Chase’s legs gave way and he sat down hard on the weight bench. He knew Jayson better than that. And if something had started, Ethan would have stopped them. He shook his head.
“Geez.” Jayson groaned. “What a way to ruin a good fucking.”
Chase ran his hands over his face. “Sorry,” he mumbled.
He had no issue with his two friends hooking up. Chase knew Jayson had been bi since high school, and after Ethan joined the Brotherhood, he’d become more sexually open. It kind of came with the territory.
“It’s okay, man,” Ethan said. Chase could almost imagine him giving that nonchalant shrug of his. “What’s up? Why are you calling so early?”
“You weren’t answering your phone,” Chase said. “I was a little concerned.”
“Oh. It’s in the living room. I, well, I heard a noise coming from Sabrina’s room and went to check on her.” Ethan paused. “Pretty sure she was, uh, thinking about you and taking care of things.”
Chase grinned as his mind wandered a little to seeing Sabrina touching herself while lying in bed.
“It was hot,” Ethan continued. “Jayson came out to . . . What were you doing?”
“Getting some water,” Jayson said.
“Oh.” They both laughed. Chase rolled his eyes. He was avoiding acknowledging the jealousy growing in his chest.
“Jayson heard the noises, too, and, well, we just went back to his room.”
“Okay.” Chase pushed aside the images of his two friends in bed together. If he’d been there, he might have joined in. If Sabrina weren’t in the picture, that is.
“So, what’s up?” Ethan asked.
“Richard called me this morning . . .” Chase recounted his conversation from earlier.
“Wow,” Jayson murmured after he had finished. “I guess we don’t have to worry about Aiden anymore.”
“Just the guy who killed him,” Ethan remarked. “How do you think Sabrina will take it?”
“No idea,” Chase said and pressed his lips together. “Can you call me when she gets up? Or have her call me?”
“Sure thing,” Ethan said. “She should be up soon.”
“Thanks,” Chase said. “I’ll let you guys go.” He imagined they wanted to get back to business.
They said goodbye and Chase returned to his exercises, ignoring the flow of blood to his dick. In the shower later, he’d have two fantasies to indulge in.
*****
“Sabrina?”
Sabrina groaned at the intrusion of the gentle voice in her sleep. Her body felt heavy and she didn’t want to move.
“Sabrina?” Someone rubbed her back gently and she opened her eyes.
Ethan’s face was inquisitive as he crouched at the edge of the bed. “You awake?”
“What time is it?” she rasped.
“Almost noon.”
“It is?” She never slept this late. She turned onto her side and glanced up at her bedside clock. It read 11:57.
“Yup. You feeling okay?”
Sabrina nodded and pushed herself up on to her hip. “Yeah. Guess I was tired.”
Ethan patted her hand. “I was getting worried. Jayson said you don’t usually sleep in like this.”
“He’s right.” She rubbed her face. “I had weird dreams.”
“Bad weird or good weird?”
She thought hard, but all she could remember was a dark room. “I don’t know. Weird dreams aren’t unusual for me, though.”
“At least it wasn’t a nightmare.”
“No kidding.”
“Well, Chase texted and asked if you were up yet. He wants to take you to lunch.”
Sabrina smiled, remembering that Chase was definitely a part of her life now. And yesterday’s date had been wonderful. “I’d love to.”
“I figured. I’ll let him know. You get ready.”
She smiled again as Ethan straightened and left the room. Another date with the most wonderful man in the world.
*****
Chase was catching up on some work for the bank merger when Ethan texted him and told him that Sabrina was finally awake. He closed his laptop and tossed it onto the couch next to him before hurrying to his room to dress.
Ten minutes later, he drove his Land Rover to see his precious girl. When he knocked on the door, Ethan answered, a strange look on his face.
“What’s wrong?” Chase asked.
“You mad about this morning?” Ethan asked quietly as he stepped back to let him in.
Chase shrugged. He knew he was referring to “catching” him and Jayson together. “Why should I be?” He glanced around the apartment, looking for Sabrina.
“Sabrina’s in the shower. Jayson and Liz went to see their parents.”
Chase closed his eyes briefly. “God, I don’t need to think about her in the shower,” he muttered.
Ethan laughed. “Good thing you can go to the Manor.”
“Not the same.” A sex slave satisfied the carnal need for sex, but he wanted to make love to Sabrina. He pushed the thought aside. He didn’t need to be thinking about that right now, either. “Does Jayson think I’m upset?”
“He was worried.”
Chase walked over and dropped onto the couch. “I’m not upset at all. You guys can do whatever you want. I was just surprised. You normally—”
“Do it when we’re all drunk and you’re involved?”
Chase shrugged. “Yeah.”
The door to the bathroom opened at that moment and Sabrina walked out wearing nothing but a towel. When she saw Chase, her cheeks turned pink. “Hi,” she said in that soft voice of hers.
Chase stood, using every ounce of discipline to keep his eyes on her face. “Hi.”
“I’ll just be a minute,” she said, giving him a dimpled smile and disappearing into her room. As she turned, Chase gave in and let his gaze travel down her body before she walked away.
He groaned and sat back down. “God, she’s sexy,” he muttered to Ethan.
He nodded. “Can’t disagree, man.”
*****
Sabrina quickly dressed in jeans and a pink sweater before walking out to the living room where Ethan and Chase were talking. Chase greeted her with a kiss on the lips, then pulled her down on the couch next to him.
“Sabrina, before we go, there’s something I need to tell you,” Chase said, looking serious.
She glanced at Ethan and back at Chase. “What happened?” Her mind went wild with all sorts of horrible thoughts, mostly those involving something happening to Chase or Richard deciding they couldn’t be together.
“Richard called me this morning,” Chase began. Sabrina’s stomach sank. “Apparently, Aiden was in a car accident last night.”
Sabrina blinked. “What? Is he okay?” Why did Chase look so serious?
He shook his head. “His car skidded off the road. He’s . . . dead.”
She stared into Chase’s gray eyes, trying to process his words. Aiden was dead? She didn’t know how that made her feel. On one hand, he had hurt her terribly and she was glad he wouldn’t hurt anyone else ever again. On the other hand, was it her fault that he was dead? If she hadn’t told Chase about what Aiden had done, he wouldn’t have made him leave, he wouldn’t have been on that road, and he wouldn’t have gotten into the accident.
She looked down at his hand holding hers and swallowed as tears burned her eyes. She blinked, not really understanding why she was crying. Was she sad he was dead? Not really. Did she feel guilty? Kind of. But it was more than that. It was just the idea of someone dying that saddened her. He hadn’t been cruel at first. Well, not very cruel. And she’d let him do everything he’d done . . . until the end. But even then, she’d let him.
“Are you okay?” Chase asked.
How did she answer that question? �
�I don’t know,” she whispered.
Chase pulled her close and wrapped his arms around her. Hot tears escaped her eyes and she squeezed them shut. She didn’t want to cry. She hadn’t cried when Ramon died, but then again, she’d killed him. Had she killed Aiden? Even indirectly?
*****
Chase hugged Sabrina tightly. He saw the tears on her cheeks and she was stiff in his arms. He glanced at Ethan, who nodded and walked toward Jayson’s room.
“Sabrina, it’s not your fault.”
“Why not?”
Chase didn’t know if he should tell her about the suspiciousness around the accident. It might help alleviate some of her guilt, but would it frighten her, knowing someone likely killed Aiden because of his involvement with her? He didn’t know which would be worse.
“How could it possibly be your fault?”
“He wouldn’t have been in California if it weren’t for me.”
“People make their own choices. He made a bad choice to hurt you and there were consequences that went along with that.”
“He deserved to die because he hurt me?”
Yes, he deserved to die for hurting you! But Chase couldn’t say that aloud. “He got into the car and drove. It’s no one’s fault that he skidded off the road. Accidents happen.” But this might not have been an accident . . .
Sabrina pulled away slightly and looked up at him. “What aren’t you telling me?”
“What do you mean?”
“I can sense your unease.”
“You can read me that easily?” he asked with a smile.
“Sometimes. Your emotions just, kinda, seep out.”
Chase laughed.
“I don’t try and read people very often.” She looked down at her hands. “It’s kinda tiring.” She looked back up. “It uses a lot of energy. Mental energy, I guess.”
“Immortal energy?”
Sabrina nodded. “I guess. But sometimes I can just tell what people are feeling.”
“Can you read minds, like Theo?”
She shook her head. “No. Just emotions.” She frowned. “And I can tell you’re uneasy. I don’t have to expend any energy to see that.”
Chase sighed. He didn’t want to lie to her. “Brandon, the LA Elder, doesn’t think it was an accident.”
Sabrina’s eyes widened. “Why?”
“Because he wasn’t supposed to be on that road. He was supposed to be in LA, meeting with Brandon.”
“Oh.” Sabrina chewed her lip. “Why would someone want to kill Aiden?”
Chase hesitated, and Sabrina looked worried. He could imagine all sorts of questions in her head. Would the truth ease her guilt or amplify it? In his experience, the truth was always the best choice.
He told her about confronting Aiden and his confusion. Her face turned pale, but otherwise, she maintained her composure.
“Why would someone do that to him?” she asked after a few minutes of silence.
“I don’t know.”
“What does Richard think?”
“He suspects it might have something to do with your Master, but he’s not certain.”
Sabrina nodded and swallowed hard. “Someone was using Aiden to get to me?” she asked, looking up. Her eyes filled with tears. When Chase nodded, she closed her eyes. “Poor Aiden.” Just another in a long chain of abuse victims. Just like Damien.
Chase pulled her back into his arms. She curled up against him and rested her head on his chest.
Chapter Fifty-Three
Monday afternoon, Sabrina walked into rehearsal, as usual, but her heart tightened. She was instantly reminded Aiden was dead when she saw a stranger standing in the corner talking to Martin. He was short, maybe a few inches taller than Sabrina, with mostly gray hair and a slim body. His back was to her, so she couldn’t see his face, but his movements were energetic, like Martin’s.
She glanced up at Ethan, who gave her an encouraging smile, before she stepped farther into the room. No matter what this man was like, nothing would happen to her because Ethan was here. She was safe.
Martin saw her and smiled. He said something to the other man, who turned to look at her, and the two walked toward Sabrina. She saw the other man’s face now. It was round and youthful looking, though lined, as if he were around fifty. His dark eyes brightened with friendliness when Martin introduced him.
“Sabrina, I’d like to introduce Matthew Broadbent. Matt, this is Sabrina Mansfield.”
Matt extended his hand and smiled brightly. “Pleasure to meet you, Sabrina.” His voice had a slightly nasal pitch to it.
Sabrina shook his hand. “Nice to meet you, too, Mr. Broadbent.”
“Please, call me Matt.” Matt glanced at Ethan behind her. “And you are?” he asked, curiosity apparent in his face.
“Her bodyguard,” Ethan said, a warning in his voice. “Ethan Marlow.”
Matt raised his eyebrows and looked back at Martin. “Because of . . . ?”
Martin nodded. “Yes.” He turned to Ethan. “I assure you, Ethan, you have nothing to worry about. Matt has been happily married to a beautiful woman for over twenty years.”
Matt grinned. “I have.”
Sabrina looked back to see Ethan studying Matt carefully, then he nodded. “I’ll be by the door.” He strode back to the door and took his customary seat, looking slightly less menacing than he had when he’d been introduced.
Martin went through the opening steps with Matt, and Sabrina’s mind wandered back to rehearsals with Aiden. Why had someone been using him to get to her? Why him? Is that why he was dead?
Chase had taken her out to lunch yesterday and did his best to cheer her up. She’d felt better by the time he’d taken her home that evening, and reading The Last Unicorn together had certainly taken her mind off it. Being back in the studio, though, had brought the thoughts back to the forefront of her mind.
“Sabrina, you ready?” Martin asked with an expression on his face that made her wonder if he had to ask more than once.
She forced a smile and nodded. “Sorry. Yes.” She went to her place for the beginning of Matt’s entrance and the music began.
*****
Chase shrugged on his jacket as he stepped into the elevator after a long afternoon at the bank. He was eager to have a quiet evening with Sabrina, shooting off a quick text to let her know he’d be at her apartment to pick her up in twenty minutes.
The elevator stopped one floor down and the doors opened. Tara, the security manager, stepped inside.
“Hi, Chase,” she said with a bright smile. “I had hoped to run into you before you left. A bunch of us are going to O’Malley’s for drinks. Would you like to join us?”
Chase shoved his phone into his pocket and gave Tara a friendly smile. “Thanks for the offer, but I have plans.”
“With your girlfriend?”
Was Sabrina his girlfriend now? He hadn’t stopped to consider their relationship status. He certainly wasn’t interested in anyone else. He intended to marry her, if she decided she didn’t want to be with Richard. It was probably simpler to refer to her as his girlfriend around other women.
“Yes.”
She turned and batted her eyelashes at him. “You don’t sound very sure of yourself there.”
Chase frowned. This woman was insistent. “I have plans tonight,” he said in a firm voice. “With Sabrina, the woman I intend to marry.” Maybe that would get her off his case.
Tara raised her eyebrows. “You’ve only just met her. How can you possibly know you want to marry her?”
Chase took a deep breath. She was making a fool of herself and it was getting annoying. Subtlety didn’t work with her, so it was time to deal with it outright. “Listen, Tara. I’m not going to go out with you. Ever. I don’t date clients, and I’m heavily invested in my relationship with S
abrina. Please, drop the idea that we’re ever going to get together.”
Tara pressed her lips together and briefly narrowed her eyes before waving her hand in the air and giving a light, albeit forced, laugh. “Oh, Chase. You know I was just playing around.”
He gave her a tight smile. “Of course.”
They spent the remaining thirty seconds in the elevator in tense silence, but Chase hoped she would leave him alone now. When the doors opened to the lobby, she nodded to him and hurried away. He suspected that he’d hurt her feelings, but what else could he do? She kept throwing herself at him, even though it was a pointless and annoying effort. He hoped, eventually, she’d appreciate his honesty. If not . . . Well, that wasn’t his concern. He was here to do a job, not sleep with her.
He was still frowning when he got to his SUV in the parking garage and punched the button to start the vehicle. By the time he’d parked in front of the apartment, though, thoughts of Sabrina softened his mood and he hurried into her building, eager to see her.
*****
Chase and Sabrina walked silently along the river, fingers intertwined. The moon was just coming up in the eastern sky, and Chase noticed the light seemed to give Sabrina’s hair a silvery glow, settling around her like an aura of innocence. It was different than the normal golden glow of her skin and her dark hair that caught fire in the sunlight. The white light of the moon made him think of the unicorn they spent their evenings reading about.
“What are you thinking about?” Chase asked, keeping his voice gentle.
“You.” She smiled up at him, melting his heart.
“Me?”
Her dimples deepened and she looked away. “I was thinking about how lucky I am that you wouldn’t stay away, even when I wanted you to.”
“Did you really want me to?”
“No,” she said, almost in a whisper. “I didn’t. Well, I thought I did . . . I was just afraid.”
“I know you were.”
“You did?”
Chase stopped and tipped her head up with his finger. “Yes. I know you struggle with accepting who you are. But I want you to know that I believe you are not bad. Who you are, what you are, it’s good. Very good.”
Master of My Heart Page 40