Divorced, Desperate, and Delicious

Chapter 12

Chapter Twelve

Both Chase and Jason had heard the footsteps at the same time.

“Someone followed you,” Chase whispered. They drew their guns together and melted into the trees.

Chase kept his gaze on the path. The concern gripping his gut wasn’t for himself or even Jason, but for the woman sleeping in the house. Would Zeke and his cronies go after her now?

“No one followed me,” Jason whispered, his gun aimed into the darkness beyond the trees. Another sound came.

A figured appeared, and both Jason and Chase lunged toward it. Jason made contact first. The figure went down.

“Police. Hands out by your sides!” Jason said. “Move and I’ll shoot.”

Chase’s heart pounded as he noted the size of their captive. He kept his gun aimed toward the path, waiting for Big Bruno or Zeke, and wanting to take off to the house to check on Lacy.

“He’s clean,” Jason said, his voice still edgy. “I mean . . . damn! She’s clean,” he said, his tone low and unsure.

Chase swung around. The darkness prevented him from seeing much, but the bright yellow Donald Duck slippers attached to the feet beneath Jason could only belong to one person. “Jeez! Get off of her!” Chase knelt as Jason rolled away.

Lacy had her mouth open as if she were about to scream. He leaned closer. “It’s me, Chase. You okay?” he asked.

She clamped a hand over her mouth. He slipped his arm behind her back and helped her sit up. Swearing under his breath, he checked her elbows and knees for blood and breathed easier when she appeared unharmed. Unharmed but . . . even in the darkness, he could see the anger in her eyes.

“Did you hit your head again?”

She pulled away. “I’m fine.” She moved her gaze from him to Jason, who stood a few feet away. “Aren’t you supposed to say, ‘Police. Stop right there’ and not jump the suspect and fondle her breasts?”

“Sorry. I didn’t mean . . .” Jason tucked his gun in his side holster. “You must be Lacy. We spoke earlier.”

“So that gave you a right to grope me?” She got to her feet and dusted herself off.

“I’m really sorry,” Jason said. “I didn’t hurt you, did I?”

“No,” Lacy mumbled, and Chase heard the edge of her anger slip away.

Then Chase noticed her giving Jason a second glance. It was the kind of visual rundown Jason always got from females aged two to sixty. Make that ninety. Even Mim, Sarah’s great-grandma, had fallen for the man three Christmases ago. Jason, with his linebacker build, blond hair and blue eyes, was a chick magnet. Even Sarah used to tease Chase that he should be lucky she’d fallen in love with him before she met his best friend.

“I’ll be right in,” Chase said, suddenly wanting her away from Jason. She cut him a look and then took off at a marching pace.

Jason reared back on his heels and tucked his hands into the pockets of his jeans. A smile curved his lips. “A bit uptight, but really nice breasts.”

“Give it a rest,” Chase snapped. Let Jason meet a girl, and within ten seconds the man knew how her breasts felt.

“What’s she uptight about?” Jason asked.

“Sexually frustrated,” Chase answered, the truth slipping out before he thought.

“Mmmm,” Jason whispered, and looked toward the path down which Lacy had disappeared. “If I can help . . .”