Chase Me Read Online Free Page B

body was pretty much a physical ideal—if one’s physical ideal ran along the lines of Amazonian beach volleyball players, and his usually did not. He preferred the women he dated to be smaller, more feminine, and definitely better groomed. When Lorin deigned to attend department meetings, arriving late more often than not, her streaky blond hair usually looked like she’d just stalked out of the ocean with a surfboard tucked under her arm. Never mind that they were landlocked.
    The man’s bare heel connected with Lorin’s right cheekbone. Gabe winced as her head snapped back at the impact. How could Rafe stand to watch this?
    On the other hand, how could he resist? Lorin was stripped down to clingy black leggings, a sports bra that should have been ugly but wasn’t, and nothing else. Her taut, bare stomach was coated with mud, and he sucked in his own in response. She had better defined abs than he did. Time to get back to the gym.
    Except there was no gym here, at the ass end of nowhere.
    His breath caught as she tripped on a rock jutting out of the ground. The man capitalized, diving on top of her as she fell.
    “Damn you, Chico,” Lorin growled, twisting her face out of the mud.
    Rafe tipped his head back and hooted. “He’s got you now, babe.”
    “As if.” Teeth gritted, Lorin scrabbled onto her elbows and threw the man off her body with a bump and grind of her tightly muscled butt.
    Gabe swallowed and pushed his glasses further up his nose. Chico. Must be Chico Perez. Perez, a werewolf, was a Sebastiani Security operative. His brother Gideon had mentioned working with him to apprehend Annika Fontaine’s killer last year.
    Lorin crowed as she maneuvered Chico onto his back, pinning him to the ground with her body weight. Though he was as scraped and muddy as Lorin, Perez looked like he was having the time of his life. He squirmed a little for form’s sake, but it was clear the fight was over.
    “Draw?” Chico wheezed.
    “As if,” Lorin replied without heat, flopping off of him. Lying side by side on their backs in the muddy grass, they sucked in air.
    Was that what she looked like after— No . He was in tough shape if he was thinking about Lorin Schlessinger and sex at the same time. And even if he, in some alternate universe, considered the option? Lorin worked for him now, and she was so far out of his league that it wasn’t even funny.
    “Hey, Gabe.” Lukas came over, extending his hand.
    “Lukas.”
    Lorin sat up. “Lupinsky.” She spat his name like dirt was in her mouth. “What the hell are you doing here?”
    Gabe glanced at Lukas, who shook his head no with an apologetic expression on his face.
    Damn it. He looked at Lorin. “I’m your new site manager.”

Chapter 3
     
    The phone rang. Lorin set the chef’s knife down next to a growing mound of peppers and onions that would adorn her breakfast pizza and peeked at Caller ID.
    Elliott.
    With a heavy sigh and a sinking stomach, she put the phone on speaker. She might as well pace while her ass was being chewed. “Hi, Elliott. You’re up early on a Sunday morning.”
    While they exchanged pleasantries, her gaze shifted out the window to Gabe’s tent, glowing a cheerful bright blue in the tepid morning sun. At least it wasn’t falling down around his ears. Last night, after they’d all returned from having pizza at Tubby’s, Gabe had refused the other men’s offer to help set up the two-room monstrosity. She knew he’d survived the night because he’d knocked on her door ten minutes ago, all rumpled and grumpy, asking where he could wash up.
    Yeah, given the frost on the ground, pointing toward the lake without saying a word had been a little bitchy—but his expression had been absolutely priceless.
    And if he stayed on the walking path, he’d bump right into the hot sauna. If he veered off the path or took another route? Lorin shrugged. He’d learn to follow directions, or deal with the consequences. Guilt nudged her with a