by Rita Herron
He stuffed his arms in his shirt and tried to zip them.
"Chase?" Lance yelled.
"Maddie?" Reid called.
His damn zipper was stuck! Maddie noticed him tugging and reached down to help him, but her hand brushed his fledging erection, stirring it to life again. He swelled against his fly just as she tried to zip his pants.
Owww!
Maddie stifled his groan by planting her mouth over his with a firm kiss.
He doubled over as far as he could inside the tiny space, but pain shot through his back, his head connected with Maddie's breasts, and his mind turned traitorous again, conjuring images of naughty things they could do in the closet, with Maddie's brothers right upstairs. Of course, first he had to get his sex uncaught from his zipper.
Maddie's brothers were right upstairs! He must be losing his mind!
The footsteps grew closer, louder, hit the creaking steps, then grew softer on the carpet.
"Where do you suppose they are?" Lance muttered from near the doorway.
"Beats me," Reid replied. "I don't get it. Both their cars are out front."
"Maybe they took a walk around the property."
Maddie massaged Chase's aching sex, only adding to the problem. He pushed her hand away, willing his manhood to go down and his body to stop screaming in pain and arousal.
"Let's see if they walked down by the river," Lance suggested.
"Good idea. They're probably surveying the property line."
He should have been surveying the property, Chase thought in remorse. Not surveying every inch of Maddie's body.
Finally, the stairs creaked as Lance and Reid walked up the steps. Chase said a quick thank-you to the man above, then cursed himself for his foolishness. As soon as the boys left, he would have to explain things to Maddie, end this crazy affair.
"I'm sorry, Chase. Are you all right?" Maddie whispered.
The concern in her voice only heightened his arousal. Grinning like a she-devil, she dropped to her knees, whispered an erotic promise that sent a shudder through him, then placed her mouth above his swollen shaft and licked the tip. His knees almost buckled.
"Let me kiss it and make it all better," Maddie whispered.
Chase shook his head no, but Maddie's hot mouth closed around him, and he lost his voice. Unable to fight the temptress Maddie had become, he shut his eyes and gave in, momentarily forgetting his guilt and the snagged zipper as Maddie replaced the pain with sweet oblivion.
Chapter 22
He was out of control, Maddie was out of control, everything was freaking, completely out of control.
"Stay here, Maddie. I'll go head the guys off by the river."
"No, let me come with you, we'll explain—"
"No." Chase grabbed her hand, forcing her to look at him. "Not now." He indicated their disheveled state of dress, then brushed his fingers tenderly along Maddie's whisker-burned cheek. "I'll tell them but... not like this, Maddie."
She stared at him long and hard, questions and uncertainty in her eyes. Chase felt like the worst kind of lowlife, torn between hurting Maddie and losing his best friends' friendship. Still, if or when he did tell the guys, he didn't want to confess with the scent of his sex still lingering on Maddie's body as if he'd intentionally seduced her to throw the affair in their faces.
He suddenly felt sick to his stomach. "Please, let me handle this," he said gruffly.
She finally nodded, then reached up to gently trace a finger over his lips. "All right, Chase. We'll do it your way."
The trust he saw in her expression only compounded his turmoil.
He'd already broken her brothers' trust—could he do the same to Maddie?
With a sigh of contentment, she reached up and kissed him on the mouth, then patted his butt and smiled. "Go on now before they come back. I'll slip out the front."
His stomach churning, his back throbbing, he nodded and hurried away, slipping out of the back basement door and scooting through the woods. Seconds later, he jammed his hands in his pockets and ambled up the path toward Chase and Reid.
"Hey, we were looking for you," Lance said, waving him over to the clearing.
Reid leaned beneath a maple tree. "Where's Maddie? We figured you two were down here together?"
If they only knew how together, they'd have a fit.
"We were." His throat burned with the lie and he could barely stand up straight for his backache. "I was showing Maddie the property, but she had an appointment and headed back. I guess you just missed her on the trail."
Lance narrowed his eyes, studying him. "You all right, Chase? You look kind of funny." Lance's gaze dropped to his pocket. Chase glanced down guiltily, grimacing when he noticed the edge of Maddie's bra peeking out from his pocket.
"Well, you must be feeling better," Lance said with a chuckle. "Daphne again?"
Chase nodded, mumbling that he was fine, the lies and guilt growing. He couldn't even use the pain pills as an excuse for his crazy behavior today.
And no, he wasn't all right. And he wasn't sure he would be ever again.
* * *
After changing her clothes, Maddie hurried toward town, remembering she'd promised Cynthia, Jeff's coworker, she'd meet her at her new town house today for a consultation, worry nagging her. Had Chase been slightly distant when he'd left? Was he mentally withdrawing from her?
Or had her imagination been going wild?
He had said he'd handle things, right—meaning he would tell Reid and Lance about the two of them?
Would he tell them the sex had been cataclysmic?
It certainly had been to Maddie. Euphoric beyond anything she'd ever dreamed. Passionate, hot, exciting. Even their first kisses had been full of fire and erotic promises.
Nothing like the humdrum kisses she'd shared with Jeff.
Of course, now she realized the reason why. She'd never been in love with Jeff, not the wild, have-to-have-you sexy kind of love she felt with Chase. Not that her feelings were all about sex; she admired Chase. He was a self-made man, a talented architect, and he'd risen above a rotten childhood to make something out of himself, had overcome obstacles Jeffrey Oglethorpe knew nothing about. Roses and candy be damned.
Chalking her worries up to anxiety over the coming tour, she parked in front of Cynthia's house, killed the engine and grabbed her notepad.
Cynthia greeted her with a glass of sweet iced tea and a plate of sandwiches.
"Thanks, what a relief. I'm starved," Maddie admitted.
"I'm so glad you agreed to help me," Cynthia said, brushing a wrinkle from her pale green suit. "I'm not very good with colors but I do so want to have a nice place."
"Hoping to impress someone?" Maddie teased.
Cynthia blushed. "Well..."
"You don't have to answer that." Maddie said, snatching a sandwich. "Just tell me what you have in mind, and we'll go from there."
They spent the next twenty minutes chatting about Cynthia's likes and dislikes while they ate. During the conversation, Maddie learned Cynthia was the daughter of an orthodontist from Raleigh, had recently ended a bad relationship where her boyfriend had actually stolen most of her furniture and she had dreams of becoming president of her own company someday. Maddie liked her.
She drained her tea and placed the glass on the small glass-topped kitchen table. "Okay, so you want something elegant and modern but not so outlandish and pricey that your place doesn't feel homey?"
"That sounds vague, doesn't it?" Cynthia asked, looking unsure of herself.
Maddie patted her hand. "Don't worry. I think I know what you mean." She studied the small living space and began to sketch a few ideas, asking questions as she drew.
"If you go with a neutral palette, you can always add splashes of color in the accessories to liven up the place. What kind of art do you like?"
An hour later, Maddie had outlined several ideas, and Cynthia had narrowed her selections down to two choices. She wanted to think about them overn
ight.
"You know, you're really easy to talk to," Cynthia said. "I'm glad Jeff... I mean Mr. Oglethorpe recommended you to me."
Maddie folded up her sketchpad. "Cynthia, is Jeff one of the people you want to impress?"
The young brunette fluttered a manicured hand over her chest. "Maddie, I'm sorry, this is awkward, isn't it? I know the two of you were involved—"
"Don't worry about that," Maddie said, waving her off. She ignored the fact that Jeff still seemed to be pursuing her. Chase was the only man for her. And she wanted Jeff to find someone who would really love him. "If you like Jeff, then go for it, Cynthia. Just because he and I didn't work out doesn't mean I don't want to see him happy."
Cynthia's light blue eyes twinkled with surprise. "You really mean that?"
"Absolutely. As a matter of fact I'm kind of involved with someone else myself."
"Really? Who?"
"This guy I work with."
"That handsome man you were with at the restaurant?"
"Yes, things are pretty hot with us right now." Maddie's face heated as she remembered her earlier encounter with Chase in the exercise room.
"Oh, wow," Cynthia said. "He was buff. I bet he knows how to please a woman."
"He sure does," Maddie said with a laugh, deciding she'd better not say too much. Suddenly anxious to see Chase again and find out how her brothers had taken the news of their relationship, she stood and thanked Cynthia for lunch, promising to bring back full-color sketches when Cynthia called with her decision on the fabrics.
As she drove back toward the subdivision, Maddie found herself smiling like a schoolgirl. While she and Cynthia discussed window treatments and furniture, she hoped Chase had been explaining to her brothers the wonderful bond the two of them shared. Lance and Reid might be upset at first, but then... they'd understand. They'd have to.
Chase would make certain they did.
They'd probably even be happy for her since they loved Chase so much.
Memories of that stupid bachelor pact rose in Maddie's mind to taunt her, threatening to destroy her hope, but she shoved her reservations aside. Surely after their wild coupling today, Chase would have to tear up that stupid piece of paper, too, and admit he cared about her. Maybe even that he loved her.
* * *
Reid's beeper chirped. He glanced at the number and frowned. Knobby Smaltz. What had the P.I. discovered?
Only one way to find out.
He made a token excuse to Lance, saying he had to meet with a plumbing subcontractor and hurried toward his truck. The radio blared an old country-and-western tune "Crazy," as he drove a safe distance from the complex, veered down an old dirt road by the inlet and parked in the shade of a live oak dripping with Spanish moss. What better place to hide while he carried on his clandestine conversation. What better song to indicate how this whole thing with his father made him feel. Crazy.
He hated all this lying and sneaking around.
How had his father handled it? Had their mother known the secrets his father had harbored?
And what if Knobby had discovered another Summers, one who wanted to meet them, to be part of the family.
No, he wouldn't allow the situation to come to that.
If Knobby had discovered someone, Reid would find them and head them off before Lance or Maddie ever had to know.
Gripping the phone with sweaty hands, he punched in Knobby's cell phone number and waited. Seconds later, the man's rough-hewn voice echoed over the line.
"It's Summers. What do you have?"
Knobby wheezed through the phone. "The nurse at the hospital said there have been several inquiries, all anonymous. But one of the calls was a repeat, a woman."
"And?"
"And she's not at liberty to give out any information regarding your father."
"That's a relief."
"Don't relax too soon."
A bad feeling twisted Reid's stomach. "Why not?"
Knobby's rusty breath rattled over the line. "There may be a hitch here."
"Go on."
"Someone broke into the files about a month ago."
"Shit."
"She isn't sure what the person was looking for."
"Were any files taken?"
"No, but the intruder could have photocopied files." Knobby whistled through his teeth. "Looks like the kind of thing that could mean trouble. I guess you'll just have to wait and see."
Several minutes later, Reid dropped his face into his hands and groaned. He had to think.
The first step. He'd ask Knobby to find out if his father had any accounts set aside that they didn't know about. Maybe his dad had taken precautions or set up some kind of fund in case this... these others ever came back to haunt him.
He thought of his and Lance's fledgling business and silently cursed a blue streak—they were finally so close to making a success of their company.
Surely, his father had anticipated problems and set up accounts for emergency's sake. If not, he... he didn't know what he was going to do.
He racked his brain to remember if there'd been any strangers lurking around asking questions about the family lately. Suspicions gnawed at him—the only person he could think of was that TV talk-show host that had invited his brother over for dinner. Lance had said she'd been asking him about the family, that he didn't trust her, that she liked to sneak into other people's lives for a story.
And Knobby had said the repeat caller had been a woman. Could the caller have been Sophie Lane? If so, was she after a story or something else?
* * *
After getting away from Lance and Reid, Chase spent the afternoon and evening locked in his office, drawing up blueprints for a new colonial home he hoped to add to the next phase of development. He avoided calling Maddie. He also avoided her calls.
Only two more days until the tour. If he could wait until the tour was over, he could break the news to Maddie calmly, reasoning that close working conditions had prompted their affair and that they would no longer be working together, so it would seem natural to end their... their physical relationship.
Sex, lust—that was all their relationship was anyway. He did not, was not, could not be in love... with anyone. After all, this wasn't the dark ages. Just because he'd taken Maddie's virginity didn't mean he had to marry her or fall in love with her. She hadn't mentioned commitment or love; in fact, she'd been adamant about dating different guys. And as far as falling in love; well, what did he know about the emotion, except that it was another four letter word? He'd never had it from the people who should have loved him. Maddie knew he would make a sorry excuse for a husband.
But then again, she had chosen him as her first, and he did feel territorial. She was his, no one else's but his. She never had been, and she never would be.... Besides, wasn't she really the first woman he'd felt... emotionally involved with during sex?
No, eventually this emotional connection would dissipate, and he'd go on to someone else and so would she. They'd both be grateful they hadn't complicated things by telling Lance and Reid.
He only felt an emotional attachment to Maddie, because he'd known her so long, and because of this insufferable guilt. Yes, Maddie would find some nice guy and settle down one day.
As long as that guy wasn't the wuss.
A thick burning sensation rose in his throat as the image of Maddie with Oglethorpe or any other man passed through his brain. He balled his hands into fists and pressed one over his chest, reminding himself not to eat that spicy Creole again. On top of everything else, the damn woman had given him heartburn.
The phone trilled, and he glanced at the caller ID, breathing a sigh of relief when he noticed the number didn't belong to Maddie.
His relief was short-lived when he answered. A disgruntled-sounding client's voice echoed on the line. "Listen, Mr. Holloway, I'm going to have to tear up that contract."
Dammit, more trouble. "That's within your rights and the grace period," Chase said, fighting the ed
ge to his voice, "but do you mind telling me why you changed your mind? The other day you seemed impressed with my work and the Summers developers—"
"Money," the man admitted in a sheepish voice. "I can't possibly stick with you when I was promised a lower interest rate if I go with another developer—"
"A lower interest rate?"
"Yeah, it'll save me thousands of dollars."
"Who offered you the better deal?"
"The Savings and Loan. I just finished speaking with the manager, and he promised to take care of me personally."
"Martin Middlemyer?"
"No, that nice Mr. Oglethorpe."
That sneaky, weaselly wuss! Anger churned in Chase's stomach. "Oglethorpe promised you a lower interest rate if you signed with another developer?"
"Right. Well, thanks for understanding."
The man hung up, and Chase pounded his fist on the desk, a sudden uneasy feeling rolling through him. He'd been suspicious of Oglethorpe before. If the wuss had promised this man lower interest rates, had he offered the same deal to the other three clients who'd reneged on their contracts? And what about the contractors? Oglethorpe and his family had connections all over town. Had he also cut a deal with them?
Furious, he fumbled through his rolodex, grabbed the phone, and punched in the number for the Savings and Loan. It was about time he had a little talk with Jeffrey Oglethorpe, the back stabber. And he wouldn't leave his office until he had some answers.
Chapter 23
Maddie tucked her feet beneath her bottom in the chair and glanced at the door for the hundredth time. She'd been expecting Lance and Reid to call or stop by all night, especially if Chase had told them the truth about the two of them, but she hadn't heard a peep from any of them. Including Chase.
Had Chase confessed? Had the boys beaten the sense out of him? Were they laughing over the fact that the two of them had finally gotten together, deciding it had been destiny?
So, why hadn't she heard something, anything?
Determined not to be paranoid, she shrugged off the anxiety knotting her insides. Maybe the boys had accepted the news easily and were busy finishing up last-minute plans for the tour.