Chapter 2: Chase

The men turned and came to their feet, one of them towering a good five inches above her. Chase’s breath caught in her throat as the man’s steely gaze roved over her from head to toe and back up again. He didn’t speak, but the other man piped up.

"What seems to be the trouble?"

"There’s water leaking into my apartment from the penthouse above and part of the ceiling just fell. I called downstairs but the concierge said the maintenance crew had already left."

"They have," the man informed her.

She narrowed her eyes. "Then who are you?"

"I’m the building inspector, Stanley. And this is Mr. Devlin. He owns the building."

Chase had become accustomed to men staring at her, but Grey hadn’t taken his eyes off her face since he stood up. It unnerved her. She noticed, then, his well-tailored black suit and that he didn’t appear to be part of the maintenance staff as she’d originally thought. Although his face seemed frozen in a mask of concealed emotion, she still found him breathtakingly beautiful. His brown hair was as dark as midnight and his stone-gray eyes pierced through hers. Chase didn’t rattle easily, but she felt her breathing become labored under his intense gaze.

"I’ll find someone downstairs to help me. Thanks."

"I’ll go with you," Grey said definitively. "I’ll speak with you in the morning," he said to Stanley, shaking the man’s hand.

"Yes, Mr. Devlin."

Grey placed his hand underneath Chase’s elbow and led her to the elevator. His firm but gentle touch sent an electric shock through her and she shuddered at the unexpected jolt. She peeked up at him through her dark lashes to see if he’d felt it, too, but his face remained coldly impassive. She moved her arm out of his hold and stepped into the elevator car. They rode in silence down to the lobby and when the doors opened, she turned to face him.

"I can really take it from here. Thanks."

The man ignored her and walked up to the concierge desk. She watched the change in Melody’s demeanor as he approached. Melody straightened and her brown eyes became bright and wide, her cheeks tinted pink.

"Mr. Devlin, how may I assist you?" she greeted him immediately.

"I need you to call Marcus and send him upstairs immediately to apartment--" he trailed off, turning toward Chase.

"1913."

"Right away, Mr. Devlin," Melody replied eagerly, picking up the telephone.

"And tell him to check the penthouse as well."

"Of course."

Grey glanced down at Chase, his gray eyes once again scrutinizing every inch of her face. "There are several guest suites on the second floor if your apartment’s too damaged. You’re more than welcome to stay in one of them until the work is done in your apartment," he offered.

"The second floor? No, thanks. I’ll stay where I am."

Devlin raised an interested brow. "Do you have a problem with the second floor? Or some strange aversion to the number two?"

She glared at him, suddenly annoyed with the condescending tone in his voice. "The second floor is too close to street level; it’s noisy. But thank you for the offer and for your help, Mr. Devlin. Have a good night."

"Grey," he corrected.

"Excuse me?"

"Grey Devlin."

She nodded. "Yes. Good night, Mr. Devlin."

She turned back toward the elevators and just missed the smirk that crept across Grey Devlin’s lips.

Marcus, the repairman, finished working in her apartment in the span of forty minutes and had temporarily, but effectively, sealed the leak in her ceiling for the night. Chase settled down to finish her cold dinner when her cell phone buzzed on the coffee table. Sighing, she answered.

‘Are you home?’

The text was from Ruben Lopez. The thought of his bronzed, muscular body instantly made her pulse quicken. But she’d had a long day and wasn’t in the mood for company. She typed back:

‘Yes.’

Her phone vibrated with a reply.

‘I’m on my way over.’

She shook her head at the screen.

‘No. Don’t. I’m tired and going to bed soon.’

‘That’s exactly where I want you. I’m already on my way.’

‘Make it quick then.’

Chase scarfed down the rest of her food and had almost swept up all the fallen plaster in the hallway when she heard Ruben's knock at the door.

"The security in this place is a nightmare. Doormen and key fobs and elevator codes. Fort Knox has nothing on Devlin Towers," Ruben ranted as he waltzed into the apartment. "You should come stay at my place every once in a while."

"No, thanks."

"Why not?"

"I’m just not going to."

Ruben kicked off his shoes and reached for Chase, grabbing her around the waist. "I swear I’m a neat freak just like you."

She smiled. "It’s not that."

"Then what?" he pushed.

"I like my place and I like my things. I like being here. I'm comfortable."

"You might learn to like my things, too, if you gave it half a chance."

Chase stepped out of his hold. "Are we doing this again?"

"Doing what?"

"Talking about relationships or whatever."

Ruben chuckled to himself. "No. I learned my lesson a long time ago. You have no interest in being serious with anyone and I don't either. This arrangement is working for me."

She waited for him to finish. When he remained silent for a beat too long, she prodded. "But?"

"We’ve been sleeping together for months and I don’t even know the simplest things about you. What’s your favorite food? What’s your favorite color?"

"I told you when we met what this was. I don’t need anything complicated. I can’t give you more."

"Can’t or won’t?"

"Both."

"I don't want anything more. I've got enough going on in my life without the added drama of a girlfriend. I just wondered if you were ever curious about my life or is it just about the sex."

Chase smirked. "It's just about the sex."

"And I'm happy to oblige."

He smothered her mouth with his. They stumbled to her bedroom, their lips locked in a passionate kiss. He removed her T-shirt and sweat pants, sucking in an audible breath as her beautiful body came into full view. No matter how many times they’d been together, he always found himself taken aback at the perfection of her body. Not a single mole or blemish dotted her soft, flawless skin. Every muscle felt toned and lean and she had a mouth that begged to be kissed. He longed to touch her body, but he’d been reminded, more than once, not to. He had to play by her rules or he couldn't play at all.

***

When Ruben had gone, Chase lay in her bed staring at the ceiling waiting to fall asleep. She began to wonder if Ruben still wanted more from her. When they'd first met, he'd been interested in pursuing a relationship, but she'd shot him down so many times, he finally stopped pushing. She hoped he wasn't headed in that direction again. What they shared was perfect--simple, easygoing, enjoyable sex. She wasn’t interested in anything more from him than what they shared in the bedroom. It was all she wanted to give to him. It was all she knew 'how' to give.