Page 58 of To the Chase

“Oops,” I tried, going for innocent, hoping I’d get out of here without getting drenched.

He looked down at himself then back at me, his nostrils flaring. Soaked to the bone, he still managed to look sexy as hell. His shirt plastered to his heaving chest, pants stuck to his long, lean thighs and the thick bulge behind his zipper. His dark hair was black, flattened to his head in messy pieces.

“Now you’ve done it,” he rasped.

I raised both hands like a shield. “No, no. It was an accident. I didn’t mean it. Besides, you look—”

“Like a drowned rat?”

I giggled. He really had no idea what kind of thoughts were racing through my mind. “Not even close.”

He cocked his head. “If I’m drowning, you are too.”

Seeing his intention a mile away, I tried to run, but I was laughing too hard, and the floor was too wet. I slipped and nearly went down when a strong hand caught my arm, saving me but putting me directly in the line of the rain shower.

“Got you,” Tore murmured as he pulled me against his chest. “Nowhere to run now, sweet Bea.”

I tilted my head back, blinking away the drops clinging to my lashes. “Oh no, you’ve caught me.” There was zero disappointment in my statement. I’d spent a lot of time on my hair and makeup, and my dress had cost a pretty penny, but I had absolutely no problem with all of it being doused with water.

The menace in his gaze fell away as his eyes bored into mine. “Are you—is this okay?”

My mouth opened then closed. I thought it was obvious I was delighted by the turn of events, but Tore needed my words. Seemed what was obvious to me might not have been to him.

I nodded. “Can we keep playing?” My nose crinkled. “Or doIlook like too much of a drowned rat—”

He cut me off with a kiss. Hot, wet, urgent. Licking into my mouth and groaning as he flattened me to the wall. Rubbing against me, his hands roaming over me, my body softened, molding to his. He kissed me with such soul-shaking intensity, I had to grip his soaked shirt to keep from going down.

“This isn’t how I pictured tonight going,” he murmured against my lips.

My head was light and dreamy. “You didn’t picture me ambushing you in your own house?”

“No.” He laughed breathlessly. “I should know to expect the unexpected from you.”

“Always. That’s one of my best features.”

I couldn’t stop giggling as his mouth lowered to my jaw and throat, the adrenaline rush making me feel silly andalive.

Tore glowered at me, amusement dancing behind his menacing expression. “Do you think this is funny, Beatrice?”

“I really do,” I whispered.

He caught my lower lip between his teeth for half a second then kissed me like he was making a point. My knees tried to give out, but he had me secure in his arms.

“You’re not going anywhere,” he warned.

“I don’t want to—not unless you’re there too.”

Tore growled again, lower this time.Possessive.His hands explored, needy and confident, as if he’d finally stopped holding back and startedclaiming. My dress clung to me like a second skin. If I’d been less turned on, it would have been uncomfortable, but I likedthat the barriers between our bodies had been thinned. We could touch, feel,knowone another in an entirely new way.

But, like the idiot I was, I couldn’t stop laughing. Every time his mouth left mine, giggles burst out of me. Tore’s answering chuckle vibrated against my flesh, spurring me on.

Water thundered around us, heating me to my bones. Each time Tore kissed my throat, I gasped, arching into him. My belly ached with desire, and my head was lighter than a feather.

His fingers went to the zipper at the back of my dress. “Can I take this off?”

I nodded, breathless. “Please.”

He unzipped me. Slow. Torturous. And when my dress finally fell open, he dragged it off me at the same agonizing pace.