It took Chip a little more than an hour to get things taken care of and now there was nothing to do but wait. His friend, O’Connor, had said he’d check into it and Chip knew he’d do whatever could be done. Meanwhile, he also had a friend back in Pittsburgh looking into Sal’s personal life. Had there been other women before Jos that he’d tried prostitute? Were there other victims of Sal’s unorthodox business practices?

Whatever happened here in Ireland, Chip was determined to see that Sal would be unable to continue his ways once he returned to the States. His father’s money and influence only went so far. Thankfully, Chip’s family had connections as well. He’d call in whatever favors he needed to make sure Sal stayed away from Jos and that he wouldn’t be a threat to other women.

Turning back to the bed, he wasn’t surprised to find Jos still leaning against the headboard. Her mind seemed to be somewhere else as she stared down at her hands. It made him want to do something to take her mind off it. Actually, he wanted to assure her everything would work out. However, that wasn’t the kind of relationship they had. They never lied to each other. He could distract her, but he couldn’t lie to her.

“Sweet angel.” Slipping his phone into the pocket of his jeans that he’d tugged on after he got out of bed, he crossed the room to stand next to her. “O’Connor is checking into it and will make contact with Kathy. He’s going to speak with her privately and give her my cell phone number. If she needs help, she can contact us. If there’s any reason she doesn’t feel comfortable, I’ve made it clear to O’Connor, we’ll meet her somewhere and she can fly home with us.”

“I need to go see her. I need to make sure she’s okay.”

“I figured you’d say that.” He sat on the edge of the bed and reached over to take her hand in his. “We need to wait until he talks to her. After that, we’ll see what we can do.”

“What if he’s—”

“No.” Gently, he squeezed her hand. “You can’t think like that. From what you’ve told me, she’s got a good head on her shoulders. She and her parents obviously trust you enough to allow her to make this trip so I’m positive, if he’s made any advances toward her, she’d have called you.”

“I thought about calling her, but if he was just talking out his ass it would put her in danger.”

“Let O’Connor talk to Kathy and once he does, he’ll give me a call. Just hold on a little longer.” He glanced toward the window. The first rays of sunlight started peeking over the horizon. “It’s early but I don’t think either of are going to get anymore sleep. Why don’t we go get some breakfast and pick up whatever you need to hold you over until we fly home tomorrow?”

“A shopping trip?” Her lips curled into a halfhearted smile. “Now I know you’re trying to distract me. You hate shopping.”

“Not with you.” He shot her a smile of his own. “Every year when the four of us would go Christmas shopping, we always had a blast. We’d stroll around, hitting every store until we found everything on our lists, plus gag gifts for Jack and Annie. I loved those times and I’ve missed them.”

“Now that you’re home and…everything, maybe we can do it this year. Christmas isn’t too far away.”

“Everything?” He arched a questioning eyebrow at her. “You mean, us? ’Cause let me tell you, if I’m telling Jack, there’s no backing out. We’re in this to win. I want my prize.”

“Distracting me is working.” She rose up onto her knees and scooted closer to him. “Kiss me.”

Before he could say anything, she made the first move pressing her lips to his. That was all he needed. He wrapped his hand around her nape, drawing her closer, while a deep groan escaped his throat.

They’d known each other their whole lives, yet, one day, he woke up and saw her in a different light. In that moment, she went from being one of his best friends to the woman he wanted in his bed. It wasn’t until he woke up in the hospital, with her sitting by his bedside holding his hand that he realized she had almost slipped away. He couldn’t allow that to happen again.

“Jos…” He pulled back, fighting every cell of his body that wanted to continue what they had started. “We’ve got to stop.”

“Why?” Her voice was soft, her eyes wide. “I want this. I want you, now.”

“Damn, I love when you’re demanding.” With his hand still on the back of her neck, he leaned forward, pressing his forehead against hers.

“Last night I was so lost in my own mind, I needed the comfort. Today, I’m not. Yes, I’m worried for Kathy, but that isn’t why I’m doing this. I want this. I want you. I want you to make love to me.”

“Jos.” He brought his hand around to cup her cheek. “I want this too, more than you know, but there’s no going back from it.”

“I know.” Her gaze locked onto his. “Trust me, I’ve given it a great deal of thought, but we want this. Annie and Jack will come around. They’ll see what we have is real. If anyone has a chance to make this work, I think it’s us. We’re good together.”

“When did you give it a thought?”

“Last night, cuddled with you.” She ran her hands along his bare chest. “It felt right. I mean it always has, except last night was different. It became clear it wasn’t just me who wanted more. The years of flirting and teasing finally came to a head. There’s no going back from that. No pretending that we can go back to being friends, not when we both know we want more.”

“I’m not saying we can pretend nothing happened and remain friends. Still, there’s no rush. We’ll take this at whatever pace you want.”

“Well…” Her fingers hooked on the waistband of his jeans, quickly finding the button and undoing it. “My pace…”

“Jos.” Her name came out edgier than he’d planned, but with her hand so close to his cock, his mind was shutting down.

“You’ve always considered every possible outcome, overthinking every decision, but this time there’s no need. We know each other inside and out. This is right. We’re right together.”

He wasn’t sure if it was her words or his brain sending up the white flag in surrender, but he rose from the bed and stripped off his jeans before sliding back beside her. “Come here.”

She scooted closer, pressing her body against his side, but he wanted more. Grabbing a hold of her hips, he pulled her up onto him so she was arched over him. His cock stood at full attention, brushing along her stomach.

“Touch me.” Though he had a preferred spot, it didn’t matter where she touched him; he just needed her hands on him.

As if she could read his thoughts, she wrapped her hands around his cock, gently working her way up and down his length.

“Shit, woman.” Her light touch was like all of the years he’d waited for her piled up on him, making his need to claim her nearly overwhelming. It was tempting to roll her over on the bed and push his cock into her, without giving her another second to reconsider.

“You’ve got too many clothes on.” He grabbed hold of the hem of the T-shirt he’d given her to sleep in and tugged upwards. His breath escaped him as her naked body came into view. She had been naked under his shirt. If he had known that hours before when she’d come out of the bathroom wearing it, he wasn’t sure he could have stopped himself from easing the thin material up her gorgeous body.

“Like what you see?” she teased, giving his cock a slight squeeze.

Pulling his gaze away from her naked body, he forced himself to look up at her. “When the four of us rented the cabin at the lake right before I deployed, you wore a little black bikini on our last day there and that image burned into my mind. You were beautiful. The only thing that kept me from untying those thin strings and stripping the flimsy material off you was Jack’s presence. Even that has nothing on this moment. So beautiful.” He slid his hands up her hips, working his way up the length of her torso. As his thumbs brushed along the underside of her breasts, she jerked, her eyes closing. Keeping his gaze on her face, he rubbed his thumbs along her areola, drawing small circles until he reached her nipples. As he teased the hard nipple, her back arched, and she pressed her stomach against his cock.

“I need you inside me.” Her voice was husky and full of need.

“Rise up.”

Her eyelids popped open. “Chip, who’s always in control, is handing over the reins?”

“Don’t get used to it. It’s temporary.” Part of this was to make sure she wanted whatever happened, no second thoughts, but the other part was a more selfish reason. He wanted to see her body over his, her breasts bouncing as she rode his cock.

Without wasting another second, she rose up onto her knees and arched over his shaft. The need for him to grab her hips and ease her down on him was overwhelming but he kept his hands on her breasts. He told her that it would be at her pace and he meant that. At least for now.

She guided his cock inside her. Every inch she moved down his length made his hunger for her that much stronger. It seemed to be agonizingly slow as she worked him inside her.

Unable to help himself, he took hold of her hips, bringing her completely down on him—buried to the hilt. He thought the need to ravish her would subside, but it only grew stronger.

“Please, Chip.”

He kept his hands on her hips, helping her work his shaft up and down. Slowly at first, but as she began to feel comfortable, she found the pace and continued to drive herself up and down, going faster with each pump.

With her in control, he moved his hands away from her hips, sliding them along her body. Watching as her breasts bounced with each pump, he reached up to claim them. His fingers slid over the hard buds of her nipples, teasing them again. He had the urge to arch up into her, to speed their pace, but he didn’t want to throw her off her game.

Her inner muscles tightened around him until he thought he was going to lose it. She sped her pace until she was nearly slamming herself onto him. Tipping her head back, she closed her eyes as she continued to propel herself up and down while he met her with thrusts of his own.

His hands returned to her hips as they matched thrust for thrust. With each stroke, the fire within him burned brighter and hotter. His climax loomed in the distance, but he wanted to see her release before he would allow himself the pleasure. He wanted to see her eyes gloss over and the utter joy as she climaxed around his shaft.

“Oh, Chip!” she cried out, her head tipped back, her voice tight and full of need. “Don’t stop.” She held onto him for all it was worth, riding his thrusts, then leaned forward, her breasts jiggling with each movement, just out of reach of his mouth, taunting him. At last, her body tightened around him. She was nearly there.

“Look at me,” he demanded.

She opened her eyes, but it wasn’t like she was truly seeing him. A glaze within their depths suggested she wasn’t completely there but feeling the effects of her oncoming climax. “Faster!”

She slammed down into him as he arched up to meet her, driving the force of each pump. He thrust deeper and faster into a perfect rhythm. “Yes! Chip!” she moaned.

Her muscles squeezed tight around him, the final act he needed to find his own release. Breathless, she leaned forward, her body pressed against his chest, while he stayed buried deep within her. Needing to see her, he brushed her hair from her face. As if understanding what he wanted, she tipped her head to look up at him, her eyes glossy and dreamy—the aftermath of amazing sex. He had fantasize about this moment for years, but that fantasy had been nothing like the actual act.

“That was better than in my dreams.” She slid off him and curled against his body.

“You’re telling me.” He wrapped his arm around her and held her close. “I’m never going to get enough of you. I love you, Jos.”

“I love you too.” Her eyelids drifted closed as her fingers played down along his chest.

He looped his arms around her, keeping her tight against him. This was the moment he had figured would be the end of one relationship and the beginning of another. Instead it felt more like a continuance—as if moving from one chapter to another. No break, just a perfect, smooth transition.