Free Charred Hope (#3, Heart of Fire) by Lizzy Ford Page B

into his dragon shape involuntarily.
    “Calm, calm. The most beautiful girl in the world is waiting for you. Just because she fucking threw herself off a cliff …” The muscles beneath his skin rippled. He blew out a breath. “We’re okay with that. We are … okay. With. That.”
    The tension in his muscles eased.
    The forest breeze skated across his bare skin, making him shiver. His gaze went to the cabin, and he started forward, his heart quickening at the idea of being near Skylar again.
    Unwilling to think about how irked he’d be if she didn’t want anything to do with him still, Chace opened the door of the cabin and stepped into his home.
    Candles were lit in a couple of windows, creating a romantic, warm atmosphere. It smelled of incense – something slightly sweet.
    Any thought he had about her not wanting anything to do with him banished when he saw her. Skylar wore a see-thru teddy, tied beneath her ample breasts and flowing down over a thong that left little to the imagination. She was lying on her belly, facing the door, as if waiting for him.
    He froze.
    “I see you’re ready,” she said with a laugh, gaze going hungrily down his naked body to his erection.
    “Is this a trick?” he asked warily. “Is cabin messing with me, or are you going to disappear if I try to touch you?”
    “Come and find out.” Skylar rose, holding his gaze. She tossed her dark hair over one shoulder and moved towards him. Her large breasts were barely contained in the nighty, and her skin glowed in the candlelight.
     Desire spun through Chace, mixed with both hope and sorrow. The last few times he’d made love to Skylar, he’d been convinced he’d lose her afterwards. Being with her was bittersweet, a reminder they were at the beginning of what might become a full-blown shifter war. One they may not both survive.
    Chace reached out and rested a hand on her arm, tracing it lightly from shoulder to wrist. The other half of his heart stood before him, gazing up at him without the anger or hurt she’d expressed the last few times they’d been together.
    “You are so beautiful,” he whispered, cupping one cheek in his hand. He gazed deeply into her eyes and saw the tiny flame in her pupil. “I have no idea what I did to deserve someone like you, Sky.” She was close enough for her body heat and faint scent to reach him.
    Yet he feared touching her, feared that he wasn’t yet worthy enough or worse, that she still might reject him after what he’d done.
    “You’ll always be my dragon, Chace.” The softness of her voice, coupled with the unguarded warmth in her gaze, was his undoing.
    Chace wrapped his arms around her and hugged her to him hard. Her body molded against his. He buried his face in her hair and breathed in her familiar scent. Its effect was immediate; tension fled his frame. As turned on as he was by the near naked body pressed to his, he needed a hug more to reassure him that she – and they – were real.
    Wetness on his chest made him move away. “You okay?” he asked.
    Skylar nodded. She was trembling.
    “Sky, what’s wrong?”
    She was quiet for a moment then lifted her head to gaze at him. Tears sparkled in her eyes. “When I was falling, there was a moment I thought you weren’t coming for me.”
    “You thought I didn’t care enough.”
    She nodded.
    “You know better now?”
    She gave him a watery smile, and he marveled at it. It was free of the disappointment and pain she’d expressed the past two weeks.
    His Sky was back in his arms, where she belonged.
    “Baby, I’ll always catch you from here on out,” he said with a faint smile. He wasn’t about to tell her that there had been a moment when falling where he, too, didn’t know if they’d make it. “You’re my heart.”
    “I know,” she replied. “I’m sorry about the cliff.”
    “Not a problem.” He forced himself to say.
    She laughed, hearing the reluctance in his tone. Skylar took his face in her hands once