The Chance of a Lifetime Read online

  She watched him warily from the corner of her eye, knowing damn well she’d never be able to hide her emotions, from herself or Chance. The richness of his chuckle as Maddy tried in vain to pull his finger into her mouth hit Lacey like a ton of bricks.

  “I am so screwed.” She muttered the words under her breath without thought, causing Bobbie to turn and look at her.

  “What was that, Lacey?”

  “Huh? Umm, oh nothing. Just thinking out loud.” She shifted uneasily in her seat. The need to be far away from them, the darling little baby included, overwhelmed her. “I need to stop by my place so I’ll just meet you out there.” Her words were spoken low, hopeful and unsure all at the same time.

  Lacey knew the minute Chance trained his eyes on her that he wouldn’t allow her to drive herself. Damned macho jerk! Narrowed, piercing, his gaze mesmerized her.

  “Leave your car and we’ll come back by later and pick it up.” His words came as no surprise, but Lacey wouldn’t relent this time. She couldn’t

  She needed the peace and solitude the brief trip alone would afford her. Time she could use to gather her strength and protect her heart.

  “I need to drop my car off, Chance. Pick me up?” Lacey silently prayed he’d save any questions for later, when they were alone. And even then, she had no idea if she’d be able to give him the truth.

  If she knew Chance Bodine as well as she thought she did, he’d use any chink in the armor surrounding her heart against her. He’d use it as a way in and once there, he’d never release her.

  After what seemed like an eternity of having his whiskey-brown eyes devour her as if he could see right through her, Chance relented. He rubbed his hand down his face, a sign he was irritated.

  “All right, darlin’ I’ll be there as soon as I say goodbye to my niece.”

  Lacey wasted no time before hugging Bobbie goodbye, a promise to visit between them. She waited until she was behind the wheel of her car before allowing a sigh of relief to leave her lips.

  The reprieve would be short, that much Lacey knew for sure, but then again, a short amount of time to get her feelings under control was better than no time at all.

  Her mind whirled with emotion during the short trip home, making it hard to focus on the road. Once home, she pulled into the driveway, killed the engine then just sat there. It took several deep breaths before she felt the roiling turmoil recede. She was in deep shit and she knew it. Now she just needed to figure out what to do about it.

  By the time she made it to her front door, she was no more certain of what needed to happen next. Her thoughts took an abrupt halt when she lifted her key to the door only to find it already open.

  “What the hell?” She voiced the thought aloud, hoping beyond hope that her voice would help calm the sick feeling cramping the pit of her stomach.

  She glanced over her shoulder, a silent prayer on her lips that Chance would be quick about saying his goodbyes. Lacey’s heart pounded in her chest with indecision. Normally she would have walked through the door to check things out on her own, but after the recent attempted break in, she decided against it.

  Unaware that her face had gone pale, making her large eyes appear even bigger, Lacey held a trembling hand to her chest. That was the way she looked when Chance pulled his truck into the driveway behind her car.

  Relief flooded her system, allowing her rapid pulse to slow slightly. The smile on Chance’s face disappeared the minute his eyes landed on her face. By the time he reached her side his feet were pounding the concrete at a dead run.

  “What’s wrong, Lace? What happened?” His hands were gripping her upper arms, his face a mask of impatience and worry.

  “The door was already open.”

  Chance’s features turned rigid. It seemed as if every muscle in his body tensed in preparation for the unknown. The look on his face caused Lacey to take a small step in retreat and say a word of thanks that she’d never been on the receiving end of such a fearsome look.

  Chance unclipped his cell phone and handed it to Lacey. “I’m going in to look around, Lacey. I want you to stay here and call Mike. His number is there, just look up Dodson.” Then he disappeared into the house.

  Lacey’s trembling fingers fought with the tiny buttons until she found Officer Dodson’s number. It only rang twice before there was a gruff answer. “Dodson.”

  “Officer Dodson, it’s Lacey Winslow. Chance told me to call. I think we might need you at my house.”

  “On my way,” was the growled response before the phone clicked in her ear.

  Lacey stashed the phone in her pocket and waited. She waited for what seemed liked hours before deciding to peek her head through the door. “Chance.” The single word was whispered low. The last thing she wanted to do was make things worse but the lack of noise from inside was too much for her to bear.

  Lacey took a deep breath, then proceeded to open the door further, peeking inside as she went. All seemed well in her office. There was nothing out of place, not a single sign of anything out of the norm. She exhaled the breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding.

  It wasn’t until she reached the hallway that the sick feeling in the pit of her stomach returned. Feathers were strewn about, leading straight to the partially closed door of her bedroom.

  She stopped to listen, but couldn’t hear a thing over the thundering beat of her heart. Her wobbly legs had trouble carrying her the rest of the way but she pushed on, until she was standing in the open doorway of her room.

  The further she walked into the room, the worse it seemed to get. The sight that greeted her made her skin crawl and her hands shake. Dark spots appeared before her eyes and for a moment she thought she might pass out. Her once pristine comforter now lay in shreds. It hung precariously off one side of the bed. The stuffing from her slashed mattress billowed over the opposite side and in the middle of it all was what appeared to be the remains of the pale yellow and white panty and bra set Chance had just purchased for her.

  With her hand over her mouth, Lacey turned to flee the room. It wasn’t until then that she saw the word WHORE painted across the door of her closet.

  * * * *

  Chance made his way back through the house. His anger was at a boiling point and before it was over someone was going to pay. Whoever had broken into Lacey’s home, invaded her privacy and destroyed her property would be found and when they were, there was going to be hell to pay.

  But for now he needed to keep Lacey from witnessing what had been done to her room, to get her as far away from there as possible. The need to keep her safe was overwhelming, causing the possessive beast in him to roar to life.

  He rounded the corner and came to a stop. There, standing just inside the bedroom door, was Lacey.

  “Son of a bitch!” Chance’s curse echoed off the walls as he made his way to her.

  “I told you to stay outside, dammit!.”

  She turned to him, her frightened blue eyes luminescent with unshed tears. Her eyes appeared overly large in her pale face.

  “Aw, damn.” He wanted nothing more than to shake her or take her over his lap and blister her stubborn fool ass but he couldn’t get past her pale face and frightened eyes to do either just yet. Instead he pulled her close. “Come on darlin’, you don’t need to be in here.

  “Why would someone do this?”

  Her voice shook with emotion, leaving Chance feeling helpless and angry. “I don’t know Lace.”

  Knowing someone had purposefully done the damage to frighten and hurt Lacey went beyond his endurance. Just thinking about what might have happened if Lacey hadn’t gone out for lunch or had come home early made his hands shake.

  After gathering Lacey in his arms, Chance led her back through the house, being extra careful not to touch anything.

  The sound of sirens pierced the otherwise quiet streets. Mike climbed out of his patrol car and headed toward Chance, who had already started across the yard to meet him.

 
Left alone on the porch, Lacey slid like a boneless heap to porch floor, her face in her hands. Chance caught the movement out of the corner of his eye and motioned for Mike to follow him as he changed his course and headed back to Lacey.

  “What happened?” Mike’s words were harsh, torn from his throat as he neared them. His voice seemed to bring Lacey around. Her spine stiffened, and before his eyes, color flooded back into her cheeks, but her hands never stopped trembling.

  “My room.” Her words were low. “Don’t go back in there,” she pleaded when Chance motioned Mike into the house.

  “It’ll be all right, Lacey.” Chance kept his words low, soothing, as he helped her to her feet. Her hands were like ice and that pissed him off even more.

  He led her to his truck, where he helped her into the passenger seat. When she seemed as comfortable as she was going to get, he said, “I’ll be right back, sweetheart. You stay here, okay?”

  He tried to keep his voice soft and soothing, but feared he failed miserably. He feared for her when she turned her eyes to him but said nothing. Her lack of agreement made Chance push harder.

  “You don’t need to go back in there, Lacey. Promise me you’ll stay here.”

  “I promise.”

  Chance’s instincts were running rampant. The fact that someone dared to break into Lacey’s home had him mad as hell. That anger boiled over when he witnessed once again what the bastards had done to her bedroom.

  Careful to not touch anything, Chance and Mike made their way back to the office where they met Doug. As Doug and Mike talked, Chance made his way back out to the truck and back to Lacey, who appeared to be holding her own. Her color seemed more normal and although not steady, her hands no longer shook as fiercely.

  Chance couldn’t help but chuckle when the two officers headed toward them and Lacey grumbled, “Great. Just what I need.”

  Chance stayed with Lacey while Mike and Doug questioned her. Visibly irritated, Lacey answered all their questions but insisted she had no idea who would do such a thing or why.

  She gave no argument when Chance bundled her back into his truck and headed to the ranch. He figured it was just a matter of time before her head cleared and the arguing started. She’d insist on going home to work and Chance would have to forbid it. That in and of itself would start a war, he was sure, but there was no help for it because Chance wasn’t willing to risk her safety for the sake of keeping the peace.

  The drive to The Lazy B was quiet. Lacey sat snuggled beside him, her hand resting on his upper thigh. Even the slightest touch from her tiny hand brought his arousal to an all time high.

  Chance needed to know she was okay, to feel her mouth beneath his, the tight sheath of her core pulsing around him. Thinking about what could have happened had Lacey gone home during the break in scared him to death.

  Tomorrow there would be plenty of time to talk and to think. For now all Chance wanted was to make Lacey feel, to help her forget, at least for the time being.

  He pulled his truck to a stop in front of the foreman’s cabin he called home, then helped Lacey out the driver’s side door behind him. He wanted her close. Close enough to touch on a whim. Close enough to feel her warmth and smell the heady scent of her arousal.

  Grasping her small hand within his own, Chance led her through the front door and into the living room, where he saw to it that she was comfortably situated on the couch.

  “Be right back.” After excusing himself, he went to the kitchen where he popped the top on a beer for himself and grabbed a can of soda for her.

  Chance returned to the living room to find Lacey wandering the room looking over the framed family pictures lining the shelves.

  “Is this okay or would you like something stronger?” Chance crossed the room until he stood directly behind Lacey. The feel of her backside curved against his body sent flames licking at his shaft. As his arousal grew, his cock leapt to life. Hard and ready.

  “This is fine.” The words puffed from her lips on a breathless whisper as she leaned back into him.

  She tilted her head back and gave him a beseeching look, one that drew him in, leaving no choice but to taste her. Chance caressed the curve of her jaw with one hand, loving the feel of her soft flesh beneath his fingers. The fine bones of her face reminded him just how fragile she was, how tiny she was compared to him.

  The comparison brought forth horrible thoughts about the danger she’d put herself in by following him into the house before she knew it was safe to do so. Before the night was over, Chance was going to make sure Lacey learned the lesson to never take such a risk again.

  On a soft sigh, Lacey leaned her head back against his chest. She continued to relax as he stroked the sinful line of her neck, shivering against him when he gently fondled the shell of her ear.

  “Kiss me, Chance.” Her husky voice pushed him close to the edge. Soon he’d have to touch her, flesh on flesh. The need to feel her against him, to tease and taste every inch of her petite frame wouldn’t allow him to hold out for long, but for now, he would give her exactly what she wanted.

  “Whatever you say, darlin’.”

  Chance turned her to him, holding her tightly as he lowered his head to initiate the kiss. As he knew it would, her taste invaded every cell of his being, thrusting him even deeper in love than he already was.

  Lifting her from her feet, Chance carried her to his bedroom. He took the can of soda from her hand and set it along with his beer on the top of his dresser. Drinks forgotten, he methodically began undressing her.

  He lowered the straps of her bra until he could lower the cups, freeing the creamy mounds of her coral-tipped breasts. He removed every article of her clothing as if he had all the time in the world.

  The sultry sound she made as the lacy cups abraded her engorged nipples made it hard to keep his composure. Chance knew it was no use the moment he latched onto one delicious berry, plucking and pulling with teeth and tongue until Lacey was gasping for breath.

  A short second later, she was completely nude and flat on her back upon the wide expanse of his bed. Chance left no time for thought, no time for anything but protection before he entered the ultra hot sheath of her wet sex.

  “You just get better and better, baby. Every time I taste you, feel you wrapped around my cock squeezing me, it gets better.”

  When Lacey lifted her legs, wrapping them tightly around his lower back, Chance knew there was no going back. Things would not be slow this time. This time his need was fierce. Untamable. This time he needed to hear her scream his name as she climaxed. To know her need was just as strong. To know that her need was for him and no other.

  Chapter Ten

  He was so deep inside of her. The length of his pulsing shaft sent heat to every pore, abraded every nerve, until Lacey was sure she’d die from the intense pleasure of it. When Chance quickened his pace, she held on for the ride.

  Her hips met his thrust for thrust, taking him as deep within her body as she possibly could and still, it wasn’t enough. Chance must have sensed her urgency. His body stilled above her, the rise and fall of his chest proving just how much their lovemaking affected him.

  Lacey cried out at the loss when he pulled himself from her. She felt empty without his length buried deep within her but Chance left her little time to think about the loss before he flipped her onto her stomach and pulled her to her knees.

  He planted one hand on her hip and the other firmly in the center of her back, positioning her for his quick entrance. The position left her completely open, allowing Chance to delve impossibly deep within her body.

  Lacey arched back, accepting everything Chance had to offer as he pushed in to her, offering her his cock inch by glorious inch.

  “Oh hell yeah, baby. Just like that,” Chance growled the words from behind her, his voice a deep rumble of pleasure.

  Lacey used her inner muscles to squeeze him tightly, enjoying the burn her action caused. His hands now roamed her back and her hips. H
e stopped at her hips and held tight, pulling her sharply to him as he rocked in and out of her heat.

  The scent of their lovemaking was heavy on the air, heightening her senses, pushing her excitement to an all time high. The sound of flesh upon flesh thrust her over the precipice.

  “Oh God … Chance!” Her voice broke, as did the dam of her arousal. Bright light burst behind her eyelids as her wet sheath quivered around his length, milking every ounce of pleasure possible from his heated body.

  Chance pulled her to him several more times before stiffening behind her. Lacey could clearly feel his throbbing erection as he filled the condom covering his shaft. The groan that left his throat seemed to be torn from his body as he slumped forward over her back, bearing them both to the mattress.

  “Damn! Sorry baby.” His quiet words met her ears as he rolled from her, gathering her in his arms.

  They just lay there, side by side, for several minutes. She was drifting into a lust-induced slumber when he nudged her neck. “You’re incredible, Lacey Winslow.”

  Chance’s words were sincere. They made her heart race. The way he spoke, full of awe over what they had accomplished together. How Lacey wished she could say the words coursing through her mind.

  To be able to turn to him and say I love you without feeling as though she’d lose all the tiny pieces of herself she’d so recently found. Lacey couldn’t take the chance of that happening.

  Feeling a bit uneasy, she scooted from the bed as quickly as possible. She picked up the first article of clothing she came across, which just happened to be the chambray shirt Chance had shrugged off and carelessly thrown on the floor.

  She should have known better. It smelled of Chance, manly and musky and too damned close.

  “Lace?”

  Lacey didn’t feel like answering questions. She needed time to think, a few minutes to gather herself and to protect her heart against the ache she knew was destined to come.

  “Are you hungry?” She didn’t wait for an answer before heading toward the door. “I am. I think I’ll go raid the fridge and see what I can find for us.”