Chapter 12
CHAPTER TWELVE
LIZZY
I awake to the smell of coffee with a pleasant soreness between my legs.
I’m drowning in one of Chase’s T-shirts, which still smells like him.
I smile and nestle deeper into the covers, drawing his cedar-and-sunshine scent into my lungs.
The sun is bright behind my eyelids, and it’s warmer than I’d expect for the early hours of the morning.
Maybe it isn’t that early.
Ever since the night Bryce gave me those scratches, I’ve been a restless sleeper. But curled up against Chase, I slept soundly for the first time in weeks, even with him rousing me twice in the dark to make me come around his tongue.
The clink of a dish on the kitchen counter has me opening my eyes and taking in the crisp morning light filtering into the bedroom.
Unsurprisingly, Chase’s personal space is neat and orderly.
There’s enough art on the walls to keep the place from feeling sterile, but it’s clear he hasn’t spent much time living here.
I can hear him moving around in the kitchen and sit up, running my fingers over the bite mark at the base of my neck. I can feel the individual punctures his teeth made in my skin, though it’s already beginning to heal.
Unlike the scratches covering my forearm, the mating mark isn’t something I want to hide. It feels like a tattoo I want to show off — Chase’s mark that tells the world he’s mine.
Then my gaze snags on a giant piece of tactical luggage resting at the foot of the bed. It’s made of brown canvas and looks like a military duffel bag on wheels.
My heart sinks.
I’d been so wrapped up in the drama with Bryce and fighting my feelings for Chase that I’d completely forgotten that he was on leave. He must be deploying again soon, and a fresh wave of anxiety twists my stomach into knots.
I’m not afraid of Bryce — not anymore. But this thing between Chase and me is so new.
Some tender, insecure part of me is worried that he’ll get halfway around the world and wonder what he was thinking, mating a hot-mess human girl like me.
As kind and strong and fierce as Chase is, I’m still not sure what he wants with someone like me. I’m weak compared to any shifter, not to mention a struggling photographer trying to piece my life back together.
What if he returns and decides he doesn’t want me?
My eyes burn at the thought, and Chase chooses that exact moment to walk back into the bedroom. He’s shirtless and carrying two steaming mugs of coffee. His face is relaxed and sated in that sexy, masculine way, but the instant he sees my eyes welling with tears, his brows pinch with worry.
“What is it, baby?” he asks, his gaze darting automatically to the bite mark on my neck.
“N-nothing,” I say quickly, feeling stupid for getting all teary at the mere thought of him deploying.
There are thousands of military families that deal with this every day — women with little kids or even babies who will be born when their father is halfway around the world.
Chase sighs and perches on the edge of the bed, a muscle feathering in his jaw. “I shouldn’t have marked you. It was too soon. I just got caught up in the moment, and I . . .” He shakes his head. “I’m sorry, Lizzy.”
“Do you regret it?” I ask, swiping under my eyes and willing that burn in my throat to subside.
“No,” he says fiercely, that crease deepening between his brows. “Not for one second.” He scoots closer and sets the mugs on the nightstand, putting his hands on my thighs. “I’m yours, Lizzy. And you are mine. I want the world to know it.”
My stupid heart swells in my chest, and a few more tears fall. He thinks I’m upset that he marked me last night, but it couldn’t be further from the truth.
“It’s just that shifters do things differently than humans. When we know, we know, and we don’t waste any time.” He sighs. “But I should have taken it slower with you, and I’m sorry for that.”
I shake my head, reaching up to touch the mark as I contemplate his words. “I’m glad you didn’t. I wanted you to claim me. It’s just . . .” My gaze slides to the giant piece of luggage, and my heart breaks at the thought of being separated from him so soon.
“Oh, that?” Chase’s voice brightens, and he drags a hand through his hair with a laugh. “I’m not leaving, baby.”
“You’re not?”
“No.” His eyes sparkle with a mixture of relief and a shyness I haven’t seen from him before. “I just cleaned out that half of the closet so you’d have a place to put your things. That is . . . if you want to. You don’t have to move in. You can stay here as often or as little as you like.”
My chest swells at the realization that he cleared out space in his closet for me. But then reality comes crashing back in, and I bite my bottom lip. “But you will have to deploy soon. Won’t you?”
Chase looks down at my bare thigh, where his thumb is making small, gentle circles. “No. I won’t.” He clears his throat. “I’m not reenlisting.”
I stare at him, mouth hanging open, sure I must have misunderstood. “Why not?”
He shrugs, chewing on the inside of his cheek as he fixes me with a tender look.
“I’ve spent the better part of my life overseas.
I like the Marines. I’m good at what I do, but .
. . I’ve realized some things are more important.
You. Being there to see my niece and nephews grow up.
Spending time with my sister.” The tips of his cheeks redden. “Making a family with you someday.”
A lump forms in my throat, and this time, I don’t try to stop the tears from falling. Chase isn’t having second thoughts. He’s thinking about the future — our future.
“What will you do?”
“I’m not sure yet. The Blue River Lodge is up for sale . . . It’s a hotel and a popular venue for events. I thought it could be a good investment. We could do weddings and corporate retreats . . . You could be our in-house photographer.”
My heart swells as I meet his gaze, hardly able to believe that he’s put so much thought into this.
“I don’t care what comes next, just so long as you’re beside me.”
His words settle some long-insecure part of me and make my chest ache. For the first time since my father died, I have someone who loves me for me. Someone who makes me feel safe. Someone I can count on.
I lean forward to kiss him, tasting the salt of my tears on my tongue. It should be scary to be in love with this man so soon, but as he threads his fingers through my hair and pulls me into his lap, I know it’s safe to let myself fall.