Page 115 of Lyrical

“Fuck, Jillian. It seemed like it was more than that. It was like you were taken away from me. You were hallucinating. The way you looked at me as if I were something you loathed. That scared the shit out of me.”

“I know. I’m sorry.” The dampness stuck to my skin, to his. “We’re soaked.” Oh no… that came back to me too. I touched his chest. “God, Chase. Did I hurt you?” Holy shit, I whacked a glass at him. And not just a little teacup but a thirty-two-ouncer. Good thing my aim was off and I didn’t get his face like I’d attempted.

“No, it broke on the floor. I’m just wet.” He smiled, tracing over my nipples poking tall through my tank top. “And hard.”

Yes, he was. He sat up and pulled the shirt over his head.Good morning to me.I ran my fingers down the ridges of his stomach. “You know, I could always dry you off with my tongue,” I said.

His grin convinced me that was a definite ‘yes,’ but he said, “We’ll have time for that later. Right now I need to take care of you.”

Hmm. He left for the bathroom, returning with a towel. “Up, baby,” I lifted a bit so he could peel the wet shirt from me, and as he was drying, I moaned. “Jillian,” he said deeply, warning me.

“Can’t help it, Chase. Do you really want to waste that morning wood?”

He chuckled. “There’ll be plenty more. Making sure you’re all right takes precedence.”

“Of course I’m all right.” He covered me with the blanket. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

“You didn’t see yourself before.” He kissed my forehead. “Be right back.” He went out, bringing back more towels, a broom, and a dustpan. “How often do you have nightmares like that? I’ve never noticed one before.”

“I can clean that up, Chase.”

“I’ve got it. Now, answer my question.”

“Just this week.” He turned to face me. His eyes held… panic? “Chase, I’m okay. Nothing happened to me.” I could read exactly what he was throwing out. He’d blame himself if I’d been put in any danger and he wasn’t around. In fact, I knew Jeff was probably invading his mind that second. “Chase, I’m being honest.”

“Something happened, Jillian. Why’d you think I was Cassie in your dream?”

I curled up, wrapping my arms around my knees. “I had a fight with her at the shower.” I bit my lips closed, then released them. I needed to know. “Did she do anything in New York?”

“Meaning?”

“Anything, Chase. Badmouth me, taunt you with shit, come on to you? Um, try to sneak into your room?” Ugh.

He sat down on the bed beside me. “No, baby. There was nothing. She acted no differently at this seminar than any of the others.”

“But that picture….”

“I’m dealing with it.”

“What does that mean?”

“It means I’m dealing with it.”

Dammit. “Chase, she said she had other pictures to show you too. Pictures that would make it hard for you to believe me anymore. She threatened all kinds of shit. I don’t know what she’s talking about, but I know what she’s capable of and….” My throat was gurgling.

“I believe you, Jillian. It doesn’t matter what she threatens. She will never come between us. No one will.”

“So then you also believe she’s not so innocent anymore?”

“I never did think that.”

“But you said—”

“I said she kept her distance and respected boundaries, and that was the truth.” He stroked my hair. “Now, lie down. You’re exhausted.”

I lay on my side while he finished cleaning up. ‘She will never come between us. No one will.’ A twinge of guilt hit me. I loved this man so much. I loved him so much that I could share anything with him. Except for what Daniel had asked of me.

When he was done, he came beside me, his front to my back, and held me tight. “Is Daniel in Chicago?” he asked. “His car wasn’t in the driveway.”

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