Page 30 of Theirs to Treasure

“None that he introduced me to, and we dated for nine months.”

“Yep.” Chance nodded. “You were his big shiny prize. He’d struck gold when he met you. You’re beautiful, nice and people are naturally drawn to you. He thought you could lift him up, but when that didn’t work he started to push you down.”

“Or he could have been one of those sick fucks who just started pulling wings off butterflies when he was four years old, and graduated to crushing beauty when he grew up,” Sam growled.

Chance waited to see what she could say. She opened her mouth, closed it, then opened it again. “I always wondered.”

“What did you wonder?” Chance asked.

“It almost seemed purposeful. Like he took joy in my pain. But I knew that couldn’t be right, that I must be imagining it. Who could be like that?”

Chance’s heart clenched. Who indeed? “I need to give the most beautiful woman I know, a kiss. Will you let me do that Josie?”

She smiled shyly. She gave Sam a quick glance and Chance didn’t need to look up to know that his partner had given her encouragement.

Josie’s arms twined around his neck, and Chance damn near died with delight as he felt one of her legs slide alongside his jean’s covered thigh. She drew him down toward her lips, but he still saw a look of trepidation.

“Just a kiss, Zee. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t want more, but I don’t intend to seduce you into anything more.”

Her eyelids quivered and then she gave him a smile of relief and he knew he’d said and done the right thing. He wanted this woman, but not until she was totally ready for what he and Sam had in mind. He never wanted to coerce her into anything more than she could handle.

But what he did want her to see was that Sam was fine with one another touching her.

“Chance?”

He teased her with a light kiss. Just a brush of lips across hers. A fleeting touch. Back and forth. Her lips were so soft and responsive. Her fingers dug into his scalp as she tried to bring him in for a deeper kiss that he was happy to oblige. Oh fuck, who was he kidding, he needed to oblige. He desperately had to kiss this woman.

Chance traced her lips with his tongue, seeking entrance, she let out a sigh and opened and he plundered. Stroke, for heady stroke, their tongues meshed. Her taste and texture was sublime. Josie was more than he could have ever hoped for or imagined in a woman, her combination of sensuality and innocence turned his heart to mush. There was a sweetness and poignancy to kissing this woman in his bed that he would have never guessed. It went so much further than need and desire.

Josie let out a whimper and he realized she had tried to undulate upwards.

“No,” he admonished softly. He pressed her back down onto the mattress. He splayed his fingers along her jaw, and strung kisses along the other side of her face as he held her down. He didn’t want her to hurt herself.

“I need more,” she entreated.

“Honey, I would love, dearly love, to give you more. But I have to respect what you said earlier today about getting emotionally hurt if you have a sexual relationship with us. I need you to be sure about how we all feel about one another.”

He watched helplessly as tears welled up in her beautiful brown eyes.

“Hey, I didn’t say that to make you feel badly,” Chance said. “But I do want to show you something.” He slowly turned her head so that she could see Sam’s soft smile.

“Chance is right, Josie. You need to be sure of us before we do anything more than go to sleep and get up at good-god-oh-clock in the morning. That way you can start work at fucking-two-o’clock in the morning with one of us helping you.”

“Nobody needs to help me,” she protested.

Sam got up from the bed.

“That’s non-negotiable. Now what do you want to drink? Soda? Water or apple juice?”

“I don’t need anything.”

“Fine, I’ll bring all three.” Sam started out the bedroom door.

“Bring coasters,” Chance yelled after him.

Sam shot him the finger.

All was well in Chance’s world.