Free Drawn To You (Paloma's Edge) by Robin Shaw Page A

know about?” I saw the protective side that made guys stay away from his sister Bri come out. He wouldn’t tolerate any guy treating a girl badly without avenging it any way he knew how, short of violence, and I knew that about him from day one.
    “I am about to find out. Was Rylan with Beth most of the time tonight from what you saw?”
    He s quared his shoulders. “Rylan danced for half a song with Maude and some other girl before he was with Bethany.”
    I nodded. “Thanks for the assist.”
    “Anytime.”

Chapter 5
     
    Bethany
     
    I thought that I heard someone knocking on my door last night. When I had finally put on my nightgown, no one had been there. I must have been disoriented from not getting a good night’s sleep for the past few days.
    I jolted at the soft knock and movement of the doorknob. I couldn’t have been going crazy this time. When I opened the door, Chase was standing in front of me in a white t-shirt, pressed black pants, and shoes. It didn’t occur to me that we should talk on more neutral ground. I already trusted him and I couldn’t explain why and it scared me a little. Anticipation coiled low in my belly.
    Chase’s hands landed on my shoulders. The force of his touch made my back lean onto the door, shutting it closed. A faint line m arred his brows as he studied me. Greeting him with an open smile, his features smoothed out.
    “I knocked on your door last night.”
    At the party, Cassidy had asked me if I’d be al l right if Rylan drove me here. Since I hadn’t wanted to ruin her night, I had told her that it was cool.
    “By the time I got up, I didn’t see anyone.”
    Sighing deeply, I watched as his beautiful hazel eyes swept over my collarbone and drifted down towards my breasts and back to my face hungrily. I never wanted that look to go away.
    “I knocked for twenty minutes. I didn’t know if you’d fallen asleep or if you were ignoring me.
    Shaking my head “no,” I moved away from the door and sank down on the end of my bed. He joined me. His arm touched mine, the scent of soap and a light aftershave washed over me.
    “Did anything happen last night?”
    I frowned at his question. “Not at all.”
    He blew out a sigh of relief. “Take out your cell phone and put in your password.” His tone was gentle and commanding at the same time.
    I retrieved my phone from the side pocket of my nightgown and handed it to him after I unlocked it.
    Smiling, I watched as he entered his number into my phone. I heard chirruping and realized that he called himself from my phone.
    “Nice ringtone.”
    “Don’t worry. You’re gonna have a better ringtone than that.” He chuckled and stood up. “We need to be able to get ahold of each other. I forgot to exchange numbers with you yesterday. I put in Pierce’s and Nancy’s numbers too.”
    I tilted my head in agreement. Being alone with Chase in my guestroom was like sampling a treat instead of consuming it in one bite. He stroked his knuckles along my jaw and his voice softened. “I gotta go to work. I’ll see you later, though, okay?”
    I shivered and he dropped his hand from my face. Chase had the firmest ass I’d ever seen. And that was the only positive about his departure. Was any part of him not firm?
     
    ***
     
    Later in the day, I unpacked all of my clothes and put them in the closet and drawers. I decided to go for a walk to familiarize myself with the area. It was the kind of beach town I could see myself living in when I graduated and had a job. As I walked, I saw some small stores I recognized from the drive with Chase yesterday. Some guys I remembered from the party said hello to me. Among them was a guy named Gavin.
    As I checked my phone for the time, Mariska’s photo popped up. I’d left her a voicemail after I ’d showered, which was very early in the morning. I didn’t know what her work schedule would be like today.
    “ I didn’t mean to wake you up. Just wanted to tell you that I miss