Thank God she'd gotten that out there. She blew out a breath then looked at him. The look on his face frightened her—anger and what seemed to be judgment all over it. Oh, shit. He was mad at her. So much for confession being good for the soul. She grabbed her plate and hurriedly carried it to the kitchen, trying to escape his scrutiny of her. Jeez.
Although Chase felt great having heard that he'd made her feel good, he was pissed at what her ex had said to her. What an assclown. Picking up his plate he walked into the kitchen, setting it on the counter and walked over to her. "That fucker told you that? God, what a dumbass. Julia, I think you’re the sexiest, most sensual, intriguing woman I've ever met."
She stood staring up at him, shocked at what he was telling her. He moved in front of her trapping her against the counter, his hands palm down on either side of her. He leaned to the side, whispering in her ear. "You make me feel things I haven't felt in a long time.” He pulled back and looked down at her, brushing a lock of hair off her forehead. “And looking back at before, I know I've never felt anything this intense for anybody. Ever. I wanted you so badly the other night it hurt. I know I'm not supposed to, but, hell, I want you all the time."
Julia was trying to absorb all of this. Wow. He really wanted her.
"I, I really make you feel that way?"
He pulled back to look at her like she was crazy for thinking otherwise then grabbed her hand making her gasp when he put it where his arousal strained hard against his jeans.
"What do you think?"
In the blink of an eye, he'd grabbed her and pulled her into his arms, his lips covering hers hard, not gentle at all, which she loved because his desire for her was what she needed to feel at that moment. His hand moved up to palm her breast and she moaned loudly. She could feel his hard cock against her stomach, which made her instantly wet and wanting him. He picked her up, setting her on the counter, stepping between her legs, one hand cupping her ass as he pulled her roughly into him, his mouth coming down hard on hers again.
Annnnnd his cell phone rang.
Julia stopped but Chase kept kissing her, sucking teasingly on her bottom lip. As the phone kept ringing, she became more tense.
"You need to answer that. It could be important."
"Not as important as this. Probably just Brock anyway," he answered, moving his mouth over her jaw then down to her neck. But the phone persisted in its ringing. Damn it. Every time they started something there was an interruption. He pulled back with a groan. "Sorry, baby."
Had he just called her baby? Oh, she was falling so hard for this man.
He snatched his phone out of his back pocket looking at the screen. His dad. Well, that put a damper on things.
"Hello?" he answered, still standing between her thighs watching her.
“Chase? I’ve got another job I need you for. Can you make in to the office today?”
“Yeah, Pop, sure.” Holding the phone to his ear with his shoulder, he stepped back and helped her down from the counter. “Uh, does this mean I’m leaving this one?”
“Not for good, but this takes precedence over that one for now. Everyone’s out on assignment except for Boone. He’s going to take your place for a few days.”
“Okay. When do you need me to come in?”
“Now if you can.”
Chapter 12
Chase and Julia entered CEP around five. As promised Hank was waiting in his office along with Boone and two other people, an older man and a younger woman. A gorgeous, younger woman Julia noted.
“Hey, son. How are things?” Hank asked.
“Good, Pop. Haven’t really had a lot going on lately.” He glanced at Julia nervously. If his dad only knew. “Pop, this is Julia Cooke.”
“Hello, it’s nice to meet you, Mr. Murphy,” Julia said, smiling and shaking his hand. She saw where Chase got his good looks now. Father and son shared the same height and build, the same thick, black hair, although Hank’s was now peppered with some white, but he possessed the same gray eyes with thick, dark lashes. Hank was definitely a looker.
“Likewise,” Hank answered. “Boone, I believe you said you already met Ms. Cooke?”
“Yes, sir. The other night. She’s got some killer humor.” Boone shook her hand with a smirk that made Julia blush remembering how brash she’d been at the bowling alley.
Hank made his own introductions. “Chase, you remember my friend Jay Scott? We served on the same team together.” Chase shook the ex-SEAL’s hand with a nod. “This is his daughter Emma. She’ll be your client this week.” Chase shook her hand too with another nod giving her a small smile wondering what was up. Hank looked up at Boone. “Boone, why don’t you take Ms. Cooke into the lobby area? We’ll only be a few minutes.”
“Yes, sir,” Boone said, taking Julia by the elbow and leading her out.
Hank waited until they left then filled Chase in on the case. “Emma is going through a trying divorce right now. Her husband is Keating Wells of Wells Petroleum fame. Let’s just say he’s not making it very pretty. Wells Petroleum’s home office is located here, so Jay was afraid that if Keating found out she was in town, he might make trouble.”
“I flew in with her but can’t stay. The job’s crazy right now.” Jay ran a surveillance company back in Oklahoma using his knowledge from his SEAL days as Hank had for his own business. He looked at Hank. “You know I want to beat the ever-loving shit out of that boy, Hank. I can’t believe the asshole would have the balls to threaten her like he has.” Jay’s jaw clenched in anger.
“I know, Jay. Can’t say I wouldn’t feel the same. Fucking little pussy. Sorry, Miss,” he offered to Emma who waved him off to show it was okay. “Chase, they’re staying at The Roosevelt in a suite. Jay will be staying tonight, but tomorrow through Wednesday you’ll take his place. Questions?”
“Why me?”
“You and Gunner are the best. Gunner’s out of town right now with his client, so that left you. And Jay asked for my best, not that he had to.”
After all the arrangements were made, Jay and Emma left leaving Chase and his father alone.
“What kind of threats have been made, Pop?” Chase asked his dad.
“Oh, things like, he’ll kill her if she tries getting any money out of him, the usual divorce shit, I guess. Use one of the company cars and take her where she needs to be. She’s in town for some benefit which is hosting a dinner Thursday night there at the hotel. After that, you’ll drive her to the airport and be done. You’ll go back to the Cooke job that night. I need Boone for another job, so it works out perfectly.”
****
Chase met Julia and Boone in the lobby where Boone had said something to make her laugh which made Chase narrow his eyes.
“What’s so funny?”
“Just telling Julia here about the time you and I were surveilling that dude’s mansion and we had to jump in his pool to hide from him.”
“That shit was fucked up. We almost got shot,” Chase reminded him.
“But did we? Fuck no! We’re like Sherlock and Watson, man!”
Chase cast a look at Julia. “Let me just tell you now, I’m Sherlock in that scenario.”
She snorted when Boone clipped out a, “Fuck you!”
“Man, we’ve worked some bizarre cases together. I’ll never forget the time we went undercover and picked up those hot as fuck chicks. Didn’t think you were gonna make it back to my apartment the way you were all over that one in the backseat of my car. Thought you were gonna achieve actual penetra—”
“Okay, that’s enough,” Chase said, putting his head down and rubbing the back of his neck in embarrassment.
“What, Murph? They were totally hot!”
Chase muttered some words under his breath before looking up at Julia who was studying him, eyebrows raised. “Better get you back to the apartment. You coming?” he asked Boone, his look of disgust lost on the dumbass.
“Yeah, I’ll follow you. Think the neighborhood’s safe for Myrtle?�
��
“Myrtle?” Julia asked.
“His ‘70 Chevelle. Dude, she lives on the upper east side of Manhattan. Yeah, I think Myrtle’s gonna be safe.” Chase rolled his eyes as he held the door for Julia.
“So, you have to guard that Emma woman?” Julia asked on their way to the Tower. She sat up front with him.
“For a few days, yes. I’ll be back with you Thursday night.”
“She’s very pretty,” Julia commented, looking out her window.
He looked over at her. “She’s just another job, Julia.” And that didn’t come out sounding right at all.
“Yeah,” she replied, glancing at him then turning back to her window.
He sighed and remained quiet, knowing anything he tried explaining to her now would just make him look even worse.
When they arrived at the apartment, Chase gave Boone the code to get in and to the alarm then showed him around. He told him Julia’s schedule and gave him her work address then asked if he had any questions. Boone was good, so they went into the kitchen where Julia was setting out plates and Thai food she’d just had delivered, telling them to come eat.
“Oh, this looks great! Thanks!” Boone said as he dished up some beef Pad Thai onto his plate.
Julia got them all a beer and they sat at the bar. “So, tell me more about some of your and Chase’s exploits on the job.”
Chase choked on his shrimp curry as he looked pleadingly at Boone who just grinned at him.
“Well, let’s see. There was that time when we had to guard those Russian models.”
Chase groaned.
Julia’s “do tell” look spurred Boone on.
“How’d they keep saying that? ‘Trockshneya many ya’ which I finally found out means ‘Fuck me’ in Russian. God, they were smokin’ hot. And believe me, we were more than eager to oblige. Banged hard, man.” He held up his fist toward Chase, grinning at him. Chase glared back, ignoring the knuckle knock Boone presented, which didn’t seem to bother his fellow bodyguard in the least.
Julia cleared her throat. “So, do you sleep with all your clients?”
Christ. Chase winced focusing on his plate.
“Only if they’re hot,” Boone said between bites. “But the boss man frowns upon it big time; he’d fire our ass on the spot if he found out, but sometimes you can’t help yourself, right, Chase?”
Chase looked up right at Julia, his eyes heated, challenging. What was that all about?
“But Chase, here, he hasn’t done that shit in a couple years. At the time, he was all sorts of torn up after Tracy cheated on his ass and just didn’t give a damn about anything or anyone, so he screwed pretty much anything in sight.”
Kill me the fuck now. Chase ran a hand over his face. “Boone?”
“Yeah, buddy?”
“Shut the fuck up.”
Boone snorted. “Gotcha.”
At least Boone had cleared up things about Chase, Julia thought. Kind of.
When they finished eating, the guys went over a couple more things as Julia put everything away then Boone left telling her he’d see her the next night.
“Julia?” Chase asked as he walked into the kitchen leaning a hip against the counter. She turned and looked at him waiting to hear what he had to say. “You heard Boone. It’s not like I did that shit all the time.”
“But you did do it. You know how that makes me feel? Like I’m nothing. Just another client you want to ‘bang,’ as Boone put it so eloquently.”
“It’s not like that.” He looked at her hard wanting her to see the truth.
“Well, sounds like you have your own M.O. yourself. I’m going to bed. Good night.” And she left him standing there alone.
“Fuck me,” he muttered. He was so going to kick Boone’s ass the next time he saw him.
****
Chase met Emma Wells at the hotel the next evening going over her agenda and telling her what protocol he needed her to follow. She was very receptive to everything and extremely nice about it all, telling him that she was sorry she had to take him away from his “real” job for something as silly as what was going on with her. But Chase had been informed by his dad that Keating Wells knew some very bad people and things could get ugly quickly if Wells was so inclined to make use of these people. So Chase made sure to be the consummate professional as he guarded Mrs. Wells.
He knew this wouldn’t go over well with Julia, though, since Emma was a beautiful woman. She’d probably think he was trying to sleep with her, too, after everything dumbass Boone had spewed. And wasn’t that just great. He wondered what else she was prying out of Boone since they were spending so much time together. Hell, after the week was over, she’d probably never talk to him again.
The benefit dinner Emma was in town helping to put together was to be in one of the hotel’s banquet rooms, so all Chase had had to do was accompany her downstairs the past several days so she could set up everything. The night of the dinner, they proceeded downstairs and Chase walked her to the banquet room, making sure to keep an eye out for any kind of threat, but there was none. Hopefully, this evening would go off flawlessly and after driving Emma to the airport, he could get back to Julia.
He’d rented a tux for the event and had to admit himself that he looked pretty sharp. Wasn’t very often that he got to wear a monkey suit. He followed Emma to the front of the room where she’d already begun greeting people.
****
Julia came out of her room wearing a sapphire blue evening gown with a slit up to “there.” It was strapless with a sweetheart neckline. She wore her mother’s diamond cluster earrings and Tiffany’s Diamonds by the Yard necklace. Her hair was swept up in a chic chignon with a few stray curls hanging here and there.
She waited in the living room for Boone to come out so they could leave.
“Ready?” he asked with a grin, looking pretty sharp in the tux he’d rented, crooking his arm so she could take it.
“I am,” she said with a smile, lacing her arm through his, and they left the apartment and walked to the elevator, waiting for it to come up.
“By the way, you look positively beautiful,” he said with a smirk.
“Thank you. You look pretty good yourself.”
They’d gotten along great over the past few days, laughing and cutting up about all kinds of things, mostly exploits on the jobs he’d had. He hadn’t mentioned any other illicit interludes Chase had had with previous clients, even though she’d hedged him in that direction. She guessed Man Code was at play and he wasn’t going to divulge any other indecencies on his friend’s part. Whatever.
She’d been a little afraid that Boone would try something with her since he’d practically made himself out to be a manwhore, but he hadn’t done one improper thing since he’d arrived, remaining the ultimate professional, for which she was grateful. One mess at a time, please.
Upon arriving, Boone let the valet park the car as he walked Julia inside to the lobby. She saw a few people she knew and chatted with them as she entered while Boone stepped to the side, allowing her to mingle amongst the guests. When they got to the dining hall, he saw Chase and made his way over, making sure to keep Julia within view.
“Didn’t know you’d be here, man,” Boone said with a grin. “You clean up pretty nice.”
Chase laughed since they practically looked like twins. “You too. I didn’t know you’d be here either. How’s it been going?”
“Good. No complaints. And let me tell you, if she wasn’t so over the moon for you, dude, I’d have hit that like a fat kid on cake.” The look on Chase’s face made him laugh. “Kidding. Just kidding.”
“She’s over the moon for me? What do you mean?”
“Let’s just say that if we’d played a game of Twenty Questions, every fucking one of her questions would’ve been about you.”
Chase groaned. “You didn’t tell her any more of the shit I did, did you?”
“Hell no, bro. I wouldn’t do that to you.” He laughed
when Chase gave him a You already did look.
Just then Chase saw Julia approaching, her head down as she adjusted her bracelet. When she looked up, the wind was damn near knocked out of him. Damn, she’s too beautiful for words. The dress she wore was classy yet so sexy, he almost had to wipe drool off his chin. He flashed his crooked grin at her. “Hi,” he said as he nervously adjusted his cuffs.
Wow. Julia stared at Chase, her mouth hanging open and she almost had to physically use her hand to close it. He was so handsome in his tux. How could one man be so absolutely gorgeous? She could hardly take her eyes off him. The way his hair lay so unruly on his head made him look that much sexier as did the five o’clock shadow he wore. “Hi. I didn’t realize you’d be here.”
“Yes. Emma’s helping to run this event.” He took her hand and brushed her knuckles with his lips, keeping them there as he gazed up at her under those dark lashes. “You’re absolutely stunning.”
He took her breath away. Literally. She had to take a few seconds to gain her composure before answering. “Thank you, Chase. You look very handsome.”
They shared a moment, just looking into each other’s eyes before an older woman approached. “Hello, Julia!”
“Hello! How are you, Mrs. Peterson? You look lovely this evening,” Julia replied, pulling her hand from Chase’s and smiled at the woman.
Chase watched this exchange at first not being able to place the woman, but then it hit him. She was the governor’s wife. Holy shit. And Julia and she were standing right in front of him chitchatting about normal things such as Julia’s job, the Peterson’s daughter in college, the Governor’s latest fishing trip. Julia introduced Chase at one point, and he, once again, was in complete awe of her. She then smiled and told him she’d see him later as she walked away, chatting with various people also on their way to the dining area.
“I’m off, dude,” Boone said with a grin, following her.
Chase stood with Emma while she greeted everyone as they came in, watching to make sure her soon-to-be ex-husband wasn’t lurking anywhere. Emma had told Chase before they’d come downstairs that she was a little nervous because her lawyer had called telling her she’d sent the divorce papers with Emma’s stipulations. And since Keating lived in New York City, it wasn’t against the odds that he might show up.
Being Chased Page 14
