She opened the door for him and he came inside while she shut and locked everything. He had a duffel bag that he slung onto the floor beside the couch. He pulled out a pillow and blanket, tossing them onto the couch before reaching into the bag for a laptop computer.
“Thanks a lot for offering to stay,” she said as she watched him prepare his space. Chloe folded her arms beneath her breasts. She was very aware she was only wearing a T-shirt, but it was a long one so she didn’t feel exposed. Still, she imagined him putting a hand on her thigh, sliding beneath her shirt, his fingers finding her sex.
She hastily dropped her arms, smoothed the shirt, and nearly choked on the images in her head. Where had that come from?
And why was she thinking these things about a guy she barely knew? Just because he was nice to her, and had a gorgeous face and body, didn’t mean she needed to start imagining sex with him.
He shot her a smile. “I’m happy to do it. You get some sleep and I’ll see what I can find on that number, okay?”
“Okay. But if you need anything, just knock on my door. I’m a light sleeper. I’ll wake up.”
She thought his eyes grew hot for a second. “I won’t need anything,” he said. “But thanks for offering.”
Chloe bit the inside of her lip. The air was thick between them—or maybe it was just her imagination. “Okay… Well, good night…”
He didn’t take his eyes from hers as she took a couple of backward steps toward her room. Her heart thundered, her skin grew hot—and then he dropped his gaze and the heat dissipated.
“Good night, Chloe.”
She turned and fled.
Chloe slept surprisingly well and woke up refreshed and ready to get to work. She showered and fixed her hair and makeup, then got dressed and went out into the living room. Ryan was on her couch, hands crossed over his stomach, legs crossed at the ankles. His eyes opened and he turned his head in her direction. Their gazes collided.
“Morning,” she said brightly.
“Morning.” He sat up and rubbed his hand over his face. Then he smiled at her and her pulse zipped up a couple of levels. “You sleep well?”
“Yes, thank you. Very well.”
“That’s good.” His gaze slipped over her. He didn’t linger anywhere in particular, but she felt his perusal like a touch. “You look great.”
She blushed. And rolled her eyes internally. Really? A blush? Was she in high school?
But she’d taken extra care this morning with her makeup and hair. She’d put on skinny jeans and wedges and a floaty sleeveless top that was feminine and pretty. She’d told herself she wasn’t doing it for him, but the appreciation in his eyes told her that she had. At least a little bit anyway.
“Thanks.” She gestured to the kitchen. “I’d offer you some coffee, but I haven’t unpacked the coffee pot yet. I was going to grab breakfast somewhere before hitting the salon. I’d love to buy yours if you want to join me.”
“Wish I could, but I’ve got to get to the base. Training today.”
Disappointment stabbed at her. “Another time then.”
“Yeah, that’d be nice.” He stood, and she was struck anew at how much he towered over her. “I got info on that number, but it’s nothing helpful.”
“You don’t know whose phone it is?”
“It’s a burner.” She must have looked puzzled because he continued. “A phone with prepaid minutes. There’s no SIM card, so it’s not registered to anyone in particular. Whoever texted you used that kind of phone.”
Her stomach fluttered. “So it could be anybody.”
“Technically, sure. But how many people have your number and want to text you something like that?”
Chloe swallowed. She must have made a face because Ryan frowned.
“Chloe? You want to tell me anything?”
She closed her eyes and blew out a breath. “I’ve known you less than twenty-four hours…”
Life was moving too fast all of a sudden. She’d been looking over her shoulder for the past six months, and she’d finally started to relax again. Started to believe that Travis wasn’t out there looking for her. And now she had to talk about him again to someone she’d just met.
“You don’t have to tell me anything you don’t want to tell me. But if something’s going on, maybe you should file a report with the police.”
Her belly clenched tight. She’d wanted to file a report back home, but Travis and the sheriff were good friends. Nothing would have happened except that Travis would have beat her black and blue once he found out she’d tried.
And now? She’d have to link his name and hers on a legal document. A document which would contain her current address and employment information.
“I c-can’t. He’ll find me if I do.”
Ryan’s gaze sharpened. “Who will find you?”
She bowed her head. “My ex-boyfriend. We didn’t part on good terms, and I didn’t leave a forwarding address. He would definitely text me that kind of message. But I changed my number, so I don’t know how he could have gotten the new one.”
“Parents? Friends?”
“My parents are both gone now. I only told one friend my new number, and she wouldn’t give Travis any information. She never liked him.”
“I’m sorry about your parents.”
“Thank you.”
“Will you tell me Travis’s last name?” His voice was gentle. She appreciated that more than she could say.
“James.” A shiver rolled down her spine. “He lives in Cedarville, Alabama. That’s where I’m from. My daddy was a builder, traveled to Birmingham and Montgomery for work a lot, but he died in a fall off a roof five years ago. Mama died of cancer eight months ago, and I left Cedarville six months ago.” She waved a hand around the small living room. “This is all that’s left of my family—stuff. I took it all and got the hell out.”
Ryan’s expression was inscrutable. “You said you didn’t part on good terms. What’s that mean, Chloe?”
She frowned. Some things were too private to tell this man she barely knew. She settled for a tamer version of the truth. “It means he didn’t want it to end, but I did. It means that he’s the kind of man who holds a grudge—and if he could find me, he’d hassle me and badger me and try to get me to come back.”
He nodded. “All right. Thanks for telling me.”
Chloe felt the heat of embarrassment creeping into her cheeks again. She made a show of glancing at her smart watch—she swore one because it was easier to look at when cutting a client’s hair than a cell phone—and pasted on a smile. “Well, I really need to get going. Big day at work.”
Ryan grabbed the blanket and pillow and stuffed them into his bag. Then he tossed the computer in there as well. Guilt flooded her as she realized what she’d just done. He’d stayed here for her last night and she was rushing him out instead of letting him use the facilities and get dressed. But she didn’t know how to gracefully back this up a few steps.
He slung the bag over his shoulder before she could figure it out. “I’ll talk to you later, Chloe. Have a good day at work.”
Her belly was doing that flutter thing again. “You too.”
He walked out the door and she followed him outside, locking the door behind her. Then she got into her car and reversed onto the street. She’d expected to be happy after spending her first night in her new home, but instead she was apprehensive because all she could think about was Travis finding her.
It made her angry and scared. She’d worked hard to escape, yet she was still as much a prisoner to his whims as she’d ever been. She glanced in the rearview mirror, half expecting to see him back there. Following her. Threatening her.
When she reached the salon, she sat in her car for several minutes before she realized she’d forgotten to stop for breakfast. Didn’t matter though. Her stomach was too twisted into knots to eat. She threw open the door and grabbed her purse. Then she dashed toward the salon and hurried inside. Tears pricke
d her eyes as she stood in the comfort of the building, breathing deeply to calm her fears.
Travis wasn’t out there. Not yet. But he would be.
And she had to be ready.
Five
Ryan popped a fresh magazine into the grip of his military-issued Sig and racked the slide. Then he unloaded into the target, grouping his shots in the center of the silhouette’s forehead for a little change of pace.
“Damn, dude,” Cowboy said as he decimated the target. “You get up on the wrong side of the bed today?”
“Nope.”
Neo laid his weapon on the table in his bay and stepped back. “Unlikely. Dirty spent the night across the street at the new neighbor’s house. A very pretty new neighbor.”
Ryan dropped his weapon on the table and stepped back, too. “She’s pretty, but I slept on her couch.”
Cowboy shrugged. “Seems weird, but sure. Whatever floats your boat.”
Neo was frowning. “Why’d you do that? I thought for sure you were planning to hit it and quit it.”
Ryan ground his teeth. “She heard a noise. And she got a threatening text. Thought it might have been that mover who walked off the job, but the number was a burner. Turns out she also has a possessive ex-boyfriend she left behind in Alabama. She didn’t tell him where she was going, and she changed her number when she left.”
“Whoa,” Neo said.
“We need to do some digging,” Cowboy added.
“That’s what I was thinking,” Ryan replied. “I’ve got the ex’s name and the town in Alabama. And then there’s the mover. His name’s on her paperwork.”
“Shouldn’t be too hard to find him,” Neo said. “We know he’s on parole.”
“Yep.”
“Sounds like this poor lady’s got a lot going on,” Cowboy said. “What else do you know about her?”
“A few things. Her name’s Chloe Cooper and she works at a salon called Hair Affair. The house she moved into belongs to the woman who owns the salon. Her parents are both dead—her father five years ago in a construction accident and her mother about eight months ago. Cancer. Oh, and she drives a blue Camry that looks like it’s seen better days.”
Neo and Cowboy were both looking at him. “Damn,” Neo said. “Poor Chloe.”
“Yeah.” Something else was troubling him. “She’s skittish as hell, too. I mean I know we’re strangers, but I could tell she had a hard time accepting help from me. Like she expected me to take advantage of her if she relaxed her guard.”
He’d hated getting that vibe from her, though he’d tried to understand it. Yeah, he was a big man and he knew that could be intimidating. But he didn’t usually encounter that reaction from women. Quite the opposite.
“Sounds like her ex was an asshole to her,” Neo said.
“Yep.”
Cowboy looked thoughtful. “Might need to get the women involved. Sounds like Chloe needs a friend.”
Ryan’s first reaction was surprise. The women meant the wives and fiancées of his teammates, and they were a formidable group. But they were also permanent in the lives of his brothers, and Chloe was brand new and not connected in any way except that she was his and Neo’s neighbor. The fact Cowboy would even think about the women meeting Chloe said a lot.
“That’s not a bad idea.”
“Guess you two need to have a party,” Cowboy said to him and Neo.
Neo shrugged. “Sure. Why not?”
Ryan put his weapons in his range bag. Neo and Cowboy did the same. “Let’s go see what we can find out about Chloe Cooper,” he said. “Then we can plan a party.”
The salon was a small, three-chair affair in a cute little historic building on a side street that also housed a home decor store and a ladies’ clothing shop. Chloe loved the vibe at Hair Affair. She liked working with Avery and JoJo, and she liked the clientele. Before she’d come along, it had just been Avery and JoJo, but the business was expanding and Avery had needed another stylist. Fortunately, Chloe had arrived at just the right time.
Now, she was working on a woman who chattered nonstop about her daughter’s upcoming wedding. Chloe made appropriate noises, asked questions, and snipped the woman’s thick golden hair into a gorgeous bob that she exclaimed over before paying her bill, leaving a generous tip, and making a follow-up appointment for a makeover.
Once she was gone, Chloe headed for the small break room at the rear of the shop. JoJo was working on a client, and Milly the shampoo girl was kicked back with an e-reader while she waited to wash out Avery’s client, who was currently under a dryer while her highlights set.
Avery was in the back, one hand on her hip, the other holding her phone to her ear. “Jimmy, just listen—” She swore as she dropped the phone to her side. Then she turned before Chloe could tiptoe out of the room.
“I’m sorry,” Chloe said. “I didn’t hear anything.”
Avery waved her hand. “Wouldn’t matter if you did. He’s being unreasonable.”
Chloe wanted to ask if it was the house, but she also didn’t want to know if it was.
“It’s not the house,” Avery said. “I know you’re wondering.”
Chloe opened the fridge and grabbed a bottle of water as relief rolled through her. “I was.”
Avery shook her head. “It’s the wedding. Every time I try to get him to talk about a date, he doesn’t want to do it. He keeps saying we need to finish the house, or we need to pay off our cars, or I need to be more established in this business. I mean I know all those things are important, but I’m not trying to plan a giant wedding with ridiculous expenses. I’d be happy if we just went to the courthouse. But he says I wouldn’t be happy with that and I’d regret not having a wedding with a dress and flowers and friends.” She sighed. “I sometimes think he doesn’t want to get married at all. He’s just happy with the status quo, you know?”
Chloe sank onto a chair at the small table. “He might be. Or he might be worried that getting married would change everything. Sometimes people just want things to continue as they are because they’re afraid of screwing it up.”
“Maybe.” She sank into the chair opposite. “Enough about Jimmy or I’ll just get angry again. How was your first night in the house?”
“Well, a raccoon got onto the porch and got into my birdseed. Scared me half to death. I called a neighbor and he came over to make sure no one was trying to murder me. Nope, just a raccoon.”
Avery arched a manicured eyebrow. “What kind of neighbor? A handsome one? Or a potbellied one with a wife and six kids?”
Chloe laughed. “Definitely a handsome one. Tall, muscles for days—and single.”
“Whoa. I never saw one of those when I was over there. Though I haven’t stopped by the house in a while.”
“There’s more than one of them. Navy SEALs. Two, and they live across the street in that white house with the carport.”
Avery was smiling. “Well well. Two Navy SEALs, huh? Maybe I should trade Jimmy in on one of those instead of putting up with his wedding procrastination.”
Chloe laughed. “You aren’t getting rid of Jimmy and you know it.”
“No, but maybe I should threaten him with it. Tell me more about the handsome neighbor who came to your rescue.”
“What? A handsome neighbor?” JoJo asked as she walked in. “What did I miss?”
“Chloe says there are two Navy SEALs across the street from my aunt’s house. At least one of them is handsome and has muscles for days.”
“Chloe! Spill,” JoJo said as she pulled up a chair. “I’ve got five minutes before I have to go get Mrs. Taylor from under the dryer.”
Chloe laughed. “They’re both handsome. They both have muscles for days. Ryan Callahan and Zach Anderson, though he goes by Neo.”
“So which one did you call last night?”
JoJo’s eyes widened. “You called one?”
“Yes. There was a noise that turned out to be a raccoon. I thought someone was breaking in.”
&nbs
p; “Even if you didn’t think that, calling a SEAL was the right move,” JoJo said solemnly.
“Okay, so you called him,” Avery said. “Which one and what happened next?”
“It was Ryan. And he came over and found the raccoon. Then he stayed the night.”
Avery squealed. “What? Oh em gee, girl! I want to know everything. Does he have a big one? Does he know how to use it?”
Chloe was enjoying this way too much. It helped her forget the fear of this morning. Helped make it seem distant and not as scary as it had when she’d been envisioning Travis following her, waiting to attack.
“Well, he does have a big one. I saw it yesterday when he answered his door without any clothes. But I don’t know if he knows how to use it because he slept on the couch.”
“Wait—you saw his willy but you don’t know if he can use it? Oh I’m so confused,” JoJo said.
“Keep up, babe,” Avery told her. “He answered his door without clothes and she saw it then. But there was no hanky-panky last night.”
“Why did he answer his door without clothes?” JoJo asked.
“I needed him to move his truck so the moving van could get in the driveway. So I went over and rang the bell. He was hungover and pants-less.” Chloe shrugged. “I mean it was shocking and all, but also the kind of thing you don’t forget easily.”
“You should have taken advantage of it last night.” JoJo shook her head. “Wasted opportunity.”
Chloe pursed her lips. “I just moved in across the street. I think I’ll get another chance. If I want one.”
“If you want one. Girl, if you don’t, you call me. I’ve been deprived for far too long now. Last time I got some, it was a total disappointment.”
“I’m sorry,” Chloe said.
“You and me both. I spent weeks flirting with this guy. A bartender over at the Twilight Bar. He was soooo cute. His dick was impressive too. But then there was his technique—not impressive. Not even close.” She took a sip of water. “Couldn’t find a clitoris with a step-by-step slideshow presentation, I swear.”
HOT SEAL Hero: HOT SEAL Team - Book 7 Page 4