Page 59 of Her Elusive Cowboy Billionaire

The three men entered the apartment.

Meri was in the kitchen with a glass of wine in her hand.

He noticed her hand was shaking in the aftermath of killing a man.Chase walked over, took her glass, and set it on the counter.Then he took her in his arms.He knew what she was feeling.He still felt that way if he had to kill someone.“Let’s go back to the table and wait for them.You look like you’re about to collapse on your feet.Thank you, by the way.You saved my life.If you hadn’t taken that shot, we would be lying on the floor dead now instead of him.You know, I expected him to come, but not so quickly and not in disguise.”

She nodded.“I know, and that helps a little.”

They sat for a moment, each lost in their own thoughts, until Chase reached over and took her hand.“I want to go to the ranch now, as soon as we can.How do you feel about that?”

She squeezed his hand.The shaking had finally stopped and the tension in her shoulders and back was less.“I’d like that very much.I want to leave all this behind and concentrate on something besides fearing for my life.”

“Good.As soon as we finish with the police, we’ll leave.Do you have a bag packed?”

“Yes.I had never unpacked when we came here.How quickly can we leave?”

He chuckled.His eyes softened as he cupped her face.“Sweetheart, I own my plane.We can leave whenever we want.”

Her eyes widened.“That’s great.I’ve never been on a private plane before.”

“The first time is the best.You get to find out where everything is.Once you start using it for business, like I do, it loses its appeal as anything but another office.”

“Will you have to work while we’re gone?”

He shook his head and gently squeezed her hand.“No, I’m making sure I won’t.This will be a real vacation for me…for us, the first I’ve taken in years with absolutely no work.Oh, I’ve been to the ranch many times over the years, but I have always worked.This time, it truly is just for fun.”He continued to hold her hand, but now he was making circles with his thumb on the underside of her wrist.

Little jolts of electricity traveled through him as he made the movements.The more he moved on her skin, the more intense the feeling.He needed her with him, but more than that, he wanted her with him, like he’d wanted no one before, including Paige.He’d kept putting Paige off when she talked about a date for the wedding.Now he thought he knew why.He’d been waiting for Meri.He’d marry her tomorrow, if she would agree.

He hated the thought of a dead man in her foyer, and knew it upset her, but what was he supposed to do about it?Taking another sip of wine, he swallowed.He observed how the act of drinking the wine had an unexpectedly calming effect on her, which was necessary for her at that moment.

He would do his best to give her calm, regardless of Marco’s body.It was the best he could do for now.