The Look of Love (The Sullivans #1)(64)

She turned her gaze to him as he pulled her into his arms. “Chloe, sweetheart. He hit you. Again.”

But she didn’t care about her own face, not when she could still hear the shockingly loud crunching of bones smashing together each time Chase had nailed Dean with his fist.

“Please tell me you didn’t hurt your hand.”

“I’m made of steel, not marshmallows, remember?” he said with a small smile. “It’s going to take more than a few punches to hurt my knuckles.” She could feel the anger, the fear for her safety, radiating off him. “Bloody hands are well worth the satisfaction of making sure he never comes near you again.”

She knew Chase wanted to do more damage to Dean to make up for what her ex-husband had done to her—not just the bruise on her cheek, but for years of controlling her...and not loving her right.

Chloe pulled both of Chase’s hands into hers and held them over her heart. “You said you would do anything for me.”

“Anything,” he confirmed.

“He isn’t worth it. He isn’t worth any more of your anger. He isn’t worth hurting your hands on his hard head when you need those fingers and knuckles working perfectly so that you can take your beautiful pictures. I want you to let the police take it from here.”

A loud frustrated breath whooshed out of Chase’s beautiful mouth. “It’s going to kill me to let him walk away, Chloe. To know that he’s hurt you and hasn’t paid for it.”

“But you will, won’t you? You’ll walk away. For me.”

She watched him battle within himself, loving him even more for the way he wanted to take care of her.

Finally, he said what she’d known he would: “Anything, sweetheart. I’d do anything for you.”

She went on her toes so that her mouth was a breath from his. “I know. And I’ll do anything for you.” She pressed her lips to his, then whispered, “Everything.”

A few seconds later, she took the cell phone he handed her and called the police, telling them to come right away. And although she wouldn’t let Chase tear Dean apart the way he clearly wanted to, she had no issues whatsoever with letting him tie her ex up with some heavy-duty rope. Tight enough that Dean came to.

Ignoring his groans, Chloe and Chase moved to the porch, where they kept an eye on him while they waited for the cops to arrive. She knew he didn’t want to leave her for more than a few seconds and he zipped into the kitchen for ice faster than should have been humanly possible.

Pulling her onto his lap, he held the ice to her cheek just as he had that first night she’d met him, and softly said, “I’m so sorry, Chloe. I should have been out there with you.”

“It’s not your fault that he came after me here. Just like you said earlier, neither of us could have known what he was going to do next. But I’m pretty sure he won’t hurt me again.”

“No,” Chase said in a low voice, “he won’t. Do you know why?”

“Because he'd like to keep the teeth you left him with. And once he finds out there are five more sets of fists like yours...”

“You’re right. He’s scared senseless. But not because of what I did, not because of what I said.”

“What do you mean?”

He smiled at her, a smile so filled with love—and respect—that it took her breath away. “The reason he won’t hurt you again, sweetheart, is because you had him. You didn’t need me to hit him to make sure he didn’t come at you again. You had already won the battle. The scissors were genius. And perfectly aimed.” He looked a little sheepish. “You didn’t need me to get in the middle of it all—I just couldn’t help myself. Not when I’ve been wanting to get at him all week.”

Chloe didn’t care that grinning hurt her newly bruised jaw. She couldn’t have held her smile back for anything. Chase believed in her.

He wasn’t the only one. She finally believed in herself, too.

“You know what I’ve realized this week?”

“That I’m a sex god.”

The laughter that rippled through her felt like it was washing all the hurt, all the pain away.

“Yes, Hotstuff, you are definitely a sex god. But also, I’ve realized that I like being a team. With you.”

She’d wasn’t sure she’d ever seen Chase look happier, not even when she’d told him she’d fallen in love with him.

And she was just as happy. Because she hadn’t just been looking for warmth her whole life…she’d been looking to be part of something bigger than just herself, too.

A family. She wanted to know she was part of a family that loved her, no matter what.

Always.

Forever.

Just then the sirens blared through the Sullivan Winery gates. Chloe spoke with the police officers and watched them put her ex-husband into the backseat of one of their vehicles.

“How are you feeling, sweetheart?”

Chase hadn’t let go of her hand for one single second and as the police cars drove away, she turned into his arms and rested her head against his broad chest.

“I’m a little sad,” she admitted. “All those years...I keep trying to tell myself none of them were wasted.” She lifted her face to look into his beautiful eyes. “They led me to you, Chase.”