His answer caught me totally off guard. “Wow. That’s…that’s…incredibly sweet.”
Chase took my half-full mimosa from my hand and chugged it before speaking again. “Now don’t get me wrong, I’d be way fucking happy if you were beneath me at night. But you want to keep some distance between us physically? I respect that. Although, I’m going to be right here…making it hard for you.”
It was my turn to lean in. “Is that in the literal or figurative sense?”
Chase still had my hand entwined with his. He pulled it to his chest and lowered it down his abs, stopping just above the top of his pants. “Keep it up—I’m going to demonstrate.”
***
After landing, we caught a cab to the focus group offices and spent a few hours working with the facilitator who would run things the next day. Chase helped set up, but he deferred to me for decisions that needed to be made where I had more expertise. I liked that in a boss…and a man.
After we’d finished, we stopped by a mall on the way to our hotel since Chase really hadn’t brought an overnight bag and had nothing to wear. Inside Nordstrom’s, I helped him pick out some casual clothes. While he was in the fitting room, I continued to shop on some of the nearby racks. He walked out wearing a pair of jeans and a simple navy polo that fit perfectly across his wide chest. His feet were bare and his hair even more mussed than usual from changing.
I walked over with a button-up I’d picked out, and Chase held out his arms and did a little spin circle. “Good?”
“I seriously doubt there’s anything that looks bad on you.” I held out the other shirt for him to try on.
He reached up over his head, tugged at the yoke of the polo, and pulled it off in that way that only boys remove their shirts. It was impossible not to stare. His body was just so incredibly perfect. Tanned and lean, every muscle seemed carved into his body. The jeans were a bit loose at the waist and hung low, showcasing his deep-set V. I was pretty sure he had the best body I’d ever seen up close.
I had inadvertently licked my lips, and Chase noticed. “You keep looking at me like that, we’re going to wind up in the fitting room.”
A vision of the two of us in the fitting room, up against the mirror, flashed in my head. When I didn’t respond, Chase knew—he knew—what I was visualizing. My arm was still extended, holding the shirt. Chase reached out, but instead of taking it, he tugged my hand and pulled me close.
“You’re fired,” he groaned as he buried his face in my hair. “So fucking fired.”
I was one exhale away from giving in when a woman’s voice brought me back to my senses.
She cleared her throat. “Is there anything I can help you find?”
I jumped back, putting space between the two of us. But I was still unable to speak. Chase answered her, speaking into my eyes.
“No, thanks. I think I have everything I need.” Our gaze held until he finally said, “Let me go get dressed.”
“Ummm…yeah…right…okay. I’ll grab you a few T-shirts while you change.”
When he turned to walk away, still shirtless, for the first time I noticed a tattoo on his side. I couldn’t make out what it said, but it looked like a bunch of writing going up his ribs.
Shaking my head as I walked away, still feeling hot and bothered, I thought to myself what an enigma my boss was. A smart CEO with custom-tailored suits, a nipple ring, and tattoo—a man who gets on a plane without luggage and admits he tried to keep away but couldn’t stop himself. The only thing holding all those distinctively different traits together was that they all said the man had passion. I could feel that in the way he looked at me. And as much as it turned me on to no end, it also scared the living crap out of me.
We were quiet for a while after that. Chase reappeared fully clothed, and it took us another half hour in Nordstrom’s to grab T-shirts, boxers, and sneakers. When we were finally done, the sun was beginning to set outside, and I yawned on the walk to the rental car in the parking lot.
“Tired?”
“A little. It’s been a long day.”
Chase opened my car door, waited for me to get in, then tossed his purchases in the backseat.
Before pulling out, he turned to me. “How about dinner at our hotel, then? The website said there’s a steakhouse. We can get you fed and into bed.”
“Into bed?”
“I meant for some rest. But if you’ve got something else in mind…”
Oh, I had something else on my mind all right. And it was getting harder by the moment to think of anything else.