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Her heart nearly leapt from her chest.

  “We’ll swing by the police station,” Lex continued, seemingly oblivious to the tension in the room. Tension that was about to rip Gwen apart. “If the cops have more evidence on Ethan, we’ll let you know.”

  Chance nodded.

  A few seconds later, the door closed with a soft click.

  Alone.

  Chance eased around Gwen and walked toward the door. Frowning, she turned and stared after him—

  He locked the door. The lock swung into place with a very solid sounding snick. His back was to Gwen. Her gaze slid over his broad shoulders, shoulders that looked a little too tense. His hand flattened against the wood of the door. “I’ve waited too long for you.”

  It got even harder for her to breathe and her heartbeat seriously needed to slow down.

  “I don’t want to make a mistake again. I am so fucking afraid of screwing things up with you.”

  Big, bad Chance Valentine—afraid? No, that didn’t make sense. Gwen shook her head, but then realized he wouldn’t see the motion.

  “I’m afraid if I don’t act now, I’ll lose you. You’ll walk away or some other bastard will come and take you away.” He turned toward her. The hot, hungry look on his face stole the breath that she’d struggled to inhale. “I want you, Gwendolyn Hawthorne. I need you, and, I’m pretty sure that if I don’t have you soon, I may just go insane.” His lips twisted in a rough smile. “If I’m not already there.”

  This was happening. Actually happening. The desire on his face wasn’t a lie. The need in his voice wasn’t some careful trap to lure her in. It was real. He was real.

  “I want you, too,” Gwen said. That was her truth. Past her fear and the hurt, the desire had always been there. The desire for Chance. To see what they’d have together.

  She didn’t want him being the lonely man who stood in the shadows, just watching everyone else. A man on guard, always protecting the others, while he stood alone. She moved toward him. Put her hand on his chest, right over his racing heart. It beat just as fast and frantically as her own.

  No, she didn’t want him to be the man alone. She wanted him to be with her. Always.

  So she’d take this risk, and she’d hope that maybe—please—he felt some of the same, intense emotions that she did. Not just need. Not just desire.

  More.

  Love?

  Her fingers trembled as they slid down his chest. She opened the buttons on his shirt. Pushed back the material. His chest was so muscled. His abs a perfect six pack. She touched him lightly at first, her fingers grazing over him. She was so nervous because this moment, it mattered. He mattered.

  She leaned forward and pressed a kiss right over his heart.

  “Gwen, you’re going to destroy me.”

  No, his destruction was the last thing she wanted. His heart? She’d take that. She pushed the shirt all the way off his shoulders and heard the faint rustle when it hit the floor. Then Gwen kissed a path down his chest. There were some faint scars along his rib cage. Slashes near his abs. Battle wounds that made her ache because she hated to think of Chance in danger.

  She wanted him to be happy. The guy was always too guarded. She wanted his control gone. She wanted to see him go wild with pleasure. She wanted his laughter. His happiness. She wanted everything that he had to give.

  But first…

  She would give. The last time, she’d had the pleasure. It was only fair that, this time, he was the one who got his world rocked. Her hand slid down to the top of his jeans.

  “Uh, Gwen…”

  She glanced up at him. “No one else is in the office, right? Your friends just left.”

  “But—”

  “I want you, and I want you here.” So this was where she’d have him. Her fingers pulled open the snap on his jeans, and she slid down the zipper. Chance didn’t wear underwear, a sexy bit of information that she’d be remembering for future reference. So his cock sprang toward her. Long and thick and full. So hot.

  Her fingers curled around him and she pumped his length, stroking him from root to tip. Once. Twice. Three times.

  If possible, his cock got even bigger.

  “Baby…”

  She tipped back her head and met him in an open-mouthed kiss. Gwen loved the way he kissed her. Sensually, taking and giving at the same time until arousal had her aching.

  And then she pulled away from him. Staring into his eyes, she slid to the floor in front of him.

  Chance shook his head. “You don’t have to—”

  Have to? She wanted to taste all of him. He’d seen her go wild with pleasure. This would be her turn. Gwen leaned toward him and put her mouth on his aroused cock. Her lips closed around the broad tip and she sucked.

  “Fuck.”

  She took him in deeper. Licked and stroked him. After all, she knew how to use her tongue, too. His fingers curled around her shoulders as he held her tightly.

  “You’re driving me out of my mind.”

  She wouldn’t be satisfied until he was out of his head. Until reason was gone. Control a memory. She just wanted him to feel.

  She swallowed. Sucked him deeper. Pulled back to run her tongue over the tip of his cock once more. A light, salty flavor slid over her tongue and Gwen pressed forward eagerly. She wanted—

  Chance pulled Gwen to her feet. His hold was rough and his eyes—she’d never seen them so dark.

  “You.” The one word was guttural. Sexy. “In you.”

  Then he picked her up. Carried her as if she weighed nothing and that in itself was hot. He took her back to his desk. Sat her right on top of that gleaming wood.

  “I fantasized about you so much here.” He yanked off her shoes. Tossed them. Pulled down her jeans and her socks and she had no idea where her panties had gone but her sex was bare to him. “Now…I have the real you, not some dream. You.”

  He jerked up her shirt. Nearly tore her bra when he yanked it off. Then she was naked on that desk. Gwen should have felt vulnerable. She didn’t. She felt sensual. She felt…turned on.

  “Put your hands on the desk,” he ordered.

  Her hands slapped down.

  He pushed between her legs.

  “Can’t wait…need you…” But he bent and took one nipple into his mouth. She gasped at that contact, loving the feel of his tongue against her.

  Then the head of his cock began to push into her. Yes!

  He sucked her breast harder. His hands were locked around her hips. She wanted him to thrust deep—

  “Fuck.” He pulled back. His breath heaved out. “Condom. Give me one minute, baby.” Then he backed away. She wanted to scream with frustration because Gwen wanted him. Right then. They’d both waited long enough.

  He came back to her quickly. Kissed her. Positioned his cock between her legs.

  When he thrust into her, time seemed to stop. Pleasure rolled through her, and she held on to him as tightly as she could.

  He kissed his way down her neck. Lightly rasped her with his teeth. “I’ve imagined having you a million times, but I never knew…” He withdrew, plunged. “Never knew…it would feel this good.”

  Her legs lifted and locked around him even as her hands fisted on the table. Time was moving again—at super speed. Her body was wound so tightly and she arched up against him with every thrust. His fingers slid between their bodies. He stroked her clit. Stroked and thrust and she was so close to her orgasm. So close.

  Her hands flew off the desk, and she grabbed his shoulders. Her nails dug into him.

  This wasn’t some gentle bout of love making. It was intense. Hot. Frantic. She couldn’t get close enough to him. Couldn’t move her hips fast enough. Couldn’t take him in deep enough and—

  Her climax hit. The pleasure rolled over her like an avalanche, consuming, taking and all she could do was ride out that rushing onslaught of release. The most intense release she’d ever felt. So hot. So good.

  And he was right there with her. Gwen felt Cha
nce tense against her. Then he was holding her even tighter as his hips pistoned. “So…fucking…good.”

  He kissed her again and she tasted his pleasure, just as she knew that he would taste hers. And in the aftermath, he just held her. Wrapped his arms around her and held her so securely against his chest. She could feel his heartbeat slowing against her. At first, his heartbeat had been fast like a racehorse, but its beat was steady now. So reassuring.

  She pressed another kiss right over his heart. “I knew it would be like this,” Gwen whispered. And she had. She’d looked at him the first day, and she’d needed him. Their chemistry had been electric. She’d wanted him as she’d wanted no other.

  Her head tipped back as she stared up at him. His sharp cheekbones were flushed and his eyes glittered.

  “I meant for our first time to be in a big-ass bed. I figured I’d do the whole routine. Champagne. Flowers,” he nearly growled the word. “But with you, I just can’t hold myself back any longer. I see you, and I want.”

  Her lips trembled into a smile. “I do the same thing.”

  He kissed her. Softly. Gently. But then he eased back and a furrow appeared between his brows. “A desk. Shit, did we really just make love for the first time on a desk?” Carefully, he pulled out of her.

  She immediately missed him.

  Make love. Her heart warmed a little more. “We did,” she confirmed, her smile spreading. “And we can make love for a second and third time here, too. Or we can go find that big-ass bed and the champagne and—”

  The phone on his desk rang, the shrill cry surprising her and making Gwen jump a bit. She laughed at herself even as Chance glared at the phone.

  “It could be your partners,” she said as the phone rang again and he didn’t answer it. “Maybe they know more about Ethan.”

  He nodded.

  Before he could reach for the phone, her fingers flew out and she hit the speaker button. Because if that was Lex or Dev, then she sure wanted to hear their status update on Ethan, too.

  Chance’s right arm curled around her, and he called out, “This is Valentine, I—”

  “I know who the hell you are.” The voice of Gwen’s father blasted over the line.

  For an instant, ice actually seemed to pour over her. She was with her lover, naked—and her father’s voice filled the room. Her mouth dropped open in horror.

  Chance tried to reach around her, probably aiming to turn off the speaker.

  But her father wasn’t done talking.

  “I’m paying you damn well to keep a twenty-four, seven watch on Gwen,” her father snapped. “I expect more updates for my time! Hell, look, I hired you for the job because I knew Gwen wouldn’t dodge you the way she does the others. The girl has been hung up on you for too long. We both know she’d let you stay close without giving it a second thought.”

  The ice that had poured over Gwen got worse. So much worse. She stared at Chance in growing horror.

  Ethan had been right. I’m a job for Chance.

  “But I deserve updates!” Her father barked. “What happened with Ethan? Did the police arrest that bastard? Did—”

  “They arrested him,” Gwen said. Her voice came out just as icy as she felt.

  Chance’s eyes squeezed shut, and he stopped trying to reach for the speaker button.

  Gathering her strength, she shoved Chance away from her. Her legs immediately snapped together.

  “G-Gwen?” Her father stuttered. He never stuttered. Not William Hawthorne. He made others stutter. He made others fear.

  “Chance did his job,” she said, her voice sounding as wooden as she felt. “He found me, he stayed close to me, and he stopped the bad guy.”

  Silence.

  Chance’s eyes opened. When he stared down at her, his expression looked absolutely tormented.

  Good. She felt pretty tormented right then, too. It seemed only fair they should both suffer.

  Gwen jumped off the desk. Her knees trembled and she grabbed on to the edge for support. What had felt sexy and wild moments before now felt…wrong. Dirty.

  Chance didn’t come to find me because he just couldn’t stand to be without me for even a moment longer. He came after me because my dad hired him. My dad told him to stay close to me.

  She’d asked Chance if her father had hired him. Point blank. He’d kept the truth from her. Gwen bent and snatched up her clothes. She dressed as quickly as she could.

  “What’s happening?” Her father demanded. “Chance, what the hell—”

  “Your timing is shit, Will,” Chance said flatly. “I’ll call you later.”

  “Wait, no—”

  She saw Chance disconnect the call. She hobbled into her shoes and then unlocked the door as fast as she could.

  “Gwen, stop!”

  She looked back at him. Chance was grabbing for his jeans. She doubted the guy was going to run after her naked. So she took that moment to make her escape. She didn’t stop, didn’t pause for longer than a second. She fled.

  Because she would be damned if Chance Valentine saw her cry.

  Chapter Seven

  Faith Chestang put her hands on her hips. Her gaze slid over Lex, then Dev, and Lex knew the detective was sizing them both up.

  “Tell Chance that he’s going to owe me even more after this.” She gave a firm nod. “Him…and William Hawthorne. Because I know Chance is still on the guy’s payroll.”

  She turned on her heel and headed down the narrow hallway at the police station. Lex hurried to keep up with Faith. “You’re wrong about Chance. He’s got his own operation now—we do.” Okay, so that emphasis wasn’t exactly subtle, but it wasn’t a one-man show. They were partners, and partners watched out for each other. “So I don’t know what you think you’ve heard—”

  “William Hawthorne told me himself that he’d hired Chance.” She paused near the end of the hallway, right beside a shut door. “You’re saying Will lied to me?” Anger tightened her face. A whole lot of anger.

  Dev cleared his throat. He’d rushed to follow her down the hallway, too. “Why don’t we just move to the part where you show us what you found on Ethan’s computer…and I’ll let Chance know about that increased debt he owes you.”

  Her eyes sharpened, but she nodded. Then she opened the door.

  Lex wasn’t particularly surprised to see the computer room that waited. There was a lot of technical equipment in there, but only one other person. A lone tech was inside, hunched over a laptop, typing fast and furiously.

  “Hey, Zack, I need you to pull up that video again,” Faith said as she sauntered toward him.

  The tech, a young guy who looked as if he might be in his early twenties, glanced up. He had a baseball cap on his head and one ear bud slid toward his left ear. He gave a quick nod and tapped again on the machine in front of him.

  Dev made his way to Zack’s side.

  “This guy was watching the pretty lady, a lot,” Zack said, his voice slightly nasal. “There are hours of footage here. I mean, seriously, he was watching her for weeks. Maybe even months.”

  The sonofabitch. Lex knew that Chance would be pissed when he learned that news.

  “Pity he’s got a high priced lawyer,” Faith muttered as she shook her head in disgust. “Because I heard Sophie Sarantos is already working to get the guy out on bail. A man like him doesn’t need to be on the streets.”

  “No, he doesn’t…” Zack agreed. He took off his cap. Flipped it around. And leaned over the laptop again. “But he’s not the only threat your vic is facing.” He pointed to the screen. “Check it out. Right there.”

  Lex leaned in close to the screen. Dev was already peering hard at it, too. Lex studied the scene on that monitor, then muttered, “Some asshole in a black ski mask is in her room.” And that guy’s build…his shape…He looks like the guy I saw at her place the other night. The bastard who’d slipped away in that van. Lex checked the time stamp on the video. “Hell, that is the guy who gave me the slip the other da
y! Is it Ethan? Was he putting in more cameras? Was he—”

  “That’s not one of Ethan’s cameras,” Zack said.

  Dev was still studying the screen.

  Zack pointed to the upper left side of the video. “See where the guy is placing the camera? Right there above her bed? The videos that Ethan has—they don’t match up to that angle. His cameras were on her doors. Going toward her windows. Hell, almost like he was making sure he had the chance to watch everyone who came in to see her.” Zack tapped the screen. “That camera up there is different. It’s placed so the man watching her gets an up-close view of your victim. An intimate view. And that feed did not transfer to Ethan Barclay’s bar.”

  “What?” Dev demanded. His head jerked to the left and he focused on Zack. “That’s not possible. I traced the feeds. They led right back to him! I traced them!” Now Dev was sounding all insulted.

  “You didn’t trace that one,” Zack said. “Because that feed didn’t go back to the same place.”

  Oh, hell. If that feed didn’t lead back to Ethan…then who the hell did it lead back to?

  “I’m not wrong,” Zack sniffed. Now he sounded insulted. “I went to damn MIT. I know computers. I know tech. That feed didn’t go back to Ethan’s bar—the others did, but that one…hell, maybe he sent it to his home. Maybe we’ll find evidence there, but there was nothing related to it on any of the computers that we confiscated at Wicked.”

  Shit. Shit.

  Lex looked up and found Faith’s gaze on him. “Did you ask Ethan about that feed?” he asked her.

  She shrugged. “He’s not exactly talking. Not with his lawyer here. They’re working on getting the guy back on the streets and any kind of confession from him, well, that’s not going to help things, now is it?”

  Shit. This case had just gotten one hell of a lot more tangled. Because if Ethan Barclay wasn’t the only threat against Gwen…if that jerk hadn’t been the only one watching her.

  She’s still in danger.

  ***

  Chance rushed out of his office building. Big damn surprise…it was snowing again. “Gwen!” The street was decorated for the coming holiday and the twinkling lights lit the scene. He ran right past those lights, sliding a bit on the snow, as he tried to search for Gwen.