Page 94 of Chasin’s Surrender

When I was within arm’s reach, Chasin snatched my hand and hauled me the rest of the way. I wanted to complain about him always yanking me where he wanted me, but the truth was I freaking loved it. What I didn’t love was the frown and worry in his eyes.

“Tell me,” I demanded when he slid his arms around me.

“There have been threats made against me,” he said.

“Say wha’? Who threatened you? Why?”

Safe in his arms, that’s what I was thinking when Chasin started telling me my stalker made direct threats—yes, plural—against him. By the time he was done explaining his life was in peril, I didn’t feel safe. I felt pissed—and lied to.

“What?” I shrieked. I was aware I sounded like a shrew and I’d screeched in his face, but as I mentioned, I was pissed and I’d been lied to.

“Babe, please calm down and listen.”

“Fuck calm. You lied.”

“Baby, I didn’t lie.”

“You didn’t tell me.”

“You’re right, I didn’t. But that’s not a lie. And if you calm down, I’ll explain why I didn’t tell you.”

“I’m not gonna calm down. You know, you know,” I seethed. “How I feel about things being kept from me. I never would’ve—”

“And you know how much you mean to me,” he fumed. “You have enough shit piling up, you do not need something new to worry about. This asshole forced this on you, forced it, Evie, you didn’t ask him into your life so he could terrorize you. He broke into your life, into your home, he shattered your peace of mind, made you leave your home, fucked with your work, fucked with your head, fucked with everything. You’re selling your house, making career decisions, you’re worried about Bobby, you’re dealing with the fallout of firing Melissa, Leslie’s crawling up your ass, now you have the media all over this shit and Bent fucking Bromley to deal with. No fucking more. Not another goddamn thing is landing on your shoulders for you to worry about. So, yes, I kept it from you. And, no, I wasn’t ever gonna tell you because you’re not gonna take another fucking thing on.”

Well, all righty then. I wasn’t feeling all that pissed-off anymore. But I was worried. And there was nothing he could say that was going to make that stop.

“Okay, Chasin.”

“Okay?” His body jerked and his eyes narrowed in disbelief.

“Yes, okay. I understand why you didn’t tell me. I appreciate where you were coming from, even if I don’t like it. And, honey, I really don’t like it. But I get it. Now it’s too late, I’m worried. Whoever is doing this is crazy, and if it is Bent, he’s seriously nutso. He’s always been a little off, but today was outrageously crazy.”

One of Chasin’s hands moved from around me, glided up my side in a gesture that was intimate, familiar, and even though his knuckles caught a fair amount of side boob, it wasn’t obscene. Just intimate, familiar, and sweet. But when his thumb went under my jaw and lifted my chin, trapping my gaze solely on him, I realized I was wrong—there wasn’t anything sweet in the way he was staring at me.

“You do not take this on,” he demanded. “The days of this ass fucking with you are over. No more meetings, no more being kept in the loop, that’s done for you.”

I didn’t like that. I didn’t want to be kept out of the loop.

“Chasin—”

“You trust me.”

“Yeah.”

“No, baby, that wasn’t a question. You. Trust. Me. I know you do. So all you need to do is keep trusting me. You make music, you sell your house, you work with Bobby. The rest, I handle.”

Okay, I liked that. Or at least I liked that he wanted to take care of me. But I still didn’t feel all that great about not being told what was going on.

“I don’t like not knowing things,” I reminded him.

“I know you don’t. But you have to trust me. No one is gonna get near you.”

“And you? Will someone be able to get near you?” There was a tic in Chasin’s jaw that scared the hell out of me. “Chasin?”

“No one’s gonna get near me, either. The guys have my back.”

I decided then I would trust Chasin. Completely.