“That’s why I’m coming inside,” he growled, moving his lips over hers.
Ashley blinked, fighting to regain control and not letting him see the lengths to which he’d just taken her. “If it was so you could kiss me, you’ve just gotten that out of the way.” She pushed against his shoulders, creating a bit of space between them.
“No, sweetheart,” he said, his voice gruff. “Because if we stand out here the neighbors might not appreciate me fucking you in your driveway.”
“Do you always just do what you want and believe it’s okay?” Ashley turned from him, walking out of his arms and to her front door. Her jeans rubbed against her pussy, spreading the moisture and torturing her. When she fumbled with her purse to dig out her keys she realized she no longer carried her sweater.
Chase came up behind her, holding it in his hand. Damn him anyway for affecting her like this. She didn’t even notice dropping it.
“When I know it’s the right thing to do, yes.” He didn’t hand her sweater to her, but focused on her purse.
Ashley dug out her keys and unlocked her front door. “It will be the right thing to do when I say it is,” she told him, already arguing with herself to let him stay. There wouldn’t be any getting rid of the need boiling out of control inside her no matter how long she masturbated.
He reached over her, pushing her door open and moving into the house alongside her. Instead of continuing to press his argument, he was suddenly alert as he searched her dark living room. “Did you set your alarm?” he asked, the gruffness in his voice gone.
Ashley tensed, positive she would never leave her home without setting it. In her line of work there was always someone who might hold a grudge, and she lived alone.
“Stay there.” She pointed to the doorway as she flipped on the lamps in her living room controlled by the light switch at her front door. Everything appeared to be in place. Walking over to the end table next to her couch, she opened the top drawer and pulled out the small handgun she kept there. Quickly checking to see if it were loaded, she then pointed it toward the ground and turned, putting her finger over her lips to tell him to be quiet.
Chase had closed her front door without her hearing it, dropped her sweater on the floor inside the door, and barely glanced at her before taking in the surroundings. He also held a gun in his hand. Where the hell had he stashed that thing?
Arguing with him to let her search her own house would be pointless. Not to mention, he was as trained as she was, if not possibly more, to handle situations like this. In spite of her nature telling her she needed to protect him, Chase didn’t appear to need protection. If anything, holding the gun in his hand, aiming it at the floor, he looked even hotter and more dangerous than he had all evening. There was no way she should be so fucking turned on when there might be a burglar in her home.
Chase reached behind him, locking her front door, then nodded at her to move through her home. Her back door opened and closed, sounding as if someone just slammed it behind them. Ashley hurried into the dark part of her house, almost running into her kitchen without saying a word, her gun aimed at the darkness surrounding her. She wasn’t sure if her door was slammed, or if it was just her heart exploding in her chest. Although she didn’t doubt she had serious enemies among those she’d arrested over the years and put in jail, not once had her house been broken into since she’d been living here alone.
Chase was right behind her when she yanked her unlocked back door open— there was no way she had left it that way— and hurried out.
“Over there,” Chase hissed in her ear, his gun aimed at a figure racing away to a running car in the alley behind them.
Ashley grabbed his arm, shoving his gun toward the ground. “Wait,” she ordered, anger replacing all the trepidation that had coursed through her veins a moment ago. “Son of a bitch,” she growled, turning back to her house and stalking through her kitchen.
Chase was by her side, securing the safety on his gun when she pulled her cell phone out of her purse. “I take it you know who that was?” he asked, his expression guarded as he studied her.
“My ex,” she seethed, punching in the numbers to his cell and then putting it to her ear as it started ringing. Danny answered on the second ring. “What the hell were you doing in my house?” she yelled, adrenaline attacking her with a vengeance.
“Who did you bring home with you?” Danny demanded.
“Answer my goddamn question.” She walked away from Chase and put her gun back in the top drawer of her end table. “You damn near got yourself shot.”
“Sorry, sweetheart,” Danny drawled. “I didn’t know you were bringing home company.”
“Why were you in my house?” She stressed each word, blowing out a silent breath so she wouldn’t loose her cool with Chase standing silently behind her, more than likely able to hear Danny through the phone. “And how did you turn off my home security?”
“It was your birthday backward.” Danny laughed as if he were proud of himself for figuring it out. “I guessed it on the second try.”
“Danny, tell me why you were in my house right now before I call the police on your ass, or worse yet, come after you and beat the crap out of you myself.”
Danny laughed. “Sounds kinky.”
Ashley swore she heard Chase growl behind her.
“But I stopped by because I swore my old pool stick was upstairs in the attic. When you weren’t home I tried letting myself in but forgot about your security thing. Damn good thing I was able to turn it off, huh. I got filthy crawling around upstairs looking for that damn pool stick. I swear it’s up there. But I ran out of the house when you came home and I realized you weren’t alone. I didn’t want to ruin your night, darling.”
“Don’t ever enter my home again without my being here.”
“Okay. Okay. I’m sorry. Don’t shoot.” Danny started laughing.
And she hung up on his ass. Then tossing her phone on her couch, she blew out an exasperated breath, running her fingers through her hair.