Page 78 of Master of My Heart

Chase frowned at him. Sabrina wasn’t a normal girl. You didn’t just run up to her and shove your tongue down her throat. You cherished the moment.

A smile crept across Chase’s face again, imagining sweeping Sabrina up into his arms and holding her as he’d dreamed of for so many years. “She’s in Boston,” he said softly, hardly believing it was true. “She found her way back.”

Ethan beamed at him. “Yup. She did. She’ll be waiting for you when you get home.”

“We’ll leave at first light and hustle back,” Lance said, determination on his face.

“Gotta reunite the two lovebirds,” Seth said with a grin. Tony nodded in agreement.

“Thanks,” Chase said, grateful that the men understood.

Sabrina would be back in his arms in just a few days. He leaned back and looked up at the stars again, sending out a thank you to the universe for bringing her back safe and sound.

*****

Sabrina groaned as she woke. Head pounding, she squinted against the morning light streaming through her windows. The sun seemed really bright for her normal waking time.

She looked at the clock and gasped. Two o’clock?! How had she slept so late? She missed class this morning, too. Martin would be so upset with her. At least there were no rehearsals on Saturday for her to miss.

She sat up and rubbed her face. She had a dreamless night’s sleep. Unusual, but a nice change. The last thing she remembered was lying on the floor with Damian’s face between her legs. Sabrina smiled and curled her toes, remembering the pleasure of his tongue on her body. Had she passed out? What must he think of her? How did she end up in bed?

She stood and stretched. She felt strange, but not in a bad way. She couldn’t even really pinpoint why she felt the way she did. She just didn’t quite feel normal.

When Sabrina walked out of her room, Liz was in the living room with Jon, lounging on the couch and watching TV.

“Hey, sleepyhead,” Liz said, smiling at her. “Feeling better?”

“I think so. Was Martin upset that I missed this morning’s class?”

“Nah.” Liz laughed. “You weren’t the only one not there. Several people drank too much or had too much fun last night.” She shot Jon a look, to which he responded with an eye roll. “It’s almost expected.”

Relief spread through her as she poured a glass of orange juice and sat down at the counter. Liz walked over and sat next to her. “Was that Chase’s house we were at last night?” Sabrina asked.

Liz tilted her head. “It’s his mom’s house. Where he grew up. But he has a condo nearby. Why?”

“I saw pictures on the wall of him growing up and stuff.”

“Ah. Is that why you left?”

Sabrina pressed her lips together. “Kinda.”

“You know, what you went through after your parents died... No one would hold that against you. Especially Chase. It’s not your fault.”

Sabrina stared at her glass. “Maybe.” It was all she could come up with to say. But Sabrina didn’t believe it. What would Chase think if he knew she’d let Aiden fuck her on the roof of his mother’s house? Men didn’t like whores. Well, they did, but not for a relationship. “I’m not the same girl he met. I’m not sixteen anymore.”

“So?”

Sabrina sighed. She couldn’t tell Liz what happened between her and Aiden. “If he’s such a good guy, he deserves someone better than me.”

She stood and put her glass into the sink, then went to take a shower. Obviously, Grace was still very active in the ballet community. How could Sabrina hope to avoid her and her son? Maybe she should look at moving out of the city after the first of the year. After Aiden left. Mr. Baker had said she was good enough to go to Europe. Perhaps she should look into that.

If she stayed, she’d most likely see Chase more than her heart could handle.

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Chase rubbed his face as he stared at the endless jungle on either side of the muddy river. It was sweltering, the humidity as high as the sun. They’d hiked through the Argentinian jungle all through the previous day and most of the night, then rested for a few hours before the boat arrived to take them back to where their vehicles waited. He looked forward to reaching the luxury hotel in Puerto Iguazu and taking a long, hot shower. A few more hours on the river, a few hours’ drive, and he’d be back in civilization.

Have you gone soft, Chase? Less than two years out of the army and you’re whining for a hotel? How pathetic!

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