Soar (The Empire Chronicles #1) (9 page)

“Cool.” My trip was sounding better and better. Levi’s place on the Upper West Side was sweet.

“Don’t do anything stupid, Jared. Concentrate on the job.”

“Would I ever do something stupid?”

“Yes, when it involves a blonde who’s stacked.”

“I guess I’ll have to stay away from the blondes then. I’ll call you as soon as I have news.”

“Good. We need to crush these assholes fast. They’re only doing this because they think I’m weak. Let’s show them how wrong they are.”

“Now that sounds like Levi.” Owen laughed.

“Owen, I need you to stay around. I’m sure these northern rebels aren’t working alone. We need to figure out how to stop it before it starts down here.”

“Have fun you two.” I strode out of Levi’s office feeling pretty darn good. It was time to show Levi he’d picked the right security chief.

Chapter Ten
Toby

My alarm went off at seven a.m. I groaned, thinking back on the days when the weekend meant sleeping in. Not anymore. I dragged myself out of bed and into the shower. By the time I got out, I’d already missed two calls from Tim. I had to get moving.

I paused outside the guestroom, feeling a bit like a creeper as I listened to her breathe. She was still sleeping. I walked into the kitchen, made a pot of coffee and left a quick note.

I’ll be back in a few hours. Feel free to make anything. I’ll walk you home.

-Toby

I didn’t bother to pour myself a cup. I was already running late. Besides, I was heading to a meeting at a coffee house. It wasn’t exactly neutral territory, but I’d learned that sometimes you have to go to your adversaries to get things done.

I pushed open the doors of Coffee Heaven without the usual anticipation. The only reason I went there was currently sleeping in my apartment. The thought made me wish she were in a different bed—the one I’d just left. But then again, would I have been able to make myself leave if that were the case? It had been months since I’d been with a girl, and I knew that Casey was the type you wanted just as much in the morning as you did at night.

“Toby. How nice of you to visit us this morning.” Marv, a hulking figure, turned to look at me. I’d come to view him as an ally since being brought into the fold by my grandfather, but now I had to doubt every interaction.

“Let’s get right to business.” I was in a hurry. I actually had a reason to get home. But I wasn’t leaving without answers.

“And what kind of business is that?” Marv shot me a cocky grin. “I haven’t had the pleasure of meeting with you lately.”

“Cut the crap. I know you’re behind the attacks.”

“Me?” He put a hand to his chest in mock innocence.

“Enough of the bull shit.” I strode toward him.

“Eric? Do you know what Toby is referring to?” He called to his nephew, the second reason I was anxious for the meeting.

“No. No, I don’t.”

I reached out and pulled Marv toward me by his collar and lifted him off the ground. My grandfather had taught me the art of intimidation. “Don’t fuck with me. What role do you have in this?”

“Let go of me.” He struggled, but I didn’t let him go. Six months before, I’d have been scared shitless at what I was doing. By that point, it was just part of a day’s work.

“Why the attacks?” I had to have answers.

“You’re vulnerable.”

“What did you just say?” I shook him a little harder. I wasn’t surprised that his nephew didn’t step in. Assaulting me would be a big mistake.

“The Pterons are weak. You can’t hold out on top forever.”

“So attacking humans is the solution?” I could feel my body trying to transform, anger was an easy trigger. If you didn’t fight it, it could happen in the worst situations. This wasn’t one of them—well, it would have been for Marv. I doubt he would have ever walked again.

“They’re getting attention…”

“They? Are you going to claim you’re not part of it?”

He attempted to shake his head despite his precarious situation. “I’m not. I’m just pretending. The others think I’m going along with it, but I’m not. We’re staying out of it.”

I let go and he fell back into his chair. “Pretending? You expect me to believe that?”

“Yes. And you can’t prove anything to the contrary.”

He had me there. My cousins hadn’t managed to get anything more than rumors. “If I find out you did…”

“I know.” He fixed his collar. “Don’t waste your breath.”

“You’re going to find out what’s going on.” I may have dropped him, but my gaze hadn’t left his face. Sometimes a look can be a hell of a lot more intimidating than touch.

“What?”

“If you’re pretending, this new assignment shouldn’t be hard. Get dirty and find out.”

“Is that an order?”

“Yes.”

He nodded, any hint of his earlier joking gone. “Is that all?”

“From you. Eric’s next.”

“He’s had nothing to do with this.” Marv quickly jumped to his defense. Did the ruthless man actually have a soft spot for his sister’s kid?

“It’s about a different matter.” I strode out the front door.

Eric followed me. “I don’t have anything new, except she didn’t come home last night.”

“And I’m sure you know where she slept instead.” Maybe I should have been trying to protect her reputation, but Eric needed to back off.

“Not Mr. Chivalrous anymore?”

“I am, but she’ll hopefully be staying over more often now.”

“I’m still posting a watch, and you need to be careful.”

“I will be.” Something was off. He didn’t seem nearly as jealous as he should have. Bears are prone to uncontrolled jealousy. “What aren’t you telling me?”

“Just take care of her. She’s important.”

“There’s more.”

“Isn’t there always?” He walked back inside.

I wasn’t sure what to make of Eric’s calm appearance, but I didn’t stop to worry about it. There was something much more pressing and appealing waiting for me back home.

Chapter Eleven
Casey

The sheets must have been at least eight hundred-thread count. I wrapped myself up in the blue top sheet, feeling absolutely no desire to get out of bed. If the guest sheets were nice, what were Toby’s like? I shook myself. I was not allowed to fantasize about sleeping with a guy just to enjoy nice sheets. Or a nice view. I’d seen his windows the night before, and I wouldn’t mind waking up to that view. I wouldn’t mind waking up every morning in the guest room either. It definitely beat my closet.

Light spilled in through a small slit in one of the blinds. That was something else my closet lacked, a window. If I’d had the energy, I would have gotten up to pull the blinds up further. I love waking up to natural light, and I missed it every day at Rhett’s apartment.

I glanced at the clock. Eight thirty a.m. It had been a fabulous night in luxury land, but it was morning and time to go home. Too bad Toby wasn’t looking for a roommate. I would have answered that ad. I’m sure plenty of girls would—and not just as a platonic roommate. I gave myself a few minutes to think about him. Even through his shirts, I could tell his body was the perfect mix of lean and muscular. I wondered what his chest would feel like under my hand, what his lips would feel like on mine. I always pictured he’d be the gentle kind of guy, but the hint of his personality I’d gotten the night before made me wonder if there was something much more primal underneath.

I pushed the thoughts away. There was no reason to go there. Especially not when I was sleeping in a bed down the hall from his.

I needed to wake up, but maybe a few minutes more of comfort wouldn’t hurt. I curled up.

Bam. Bam. I sat up with a start. What the heck was that?

Bam. Bam. Bam. The noise repeated, and I realized it was someone pounding on the front door.

I laid back down, putting the pillow—wrapped in a super soft pillow case, might I add—over my head.

The insistent banging wouldn’t stop. I rolled over, waiting for Toby to take care of whoever was there. Who had guests that early on a Sunday morning? Especially ones that rude.

The pounding continued. And continued.

Where the heck was Toby? He had to hear it unless his room was soundproof or something.

Boom. Boom.

Maybe it was stupidity, but I reluctantly pulled myself out of the luxurious sheets, ran a hand through my rumpled hair and looked for Toby. I didn’t bother to brush my teeth, but then again, I didn’t plan on him getting too close to my mouth.

The door to Toby’s room was open, but he wasn’t there. His bed was unmade, and he’d left some discarded clothes on the floor. His office was just as empty.

I searched around for a weapon. Anything I could use to protect myself. Who knew who was on the other side? I had a choice. I could sit tight and wait for whoever it was to either go away or break down the door. Or, I could answer it. The thought of someone breaking down the door while I huddled in the corner is what made the decision. I was going to meet whoever it was head on—even if it was while I was holding a lamp.

I mustered the most confident voice possible. “Whoever you are, Toby isn’t home.”

“Could you open the door?” a male voice asked. The voice was deep and kind of sexy. I wondered if the owner of the voice matched it. Not to mention, I hoped the owner of the voice wasn’t insane.

“Who are you?”

He sighed, like my even asking the question was ridiculous. “I’m here on business. I need to talk to Toby.”

“He’s not here.”

“I’m not going away until you open the door.”

“People know I’m here. If you kill me, you won’t get away with it.”

He laughed. “I’m not going to kill you.”

“How do I know that?”

“Because I gave my name to the doorman, I’ve been caught on no less than six surveillance cameras on the way up here, and I don’t generally go around killing people. Especially not girls.”

“Why are you less likely to kill girls?”

“Because I like them. A lot.”

I slowly opened the door and my jaw dropped. Standing there was a shirtless guy with a body that couldn’t be real. Hard. Muscular. Perfect. That’s the way I’d describe his chest. He had abs that would make underwear models jealous. My eyes zeroed in on a few beads of sweat making a descent down his chest. When they reached his stomach, I forced my eyes up to his face.

He grinned. “So you’re why Toby isn’t getting the job done.”

“What?” I asked, forcing my eyes to stop looking at his chiseled abs.

“You’d distract me too.” He didn’t bother to hide his appraisal.

I looked down and crossed my arms. I met his eyes again and was met by an expression of humor and want that nearly melted me.

“I’m just staying here.” I felt the need to explain myself. If not for my sake or dignity, for Toby’s. I promised myself it wasn’t because I wanted this sexy guy to know I was single.

“Staying here, huh?” He smiled. “Well, you can stay at my place anytime.”

“Do you live around here?” His wider grin made me regret the words. “I’m just wondering. Not because I want to stay with you.”

“I’m from New Orleans, but I have a place here too—at least I’m borrowing it.”

“Oh. Well, Toby isn’t here.”

“You already said that.” He stepped into the apartment. “Know where he is?”

“No. I don’t.” I took a few steps back.

He matched my movements, ending up just as close to me as he was before. “No kiss goodbye this morning?”

“That would have been hard since I was in the guest room.” I put a hand on my hip. Sexy or not, I wasn’t going to let this guy get to me.

“Guest room? Likely.”

I could feel my blood boiling. How was he getting under my skin so easily? “It’s true. If you’ll excuse me, I need to get my stuff and go home.”

“Are you going to wear that?” He gestured to my outfit, and that’s when I remembered what I was sleeping in.

I willed myself not to blush, but I could practically feel the blood rushing to my face.

“I’m guessing those are the guest pajamas, huh?”

“I just borrowed them… Wait, why am I bothering to explain myself to you?”

“I don’t know, you tell me.” He took another step toward me.

“I know the kind of guy you are.”

“You do? Please, tell me. I can’t wait to hear this assessment.”

“You’re arrogant, pig headed, and you think a girl’s just going to fall to her knees if you take your shirt off…” To my credit, I was still standing. “Speaking of which, why is your shirt off?”

He smirked. “Why do you think it’s off? Since apparently you’re the expert on guys like me. I’m going to ignore the fall to their knees comment. You look cute when you blush, but it might push you over the edge.”

“I’m sure there’s a reason for it.” I crossed my arms, wishing I were in my own clothes and wishing he hadn’t made me think about falling to my knees around him. That just made me wonder if his lower half was as impressive as his top.

“There is. Maybe I’ll tell you about it sometime.” As if he could read my thoughts, he adjusted the waist of his jeans.

“Not likely. Is there a reason you’re still here even though I told you Toby’s out?”

“Yes. He wasn’t in his office either. I need to find him.”

“I won’t be able to help you there.”

“But you might be able to help me in other ways?” He smirked again, and I had a feeling those kind of lines had worked for him before.

“Could you just leave?”

“I suppose I could. Is that what you want?”

I nodded.

“Maybe I’ll see you around again. I think I missed your name though.”

“You didn’t miss it. I never told you.”

“Oh, I see. I’m Jared.” He held out his hand like he wanted to shake. I resisted the urge to take it, to find out what his touch felt like.

“If you’re going to be that way.” He flashed me another smile before walking out the door. “See you around, sleep over girl.”

I stepped back and closed the door behind him, a mix of relief yet surprise that he’d left so easily. I thought I would have to kick him out.

I walked back into the guest room and threw on my clothes from the night before. I wanted to try a shower that actually had hot water, but knowing my luck, Jared would be back. Jared. I liked the way the name felt rolling off my tongue.