Chloe looked under the couch cushions, then squeezed them back into place. There were no papers on the glass coffee table, but there was a laptop. She wondered why the police hadn’t taken it, but thought maybe the forensic team had checked it out on-site and decided that it didn’t hold any important information.
She grabbed the laptop, opened it up, and dropped down onto the couch, pleased to find it was not password protected. Doing her best to find something, she went through Ashlyn’s emails; nothing of interest stood out there.
“I’m not seeing anything of Travis’s in the kitchen,” Sawyer said as he entered the living room. “I checked out her bedroom. It doesn’t look like Travis lived here at all.”
Chloe paused, her finger over the trackpad. “Did he live with her at some point?”
Sawyer shrugged. “That I don’t know. Ash never said they’d moved in together. Besides, she’s got a good head on her shoulders—I can’t see her jumping into something so heavy like that. She’d only been seeing Travis for three months.”
That statement reinforced Chloe’s worries about herself when it came to Sawyer. She, too, had a great head on her shoulders, and she prided herself on that. She didn’t want to be seen as stupid for jumping into bed with Sawyer after just breaking up with Josh, no matter that her body wanted to do exactly that.
Chloe turned her attention back to the computer and opened up the Internet browser. She went through the Internet history for each day, but nothing stood out as a red flag. By all appearances, Ashlyn was a normal twenty-two-year-old.
How in the hell did she get mixed up with Travis?
Curious, she clicked the My Pictures folder. The first picture showed a guy with his arm wrapped around Ashlyn. “I’m guessing this is Travis?” She spun the laptop screen to Sawyer.
He glared. “Yeah, that’s him.”
Chloe turned the laptop back, beginning to understand Travis’s appeal. Blond, built like a brick house, with baby blue eyes, Travis was drop-dead gorgeous. His arm around Ashlyn seemed to be protective and loving. How could that have changed? Chloe wondered. All too often, people didn’t make sense.
“You’re cute when you get focused.”
Chloe’s head snapped up, finding Sawyer’s eyes sparkling with amusement. Instead of acknowledging the compliment, she gave him a small smile and glanced back at the screen. No way would she allow him to turn her into mush—something he proved capable of doing with a single look.
She closed the My Pictures folder and moved on to My Documents. Nothing there gave any clue to Travis’s location. Frustrated, she opened the Internet again and went through every known email provider. When she opened Gmail, she noticed an address that included the name “Travis.”
“Come here,” she said. “I found something.”
“Whatcha got?” Sawyer sat next to her, draping his arm across the back of the couch.
He smelled like nature, Chloe thought—woodsy and fresh. And so very masculine. She cleared her throat. “I take it this is Travis’s email address.” Sawyer’s thick, strong leg pressed against her slender one, carrying warmth into her veins. “It’s not a great lead, but at least it’s something.”
“At this point, anything is good.” Sawyer pulled out his phone and typed the email address into his notepad. “I don’t suppose you know how to break passwords?”
“I’m not that good.” She smiled, shutting the laptop. “But I do have a friend who might be able to help.”
One brow rose. “A friend?”
“His name is Shane. He’s a computer whiz I met in high school.” She rose, holding the laptop to her chest. “He does some freelance work for Porter on difficult cases.”
Sawyer hesitated, brows pinched together. “The force has its own computer team. I should take it there.”
“Yes, I’m sure that makes sense in your cop brain. But what if we have to dig deeper than just breaking a password? Will your people on the force do that, or do they have to get warrants and such? Using my guy saves time.”
His hesitation lasted a little longer this time, the conflict clear on his face. He finally bobbed his head, resolved. “We’ll do this your way for now.” He lifted his hand to her arm in an appreciative touch, but the feel of his strong fingers on her bare skin was like an arrow of desire hitting her straight between her thighs.
He’d never touched her before. That, she now realized, had been a good thing. Under the heat of his fingers, her mind went blank. Her only focus was the burning of his touch. Every inch of her hummed in a blaze of need, clenching her sex. She needed space from all his intensity, but she couldn’t find the strength to force her feet to move.
She dared herself to look up into his shadowy eyes. His curious gaze moved from his hand to her face; then he shifted his fingers toward her chin. Chloe melted as she became aware of his hands on her face—the soft, tempting strokes of his fingers as they caressed her jaw.
He tipped her head up, studying her in a way no man had ever done. He really looked at her—straight into the center of her being. As if, for the first time in her life, she was being seen. Her soul felt naked under his gaze. The slight jump in her heart rate matched the nerves rattling through her.
All the same, her mind recoiled. She hastily reminded herself she’d just broken up with Josh. “Please don’t” was all she could manage.
The corner of Sawyer’s mouth curved. “I’m not stopping you from backing away from me. If you don’t want me close, move.”
He clearly didn’t intend to step away—she could tell from his knowing smile. She couldn’t, either. My God, she wanted him. Right now. Right in his little sister’s condo. But that little voice in her head, though it was growing weaker by the moment, reminded her that strong and smart women didn’t jump into bed with someone the day after breaking up with a long-term boyfriend.
The satisfaction in his eyes deepened when she remained still. “There’s something here,” he murmured in a voice as soft as silk. “I feel it. You feel it. Why ignore it?”
“I broke up with Josh yesterday,” she reminded him.
“So you keep telling me.” Frustration appeared in his eyes. “Since you seem so determined to keep talking about your ex, then tell me, why did you break up?”
Her cheeks burned with embarrassment. There was no way she was going to tell him.
His eyes began to twinkle. “Because of me? Because of this peculiar-but-ever-so-interesting connection between us?”
She swallowed the lump in her throat. “I’ve never…”
“Felt something so intense? So unexplainable? So tempting? Neither have I.”
Then he kissed her, and she couldn’t remember the reason she didn’t want him kissing her. She only wanted him kissing her.
He moved his hands to caress her shoulders, holding her in place as his tongue invaded her mouth. He pressed his body against hers, as if daring her not to realize how incredible it felt to have his body right up against hers. He set every inch of her on fire.
Jesus. H. Christ, did she realize it.
And she wanted more.
Many minutes later, when he stopped kissing her, they were both breathless. His eyes were so full of lust it was mind-blowing. He dragged his thumb across her bottom lip. “I’ve waited thirty-three years to find this sort of real connection that defies logic. I won’t ignore that, Chloe. I can’t.” She couldn’t look away from his mouth. God, she wanted more of that. “Don’t ask me to,” he added, “because you won’t like my answer.”
She forced her eyes up to his. “I’ve been single for a day,” she reminded him again. Dammit! “I can’t be with you, no matter how fun that sounds. It wouldn’t feel right. I need time.”
“Fair argument. But I don’t care how long you’ve been single. I only care that you are.” As if he hadn’t rocked her fucking world, he left her standing there as he walked toward the door. “Come on. We need to get moving.”
She blinked, pulling her mind from the gutter and p
lacing it back on the investigation. Her emotions were in a whirl; if there were such a thing as a female case of blue balls, she had ’em.
Chapter 4
It turned out Chloe’s friend was a criminal. A good one.
Sawyer crossed his arms, frowning at Shane Taylor’s wide smile. His thick-rimmed black glasses weren’t so much nerdy as trendy. Shane wore dark skinny jeans and a gray T-shirt beneath a black sweater vest. Most people thought criminals lived rough lives, but good criminals had money. Shane clearly fell into the latter category, living in a lavish two-story house on the north end of Las Vegas. Unimpressed, Sawyer scanned the six computer screens set up on a circular desk in the living room.
A hacker, Sawyer thought.
The PD had a team that hunted criminals like Shane, and here Sawyer stood in the middle of an elaborate hacker setup. He turned to Chloe, feeling guilty even to be standing in this would-be-felon’s home.
Chloe gave him a nervous smile. “Shane’s good at what he does.”
“I don’t doubt that in the least,” Sawyer replied, voice dry. Chloe had told Sawyer before they entered the house not to let on about his occupation; a hacker would not be eager to invite the law into his place of work.
Shane dropped into a leather chair and hit a button on his keyboard, powering up the computer screens. “What did you bring me today, Chloe?”
She tapped the laptop in her arms. “I need you to get into Travis Marks’s Gmail account.”
“Only that?” Shane frowned. “You disappoint me, Chloe. Why don’t I track his credit card usage? He’s probably bought something with it. Maybe I can pinpoint his location for you.”
Sawyer grunted. “I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that.”
Shane frowned at Sawyer.
Chloe shifted on her feet and cleared her throat. “Sawyer’s not…ah…a private investigator, so it’s best we stay away from the credit cards on this one.”
Sawyer sighed. “I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that, either.” He wondered why Chloe had admitted he was an outsider when just a little while earlier she’d made it clear that they needed to keep his job quiet. Though he rather liked that she couldn’t lie. It was a trait he appreciated in her.
Shane’s mouth dropped open, clearly possibly understanding the line of work Sawyer was in. “I knew it—you’re a fucking cop, aren’t you? You’ve got the look,” he said to Sawyer, then added to Chloe, “Tell me, when you woke up this morning, did you realize you’d lost your fucking mind?”
Chloe placed Ashlyn’s laptop in front of Shane on the desk. “I’m sane. Promise. This matter is personal to Sawyer, not police business. It’s all under the table, so to speak. We’ve never been here. You’ve never seen us. Cool?”
Shane regarded Sawyer, his eyes narrowing in suspicion. “You agree with Chloe? I don’t want to see you months from now with a warrant.”
“I’m here unofficially.” He shrugged. “Besides, I work SWAT. This isn’t my department.”
“Fine. I’ll hold you to your word. But Chloe, never again—I can’t risk it.” Shane turned to his computer, cracking his knuckles, obviously still a bit annoyed. “Getting into Gmail is elementary stuff.” He plugged in Ash’s laptop and began typing on his keyboard. “What did this guy do, anyway?”
“Beat up my baby sister.”
Shane glanced over his shoulder at Sawyer, pushing his glasses higher on his nose. “Shitty deal.”
“Undisputedly,” Sawyer agreed.
Chloe rested her arms on the desktop, watching Shane work. Bent at the hips, she gave Sawyer one helluva view. It surprised him that he’d lost control with her earlier at Ash’s house and kissed her. But those heated looks she’d been giving him all damn day had left him with a permanent hard-on.
Embracing the silence around him and inhaling the scent of popcorn coming from the kitchen, Sawyer considered what exactly it was about Chloe that entranced him. Years ago he’d played casually with submissives, but she stood apart from them all. His reaction to her raised her far above anyone he’d ever played with. That made her interesting to him. He wondered if he’d come to the point in his life where interesting was exactly what he needed.
“I’m in.” Shane’s words broke into Sawyer’s thoughts. “Sorry to say you’re shit out of luck. He hasn’t been on his email in over two weeks. But I can go through all these if you want, see if anything stands out as unusual.”
Chloe nodded. “I think that’s a good start. Perhaps he’s emailed someone over the last few months and we can get an address where the douchebag might be.”
“I can do that.” Shane snapped his gaze around to Sawyer. “This meeting never happened. You don’t know who I am. Deal?”
Sawyer bobbed his head. “Deal.”
“Send a bill to Porter.” Chloe rose from the desk.
Once she received Shane’s nod, she leaned in and offered a hug, attempting to whisper in his ear, “Track his credit card, too.”
Sawyer heard every word.
When she stood up, Sawyer arched a brow at her. She smiled sheepishly. “What? Just pretend you didn’t hear that, either.”
He inhaled her sweet scent as she walked over to him. His groin tightened as he dipped his head close to hers. “It’s harder to forget when it’s coming out of your mouth.”
Shane whistled. “The man is smooth, I’ll give him that.”
Chloe rolled her eyes, but her cheeks reddened. That amused Sawyer. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d been around a shy woman. Club Sin submissives were skilled and confident in their dealings with men, whereas Chloe blushed at a simple innuendo. He liked that.
“Just let me know once you’ve got something,” Chloe called over her shoulder as they headed out.
Only when they were sitting in his truck did she speak again. “I know tracking Travis’s credit card bothers you, but it’s good to see what area he might be in.”
“Perhaps.”
She fastened her seatbelt. “Please tell me that you’ll keep your promise to stay quiet about Shane.”
“I said I would.” Sawyer put the key into the ignition. “Besides, he works—even if part-time—for Porter. I know Porter wouldn’t have dealings with anyone too deep into the criminal world. From what I can see, Shane hacks to help people, not hurt them.”
“He’s a good guy,” Chloe confirmed, crossing her legs. “So what now?”
“There’s not much more we can do at this point until we get a call from Shane.” He glanced at the clock on his dashboard: it was three-thirty. He mentally cursed himself. “You haven’t eaten since this morning. We need to fix that.”
“I don’t eat breakfast.” She smiled, her long soft hair trailing over her shoulder. “So, technically, I haven’t eaten since dinner.”
He stepped on the gas, heading down the palm-tree-lined street. “Well then, let’s fill you up.”
Chloe barked a laugh. “I bet you say that to all the girls.”
—
Sawyer’s idea for food was a great little fifties café on the Vegas strip. The waitresses’ uniforms were red dresses with white aprons. The seating choices were booths or shiny red stools at the bar. Sawyer opted for a booth. He ordered a grand slam burger, and Chloe decided on the club sandwich.
The service was stellar: their meals arrived within ten minutes.
Chloe smiled as Sawyer bit into his burger, only a little surprised that a guy his size ate so neatly. On a sexual level, he hit all her buttons. What surprised her, though, was his compassion—for his sister, in his job, and now presumably for her.
He held an honorable job, had a close relationship with his family, and he appeared genuine. It made Chloe wonder why no woman had yet snatched him up. “Have you always been such a good brother?”
Sawyer placed his burger back onto his plate, arching a brow. “I’m a good brother?”
“Seems so.” Chloe dipped a french fry into the ketchup and bit off half of it, relishing the taste. “Most brothers wouldn�
�t be doing what you are. I know you’re a cop, so maybe this goes hand in hand with who you are, but it’s still sweet.”
Darkness haunted his expression. “I should have been there to stop the attack, not be there to help in the aftermath. I’m not sure if that makes me a good brother, but it does make me a pissed-off one.”
Chloe ate the other half of her fry and shrugged. “I doubt your sister would’ve approved of you babysitting her. You couldn’t have stopped the attack. But doing this, helping find Travis—it’s sweet, like I said.”
His mouth curved slightly. “Well, thank you. I’m glad I impress.”
He did impress. And knowing more about the man behind the sexy body and the off-the-charts hot touch made him even more appealing.
“But my mom is the reason we’re so close.” He took another bite of his burger, then wiped a napkin across his mouth. “I come from good people.”
Chloe smiled. “Your mom is nice.”
“She’s all heart, that woman.” He dropped his burger to take a drink of his cola. “She’s easy to love.”
A Quinn trait, thought Chloe.
Sawyer’s eyes remained trained on her as he put down his glass. “I’m curious, so enlighten me. You said you broke up with Josh. What you didn’t tell me was why.”
Chloe dipped another fry in the ketchup, hearing laughter from a bunch of teenagers at the table behind them. “Josh and I started dating in high school.”
“High school sweethearts?” At her nod, Sawyer frowned. “No offense, but you’re not acting devastated over the breakup.”
“Because I’m not. I mean, I love him.” She liked how Sawyer didn’t react to that. “But the relationship with Josh was too easy. We haven’t had a fight in more years than I can count.”
Sawyer chuckled. “That’s what you want? To fight with your boyfriend?”
“Well, kinda.” Realizing how crazy that sounded, she explained, “Isn’t that passion? Having tempers rise. Feeling strong feelings. Josh and I were too comfortable.”
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