Runaway Heiress (20 page)

              “Have you verified his name? Done a background check?” Chad asked as they made their way down the hall.

              “Got his name. Robert Loren. Just a small-time petty thief. He served about five years up state and has been out for two. He hasn’t held a job longer than two weeks, but I don’t think he’s capable of being the mastermind behind this. I think he’s telling the truth,” the Captain stated.

              “I agree. I was hoping he had useful information when you called, though.”

              “Me too, I’m sorry to have wasted your time,” the Captain said.

              “I’m glad we came, and we did get some information. Apparently, Mr. X isn’t finished with his games,” Bree said. She was more furious than afraid at that moment.

              “Go home. If I get any other information, I’ll call right away,” the Captain said while leading them back to the lobby.

              “It’s been a rough day. We’ll start over tomorrow,” Chad told her as he led her down the stairs and over to his truck.

              He helped her inside, then walked around and started the vehicle. They were silent on the way home, both lost in their own thoughts.

Chapter Fifteen

              Bree woke up to a beautiful, bright, sunny morning and decided she needed a walk. She knew Chad would be furious, but it had been a week and no one had shot at her, left ominous notes, or tried to kidnap her. The ranch was surrounded by security men and she was safe to walk the short distance to the lake. She’d deal with Chad’s lecture – it was worth it to get a little alone time.

              She quickly showered and dressed in a light summer dress, thankful for a rare day of warmth in the unpredictable Washington weather. She didn’t bother with makeup or doing her hair, just threw it up in a messy bun and called herself good.

              Her foul mood the last few days had chased Chad to the barn, and even caused her brothers to back off. She was tired of being treated like the princess Chad had called her. She was a woman, and it was time he knew it.

              Chad hadn’t so much as kissed her all week, and she thought she may die of sexual frustration. She didn’t want to be the one to make the first move – that was his job. His idea that them being intimate clouded his ability to protect her was getting on her nerves.

              Maybe if she agreed to marry Chad, he’d actually take her to bed again.

              Bree reached the pond and sat down, grabbing a handful of rocks and tossing them in the water, one by one, watching the ripples as they floated further from her.

              She leaned her head back and enjoyed the sounds around her. She could hear the cows in the pasture mooing, the horses neighing, and all kinds of woodland creatures playing in the nearby woods. It was peaceful, relaxing, and soon she found herself drifting to sleep.

              Bree stirred restlessly on the ground, her nightmare causing her body to sweat and her muscles to tense. Chad was standing such a short distance away. He was yelling something at her, but she couldn’t hear him. She could see his mouth moving, but no sound was coming out.

              Then, there was a man wearing a dark mask. He had a gun and it was pointed right at Chad.
No!
she screamed, but Chad wouldn’t face the man. All of a sudden a shot rang out and she watched as he collapsed to the ground.

              Bree jerked awake, tears falling down her face. She turned her head, trying to get her bearings. Where was she? Where was Chad? He was hurt – she had to help.

              Upon becoming fully awake, she realized she’d only been dreaming, and vivid details of her nightmare came flooding back to her, overwhelming her in their intensity. Suddenly the fog in her mind began to lift and color filled its place, bringing her lost memories to life.

              She remembered everything. Chad getting shot, the men capturing her, Chad saving her, and the man facing them, firing his gun. She flinched, remembering the fear as she saw that small puff of smoke rising from his gun right before the bullet struck.

              Bree sat by the water for another half hour, too shaken up to move. With her memories back, she couldn’t stop the overwhelming emotions that came with them.

              After compiling all the pieces of the last several months together, she felt such relief at the picture of her life she was able to visualize again. She was one-hundred-percent in love with Chad. She’d started falling in love with him before she was hurt, but was even more in love now. He’d been by her side night and day – risked his own life for her. She couldn’t imagine being without him.

              Her hand moved down to her still flat stomach as she fully comprehended she was having his child. They’d made a baby together. Their child was strong like its father. Her pregnancy survived Bree being shot, sitting in the hospital in a coma, and all the stress that was known to cause miscarriages.

              Bree was filled with unbelievable joy at how her life had changed so much in only a few short months.

              She had to find Chad. His quest of keeping them platonic was about to end because if he didn’t take her to bed soon, he may see a true tantrum from the princess. She laughed aloud at her own joke.

              Ah, she missed Jennifer, her brother’s wife. They’d become so close since she’d married Trenton. Bree hurt thinking about how hard this must have been on her best friend. Jennifer hadn’t shown how hurt she must have felt at having Bree not remember her, but Bree knew if the situation was reversed and Jennifer didn’t know who she was, she’d be devastated.

              She had to call her.

              Well, after she spent alone time with Chad.

              “Bree,” she heard Chad shout. She grinned in anticipation. His tone sounded furious, mixed with a twinge of worry. She’d broken his rule of never going anywhere alone.
Bring it on
, she thought. Their fights always ended most satisfyingly.

              “Over here,” she called, then heard his footsteps racing toward her. She grinned more. She knew he could move silently through the woods. He wanted her to know he was coming. Her stomach tightened with raw need.

              Chad came to a halt five feet in front of her. He quickly scanned the area before turning back to glare at her. She smiled sweetly at him. She wasn’t ready to tell him her memory was back. He’d played with her, now it was her turn to play with him.

              “You aren’t supposed to go off by yourself,” he finally said between clenched teeth.

              “I needed a walk,” she answered sweetly.

              She watched as his forehead wrinkled. She could practically hear him counting in his head. Oh, how she loved pushing his buttons.

              “It’s for your own safety,” he finally muttered.

              “As you can see, I’m alive and well,” she answered in the same tone she knew was grating on his nerves. Her nipples grew hard, and she felt heat building. She tried to tell herself anticipation was half the fun, but she was about out of patience. She was salivating at the thought of his thick erection plunging into her. She looked down his body and licked her lips when she saw him tense at her overly sexual glance.

              “What are you… what’s going on?” he stammered.

              “I’m hungry, Chad, simply famished.” She looked at his painted on jeans, open shirt, and sexy cowboy hat and she felt like flames were igniting all over her. Her skin burned and her core pulsed. She was about to go off without a single touch from him. He was all man – and he was hers.

              She saw him shift, watched his jeans tighten as he became aware of her arousal. He shifted as he tried to maintain his anger, but she saw his eyes dilate. She knew she’d won. Bree reached up and undid the top button on her dress. Then she slowly moved down and released the next one.

              She felt triumphant as his eyes practically jumped from their sockets as she moved down her dress, exposing her tempting cleavage to his view.

              “Bree,” he groaned. He didn’t move, just watched as she performed her strip tease.

              “Yes,” she panted as her dress fell open, exposing her lacy green bra to him. Her nipples were beaded into hard buds and poking uncomfortably against the fabric, but even that was erotic.

              She slipped her hands into the waistline of her dress and with a quick shimmy, it floated to the ground, leaving her standing before him in nothing but her lacy bra and matching panties, which barely covered her womanhood from his view.

              Chad finally moved forward and pressed her body against him. His hungry kiss left her even more breathless and she reached up and grabbed ahold of his hair, holding on for dear life.

              “We should go inside,” he gasped as he pulled back a fraction of an inch.

              “Now,” she demanded, not wanting to take the time to go anywhere. The sun felt amazing on her nearly naked body, his arms were around her, and she felt free from the prison she’d been locked in for months. She leaned forward and bit his bottom lip, eliciting another groan from him.

              He gripped her butt and pulled upward, grinding her wet womanhood into the rough fabric of his jeans. She wrapped her legs around his waist and moved her hips, sliding against him, so close to completion with barely a touch.

              Chad deepened the kiss, his tongue slowly moving in and out of her mouth, mimicking the love making she so deeply desired. She wanted him inside her, filling her. Seductively grinding against him again, he seemed to take the hint. He moved them backward to a huge boulder next to the edge of the woods.

              The spot offered a semblance of privacy, not that either of them noticed, but better yet, offered them a place to sit. She pushed down on him as her feet touched the rock, giving her leverage to better move.

              “What you do to me,” he groaned as her breasts pushed against him. Ripping off his open shirt, he then dispersed with her bra and cupped her heavy breasts. She leaned back, giving him better access and he bent his head and took her nipple in his mouth, alternating between biting down and sliding his tongue across the pebbled pink bud.

              He squeezed them together, moving his head back and forth, driving her insane as he pleasured her nipples over and over.

              She reached her hands down and unclasped the buttons on his jeans, pushing her hand inside the tight denim until she hit payday and wrapped her fingers around his silky smooth erection. She pulled it free, rubbing her thumb across the head, nearly giddy when moisture dripped out, showing her how ready he was for her.

              Chad cried out when she ran her nail across the sensitive tip, then down his long length. Then she gripped him tightly and moved her fist up and down several times.

              With another groan, Chad released her breasts and ripped off her panties, leaving her naked on his lap. He closed his mouth on hers at the same time that he thrust hard inside her hot, wet core.

              “Oh… I’ve missed you, Chad,” she cried out, the intense feeling of pleasure causing so many emotions to rush through her newly found mind. She didn’t want gentle. She didn’t want slow. She wanted fast and hard, and now!

              She ground herself against him, her swollen nub rubbing against the base of his erection, making her cry out. He gripped her hips tightly in his and pushed up in her.

              Bree gripped his shoulders and used the rock as leverage as she met him thrust for thrust. Her thigh muscles burned as the two of them moved together, but she ignored it. She ignored everything but the immense sensations washing through her.

              “Yes…” she called as her body convulsed with release. She gripped him tightly as wave after wave of pleasure washed through her. Then he cried out as he pushed so hard against her, she didn’t know where he ended and she began and she continued to ride the wave with him.

              Bree was spent. She couldn’t move a single muscle if she had to. She laid her head on Chad’s shoulder and soaked up the sun on her back and the feel of his hands caressing her damp skin. She took in the moment – the intensity – the love.

              Chad didn’t move for several minutes. Eventually he placed his hand under her chin and lifted her face so she had no choice but to look at him. She gave him a sheepish grin.

              “What the hell was that?”  he asked.

              “I wanted you.”

              “I always want you,” he replied with his own smile. It seemed their fight was over. “I usually have more restraint than to ravage you in the open, though.”

              “I’m glad you didn’t resist,” she said, then leaned in and sucked his bottom lip into her mouth. Chad quickly grabbed her hips and moved her off him so suddenly her legs almost gave out. She caught herself at the last second.

              “Not a chance. We need to get you dressed before one of my hands come wandering out here,” he commanded as he turned around. She walked up and wrapped her arms around his back, trailing her fingers down his stomach.

              “Are you sure?”

              “You’re trying to kill me, aren’t you?” he said with a chuckle. He turned and gave her a quick kiss on the nose, before bending to retrieve her dress. He slipped it over her head before he realized her bra was still on the ground.