Page 30 of Escape You

At any rate, whoever had been here before me had done a sloppy job. The brothers were very specific on their instructions. No accounts could be left behind. Fuck it, I hit delete on both accounts. I wasn’t about to let someone else’s mistake come back to bite me in the ass.

The little timer appeared, and my nerves kicked in. I’d taken too long to do this, and now the Mac was taking its sweet time to delete the accounts. A light rapping on the door made my heart skip a beat. When I glanced up, Chase stood in the threshold, piercing me with his gaze. A quick glance to the screen showed the little timer flipping round and round. Shit.

I stood and rushed to meet him by the door. “I needed some time away from the crowd. I swear if I meet one more of Rossi’s friends, I’m going to scream.”

His eyes were dark with mistrust. He wasn’t buying a single word. “This is the second time I find you in here. What are you up to?”

“Me?”

“Jesus Christ, Mia. How could you have such little regard for you and…” He raked a hand through his hair, his cheeks red. “You’re playing with fire here.” He pointed at the computer, then froze as if he’d heard something.

“You can’t blame me for trying. Don’t worry—I couldn’t get in. Your precious grandfather is safe.”

Without warning, he cradled my neck with one hand and pressed his lips to mine as he stalked me back toward the desk. His kiss wasn’t like before. There was a tinge of anger in the way his tongue tangled with mine. My body didn’t care if this kiss was punishment or something else. If we were still upstairs, I didn’t think I could push him away again.

My breath burst out in tandem with the desire pulsating between my legs. I tunneled my fingers through his soft hair and pressed my body to his. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I knew I was forgetting something, like how lowering my guard could get me and my crew killed. “Jesus, you need to stop doing this. You disarm me, make me weak.” I mumbled in between kisses. “I can’t keep doing this with you.”

“How do you think I feel? You cloud all my senses. I can’t think straight when you’re near.” He picked me up and propped me up on the desk, his lips never leaving mine.

A chuckle near the door got Chase to stop. He swore under his breath and turned to face Rossi. “Yes?”

“Never mind. My guys saw you both come in here, and they got nervous. We’re fine, boys,” he said to his bodyguards.

My heartbeat was like cannons going off in my chest when Alex stepped forward, lips pursed. “Let me check the computer, Boss.”

Rossi furrowed his brows at me, then nodded to Alex. The old man was happy to have his plan working so well tonight he hadn’t thought I might try something with his Mac. Now he was pissed. Had the computer finished deleting the accounts? I met Chase’s gaze. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say that was fear in his eyes.

He gripped my waist and pulled me closer to him. What was his deal? Slowly, he shuffled toward the door. I shook my head to clear my thoughts. I couldn’t be wasting my time with Chase. If Alex figured out Rossi’s computer had been tampered with, they would all blame me. I had to let Vic know so he could at least get out.

Alex’s fat fingers typed fast on the computer. In my head, I pictured the instructions on my phone. I’d done everything exactly as the brothers had said. Would that leave a trace behind? I supposed it all depended now on how good a tech this Alex was. His assured strokes would suggest he knew what he was doing. After what felt like hours, he sat back in the chair and shook his head to Rossi. The asshole was actually pissed he hadn’t caught me red handed.

Next to me, Chase let out a breath that brushed my hair and sent a shock of adrenaline down to my toes. When I faced him, he was back to his usual broody look, regarding me as if I’d committed some crime. He was mad at me again, though I was beginning to understand why. He wanted me as much as I wanted him.

“Can I return to the party now? I feel better.” The saccharine tone I used made me taste something sour in the back of my throat. I didn’t wait for Rossi’s response. I pulled away from Chase and ambled toward the door.

Rossi gripped my arm as he’d done before. At this rate, he was going to leave a mark. “Don’t for a second think that you can outsmart me. From now until the wedding on Saturday, you don’t leave your room.”

“What did I do?”

“Enough.” He extended his arm toward his grandson. “You will have that dance now.” Chase sucked in air, but other than that didn’t protest when Rossi made us leave the library together. “Smile, dear.”

Rossi walked up to the band and had them play a slow tune. Then he turned to the room at large and officially announced our engagement. Everyone clapped when he gestured for us to take the floor. If being in Chase’s arms didn’t make me feel safe, I’d be mouthing out to Rossi. But I needed his comfort now because the incident in the study could have very easily turned into a bloodbath. Would Vic have been fast enough to leave the penthouse?

I swallowed tears, biting my lower lip as I followed Chase’s lead. He held me as if he knew that if he didn’t, I’d fall to my knees. A few women sighed every time he slid into a turn that matched the beat of the jazzy tune. To them he was some kind of prince, the only heir to all of this. No doubt they wished their daughters had been picked to marry him. I missed the simple life I had in Jersey. Yeah, we had our problems and politics. But there, I was free to choose.

“What are you thinking?” he whispered low just below my ear.

I closed my eyes and pretended we were back at the bar, alone and away from the ever-present threat of Jac Rossi. “I like dancing with you. I wished I’d known how much trouble you’d be. Deep down, I sensed it, but for whatever stupid reason, I didn’t care.”

“First of all, our one night has nothing to do with the situation we’re in right now.” He placed a finger under my chin and made me face him. “And second, I love dancing with you too. I love kissing you.”

“You can’t start that here.” I glanced around us and quickly spotted Rossi watching us like a hawk. He didn’t trust me. I didn’t trust myself around Chase and his soft lips.

He squeezed me tighter, his breath ragged. “Then meet me upstairs.”

Christ, I wanted nothing more than to go with him. If I were free to choose, I’d choose him, but that didn’t matter because he was still a Rossi.

When the song ended, a new one started immediately, and Rossi invited everyone to join us. In the safety of the sea of bodies around us, I relaxed against Chase’s chest. I couldn’t lose focus. Just because his kiss shook me to the core didn’t mean we were together. It didn’t mean he had my back.

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