Through the Night

by Janelle Denison

  So why was she even contemplating their differences? Chase wasn’t offering her anything more than the time they had together on this case, which was nearly over. They had the cane staff, and tomorrow they’d return to Vegas, then go their separate ways. End of story. And the end to them.

  Reaching the promenade of specialty shops and boutiques where the coffeehouse was located, she took a shortcut through an alleyway that connected a parking lot to the main shopping area. A few other people walked through the pathway, as well, and when she turned the corner at the end, Starbucks was only a few shops away.

  Knowing what she wanted, she stood in line with two people ahead of her, and when a man stepped up behind her, an overwhelming sense of foreboding wrapped around her, startling her with the heavy, oppressive feeling. The man hadn’t touched her at all, but his threatening aura was so strong and palpable, it was difficult for her to ignore. She was in a public place, surrounded by people, but the vibes she’d gotten from him unnerved her.

  She ordered her drink and moved away from the register, and from the man, while the barista made her iced vanilla latte. He ordered his own drink, paying no attention to Valerie, and she watched him out of the corner of her eye. He was a decent-looking guy, clean-cut and in his mid-to late twenties, she’d guess. He was wearing jeans, a T-shirt, and name-brand sneakers. He seemed like any other customer in the place, ordering a Frappuccino and a lemon scone, and outwardly, there was nothing threatening about him.

  Dismissing her concerns, she picked up her latte and sat at one of the tables outdoors to bask in the warm sun for a while before she headed back to the hotel and the close confines of the room with Chase in it. A few minutes later, the guy came out and parked himself at a vacant table on the other side of the patio.

  He was facing her but didn’t so much as look in her direction. With one hand he played around on his smartphone while sipping on his drink and eating his scone and enjoying the beautiful day. He looked just like everyone else in the area.

  “You’re being ridiculous,” she muttered to herself, and withdrew her BlackBerry from her purse to make a call to Skye. The past four days of traveling had been crazy busy, and she wanted to touch base with her friend and see what was going on back at home and just hear a familiar voice.

  After a few rings, the line connected and Skye’s cheerful voice greeted Valerie. “Hey, girlfriend! Where in the heck are you? I didn’t think you’d be gone all week!”

  Valerie grinned, knowing that was Skye’s way of saying she’d missed her. “I know. Me, neither. One thing led to another on the case, and right now I’m in Boca Raton. I just thought I’d check in and see how things are going.”

  “It’s been pretty quiet, though Sean is freaking out about his wedding on Sunday.”

  “What?” Sean was so not a freakout kind of guy. “He can’t be getting cold feet.”

  “Oh, no, not at all,” Skye assured her. “He just wants to make sure the day is absolutely perfect for Zoe. It’s been so much fun to watch the normally cool, calm, and collected Sean fall hard.” Skye snickered.

  Valerie grinned. “Yeah, who would have thought, huh?”

  Skye laughed. “By the way, are you going to be back in time for us to go shopping for a dress like we talked about?”

  “I’ll be back tomorrow, probably late.” Valerie wasn’t ready to think about leaving Chase, no matter how inevitable. She swirled the ice around in her latte before finishing off the coffee drink. “So how about Saturday morning we go out and see what we can find before the wedding on Sunday?”

  “That works for me. I took the weekend off, so maybe we can make a day of shopping, lunch, and getting a mani-pedi, too?”

  A bit of primping and pampering sounded good to Valerie. “Yeah, I’d like that.”

  “Well, I’ve got to get going,” Skye said, suddenly sounding rushed. “I just realized that I need to leave for work in about fifteen minutes, and I’m not ready yet.”

  And Valerie needed to get back to the hotel before it started getting dark. They said good-bye and Valerie disconnected the line, feeling so much better than she had earlier. It was amazing what a little girl-talk and camaraderie could do for a woman’s mood, and she was glad she’d called Skye.

  The conversation had restored her sense of balance, and reminded her what was awaiting her back in Vegas, the real world, and not the adventure she was currently living with Chase. Home. The Onyx. The Reliance Group, the members of which she considered her closest friends and family.

  She dropped her phone back into her purse and stood, her gaze traveling to the other side of the patio—and the vacant table where the menacing guy had been sitting earlier. She’d been so engrossed in her conversation with Skye that she didn’t see him leave, but there was no denying she felt a bit of relief that he was gone.

  Hitching her purse strap over her shoulder, she tossed her empty cup into the trash bin and then traced her route back to the hotel. With the day nearly over, the streets had quieted and shoppers had obviously headed home for dinner. Her own stomach growled hungrily, and as she turned down the alleyway, she wondered if she ought to pick up something on her way back for her and Chase to eat. She’d seen a pizza place, a burger joint, and Chinese.

  Just as she decided to give Chase a call to see what sounded good to him, a hand curled around her arm from behind, and before she had a chance to react, she was yanked around and came face-to-face with the man from Starbucks. Gone was the normal-looking guy she’d seen at the coffee shop. Now, his expression was ominous and the menace in his gaze made him look ugly and intimidating.

  He pushed her up against the brick wall, and when her lips parted on a scream for help, he smacked his hand over her mouth so hard that she could barely breathe. Immediately, images flashed in her head of Angie exchanging money with this man, along with a demand to take care of Valerie so she was out of the picture.

  Valerie’s stomach roiled, and her heart pounded like a jackhammer in her chest. As much as she wanted to execute one of the basic defense moves that Caleb had insisted all the women in the Reliance Group learn—like knee this asshole in the balls, or use the heel of her hand to break his nose—he had her pinned so tightly against the building with his muscular body that it was impossible for her to do either.

  He leaned in close. “Angie wants Chase, and you’re in the way and fucking things up for her. Consider this a friendly warning before you really get hurt.” He gave her a not-so-friendly smile that sent chills down her spine.

  “Hey, you okay?” a deep male voice called out from the parking lot area, accompanied by footsteps that increased in a stride.

  Having delivered his message, the guy in front of her panicked, released her, and ran off in the opposite direction. He disappeared around the corner, and Valerie sagged against the wall in relief, her entire body trembling in the aftermath of the attack.

  “Miss?” the older gentleman said as he came up to her, his gaze filled with worry. “Are you okay?” he asked again.

  She looked up into his face, beyond grateful for his presence. “I’m … I’m fine,” she managed around the rasp in her throat. Well, she wasn’t really fine, but there was no telling how much worse things could have gotten if this kind man hadn’t come along and been a Good Samaritan. “Thank you for chasing the guy off.”

  The man’s mouth pursed in outrage. “I knew something didn’t look right and I wasn’t going to walk away. Do you want me to call the police?” he asked, his cell phone already in his hand.

  She shook her head and straightened, her legs still like rubber. “No. By the time they get here, he’ll be long gone.” Valerie had no doubt about that. “But I’d really appreciate it if you’d call me a cab and wait until it arrives.” It would be pure stupidity for her to walk back to the hotel alone after the attack, and the warning. Who knew if the guy was still waiting for her.

  “Absolutely.”

  Less than ten minutes later, she was sitting in the back of
the cab, debating whether or not to call Chase to tell him what happened. She decided against it. The hotel was a quick five-minute cab ride, and there was nothing that Chase could do now anyway. She’d tell him everything once she was back safely in the room.

  When she arrived at the hotel, she asked a bellman to escort her up to her room so she wouldn’t be alone at any point. Once she had the door open so she could slip inside, she handed the bellman a generous tip.

  “Thank you,” she said, giving him a smile along with the gratuity. “I really appreciate it.”

  “Anytime,” he said, and headed back down the hallway toward the elevators.

  She walked into the room and closed and bolted the door lock after her, and used the safety latch, too.

  Chase glanced up from where he was sitting in a chair with his computer on his lap. “Why was the bellman with you?” he asked curiously.

  She set her purse down on a table and rubbed her bare arms for warmth. “Because I was attacked on my way back to the hotel from Starbucks.” Just saying the words out loud made her shudder all over again.

  “What?” In a heartbeat, he had set aside his laptop and was standing in front of her, his hands on her shoulders and his gaze checking her out from head to toe. “Jesus, Valerie. Were you mugged? Are you okay?”

  His fingers had slid down to her arms, and she could feel the vibration of anger in him, and the concern, too. “Other than being badly shaken up, I’m okay. The guy pinned me against the side of a building, but he didn’t hurt me. He just wanted to deliver a message.”

  Chase frowned, his brow furrowed in confusion. “He just wanted to deliver a message?” he repeated, and she realized how odd that must have sounded when she’d said it to him. “What did he say?”

  She’d been so gripped with fear at the time that she couldn’t remember word for word, but she recalled enough to give Chase the gist of what the attacker had said to her. “It was something along the lines of Angie wanting you for herself, and me being in the way.” Chase’s thumbs rubbed circles on her skin, his light caresses soothing and calming her. “When the guy touched me, I saw Angie paying him to attack me. I don’t know what their relationship is, but she’s definitely responsible for what happened.”

  “Jesus Christ, she’s bat-shit crazy!” His hands dropped away, and he jammed his fingers through his hair in a furious swipe. “Did you see Angie? Or Russ?”

  “No.” Obviously, those two were trying to keep their own hands clean. “But if you truly believe that someone got into our room in San Francisco and read our itinerary and your notes, then Angie and Russ know where we are.”

  He swore again and started a restless, agitated pacing. “I never thought Angie would do anything to you. When she issued her paltry threats at the nightclub, they were directed at me.”

  “Well, according to her message, I’m the one standing in the way of her having you, so she obviously thought threatening me would get her better results.”

  “Except, news flash,” he said in a sarcastic tone that Valerie knew wasn’t directed at her, but at the situation. “I don’t fucking want her!” He stalked over to the table and grabbed his phone, his fingers punching furiously on the display screen.

  “What are you doing?” she asked, feeling more worn out and exhausted by the second.

  “Delivering a message of my own to Angie.” He tucked the phone to his ear, his expression thunderous, as was his tone when he spoke a few seconds later. “I don’t know where the fuck you are right now, or what you think you’re doing,” he bit out furiously, “but if you so much as breathe in Valerie’s direction again, you will be sorry.”

  He disconnected the line. Valerie appreciated Chase’s handling Angie, but whether or not she’d heed his warning remained to be seen.

  “I’m going to go and take a shower,” she said. She desperately needed to wash away the residual filth of the guy’s touch, which was still lingering on her from the assault. If that was even possible.

  * * *

  Despite Valerie’s assurances that she was okay, Chase knew better. She was anything but fine. The guy who’d attacked her might not have harmed her physically, but mentally and emotionally, the entire incident had terrified Valerie and she was still dealing with the fallout and distress of being assaulted and threatened. And Chase felt wholly responsible for not being there to protect her.

  For the next few hours, Chase kept a close eye on Valerie. Since her shower, she’d been quiet and withdrawn, and not in the mood for any kind of conversation, and he didn’t push.

  She’d picked at the meal he ordered up for them from room service, and currently she was in her bed beside his, the covers wrapped tight around her as she attempted to read a book she obviously couldn’t concentrate on. He hadn’t seen her turn a page in the last five minutes.

  After a while, she let out a weary sigh, closed the paperback, and set it on the nightstand. “Since we need to get up early in the morning, I’m going to sleep.”

  “Okay,” he said, and figured he ought to do the same. He turned off the TV and reached for the lamp switch just as she curled into a tight ball on her side facing away from him, the blankets pulled all the way up to her chin.

  His heart gave an odd little twist in his chest at just how vulnerable she looked. And so alone. It wasn’t that cold in the room, yet she was insulating herself the only way she could—with the covers—as if they could provide shelter and protection and make her feel safe and secure.

  She was so used to dealing with everything on her own and not allowing herself to rely on anyone for anything, and he wanted to be that one person who showed her that she didn’t have to be so strong all the time. That it was okay to lean on someone every once in a while.

  Chase might not have been able to prevent today’s attack, and he sincerely regretted that he hadn’t been there to defend her, but there was something he could give her now. The security and comfort of knowing he was there for her if she needed anything at all. That for tonight, she could sleep well, knowing he wasn’t going to let anything else happen to her, because she was safe, wrapped up in his arms.

  He turned off the light in the bedroom, but instead of settling under his own covers, he stood up and went to Valerie’s bed. Still wearing a pair of cotton drawstring shorts, he lifted the blankets and placed a knee on the mattress, realizing he needed more room than the two feet of space that was currently available.

  She twisted around, and though the room was dark, he could see the surprised expression on her face. “What are you doing?” she asked warily.

  “Scoot over,” he said, and when she didn’t move he effortlessly picked her up and shifted her over another foot on the bed so he wouldn’t teeter on the edge of the mattress when he lay down.

  She made an indignant sound. “Chase, I don’t think—”

  “You’ve had a rough afternoon and I’m getting into your bed so you’re not alone tonight,” he said, cutting her off as he settled in beside her.

  He didn’t want to make an overly big deal about what he was doing and why, knowing his actions would speak much louder than any drawn-out explanation. This wasn’t about sex, but about making her feel cared for, without any expectations attached.

  He adjusted the pillows so her head would be comfortable before spooning his body behind hers and sliding his arms around her so he was holding her intimately close and sharing his body heat with her.

  “I don’t need to be coddled,” she grumbled, but didn’t struggle in his embrace.

  He smiled to himself. “And I’m not going anywhere, so be quiet and go to sleep, Valerie.”

  She didn’t argue, and he wondered when was the last time a man just held her for no other reason than to make her feel special and cherished. Hell, he’d never held a woman like this before, in such an intimate way, but with Valerie it just felt right, and he didn’t fight the feelings she evoked in him.

  That wasn’t to say that having her lush, curvy bottom tucked again
st his groin wasn’t as arousing as hell, and it took supreme effort to keep his unruly dick from getting hard and rudely prodding her backside.

  As he felt Valerie’s tension gradually ease, he closed his eyes and inhaled the scent of her freshly shampooed hair and savored the warmth and softness of her body as she relaxed completely against him.

  In time, her breathing grew deep and even as she finally fell asleep

  Him, not so quickly or easily.

  * * *

  Damn, she was having that dream again.

  Chase woke up in the early hours of morning to the sounds of soft, sensual moans and Valerie’s hand slowly skimming across his bare stomach. Instantly, fiercely aroused, he opened his eyes and realized that at some point during the night they’d changed positions.

  He was now lying on his back with Valerie snuggled up to his side, her body turned toward his. Her head was resting on his chest, a thigh was draped between his legs, and those slender, seeking fingers of hers were heading south toward the bulge tenting the front of his sweatshorts.

  She murmured in her sleep, an erotic, husky plea to make her come, and then she was moving languidly over him, her silky hair trailing across his chest as she attempted to straddle him.

  Whoa. There was nothing he’d like more than to strip off their clothes and let her ride him until they were both delirious with pleasure, but she was still in the throes of her dream and obviously didn’t know what she was doing, or with whom. If an orgasm was what she was after, he’d be more than happy to accommodate her … once she knew exactly who was giving it to her. Not some fantasy lover, but a real man who could use his hands and mouth to take her to the edge of ecstasy and back again. As many times as she’d like.

  He gently rolled her to her back, and she fell against her pillow with a soft, breathy sigh, a languid smile on her lips. Her lashes fluttered open and she stared at him with slumberous brown eyes. He waited for her to realize she was no longer dreaming, to stop where this encounter was undoubtedly heading, but she did nothing to resist him.