The Siren (The Chloe Chronicals Book 2) Read online

  Howard rubbed my back and I just melted into him. It felt so good to be comforted and held. "Look, you won't do what your parents did. I wish you would stop blaming yourself, you were just starting out. You had to turn him in for what he did."

  I really hated how he kept bringing it up that I arrested my brother when I worked as an officer. Barry is a cocaine addict and broke into a pharmacy to steal their addictive drugs. When I received the call over the speaker and after the description is read I jumped on the case. I wanted to tell him to run away and not come back, but this is my career and he's my brother who needed saving. After my parents found out from me that I arrested him, they admitted that they had known all along that he's an addict but didn't want me to know because they were afraid of my arresting him. They sentenced Barry to three years and rehab in order to get better and pay for his crime. However, he's scheduled to being released soon. My parents wouldn't talk to me and I only had Christine to talk to. However, Howard showed up at a bar in Denver and I told him everything.

  Grant

  Chloe could pretend all she wanted that she isn't interested in me. I knew that as I spoke to her that she shivered because of my proximity to her. When she is sitting at the table, all I could think about is sinking into her. There had to be a way I could get her alone to talk to her.

  So much has changed since we last seen each other. I am not interested in one night with her. She would have to tell me that she isn't seeing anyone before I could sleep with her because there is no way that I could share her anymore. The last time we slept together, after we were done I got so jealous that she was still seeing Ethan. He is always around and would touch her constantly. It felt as if I were stabbed in the gut every time they were together.

  Ethan would come by every once in a while to ask about her but during those last weeks in the apartment, I didn't see Chloe. I missed her being around and I could smell her perfume all around as well. It is intoxicating that I could still sense her even when she isn't there.

  The afternoon ticked by slowly after she and Howard left. I knew he's going to give her the amount of information that is needed to have Castle fired. However, after Howard told me that he slept with Chloe, I felt that pang in my gut. Fuck. They are both grown adults and he promised me that it is only one night... but multiple times. I did promise that I wouldn't say anything because it would make it awkward for the three of us to hang out together.

  Castle is talking about how he thought Chloe is so hot and how he couldn't wait to go to the bar with her. I wanted to blow her cover and tell him that she is here to gather evidence on his unethical work tendencies... But I didn't.

  I needed to text her and ask if she is all right. This situation is weird.

  Me: Can we talk?

  I concentrated on finishing the paperwork for a burglary case that landed in my lap. In three days, this won't be my precinct anymore and I will be moving to Denver.

  "Hey, did you want to go for a walk with me?" I looked up to see Kayla in the doorway. She didn't look like her normal self which is always confident. Her hair is short and brown but it's complimentary to her face. I love how puffy and pink her lips are. Kayla's eyes are what attracted me to her. She's partially mixed with Brazilian and American so her eyes are this jade color.

  By shutting my laptop and grabbing my coat, she got her answer. We walked in silence until we got outside and she grabbed my hand.

  "Grant, I know you are moving and I also know that we aren't serious... But I am wondering if you wanted to take this further than what we are. Is that something you could see yourself doing?" Her voice shook and I regretted going on this walk. She ran her fingers up my arms and licked her bottom lip.

  How can I tell her that I am not into her anymore without causing a scene? "I appreciate your sentiment, however when I'm in Denver you will be here. That will be difficult for you and I to have a relationship." There! That is easy.

  She dropped her hand from my hold and stopped in front of the parking lot. "Are you fucking serious? I am just sex to you," Kayla is trying to not scream at me but her voice is raising.

  Never expected her to be a crazy bitch! "We discussed this, Kay. You know that I didn't want to be in a serious relationship. Plus, you will be by yourself for a long time while I'm getting everything situated in Denver. Can you really see yourself being second place in my life? My job comes first and you know that." I hated that I had to be so blunt but she knew where we stood before we started sleeping together.

  "Are you seeing someone else?" She dropped her head and looked away from me.

  I wanted to be with Chloe but I couldn't say anything to her because she will freak out and blow her cover. "No, I'm not." It isn't a lie but I'm not available to date her.

  My phone buzzed and I took it out from my pocket.

  Chloe: We can talk after the bar, if you want.

  I quickly texted her back.

  Me: Okay, I will walk you home.

  Kayla looked like she is about to blow up. "Go to hell." She stormed away from me and walked off to her car.

  Since I am done with my report, I walked back into my office and gathered my stuff. I knew I could get Chloe to talk to me by bringing her favorite dinner and beer. She loved beer and it made her talk.

  *

  After convincing William to give me her room number, I walked through the hotel and up to her room. I am familiar with this hotel and knew that she is on the fifth floor. She was given a suite which is cool but strange since they normally didn't spring for such an extravagant area. The police, that is.

  I knocked on her door and am shocked when Howard opened it. My old friend is looking wrinkley and his hair is destroyed. Most guys don't do their hair, but Howard does and it's always done. This does not look good and I feel my anger start to surface. He must have sensed my hostility because he threw his hands up like he were innocent.

  "Grant, it's not what you think. She is taking a nap though," Howard said as I walked past him.

  I am happy to see that she is still dressed and so is Howard. It's strange to see Chloe sleeping during the day because she was never one to take naps in college. "Is everything alright?" Is she not feeling well? I didn't think she looked sick earlier...

  "Yeah, it's fine. Here," he pointed to the other side of the bed, "take my spot. I need to go home." Howard turned and walked out of the room.

  As soon as the door clicked shut, I put the food down and the beer in her mini fridge. With my shoes kicked off, I walked over to her bed and laid down with my front to her back. She isn't wearing a blanket so I got to see that she did look comfortable while she is asleep.

  With my arm wrapped around her waist, I scooched as close as I could into her back and I felt her body relax against me. Chloe let out a little moan from her mouth and she placed her hand on top of mine. This felt amazing! Her body is still so fucking soft as it curls up to me and I just have the sudden urge to pick her up and carry her everywhere I go.

  It's inevitable, she is going to be pissed as fuck when she wakes up and sees me in bed with her. During college, I used to sneak into her room and look at her while she is sleeping. Chloe talks in her sleep, or at least she did, and I loved to hear what she had to say. Sometimes it is only about her sorority but sometimes she a is talking to someone in her sleep. I mean, we are talking full out conversations.

  I must have fell asleep because I felt something move on me. After opening my eyes, I remembered that I am in her room and her bed. Her eyes widened as she took it all in. In a second, she tried to slip out of my hold but I grabbed her tighter. No way in hell am I letting her slip away again. She feels way too good on me and that is where she's staying.

  When she stopped struggling, she let me hold on to her and let herself relax. "What are you doing here? I thought Howard is still here."

  Ouch. I'm in bed with the woman I couldn't stop thinking about and she asked about Howard. Great.

  "I brought you beer and dinner. However, when I see
n you sleeping, I remembered you liked to cuddle."

  She backed herself further into my front and now my jeans were strained. "Yes, thank you. This feels really... What did you want to talk to me about?"

  I knew she dropped her shield and right now is the time to pounce. "I missed you. You know that, right?" There are only so many times when she let herself be a normal human with feelings and I'm going to take advantage of it.

  She shook her head and stiffened. "No, I didn't. We haven't spoke since that night we slept together. I thought you just got what you wanted and threw me into my own bed."

  I grabbed her shoulder to move her to her other side so I could look at her face. Once she is facing me, I found the courage to tell her what I have been thinking. "I didn't want you to freak out when you woke up. You didn't seem like you were interested in having a relationship and I knew that if you stayed in bed I would want more." There. I let it all out.

  What felt like hours probably is only seconds while her eyes fluttered shut and then back open. Those blue eyes drank in my face and I fought the urge to kiss her.

  "I wanted more too," Chloe whispered.

  I ran my hand down her arm and reveled in the fact that she shivered. "Can I kiss you?"

  Chloe

  Kiss me? He wants to kiss me. That is the only thing he wants to do while we are laying in a hotel bed. Crazy.

  I gripped his shirt in my hand and pulled him closer to me. Once I nodded my head, he moved in closer to my face. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes while I waited for him to kiss me. Grant placed his nose to mine and I breathed in his scent. He smelled so good and I just inhaled it. I missed him.

  He kissed along my cheeks and my jaw then nipped at my nose before bringing his lips to my own. I am shivering by the time he placed a sweet and innocent kiss on my lips.

  I wanted more. Way more. Damn it. This is going to end in my heart being shattered again.

  I pulled my face out of his lock and tried to back out of the hold. Reality snuck in and I knew it is only a matter of time before I got attached to him. It took me months and months in order to get over missing him and I still think about him from time to time.

  "Wait," Grant whispered and tried to pull me back in. "I just... I just need to know something." He spoke so quietly that it freaked me out to hear him sound insecure. I nodded my head again and closed my eyes. "Are you sleeping with anyone right now?"

  My gut instinct is to push him and tell him that it is not any of his business. However, I decided to rein in some self control and play his game back. "Why?" I needed to know what his angle is before I answered him.

  "I don't want to share you with anyone," he spoke with such control and authority that it scared me. Grant is never one for proprietary convictions so I knew he's being serious and not trying to play a game with me.

  I decided to answer him truthfully since there isn't anyone that I am exclusive with. "No, I'm not. Are you?"

  Grant took a deep breath and leaned in to kiss my forehead. "No. Chloe, I missed you."

  No. Chloe, I missed you.

  I missed you.

  Those were the words that I needed to hear. I grabbed his shirt and pulled him into me and laid my back on the bed. He took the lead and leaned over to me and stroked my sides. His fingers felt good as they reached under my shirt to touch my flesh and I felt the goose bumps take place. My skin felt like it caught on fire from the tingles and sparks that his touch created.

  "Please. Please kiss me," I whispered because I am too afraid of saying it any louder. The truth is, Grant has always had the ability to strip everything away from me... It's scary the raw feelings that I get from this man. What's scarier is the fact that I want to push him away and then hold him close.

  He kissed my lips gently and I pulled him on top of me. I needed to be closer to him. Grant let out a moan as he placed his knees in between my legs. These kisses were so light and almost ghost like but I felt them and my lips shivered.

  Before he continued with driving me crazy, Grant held his weight on his arms while his bottom half is on me. He closed his eyes and did not say anything. That is so strange, he looks like he is... mad or something. We haven't even been together long enough for me to make him angry about something.

  "Did I do something wrong?" I needed to know if I made him angry. "Grant, please talk to me." I'm laying underneath him a shaking mess, and it looks as if he's having a battle within himself.

  He opens his eyes and he holds my gaze. "I need to make sure we are on the same level before... before..."

  I waited for him to continue but he just grabbed my back and held me closer to him as he dropped his arms. This man seriously looks like he's about to lose it. What is happening in his mind for him to behave like this? Throughout our friendship, he never seemed insecure or unsure of himself but he's now.

  "Grant, what is it?"

  After he got off me again and rested on his elbows he looked down at me. "I can't do this with you..."

  My ego is shot. He really just shut me down! I tried to push him off of me but he didn't move. I tried to move out from underneath him and he dropped himself on me.

  "Get off of me! You just shut me down!" I started to hit his arms and thrust my hips up in order to knock him over but it didn't work. I through my lode half up in hopes to knock him over. Nothing is working and I feel my eyes burn as fresh tears of frustration and humiliation threaten to spill.

  After all of these of wondering what it would be like to be near him again. All of these years! Here I'm practically in a gift wrapped package with a gold bow on it for his taking and he tells me that he can't do this! What is he even doing here in my bed? Who just walks into a woman's hotel room and climbs into bed? And men say women are frustrating!

  "Wait, let me finish what I am going to say," he stopped talking and once I stopped moving, he continued. "We're going to do this my way. That's the only way."

  I closed my eyes to hopefully get a minute to myself to understand what he's really asking. Was he asking for monogamy? He knew before that titles scared the hell out of me and I didn't want to be tied down. Essentially, I'm willing to promise not to sleep around but I don't want to be picking out his and her towels!

  "Are you asking to be exclusive?" I whispered and squeezed my eyes closed. There isn't a particular answer that I am wanting because I'm not even sure what I wanted to hear. Did I want him to say he's done sleeping with Kayla? Yes, I did. I don't have issues with that part of exclusivity. I hate how final it feels. Almost as if it's putting a timer on the relationship.

  You have one hundred days to get engaged!

  Grant leaned on his elbows and gripped my cheeks in his hands. "Chloe, I know you don't do relationships so I'm not asking for that."

  I knew my answer before he finished however we were interrupted with a knock on the door and Grant's cell rang. Before he got off of me, I grabbed his elbows and pulled him down to my face. Once he's eye level, I lifted my knees to grip his hips and I kissed him. I dipped my tongue into his mouth and he slid his hands down to grab my own hips.

  He dipped his tongue into mine and stroked my tongue. There is a slight moan that came out of my mouth when he gripped my hips. My hips were always an aphrodisiac to me.

  "I see that is still a spot of yours," he broke our kiss and brought his lips down my neck. I'm so turned on that I would have said anything to get him to continue. "Tell me you want me and only me," he whispered into my neck.

  I am so turned on that in this minute I would have said just about anything including promising exclusivity and proprietary vows. My body kept bucking against his as I tried to speed things along. I am desperate for him. Desperate to feel him slide into me and to make me feel every glorious inch of him. "You first," I replied a little too breathy for my control issues.

  He broke contact and grabbed my cheeks again. "I only want you," he whispered it and I believed him.

  "I only want you," I moaned and pulled his shirt down to me
again.

  There is a pounding on the door now and his phone and now mine were ringing.

  He started to climb off of me but I wrapped my hands in his shirt. "We can deal with it later," I begged and started to pull his shirt off. Once his shirt is off, I lick down his chest and slid my hand down his abdomen to run my hand towards the tip of his pants. Grant got so hard against my touch and I couldn't help but palm his jean clad dick.

  The door is being pounded on now. "I know you are in there! Come on!" The person on the other side of the door yelled.