“You’re cute when you get focused.”
Chloe’s head snapped up, finding Sawyer’s eyes sparkling with amusement. Instead of acknowledging the compliment, she gave him a small smile and glanced back at the screen. No way would she allow him to turn her into mush—something he proved capable of doing with a single look.
She closed the My Pictures folder and moved on to My Documents. Nothing there gave any clue to Travis’s location. Frustrated, she opened the Internet again and went through every known email provider. When she opened Gmail, she noticed an address that included the name “Travis.”
“Come here,” she said. “I found something.”
“Whatcha got?” Sawyer sat next to her, draping his arm across the back of the couch.
He smelled like nature, Chloe thought—woodsy and fresh. And so very masculine. She cleared her throat. “I take it this is Travis’s email address.” Sawyer’s thick, strong leg pressed against her slender one, carrying warmth into her veins. “It’s not a great lead, but at least it’s something.”
“At this point, anything is good.” Sawyer pulled out his phone and typed the email address into his notepad. “I don’t suppose you know how to break passwords?”
“I’m not that good.” She smiled, shutting the laptop. “But I do have a friend who might be able to help.”
One brow rose. “A friend?”
“His name is Shane. He’s a computer whiz I met in high school.” She rose, holding the laptop to her chest. “He does some freelance work for Porter on difficult cases.”
Sawyer hesitated, brows pinched together. “The force has its own computer team. I should take it there.”
“Yes, I’m sure that makes sense in your cop brain. But what if we have to dig deeper than just breaking a password? Will your people on the force do that, or do they have to get warrants and such? Using my guy saves time.”
His hesitation lasted a little longer this time, the conflict clear on his face. He finally bobbed his head, resolved. “We’ll do this your way for now.” He lifted his hand to her arm in an appreciative touch, but the feel of his strong fingers on her bare skin was like an arrow of desire hitting her straight between her thighs.
He’d never touched her before. That, she now realized, had been a good thing. Under the heat of his fingers, her mind went blank. Her only focus was the burning of his touch. Every inch of her hummed in a blaze of need, clenching her sex. She needed space from all his intensity, but she couldn’t find the strength to force her feet to move.
She dared herself to look up into his shadowy eyes. His curious gaze moved from his hand to her face; then he shifted his fingers toward her chin. Chloe melted as she became aware of his hands on her face—the soft, tempting strokes of his fingers as they caressed her jaw.
He tipped her head up, studying her in a way no man had ever done. He really looked at her—straight into the center of her being. As if, for the first time in her life, she was being seen. Her soul felt naked under his gaze. The slight jump in her heart rate matched the nerves rattling through her.
All the same, her mind recoiled. She hastily reminded herself she’d just broken up with Josh. “Please don’t” was all she could manage.
The corner of Sawyer’s mouth curved. “I’m not stopping you from backing away from me. If you don’t want me close, move.”
He clearly didn’t intend to step away—she could tell from his knowing smile. She couldn’t, either. My God, she wanted him. Right now. Right in his little sister’s condo. But that little voice in her head, though it was growing weaker by the moment, reminded her that strong and smart women didn’t jump into bed with someone the day after breaking up with a long-term boyfriend.
The satisfaction in his eyes deepened when she remained still. “There’s something here,” he murmured in a voice as soft as silk. “I feel it. You feel it. Why ignore it?”
“I broke up with Josh yesterday,” she reminded him.
“So you keep telling me.” Frustration appeared in his eyes. “Since you seem so determined to keep talking about your ex, then tell me, why did you break up?”
Her cheeks burned with embarrassment. There was no way she was going to tell him.
His eyes began to twinkle. “Because of me? Because of this peculiar-but-ever-so-interesting connection between us?”
She swallowed the lump in her throat. “I’ve never…”
“Felt something so intense? So unexplainable? So tempting? Neither have I.”
Then he kissed her, and she couldn’t remember the reason she didn’t want him kissing her. She only wanted him kissing her.
He moved his hands to caress her shoulders, holding her in place as his tongue invaded her mouth. He pressed his body against hers, as if daring her not to realize how incredible it felt to have his body right up against hers. He set every inch of her on fire.
Jesus. H. Christ, did she realize it.
And she wanted more.