by Lori Foster
And judging by her expression, she didn’t want to do that.
She eyed him, then whispered, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
He leaned down, one hand on the back of the sofa next to her head, the other on the arm next to her side, pinning her in. “You want me. You’ve been thinking about me all night, distracting me, invading my head. Now you’re trying to give yourself a pep talk and—”
Her eyes flared wide like saucers, and she fumbled with her glasses. Her mouth moved, but no words came out. Finally, she sputtered, “How on earth do you know that?”
He frowned, tilting his head to study her carefully. Her old-fashioned dress was a major turn-on for him, and he fully appreciated the feminine, sultry picture she presented. It affected him somehow, but he couldn’t say exactly why.
“Chase?”
She sounded honestly surprised, and then he felt her shock roll over him and knew she’d had no idea he’d been listening in on her ruminations. She hadn’t silently talked to him on purpose, he’d just suddenly been able to read her. Why?
Chase touched her cheek, feeling the heat of her blush. She was mortified to discover he knew her thoughts. Some of his anger evaporated, and he wanted to reassure her somehow, but first they had to figure out what was going on.
Standing up straight again, he said, “Don’t move.”
She shook her head, mute. Her thoughts were such a jumble he almost smiled. Poor little thing. She was as confounded as he. And now that he knew she wasn’t controlling the situation, wasn’t controlling him, he could almost appreciate the novelty of it.
He touched the tip of her nose, then a loose blonde curl by her temple. He liked touching her, he thought, then immediately withdrew. He didn’t want to like touching her. “This is going to take some time to sort out. I’m going to go get us a couple of drinks, then we’ll talk, okay?”
Her chest rose and fell rapidly, making the beaded bodice glitter. She looked away. “Okay.”
“Allison?”
Her gaze came back to him reluctantly.
“It’s all right.” He searched her face, noticing how pretty her eyes looked, how they weren’t just a dark blue, but a multitude of blue shades, complex and original. “That you want me. I mean.”
Her lashes lowered, her hands fisted in her lap, and she whispered, “Oh God.”
Smiling now, feeling like he was finally getting the upper hand, Chase walked out. Damn, he didn’t know what was going on, but one thing was certain: Allison hadn’t denied wanting him. She hadn’t denied anything. She’d been too upset and embarrassed and confused to do more than stare up at him, letting him absorb her thoughts, letting him experience her desire.
And her desire sparked his own.
He was so hot, he thought he could breathe steam. His muscles were tensed, his abdomen tight. He felt like he’d been indulging in an hour of specialized foreplay, and in a way, he supposed he had, listening in on Allison’s thoughts, seeing her small fantasies. They’d been almost real, and had affected him like a touch.
This whole thing went beyond the realm of reality. If someone had tried to tell him any of this was possible, he’d have laughed. Mind reading? Ha. He hadn’t believed such a thing existed, but now he knew it did.
Even stranger than that was Allison, suddenly looking so appealing, suddenly wanting him. He’d always been polite to her but distant, because he’d instinctively felt she wouldn’t meet his needs. She was mostly quiet, a little perky but in a cute, friendly way, not overtly sexual. A small woman with sweet features, not a single risqué or daring thing about her. She didn’t in any way look like a woman who would indulge his sexual demands. So he’d been merely polite and she’d always been the same.
Now he knew her quiet facade hid some heated urges, and though they weren’t on a par with his, they intrigued the hell out of him.
Hurrying, he went behind the bar and grabbed two colas. Cole tried to talk to him, but he put him off. Hell, there was no way to explain the unexplainable. Cole would think he’d gone off the deep end.
Mack and Zane started whispering, their heads together, but he ignored them, too, not even bothering to give them a second glance.
Even this far away from Allison, he still knew what she was thinking, and he wanted to get back to her, to reassure her. She was afraid of what he’d think, racking her brain for an explanation he’d accept. Her uncertainty was understandable, even endearing, given the bizarre situation.
For whatever reason, she suddenly wanted him, and he didn’t really think he should turn her down. Hell no. Whatever was frightening her—and she was frightened—he’d take care of it.
Cole walked up to him again. “Chase…”
“It’s under control, Cole. Don’t worry.”
Cole searched his face, not looking the least bit convinced. “But…Allison?”
Chase grinned. “Yeah, I know. Pretty surprising, huh? Maybe there’s some black magic at work, considering it’s almost Halloween, or there’s a full moon out tonight or something. Who knows?”
Cole didn’t respond to the joke. “Do you know what you’re doing, Chase?”
Considering that a fair question since he wasn’t behaving at all like himself, Chase shrugged. “I’m working it out. That’s all I can tell you for now.”
Cole still looked concerned, but he let it go, saying only, “Just remember she’s my wife’s friend and assistant. I don’t want to end up in the doghouse because of you.”
Chase laughed. As he headed back to the office, colas and napkins in his hands, he dodged under a black paper cat and an orange paper jack-o’-lantern hanging from the ceiling. Maybe Halloween really did have something to do with this sudden power of his to read Allison, to see things in her he’d never seen before.
If so, he intended to enjoy it while it lasted.
But first, he wanted some answers.
Chapter Two
Allison paced the office as she waited for Chase to return. She’d never been in here before, and beyond her nervousness was a curiosity that kept her looking around. Cole mostly used the office, since he was the bookkeeper of the bar. Chase generally contented himself with being a bartender—and an unusual one at that. He wasn’t chatty, was more of a listener than not. He had the incredible knack for keeping disagreements at a minimum, negating the need for a bouncer. The bar was a lively place, but it was friendly, and totally acceptable to a family man or woman.
The office was large with a massive desk at one end and a plush sofa against the adjacent wall. A few chairs were scattered about with a filing cabinet or two. Photos of the brothers at various ages hung on the wall, and with her heart pounding, Allison went to peer at an aged photo of Chase. He was younger, but even then she could see the hidden fire in him, the repressed energy that everyone else seemed to miss, accepting him as the quiet brother. She shook her head. He was still incredibly gorgeous and her stomach knotted. It suddenly seemed like much too much.
“Darn it, Rose, I knew this was a bad idea. He’s actually angry that I want him. Why wasn’t Jack good enough? He couldn’t read my mind, and we both know he was more than willing, even if he didn’t exactly make my pulse race the way Chase does. He had no idea what you were planning. It would have been so much—”
The door slammed and she turned to see Chase, drinks in his hands and a frown on his face. “First my brother Zane, and now some bozo named Jack. How many men are you daydreaming about?”
He was angry again—
“Damn right I’m angry!”
Her own temper sparked, obliterating some of her nervousness. “Stop doing that! Stop reading my mind.”
He stared at her, and very slowly his frown smoothed out. He looked disgruntled as he stepped into the office and set the drinks on the desk. “I can’t help it. It’s like you’re screaming into my head.”
“But why?” Her hands twisted together in nervousness. “I don’t understand.”
“Hell if I kno
w. You came in tonight and just like that, I heard you thinking about me.”
If her face got any hotter, her ears were going to catch on fire. Mustering her courage, determined to see this through—a thought he obviously read, judging by his smile—she admitted, “I’ve done that before.”
“Thought about me?”
She swallowed hard and nodded. “Yes.”
Eyes narrowed sensually, he stepped closer. His voice was low and heated when he asked, “Sexual thoughts?”
Her stomach did quick little flips of excitement. “Yes.”
“I never guessed.”
“I know. You’ve never even noticed me.” That was painfully true, and there’d been many a night when she’d gone home feeling heartsick because she was all but invisible to him.
Chase reached out and touched her cheek again. “I’m sorry.”
Darn it, she had to censor her thoughts a little better or she’d never be able to get through this.
Chase grinned. “Don’t bother on my account. I kind of like reading your mind.”
With the most ferocious frown she could muster, she said, “Well, I don’t like it!”
He looked very annoyed again. “Because you’re also thinking about Zane and this Jack person?”
“No!” She shook her head, flustered to the core. Seeing no hope for it, she admitted quietly, “I don’t want Zane or Jack. Not like…”
His gaze softened. “Like you want me?”
“Yes. But none of it matters. I don’t need to be a mind reader to know you couldn’t care less about me. I’m sorry if my thoughts are suddenly intruding in your head, but I don’t really know what I can do about it.”
His frown was back, only now it looked more confused than angry. “You want me, but you don’t want to do anything about it?”
Allison turned away. This was the tricky part—
Chase swung her back around and up close to his chest. His hands held her firmly, not hurting, but making certain she couldn’t move away. Allison thought he’d shake her again, and she braced herself, but no sooner did she think it than he narrowed his eyes and sighed. “Dammit, I would never hurt you, okay?” When she didn’t answer right away, he added, “I promise. Trust me.”
Heart tripping at his deep, compelling tone, she said, “Okay.”
“Good.” There was a wealth of satisfaction in his heated gaze, but also determination. He tugged her the tiniest bit closer, until she gasped. “Now let’s get something straight. I don’t want you to try planning and plotting against me. It’s only tricky if you’re not honest with me.”
Being so near to him was muddling her brain, making logical explanations difficult. “I…I can’t be honest with you.”
“Why not?”
“You won’t believe me, and you’ll think I’m nuts, and you won’t want anything to do with me, but I need you to…” She closed her mouth, appalled by how much she’d just blurted out.
His gaze moved from a fascinated study of her eyes, to her mouth, then down to her breasts. His fingers on her arms turned caressing, persuasive. In a soft, gentle tone, he said, “This whole situation is nuts, so I doubt you can add much lunacy to it. And to be truthful, I’m finding I want a lot to do with you. Maybe it’s just a masculine gut reaction to knowing how much you want me, but I’ve had a hard-on since you first started thinking about me. And it’s you I’ve got pictured in my brain, not any other woman.”
Allison groaned. His words were like an aphrodisiac, making her blood race, her toes curl. Rose couldn’t have planned this any better if she’d tried. But it was all wrong. Even if he was now willing to do what she needed him to do, it wasn’t because—
Chase leaned down and pressed his mouth to her temple. “Tell me what you need me to do, honey.”
Honey. He’d never called her that before. She liked it.
“I’m glad.”
Her head dropped forward to bounce against his chest and she groaned again, this time thoroughly flustered at her wayward thoughts.
Chase chuckled, nuzzling against her crown. “I’m sorry. Would you rather I didn’t answer your thoughts?”
She shook her head. This situation was so bizarre, it bordered on comical. But then, everything that had happened to her since moving into the house was beyond belief. “No. It’s just…disconcerting.”
His hands stroked up and down her back, and her eyes closed as she basked in the heat of his touch. He kissed her brow and said, “To me, too, you know. My brothers are probably out there huddled together, coming up with every wrong conclusion there is. It’s for certain they’re not anywhere close to the truth.”
Alarmed, she pushed back to look up at him. “You’re not going to tell them, are you?” It was bad enough that Chase had been drawn in, but she didn’t want or need anyone else to find out all her secrets.
Chase cupped her cheek, his touch so tender she could barely find her breath. “I don’t know. I’m not even sure yet what’s going on. But if it’ll make you feel better, for now I won’t say anything.”
Her eyes closed in relief. “Thank you.”
“What secrets do you have?”
Darn. She hadn’t meant to let that slip. Then realizing she might as well have spoken out loud, she said, “Just give me a little time, okay?”
“Time for what?”
“Time to figure out how to tell you, how to get used to this, how to prepare myself.”
He didn’t look like he wanted to agree. In fact, he looked very disagreeable, but he finally nodded. “Answer a few questions for me, then.”
“If I can.”
“Who’s Jack?”
That was easy enough, though not a very desirable topic. “He’s a man I’ve been dating. He wants to get serious, but I don’t.”
He looked far from pleased by her explanation.
“Why?”
“He’s not…right for me.”
“In what way?”
Chase made it very difficult to talk when he kept touching her, his big hands smoothing over her shoulders, her back. And he stared at her mouth, making her self-conscious.
And he damn well knew it.
He shook his head. His voice was deep and affected, husky with desire. “I’m sorry. It’s just that I can’t stop thinking about kissing you—and a lot of others things. Things that’d likely have you hightailing your pretty little behind out of here as fast as you can.”
Ignoring most of what he said only because it didn’t make sense to her, she asked, “You…you really want to kiss me?”
“Oh yeah.” His voice dropped even more and he stared at her lips. “But I can tell you don’t really want me to. Yet.”
Allison tried to step away, but he wouldn’t let her go, so instead she covered her face. “This is so difficult.”
She found herself hauled up against Chase’s chest, his arms wrapped tight around her, comforting her. “I don’t mean to make it—whatever it is—harder for you, honey. But I can feel your confusion. You want me, but you don’t want to want me. Have I got that right?”
She sighed. He smelled so good, and it felt so good to be this close to him. More than anything she wanted to be with him, in every way imaginable.
He drew in a deep breath. “Every way?”
She stared at him, speechless. That had sounded too ominous by half. Still, she would have agreed, but there were stipulations that she couldn’t ignore.
His eyes narrowed. “What stipulations?”
Darn it, she had no privacy at all! It took all her control to hold back her fist. She wanted really badly to punch him.
Chase held her tighter. “None of that.”
This time she didn’t even question his right to know her thoughts. Thoroughly disgruntled, accepting there was no way she could sort out her thoughts in her own head, she groaned and pushed back to glare at him. “Do you think I should be happy to want a man who doesn’t want me?”
“But I just told you—”
“R
ight. That you…have an erection.” Her face burned, but she didn’t look away from him. “I know. But that’s not because of me. Chase, you don’t even know me, and you’ve never wanted to know me.”
He was quiet, watching her closely.
“I think in the eight months that Sophie and your brother have been married, you’ve said about a dozen sentences to me, all of them mundane cordial niceties. How’re you doing? Nice weather we’re having. That sort of thing. Now, just because you know I’ve fantasized about you a little—”
“A lot.”
“Okay a lot—”
One corner of his firm mouth kicked up. “Tell me some of the fantasies.”
His voice was low, commanding, making her insides tingle. She frowned severely. “No. Besides, you’ll probably know them soon enough as it is.”
His brows lifted. “You’ve got plans, do you?”
She opened her mouth, then saw his taunting smirk and wanted to slug him again. “No! I meant that you’d probably just read my mind and know them, though I swear I’m going to do my best not to think about you at all.”
“Party pooper.”
“It’s not funny, Chase.”
He grinned and kissed the end of her nose. “From my perspective it is. There’s not a man alive who wouldn’t pay good money to be where I am right now. It’s not often a fellow can actually understand a woman or know her thoughts.”
She snorted. “Like you can even begin to understand.”
He ignored that. “And I really am curious about these fantasies, but I’ll wait, if you insist. Now, about that other nonsense you rattled off.”
Her wariness returned. “What nonsense?”
“Me not wanting you. Okay, so I’ll admit I’d never really paid much attention to you before. I never pay much attention to any woman, at least not for long, but especially not a woman who’s a friend and assistant to my sister-in-law. I have no intention of getting involved long-term with anyone, and your relationship with Sophie puts you just a little bit too close to home for comfort. You’re not the type of woman for a one night stand, and one night stands are about the only speed I go these days, so I ignored you. It really didn’t have anything to do with you.”