen. She didn’t look back. At that moment, she just couldn’t take her eyes off Chance.
“Dev and I are going out for some recon work,” Lex said. “You and Gwen going to stay here for a while?”
Chance’s gaze was on her. “For a while,” he agreed.
Her heart nearly leapt from her chest.
“We’ll swing by the police station,” Lex continued, seemingly oblivious to the tension in the room. Tension that was about to rip Gwen apart. “If the cops have more evidence on Ethan, we’ll let you know.”
Chance nodded.
A few seconds later, the door closed with a soft click.
Alone.
Chance eased around Gwen and walked toward the door. Frowning, she turned and stared after him—
He locked the door. The lock swung into place with a very solid sounding snick. His back was to Gwen. Her gaze slid over his broad shoulders, shoulders that looked a little too tense. His hand flattened against the wood of the door. “I’ve waited too long for you.”
It got even harder for her to breathe and her heartbeat seriously needed to slow down.
“I don’t want to make a mistake again. I am so fucking afraid of screwing things up with you.”
Big, bad Chance Valentine—afraid? No, that didn’t make sense. Gwen shook her head, but then realized he wouldn’t see the motion.
“I’m afraid if I don’t act now, I’ll lose you. You’ll walk away or some other bastard will come and take you away.” He turned toward her. The hot, hungry look on his face stole the breath that she’d struggled to inhale. “I want you, Gwendolyn Hawthorne. I need you, and, I’m pretty sure that if I don’t have you soon, I may just go insane.” His lips twisted in a rough smile. “If I’m not already there.”
This was happening. Actually happening. The desire on his face wasn’t a lie. The need in his voice wasn’t some careful trap to lure her in. It was real. He was real.
“I want you, too,” Gwen said. That was her truth. Past her fear and the hurt, the desire had always been there. The desire for Chance. To see what they’d have together.
She didn’t want him being the lonely man who stood in the shadows, just watching everyone else. A man on guard, always protecting the others, while he stood alone. She moved toward him. Put her hand on his chest, right over his racing heart. It beat just as fast and frantically as her own.
No, she didn’t want him to be the man alone. She wanted him to be with her. Always.
So she’d take this risk, and she’d hope that maybe—please—he felt some of the same, intense emotions that she did. Not just need. Not just desire.
More.
Love?
Her fingers trembled as they slid down his chest. She opened the buttons on his shirt. Pushed back the material. His chest was so muscled. His abs a perfect six pack. She touched him lightly at first, her fingers grazing over him. She was so nervous because this moment, it mattered. He mattered.
She leaned forward and pressed a kiss right over his heart.
“Gwen, you’re going to destroy me.”
No, his destruction was the last thing she wanted. His heart? She’d take that. She pushed the shirt all the way off his shoulders and heard the faint rustle when it hit the floor. Then Gwen kissed a path down his chest. There were some faint scars along his rib cage. Slashes near his abs. Battle wounds that made her ache because she hated to think of Chance in danger.
She wanted him to be happy. The guy was always too guarded. She wanted his control gone. She wanted to see him go wild with pleasure. She wanted his laughter. His happiness. She wanted everything that he had to give.
But first…
She would give. The last time, she’d had the pleasure. It was only fair that, this time, he was the one who got his world rocked. Her hand slid down to the top of his jeans.
“Uh, Gwen…”
She glanced up at him. “No one else is in the office, right? Your friends just left.”
“But—”
“I want you, and I want you here.” So this was where she’d have him. Her fingers pulled open the snap on his jeans, and she slid down the zipper. Chance didn’t wear underwear, a sexy bit of information that she’d be remembering for future reference. So his cock sprang toward her. Long and thick and full. So hot.
Her fingers curled around him and she pumped his length, stroking him from root to tip. Once. Twice. Three times.
If possible, his cock got even bigger.
“Baby…”
She tipped back her head and met him in an open-mouthed kiss. Gwen loved the way he kissed her. Sensually, taking and giving at the same time until arousal had her aching.
And then she pulled away from him. Staring into his eyes, she slid to the floor in front of him.
Chance shook his head. “You don’t have to—”
Have to? She wanted to taste all of him. He’d seen her go wild with pleasure. This would be her turn. Gwen leaned toward him and put her mouth on his aroused cock. Her lips closed around the broad tip and she sucked.