Commanded (4 page)

Chloe’s head snapped up, finding Sawyer’s eyes sparkling with amusement. Instead of
acknowledging the compliment, she gave him a small smile and glanced back at the screen.
No way would she allow him to turn her into mush—something he proved capable of doing
with a single look.

She closed the My Pictures folder and moved on to My Documents. Nothing there gave
any clue to Travis’s location. Frustrated, she opened the Internet again and went
through every known email provider. When she opened Gmail, she noticed an address
that included the name “Travis.”

“Come here,” she said. “I found something.”

“Whatcha got?” Sawyer sat next to her, draping his arm across the back of the couch.

He smelled like nature, Chloe thought—woodsy and fresh. And so very masculine. She
cleared her throat. “I take it this is Travis’s email address.” Sawyer’s thick, strong
leg pressed against her slender one, carrying warmth into her veins. “It’s not a great
lead, but at least it’s something.”

“At this point, anything is good.” Sawyer pulled out his phone and typed the email
address into his notepad. “I don’t suppose you know how to break passwords?”

“I’m not
that
good.” She smiled, shutting the laptop. “But I do have a friend who might be able
to help.”

One brow rose. “A friend?”

“His name is Shane. He’s a computer whiz I met in high school.” She rose, holding
the laptop to her chest. “He does some freelance work for Porter on difficult cases.”

Sawyer hesitated, brows pinched together. “The force has its own computer team. I
should take it there.”

“Yes, I’m sure that makes sense in your cop brain. But what if we have to dig deeper
than just breaking a password? Will your people on the force do that, or do they have
to get warrants and such? Using my guy saves time.”

His hesitation lasted a little longer this time, the conflict clear on his face. He
finally bobbed his head, resolved. “We’ll do this your way for now.” He lifted his
hand to her arm in an appreciative touch, but the feel of his strong fingers on her
bare skin was like an arrow of desire hitting her straight between her thighs.

He’d never touched her before. That, she now realized, had been a good thing. Under
the heat of his fingers, her mind went blank. Her only focus was the burning of his
touch. Every inch of her hummed in a blaze of need, clenching her sex. She needed
space from all his intensity, but she couldn’t find the strength to force her feet
to move.

She dared herself to look up into his shadowy eyes. His curious gaze moved from his
hand to her face; then he shifted his fingers toward her chin. Chloe melted as she
became aware of his hands on her face—the soft, tempting strokes of his fingers as
they caressed her jaw.

He tipped her head up, studying her in a way no man had ever done. He really
looked
at her—straight into the center of her being. As if, for the first time in her life,
she was being
seen.
Her soul felt naked under his gaze. The slight jump in her heart rate matched the
nerves rattling through her.

All the same, her mind recoiled. She hastily reminded herself she’d just broken up
with Josh. “Please don’t” was all she could manage.

The corner of Sawyer’s mouth curved. “I’m not stopping you from backing away from
me. If you don’t want me close, move.”

He clearly didn’t intend to step away—she could tell from his knowing smile. She couldn’t,
either.
My God
, she wanted him. Right now. Right in his little sister’s condo. But that little voice
in her head, though it was growing weaker by the moment, reminded her that strong
and smart women didn’t jump into bed with someone the day after breaking up with a
long-term boyfriend.

The satisfaction in his eyes deepened when she remained still. “There’s something
here,” he murmured in a voice as soft as silk. “I feel it. You feel it. Why ignore
it?”

“I broke up with Josh yesterday,” she reminded him.

“So you keep telling me.” Frustration appeared in his eyes. “Since you seem so determined
to keep talking about your ex, then tell me, why did you break up?”

Her cheeks burned with embarrassment. There was no way she was going to tell him.

His eyes began to twinkle. “Because of me? Because of this peculiar-but-ever-so-interesting
connection between us?”

She swallowed the lump in her throat. “I’ve never…”

“Felt something so intense? So unexplainable? So tempting? Neither have I.”

Then he kissed her, and she couldn’t remember the reason she didn’t want him kissing
her. She only wanted him kissing her.

He moved his hands to caress her shoulders, holding her in place as his tongue invaded
her mouth. He pressed his body against hers, as if daring her not to realize how incredible
it felt to have his body right up against hers. He set every inch of her on fire.

Jesus. H. Christ, did she realize it.

And she wanted more.

Many minutes later, when he stopped kissing her, they were both breathless. His eyes
were so full of lust it was mind-blowing. He dragged his thumb across her bottom lip.
“I’ve waited thirty-three years to find this sort of real connection that defies logic.
I won’t ignore that, Chloe. I can’t.” She couldn’t look away from his mouth. God,
she wanted more of that. “Don’t ask me to,” he added, “because you won’t like my answer.”

She forced her eyes up to his. “I’ve been single for a day,” she reminded him again.
Dammit!
“I can’t be with you, no matter how fun that sounds. It wouldn’t feel right. I need
time.”

“Fair argument. But I don’t care how long you’ve been single. I only care that you
are.” As if he hadn’t rocked her fucking world, he left her standing there as he walked
toward the door. “Come on. We need to get moving.”

She blinked, pulling her mind from the gutter and placing it back on the investigation.
Her emotions were in a whirl; if there were such a thing as a female case of blue
balls, she had ’em.

It turned out Chloe’s friend was a criminal. A good one.

Sawyer crossed his arms, frowning at Shane Taylor’s wide smile. His thick-rimmed black
glasses weren’t so much nerdy as trendy. Shane wore dark skinny jeans and a gray T-shirt
beneath a black sweater vest. Most people thought criminals lived rough lives, but
good
criminals had money. Shane clearly fell into the latter category, living in a lavish
two-story house on the north end of Las Vegas. Unimpressed, Sawyer scanned the six
computer screens set up on a circular desk in the living room.

A hacker,
Sawyer thought.

The PD had a team that hunted criminals like Shane, and here Sawyer stood in the middle
of an elaborate hacker setup. He turned to Chloe, feeling guilty even to be standing
in this would-be-felon’s home.

Chloe gave him a nervous smile. “Shane’s good at what he does.”

“I don’t doubt
that
in the least,” Sawyer replied, voice dry. Chloe had told Sawyer before they entered
the house not to let on about his occupation; a hacker would not be eager to invite
the law into his place of work.

Shane dropped into a leather chair and hit a button on his keyboard, powering up the
computer screens. “What did you bring me today, Chloe?”

She tapped the laptop in her arms. “I need you to get into Travis Marks’s Gmail account.”

“Only that?” Shane frowned. “You disappoint me, Chloe. Why don’t I track his credit
card usage? He’s probably bought something with it. Maybe I can pinpoint his location
for you.”

Sawyer grunted. “I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that.”

Shane frowned at Sawyer.

Chloe shifted on her feet and cleared her throat. “Sawyer’s not…ah…a private investigator,
so it’s best we stay away from the credit cards on this one.”

Sawyer sighed. “I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that, either.” He wondered why Chloe had
admitted he was an outsider when just a little while earlier she’d made it clear that
they needed to keep his job quiet. Though he rather liked that she couldn’t lie. It
was a trait he appreciated in her.

Shane’s mouth dropped open, clearly possibly understanding the line of work Sawyer
was in. “I knew it—you’re a fucking cop, aren’t you? You’ve got the look,” he said
to Sawyer, then added to Chloe, “Tell me, when you woke up this morning, did you realize
you’d lost your fucking mind?”

Chloe placed Ashlyn’s laptop in front of Shane on the desk. “I’m sane. Promise. This
matter is personal to Sawyer, not police business. It’s all under the table, so to
speak. We’ve never been here. You’ve never seen us. Cool?”

Shane regarded Sawyer, his eyes narrowing in suspicion. “You agree with Chloe? I don’t
want to see you months from now with a warrant.”

“I’m here unofficially.” He shrugged. “Besides, I work SWAT. This isn’t my department.”

“Fine. I’ll hold you to your word. But Chloe, never again—I can’t risk it.” Shane
turned to his computer, cracking his knuckles, obviously still a bit annoyed. “Getting
into Gmail is elementary stuff.” He plugged in Ash’s laptop and began typing on his
keyboard. “What did this guy do, anyway?”

“Beat up my baby sister.”

Shane glanced over his shoulder at Sawyer, pushing his glasses higher on his nose.
“Shitty deal.”

“Undisputedly,” Sawyer agreed.

Chloe rested her arms on the desktop, watching Shane work. Bent at the hips, she gave
Sawyer one helluva view. It surprised him that he’d lost control with her earlier
at Ash’s house and kissed her. But those heated looks she’d been giving him all damn
day had left him with a permanent hard-on.

Embracing the silence around him and inhaling the scent of popcorn coming from the
kitchen, Sawyer considered what exactly it was about Chloe that entranced him. Years
ago he’d played casually with submissives, but she stood apart from them all. His
reaction to her raised her far above anyone he’d ever played with. That made her interesting
to him. He wondered if he’d come to the point in his life where interesting was exactly
what he needed.

“I’m in.” Shane’s words broke into Sawyer’s thoughts. “Sorry to say you’re shit out
of luck. He hasn’t been on his email in over two weeks. But I can go through all these
if you want, see if anything stands out as unusual.”

Chloe nodded. “I think that’s a good start. Perhaps he’s emailed someone over the
last few months and we can get an address where the douchebag might be.”

“I can do that.” Shane snapped his gaze around to Sawyer. “This meeting never happened.
You don’t know who I am. Deal?”

Sawyer bobbed his head. “Deal.”

“Send a bill to Porter.” Chloe rose from the desk.

Once she received Shane’s nod, she leaned in and offered a hug, attempting to whisper
in his ear, “Track his credit card, too.”

Sawyer heard every word.

When she stood up, Sawyer arched a brow at her. She smiled sheepishly. “What? Just
pretend you didn’t hear that, either.”

He inhaled her sweet scent as she walked over to him. His groin tightened as he dipped
his head close to hers. “It’s harder to forget when it’s coming out of your mouth.”

Shane whistled. “The man is smooth, I’ll give him that.”

Chloe rolled her eyes, but her cheeks reddened. That amused Sawyer. He couldn’t remember
the last time he’d been around a shy woman. Club Sin submissives were skilled and
confident in their dealings with men, whereas Chloe blushed at a simple innuendo.
He liked that.

“Just let me know once you’ve got something,” Chloe called over her shoulder as they
headed out.

Only when they were sitting in his truck did she speak again. “I know tracking Travis’s
credit card bothers you, but it’s good to see what area he might be in.”

“Perhaps.”

She fastened her seatbelt. “Please tell me that you’ll keep your promise to stay quiet
about Shane.”

“I said I would.” Sawyer put the key into the ignition. “Besides, he works—even if
part-time—for Porter. I know Porter wouldn’t have dealings with anyone too deep into
the criminal world. From what I can see, Shane hacks to help people, not hurt them.”

“He’s a good guy,” Chloe confirmed, crossing her legs. “So what now?”

“There’s not much more we can do at this point until we get a call from Shane.” He
glanced at the clock on his dashboard: it was three-thirty. He mentally cursed himself.
“You haven’t eaten since this morning. We need to fix that.”

“I don’t eat breakfast.” She smiled, her long soft hair trailing over her shoulder.
“So, technically, I haven’t eaten since dinner.”

He stepped on the gas, heading down the palm-tree-lined street. “Well then, let’s
fill you up.”

Chloe barked a laugh. “I bet you say that to all the girls.”

Sawyer’s idea for food was a great little fifties café on the Vegas strip. The waitresses’
uniforms were red dresses with white aprons. The seating choices were booths or shiny
red stools at the bar. Sawyer opted for a booth. He ordered a grand slam burger, and
Chloe decided on the club sandwich.

The service was stellar: their meals arrived within ten minutes.

Chloe smiled as Sawyer bit into his burger, only a little surprised that a guy his
size ate so neatly. On a sexual level, he hit all her buttons. What surprised her,
though, was his compassion—for his sister, in his job, and now presumably for her.

He held an honorable job, had a close relationship with his family, and he appeared
genuine. It made Chloe wonder why no woman had yet snatched him up. “Have you always
been such a good brother?”

Sawyer placed his burger back onto his plate, arching a brow. “I’m a good brother?”

“Seems so.” Chloe dipped a french fry into the ketchup and bit off half of it, relishing
the taste. “Most brothers wouldn’t be doing what you are. I know you’re a cop, so
maybe this goes hand in hand with who you are, but it’s still sweet.”

Darkness haunted his expression. “I should have been there to stop the attack, not
be there to help in the aftermath. I’m not sure if that makes me a good brother, but
it does make me a pissed-off one.”

Chloe ate the other half of her fry and shrugged. “I doubt your sister would’ve approved
of you babysitting her. You couldn’t have stopped the attack. But doing this, helping
find Travis—it’s sweet, like I said.”

His mouth curved slightly. “Well, thank you. I’m glad I impress.”

He
did
impress. And knowing more about the man behind the sexy body and the off-the-charts
hot touch made him even more appealing.

“But my mom is the reason we’re so close.” He took another bite of his burger, then
wiped a napkin across his mouth. “I come from good people.”

Chloe smiled. “Your mom is nice.”

“She’s all heart, that woman.” He dropped his burger to take a drink of his cola.
“She’s easy to love.”

A Quinn trait,
thought Chloe.

Sawyer’s eyes remained trained on her as he put down his glass. “I’m curious, so enlighten
me. You said you broke up with Josh. What you didn’t tell me was why.”

Chloe dipped another fry in the ketchup, hearing laughter from a bunch of teenagers
at the table behind them. “Josh and I started dating in high school.”

“High school sweethearts?” At her nod, Sawyer frowned. “No offense, but you’re not
acting devastated over the breakup.”

“Because I’m not. I mean, I love him.” She liked how Sawyer didn’t react to that.
“But the relationship with Josh was too easy. We haven’t had a fight in more years
than I can count.”

Sawyer chuckled. “That’s what you want? To fight with your boyfriend?”

“Well, kinda.” Realizing how crazy that sounded, she explained, “Isn’t that passion?
Having tempers rise. Feeling strong feelings. Josh and I were too comfortable.”

“So you ended up being just friends?”

“Very good friends, but yes, just friends.” She shrugged. “It took me a while to see
that, I guess.”

Something intense crossed Sawyer’s face, and she shifted slightly. He evidently noticed
her response, and his smile suggested he enjoyed it. “How did Josh handle the breakup?”

“It was mutual.”

He licked the ketchup off his fingers, never taking his eyes off her. “Interesting.”

“Why is
that
interesting?”

He wiped his mouth again before placing his napkin back on his lap. “You seem hung
up about the breakup, even though things ended on good terms. Like I said…interesting.”

“Well,” Chloe tossed back, “interesting is better than boring.”

Sawyer smiled. “That it is.”

Stomach full, Chloe placed her napkin on the plate. Sawyer took a final sip of his
Coke and rose, grabbing his wallet from his pocket. “Let’s get out of here.”

Chloe blinked up at him. “Where are we going?”

“To my house.” Sawyer dropped cash on the table.

When she didn’t move, he grinned down at her. “To wait for Shane’s call, of course.”

She slid out of the booth. “I’m not sure I believe you.”

“Ms. Nash, you have a dirty mind.” He raised his hand to his heart in mock dismay.
“I planned on catching a replay of the game and wait for Shane’s call. You should
be ashamed of yourself.”

“Oh, please.” She nudged his shoulder. “I call bullshit.”

He chuckled as they exited the restaurant. Outside, the hot sun beat down on them.
“Bad language, too?” He squinted at her. “I’m shocked. And here I thought you were
a good girl.”

“I
am
a good girl,” she scoffed, folding her arms.

“Are you?” He closed the distance between them, lowering his mouth until it was close
to hers. “Or have you been good for so long that you’re itching to be bad and see
what all the fuss is about?”

She swallowed—
hard.

His eyes gazed knowingly into hers. “Am I wrong?”

“Yes,” she said. The words sounded unconvincing even to her.

He narrowed his eyes at her. “Now who’s lying?”

His arrogant question made Chloe stiffen her shoulders. “What are you going to do
about it, punish me?”

The grin he gave her was one no man should possess, given the power it exerted over
her. “Don’t tempt me.”

She didn’t.