She felt lost within him. When the music slowed and spilled into a slower tune he turned her in his arms, locked her to him as he brought her hand to his neck and clasped it to him.

"I need you." He half snarled the declaration, his eyes narrowed and fierce. "It's going to happen, Kia. You know it is."

Her lips parted as she forced herself to breathe, tried to fight past the raging arousal spreading between them. She could feel him hard, thick, against her lower stomach. His body was tense, his arms possessive and strong around her as he bent his head to her.

"I'm dying for you." He brushed the words against her lips.

"You're going to kill me," she whispered back, swaying with him, helpless in his arms.

"I'm dying to touch you." He moved his lips across her cheek as her lashes closed. "I dream of taking you again, Kia. Thrusting inside you. Spilling inside you. It's more pleasure than I've ever known in my life."

"Don't. Please," she murmured the plea as she felt herself melting into him, felt more than the wine and the dance filling her.

She felt Chase. Felt him over her, inside her, caressing her, taking her. The memories washed through her, and she had to blink back tears.

"You can't keep doing this," she half sobbed as his lips caressed the soft skin beneath her ear. "You pull me to you, then push me away. I can't do this, Chase."

"I can't let you go." His hands tightened at her back. "I won't let you go, Kia." He lifted his head, his expression savage.

"You don't have a choice." She was breaking apart inside now. "I'm not a toy, Chase. A pretty little doll. I can't be that for you."

The music eased and broke, struck into a hard, violent clash of sound and lights as she turned away from him and rushed from the dance floor.

She could feel him watching her, feel his eyes on her, feel him following her. She felt him, even when he wasn't touching her, and that sensation speared through her, tightened her womb and spilled the silky warmth of arousal between her thighs.

I need you, he had whispered. If only it were need rather than mere want. Need she couldn't have denied him. But want? Wanting was a hidden little fling, nothing of substance, nothing to warm either of them. She would rather do without want. She dreamed of need. Because she needed—

He watched them. He had followed, just to be certain. To see them together. He couldn't be certain unless he saw them together. And he saw them. He watched the dance, the sensuality in their movements, and in Falladay's face he saw something that evidently the woman had missed.

As she walked away from Chase, he saw misery flicker across his face, then determination, then savage possessiveness.

And he nodded, his chest heavy, his heart filled with grief.

Chase followed her. He hadn't meant to be here tonight. He had meant to stay as far away as possible. Nothing good could come of it, he told himself, even as he drove to the club. Hurting Kia further wasn't fair. He was hurting them both, and he couldn't turn back.

She was his. She would have to learn to live with the consequences of that, because tonight he had every intention of claiming her, of holding her through the night and waking with her come morning.

God help them both. Living with him wasn't easy; he'd been assured of that time and time again.

For now, he'd let her run while he followed. She deserved that, to be able to hurt him back, for a time. And fuck if it didn't tear at him, seeing those tears in her eyes, the suspicion, and the lack of trust.

He told her he needed her. He wondered what she would think if she knew he had never told another woman he needed her. That he had never asked another woman to live with him. The few times he had managed to share homes with one, it had been at their insistence, not his.

He intended to insist this time. He would have her in his home, and in his life, and she would just have to learn to deal with him, wouldn't she?

He followed her back to the table, taking the seat beside her that Jaci vacated, despite Kia's look of promised retribution.

He eased into the chair and caught the waiter's attention. He ordered his drink, and sipped at it as she ate the light dinner she had ordered. And tried to ignore him.

Timothy Rutherford was watching him suspiciously, knowingly. Man to man, they both knew what the hell was going on here. The other man would have to learn not to interfere in it, and he would learn that nothing mattered more to Chase than having Kia in his life.

Commitment wasn't something Chase went into lightly. And it still had his guts tied in knots. Hell, he was a fool for her and he knew it. He always had been.

She refused to dance with him again, but she didn't dance with anyone else.

Sebastian tried to cajole her into returning to the dance floor and she refused.

Daniel Conover was there minutes later, only to be turned away.

"Why aren't you dancing?" Chase asked her, watching as she played with her glass of wine.

She shook her head. "I'm tired."

"You enjoyed dancing earlier. Do you think I'm going to get angry because you dance with other men?" he asked her carefully. "I won't be jealous, Kia. But when the night is over, you'll be leaving with me, not with them."

She stared back at him in surprise.

"You were made to dance," he said quietly. "Your body loves the music. I wouldn't take that from you."

"And I won't let you." She lifted her glass and finished the wine quickly before rising to her feet and leaning down to whisper something to her father.

He frowned, glanced at Chase, then nodded and pulled his phone free.

"Excuse me." She nodded to those at the table before turning away.

Chase assumed she'd gone to' the ladies' room until he saw her moving to the exit. He'd pushed back his chair to rise to his feet when Timothy Rutherford's heavy hand landed on his arm.

"Let her go, son," he ordered him, his expression determined. "You've hurt her enough."

"I intend to fix that," he said firmly. "But I can't do it if she runs."

"And you can't force her to stay and listen," Timothy growled. "Don't make her hide again, Falladay. You're the reason she hid the first time. Two years of it, hiding away so you would have what you wanted. So everyone would assume it was her lies, her manipulations, that nearly revealed your secrets. She did that for you. Not for me, not for Drew, and not for herself, and so help me God, if she does it again, I'll make damned sure you pay for it."

Chase sat back slowly. "What the hell are you talking about? I never asked that of her. Not in any way."

Timothy shook his head. "You didn't have to ask her, son. What you asked of her, she did willingly, and she made certain she did it well enough that you had what you wanted. You've taken enough from her. Let her go tonight. Maybe tomorrow, you can convince her it's more than just a man's stupidity that drives you."

He could wait. A few hours. When the Rutherfords left he would as well. And when he did, he knew exactly where he was headed.

Chapter 16

He was waiting on her. He hated to do this. It was going to hurt him, more than it would hurt her, because if it went right, she would be gone forever, and he would be the one who would have to live with his actions.

But living with it was something he was prepared to do. He lived with worse, daily. He lived with his life spiraling out of control. He lived with his own rage daily. And Chase would suffer.

That was his goal. That was all that mattered, that Chase suffer. Falladay had destroyed his life. The son of a bitch. The bastard. He had taken everything, and now he had this beautiful, sparkling young woman.

He was doing her a favor. Because Chase would only destroy her. Why hadn't she just remained the sweet, faithful little wife she had been? If she had done that, she wouldn't have to suffer now. She wouldn't have to pay for Chase's crimes.

Kia watched the lights of the city as she rode home in her father's limo. The twinkling Christmas lights. Christmas was fast approaching. Her shopping had been done for ages. She only bought for her parents and her aunt and uncle. There was no one else. Except the present she had hid in her bedroom. The present she had bought Chase and would likely never give him.

It wasn't much. A new belt. The exquisite leather was soft and supple, and she had noticed he liked comfortable leather belts.

There was nothing fancy on it. No fancy buckle or decorations. But underneath she'd had it engraved. For the memories. Kia.

She hadn't been able to help herself. She was insane where he was concerned, and she knew it. She had known it when she forced herself to leave the club. If she hadn't, she would have ended up leaving with him, and she couldn't bear another night as she'd spent the night he had come to her.

It was better like this, she told herself. Better to run while she could, to avoid the temptation as much as possible. But when he had whispered he needed her, she had nearly stumbled, nearly begged him to take her then.

Aching for him was going to kill her. It was tearing through her like a bitter storm and it was taking all her energy to stay away from him.

As the limo pulled up to the curb in front of the apartment building, she stared out the window with a sense of regret. Wishing she were with Chase instead.

Insane, she thought again as the chauffeur opened her door.

Kia stepped out of the limo and waved to her father's chauffeur as he moved around the car toward the driver's side.

She wasn't aware of the shadow that moved around the building. As she turned, pain ripped through her skull and darkness swirled around her.

She felt herself falling, and it was Chase's name she cried out as she felt her purse being torn from her shoulder.

Timothy Rutherford answered his cell phone less than half an hour after his daughter left the club, listened to his chauffeur's frantic report, and his gaze met Chase's, terror streaking through his mind.

"Timothy, what's wrong?" Cecilia, always attuned to him, gripped his arm as he continued to listen.

"Stay with her," he ordered. "We're on our way."

"Kia?" Celia's tone was frightened as Chase rose quickly to his feet.

"She was attacked outside her apartment building. Ambulance is on its way. She's unconscious, bleeding from a head wound."

"My limo is just outside." Ian was on his feet, as were the others.

Chase didn't wait for them. He tore out of the club, racing out the door and rushing past the valet area to where he'd parked his car.

He was streaking out of the parking lot, tires screaming, gears grinding as he glimpsed the Sinclair limo pulling away from the club.

Km. He knew he should have followed her. Something had told him to follow her, to stay as close to her as possible. This wouldn't have happened if he had been there. If he had taken her home himself. No one would have had a chance to touch her, to hurt her.

She wouldn't be lying on a sidewalk, unconscious, bleeding, if he had been there.

He maneuvered through the congested traffic, cursing, horn blowing. It was a damned wonder he didn't have a cop on his ass when he swung into a parking slot in front of her apartment and jumped from the car.

The ambulance was there, lights flashing. Chase saw blood on the sidewalk and glimpsed the paramedics inside the lobby.

He pushed inside, slamming the doors open, rage and violence coursing through him until he heard her voice.

"I said I'm okay," she snapped. "I swear to God, Drew, if you don't get your hands off me, I'm going to break them."

Drew!

Chase snarled as he pushed past the small crowd that had gathered and saw her pushing Drew away. An animal force of sheer raw fury overcame him.

"Get the hell away from her!" He grabbed the other man's arm, swung him back, and stared at Kia.