SWNOVELS Chance: Chapter 29
Rory groanedas she slapped the novel she was reading closed and dropped it on the swing beside her. If she had to read another word about slick folds and tongues teasing body parts, she was going to die. All it did was make her think of the last time a tongue had explored her slick folds. Nearly two months ago, when Chance had rocked her world with the most spectacular sex she’d ever had.
Damn him.
She frowned, thinking hard. Was it really the most spectacular sex she’d ever had? Or was it the fact she’d been in a pretty intense drought by the time he came along that had skewed her memory?
After Mark left with Tammy, she’d retreated into herself and hadn’t wanted anything to do with men. When she finally came out of her shell a few months later, she’d made some bad decisions. There had been a period where she’d had a lot of sex because she didn’t stay with any one man for more than a month.
None of them were all that memorable. Simply itch scratching. After a while, Gus the Glamorous became her itch scratcher.
Until Chance Hughes swaggered into her house and made her so horny looking at him that she’d been helpless to resist his charm.
And here she was, thinking about it again. What she needed was to get Gus out of the closet and stick him in the bedside drawer again. Then she could turn to him and to heck with Chance.
Though Chance’s gorgeous body would figure heavily in the fantasy, she had to admit.
Her phone beeped with an alert but she didn’t need to look at it to know Chance was home. He’d just turned into the driveway and Clyde was rumbling toward the house, his headlights shining in the dusky gloom. Her heart ratcheted up a couple notches.
She pushed the swing to and fro, pretending she wasn’t lighting up inside like the Fourth of July at the prospect of seeing Chance. He drove up beside where she’d parked his truck and pulled to a stop. Then the door shut with that heavy sound that Clyde had and Chance came walking around the truck, grocery bag in hand.
He stepped up onto the porch, looking fine in his dark jeans and One Shot Tactical polo. The shirt was fitted and clung to hard muscles like a second skin. Chance didn’t have a muffin top, or even a hint of a fat roll anywhere on that shirt. His jeans hugged his hips like a lover. Could a person be jealous of jeans? Was that crazy?
“Hey, baby,” he said softly. “Got your bread.”
“Thank you.”
“You want me to fix your grilled cheese?”
“Would you?”
He came closer, bent down and pressed a kiss to her forehead. She felt the tingle of his lips all the way to her core.
“I will. Anything special you want with it? Anything I need to know about how you like it?”
Oh my, those words set her to tingling again. She had a lot to say about how she liked it, but she didn’t mean a grilled cheese. “No. Just butter and provolone. I know how many carbs to estimate if you do it like that.”
“Coming right up.” His gaze strayed to the novel at her side. “Is that a bull on the cover?”
Rory turned the book over. “Uh, yeah. It’s a minotaur romance. Very good.”
Very sexy, but she didn’t add that part.
“Huh, had no idea such a thing existed.”
“The romance genre is very broad. If you can imagine it, there’s probably a book. This would be a paranormal romance, monster sub-genre.”
“I see.” The hint of a grin quirked at the corners of his mouth.
Heat flared in her cheeks. “You don’t see. You’re making fun of me.”
“I’m really not, babe. What I think’s kinda funny is how you go from the five hot dudes with one woman to a monster romance. You ever read any with boring couples? Two people, no monsters in sight?”
“Sometimes. I don’t find them very realistic though.”
He scratched the back of his neck. “But minotaurs are?”
“Not at all. But I don’t find myself questioning the romance when it’s a fantasy world.”
“Got it. You staying out here while I fix that sandwich? Or coming inside to talk to me?”
She picked up the book and stood. “I’ll come inside.” She followed him to the kitchen and leaned against the counter while Chance got to work. “Heard you threatened Ronnie and RJ today.”
He looked up from buttering bread. “Did you hear I’m a ninja warrior assassin too?”
She couldn’t help but grin. “Heard that. Also, Theo wanted to know why I didn’t tell him you were a Navy SEAL.”
“For fuck’s sake,” he muttered. “Shoulda kept my voice down when telling those two assholes what I was gonna do to them. Then nobody could have blown it out of proportion the way they obviously have.”
“Oh, trust me, they could. You didn’t have to do it, you know. I can take care of myself, handle my own problems. Those two are no match for Liza Jane if it comes down to it.”
His gaze snapped to hers, harder than she’d seen it before. “Kitten, last thing I want is you shooting anyone. It’s messy and complicated, and you don’t need that shit. There are repercussions to taking a life, even when it’s justified. Trust me.”
Her heart hammered. “I know that.”
Emma Grace had killed Kyle Hollis before he could kill them, but she’d suffered from it too. She’d been honest about some of her struggles when they’d talked about what’d happened to them. Mostly, with the love of a good man and the promise of a great life, she was healing from it.
“If you know, then it’s not something you’re gonna want to do unless there’s no other choice.”
“Hu-ah, Chancey Pants. Just saying that I’ve been taking care of myself for a very long time and I can continue to do so. You don’t have to fight my fights for me.”
“I don’t have to, but I’m going to. Because you’re my woman and that’s my kid, and nobody threatens what’s mine.”
She ought to correct his caveman-like possession, but the part of her that’d been reading about possessive minotaurs rather liked it. She sniffed and settled for changing the subject.
“Do you want to hear about my doctor appointment or not?”
“Yes, I most definitely want to hear about the appointment.”
Rory put her palms on the counter behind her and hopped up on it. She programmed her carbs for the sandwich into the insulin pump and then she told him everything, sparing absolutely nothing about the potential complications. He flipped the sandwiches in the pan and kept his attention focused on her, asking questions when he didn’t understand something.
She had to admit it was easier to tell him than she’d thought it would be. She’d shared with Emma Grace, but Idgy was a doctor. Chance wasn’t, but if anything he heard scared him, he didn’t let it show. He was a rock and she found herself wanting to lean on him for support. Which she should not do, but maybe it was okay for right now. Tomorrow, she’d go back to being an island.
“How do you feel about it?” he asked when she finished.
“Honestly? Fearful, but also determined. I’m going to do everything right and give this baby the best chance he or she can have. But even doing everything right, I could still have problems with high blood sugar. I’m going to have to watch it carefully and get seen if anything is even remotely wonky.”
“What do you need from me?”
Rory blinked. She hadn’t expected that question. “I guess I need you to help me if I ask for it. There’s not much else you can do, really.”
He turned off the stove and slid the sandwiches onto plates. Then he set hers beside her and put a hand on either side of her thighs, caging her in. Blue eyes bored into hers.
“Not helpful, Aurora. I can shop for groceries, prepare food, take you to appointments, keep records of what you eat or what your blood sugars are. I can pick up your medicine, and I can take care of mowing the grass and dealing with any outdoor projects around here that maybe you shouldn’t have to worry about right now. I can stand between you and anyone who upsets you or pisses you off. I can hold you close if you need a shoulder and I can listen if you need an ear. Whatever you need, baby, I’m here for it.”
Oh my.
Before she could say anything stupid, like what about a Vitamin D injection—his D specifically—he removed the cage of his arms. “You should eat while it’s warm.”
Then he left her on the counter while he retreated to his own sandwich and took a bite out of it.
Rory followed suit, closing her eyes at the warm, buttery, cheesy goodness. Nothing like a good grilled cheese to make a woman happy.
“Maybe add making grilled cheese to that list of things you can do,” she said when she’d swallowed the first bite.
“It’s there. Whenever you want it.”
“Fantastic.”
“Any news about reopening?”
She licked butter off her finger. Chance’s eyes smoldered when she looked at him again. Her belly clenched and her panties grew a little wetter. What the book hadn’t done for her, Chance did. All he’d have to do is slide his fingers over her and she’d probably fly apart instantly.
“Um, a little. Health inspector comes tomorrow so hopefully we’ll be opening tomorrow evening. Everything is dry, no mold, but we need to keep an eye on it. George and crew are working on Theo’s place, but that won’t affect the Dawg. If we can just get up and running again, we’ll replenish the cash we’ve had to spend on repairs and renewing the garden.”
Chance finished his sandwich and put the plate in the sink. “Can I ask why you’ve never borrowed against the farm to clear the debt against the Dawg? You said before there was mismanagement by the person your grandparents hired.”
She nodded. “Yes. Somebody they trusted who stole from them and nearly bankrupted the business. It was a long time ago, but when Theo and I took over, we determined to make it work on its own. Borrowing against the farm was only a last resort. And we did try at one point when things looked especially bleak, but a few years ago the bank wouldn’t take that bet. Land around Sutton’s Creek only started rising in value within the past couple of years. If we wanted to borrow against it today, they’d trip over themselves to loan us money. But not back then.”
“So the fact the Davises have come calling with money to burn is no surprise.”
“Nope. And I don’t blame Jimmy Turton for wanting to sell. Or Carter Coombs either. They’re still farming the land, and it can be a hard life in some ways. Dolly Coombs has been battling cancer, and the Turton boys just want regular jobs with benefits and to see their mama settled in town. I’ll hate it when it happens, because I’ll see those housing developments and stores whenever I drive past what used to be woods and fields, but that’s progress for you. It doesn’t stop because some of us want things never to change.”
“Sometimes change is good. The trick is knowing which things need to change and being willing to go there.”
“Look at you getting all sage-y and wise on me. Personally, I’ve found it easier to just stick with what I know. Easier in the long run.”
“Maybe so. But sometimes you miss the best parts of life that way.”