His darkened gaze met hers, telling her he felt that instant connection too. Warning herself to tread carefully, she shifted in her seat, trying to think of neutral conversation.
“How’s the shoulder?” he asked as he pulled onto the road leading out of the airport.
She leaned her head back against the seat. “It still hurts some. I’m down to taking Tylenol only.”
“I’m glad.”
She wasn’t ready to tackle anything about them, so she went for the obvious choice. “I heard from Madeline that Charlotte had her baby.”
“She’s incredible.” His grin was infectious; his adoration for the baby so obvious, it tore at Sloane’s heart. This reaction from the man who didn’t want children of his own? Once again, Sloane was forced to reexamine her own reasons for pulling back and not trusting in Chase’s proclamation that he’d changed his mind.
Could the fact that her life was in turmoil have played a factor? The people she’d always trusted, Madeline and Michael, had betrayed her in the most fundamental way. Chase had offered her his heart along with the things she’d told herself she wanted.
Yet, she’d turned him away. “How is Charlotte feeling?” she asked.
“Better by the day.”
“I wish you had called to tell me.” Sloane forced out the words that would draw them into an emotional conversation, not knowing where things would lead.
One hand on the wheel, Chase rested his other arm on the headrest behind her seat. “I didn’t think you wanted to hear from me.”
She sighed. “Did I say that?”
He slanted his head her way. “Good-bye, Chase, spoken loud and clear. But I decided to ignore your words and go with my gut.”
“Turn off at the next exit,” she instructed, catching sight of the thruway signs.
Instead, he passed right by her parents’ exit. “Chase?”
“I know where I’m going. You’re going to have to trust me, sweetheart. Can you do that this time?”
She let out a wry laugh. “That’s a good one. When did I ever not trust you?” She’d trusted him with her life and he’d delivered, every time.
“When I told you I loved you and you pushed me away,” he said bluntly.
“Touché.” Just as she’d begun to suspect, she really had contributed to messing things up between them. He wasn’t solely to blame. She rolled her head to the side, glancing out the window into the dark night. “Chase?”
“Yes?”
“I pushed you away and you didn’t think I wanted to hear from you, right?”
“Right.”
The truck drove over a bump in the road and her shoulder took the brunt of the turn. She winced, ignoring the pain. “Then what are you doing here now?”
“I want to be here.” Chase glanced over and immediately noticed the strain in Sloane’s face, the exhaustion evident by the dark circles under her eyes.
She still hadn’t completely recovered from the shooting incident, but she had returned to work after merely one weekend of rest. Not enough in Madeline’s opinion, nor in Chase’s. Which was why he was kidnapping her, so to speak. Raina may have given up matchmaking, but Madeline had been only too happy to provide him with easy access to her stepdaughter.
Chase couldn’t read Sloane’s reaction to his words. She hadn’t turned back to face him and remained quiet for the duration of the trip, until he parked in a graveled parking lot by a small inn.
“Where are we?” She turned to him at last.
“A place where you can rest.” He strode out of the truck and walked around to her side, opening the door for her.
She glanced up at him. “Do I have a say in this?”
“If you say you’ll follow me inside, then yeah, you have a say.” He pointed toward the renovated dairy barn that now served as a luxurious inn.
“Very funny.”
“I’m not laughing.” He lifted their suitcases out of the back and shut the door. He ignored the urge to back her against the truck and kiss her until she stopped talking, stopped arguing, stopped doing anything except loving him. But he’d tried that last time and it hadn’t worked. He wasn’t about to make the same mistake twice.
Since he’d already checked in earlier this evening, he didn’t have to bother with paperwork now. Instead, he led Sloane up a short flight of stairs and down a narrow hallway to their dimly lit sitting room. There was a fire crackling in the fireplace, adding to the atmosphere he’d wanted to create for her. Intimate, private, and solemn.
Once they were inside, she glanced around, taking in the paneled walls and old-world charm. “This place really is beautiful.”
He helped take her jacket off, careful not to hurt her shoulder. A bandage still covered her wound and the thick padding stuck out from her shirt. “My parents came here on their honeymoon and every anniversary after.”
She turned around, obviously startled. Her pupils dilated, the significance of their surroundings kicking in at last, he hoped. He wasn’t sure he could take much more anticipation, not knowing what she was thinking or feeling.
“I take it you brought me here for a reason?” she asked. “Besides me needing rest?”
He grunted. “You do need rest. And I’m going to see that you get some.” He caressed the dark skin beneath her eyes with the pad of his thumb.
At his simple touch, a soft moan escaped her throat. Acting on instinct, he wrapped his hand around the back of her neck, invading her personal space and bringing her squarely into his.
To hell with leading into things slowly. “I love you, I missed you, and I want you in my life. Forever,” he said gruffly.
A smile lifted her lips. “Keep talking.”
“You were right not to believe I was ready for commitment,” he said, explaining what he’d only just come to understand.
She blinked, her eyes wide and comprehending. “I never wanted you to look back and resent me or feel like I trapped you during a weak moment.” She shrugged with her good arm. “I’d rather know you were happy without me than miserable with me.”
“Not a chance,” he growled. “But I do have a lot to tell you.”
“Then do you think we can sit down? I’m still kind of weak.”
Taking in her pale face, he agreed. “Sure thing, sweetheart.” Chase lifted her into his arms and settled her down on the couch across from the fireplace. Feeling more hopeful than when he’d surprised her at the airport, he joined her. He wanted to see her face as he explained his past, his present, and their future, and how he’d come to the realizations that he’d reached.