“Oh.”
“See, makes me sound bad. I got drunk because my ex-girlfriend is married to my best friend and now she’s pregnant.”
Chloe impulsively put her hand on his arm for the second time tonight. “It doesn’t make you sound bad. It makes you sound human.”
He stared at where she touched him and she became aware of a warm feeling flaring in her belly. She pulled her hand back but he reached out and captured it. Then, as her breathing shortened, he lifted it to his mouth and pressed his lips to the inside of her wrist.
Need shot through her, shocking her with its strength. Hot, deep, intense need that flared between her legs and rolled up through her belly, opening a pit inside that ached for more than that simple touch.
“Thanks,” he murmured against her skin. “It’s nice of you to say that.”
Oh God, she was going to whimper at any second. “I wasn’t being nice,” she practically choked.
His head lifted as if he sensed her weakness. His eyes searched hers knowingly. “I didn’t invite you out tonight to take advantage of you,” he said, his voice as rough as she felt inside.
“I know.”
“But I want to, Chloe. Desperately. I thought you should know.”
She swallowed as he let her go. She pulled her wrist to her body and cradled it, her heart thundering in her chest. “I-I don’t know what to say.”
He pushed his door open. “You don’t have to say anything. I just wanted to tell you. Because it’s going to be there between us every time I see you, and I feel like you need to know it.”
“Thank you.”
“Come on, I’ll walk you to your door.”
8
Ryan didn’t see much of Chloe for the next couple of weeks. Their schedules never seemed to sync up, though he looked for her car every day when he came home from work. But she was gone most evenings, which made him wonder if she’d met somebody else. Maybe he shouldn’t have told her what he was thinking that night when he’d taken her to Buddy’s and then walked her to her door at the end of the evening.
He’d wanted to kiss her, but he hadn’t done it. Not since he’d so plainly told her that he wanted her. Chloe had a certain vulnerability in her eyes that he was incapable of ignoring. So when his feelings overwhelmed him, when he wanted to go all caveman on her and make her scream with pleasure, he’d said what he was thinking.
He’d warned her.
Brilliant move, genius. Because he hadn’t seen her since. He’d have sworn, in that moment when he’d looked into her eyes after she said she wasn’t just being nice, that she wanted him too. He’d have bet everything he owned that she felt the same desperate need that he did in that moment.
Still, he’d walked away without kissing her. He regretted that pretty hard. Ryan picked up his phone. He hadn’t texted her at all since the night at Buddy’s. He’d thought maybe she’d text him, but she hadn’t.
He lay back on his bed, still wearing his camo pants and boots because he’d just gotten home, and thought about what he might say to her. Before he could compose a suitably innocuous text, his phone pinged.
Chloe: Hey.
Hey yourself. How’s it going?
Chloe: It’s going, LOL. Thanks again for the great time at Buddy’s.
You’re welcome. We need to do it again sometime.
The three dots that indicated she was typing came up. Disappeared. Came up again. He started to wonder if she was going to answer him at all when her reply finally came.
Chloe: I’d like that. It’s been a busy couple of weeks. We’ve been doing wedding hair for a photo shoot, plus wedding hair for a wedding, and I haven’t been home. But I didn’t forget I promised you fried chicken.
And biscuits and gravy, he added.
Chloe: LOL. Those too. So, are you and Neo free tomorrow night?
To hell with Neo. Then again, he deserved a thank you meal for helping her move too. I am. Don’t know about him but I’ll ask.
Chloe: Come over at six. I’ll cook dinner.
And if he can’t make it? Because as much as Ryan wanted to be alone with her, he wasn’t going to make her uncomfortable by being the only one to show up.
Chloe: Then it’ll just be you and me.
Ryan sighed. Then he typed because apparently he just wasn’t any good at convincing himself not to say these things to her. Then I hope he’s busy.
She sent back a laughing emoji. You’re a bad friend.
Maybe so. But I haven’t seen you in two weeks and I’d rather Neo isn’t there watching me stare at you.
Chloe: You’re planning to stare?
Probably.
Chloe: What else are you planning to do?
What would you like me to do?
She was silent for so long he thought she’d checked out of the conversation. But then she texted him back. I’ve thought of you a lot. And that scares me.
Why? I’m not your ex.
Chloe: I know.
I’d never do anything without your permission. Not ever. I’m safe. You don’t have to worry about that.
Chloe: I know. If I didn’t know, I wouldn’t have invited you over. I’m not saying this well…
Then just say it. We’ll sort it out after.
Chloe: Okay. I like you, Ryan. I don’t know that I’m ready for anything more, but I would like it very much if you’d kiss me. There. Now I’m going to go die of embarrassment.
His balls tightened. His gut clenched. Hot, hard need rolled through him. I’d like to kiss you, Chloe. Anywhere you’ll let me.
She sent back bug-eyes. Well that’s not what I expected.
It’s the truth. But I’ll kiss you chastely on the lips if that’s what you want. No tongue. No touching body parts.
Chloe: Well, I kinda wanted tongue.
Then you’re getting tongue.
She sent back the tongue emoji. You’re funny.
You’re the one who sent the tongue emoji.
Chloe: Yes, but that’s because you made me laugh. Okay, I have to get back to work now. One last client for the day.
Text me when you get home. I want to hear more about this kiss. So I can get it right.
Chloe: Stop. I shouldn’t have said anything.
Hell yeah you should have. I’m not going to think about anything else for hours.
She sent a laughing emoji. Bye, Ryan.
Chloe wasn’t going to text him. It was still light when she got home, but that’s because it was June and the days were getting much longer. Ryan’s truck was in his driveway. Neo’s Camaro was gone. She unlocked her door and went inside, locking it behind her. The house was quiet. Still. She glanced around at the boxes piled up—she’d only gotten through a few in the evenings—and felt overwhelmed. Alone.
“Stop it,” she muttered to herself as she dropped her purse on the counter and headed for the bedroom to change into yoga pants and a T-shirt. Alone was far better than back in Cedarville with Travis controlling her life.
After she changed, she went back to the kitchen and rummaged around in the freezer for a Lean Cuisine that appealed. She had a bottle of wine in the fridge and she poured herself half a glass. Then she leaned against the counter to wait. She could see Ryan’s house across the street through the big picture window in the dining room. There were lights on and she thought she saw the glare of a television as dusk crept through the neighborhood.
Before she could change her mind, she picked up her phone and opened the text window.
I’m home. It’s Chloe.
Three dots appeared. I know who it is. How was your day?
Tiring. I’m nuking a dinner and drinking a glass of wine. How about you?
Ryan: Got off early. Came home and napped. Washed clothes. Oh, and texted with a pretty girl who wants me to kiss her.
Chloe’s skin grew hot. Why had she told him that? But if she hadn’t told him, she’d be playing a guessing game. Wondering if he wanted to kiss her, wondering how to find out, wondering if he eve
r would. Now she knew. No more doubt. Sometimes it didn’t hurt to be direct.
She typed with her thumbs while she waited for her meal. Anybody I know?
Ryan: Look in the mirror, beautiful.
You’re smooth, Navy man.
Ryan: Can be. But it’s also the truth. You’re lovely, Chloe.
The microwave beeped and Chloe went over to stir the food before popping it back into the oven. Then she picked up her phone again. She liked this little flirtation. It made her feel normal again. And good. You’re making me blush.
Ryan: Why? You can’t tell me nobody ever told you that before.
She frowned. This was fun, but how truthful did she want to be with him? On the other hand, what did it hurt? No, it’s not that. It’s just… I guess I see my own faults and it’s hard to accept compliments. My ex was great at pointing them out, too…
Chloe rolled her eyes even as her stomach twisted. Why was she bringing Travis into this? She didn’t want him to color every aspect of her life from here on out, but it wasn’t going to be easy to forget what he’d done either.
Ryan: Your ex was a douchebag. He didn’t deserve you, Chloe.
No, he didn’t. But the things he said—the things he did—it’s hard to ignore. Chloe felt tears pressing at her eyelids. You know, if you don’t want to have dinner with me or kiss me or invite me to Buddy’s anymore, I’d totally get it. Maybe it’s just too soon for me to even think about liking someone enough to want to go out with them.
Ryan: Whoa, whoa, whoa. How did we get from you’re beautiful and I want to kiss you to maybe we shouldn’t go out?
Chloe stared at her phone. The microwave dinged and she went to get the dinner, dropping it on the counter because it was hot. Then she peeled off the cellophane and grabbed a fork so she could eat it standing up. Her phone lay beside the plastic container. She finally tapped out a reply.
I don’t know. I guess I’m just a mess. See, maybe you want to avoid me. Who has time for this kind of craziness?
Ryan: I don’t think you’re crazy. I think you had a bad experience and you’re cautious. Perfectly reasonable.
She pushed her hair from her face and turned to look out the window. It was starting to get darker now. She really needed to close the blinds. But she hadn’t turned on any lights so she wasn’t visible. A truck crept down the street, slowing in front of her house. She watched as it stopped beside her mailbox. The window went down and a shadowy arm appeared. Just as quickly, the window went up again and the truck sped away. She stared at it, frowning.
Somebody just put something in my mailbox.
Ryan: What? Were they on foot?
No, in a truck. I didn’t recognize it. Could just be a neighbor who got something of mine, I guess. I’ll go get it in a minute.
Ryan: Don’t go outside. I’ll come get it for you.
You don’t have to do that. It’ll take me two seconds.
Ryan: I’m on my way. Don’t go outside.
Chloe frowned. But why argue? She was trying to tell herself it was nothing sinister, perfectly normal—because chances were that it was normal—but deep down she was relieved he wanted to check the mailbox for her. She hated that she was, because she didn’t want to be scared of her own shadow and seeing monsters around every corner, but maybe it was okay just this once to let the big bad Navy SEAL check her mailbox. Plus it gave her an excuse to see him tonight instead of tomorrow.
She dumped the empty container in the trash and took a sip of her wine. The door to his house opened and then he emerged. She watched him saunter across the yard like a gorgeously buff runway model, his jeans clinging to his thighs, his dark T-shirt molding to muscles that were carved during long hours in a gym. So, so pretty. So mouthwatering.
Ryan crossed the street, stopped at her mailbox and tugged it open. He removed an envelope, turned it over, then headed up the sidewalk toward her door. Chloe hurried to open it for him. She smiled as he approached. Her smile shook at the corners because she was nervous.
“Fancy seeing you here,” she drawled.
He smiled. “Hey, babe. You look great.”
Babe. He’d called her babe. Did she mind? Her heartbeat’s quick tempo told her she didn’t. Not to mention the way her nipples tightened and her pussy clenched.
Damn.
She stepped back so he could enter. “I’m sorry I don’t have anything to offer you. Oh, I have water and soda—would you like something to drink?”
“No, I’m good.” He held the envelope up. “This didn’t come through the mail, Chloe. There’s no recipient address and no return address.”
She nibbled the inside of her lip. “Maybe they were delivering an invitation and got the wrong house.”
“It’s possible.” He held it up. “You want to open it or you want me to?”
“You open it.” She folded her arms beneath her breasts and waited, her belly churning. Seriously, how bad could it be? Travis would absolutely not resort to messages in mailboxes. He’d storm up to her door and drag her out by the hair.
Ryan pulled a pocketknife from his pants and slit the envelope. Then he folded up the knife and pulled out a single sheet of paper. She watched him unfold it. Watched his brow furrow. “Goddammit,” he growled.
Chloe’s heart shot into overdrive. “What?”
He was frowning. Hard. “Are you sure you want to see it?”
Didn’t he know that was like waving a red flag at a bull? “Of course I do. Just show me.”
He turned the paper. There were two words on it. Die, bitch!
Chloe put her hand over her mouth. “Oh my God.”
Ryan gently grasped her arm. Steered her to the couch. Helped her sit down. “I think you better tell me everything about your relationship with your ex.”
Her knees were jelly. Her heart hammered. Her eyes filled with tears but she blinked them away. No way was she crying over that bastard now. No way was she getting scared. Not yet. Not when she had Ryan “Dirty Harry” Callahan in her corner.
“I don’t think it’s him,” she whispered. “His style is more… direct.”
“How so?”
She hugged herself. “If he knew where I was, he’d come get me. He wouldn’t threaten me. He’d march in here and drag me out by the hair. Then he’d take me back to Cedarville and punish me for leaving him.”
Ryan looked fierce. “Jesus, Chloe. Is there anyone else? Anyone you’ve angered? Besides the mover. I mean he could have done this, but it seems out of proportion to the incident. He quit his job rather than apologize to you, but it seems he’d be putting threatening messages in my mailbox rather than yours. It just doesn’t feel right.”
Chloe shook her head. “I don’t know. I’ve had a couple of unstable customers, but that happens. A man I stopped taking appointments for because he got creepy. A woman who was getting married and thought her fiancé was flirting with me during her pre-wedding appointment. But both of those were a couple of months ago at least. The man was five months ago, so I’d only been at the job a couple of weeks. Avery said he was a creeper. She didn’t care that I blew him off. He never came back. The woman…” She frowned. “She was a little more intense. That was probably three months ago. And he was flirting with me, but I ignored it. I only cared about doing her hair—but she caught him trying to hit on me and got mad. Blamed me for it. I returned her money and recommended another stylist. She wrote a ranty message to Avery on our Facebook page, but that was the end of it. I never heard from her again. Or from the creeper.”
He was standing over her. Looking fierce and angry. But he didn’t scare her. She knew that none of his anger was directed at her. After the evening out with him and his friends, she was as certain as she could be that Ryan Callahan didn’t abuse women. Sure, there were guys who were probably really good at hiding their tempers from everyone, but she didn’t think he was one of them.
He pulled his phone from his jeans pocket and dialed someone. “Hey, Viking,” he said, and she knew
he had to be talking to the big blond guy from the other night. The one married to Ivy, who worked for the DEA. “I’m at Chloe’s place. Got a situation here.” He proceeded to tell Viking what had just happened. “Yeah, she doesn’t think it’s Travis James… but can we get a location on him? And Darrell Pruitt—what’s he drive? Yeah, okay. Thanks.”
Chloe gazed up at him, her insides churning. “You can find out where Travis is?”
He sat down beside her and squeezed her shoulder. “Probably. It’s not a guarantee, but there’s a good chance we can track him through credit card spend. Where he last used them, that kind of thing.”
Chloe snorted. “God, he’d be so pissed if he knew you were doing that. He’s completely anti-government. He believes in conspiracy theories. The crazier the better.”
“Then he shouldn’t use credit cards, should he?”
She shook her head. “He always said the day was coming when credit would crash and we could only use cash for everything. So he’s hoarding cash and gold until then.”
“In a mattress?”
She shook her head. He was teasing her maybe, but thinking about Travis still made her cold inside. “Not quite. He has a safe. I never saw inside it though. The whole thing could be a lie, knowing him.”
He traced his fingers along the back of her hand. It was soothing, and unnerving at the same time. Fire danced beneath her skin wherever he touched. “Did he threaten you when you were together?”
She sucked in a breath. She didn’t like to talk about the things Travis had done, but maybe she needed to. Maybe it was time to tell someone else what had happened. Or some of it, anyway. She turned her palm up and grasped Ryan’s fingers in hers. Squeezed. “Yes, he threatened me. I wanted to leave him but he said he’d kill me if I did. And… he hit me.”
HOT SEAL Hero Page 7