Hot Protector(83)

“Did it hurt?”

He grinned. “Not as much as the ass-chewing I got from my colonel last night.”

She blinked. “I thought he was helping us. Hawk said he’d been informed when he came and that he’d given us the passports. I assumed that meant he was on our side.”

“Oh, he was helping and he’s definitely on our side—but that doesn’t mean he wasn’t going to ream me when he got a chance. Going to Paris technically made me AWOL. Colonels don’t like that shit, even when the ends justify the means.”

Her fault. She’d pretty much given him no choice when she’d shown up and gotten his apartment blasted to bits. “I’m sorry I got you in trouble.”

Chase hadn’t stopped touching her. His fingers stroked along her skin, leaving little tingles of sensation in their path. “And I’m sorry we fought, Sophie.”

Her heart clenched with pain. The hurt from their fight hadn’t gone away yet. “You said we didn’t have anything special, that you could get pu—”

She didn’t finish that sentence because his lips crashed down on hers. She opened to his invasion, moaning softly as he kissed her. Her nipples beaded tight and her pussy grew wet.

He pulled away from her all too soon, even while she clung to him, and smiled softly as he stood and reached for the tray.

“Look, you need to have this breakfast before it gets cold. You haven’t eaten since you picked at that pizza, and you need to be strong for this conversation.”

She scooted her way up in the bed, dragging the sheet with her. Then she lifted it and looked under. “I’m not wearing anything!”

“When we found you, all you had on was some underwear and a trench coat. I wasn’t letting you wear that shit to sleep in.”

She felt herself blushing, which was ridiculous, but it was the way he said he wasn’t letting her wear the things they’d found her in, as if they were poisonous somehow.

And maybe they were, considering Grigori had likely had his hands all over them. She shuddered, and though she tried not to let it show, Chase saw it.

“What’s wrong, baby?”

Her throat was tight. “I don’t know what happened last night, Chase. How do I know he didn’t…?”

She couldn’t finish the sentence. Chase set the tray down and then took her face in his hands, making her look at him.

“Honey, the doc verified it when she examined you—no one raped you. No one.” He kissed her forehead. “Grigori was trying to sell you to a Mexican named Benito Rodriguez, according to the woman who was in the car. She says she was with you from the moment they grabbed you at Hawk’s.”

“How did they know where to find us?”

The corners of his mouth tightened. “We don’t know that yet. We may never know.” He nodded to the tray. “Now eat those eggs before they get cold.”

He let her go and she picked up the fork. She dug into the eggs without much enthusiasm—but after the first bite, she was sold. She really was hungry, and she ate several bites before she looked up at Chase.

He was watching her eat. He didn’t look angry or conflicted at all. He looked… content. She put down her fork and tilted her head as she gazed at him.

“What?”

“You’re eating like you don’t give a fuck. I like that.”

Her cheeks felt rosy. Damn him. “Well, maybe I don’t. This time.”

“You never should, babe. You’re gorgeous. The only ugly people are the ones who tell you that you need to change to suit their definition of beauty.”

“You say stuff like that and it makes my chest hurt.”

His brows drew together. “Why?”

“Because nobody ever said anything like that to me. I like that you do… but I don’t know what it means, Chase. Because I don’t know where you’re coming from. And I don’t know whether to just be happy and believe you or to worry that in the next few hours everything will change.”

She could kick herself for going there right now when all she wanted was to sit here, eat the eggs, and enjoy the fact he was with her. The simple things. Just for a few hours, until it all went to shit again and he got pissed off at their situation and told her there was nothing here worth fighting for.

“I said I was going to be here for you. I meant that. I said some stupid things last night—and I don’t want to say anything stupid now, so please just eat the eggs.”

Sophie ate her eggs and toast while he watched. When she was done, he took the tray and set it on the table. Then he got a robe from the closet and brought it over to her.

“Can you stand?”