Wild at Heart (Healing Harts) Read online

  “Bailey. Tomorrow? Can you be at my office?”

  Justin had already told Chase he was going to stay with him anyway. “I’ll fly out in the morning. Text me the address.”

  “Don’t worry about it. Alyssa told me to make sure everything is taken care of for you. I’ll get your flight, hotel, and car taken care of for you and send you the conformation. In the meantime, I’ll schedule a meeting with Allen, and you need to let the band know what’s going on.”

  Bailey hurried through the back door as she hung up the phone. She had no idea what would happen tomorrow, or even if he could get her a flight, but right now, that was the least of her worries. Chase’s voice rose but she realized he wasn’t calling for her.

  “Lance! No!” He shook his head, still sleeping, and she saw him grimace in pain. His arm automatically curled around his ribs, even as he yelled out again.

  Bailey rushed to him and dropped to her knees in front of the chair. “Chase.” She slid one hand on his knee, trying to wake him gently before he caused himself any more pain. “Hey, wake up.”

  His eyes opened slowly, still clouded with sleep and pain. Realizing where he was, Chase relaxed slightly and Gracie let out a relieved sigh before flopping down on her pillow behind Chase’s chair.

  “Bailey? What are you doing here?” He reached his fingers toward her face as she tried to stop him and he sucked in a pained breath. “Oh, shit!”

  “Don’t move.” She stood and reached for his arm, easing him back against the chair. “You were having a nightmare. Are you okay?” Her eyes scanned the deep bruising and scrapes on the back of his arm.

  “No.”

  “Where—”

  Chase grasped her hand and pulled her down toward him. She knew she needed to talk to him, to tell him the truth about how she felt about him, but when his fingers moved into her hair, she leaned into him, needing his touch more than she needed to confess. It wasn’t like the desperate, forbidden kisses they’d shared before. This was slow, tender, and filled with yearning. She wasn’t sure whether it was for what they could have or what she had thrown away, but she wasn’t going to walk away from him a second time. His tongue caressed her lower lip before stroking hers, a sensuous dance that stole her breath and left her dizzy and grasping his forearms before he pulled back.

  “I’m sorry,” he said against her lips, looking up at her. “I shouldn’t have—”

  “Shh,” Bailey whispered back, lifting her palm to cup his jaw. “You talk too much, Chase. Shut up and kiss me already.”

  Chase smiled against her lips. “Yes, ma’am.”

  CHASE WASN’T ABOUT to question his sanity, nor was he going to argue with her demands. Bailey’s hand curled around the back of his head as she leaned down, her fingers running through his short hair, sending desire spiraling down his spine. He’d think about the repercussions later. This was probably the biggest mistake he could make right now, knowing she wouldn’t stay, but he’d always been prone to making doozies where Bailey was concerned. He’d made the first nearly ten years ago when he first realized he’d fallen for her as she ran off with his clothes while he was on a date with someone else.

  “Chase?” He could feel her withdrawing, and disappointment began to sink its bitter teeth into him. She moved in front of the chair and knelt between his thighs, her hands braced on his legs as she looked up at him with tear-soaked eyes. “I’m sorry.”

  He was afraid to speak, afraid that if he did, he would wake and find this was all a dream. “For?” He tried to move forward in the chair, to close the distance between them.

  “Everything. The other night. I shouldn’t have—”

  Chase pulled her toward him. “Come here.”

  “I can’t. I’ll hurt you.”

  He gave her a crooked smile and shook his head. “I took one of your ‘damn pills’ an hour ago. I can’t feel anything,” he lied as she stood and straddled his legs, carefully settling in his lap, facing him with her hands against his shoulders. The pain from his ribs was nothing compared with the slow-burning ache she was causing throughout the rest of his body now.

  He cupped her face with his hands and looked into her eyes. He could read the regret in them, and the fear. “I told you a long time ago, I know you. I know that you do everything with passion but I also know what scares you. You can’t love someone without knowing them.”

  “Chase, I—” she started.

  “Don’t, Bailey. Don’t say anything you don’t mean and don’t make any promises you can’t keep. I’ll accept whatever you can give.”

  As much as he wanted to hear her say she would stay, he was giving her an out. She might want him, but not enough to stay. That didn’t make him love her any less, and if this was all he could ever have of her, he’d take this single moment in time. If he’d learned anything from Lance’s death, it was that life was unpredictable, and his had nearly been cut short today.

  She ran her thumb over his cheek, the rasp of her hand on the stubble he hadn’t yet shaved the only sound in the room other than their ragged breathing. “You listen to me for a change. I love you, Chase McKee. I have loved you since I was thirteen years old and you only noticed me because I was Justin’s little cousin.” She gave him a wicked smile, her eyes filled with every bit of the longing he felt. “If you knew me as well as you think you do, you’d have known that. It seems everyone else has figured it out.”

  Chase let his thumbs caress the bare skin of her lower back under her shirt, desperate to feel her under his hands, to have her hands on him again. “You’re killing me, you know that, right?”

  “I seem to recall you saying that once before. You didn’t seem to mind then either.” She smiled and leaned forward, bracing her weight on the back of the chair, and slanted her mouth over his.

  “You really think we can manage this here? You’re pretty clumsy and with my ribs . . . ”

  Bailey’s face lit up with the most beautiful smile he’d ever seen before she pulled her T-shirt over her head. “I guess that means we’ll have to take things nice and slow, doesn’t it?”

  Yearning slammed into him. Chase growled as his hands slid to the clasp on the back of her bra. “Damn, Bailey, please don’t tease me. I’m injured.”

  She sat up, reaching for the clasp behind her back, which pressed her breasts closer to his face. “So that you don’t have to strain yourself,” she explained.

  Chase slid his hands up her arms to her shoulders before letting his fingers trace the lace over the top her breasts, and heard her breath catch as she slid the straps down her shoulders and tossed the bra to one side. He cupped her breasts in his hands, savoring the weight of them, wanting to bury himself in her. His hands slid to her back. As if reading his mind, Bailey arched her back and he took her into his mouth. His tongue circled one tight peak, plucking at it with his lips, as her hands fumbled with the buttons on his shirt. She slid open his shirt, her hands fanning over his chest, trailing over down the center of his abs, falling on his belt.

  “Let’s get these off as painlessly as possible.” Bailey slid off his lap and held out a hand to help him from the chair. He’d never loved her more as she stood there, half-naked, desire shining in her eyes but thinking of his comfort. Or trying to get him out of his pants, which was okay with him, too.

  Chase refused to take her hand and used the arms of the chair to rise. Bailey shook her head. “It’s good to know that no amount of painkillers can lessen that macho ego of yours,” she teased, running a fingertip down his sternum. “Don’t move,” she ordered before hurrying down the hall.

  He frowned as she returned empty-handed. “Don’t give me that look. You’ll understand soon enough.” She reached forward and unhooked his belt buckle, letting her fingers slide over the bulge in the front of his jeans.

  “Bailey,” he growled in warning. “This will make the third try at this and if you do that again, we’ll need a fourth go.”

  Her husky laugh was almost as sexy as watching
her wiggle out of her own jeans, letting them pool at her feet before she slid his jeans and boxer briefs down his legs. However, neither compared with the fire that raged through him when she licked her lower lip and she nervously looked up at him, a blush coloring her cheeks as she slid her hands up his thighs.

  If she touched him, they were finished. “Don’t even think about it,” he warned. Chase laughed out loud at the disappointment on her face. “Another time,” he promised.

  Bailey bent over, giving him a glorious view of her rear, and reached into the pocket of her jeans. As she stood up, she produced a small silver packet between her fingers. She deliberately punished him by sliding her body up the front of his, making him groan in pleasurable torture.

  “A sexy woman with brains who sings like an angel and comes prepared. You’re a dangerous combination.”

  “And you love it. Sit,” she ordered as she tore the small package open.

  As she slid the condom over him, Chase tried to hold himself back, but when her nails gently grazed his inner thigh, he knew he couldn’t wait any longer.

  “Come here,” he said, reaching for her hand. “I need you.”

  Bailey carefully straddled him again while Chase held her hips, his fingers digging into the soft flesh of her rear. Later, he would worship her body the way he wanted to. For now, he had to fulfill his deepest desire to make her his, to claim her body the way she swore he’d claimed her heart.

  He drew her mouth down to his, feasting on the taste of her. With agonizing slowness, Bailey slid down the length of him, her body cradled against his as she clung to his shoulders. Their sighs of pleasure mingled, her breath becoming his, their bodies becoming one, and for a moment he held her still, enveloped in her heat.

  “I love you, Chase,” she whispered against his lips, arching her back as his hand feathered over her ribs to caress the curve of her breast.

  Bailey bucked against him, driving him farther into her, and a low growl sounded deep in his chest as he tried to control the passion engulfing his very being.

  “Don’t move,” she pleaded, her voice a quiet sigh of bliss. “You’re hurt,” she reminded him.

  In truth, his ribs were on fire. However, the pain from injury hurt far less than the way his entire body throbbed. She rocked her hips against him and he couldn’t take any more. Chase held her rear and drove himself into her, rocking his hips, ignoring the pain from his ribs as he lost himself to the ecstasy of her.

  “Chase.” His name was a prayer on her lips as she buried her face into the curve of his neck.

  “I want to see you, Bailey. Look at me.” Her eyes met his and he could see every emotion she felt, laid bare to him for the first time. He wasn’t sure what would happen after tonight. She could still be determined to go to LA, but he refused to give up this one night together, in case it was the only night with her. It would be enough. It had to be.

  Her body trembled as he felt her release and she cried out his name, begging him to join her. Without regret, Chase gave in.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  BAILEY SHIVERED AS Chase’s fingers grazed over her back, tickling her even as she collapsed against him. When he hissed in pain, she jerked upright. “Oh! Chase, I forgot.”

  He brushed her hair back from her face. “It’s okay. So did I.” He tried not to laugh but didn’t quite manage it. “Ow.”

  Feeling guilty for not realizing how much pain this was actually causing him, Bailey tried to move, but Chase held her in place. “Not yet.” He let his fingers trail over the curve of her hip and over her butt, making her want to curl against him again in her relaxed state.

  Bailey cupped his face in her palms and kissed him, letting him know exactly how she felt without saying a word, and felt him stir within her. She drew back and looked down at him, surprised. “While I would love to go for a second round, cowboy, I don’t have anything else with me and I’m not sure your ribs can handle that much torment.”

  He held her chin between his thumb and forefinger before brushing her bangs back, his eyes glinting wickedly. “Whatever you need, I’m sure I can manage.”

  As much as she wanted to stay right where she was, she knew better. “Come on, I’ll give you a shower.” She turned away from him, giving him a view of her rear.

  “Tease.”

  She looked over her shoulder at him. “Who says I’m teasing?”

  Bailey didn’t wait for him as she walked down the hall to his room and turned on the shower. Goose bumps rose on her arms as electric charges seemed to ignite within her. She didn’t need to turn around to know Chase was in the room. “How are your ribs, really?”

  “How’d you know I was here? I didn’t make a sound.” He stepped closer, circling her waist with his arms, his hands finding every inch of her longing for his touch.

  She dropped her head backward to his shoulder, reaching behind her to grasp his butt. “I always know when you’re close,” she admitted.

  “Do you?” He reached inside his medicine cabinet before walking with her into the stall, not letting her go.

  Chase played her body, fondling, caressing, lifting her higher until she couldn’t hold back her release any longer and found heaven in his arms yet again. As her breathing settled, she seized the opportunity to explore his body. Under the guise of washing him, she let her hands find every hard plane of his body, every ticklish spot, and every erotic touch. Using his teeth to tear open the packet he’d retrieved, he quickly sheathed himself. By the time he reached for her hands and wound them around his neck, he was gasping for breath. Chase pressed her back against the wall and grabbed her thigh, lifting it to his hip, and buried himself in her. She clung to him, desperate to find release again. His mouth found her neck, licking the water from her shoulders and sucking at the sensitive flesh as she cried out. She felt his body tense as he joined her.

  “I stand corrected,” she panted against his throat.

  Chase chuckled against her neck. “You underestimate me.” He brushed the curve of her breast with his thumb and she trembled against him. “Don’t do it again,” he teased. He rubbed at the spot where he’d held her thigh. “Did I hurt you?”

  She stood on her toes and pressed a kiss to his mouth, sucking his bottom lip between hers. “You have never hurt me.”

  Quickly washing, he stepped out and took two towels from the cabinet, wrapping her in soft terry cloth. She saw the change in him as he drew her close and kissed her slowly, as if he suddenly realized something had shifted between them forever and wasn’t sure how to handle it. He wrapped the towel around his waist and twined his fingers with hers, pulling her toward his bed.

  She stopped midway through the room and arched a brow at him. “Again?”

  Chase chuckled quietly. “No, I just want to lie with you in my arms.”

  “Isn’t it a little early? It’s only two in the afternoon.”

  “I don’t want to sit in that chair and talk to you from across the room. This way, I can hold you.” Chase eased himself onto the bed, leaving plenty of room for her to join him.

  Bailey dropped the towel over the corner of the bed and slid under the covers, relishing the feeling of his bare skin against her own. She was careful, as he lay on his back, to curl against him without lying on his injuries, and ran her fingers over his chest.

  “Are you okay?”

  His voice was tentative, as if he wasn’t sure what else to say now that nothing stood between them. Or maybe because there was still so much unspoken and he wasn’t sure how to breach the topic he really wanted to discuss.

  She looked up at him through dark lashes, sleepily. “I’ve never been better. I should be asking you that question.”

  “I’m sore, but I regret nothing,” he insisted.

  “Are you sure about that? You should probably reconsider ever being involved in Cowboy Poker again.” Her fingers played over the ridges and valleys of his stomach, tracing the outline of his abs.

  “Nope. It got you here and
I have your compete attention.” Chase let his fingers play over the length of her arm.

  She murmured her agreement as she closed her eyes, relishing the simple pleasure of being with him. “Chase?”

  “Hmm?” She could hear sleep claiming him.

  “What were you dreaming about when I woke you? Who’s Lance?” Bailey felt the tension immediately coil in him.

  “Why?”

  “You were calling for him.” The apprehension tightened his voice, making her worry.

  “What did I say?”

  “Just his name.” She looked at his face. His eyes were dark and shadowed, his face pale, and she could see fear deepening the frown on his brow. “Chase?”

  His long, drawn-out sigh as he collected his thoughts, or his nerve, made her stomach twist painfully, even though she didn’t know why. “He was my partner.”

  “Was?”

  “He’s dead and I killed him.”

  CHASE SAW THE horror in Bailey’s eyes as she rose on one elbow and knew if he told her, she would never look at him the same way. But he couldn’t lie to her, he didn’t want to. He’d told Justin because he needed someone who could listen and offer sound advice. He wanted to tell Bailey because she deserved to see his darkest demon, to understand the man he was now compared with the man she believed she knew. If it chased her away, then she was better off. But she deserved to know the truth.

  She shook her head, the fear hidden behind a mask of confidence, and she lay back down, tucking her head into the crook of his arm. “I don’t believe you. You would never hurt anyone.”

  “Bailey, I’ve hurt a lot of people.” He played with her long, golden hair, letting it fall through his fingers like gossamer strands of gold. “Usually it was people who deserved it.” She didn’t respond, but he knew by the tension he could feel in her body that she was still listening.

  “We were on a domestic violence call. Somehow a woman got a call out to dispatch that she was locked in the house with her two kids and her ex-boyfriend and he was threatening to kill them. We were able to convince the guy to let the kids out. Once we had them safe in the patrol car, I wanted to go in for her. Lance wanted to wait for backup.”