Page 33 of Chasin’s Surrender

“You’re getting a guard,” I insisted. “You’re not gonna be in danger because of me. Don’t bother trying to argue with me. I swear, Roberta, you do and I’ll chain you to a bed upstairs and you know I will.”

The doorbell rang and Chasin’s rumble pulled my attention to him. “You two stay in here while I get the door.”

Chasin exited the room, leaving me alone with Bobby. I used the privacy to my advantage.

“Please, Bobby, please don’t fight with me about this,” I pleaded. “I know you’re pissed at me. I know I’ve screwed up our friendship. I know you want to leave as soon as you can and get away from me. But please stay. Please give me a chance to make it right. I don’t want you to leave and that has nothing to do with me needing my assistant and everything to do with me not wanting physical distance between us. I need you close so I can fix what I broke, but I also want you safe. I would die if something happened to you because of me. Please, Bobby, I’m begging you to stay.”

Before she could say a word, Chasin, followed by two men, entered the room. Two broad-shouldered, tall, good-looking men. One with midnight hair, so black it looked like it had a hint of blue. The color so badass it sent me into deep contemplation, wondering if I should die my hair that color. Bobby’s hand spasmed in mine and I knew she was in her own deep inspection, though I didn’t think she was admiring the coolness factor of midnight black hair with blue undertones. First she had blonde hair and wouldn’t dare change it, and secondly, I knew she was looking at the second man, the one who didn’t have black hair but the bluest eyes I’d ever seen. He was at least ten feet from me and I could see them clearly, that was because they were so blue they looked like jewel stones had been stuck in his eye sockets.

Bobby was a sucker for eyes. Every woman has their thing, maybe two, but definitely one part of a man that grabs their attention and holds them captive. Bobby’s was a man’s eyes. I preferred a man’s smile. If a man had a great smile, a real one that reached his eyes, that made interesting lines form, I was hooked. That was exactly what had drawn me to Chasin. The moment he smiled—carefree, open, real, honest—I was a goner.

“Babe?” Chasin’s rough voice pulled me from my thoughts and I glanced from the other men to him to find his eyes narrowed.

“Yeah?”

“You wanna stop looking at Jameson and Jonny like you’re deciding which one you’re gonna eat first so I can introduce you and Jameson can get to work?”

Two deep male chuckles filled the room and embarrassment washed over me.

“I wasn’t deciding which one I wanted to eat first,” I snapped.

“I was,” Bobby muttered, and I tugged her hand in a silent effort to get her not to speak.

“Bobby,” I hissed, making my nonverbal point clear.

“What? I was. There’s no point lying about it, when clearly, Chasin read the situation.”

“Word of warning, Jameson’s wife looks like a sweet, golden-haired angel, but she’s a Pit Bull with a shotgun,” Chasin said.

“Which one’s Jameson?” Bobby asked and I shook my head.

“I am,” the black-haired man answered.

“Well, that’s a relief. As fine as you are, with your crazy-cool tatts and all that black hair I’m sure your woman totally digs, you can rest easy she won’t need to pull out her shotgun,” Bobby blurted out and thankfully stopped at that.

“Hi, I’m Genevieve,” I lamely introduced myself in an effort to move the conversation from crazy-cool tatts and shotguns.

I wasn’t entirely sure, but I didn’t think the threat of buckshot to my friend’s ass would’ve actually stopped her from gawking at Jameson. Knowing he had a wife would’ve made him untouchable, but Bobby would still look, then likely wax poetic with his wife about how lucky she was to have a hot guy with crazy-cool tatts.

Bobby was that insane.

“I’m Jonny,” the blue-eyed man announced, and I swear to God, Bobby sighed.

“Cool to meet you both. Thanks for coming over and helping out,” I replied.

I gave Bobby a swift tug and her eyes came to mine. “What?”

“Jesus,” Chasin mumbled.

“What?” Bobby rasped.

“Jesus,” Chasin repeated, this time with humor. “Babe, your girl’s a nut.”

“Well?” Bobby asked. “Someone gonna let in me on why Chasin’s smiling like an idiot? Which I have to admit, now that I’ve seen it, and knowing Viv’s weakness is a hot guy with a great smile, I totally get it now. I wasn’t so sure before because, well, you can kinda be a dick. But when you smile, damn, I totally get it.”

Someone kill me now.

Seriously, I was contemplating walking out of the house in hopes my crazy stalker would promptly kidnap me and take me to a remote cabin. Of course, I didn’t want to share a cabin with a crazy stalker, but maybe he could just stash me there before he disappeared, leaving me to starve to death.