Can he read my mind?
“Okay, I will follow you back to your place,” she agreed, placating him and avoiding any arguments. Chaise lived by the motto to choose her battles and this wasn’t one she wanted to fight with Bull. She would eventually have to talk to him about going back to work the following day. She knew how that would go over, though—about as well as trying to reason with an actual bull.
Back at Bull’s house after an uneventful ride, Chaise popped the trunk of her company car and started removing all the contents. Bull, Shadow, and Rebel watched with curious and dubious gazes. When she started tugging on the spare tire, Bull wordlessly stepped in and removed it for her.
“Thank you,” Chaise said in all sincerity. Bull simply nodded and placed the tire on the ground.
“What are you doing?” he finally asked.
Reaching under the jack, she retrieved a small, black cartridge and handed it to Bull. Upon inspection, he realized it was a tiny flash drive.
“That’s the file that I was researching when I found all the discrepancies. I highlighted the missing girls I found online but there are plenty more to be researched,” she explained.
Bull handed the flash drive to Shadow who was already on his cell phone calling his confidential contacts to start the investigation. When Bull turned back to Chaise, she could still see the apparent distrust in his eyes. Releasing a sigh of resignation, she started putting the contents of the trunk back together as Shadow and Rebel walked inside, leaving Bull and Chaise alone.
Unable to stand it any longer, she turned to Bull and stated firmly, “I am not lying. I’m not making this up and I’m not crazy. I don’t know what’s going on but I need you to believe me. Even if it is for no other reason than to help me find Aura. Please.”
“All right,” Bull responded, sensing her sincerity, “but I still have questions you haven’t answered yet. Simple questions—like your last name.”
“Colton, that’s not as simple as you think,” she quietly explained, looking down at her hands. Meeting his sharp gaze again, she continued, “What else can I do?”
“I don’t know, Chaise. I guess we’ll have to take it one step at a time.”
As Chaise and Bull entered his house, Rebel told them that there was too much information in the flash drive for them to digest all at once. He and Shadow would take it back to Steele Security headquarters to get Brad and the other technology guys to help them pull the information together and devise a game plan.
“I strongly suggest you two lay low until we get back with you. It may take a day or two for us to get everything in order,” Rebel said. Turning to Chaise, he directed, “And you need to stay off the radar completely until we get this sorted out. This is nothing to mess around with.”
Chaise nodded in agreement, “I will call and take the week off next week. I’ll make up something, but I don’t think I can stay away from work past that.”
****************
The next several days seemed to drag by for Chaise. She called the general manager of Viboro and told him she had the flu and would be out a few days. She added a couple of fake coughs and made her voice sound gravelly and rough. He apparently bought her act as he told her to feel better soon.
The tension between Bull and Chaise continued to build over those days they spent alone in the house. Chaise enjoyed the time she spent with Bull, getting to know him as well as he would allow it. They had exchanged several heated glances and lingering touches during their internment. When their bodies brushed in the hallway, the heat between them was almost enough to start a fire.
Bull was almost to his breaking point when Shadow called and said they were on their way over with the data. His thoughts were betraying his sense of duty and his commitment to his job. His professional demeanor was waning and he was running out of excuses to keep avoiding his attraction to Chaise. She had made it painfully clear to him that she was interested. He only had to accept her invitation.
Chaise knew the distance that Bull had kept between them was intentional. She kept trying to break down his walls and he kept resisting. Part of the reason was because he didn’t trust her. The other part was his professionalism, both on the job and in his life. When her open attempts failed, she resigned herself to accepting it could not be.
When Shadow and Rebel arrived at Bull’s, they immediately opened the computer with the files the tech guys had dissected by the time Bull and Chaise joined them in the den. Shadow was busy clicking away on the secure laptop and chatting on his phone with his former CIA friends while Rebel was on the phone with Brad, the technology expert at Steele Security.
Their animated discussions centered on the information Chaise had provided. They were able to verify most of what she had already told them and linked many open cases to the girls’ names on Chaise’s spreadsheets. Bull raised his eyebrows at the two men and they both nodded affirmatively back at him.
“What was that all about?” Chaise asked.
“What was what all about?” Bull responded.
“Come on—I saw that. What’s going on?”
“They just confirmed your story—or part of it anyway,” Bull explained.
“Does that earn me any trust?” Chaise asked and Bull didn’t miss the hopefulness in her tone.
“Some,” he responded ambiguously. This earned him a full-watt smile from Chaise and he again felt the unfamiliar pull in his chest. He had to admit that their confirmation of her story removed some of his apprehension about her.
Relaxing his stance, Bull placed his hands on his waist and took a moment to simply observe her as she moved around his house. She moved with a fluid grace that was mesmerizing. Her long, lean body completely captivated Bull and pulled his thoughts from where he should be focused.
She walked between Shadow and Rebel, listening to their conversations and pointing out information over their shoulders as they talked about the names and the information on the lists.
“Ask them about Aura Perez,” Chaise whispered to Shadow urgently.
“Yeah, can you run a check on an Aura Perez, nineteen-year-old female, University of Miami student? Thanks, man,” Shadow said into his cell phone. Chaise waited on pins and needles, wringing her hands and pacing back and forth in the three feet of space directly in front of Shadow.
When Shadow shook his head ‘no’ at Chaise, she pacing abruptly halted as she buried her face in her hands. Bull intently watched her every move, memorizing her body posture, her respirations, and her skin color. When she dropped her hands, he saw true fear and pain in her eyes. Chaise was sincerely worried about Aura Perez—it was no act. Seeing this, she earned another minute amount of his trust.
He waited for Shadow to finish his call before asking for an update, “What’s the word, man?”
“Chaise is right—a lot of these names are tied to missing persons cases. Here’s the interesting part, though. Several of these girls used to be listed online—pictures, fliers, everything—but now, almost all them have been taken off the internet. I had to get a friend to hack into some servers and pull their restore files from a few weeks back to retrieve the information,” Shadow explained gravely.
“What about Aura? What did they say about her? Did they find her missing persons report?” Chaise asked excitedly.
“There’s no record of an Aura Perez—not at the college, not at Viboro, and not anywhere online. There’s no missing persons report—not even one that’s been deleted like the other girls. Either she never existed or she gave you a fake name,” Shadow answered.
Bull watched Chaise’s reaction to the information Shadow had obtained about Aura. She sat down hard on the sofa, confusion engraved in her face, looking around but seemingly not seeing anything in particular, then the tears started flowing uncontrollably. Before he realized it, Bull was at her side, wrapping his arm around her shoulders, and pulling her into him to console her.
“I don’t understand what’s happening,” Chaise cried into Bull’s ches
t. “She was my intern. Her mom was so distraught. Nothing makes sense!”
Bull tightened his hold on her, lightly rubbing her back as he lowered his voice to speak softly to her. “We’ve just started, Chaise. Don’t give up hope yet.”
When she wrapped her arm around his waist and hugged him tight, Bull was astonished at how right it felt to hold her in his arms. She fit perfectly against him, her soft but muscular body pressed to his as if she were cast from a mold that was meant only for him. The soft, sweet scent of her perfume enveloped him with her every movement.
Her soft cries into his chest propelled his protective instincts to new heights. She was his keep now and he would see things through to the end. Strange thoughts permeated his mind—thoughts of wanting her to still be around at the end of the case, to stay with him and make whatever attraction that lingered between them become a living, breathing thing. Whether its breath held fire or ice was yet to be determined.
Chaise’s body became rigid when she realized she was wrapped around Bull and she was holding onto him tightly. Fearing she had far overstepped her bounds, she tentatively pulled away from the safety of his comfortable embrace to look into his eyes. Both afraid and anxious to see what message they conveyed to her, she held her breath as their eyes finally met. In them, she saw desire and compassion—not the cold, unfeeling detachment she was certain she’d find. Her heart melted at the sight, and without conscious thought, her hand slowly drifted to his jaw line.
“Thank you, Colton,” she whispered, “so much.”
Without speaking the actual words, they both knew her appreciation was not only for how he consoled her or his oath of not giving up. No, they both knew the unspoken gratitude was also for the trust he was giving her—the chance that Bull rarely gave those he didn’t know and never gave to those who hadn’t fully earned it. He was taken an unheard of chance with Chaise and her outrageous story.
Their faces were so close; their warm, sweet breath coated each other’s faces and their lips were almost close enough to touch. Had they been alone, Chaise knew she would make the first move, certain that Colton would not do so while he was on the job. She was thankful for the support that Shadow and Rebel were providing in researching the information she obtained, but she wished with all her might that they would suddenly disappear from the room.
They at least did have the good manners to keep their backs turned to them while they reluctantly unfolded from their embrace. Once they were again upright on the couch, Shadow and Rebel gathered their possessions, telling Bull and Chaise they would soon be in touch again, and Bull walked them out. Chaise took a moment to use the restroom and try to get herself under control.
As she entered the den, Bull was returning from outside. Their eyes collided and she was drawn to him and couldn’t have stopped her feet if she tried. It wasn’t as if she had even wanted to stop. She floated across the room and directly into Bull’s massive, welcoming arms. Their lips met with urgency—there was no slow, simmering kiss between them. It started blazing hot and continued until the fireball of desire consumed both of them.
Before she knew they had moved, Bull had backed her up against the wall and was passionately consuming her mouth. His tongue caressed hers with such finesse it felt finer than the best silk. Her fingers relished the feel of his hair as she feverishly massaged his head with her touch. She felt his strong hands move farther down her waist, across her hips, until he lifted her so that she could wrap her legs around his waist.
Supporting her with one leg, he used both hands to cup her face, tilting it to deepen his kiss and take more of her, which she willingly gave to him. Chaise tightened her legs around him, pulling up with her arms so that her breasts were pressed hard against him. The sensitivity of her hardened nipples increased with every brush against his shirt. The heat of his hands penetrated the thin material of her dress, searing her skin with his brand and making her wish for more at the same time.
Tearing his mouth from hers, Bull pulled his face back to look her in the eye. “Are you sure about this?”
“I’ve never been so sure of anything in my life, Colton,” she replied decisively while maintaining his gaze. Pulling his mouth back to hers, she reclaimed it as he shifted his arms underneath her and carried her toward his bedroom.
Chaise’s fingers floated down his back, appreciating the ripples and striations of his muscles, until she reached the hem of his shirt. Lifting it slowly with one hand and trailing on his hot skin with the other, she languidly removed his shirt, breaking their kiss only to fully pull it over his head and cast it away on the floor.
The short length of her dress had her most sensitive core pressed firmly against his manhood, rubbing the rough texture of his jeans and heightening her anticipation of what was yet to come. When they reached his king-size sleigh bed, Bull stopped and stood her up at the edge of it. The yearning in his eyes and voice sent shivers down her spine when he delivered his alpha-male demand.
“My turn, Chaise—or more accurately, your turn,” his deeply masculine whisper promised. He lifted her arms above her head. “Keep them up,” he commanded and she obeyed. His hands skimmed her from her neck, moving down and around the undersides of her breasts, ever so slowly down her stomach, lightly skimming the very core of her before reaching the hem of her dress on her thighs.
When he knelt before her, she gasped audibly, incredibly aroused and eager to learn what he had planned next. Raising his face to look at her, he issued his repeat command, “Keep your arms up, Chaise.”
Unable to speak, she simply nodded in agreement, until his warm hands touched her bare thighs. Her hands dropped to his head and her knees threatened to buckle simultaneously as she whimpered unexpectedly. Bull easily caught her, gently pushed her back up and said, “You can hold on to the footboard for now. But when I’m done, I want your arms back up in the air.”
“Okay,” Chaise complied, unsure where the ability to speak suddenly appeared from or why she was suddenly so willing to give in and do exactly as she was told. His take-charge personality bled over into the bedroom in an unexpected and exciting way and she didn’t want to do anything to dissuade him.
Grasping the foot of the sleigh bed, Chaise held on and tightened her grip when she felt his hands on her inner thighs again. Bull took his time, lightly running his fingers across her smooth skin, leaving kisses, flicks of his tongue and light nips of his teeth in his wake. Her approving moans of pleasure urged him on, as did her uncontrollable writhing and wiggling under his sensual attentions
She cried out and was unable to draw in a breath when she felt his warm, wet tongue lavish attention on one leg, starting inside her mid-thigh and slowly working its way up to her panty line. When he stopped and pulled away, she immediately felt the loss of his touch and the tingling sensation he created on her skin, and instantly craved more of him. Finally breathing again, her gaze began to travel downward to find him when she suddenly felt it on the other leg.
His hands followed his tongue, moving up her legs, under her dress, until he found the innermost silky edge of her panties, directly covering her now soaked core. He skimmed his fingers slowly around the edge of her panties until he finally moved around to the sides. Slipping his index finger in each side, he languidly pulled them down her legs, skimming the surface and providing sweet torture, until they were finally in a puddle at her feet. When she stepped out of them, Bull picked them up and tossed them across the room.
“You won’t be needing those for a while,” his deep voice rumbled.
CHAPTER EIGHT
“I can barely wait to taste you, Chaise,” he murmured against her skin. “You are so fucking beautiful and sexy as hell.”
Just the sound of his rich, bedroom voice was enough to melt her on the spot. Chaise moaned appreciatively, ready for anything he wanted to give her. Dropping her head back, her fingers gripped the bed frame tighter in anticipation of the wanton things he planned to do to her. Her breathing was shallow, causing
her chest to heave in and out in desire.
“Chaise,” Bull’s voice commanded, it did not ask.
“Yes.” To whatever you want. The answer is yes!
“Get ready to scream.” Bull’s fingers gripped her hips, pulling her tightly to him and to what she knew would be pure bliss. She felt his hot breath against her skin and braced herself when she felt the stubble of his jaw rub against the sensitive skin of her inner thigh. She knew heaven was less than an inch away when she felt his hot breath on her heated core. Her breaths were ragged and shallow and she felt hypnotized by him, unable to tear her eyes away from his ministrations.
“Oh, Colton,” she sighed on baited breath, waiting and desperately wanting in a manner she’d never felt before. He lifted his eyes to meet hers just as his tongue flicked out, wetting his lips in anticipation. Chaise almost let go of the bed to grab his hair in her hand to push him where she needed him. Somehow, his order to keep her hands on the bed echoed in her mind and she obeyed.
The chimes of his cell phone stilled his actions, causing Chaise to groan in exasperation. He was so close! Their eyes were still locked, the desire burning in his like an open white hot flame suddenly dimmed, and he sat back away from her to fish it out of his front pocket. She was still panting feverishly, still rooted to her place, her hands still gripping the footboard tightly as Bull supplied abrupt answers into the phone.
Ending his conversation, Bull stood and said, “The perimeter sensors have been tripped. Someone’s here.”
His voice held no indication of any sexual frustration or tension after what had just occurred between them was so suddenly interrupted. His demeanor was back to the normal, on-duty Bull while Chaise’s head continued to spin out of control. How can he go from red-hot to ice-cold in a matter of seconds? Chaise thought to herself with no small amount of annoyance and distress.
Wicked Ties (Steele Security Series) Page 6