by Cynthia Eden
“Variable, yes, I heard you the first time.” He blew out a breath. “Look, someone just tried to get in your place. Do you want to call the cops?”
That twisting in her stomach got worse. Way worse.
“Because if you want to call them, we should do it right now.” Chase nodded. “Get them down here so their crime techs can do their thing.”
The police. “I want to see if anything was taken.”
“Before you call the police?”
She wasn’t sure that she was calling the police. She also wasn’t so sure that she wanted to rule Chase out as a suspect. “I need some proof that you are who you say that you are.”
He threw his hands into the air. “What does that even mean?”
“You told me you worked for a security company—”
He hauled a wallet from his back pocket. Dug out a white business card. Handed it to her. Their fingers brushed.
That weird lick of heat hit her again. The same heat that had surged through her the first time they’d touched. She’d even felt it when he did his crazy carry routine on her. When he’d scooped her into his arms, the heat had burned through her. Vivian cleared her throat. “I need you to stop that.”
Both brows rose. “Stop what?”
“Making me tingle. I can’t deal with that right now.” She frowned down at the card. “What’s a Wilde?”
“Eric Wilde is my boss. He owns a security and protection business. It’s pretty big, you might have heard about it—”
“I haven’t.”
“Biggest on the East Coast.” He coughed when she just stared at him. “You haven’t heard about it. Got it. Well, you can call Eric. He’ll vouch for me.”
“But I don’t know him. He could lie to me.” She peeked at the card once more, rubbed her fingers over the embossed text, then glanced up. She found Chase staring at her, rather bemusedly. “What?” Vivian asked.
“How do I make you tingle? I almost missed that part.”
Her cheeks burned.
“That is fucking adorable. God, I love it when your cheeks go pink.”
“Kittens are adorable. If you like adorable things, you should get one of those.”
A nod. “I will keep that in mind.” He sucked in his cheeks a moment, as if he were trying not to laugh.
This was hardly a humorous situation. And she wasn’t adorable. That was insulting. Especially because when she looked at Chase, she thought…
You’re not adorable. You’re sexy. You’re gorgeous. Stupid hot. And I need to get out of here. “I have to see if anything was taken. Thanks, um, for your help.” She brushed around him.
“That’s it? You’re just going to race back in there? What about calling the cops?”
Her shoulders stiffened. “If nothing is taken, there won’t be much point in contacting them. The cops have plenty of other cases to keep them busy and, given that fact, a broken lock would hardly be a big priority for them.”
“At least let me come with you.”
She looked back at him. “Why?”
“Uh, for moral support?”
“What makes you think I need that?”
Chase shifted his stance. “Maybe I need it. I just moved into a new building, there was a break-in—or an attempted break-in—on my first day. My nerves are shot. Not being alone is helpful for me right now.”
She spun to fully face him. Her hands flew to her hips. “Lies waste time.”
“They do?”
“Yes. So just tell me what you mean from here on out and we can be friends.”
He stepped toward her. “It’s that easy with you? I just tell you the truth, and you’ll be my friend?”
Her hand rose and trailed over the faint scar that cut through her left eyebrow. Her fingers trembled a bit as she said, “Having a good group of friends can help increase your lifespan, it decreases stress levels, and those friendships can also help to keep you mentally aware due to the fact that the risk of dementia decreases when you have—”
He held up one hand. “You spout facts when you’re nervous.”
Her lips pressed together. Yes, yes, she did. Her hand fell away from her eyebrow because he was staring at it—no, at her scar.
“I would like to be your friend,” Chase continued carefully. His voice was almost tender.
Chase’s tenderness made her feel funny on the inside.
“And as a friend, I don’t want you to be nervous. So let me backtrack and try this again.” He paused. “Please let me come with you as you check to make sure that nothing was stolen from your place.” He extended his hand toward her. “And, I will try very hard not to waste your time with lies.”
She stared at his hand. Then nodded. “I like that deal.” Her fingers curled around his. “Thank you, new friend.”
His golden eyes gleamed.
***
“I appreciate you installing the new lock.”
It’s the least I could do, considering I’m the prick who broke the old one. Chase glanced up as he finished tightening the screw on Vivian’s new lock. He pasted a smile on his face. “That’s what friends are for, right?”
No, friends aren’t supposed to break your lock. They’re not supposed to terrify you. They aren’t supposed to use you.
A quick smile lit up her face. It was the first time she’d smiled since the break-in.
God, I am such a dick.
“Please tell Merik again how much I appreciate him stopping by the hardware store and rushing that lock over to us.”
It was no trouble. He had the lock ready to go.
“Nothing was taken.” She nodded. “So that’s great. The intruder must have been scared off by someone—maybe by you—you know, like you told me earlier.”
I think there is a reserved place in hell waiting for me. One that’s extra hot. “Yes, that’s probably what happened.” Chase rose to his feet and gripped the screwdriver in one hand. “You need a security system.”
Her eyelids flickered. “Yes. I should call around and get quotes—”
“I have connections. I can have one installed for you first thing in the morning.”
“Because you work for a security company.” Her lips pressed together, then she confessed, “While you were installing the new lock, I researched you online.”
“You did?”
“I mean, I researched your company. Very well known. Lots of big clients. Celebrities and stuff.” Her head tilted. “Have you ever protected someone famous?”
“Yes.”
“What was it like?” Mild curiosity showed on her pretty face.
“The guy was a total ass.” And one of the biggest names in Hollywood. “So it was basically a shit show.”
Laughter sputtered from her. Rich, warm laughter. Chase found himself leaning closer to Vivian because he liked the sweet sound of her laughter so much.
“You’re not impressed by famous people?” Vivian wanted to know.
Impressed? “Hell, no.”
Her laughter faded. “I can’t afford you.”
“I can give you the friends and family discount. Trust me, you can afford our services.” Especially since those services…shit, they were designed so that Wilde could keep an eye on her.
Her smile came and went again. It was truly a gorgeous smile, one that made her green eyes light up. “Thank you.”
“Don’t need to thank me.” Because when you do, your gratitude makes me feel worse.
“I do, I have to thank you. I need to—”
“You can thank me by going out to dinner with me. Say, tomorrow night?”
Her gaze skittered away from his.
“I promise, I won’t bite,” he added gently. “It can just be a friendly meal.” He was adjusting his strategy because Vivian was far too cautious. He had to play this game very carefully. He needed to be the nice guy for her. “We can even go to that Asian restaurant that you mentioned. I’ll have my guys come by and set up your security in the morning, and then we’
ll hit dinner in the evening.”
She shook her head.
Hell, denied. He would have to come up with a different—
“I can cook.”
He thought of her to-die-for brownies. Oh, hell yes, you can.
“How about you come over here tomorrow night?” Vivian offered. “I’ll cook dinner for us.”
Chase held her stare. “I would like that.”
“So would I.” Vivian seemed surprised even as she said the words.
Chase had to laugh. “That’s the thing about me. Before you know it, you’ll be falling for my charm.”
“I’ll have to watch out for that,” she replied seriously. Then she caught Chase off guard by giving a saucy wink. “But you should be careful, too. Before you know it, you might be falling for me.”
“Huh.” He stared at her.
She waited. And waited a little more.
Chase sucked in a breath. “Right. So, you gonna be okay here tonight? Because you’re welcome to sleep with me.”
Her eyes widened. “Excuse me?”
“Stay with me. Stay with me. You are welcome to stay with me.” That was what he’d meant to say. The words had come out wrong. “You can take the bedroom. I’ll take the couch.”
“Thank you for the offer, but I’ll be fine here. I have a brand-new lock, after all.” She took a tentative step toward him. “You should get back to your place. When I was inside, I noticed that you had a lot of boxes left to unpack.”
She was kicking him out. Understood. “If you need me, I’m right down the hall.” He leaned a wee bit closer to her. His nostrils flared. She smelled so fucking delicious. “I love vanilla ice cream.”
“I like chocolate. But why are we talking about this?”
His lips curved. “Because you smell like vanilla ice cream. It’s my favorite scent.”
“Oh, that’s, um, body lotion. Vanilla bean.”
His gaze slid over her face. Lingered on her mouth.
“You look like you want to kiss me,” Vivian whispered.
She was direct. Maybe he should try being just as direct with her. “That’s because I do.”
The softest of gasps escaped her lips. “I thought you wanted to be friends.”
“I want to be whatever you’d like me to be.” His gaze lifted. Held hers. “If it’s just friends, then I’ll take that. But you said lies were a waste of time, so I figured that before I left, I’d tell you some truths.”
“Go right ahead.” Her voice had gone breathless. Sexy.
“If you want to only be friends, count me in. I could always use another friend. You can never have too many in this world. But, if you want more than friendship, if you want to see what happens when my mouth touches yours…count me in. I can be as much or as little as you want me to be. You decide.”
She searched his gaze. “You just met me.”
“And I already like you.” Chase had to lighten the tension between them. He knew he was coming on too strong. Be the nice guy. No pressure. “I mean, how could I not like a woman who has such a killer swing? You should’ve gone pro.”
Her gaze darted to the baseball bat that rested against the wall. Laughter spilled from her.
The sound warmed him. Chase felt like he’d just won some kind of freaking prize.
What is up with that?
“I should go. Lots of boxes.” He nodded, stepped back, but had to look at her lips once more. Just once…
I want her mouth beneath mine. I want to see how she tastes. I want to make her moan for me.
Her mouth was going to haunt his dreams.
“Good night, Chase. Thanks for all of your help. And…I’m glad you’re in the building.” She offered her hand to him.
He took it. This time, he was prepared for the surge of awareness—of pure heat—that flew through his whole body.
“Do you feel that?” Her voice trembled. “It’s more than a tingle this time.”
“I feel it.” His voice had roughened. He wanted to pull her forward. Wanted to put his mouth on hers. To taste her.
Instead, he let her go. “Have a good night. If you need me, you know where I am.” With that, he strode toward his place, but Chase could feel her gaze on him. He looked back and found Vivian still standing in her doorway. Her head was tilted and her stare was sharp and focused on him.
Tension slid through Chase. Was she suspecting him? Was she figuring him out? Was she—
Her fingers lifted in a wave before Vivian retreated into her apartment and shut the door.
His breath left him in a rush. Damn. For a moment back there, he’d gotten off mission. He’d wanted her mouth on his so badly. Chase hurried into his place. Flipped the lock and—
“Friends leave brownies for friends,” Merik informed him with a glower. His hands were flattened on the kitchen counter, and the dragon tattoo looked ready to breathe fire.
He hadn’t realized Merik had lingered after dropping off the new lock. “You used your key.”
“I totally used my key. I was waiting for you to come and check in with your current partner, but I guess things got all intense and involved over there.” He tapped his fingers on the counter. “Is the Evil Queen on her way to ruin?”
“Don’t call her that,” Chase snapped.
Merik blinked. “My mistake. Jeez, someone needs to chill out.”
“I am chill. The most chill.”
“Whatever you say. So…is the target—the one suspected of selling classified intel, the one who could be potentially risking the lives of dozens of good men and women—is she on her way to ruin?”
Chase winced as he made his way to the fridge. He yanked out a bottle of water and took a long gulp. “She doesn’t seem bad.”
“Oh, shit.” Merik had turned to follow Chase’s movements. Merik’s eyes squeezed closed. “She’s getting to you. It’s day one, and she’s sliding under your skin already.” His eyes opened. He glared.
Chase took another swig of water. “No, she’s not.” Yes, she is. “I feel bad, okay? I broke the woman’s lock. Scared the hell out of her.”
“Because you’re a jerk.”
He put down the water bottle. “No, please, don’t pull your punches.”
“I’m not. I don’t ever. You just pulled a dick move by sabotaging the lock, but it needed to be done. We both know it. Sometimes, the end justifies the means.”
“I hate that saying.” With a deep, burning passion. “And I still feel like shit. She was upset, man. If she’s innocent, then I feel like—”
“If she’s innocent? If? Did you just use the word if?”
He had, yes.
Merik’s glare turned into a gape. “She’s not innocent! You read the evidence! I read the evidence! She is stealing secrets. No, correction, she stole secrets. And we have to find and recover the intel before she passes the data off to the bad guys who are out there. There is no if with this woman.” He stalked toward Chase. “You and I both got our orders from Eric. Uncle Sam pulled us in because our particular brand of crazy was needed on this case.”
“Things feel fucking crazy about now.” He felt crazy. Her laugh had just sounded so—
“Are you thinking with your dick or your head?”
“Watch it.” Chase wasn’t in the mood to play.
“She’s sexy, I’ll give you that. I always had a little thing for redheads so I get the attraction.”
Chase’s hands fisted.
“But she is dangerous,” Merik added grimly. “The point was for you to play her, not the other way around.”
“I know what I’m doing.” He did. “It’s just…dammit! She seems innocent.” The way she spouted off her facts when she was nervous—he’d picked up on that tell right away. The way she blushed. The way she rubbed the faint scar over her eyebrow when she— “How’d she get that scar?”
Merik waved his hand in front of Chase. “Focus.”
He was focused. He’d read the background file on Vivian. Read it over and o
ver. There had been no mention of a scar over her left eyebrow. It was white, faded, so she must have gotten it long ago. But how? He didn’t like the idea of her being hurt.
Shit. Merik is right. I need to focus.
“Chase, buddy, pain in my ass…this is what I’m hearing…You’re saying she’s all innocence and light.”
Yes, he’d basically said that. “I left out the light part. Just mentioned more that she could be innocent. It’s an instinct, all right? My instincts say she’s not some—some Evil Queen.”
“Let’s back up. Reassess. Did she do anything tonight to raise red flags with you?”
Chase glanced away.
Merik whistled. “She did. Okay. What was it? Tell me.”
“She didn’t want to call the cops.” But… “She was right. I mean, they wouldn’t have been able to do anything and—”
“We both knew she wasn’t going to call the cops even before you touched the lock. With the kind of extracurricular activities that Vivian Wayne has going on, the last thing your sexy neighbor would want is for uniformed cops to be poking around in her place.”
Chase leaned back against a nearby counter. “I told her that Wilde would put in a security system for her first thing in the morning.”
Merik’s smile flashed. “Now that is the kind of progress I am talking about! We’ll get some listening devices in there, and we’ll—”
“I know what we have to do.” Didn’t mean that he liked it.
“It’s just another case, man.” Merik backed away. “I get that she’s got pretty eyes and she bakes killer brownies, but you need to remember that even Ted Bundy had no trouble luring prey to him. Bad guys—and women—can be charming. They get you to see what they want you to see.” He headed for the door. “We both know she’s smart as hell. She’s also as dangerous as they come. Don’t forget that.” At the door, he paused and pointed at Chase. “You can’t believe anything she says. You’re playing her. She’s playing you.”
“Huh.”
Merik’s expression darkened. “Do not pull that ‘huh’ BS with me. She is playing you. So stop feeling guilty, Boy Scout. Do the job. If you can’t do it…” A shrug. “I’ll step in. After all, she liked my dragon.”
Chase immediately stiffened. “No stepping in necessary. I’ve got her.”