and rub herself against all that delicious hardness while pressing her mouth to his chest.
Before she could find her voice, he squeezed her ass one last time. “Much as I’d like to convince you otherwise, we gotta get up. Hawk will be here soon.”
He rolled away from her and sat up on the edge of the bed. After grabbing his phone and presumably scrolling through his messages, he stood and stretched, his bones cracking and muscles rippling as he reached skyward.
Then he grabbed his T-shirt and dragged it on over his chest, covering everything she’d been staring at. Her gaze dropped lower, and her heart flipped in her chest at the evidence of his arousal. Wow, that was quite an impressive bulge in his shorts. It lay against his body, pointing toward his heart… and it reached almost to the edge of his waistband.
Holy shit.
“See something you like?”
Her gaze shot to his. He’d arched an eyebrow, staring at her with a smirk on his handsome face. Daring her, she supposed.
She pushed herself up on an elbow and yawned. “Don’t be so full of yourself,” she said lazily. “I saw tons of hot guys growing up in LA. You’re nothing special, Chase.”
He snorted. “Liar. You’ve been staring at me since you walked into my apartment two days ago.”
Oh, he was irritating. And confusing as hell. Prickly one minute and sexy the next. Pulling her to him and pushing her away. Being so sweet it hurt and then being angry and defensive.
“That’s because I’m not yet convinced you won’t get tired of this and ditch me. I’m watching you in case you leave me.”
He sobered instantly. “I’m not leaving you, Sophie. I’ll protect you with my life. You can count on that.”
A knot formed in her throat. After the past two days, she knew it would be no small task to protect her. “Thank you.”
He shrugged. “No need to thank me. It’s what I do.”
She pulled her knees up to her chest and sat back against the couch. “You do this all the time? Run from bad guys and try not to get killed?”
His look was so intense it took her breath. “No, I don’t run from the bad guys. If they’re smart, they run from me.”
“And if they don’t?”
“I kill them.”
A chill skated down her spine. He was serious. Deadly serious. “What happened to bringing them to justice?”
“What I do is war, Sophie. Innocent lives depend on me and my team. If someone takes Americans hostage, we’re not making sure they get due process before we bust in and take the hostages back. It doesn’t work that way. Due process is a bullet in the brain of our enemies and no man or woman left behind.”
The hair on her arms stood up as another chill rippled through her. Somehow she hadn’t understood how deadly he was until that moment. How frightening. “You seem awfully certain.”
“I am. Not everyone in this world is kind, and not everyone believes everyone else has a right to live. Some people think killing innocent Americans is justified—well, I’m there to make sure they don’t get to do it.”
She knew what he did was necessary, and yet it pained her to think of him taking such risks. Making such choices.
His phone rang and he answered. Her heart thumped as she imagined all kinds of bad scenarios. But then he broke out in a big grin and relief coursed through her.
“Yeah, come on. We’ll be ready.”
C HASE OPENED the door to Hawk and Dex “Double Dee” Davidson.
The latter smiled and shook his head, his Kentucky twang pronounced as he spoke. “Shoo-ee, boy, what kind of trouble did you get into now?”
Chase rolled his eyes in mock disgust. “The kind you can’t handle, cowboy.”
Hawk and Dex came inside and shut the door behind them. Sophie had gone into the bedroom to get dressed and hadn’t yet returned. He was glad for that because he wasn’t sure what Hawk would have to tell him. If it was bad, he didn’t want Sophie to know.
“How did Mendez take it?” Chase asked.
Hawk snorted.
Before she could find her voice, he squeezed her ass one last time. “Much as I’d like to convince you otherwise, we gotta get up. Hawk will be here soon.”
He rolled away from her and sat up on the edge of the bed. After grabbing his phone and presumably scrolling through his messages, he stood and stretched, his bones cracking and muscles rippling as he reached skyward.
Then he grabbed his T-shirt and dragged it on over his chest, covering everything she’d been staring at. Her gaze dropped lower, and her heart flipped in her chest at the evidence of his arousal. Wow, that was quite an impressive bulge in his shorts. It lay against his body, pointing toward his heart… and it reached almost to the edge of his waistband.
Holy shit.
“See something you like?”
Her gaze shot to his. He’d arched an eyebrow, staring at her with a smirk on his handsome face. Daring her, she supposed.
She pushed herself up on an elbow and yawned. “Don’t be so full of yourself,” she said lazily. “I saw tons of hot guys growing up in LA. You’re nothing special, Chase.”
He snorted. “Liar. You’ve been staring at me since you walked into my apartment two days ago.”
Oh, he was irritating. And confusing as hell. Prickly one minute and sexy the next. Pulling her to him and pushing her away. Being so sweet it hurt and then being angry and defensive.
“That’s because I’m not yet convinced you won’t get tired of this and ditch me. I’m watching you in case you leave me.”
He sobered instantly. “I’m not leaving you, Sophie. I’ll protect you with my life. You can count on that.”
A knot formed in her throat. After the past two days, she knew it would be no small task to protect her. “Thank you.”
He shrugged. “No need to thank me. It’s what I do.”
She pulled her knees up to her chest and sat back against the couch. “You do this all the time? Run from bad guys and try not to get killed?”
His look was so intense it took her breath. “No, I don’t run from the bad guys. If they’re smart, they run from me.”
“And if they don’t?”
“I kill them.”
A chill skated down her spine. He was serious. Deadly serious. “What happened to bringing them to justice?”
“What I do is war, Sophie. Innocent lives depend on me and my team. If someone takes Americans hostage, we’re not making sure they get due process before we bust in and take the hostages back. It doesn’t work that way. Due process is a bullet in the brain of our enemies and no man or woman left behind.”
The hair on her arms stood up as another chill rippled through her. Somehow she hadn’t understood how deadly he was until that moment. How frightening. “You seem awfully certain.”
“I am. Not everyone in this world is kind, and not everyone believes everyone else has a right to live. Some people think killing innocent Americans is justified—well, I’m there to make sure they don’t get to do it.”
She knew what he did was necessary, and yet it pained her to think of him taking such risks. Making such choices.
His phone rang and he answered. Her heart thumped as she imagined all kinds of bad scenarios. But then he broke out in a big grin and relief coursed through her.
“Yeah, come on. We’ll be ready.”
C HASE OPENED the door to Hawk and Dex “Double Dee” Davidson.
The latter smiled and shook his head, his Kentucky twang pronounced as he spoke. “Shoo-ee, boy, what kind of trouble did you get into now?”
Chase rolled his eyes in mock disgust. “The kind you can’t handle, cowboy.”
Hawk and Dex came inside and shut the door behind them. Sophie had gone into the bedroom to get dressed and hadn’t yet returned. He was glad for that because he wasn’t sure what Hawk would have to tell him. If it was bad, he didn’t want Sophie to know.
“How did Mendez take it?” Chase asked.
Hawk snorted.
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