by Mia Downing
“Shit.”
Aaron answered on the third ring just for kicks. Waiting seemed to piss Chase off more as he jigged on the sidewalk. “Hello there, boss. How’s things.”
“You sound awful chipper, considering it’s oh-seven hundred in L.A. Turning over a new leaf? No more whoring and drinking?” Chase wrapped his coat tighter around him.
“We’re sober and we’ve been up for a while. Working. Steve says hi.”
“Working?” Chase froze mid-tug of his coat. “You have another acting job?”
It was time to fill in the boss about their surveillance gig. If Chase was calling, he obviously needed something. Aaron hoped this meant they could start negotiating. He would do anything to be with Charlotte. Fake his death, move, quit acting, surgery—whatever it took. “You look good in purple, Chase. Not many guys can rock that color and not look gay, but you seem to have the knack.”
Chase’s head snapped to attention, scanning the street, the rest of him stiller than stone. “Where the fuck are you? I’m going to choke Crazwalski. Tell him. Between this and that expense report, he’s dead.”
“You’re not going to choke him. You love him. You got him a hooker for Christmas.” The gesture had put Steve on Aaron’s side when he had decided to jump ship and lie to Chase about their whereabouts so they could guard Charlotte.
“Jesus, Aaron. Why you? There are seven fucking billion people on this planet, and she has to love you.”
“I’m special.” Satan just admitted she loved him. Aaron grinned, as giddy and excited as teenager. He waved when Chase’s intense gaze locked on the sweet rental car, also from the expense account. “Are you coming over for a chat?”
“Tell Steve to get in the back seat.”
Steve got out as Chase crossed the street. Both men slid into the car, and Chase stabbed a finger over the back of his seat in Steve’s direction. “Dead, Steve. I’m not even going a mile away on this one. You’re dead.”
“How many miles do you want me to run?” Steve asked with a sigh.
“Whatever you spent in hookers, booze, and whatever else you bought. Just your share. Aaron will run his.”
“Jesus,” Steve moaned and slunk down in the back.
“I’m a tax payer,” Aaron informed him. “Therefore, it’s my money.”
Chase gnashed his teeth, frustrated as hell.
Aaron grinned. “You rang. Did you want something?”
“I have a request, and I guess you being here makes this easier. We have a problem.”
“We have lots of problems. I love her, she loves me, and you’re not doing a damned thing about it. I tried staying away. We drank. We went on vacation. Now, we’re refreshed and on duty, because if I can’t be with her, I’m going to protect her from a distance.”
“She doesn’t need your protection. This is like two moths sitting outside of a dragon’s lair to protect it when it can just breathe fire and kill you.” Chase tapped his fingers angrily on the steering wheel. “Besides, the dragon is pissed. She saw your vacation pictures. She thinks you’ve moved on.”
“I wouldn’t do that. That was my lesbian neighbor and Char met her.” Aaron thought for a moment. No, Charlotte hadn’t met Kelly when they borrowed the car or returned it that one time. Kelly had landed a sweet commercial gig right after that and had flown off to Vegas. Shit.
“Well, Charlotte is depressed and ready to run off to Russia on a long and involved undercover assignment. Which means, in all reality, given the danger involved, none of us will see her again.”
A chill raced down Aaron’s spine. “Don’t! Jesus, don’t let her do that.” The whole point of killing John was so she’d have a chance to live. Unfortunately, she wasn’t seeing it that way, not if she was pushing them all away. As brave and strong as she was, she needed Jake and Chase. She needed him. “Tell her no, damn it. You’re the boss.”
“I can’t tell her no. She went over my head on this one. But I’m not going to let her just disappear. I’m not a monster.” Chase studied Aaron for a long moment, his eyes narrow and searching. “How much do you love her?”
So simple, this answer. “I love her more than my life. I’ll do anything.”
Aaron held his breath as Chase pinched the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger. “I just need you to do as you’re told for once. You think you can handle that? You’re not very good at following orders. You’re worse than Jake.”
Aaron’s breath whooshed out on a surge of joy. “Seriously?”
“Beyond my better judgment, yes.”
It sounded way too good to be true. “I do what I’m told, and I can love her? Is this a joke?”
“I hope not.” Chase frowned, starting to look a little green around the gills. “I don’t know if I have balls big enough for this, but I love her, too. I can’t put her on a plane so I’m going to bat for her.”
“Go to bat?” Hope dawned on the heels of realization. Still, he didn’t want to assume. Chase was already an ass. “What the hell does that mean?”
“I’m going to get her out of her contract. She went over my head to get this assignment. Now I have to play hardball with a man who makes me look like Santa Claus.”
“You’re gonna face the general,” Steve whispered from the back. “Damn.”
Aaron’s heart rate picked up speed, becoming a steady, hard staccato in his chest. Chase didn’t look well. If this man scared Satan… “Your boss?”
Chase nodded, the ill look intensifying. “You going to follow directions? Because I’m not going to go vomit up a perfectly good breakfast for you to fuck this up.”
“I’ll do whatever you tell me to do.” This time Aaron didn’t need to lie. It felt damned good not to lie for a change, almost as good as the hope of holding her in his arms again. “I’ll do whatever she needs. I’ll fake my death, get plastic surgery, quit being an actor, move to Tibet and raise yaks with Charlotte.”
“Yaks? You’re fucking crazy.” Chase shook his head, muttered something about seven billion. “All you have to do is your part. Be there, be supportive, help her find a new path and purpose that doesn’t involve killing someone or moving to Russia. Can you handle that?”
Aaron nodded. “Just give the orders.”
“I’ll take Jake home, have my meeting, and if all goes well, it will be your turn to bat. You better not strike out, either,” Chase warned. “If I have to put her on a plane to Russia because you’ve fucked this up, you will end up with six feet of dirt on your coffin. I won’t kill you first, either. Got it?”
“Got it.” Aaron prayed for the bases to be loaded and for him to hit a home run. He wanted the win, more than he’d ever wanted anything. He wanted Charlotte.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
A few hours later, Charlotte stood in the closet and contemplated which longer coat to take when her front door opened and closed. His keys clinked the counter, his coat landed in a chair, and a bag hit the floor.
Chase.
She stiffened, mentally gearing up for the fight that would ensue. No greeting, because Chase had to be as pissed as hell at her. No doubt he’d spent the afternoon arguing with General Sanders about her assignment. She doubted Chase would win.
The bag worried her. Who knew what Chase had planned.
She rummaged through her closet with a little more force than needed, afraid to turn and face him as he walked in. Tension filled the room again, radiating from his direction, her back warm, as if his glare bored a hole in it. The bed behind her squeaked. Chase must have sat. He still said nothing, though, which worried her as much as the bag.
She had spent the afternoon packing what she knew she’d need immediately. The rest of her wardrobe would be purchased when she landed, to blend better. Chase could hire someone to put the rest of her things in storage.
After talking to Jake, she felt better about her decision. He was devil-bound she wasn’t going, but maybe it was time to sever the bond for good, not to be their pet any longer. May
be she needed to convince Chase of that.
It also scared her witless. What if she wasn’t strong enough? What if she couldn’t be totally alone? She shoved that aside and went with the positive.
It was her only choice.
“Chase, I know you’re angry with me and you don’t understand, but this is for the better.” She swallowed a lump in her throat. “You and Jake have done so much for me and I’m grateful. But given where your lives are going and how much pain and trouble I’ve caused you…” Damn it, she didn’t want to cry, but she couldn’t stop the tear from forming at the corner of her eye. “It’s just time to finally set me free, I think.”
He cleared his throat. “You’d think you’d pick somewhere warm and tropical to exile yourself to, like Jamaica. Or Fiji. Aren’t there bad people in warm places?”
She froze and blinked back the tears. Oh, God, that voice. Instant lust skittered down her spine and into her core. Heart pounding, she spun. “Aaron?”
Yep, it was Aaron, seated on her bed, his hair still Jake-blond but a little longer and damp from a shower. He’d shaved, too, and those firm lips of his spread into a smile.
She cautiously met his gaze, and her breath caught at the raw mingling of emotion in the dark blue depths. If she’d ever been unsure if he loved her, here was her proof. Her heart pounded louder and harder, and she fought not to launch herself into his arms. He was a mirage. He had to be.
“Why are you here?” she whispered.
“Chase sent me. He said we have a problem. I guess we do.”
Damn Chase for bringing him back. Tears flowed freely. Not because she wasn’t glad to see him. She couldn’t keep Aaron so why bother with the reunion? Shitty, shitty thing to do.
“That fucker. He’ll do anything to get his way.”
Aaron laughed. “Happy to see you, too, baby.”
She dashed away her tears with the back of her hand and crossed her arms over her chest. “You shouldn’t be here. You’ve moved on.”
“I’m sorry you thought that.” He winced. “I didn’t move anywhere. My agent wanted some tabloid chatter. That’s all. Kelly is my neighbor, the one who loaned us the car to follow Jake. She happens to like the beach and to tan. And she likes girls.”
“But—”
“You’re making a big mistake, Charlotte. You don’t need to do this.” He sounded pissed, stern, his voice deeper in that no nonsense way that made her tummy tug. “Making life changes when you’re depressed is foolish.”
“You’ve been talking to Chase.”
“For once, we agree.”
She blew a lock of hair out of her vision. “You don’t understand. Russia is the only solution. I can’t keep you, nor can you keep me. I have five years left on my contract, and they won’t let me out. You can’t wait that long for me. So why bother? I hurt so much, and you didn’t let me die when I had the chance. Just let me go, like I asked you to before.”
Aaron frowned. “You done?”
She narrowed her eyes as she thought of her wish to be with Aaron one last time. Jake must have had something to do with this. But that didn’t make sense, since she’d voiced that this morning. “I don’t get why you’re here.”
“Well, that’s easy. Chase sent me to deliver something to you.” He reached back and pulled a folded envelope from his pocket, extending it her way.
She glanced down at the crisp, white paper and back at him. Her spy senses said this wasn’t good. Chase didn’t do things like this. “You came from California to give me an envelope.”
“I was already here.” He hastily added, “Long story.”
She took it, opened it, and read the letter on official stationary with Chase’s scrawling signature on the bottom in black ink. But she didn’t get it, maybe because she was weak or delirious or maybe dreaming. “He’s terminating my position.”
“Yep.”
She read it again. “He’ll write me a letter of recommendation? Is he serious?”
“Yep.”
“He let me go. That fucker fired me. He can’t fire me.” She glared at Aaron, hating him and Chase. “He’d rather see me in jail than go to Russia, so he can dress up on Sunday for his once a month visit?” The anger bubbled up, her gut rolling with steam. “And I’m sure he found it amusing to send you to bring that. Give me a conjugal visit before hauling my ass to jail. Fucker. I can’t believe your asshole brother agreed to this.”
“Read it again, baby. He let you go.” Aaron gave her a big grin. “You’re mine.”
“Yours?” Shivers ran up her spine as she finally understood his words. She read the letter again, and this time, the words made perfect sense. She was free, out of her contract, not going to jail. Free to love Aaron if they were careful, because she could stop adding bad guys to her already long list of people who wanted her dead.
“He let me go! I am no longer an agent. But how?” She ran a hand through her tangled hair, her mind racing at light speed. The envelope in her hands seemed too good to be true, like a magical unicorn waiting to gallop away. “He wouldn’t fight his uncle for me, and they wouldn’t just let me go. I cost them way too much money.”
“Come here, baby. You haven’t even greeted me yet.”
Her hand fluttered to her throat. God, she wanted to kiss him, but if she went to him, she’d never want to stop. “I’m afraid you’re not real.”
Aaron laughed. “I think I’m real. I’ve got a hard-on the size of Manhattan. And since you’re mine and I’ve got needs, I’m not going anywhere.” He spread his arms wide in welcome. “Come kiss me, baby.”
She took one tentative step, then two, and then tackled him, bowling him back on the bed. He wrapped his arms around her and rolled so she was on her back, his hard chest pressed against hers. Instead of kissing him, she buried her nose in the crease under his jaw. Oh, he smelled divine, all clean and spicy, with just enough man to ignite the flame that she’d thought had been extinguished three weeks ago.
“Hey,” he protested, his breath warming her ear. He had always been a little tickly there. “Man, this shirt of yours does not smell good.”
“It’s yours.” She sighed and kissed his jaw, wishing he had just a little stubble there. He tasted good, too.
“Well, thank God we won’t have to worry about the shirt stuff anymore. I’ll give you all you want.” He lifted her chin, his gaze a little more serious.
His eyes searched hers and then dropped to stare at her lips. Something feminine fluttered in her tummy. Giddy desire laced with fear and anticipation, leaving her feeling as if she’d never been kissed before but wanted to be, badly.
He ducked his head, and his mouth claimed hers gently in a soft brush. Then another, lips a little firmer, his fingers sliding up her jaw to fan out over her cheek. Desire blossomed in her stomach and seeped out, the warmth spreading to the tips of her numb toes and fingers. She could love him and not hide it. It was too divine.
Aaron pulled away to smile down at her again, his hand smoothing her hair. “I love you, Char. I can say it now and not have to worry about anyone taking you from me.”
“But how?” She shook her head, her tummy still tugging from his words and his kiss. “I still don’t believe it.”
He tugged her to his chest, cuddling her close. “Chase said he went to bat for you with his boss. He owed you. And while he was at it, he went to bat for Kate. She doesn’t have to go into the field again unless she wants to, she can do what she usually does in the lab, which I didn’t quite understand. But anyway, he went to bat for you. I guess his boss is a major dick, from what Steve says.”
“Chase’s boss is also his uncle, and he raised Chase. You think Chase is a bastard? His uncle makes him look sweet and tame. The general tried to send Kate on a suicide mission back when she was a rookie agent.” Charlotte’s heart pounded. “But how? What?”
“Chase blackmailed him. No grandchild privileges if the general didn’t comply.”
“My God. I would never dream… Cha
se wouldn’t do that.” But she stared at the paper again, the proof in her hands that he had indeed stood up for himself. His life. Her life.
“They love you, Jake and Chase.”
Joy flooded her heart, seeping through her limbs, across her skin. “Yes. They do.”
He kissed her lips gently, and she protested when he pulled away.
“Shh. You’re too thin,” he whispered. “I missed you. Steve is a great guy, but he’s not nearly as fun a bodyguard as you are.”
“I missed you, too.” But she pinned her best Ma’am glare on him at the mention of that man whore, Crazwalski. “Steve, huh? What rules did you break?”
Aaron winced. “Char—”
“You drank in excess, didn’t you?” His guilty silence was judge and jury enough. She growled. “Tell me you didn’t become a man whore. Steve will fuck anything that moves, and then some.”
“I broke everything but that and the no drugs rule, and I didn’t look for a girlfriend or give anyone, including Steve, any orgasms. Just me, and they were pitiful and all starred you in the mind video.”
“You’re very disobedient.” But she loved him that way.
“Actually, I’m turning over a new leaf with that. Chase gave me a list of rules I had to follow if I wanted the keys to your apartment.”
“Like?”
Aaron ran his thumb over her bottom lip. “Well, the first was to not fuck this up and to make sure you wanted me. If he found out I had forced myself on your fragile company, he was killing me.”
“Fair enough. You can stay.”
“Second—and you have to picture the stern face and eye roll with this one—if I had to be intimate with you, I was to order you food first, so you didn’t pass out during the moment of glory, because the island nation of Charlotte was malnourished. Cheeseburgers and chocolate shakes will be here in fifteen minutes.” He gave her a cocky grin. “That one really pissed him off.”
“I bet it did, though I can’t see him phrasing it quite like that.”
