Protecting Melissa (Holiday Cove 4)

“I’m always watching. In a totally non-creepy way.”

She burst out laughing. “Good to know!”

“Here, spin around and I’ll put it on you.”

She turned and gathered her hair, revealing the nape of her slender neck. I clasped the necklace but let my fingers linger, desperately wishing we were alone so I could nibble at her sweet sexy neck. I groaned.

After a moment, she spun back around and let her hair fall back around her shoulders. “Thank you.” Her fingers rested on the stone and she glanced down to admire it against her skin. “Turquoise was my mother’s favorite stone. She would have loved this necklace. That’s why it caught my eye in the first place.”

I swallowed a lump, struck by the significance of the gift. “I’m glad you like it. It looks beautiful on you. Or maybe… you look beautiful on it.”

She smiled. “Thank you, Chase. This really means a lot to me.”

36

Melissa

“What in the world is he watching out there?” I asked, looking over my shoulder at the sound of Chase’s footsteps on the kitchen floor.

Chase chuckled. “Sponge Bob. En Español.”

“Good heavens.” I rolled my eyes at the sound of Jackson cackling like a pint sized maniac in the background.

“Apparently Sponge Bob’s comedy genius transcends language barriers.”

“I guess so.”

Chase came to stand beside me at the kitchen sink. “You need some help in here?”

I rubbed at my cheek with the back of my hand, avoiding the soap suds on my fingertips. I glanced around the kitchen. I had most of the dishes corralled in the sink and was going to work scrubbing the burnt rice from the bottom of the cast iron pot. “I think I got it. This rice got all stuck—”

“Here,” Chase said before nudging me out of the way. “I got it.”

“Putting those muscles to good work?” I grinned at him and relaxed my hip against the counter.

Chase laughed. “Something like that. I could think of other ways to get a work out…” he growled, his tone low and thick.

“You’re asking for trouble, Mr. Hart.”

He chuckled. “Begging for it, actually.”

I smacked his shoulder playfully.

“What? You can’t blame me for trying. You had me popping a tent all day with that dress you had on today.”

I dropped my head back and roared with laughter. I changed after the walk at the dock but most of the day I had worn a black strapless dress made from a lightweight jersey fabric. “Oh, really?”

“Uh-huh.” He grinned over at me and my heart fluttered at the crooked smile on his lips and the dark look in his eyes. He was a man with one thing on his mind.

“Well, if I can tear the little man away…” I paused, realizing that the sound of Jackson’s laughter had stopped. I tiptoed to the edge of the kitchen and peeked out to see Jackson laying on the couch, his head drooped back, looking like a miniature version of Chase as I’d found him the other day. My hand went to my stomach, overwhelmed by the thought that the baby inside me would be an actual miniature of Chase.

Chase’s hand startled me and I jolted up, as though I’d been digging around in the cookie jar. “Where have you seen that pose before?” he joked.

“That’s what I was just thinking.” I smoothed my t-shirt over my stomach.

“Want me to carry him to bed?”

“Would you mind?”

“No, not at all. Come on.”

Chase went into the living room and scooped Jackson up into his arms and I killed the TV. Silence fell heavy over the house and I followed behind Chase as he carried Jackson to the bed we’d been sharing since arriving at the cottage. I pulled the covers back and Chase laid him down gently. Jackson didn’t even stir. I covered him up, smoothed his hair out of his face, and pressed a soft kiss to his forehead.

As I straightened, the necklace Chase had purchased for me fell against my skin and an overwhelming urge to kiss him swept over me. I rounded the bed and took him by the hand. It was time to tell him the truth about the baby, about the way I was feeling about him—and us.

Halfway down the hall, Chase stopped cold. “Shit,” he hissed under his breath.

I whipped around, my heart rate skyrocketing at the alarm in his tone. “What’s wrong?”

He dug at his pocket and retrieved his cell phone. I saw the light on the screen and my heart ticked even faster. “Is it Matt?”

Chase nodded and went back to the living room so he didn’t disturb Jackson’s sleep. Although, with the way he’d conked out so fast, I doubted anything would wake him. I followed Chase at a distance.

“Chase,” he said, his tone clipped. All business.

He listened, nodding and I tugged at his arm.

“Right. Hey, Matt, hold up a second. Melissa’s right here. I’m going to put you on speaker.” He pulled the phone away from his ear and clicked a couple keys on the brick like cellphone—I’d originally teased him about being stuck in the 90’s before he revealed that it was a little bulky because it was a super spy phone like they used when out in the middle of nowhere back in his SEAL days. “Okay, go ahead.”