An Engagement in Seattle - Debbie Macomber [126]
The scent of blooming roses wafted up to him, and her pink toes were perched against the far end. The welcome he saw in her eyes made his heart beat so furiously that for a moment he couldn’t breathe.
He cleared his throat. “How’s the water?” he asked, shoving his hands in his pants pockets.
“It’s perfect.”
“I see you’ve added a bunch of women’s stuff to that water.”
“Women’s stuff?”
“Bubble bath or whatever.”
“Do you mind?”
“Not in the least.” It was driving him slowly insane, but that didn’t bother him nearly as much as the view he had of her body. She raised one knee and the bubbles slid down her leg in a slow, tantalizing pattern.
Her leg was pink from the steamy water and for the life of him, he couldn’t stop staring at it. For the life of him he couldn’t stop thinking about that same leg wrapped around his waist.…
“The, uh, water looks inviting.” His tongue nearly stuck to the roof of his mouth, he was so excited.
“Would you care to join me?”
His heart was doing that crazy pounding again. “You sure? I mean…” Darned if he knew what he meant. “Should I bring the champagne and chocolates?”
“Just the champagne. Let’s save the chocolates for later.”
He nearly stumbled out of the room in his eagerness to get her what she wanted. He opened the bottle and the popping sound echoed like a small explosion. His hands trembled as he poured them each a flute of champagne. He carried them into the other room, then handed her the glass and sipped from his own, badly needing the temporary courage it offered. Then he realized Lesley hadn’t tasted hers.
“I’ll wait until you’re in the bath with me,” she explained.
“Oh.” That was when it occurred to him that he’d need to undress. He did his best not to be self-conscious, but didn’t know how well he succeeded. He wasn’t normally shy, but he’d lived alone for a lot of years and when he undressed there usually wasn’t someone watching his every move.
He stepped into the tub and she moved forward to make room for him. He eased himself into the hot water, positioning himself behind her. She was slippery in his embrace and he tucked his arms around her waist and brought her up against him. He brushed his mouth over her hair and relaxed, closing his eyes.
“You feel good,” he whispered. That had to be the understatement of the century.
Lesley had gone still and so had he. It was as though they’d both lost the need to breathe. He cupped her breasts and she sighed as if this was what she’d been waiting for, as if she wondered what had taken him so long.
Darned if he knew.
He smiled, not with amusement, but with male pride and satisfaction.
“You feel like silk,” he whispered, rubbing his hand down her smooth abdomen. She turned her head toward him, inviting his kiss.
Chase didn’t disappoint her. He bent forward and kissed her slowly, seducing her mouth with his own. Soon he didn’t know who was seducing whom. They were both breathless by the time he lifted his head.
They kissed again, the urgency of their need centered on their mouths as she buckled beneath him, gasping and moaning.
Chase broke off the kiss. In one swift motion he stood, taking her with him. Water sloshed over the sides of the tub, but Chase hardly noticed. He carried Lesley to the bed and placed her on it, not caring if they were soaking wet or that they’d left a watery trail.
When the loving was over, he rested his forehead against hers, his breath uneven. He could find no words to explain what had happened. No experience had ever been this intense. No woman had ever satisfied him so completely or brought him to the point of no return the way Lesley had.
Whatever was between them, be it commitment or love or something he couldn’t define, it was out of his control.
Everything with Lesley was beyond his experience. Everything with her was going to be brand-new.
Butchart Gardens was breathtakingly beautiful. Chase and Lesley spent their first morning as husband and wife walking hand in hand along the meandering paths, over the footbridges and through the secret