What Chris Wants Read Free Page A

but heard himself say, “There’s no point.”
    Thoughtful, all too introspective, Molly eased back into her own seat. “No? How come?”
    “Matt doesn’t know what I do.” He downed the juice in one long gulp, and then went to the sink to rinse the glass. “He thinks I’m an errand boy.” Smirking, Chris said, “And I suppose that’s the simplest explanation.”
    “You’re so much more than that!”
    “Yeah, I know.” He wasn’t insecure in the least about his value. But that wasn’t the point.
    “So tell Matt,” she insisted.
    Hands braced on either side of the sink, Chris dropped his head forward with a laugh. “That’d mean also telling him what Dare does.”
    “Oh.”
    He turned to face her. “And what Trace, Jackson and Spencer do.”
    Molly frowned. “But doesn’t he already know some of it?”
    Yeah, Matt knew enough to be cautious, and to play deaf, dumb and blind when necessary. Out of necessity, Matt had been brought to Dare’s house to give Priss a makeover—by order of a scumbag human trafficker. Both Priss and Trace had been undercover at the same time, Priss as the trafficker’s long-lost daughter, Trace as his number-one bodyguard. To maintain their cover, they’d had to follow directions to polish Priss up…for a sale.
    Trace couldn’t risk taking her to the usual sources for that, and Chris trusted Matt—as far as it went. Matt had been to the house before that, but only to swim, hang out.
    And visit Chris.
    Matt wasn’t a dummy. He’d met Dare, and he’d been through the complicated and detailed process of gaining entrance to the property. He had to know that secretive shit went on, but he had enough sense not to dig.
    Unfortunately, the more he was around, the more he’d see and hear. The more he’d understand.
    The more he’d want to know.
    Chris leaned back on the counter. Unlike Priss and Arizona, who’d demanded active roles in the organization, Molly and Alani could both be endearingly nonchalant about the inherent danger involved.
    They weren’t reckless, and they never risked talking to the wrong people. But they did have a knack for normalizing the very unique career paths their husbands had chosen.
    “He knows enough not to pry.” Chris leveled a censuring look at her. “And you should know that any and all details of Dare’s enterprise are top secret. I would never risk security by saying too much.”
    She winced. “I guess that could be an issue for any relationship.”
    An issue. “Yeah.” Definitely an issue. Before Molly could get worked up about it, Chris pushed away. “I have a million things to get done today, starting with some computer work for Trace and Priss. Then I have calls to make and appointments to set. But after all that I’ll head to the store, so if you think of anything you need, add it to the list on the fridge.” As he walked out, he mussed her already-messy hair more.
    “Chris?”
    Dread stalled him. Without facing her, he said, “Hmm?”
    “I love you.”
    Nice. He smiled over his shoulder. “Back atcha.”
    * * *
    After simmering off and on for much of the afternoon, Matt finally called it a day. Now, on his way to the lake, he tried not to second-guess his decision to confront Chris.
    He was not a needy person, damn it, not a man who begged for company. But he needed resolution.
    Chris was one of those guys that everyone loved. He made people laugh. He listened when others talked. He was relaxed, casual and smart. Chris had a wide range of friends, from football players to doctors, landscapers to dancers…
    And Matt, a salon stylist. A damn good salon stylist , if he said so himself.
    From the beginning, they’d shared a sexual attraction. He’d stayed over with Chris before, and each time had been better than the last—and more addictive.
    Each time, he lost a little more of his heart and became more convinced that Chris was “the one.” But did Chris feel the same?
    Last night had been extraordinary, sexy and