Free Wicked Ties (Steele Security Series) by A.D. Justice

the internet.  I had to get a friend to hack into some servers and pull their restore files from a few weeks back to retrieve the information,” Shadow explained gravely.
    “What about Aura?  What did they say about her?  Did they find her missing persons report?” Chaise asked excitedly.
    “There’s no record of an Aura Perez—not at the college, not at Viboro, and not anywhere online.  There’s no missing persons report—not even one that’s been deleted like the other girls.  Either she never existed or she gave you a fake name,” Shadow answered.
    Bull watched Chaise’s reaction to the information Shadow had obtained about Aura.  She sat down hard on the sofa, confusion engraved in her face, looking around but seemingly not seeing anything in particular, then the tears started flowing uncontrollably.  Before he realized it, Bull was at her side, wrapping his arm around her shoulders, and pulling her into him to console her.
    “I don’t understand wh a t’s happening,” Chaise cried into Bull’s chest.  “She was my intern.  Her mom was so distraught.  Nothing makes sense!”
    Bull tightened his hold on her, lightly rubbing her back as he lowered his voice to speak softly to her.  “We’ve just started, Chaise.  Don’t give up hope yet.”
    When she wrapped her arm around his waist and hugged him tight, Bull was astonished at how right it felt to hold her in his arms.  She fit perfectly against him, her soft but muscular body pressed to his as if she were cast from a mold that was meant only for him.  The soft, sweet scent of her perfume enveloped him with her every movement. 
    Her soft cries into his chest propelled his protective instincts to new heights.  She was his keep now and he would see things through to the end. Strange thoughts permeated his mind—thoughts of wanting her to still be around at the end of the case, to stay with him and make whatever attraction that lingered between them become a living, breathing thing.  Whether its breath held fire or ice was yet to be determined.
    Chaise’s body became rigid when she realized she was wrapped around Bull and she was holding onto him tightly.  Fearing she had far overstepped her bounds, she tentatively pulled away from the safety of his comfortable embrace to look into his eyes.  Both afraid and anxious to see what message they conveyed to her, she held her breath as their eyes finally met.  In them, she saw desire and compassion—not the cold, unfeeling detachment she was certain she’d find.  Her heart melted at the sight, and without conscious thought, her hand slowly drifted to his jaw line.
    “Thank you, Colton,” she whispered, “so much.”
    Without speaking the actual words, they both knew her appreciation was not only for how he consoled her or his oath of not giving up.  No, they both knew the unspoken gratitude was also for the trust he was giving her—the chance that Bull rarely gave those he didn’t know and never gave to those who hadn’t fully earned it.  He was taken an unheard of chance with Chaise and her outrageous story.
    Their faces were so close ; their warm, sweet breath coated each other’s faces and their lips were almost close enough to touch.  Had they been alone, Chaise knew she would make the first move, certain that Colton would not do so while he was on the job.  She was thankful for the support that Shadow and Rebel were providing in researching the information she obtained, but she wished with all her might that they would suddenly disappear from the room. 
    They at least did have the good manners to keep their backs turned to them while they reluctantly unfolded from their embrace.  Once they were again upright on the couch, Shadow and Rebel gathered their possessions, telling Bull and Chaise they would soon be in touch again, and Bull walked them out.  Chaise took a moment to use the restroom and try to get herself under control.
    As she entered the den, Bull was returning