by J. Lynn
Beside him, Maddie relaxed a fraction. “I know. I’m really happy for him. He deserves this, right? He’s so nice that any other girl would take advantage of that.”
“He does.” Chase’s gaze flickered off the road. She was staring at him still, and he hated that the sunglasses blocked her eyes. He had no idea what the little terror was thinking behind those dark shades. “Lissa’s a good girl. She’ll do right by Mitch.”
Maddie sucked her lower lip in and then said, “Mitch will do right by her.”
A small smile tugged at his lips. “That is true. Though, marrying? Never thought I’d see the day when he settled down.”
“I really don’t want to hear about his escapades.” She ran a hand over her hair, smoothing the few loose strands that had escaped her chignon. “I haven’t eaten yet.”
“Would a full stomach be better?”
She snorted.
“Remember that girl he was dating his sophomore year in college?”
Her eyes went wide, and his grin spread. “Oh, God—the one who actually started naming their kids on the first date?” she said, laughing. “What was her name?”
“Linda Bullock.”
“Yes!” She popped up in her seat. “She had Mitch scared to death, calling him at all hours of the night. He got so mad when you told me about her.”
“She camped outside our dorm after one date.” Chase shook his head. “Pretty girl, but man, she was crazy.”
They were coming up on the vineyards quickly. Before he knew it, Maddie would be surrounded by those who loved and cared for her, and he’d be back with his brothers, watching them troll the guest list for the ladies.
As if she were reading his thoughts, she glanced at him. “I bet you and your brothers couldn’t be happier.”
“Why is that?”
Her lips formed a tight smile. “It’s a wedding, which means easy pickings.”
“Are you saying I need easy pickings?”
“Maybe.”
He chuckled and said, “I think you know better than that.”
A red blush stained her cheeks under the sunglasses. Seeing her face flame attractively was almost worth going there with her, rehashing memories that needed to stay memories.
“Okay,” she said. “You don’t need easy pickings. I’m not saying that.”
“Then what are you saying, Maddie?”
Frustration rolled off her as she ran her hand across the buttery leather of the car seats in long, languid strokes that made his dick twitch. “Lissa has a lot of pretty friends. Not the Banks twins, but still.”
Chase nodded and then reached up for the sun visor, pulling out his own sunglasses. “She does.”
“So, like I said, you and your brothers are going to have fun.”
“Maybe.” He reached across the seat, tapping his fingers off her forearm to get her attention and point out the long rows of grape vines slicing through the valley on his left. Immediately, she jerked back, and he raised his brows, kind of offended. “Touchy?”
“No. Sorry. Too much caffeine.”
Then it struck him. Sometimes Chase forgot that their relationship wasn’t like it used to be, and damn if that didn’t suck.
She cleared her throat. “So, when are you guys going to get married?”
Chase barked with stilted laughter. “Good God, Maddie.”
“What?” Her frown pulled the corners of her lips down. “It’s not an insane question. You all are getting up there in age.”
Shaking his head, he laughed again. He was twenty-eight, not an old man. Chad, his middle brother, was thirty, and his oldest brother, Chandler, was thirty-one. None of them approached marriage with open arms. Not after seeing what it did to their parents. Or, in reality, what his father did to his mother. It was why the three of them had practically grown up in the Daniels’ household.
Maddie leaned across the seat, punching him in the thigh with a little fist. “Stop laughing at me, jerk.”
“I can’t help it. You’re funny.”
“Whatever.”
Grinning, he took the next left to the private road leading up to the vineyard. “I don’t know about marriage, Maddie. You know what they say about us.”
“Who’s going to take a risk on the Gamble boys? Or take a ‘gamble’ on the Gamble boys.” She gave a small shake of her head. “We aren’t in high school or college anymore, Chase.”
His gaze drifted from the sleek line of her thigh, up to where the buttons of her blouse parted, revealing a tantalizing swell of breast.
“Yeah,” he said, focusing on the road. His knuckles ached from how tightly he was gripping the stick shift. “We’re definitely not in school anymore.”
There was a quick grin before she turned back to her window, appearing to soak in the rolling hills, but then she had to go there. “You’re not like your father, Chase.”
“You of all people should know that I’m exactly like my father,” he snapped back, voice harder than he’d intended.
Maddie’s gaze swung back to him, her cheeks paling and then flushing. Her mouth opened, but she clamped it shut and turned back to the window.
He groaned. “Shit, Maddie, I didn’t mean it like—”
“It’s fine. Whatever.”
Fine and whatever were words he knew were code for pissed off. They were the same words his mother had used time and time again when his father didn’t come home at night or disappeared on an unexpected business trip.
Chase cursed again.
Driving up the winding road, he fought the urge to apologize. It was better this way. For several years, Maddie had been nothing more than Mitch’s kid sister. Yeah, he was protective of her, but that was a given. That one night, so many years ago, had mucked up things between them forever. And if Chase knew anything, he knew there were no do-overs.
Just like there had been no do-overs for his parents.
…
On the way into the main lodge, Madison did her best not to stare at Chase, not to get drawn into that swagger of his, fall into the web he had no idea he was weaving just by being next to her. So she stared straight ahead and ignored him.
An elderly couple inched their way down the pathway, their hands joined together tightly. The looks they shared were so full of love that Madison felt a pang of envy. That was the kind of love she had dreamed of as a little girl—love that didn’t dull after the decades but only grew stronger.
The woman’s thick-soled shoes slipped on one of the pebbles. Her husband easily caught her arm, but her purse dropped off her other arm, spilling the contents along the white stones.
Madison rushed forward, kneeling down as she quickly scooped up the lady’s belongings.
“Oh, thank you, dear,” the old woman crooned. “I’m getting terribly clumsily in my old age.”
“It’s no problem.” Madison smiled, handing the purse back. “Have a nice day.”
Returning to Chase’s side, she found him smiling at her. Not a full smile that showed off those dimples, but a small, private one. “What?”
“Nothing,” he said with a slight shake of his head.
The moment Madison stepped inside the cozy atrium of Belle’s Vineyard, her family attacked her. Bone-breaking hugs were given by first cousins, second cousins, a few people she didn’t even recognize, and an uncle. Hugs that lifted her clear off her feet and left her a little dizzy.
But when she saw her brother beyond the atrium, standing before several long tables covered in white linen, a wide smile broke out across her face and she took off.
Mitch was tall, like their father, and his brown hair was clipped close to his skull. With his all-American good looks and sweet disposition, he usually had a legion of women swooning at his feet. Many of them included her friends. The single ones were no doubt mourning this weekend, but he’d only ever had eyes for Lissa.
He caught her halfway and spun her around. “We were starting to think you were boycotting the wedding.”
“
Never!” She laughed, clasping his arms. Not since Christmas had she gotten to see her brother. He and Lissa had moved to nearby Fairfax and with their busy careers, it left little time for family reunions. “I’ve missed you.”
“Now come on, don’t start crying on me already.”
She blinked. “I’m not crying.”
“Good.” He enveloped her in another massive hug. “I think you may’ve grown about two inches.”
Laughing, she wiggled free. “I stopped growing, like, ten years ago.”
“Try twenty years ago.” Her father’s booming voice carried from the head of the table. This bear of a man was probably aghast that one of his offspring could’ve auditioned for the Lollipop Guild.
Over Mitch’s shoulder, Lissa waited with a welcoming smile. Pulling free of her brother, Madison approached the slender blonde and gave her a tight hug.
“I’m so happy you’re here,” Lissa said, pulling back. Tears filled her gray eyes. “Everything is perfect now. Come, your mom is saving you dessert.”
Trailing after her, Madison glanced over her shoulder. Mitch had his hand on Chase’s shoulder and they both were laughing. A heartbeat passed, and Chase looked up, his eyes meeting hers.
Madison looked away and nearly ran straight into Chandler. Bigger and brawnier than all the Gamble brothers, he was easily the most intimidating. All three brothers shared the same strong features and extraordinary blue eyes, but Chandler was taller than the other two by a good three inches.
“Careful, squirt,” he said, easing past her. “Don’t want to run over one of the bridesmaids.”
Squirt? “Thanks, Godzilla.”
Then he had the gall to ruffle her hair like she was twelve.
She swung on him, missing by a mile, which was impressive considering how bulky he was.
Chandler laughed as he joined Mitch and his brother. So far, she hadn’t spied the middle brother. Chad was a notorious prankster and no one was safe when he was around.
Megan Daniels sat beside Madison’s father in the large, domed room, and it was hard to believe that her mom was approaching her fifty-sixth birthday. There wasn’t a single gray hair in the mass of her auburn waves.
“Sit, honey.” She patted the seat next to her. “I saved you some cheesecake.”
Without being told twice, Madison took her place and dug in, listening to the flow of conversation around her as everyone else settled back around the long tables. Every once in a while, a cousin twice removed would appear and then some of Lissa’s family. Her parents seemed nice and got along with Madison’s.
Mr. Grant, Lissa’s father, even smiled when Madison’s dad launched into the next wave of generators that could keep a 1,200-square-foot bunker running.
Her mother rolled her eyes. “You know your father likes to talk shop.”
Yeah, but most people’s shoptalk didn’t revolve around an apocalypse.
With everyone occupied, she swiped the last two cookies off a platter and practically swallowed them whole. If this was considered “brunch,” Madison thought she might just have a new favorite meal.
“It was really nice of Chase to volunteer to pick you up, honey.” Her mom’s eyes twinkled. “He wasn’t even here for ten minutes, but he left right away to get you.”
Madison almost choked on the cookie. “Yeah, really nice of him.”
Her mom leaned in and lowered her voice. “You know, he’s still single.”
Clearing her throat, she was thankful Chase was nowhere near the table. “Good for him.”
“And you used to have the biggest crush on him. It was so cute.”
Madison’s mouth dropped open to deny it, but Mrs. Grant responded before she could say a word. “A crush on who?”
“Chase.” Her mother nodded sagely toward the front of the room. “She followed Mitch and him around like a—”
“Mom,” Madison groaned, wanting to hide under the table. “I did not follow them around like a puppy.”
Her mother just smiled.
“That is so sweet,” Mrs. Grant said, her gaze traveling up to where Chase and the rest of the men stood. “And he seems like a lovely young man. Mitch was telling us how he owns several nightclubs in the city.”
Mom launched into a detailed account of Chase’s successes, which were quite impressive. Within the last seven years, he’d started several profitable upscale bars, easily placing him as one of the most eligible bachelors in the District.
But her mother had glossed over Chase’s well-known playboy social life. Madison hadn’t been to any of his clubs since she was twenty-one, since that disastrous night when alcohol and several years of crushing on a guy came to an utterly humiliating head.
After taking a sip of water, she excused herself to check on her room reservation and strolled between the tables and out into the wide foyer on her way to the reservation desk. Once outside the breakfast area though, she realized she had company.
Chase fell into step beside her, hands shoved into the pockets of his jeans. He was a good head and then some taller than her, and she always felt like a dwarf standing next to him.
She arched a brow at him, totally trying to play it cool even though her heart was pounding walking this close to him. “Following me?”
“Thought I’d change up the pattern.”
“Ha. Ha.”
He flashed a grin. “Actually, I was going to pick up my cabin key.”
“So am I.” Belle Vineyards had several cabins nestled across their estate, and they had reserved most of them for those attending the wedding scheduled for Saturday. She bit her lip, realizing she hadn’t thanked him yet. “Thank you for coming and getting me. You didn’t have to.”
Chase shrugged but said nothing. They wound their way through the elegantly designed hallways with exposed log walls and eventually arrived at the front desk.
An older man behind the counter with a nametag reading Bob smiled at them. “How can I help you?”
Chase leaned against the desk. “We’re here to pick up our room keys.”
“Oh, for the wedding?” His hands paused over the keyboard, ready to fly. “Congratulations.”
Madison choked back a laugh. “We aren’t. I mean, there’s no need for congratulations. He and I aren’t like that. We aren’t—”
“What she’s trying to say is that we’re not the bride and groom,” Chase replied evenly, smirking. God forbid anyone thought that. Geez. “We’re with the bridal party.”
Chase gave their names while Madison mentally kicked herself for sputtering like an inept teenager, but standing this close to him was more than distracting. His presence, his spicy scent that was part cologne and part male, had her senses firing left and right.
He always had to stand close. Like right now, there was barely an inch between their bodies. She could feel the natural heat that rolled off him and if she closed her eyes, she was pretty sure she could remember what it felt like to have his arm around her, cradling her to his hard chest as his hand skated under the hem of the dress she’d worn just for him, sliding up…
Madison pulled herself from the memory. So not going there.
“I’m sorry,” the clerk said, drawing her attention back to what was important. “There’s been an unfortunate mix-up.”
Suddenly, she remembered her father’s message. “Has something happened?”
The clerk’s cheeks turned ruddy. “We had another wedding party that ends on Friday, and, well, to put this bluntly, one of the part-time workers overbooked the cabins, which pushed out the last two reservations made.”
Which, of course, would’ve been Chase’s and Madison’s reservations, because if they had anything in common, they always did things last minute.
Chase frowned as he leaned a lot farther in. “Well, there’s got to be a fix.”
Swallowing visibly, he glanced at the computer. “I was under the impression that a Mrs. Daniels had already addressed this issue.”
Madison had a really bad feel
ing.
“We explained the problem upon her arrival. We only have one cabin available, the old honeymoon suite about to be remodeled.”
“Honeymoon suite?” Chase repeated slowly, as if those two words made no sense.
Her stomach dropped.
The clerk looked visibly uncomfortable. “Two people can definitely room there. Mrs. Daniels said it wouldn’t be a problem.”
She was going to kill her mother.
“I’m sorry.” Chase drew up straight, and at over six feet tall, that was a lot of looking up to do. His voice was firm. “We cannot share a cabin.”
Ouch. Sharing a room with Chase wasn’t on her list of things to do, but damn, she wasn’t the worse possible option.
“Money is not an issue,” he continued, eyes darkening to a navy blue—a sure sign his temper was about to make an appearance. “I can pay double or triple to get two rooms.”
Okay, now that was just insulting. She glared at him. “I agree. There’s no way I can stay with him.”
Chase cut her a look.
The clerk shook his head. “I’m sorry, but there are no other rooms available. It’s the old honeymoon cabin…or it’s nothing.”
Both of them stared at the clerk. Madison had a sinking suspicion Chase was about to grab the man, turn him upside down, and shake him until room keys fell out. She could get behind that.
“Rooms should become available Friday morning, and we will ensure both of you are first in line, but unfortunately, there isn’t anything I can do.”
Madison ran a hand over her hair, stunned. Rooming with Chase? There was no way. Between gawking at him in close proximity and wanting to beat him over the head when he opened his mouth, she was going to go insane.
The days leading up to the wedding were supposed to be fun and relaxing. Not a trip into crazy land. And her mom—her nutso, matchmaking mom—had a hand in this. She was going to bury that woman in a bomb shelter.
Madison peeked at the still-silent form of Chase. A muscle worked in his jaw like he was grinding his molars down to the gum. This was horrific for her, but for him? God, he was probably ready to make a bid for the clerk’s room. No doubt this would put a major crimp in his woman-seducing plans.