Page 17 of Chasin’s Surrender

“Said what?”

“Nothing. Let me up.”

“Babe, we gotta talk about this.”

“Seriously? You wanna talk about this now?” Genevieve asked incredulously, and shifted again. “Let me up.”

“Shit timing, I know. But we have to clear the air.”

“No, we don’t. I have to call my uncle. Deal with Bobby, Melissa, and Leslie. Then I have to call a real estate agent and put my house on the market. When I’m done doing that, I need to find a book on how to grow your own food, and find an island. Selling my house won’t suck, I hate that place anyway. Moving to a deserted island so I can live in seclusion for the rest of my life won’t suck, either. But you know what will? If I starve to death. So let me up, so I can make my calls, find my books, and start learning how to live off the land so I don’t die.”

Chasin’s hand untangled from her hair and slid down to the back of her neck. and he squeezed. “You’re not gonna die, babe.”

“I will if you don’t let me up so I can—”

“I’ll let you up after we talk.”

“Fine. You wanna talk? We had a good time, then you left. End of story.”

“We’re nowhere near the end of our story, Genevieve.”

She gave him wide eyes before they narrowed into golden slits. He knew it was the wrong time to push, knew he was a dick for doing it, but he wasn’t going to let up. He wasn’t letting it go until she forgave him. That made him a dick, too.

“I don’t need this right now,” she said and clenched her jaw. “In case you missed it, I already have a stalker.”

“I didn’t miss shit, and neither did you.” Genevieve jerked back, Chasin’s grip tightened, and he leaned forward. “This isn’t gonna work unless we find a way to move on.”

“What’s not gonna work?”

“Me protecting you.”

“You?” she yelped, clearly unhappy with the news he would be her bodyguard.

“Me,” he confirmed.

“Why can’t Nixon do it? Or Alec?”

Chasin tamped down the irrational annoyance at hearing Genevieve ask why his friends wouldn’t be guarding her. There were so many reasons why that wouldn’t be happening. Whys and wherefores she wasn’t ready to learn, mainly because they’d freak her out. And she was right, she didn’t need more piled on her plate. But they did need to get a few things straight.

“First, because Nix and Alec are already working cases. Second being I handle all close cover work. That means I’m your shadow. You go nowhere without me. You’re not alone in your house, in your car, you don’t answer the door, you don’t look out the windows, you don’t go outside to move dock furniture, you don’t go out on the boat. You do nothing without me stuck close.”

“Stuck close?” she muttered.

“Like glue.”

“So I’m your prisoner?”

“No, babe, what you are is safe.”

Genevieve was back to trembling. Something Chasin liked a whole lot when she was under him with his hands and mouth on her doing things that were worthy of a tremble. What he didn’t like was her sitting stiff on his lap, overwhelmed and not in a good way, shaking because she had some asshole terrorizing her life. “We’re gonna catch him. Until that happens, you’re untouchable. Now, we need to sort this shit out between me and you.”

Since Chasin had her close he didn’t miss it—that spark of pain. The one that pierced his chest the first time he saw it and every time thereafter. The pain he’d put there because he was a jackass.

“I can’t,” Genevieve whispered.

There was a pleading in her tone, one that was not imploring him to stop, but begging him. One he couldn’t ignore.

“All right, honey, how ‘bout this? We finish up here, let McKenna and the guys get to work, then we’ll head to your house. You can get settled and I’ll do a walk around the house and we’ll talk later.”