Emancipating Andie

“How could you think this was just about sex?”

She licked her bottom lip nervously, inadvertently tempting Chase to bring his mouth back to hers, but he would not allow himself to. Not yet. Not until he made his feelings clear.

“But…why…you said…that I should have…” she fumbled nervously, her voice barely a whisper.

“Andromeda,” he said softly, and she stilled, looking up at him. “I want you. And I’m not just talking about sex. I want you in every way. But…you deserve better than what I can offer you. He can give you things, a future and a life that I just…” He trailed off, shaking his head. “I’m not Colin,” he finally said. “There’s a good chance I’ll fuck this up, and then it will have all been for nothing, and you’ll wish that you had—”

Andie shook her head before she pressed her mouth to his, silencing him. There were so many things he still wanted to say, and as much as he needed to clarify things with her, he was instantly pulled back into the kiss. His left hand curled around the nape of her neck as her lips parted for him, her tongue teasing his lower lip, begging for entrance. He obliged with a groan, and when she pressed him back against the wall, he lost all train of thought.

It was Andie who slowed things down this time, pulling back from him slightly, and he found himself leaning toward her, trying to prolong the contact.

“So…is that the only reason you told me I should have said yes?” she asked, and he pressed his forehead to hers.

“I’m ready to face my consequences, Andie. I just want you to be sure,” he whispered, his bottom lip grazing her top one. “I want you to think about what you’d be giving up.”

“There’s nothing to think about,” she murmured against his lips, kissing him with a feather-light touch. “I know you’re what I want.”

Chase closed his eyes as a pleasant rush of heat coursed through his body at her words—words that seemed too good to be true. “Say that again,” he whispered.

He felt her breathy laugh against his lips before she pulled back slightly, meeting his gaze. “You’re what I want, Chase.”

He brought his forehead down to hers again as a contentment he’d never known wrapped around him, nearly taking his breath away. Andie lifted her face, touching the tip of her nose to his as she gently stroked the back of his neck.

The emotions were coursing through him with alarming speed, none of them recognizable, but all of them powerful. He felt drunk, like something had taken over his body, bombarding him with waves of pleasure and satisfaction, and he never wanted to feel normal again.

He lifted his head then, looking at her, and she smiled up at him. He kept waiting for it to feel wrong, standing there with his friend’s ex in his arms, but the undeniable truth was, nothing in his life had ever felt this right.

“I can’t help it. I want this,” he said hoarsely, and she smiled, her hand still grazing the back of his neck.

“Then it’s yours.”

He brought his mouth back to hers, unable to fight his need to be touching her, and she wrapped her arms around him again, gently walking him farther back into the room as she continued to kiss him.

When he felt the backs of his knees hit the side of his bed, he froze, and with one more gentle nudge from Andie, his legs buckled as he sat back on the mattress.

Chase stared up at her, trying to read her expression. He wanted her more than anything. He wanted to feel her, adore her, finally make her his after all this time, but he didn’t want her to think she had to do this now.

“Andromeda,” he began, and her eyes fluttered closed.

“I love when you call me that,” she sighed, bringing her knees to the bed outside his thighs as she straddled his lap, and he brought his hands to her hips, looking up at her.

She looked down at him, a lock of hair falling in front of her eyes, and she bit her bottom lip before she smiled.

My God, he thought, this woman has no idea how sexy she is.

“Why do you look so nervous?” she teased softly. “This isn’t your first time, is it?”

“You know we don’t have to—” But his words were cut off with a groan as she lowered her weight onto his lap, providing the most amazing pressure. He dug his fingers into her hips, hoping too late that he wasn’t hurting her.

She looked down at him again, her expression now sweetly serious. “I want to,” she whispered. “I’ve wanted to for so long. But we don’t have to tonight if you think it’s a bad idea. I just want to be close to you.”

He released his hold on her hips, ru

His jaw flexed as he took her in. Did she really think he would turn her down? Did she think he would ever deny her anything?

“Andie, I’ll give you anything you want.”

She opened her eyes and looked down at him. “I’m go

As soon as the words left her mouth, there was the tiniest flicker of alarm in her expression, as if she shouldn’t have disclosed that information.

He wanted to answer. He wanted to take the fear out of her eyes. He wanted to tell her that he’d long beat her to it, that he was pretty sure he fell in love with her that day on Tybee Island, that every experience he’d had with her since then had only reinforced it.

But everything about this moment felt so delicate, so surreal; he was terrified that he’d say the wrong thing and shatter it. He didn’t want to rant incessantly with simple words that didn’t hold a candle to what he was feeling.

Instead he slid his hand behind her neck and pulled her down to him, ru

And when he felt her lips curve into a smile against his, he knew she understood.

She leaned into him then, pressing him back onto the bed, and from the second Chase laid down with Andie above him, he knew this was going to be different.

It felt like he existed within a vacuum. Every sense was amplified and intensely responsive—the way she was moving against him as she kissed him, the tiny sounds she was making, the taste of her lips, the scent of her hair as it fell in silken curtains around their faces, hiding them from the rest of the world.

He was extremely aware of every little thing, and it all fueled the fire that was building low in his stomach, growing with astonishing speed.

Sex for Chase had always been a means to an end; even when he truly cared for the woman he was with, it was about getting her off. But this time, with Andie, the end was the furthest thing from his mind. All his focus was on this moment, this second, right now.

Andie moved above him with confidence now, her pace slow and sensual but rooted in her increasing desire as she trailed her perfect kisses along the side of his neck, and he gripped her hips firmly, tilting his head back to give her better access.

Jesus Christ, how could it feel this good with four layers of clothes still between them?

Chase sat up then, cradling her as he twisted his body and laid her down on the mattress, positioning himself above her. He wanted to be in control. He wanted to savor every second with her.

He set the languid pace as he began to explore her, peeling away obtrusive articles of clothing one by one, and she followed him, deliberately drawing it out, the mounting suspense growing as tangible as their bodies beneath each other’s hands.

And once they were fully exposed to each other, once there was nothing but the feel of skin on skin, the beautiful warm silk of her body rubbing against his with every movement, only then did his hand come between them as he allowed himself to touch her, really touch her, for the first time.