Being Chased (CEP #1)

Chapter 1

Stupid frickin’ rain! Julia Cooke mumbled to herself as she jumped in the back of the car.

Where to, Ms. Cooke?

Crap. It was him. Why was he picking her up? He only worked Monday through Friday morning.

Home, please, Chase, she replied, then bit her bottom lip. She'd had a crush on him for the past two years, but he wouldn't give her the time of day. Jerk.

Got it, he said, pulling away from her office building.

Julia’s father had hired Chase Murphy a couple years before to keep an eye on her, as he'd put it. She'd just turned twenty-one, and after graduating college, she thought she'd finally have some freedom, getting her own apartment and living on her own until dear old Dad got it in his head that she needed a bodyguard.

See, Allen Cooke was a multimillionaire, a CEO of a major insurance company, which he owned, who thought she needed protection from the crazies, as he called them, in New York City. He'd told her that since she was now a woman, she needed to be careful when she went out. Whatever that meant.

Julia knew it was more for his protection, well, actually his money's protection, if she wanted to be crystal clear about it. There had been a kidnapping earlier that year, the daughter of another business mogul had been snatched, and the girl’s father had ended up paying several million bucks to get her back.

Therefore, to make sure his precious money would be safe, Allen had hired Chase to guard Julia.

Although she easily could’ve balked and used her inheritance to get out on her own, where she would’ve found herself sans bodyguard, she refused to use the money from her mother’s death to fund her living expenses. Julia was proud and wanted to make it on her own. Besides, that would hurt too much, using it for anything other than charities and helping others. It’s what her mom would’ve wanted, she just knew. So to keep the peace, Julia had agreed to live at home for a while longer, at least until she got on her feet, and give Allen some reprieve from worrying about his bankroll.

So here she was in the back of the stupid black Mafia-looking car Allen had bought so Chase could jaunt her around the city.

How come Sam didn't pick me up? she asked him, making small talk. Sam, who was a retired police officer, only worked Friday evenings and weekends.

Prior engagement, Chase replied.

Wow. She'd gotten two whole words out of him. Whoopee. Could she get him to go for three? How have you been, Chase?

Well.

Damn. Only one. Keep trying, Julia.So what have you been up to lately?

Not a whole lot.

Woohoo! Four! Four words at one time! She mentally did a fist pump, cracking herself up. Do you have plans for tonight? she pried.

Nope.

Anything exciting happen to you recently?

Nope.

She rolled her eyes. Always the same thing. She'd try to converse; he'd shut her down. When she was in an ornery mood, as she was now, she kept at it just to mess with him. And she was nothing if not persistent, so she made it her mission in life to get him to actually talk to her someday, have a real conversation with her. If that didn't happen, at least she could irritate the hell out of him while trying.

Really? No drag racing? No drive-by shootings? No exciting flooding of the engine? She smirked knowing what his answer would be. Same thing every time.

Nope.

"You know, Chase, one of these days you're going to need me. You might need help changing a tire, or you can't figure out a gas pump, or, damn, she smacked her forehead, you bought the wrong brand of spark plugs and need me to get you different ones, and you'll be sorry you were such a prick to me and didn't become my friend."

Yep. He chuckled quietly to himself. God, she was a smartass.

Jeez, he was infuriating. She'd looked at the back of his stupid head for two years. The least he could do was acknowledge her existence. If he hadn't been so friggin' hot, she wouldn't even have bothered. But he was tall, had broad shoulders that topped his narrow hips, he had a nice ass, oh, yeah, she'd definitely looked, and this damn crazy jet black hair that hung a little long on his neck but was always strategically messy which was just super sexy. His tanned skin, those light gray eyes surrounded by dark lashes, so sharp that they didn’t miss a thing, and the stubbled jaw he wore most of the time were more than sigh-worthy. He'd pretty much set the standard for her dating tastes these days, and sadly to say, no one ever quite measured up.

She plopped back against the seat and sighed, checking out her fingernails, majorly bored with being ignored by him and also with being cocooned inside this safe little haven once again.

****

Chase understood the definition of boundaries. He knew that to keep the job of guarding Julia, he had to maintain these boundaries or he'd lose the great pay that was helping put him through law school. His father would yank this gig right out from under his feet if he even so much as suspected any malfeasance on Chase’s part. When Chase had started working for Citadel Executive Protection, or CEP, his father’s company which specialized in bodyguards, private investigators and surveillance, he'd been in his first year at NYU, hoping eventually to be accepted into the University's prestigious law program. His dad had made sure to keep him busy during his undergrad studies by assigning him various clients here and there, enough to pay his bills but nothing as long term or as lucrative as his present position. Hank Murphy knew his son was serious about his future career; therefore, to help him out, he’d given him this assignment knowing that his son wouldn’t let him down.

Although Chase had gotten into law school because of his fine academic standing from which he’d received several scholarships helping him keep his loans at a reasonable amount, he desperately needed this particular position to pay the bills and what tuition and fees that were left, so he knew he couldn't screw things up. Besides, there were lots of other guys working for his dad, including his brother Gunner, who’d love to have the job. The schedule was predictable and pretty much a sure thing unlike the hundreds of others he’d worked that’d cut into his study time.

Now, Chase didn't deny that Julia Cooke was gorgeous. He'd be an idiot to think otherwise. She had beautiful auburn hair that hit her at her tiny waist, the creamiest most perfect skin he'd ever seen and huge hazel eyes that seemed to look inside to one's very soul, eyes that changed from green to brown according to her mood. Her tight little body did things to his that sometimes made him grit his teeth. To top it off, she was sweet and intelligent to boot. She also had a dirty mouth and a biting wit that really kind of turned him on. Yep. She was the whole package. But he wasn’t interested in her other than the fleeting thought of what she’d be like in bed. He'd be damned if he was going to screw up his future by crossing that line, giving in to temptation; therefore, it was a must to maintain his distance from her and keep things platonic.

****

It was Friday night, so Julia had made plans with Claire and Lily, her best friends from prep school, to go out to a club that’d just opened in the City. She hesitated before she let Chase know. She hated taking his evening away from him, but it was his job, she guessed. Something Allen paid him to do. And she’d only stay a couple of hours, not wanting Chase to be stuck waiting on her forever.

Um, Chase?

Yes?

My friends and I are going out tonight to Shock, the new club that opened in the City. I’m really sorry if you had plans or anything. I thought Sam was working tonight. She thought for a second before speaking again. You know, you could just drop me off and I could take a cab home. Allen would never know. She always tried this strategy with both him and Sam, hoping it’d work someday. To present, it hadn’t.

Chase grimaced when he remembered he’d made a date with a girl he’d met in class. Guess he was going to have to cancel. Yeah. The cab thing’s not happening. Pick up time?

She sighed. Foiled again. In an hour is good. It was already eight o’clock. She’d stayed late at the office where she was training to be a financial manager at a mortgage company. She’d been working on an account that’d been a bitch, trying to balance sales and expense data to earnings in the advertising department.

An hour it is. He, too, sighed. He couldn’t wait to graduate, get a job at a big firm, and, although he was grateful that his dad had granted him this monumental account, drop this action like a bad habit. After letting her off at her father’s apartment building, Cooke Tower, he watched to make sure she got inside okay then went to get a bite to eat.

Julia entered the building high-fiving Ben the doorman. She’d known him since she was a little girl and she pretty much thought of him as a close relative.

What’s up, Ben-dover? She snickered.

Nothin’ much, Jule-opy, he countered.

Oh, good one. I see you’ve been studying your words that start with ‘Jule,’ huh?

Every night before I go to sleep. It’s all I can think about.

She cracked up at him, loving that dry wit of his. See ya in a bit, Ben-Gay, she said with a snort, hopping on the elevator before he could answer back.

Hey, Allen! she yelled coming into the penthouse apartment where she lived with her father. Her mother had passed away when Julia was ten, and it’d been just her and Allen since. Well, her, Allen, and the slew of nannies he’d hired over the years to care for her so he wouldn’t have to.

Hi, Julia. And that’s ‘Dad’ to you. How’d work go?Allen yelled back from his office.

Good, she replied as she made her way to the kitchen.

That’s good.

Like he gave a crap. No way would she call him Dad. He was no more a dad than she was a hooker. Well, hm, yeah, that worked. As far as she knew she’d never been paid to have sex with anyone. Or at least she didn’t think she had, she thought with a smirk. She grabbed a bite to eat then went to get ready to go out.

In the meantime Chase had gone to the deli down the street to get a sandwich. He’d left the car parked in front of the Tower and walked. On his way he called Law-Class girl to cancel their date. She was disappointed, he could tell, but those were the breaks.

Back at the Tower, he waited inside the lobby for Julia to come down. The good thing about times like this was that he could get a little studying in, and he now had his notes from his Evidence class that he was reviewing. Professor Ford was a total bitch, using the Socratic Method, grilling the shit out of everyone. Most of the other profs used the Black Letter Law approach, which was less intimidating. But he had to admit, Ford did keep him on his toes. He had a test in her class next week, and he’d been cramming for days.

Hey.

He looked up to see Julia standing in front of him and it was all he could do to keep his jaw from dropping. Damn. She looked amazing. She’d put her hair up in a high ponytail and had on some kind of shimmery tank dress that was tight enough to show off her every curve. Her five-inch heels topped off the outfit, and damn if he didn’t feel his dick twitch at the sight of her. Jesus.

Ready? he asked as nonchalantly as he could, automatically going back into I-couldn’t-give-a-shit mode, but not without a struggle.

Yeah, she mumbled, a little miffed that he hadn’t noticed how she looked. Whatever.

Chase held the building door for her then opened the car door, and as she stepped off the curb to get in, she lost her footing and started falling forward, letting out a little yelp then throwing her arms out, clenching her eyes shut hard, knowing that she was going to bite it big time. But when she opened her eyes she realized she’d fallen… right into Chase’s arms.

Are you alright? he asked, his face very close to hers, his arms wrapped around her tightly, helping her remain upright.

Oh, she could stay in this position for a very long time, she thought with a sigh as she looked into his gray eyes noticing they had unusual little flecks of blue in them. Wow. And he smelled so good, all manly and musky. Just… wow. It was then she realized that her fingers had a death grip on his biceps, very muscular biceps, but she couldn’t seem to unclamp them, knowing she was probably bruising him.

Shit.

Chase couldn’t help but smile at her dirty mouth and to enjoy just a little this predicament they were in. God, she smelled good.

You need to watch your step, Ms. Cooke, he said, his eyes piercing hers.

When Julia saw him smile, she gasped. In two years, that was the first emotion she’d gotten out of him.

You have teeth, she murmured, releasing one of his arms and moving her hand up to run her finger over his lips.

What? He gazed into her eyes, frowning a little, still holding her closely, seriously liking how she felt against him and wanting to shock the hell out of her by biting her finger gently, which he decided against last second. God, just a couple inches separated them. All he’d need to do was lean down a little and he could cover her mouth with his, taste her, touch her, feel her more tightly against him.

I don’t think I’ve ever seen you smile. I thought it might’ve been because your teeth were all rotted out or something.

He snorted at this. She really was a genuine smartass. He set her back on the curb and holding her hand helped her into the car. As he walked around to the driver’s side he knew he needed to put the kibosh on his feelings right away. This would go no further. He got in the car, put the club’s name in the GPS and drove away from the Tower.

So, you must work out, huh? she asked him. She’d felt his hard pecs and abs against her, not to mention the muscles in his arms. Damn.

Yep.

Oh, they were back to this, huh? Great.

So, if I were to unbutton your shirt, would I find a blue suit with a big, fat red ‘S’ stuck to it underneath? She snickered.

Nope. And wasn’t he a perv as he envisioned her unbuttoning his shirt, hell, undressing him altogether. Just thinking of this made him have to adjust himself. Get control of yourself, Murphy. Christ.

His monosyllabic responses just annoyed her anew. She stared at him in the rearview mirror willing him to look at her. He never had before, but since he’d gotten to feel her up, maybe he just might acknowledge her now? She shook her head for acting like such a desperate fool. Jesus, Julia. You’re such a loser. And, God, she was about to break a sweat she was concentrating so hard. If only he’d look, then she’d know there may be a chance with him.

And then it happened.

He looked! He’d totally checked her out in the mirror. It was just a quick flick of his eyes, but he’d looked! Her heart skipped a beat, which caused her to laugh quietly at her newly found loserdom again. Jeez. But, damn it, he’d looked! She knew it was ridiculous of her to react this way, but, hey, maybe there was something there after all.

Smiling smugly to herself, she texted Claire and Lily to see if they were at the club. They both were, telling her where they were seated. She pulled her compact out, checking her makeup and got ready to be dropped off.

Chase was pissed as he pulled up to the valet. Goddamn it! He needed to get it together now. Distance himself. Show her she was nothing but a fucking job. Christ.

After getting out of the car and handing the valet the keys, he went around to open her door to help her out, escorting her into the club, paying their cover charge. And now Julia was thoroughly confused because Sam usually just dropped her off then left or waited or whatever it was he did while she partied. But Chase was taking her into the club like they were on a date or something. What was going on?

They’d both remained silent, her not knowing what he was doing, him wanting to show her that this was strictly professional as he accompanied her inside.

As they walked toward the table, both Claire and Lily looked at her confused as to why she was with a guy. Julia looked at them giving them the same look right back, just as nonplussed as they were.

They stopped when they reached her friends and Chase stood by her not saying a word, his hands clasped low in front in what she called the bodyguard stance. How embarrassing. She got it now. He was being the ultimate professional paying her back for catching him looking at her, trying to make her uncomfortable like he’d probably been. He had to know she hated all this undue attention as people looked at her like she was some celebrity they couldn’t quite place. Whatever.

Um, Claire, Lily, this is Chase. My hotter than hell bodyguard. Chase, Claire and Lily. Julia held her arm out palm up toward Chase then brought it back toward her friends during her introductions.

Ladies. Chase nodded at them with a smirk then looked around the club all businesslike. Both girls smiled excitedly looking from him to Julia and back, obviously having heard about him from Julia before. Julia rolled her eyes as she saw him looking around the place acting as if she were in dire danger. Good grief. Feeling like he’d made his point, he looked at her and said with a nod, I’ll be at the bar if you need me, Ms. Cooke.

Ms. Cooke? Lord. She turned, watching him as he left. He was doing this on purpose, just trying to show her that what’d happened earlier had meant nothing. Bastard. When she turned back to Claire and Lily, she saw that they were just beside themselves that he’d walked her in, both knowing she’d been crushing on him forever.

What the hell, babe? Why’s Mr. Smokin’ Hot Bodyguard here? Claire asked all excited.

Yeah! What’s going on? Lily joined in.

He’s a dick. Julia snorted then sat down, leaning close to them, talking conspiratorially and telling them what had happened when she’d tripped. This garnered a squeal from all three of them. Can you believe that? I mean, if I’d known that all I had to do was be a clumsy oaf to get his attention, I’d have done it long ago! She cracked up laughing then added, But now he’s trying to show me that it meant nothing. Whatever.

Claire and Lily speculated on the situation, telling her it might lead to their being a couple. They all giggled about it then ordered drinks when the waitress came by. As they sat laughing and chatting about various things, Julia kept sneaking glances at Chase where he stood at the bar and when Lily caught her, she teased that she was in love.

Oh, please! Don’t even go there. Let’s dance! Julia grabbed both girls’ hands and led them to the dance floor. She moved her body to the beat, dancing around Claire and Lily, singing the words to the song.

Chase berated himself for being an idiot by behaving the way he had with Julia. Damn it. God knew his father had drilled it into his head during his training at Citadel before he’d been given the job to always keep things impersonal. Guards were there for protection not to get cozy with their clients. He was angry that he’d crossed even the small line that he had when he’d looked at her in the rearview mirror. And the shit he’d pulled by holding her earlier? Wanting to kiss her and do oh, so much more? Stupid.

He now stood facing the dance floor, leaning back on his elbows that were atop the bar, his legs out in front of him, one boot crossed over the other watching her, making sure no one messed with her. And, God, she was sexy. He’d never come with her to a club before since she only went on the weekends. Damn, he hadn’t known what he’d been missing.

As he watched her moving sensually to the music, he felt himself getting turned on, and he tugged his white button down lower in the front over his jeans to somewhat cover the evidence of his arousal. She was definitely putting on a show.

Julia rubbed her body against Lily then glanced toward the bar, catching Chase watching her. But this time he didn’t look away. He was watching every move she made, his eyes staying locked on hers as he took a draw on his beer bottle. Well, this was an interesting development, now, wasn’t it? Surprised, she kept dancing while he kept watching. Could he be interested in her? He held her gaze for several minutes, which caused her heart to beat crazily in her chest making her breathing speed up tenfold. It was as if everyone had disappeared leaving just the two of them alone in the club. A shiver went through her body in response to the way he was looking at her like he was hungry, famished. For her.

Chase couldn’t tear his eyes away, seeing her dancing so seductively, the thoughts racing through his mind making his eyes darken, his pulse speed up. He wanted her. He knew he shouldn’t. But fuck if he couldn’t help himself. Wanted to take her that very moment. Push her face down on a table and bury himself deep inside her from behind. Hear her scream his name.

Jesus.

Their connection was broken when several guys came up to the girls, starting to dance with them. Chase’s eyes narrowed and he felt a pang of jealousy seize him when one grabbed Julia around the waist, spinning her. What pissed him off even more was that she smiled at the guy as if she knew him. Knew him well. Though she was now dancing with this new guy out on the floor, her eyes moved cautiously back to meet his, as if she were afraid he’d looked away which made him clench his jaw, and he found himself feeling things toward her that he hadn’t allowed himself to feel up to this point. Their eyes stayed locked for a few more minutes before the DJ screamed something loud and unintelligible, snapping Chase back into reality as he turned his head away from the dance floor.

Oh, this was so not good. Eye-fucking the client was never a good thing.

Wanna dance? a woman who wore a skirt about the length of a headband sidled up and asked Chase as she ran her hand up his arm suggestively.

He looked down at her, an amused smirk on his face, not lost to the fact that she was hot, but, scratching the side of his face, he politely declined knowing he shouldn’t mix business with pleasure. A sarcastic chuckle escaped him at the irony. He watched the woman sashay away on heels so high and thin they should probably have been registered as lethal weapons. Glancing back at the dance floor he saw Julia watching him with a small frown as she continued moving her body provocatively, rubbing against the clown who was dancing with her now. Chase wanted to make the guy eat teeth, which puzzled him, making him not quite sure where his anger was coming from. He turned and ordered another beer, shaking his head at himself.

Over the next half hour, several women came by asking him to dance, all of which he turned down. He was there to do his job, not have a good time. Thank God an acquaintance of his noticed him and came over to chat. She’d been accepted into NYU’s law program the same time he had, and they’d been in a couple of classes together. They stood at the bar talking for the next thirty minutes about the different professors and classes they were now taking, each giving their own strategies on how to do well in them.

Julia had seen the last woman come up to Chase and her breath caught as he talked to her for what seemed forever. What the hell? Was she his girlfriend? She huffed wondering why she even cared. But after watching them talk so long, and when he only glanced her way every now and then, she finally left the dance floor hitting the bar at the other side of the club where she ordered a double bourbon, downing it right away, more than a little agitated at herself for giving a shit about him. She ordered a second drink, draining it as quickly as she had the first. There. That was better. Now she could dwell in I-don’t-give-a-damn land and go on about her evening.

Chase had kept an eye on Julia the whole time he’d talked with his friend but now narrowed his eyes as he watched her go to the bar across the way and down two drinks quickly. She looked like she was upset, but he hadn’t seen anything happen on the dance floor, so he wasn’t sure what was wrong.

She went back to the dance floor, finding her friends again and now she was really going at it. Christ, she was so hot. After several more dance tracks, the music changed to a slow song. Chase saw her reject a couple of guys who asked her to dance and she left the floor going back to her table. She sat alone, ordering another drink when the waitress came by, and was now sitting, cradling her glass in her hands looking a little lonely.

Chase excused himself from his friend and made his way toward Julia’s table wondering what’d happened. Putting his hands on the back of her chair, he leaned down, breathing in her alluring scent, and moved his face next to her ear asking if she was alright.

She jumped about a foot in the air, her hand going to her heart, not having seen him approach. After calming down she scowled and replied, I’m great, why?

She was beautiful, a few strands of her hair having come out of her ponytail to curl around her face in the sweat she’d worked up while dancing. He wanted to sweep them away but knew he shouldn’t touch her again. God, he was playing with fire here and knew he’d be the one to get burned if he wasn’t careful. He sat down in the chair next to her, scooting it closer to where their legs accidentally brushed then frowned when she jerked her leg away quickly. You just seem a little down.

Nope. I’m peachy. Super. But thanks for asking. She gave him a smirk. No way was she going to let him know she’d gotten upset because he’d been talking to another woman. How idiotic was she? Jeez.

You sure? Nobody’s done or said something that’s upset you?

Abso-posi-frickin-lutely sure. She rolled her eyes then looked down at her glass for a second before raising them again to meet his, carefully keeping them void of any emotion. She jutted her chin out, the look in her eyes flat as she met his. She knew she really had no reason to be upset, but the way he’d watched her on the dance floor had to mean something, right? And besides, for some stupid reason she just couldn’t help feeling that way.

After a few seconds of holding his gaze, she looked down again and said just loud enough for him to hear over the booming music, Why do you even care?

It’s my job to make sure you’re okay.

God, how humiliating. Here she was thinking he was into her and he was just doing his damn job. She lifted her head and looked at him. It was his job. Damn him. I’m fine, she finally bit out.

Okay, well, if you’re fine, I’ll be right over there at the bar. He motioned with a tilt of his head.

Fine.

Fine.

Fine.

He left the table going back to stand at his original place wondering why she was being so short with him. He hadn’t seen anyone messing with her, yet she still acted like she was mad… at him. He chuckled to himself realizing he’d never understand the fairer sex.

Julia’s friends came back to the table where they all ordered another round then they pulled her up to dance more with them. Well, she’d just forget about Chase and have a good time with her friends she told herself. To hell with him.

****

An hour later, after several more drinks and plenty more dancing, she let him know she was ready to leave. He had the valet retrieve the car then helped her inside it. She was buzzing from the alcohol she’d consumed and felt a little loose-lipped, knowing her brain filter was probably on the blink but she couldn’t have cared less as she started quizzing him as they headed to the Tower. Did you have fun tonight, Chase?

Tons.

Do you get to go out often?

Not really.

I’m sorry. That’s not any fun.

He didn’t answer her but noticed she was being nice to him now, seeming to be genuinely sorry for his lack of socializing, which made him chuckle. He guessed she must be pretty drunk since the last time they’d talked she’d acted as if she’d been mad at him.

Do you like to dance? Maybe I should’ve asked you.

Looked like you had enough partners. His tone sounded hard, clipped.

Oooh. Was he a little jealous, maybe? Would you have if I’d asked you?

Hell yes. Anything to have your body against mine again. Probably not.

Don’t you know how to dance?

I do.

But you wouldn’t have danced with me?

Yeah, but it would’ve only complicated things. Probably not.

Okay. Time to bust out the big guns. Did you like watching me dance? She giggled a little at how bold she was being.

He snorted at her lack of timidity. Yep, she was drunk. And cute. And of course