Read Online Reason To Believe by Roxanne St. Claire - Free Book Online

entirely mutual. She parted her lips, and he tasted the tea she’d originally promised: sweet and spicy and hot with attitude. He slanted, deepened, and tongued her thoroughly, closing his hands around her hips and almost lifting her off the counter so the body contact was total and intimate.
    She inched back, lifting her head to invite further exploration of her throat and chest. His hand ached to slide over and touch those nipples he’d just admired. One touch. One taste. One thrust against her. That’s all it would take, then he’d be all over Tinkerbell.
    “Chase,” she whispered, squeezing her knees, arching toward him as she sensed his hesitation. “It’s okay.”
    He didn’t know if she was referring to his memory of Michael, or the offer of sex. But neither one was okay. Not really.
    “Arianna.” He put his hands on her shoulders, pinning her in place with a serious look. “Don’t you think that you would be better off sleeping with a man who completely believes in you, in what you do?”
    “Probably,” she said dryly. “My last man was a total nonbeliever, too. I seem to attract skeptical guys.”
    He tunneled his fingers into her nape, sliding around helplessly in the silk of her hair. “You attract…” Everything. Everyone. “Me,” he finished gruffly, kissing her hard again.
    His heart slammed, pumping blood to the only place it could possibly go. He ached to explore her with his hands, but used only his tongue to curl into the recesses of her mouth, fighting a groan as she shimmied closer on the counter, enough for her legs to enclose his hips, and his erection to automatically seek and find the heat at her center. Enough for her breasts to press against his chest. Enough for anything resembling reason and control and logic—his most trusted companions—to vanish while want and need and lust took over.
    He palmed her breast, and she responded with a shudder that rocked her harder against him. Her nipple budded and he lowered his head to kiss her throat, the rise of her chest. He pushed the tiny strap over her shoulder, his mouth already watering to taste her.
    The jarring sound of a ringing phone froze their tight, panting breaths.
    She swore softly, and he slid the strap back up. With her eyes still closed, she reached behind her to a cordless phone sitting in a charger. The groan she let out when she read the ID sounded nothing like the whimpers he’d just caused.
    “Speak of the devil,” she said. “My ex is calling now.”
    “With timing like that, maybe he’s the one who knows what you’re thinking.”
    “No. He’s the one who’s calling me into work.” She thumbed a button and held the receiver with her shoulder, immediately returning both hands to her exploration of his chest. “Hey, Brian.”
    Brian? The executive producer of her show was her ex? That relationship was definitely not in her file.
    “Oh,” she said, unbuttoning Chase’s top button with one flick of her finger. “I saw the ID and figured Brian was calling. Okay, well, what can I do for you?”
    She listened for a second, undid another button, and smiled at Chase with the minor victory. “All right.” She drew the words out in dissatisfaction. “I’ll be there in…” She finished the third button and dipped closer to the tent in his pants. “A few hours.” She listened for a second, then curled her lip. “Fine. One hour. Bye.” She threw the phone on the counter, and half pouted as she leaned back. “I’m afraid duty calls.”
    “The executive producer is your ex-boyfriend?”
    “Was. Over.” She lowered her hands and offered her mouth. “Can we finish?”
    “In under an hour? No.” He eased her off the counter. “Go get dressed.”
    Blowing out a breath of frustration, she grabbed her teacup. “So I’m going to work and you get to hunt down the Cal Tech geek all by yourself? That’s not fair.”
    He shook his head. “You weren’t paying attention to Protection 101. I go where you