by J. Lynn
He climbed out of his car stiffly and strolled into the cabin. His gaze went straight to the bed—the empty bed.
“Maddie?”
The cabin was unnaturally quiet. No shower was running. Nothing. Putting the roses and slice of cheesecake down on the end table, his gaze danced around the room. “Shit.”
Maddie was gone. So was her large suitcase. Peering into the bathroom, he found no trace of her. Her blow dryer and curling iron were gone, as if she’d never been there.
Cursing under his breath again, he spun around and stalked to the front door. He was going to find her, drag her back here… With his hand on the door, he stopped.
Two problems: He had no idea where Maddie went. She couldn’t have gone far, but she could be in any number of cabins, and short of banging like holy hell on every door, he needed a better game plan. And two, he didn’t know why she’d left. After last night, it seemed pretty obvious what he wanted, so he couldn’t even fathom why she’d leave, especially when he’d already gotten another cabin for them, one not outfitted with a heart-shaped bed and velveteen blankets.
Though, he was going to kind of miss that bed.
Chase drew back from the door, thrusting his hands through his hair. A game plan for what? Chasing after Maddie? Shit. How the tables had turned.
He spun around, his gaze falling to the rumpled sheets on that damn bed.
Double shit.
Scrubbing the palms of his hands down his face, he then snatched the flowers up and left the cheesecake behind. The first place he went by was her parents’ cabin. They were sitting on the deck, enjoying tea while thumbing through a wilderness survival magazine. Chase shook his head as he fought a grin. The two of them looked like a normal couple on the verge of retirement.
Maddie’s father looked up first, smiling broadly. “Hey, Chase, what are you up to?”
“Nothing much,” he said, leaning against the railing. “Hello, Mrs. Daniels.”
She smiled, shaking her head. “Honey, it’s about time you start calling me Megan. And those flowers! Aren’t they lovely?” Her eyes glimmered. “May I ask who they’re for?”
“A lovely person,” he replied.
“Is that so…”
Mr. Daniels was on his feet, bringing the magazine over to him. “I’m glad you swung by. You can help end a debate between me and the wifey here.”
A picture of a man in a flannel jacket standing next to a heard of cows was shoved in his face before he could respond. “Organic beef,” Maddie’s father announced. “I’m trying to tell Megan here that even if an apocalypse happens, most people will still want some meat on their plates.”
So accustomed to these types of questions, Chase took it in good stride. “I’m sure people will still want a steak.”
“Exactly!” Mr. Daniels agreed. “So I said we should ‘sponsor’ a herd of cattle and put them up for sale. The lovely wife over there thinks it’s a waste of time.”
“And money,” Mrs. Daniels added, twisting in her seat to face the two men. “I’m pretty sure the last thing people will be thinking about during nuclear fallout is a medium-rare steak.”
Chase smiled. “Or a zombie apocalypse.”
Mrs. Daniels threw up her hands. “That’s what I’ve been saying.”
Her husband huffed. “When the sun doesn’t shine for three years and you’ve run out of mint leaves to eat, you’ll want a steak.”
She rolled her eyes. “That would be the last of our worries.”
“Wait.” Chase stepped in. “How would you be keeping the cows alive if the sun isn’t shining?”
Mr. Daniels straightened. “Underground bunkers large enough to hold organically grown fields. There are bunkers all over the world, bigger than five or so football field lengths. Like Noah’s Ark—”
“Chase doesn’t care about Noah’s Ark, so before you get started on that, we’re not going to start selling Build-Your-Own-Arks, either.” She smiled at Chase. “You couldn’t imagine the cost of warehousing something like that.”
“No, ma’am,” Chase said, grinning.
Mr. Daniels snapped the magazine shut. “This discussion isn’t over.”
Sighing, his wife shook her head. “Are you looking for Madison, dear?”
Taken aback, Chase wondered if it was that obvious. “Well, actually, I was.”
Mr. Daniels returned to the table, smacking the magazine down. “You lose your roommate?”
“Seems that way,” Chase said.
“We haven’t seen her, dear, but you might what to check with Lissa.” Mrs. Daniels took a sip of tea. “They’re probably getting things ready for tomorrow.”
Thanking both of them, he started up the pathway. If Maddie was with Lissa, he didn’t want to bother her, but…
Chase found himself at the front desk of the lounge. The clerk stared back at him, clearly not wanting to go for round two already. “Was the new cabin you gave me this morning the only one available?” Chase asked.
Bob inclined his head, as if confused. “No. There were two. Both were readied this morning.” He started pecking away at his computer. “Was the one we assigned this morning unsuitable?”
He took a deep breath. “No. It’s perfect. What about the other room?”
“For Miss Daniels?” he asked, smiling fondly. Obviously Maddie had left a much better impression on the clerk than he had. “She stopped by maybe twenty minutes ago and picked up the key for cabin six.”
Chase stared at the clerk, feeling as if he’d been punched in the stomach. Anger lit off a firestorm inside him. As irrational as it was, he was pissed and offended. She left him after last night?
Spinning around, he left the clerk without a second glance, tossing the roses in the trash on the way out.
…
Madison was in a weird state of mind. Caught between the remnants of absolute bliss she’d experienced last night and the coldness that had lingered deep inside since she’d left the cabin, she wasn’t sure if she should feel happy or sad.
Mostly sad, she decided as she stuffed little white bells into the boxes being used for wedding keepsakes. At least she’d had a night to experience. No more wondering what it would be like to be with Chase. Now she knew. It was amazing.
Her heart ached.
That afternoon she’d almost called Bridget again, but she figured that conversation was best to have in person. No way would she want to miss all of Bridget’s what-the-hell expressions when she described how she basically straddled Chase and he’d bailed on her the next morning.
Madison glanced up as one of the bridesmaids dumped a truckload of mints in front of them. She snatched one, starving, since she’d been too wired this morning to eat.
Lissa giggled. “Are they any good?”
Popping one in her mouth, Madison nodded. “Minty. Very yummy.”
“Speaking about yummy,” Sasha, a bridesmaid, said. “I think the Gamble brothers’ nickname should be yummy.”
Cindy, another bridesmaid, snorted as she glanced at the tall, curvy blonde. “Weren’t you all over one of the brothers last night?”
Sasha smiled secretively. “Maybe…”
Good to know Madison wasn’t the only one. She dropped a bell into a box.
“I can never tell them apart.” Cindy grinned.
“They’re really easy to tell apart,” Madison replied sharply. “They’re not triplets.”
“Yeah, but the three of them are sex on a stick—dark haired, beautiful blue eyes, and muscles I’d eat chocolate off of,” Cindy said, passing one of the other bridesmaids a wicked look. “Of course, if only I wasn’t married. Anyway, which one was it? Chase? Chad?”
Madison’s eyes narrowed.
“Chad,” Sasha answered, her cheeks flushing. “Though, I wouldn’t mind if it had been Chase, too. Hell, all of them at the same time.”
The bridesmaids laughed, but Lissa cut Madison a worried look. It probably had something to do with the expression on her face. One that
said she was mentally going over how many little metal bells she could shove in Sasha’s mouth.
“Didn’t you grow up with them, Madison?” Sasha continued, oblivious of the death’s door she was knocking on. “Always at your house and stuff? God, I wouldn’t have been able to control myself, but I’m sure it’s different for you.”
Madison shoved a bell through the bottom of the box. “Why is that?”
“Well, I’m sure you’re like a little sister to them,” she explained. “I mean, aren’t you rooming with Chase?”
Crimson swept across her cheeks. Jesus, was that what everyone thought? She had half a mind to go into great detail about just how un-brotherly things were last night with Chase.
“Actually, I’m not sure if that’s the case,” Lissa said, smiling evenly. “Madison is close to all of them, but from what I’ve seen…” She trailed off, sending Madison a sly look.
Sasha arched an elegant brow. “Well, then, kudos to you…”
After that, the girls pretty much kept mum about the Gamble brothers and Madison, although they did hammer Sasha for juicy details.
Once the boxes were made, the group broke apart to get ready for the rehearsal. Maddie gave Lissa a quick hug and headed back to her new cabin.
She should be happy with her own space, but it was lonely and quiet. And when she took a bath, there was no hope of a surprise visit from Chase.
Sinking deep into the tub, she closed her eyes and tried to push him away. Except Chase was consuming her thoughts on a whole new level, because now she knew what his passion felt like, how he tasted, how he felt inside her.
There was no getting that out of her system.
When she’d woken up this morning, she had been deliciously sore in areas she’d forgotten about and Chase…Chase had been gone.
She blew out a long breath and opened her eyes.
Leaving that gaudy cabin had been one of the hardest things she’d ever done. Part of her was still there, but her decision to leave had been simple. However, the decision she had to make going forward would be the hardest she’d ever made and she knew would shock everyone.
…
“Oh, I can’t believe this is happening.” Madison’s mom grabbed Mitch one more time, blinking back tears. Mrs. Daniels had been dealing out hugs the moment the rehearsal dinner began and there was no end in sight. “My little boy is all grown up.”
Mitch winced. “Mom…”
She pulled him back to her breast, squeezing and swaying.
Smothering a grin, Madison glanced away and her eyes met her father’s. He winked and clamped a hand on her shoulder. “What do you think she’ll do when you get married?”
Madison blanched. “Yikes.”
Her mom shot her a dirty look over her shoulder, and then she finally released her son and turned to a beaming Lissa. “I know you’ll treat my boy right, so I’m going to apologize ahead of time for the waterworks that will ensue starting tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow?” grumbled Mr. Daniels. “How about since he announced his intent to marry?”
“Shush it,” her mother said, but she grinned.
Madison tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear as everyone started to move into groups. They’d go through the bridal march, a rundown of the vows, and then it was off to dinner. Then tomorrow…tomorrow her brother would get married.
She went up to him with a watery smile. “I’m so happy for you. You’re going to make a great husband.”
Mitch pulled her into his arms. “Thanks, sis.”
“And father,” she teased lightly.
He let go, eyes wide. “Dear God, don’t say that yet. I want at least a couple of years without a baby Mitch running around.”
“Or a baby Lissa.”
“Ah, a girl? I don’t know if I could deal with that.” He shook his head. “It was bad enough fighting off the boys after you.”
Madison rolled her eyes. “It was nothing like that.”
“Whatever.” He dropped his arm over her shoulders. “So, when are you going to settle down? Make Mom and Dad’s lives complete?”
Before she could answer, in strode the Gamble brothers. Chad and Chandler flanked Chase, who was dressed in a pair of dark trousers and a loose-fitting buttoned shirt. Strands of damp hair curled around his ears. The tips of his cheekbones were slightly flushed and his eyes were a steely blue.
He looked absolutely stunning.
Madison hoped her brother didn’t notice how she stiffened, but of course, luck had never really been on her side.
Mitch chuckled, but she elbowed him in the stomach and escaped before the herd of brothers could descend on them. She made a beeline for Lissa and the other bridesmaids. Avoiding Chase completely would be out of the question, but as long as they didn’t have any real amount of time alone together, she could do this without breaking down.
Or getting her heart trampled on even more. And there was only one way to do that. It hurt like hell; it killed a little part of her—the one that still believed in fairy-tale endings—but she had no other choice.
Chapter Ten
Avoiding Chase had been successful through most of the rehearsal. Up until they lined up for the bridal procession. She hadn’t been alone with him yet, but there was no escaping him now.
Madison fidgeted with a strand of her hair, desperately going for the unaffected look, but Chase’s presence beside her was like standing next to the sun, too hot not to feel and too powerful not to look upon.
Staring straight ahead, she pretended to be engrossed in what Sasha was saying to Chad. It had something to do with safe words, and she really wished she hadn’t heard any of that. The funny thing about Chad and Chandler was how she did see them as brothers of sorts. Hearing that kind of stuff made her want to gag, but Chase was different. He’d always been different.
“We need to talk,” Chase said quietly.
She feigned innocence. “About what?”
His brows slammed down, and she knew right then that he saw through her. He knew her too well. “You know exactly what.”
Madison didn’t really want to get into the why behind the reason he left her this morning, moved out of the cabin before she even opened her eyes. And if he offered an apology for last night, she would hit him. Seriously.
Crossing her arms, she refocused on the back of Sasha’s platinum hair. “There’s nothing to talk about.”
“Bullshit.”
At the sound of Chase’s growl, Sasha glanced over her shoulder, brows arched, but Madison pretended she hadn’t heard anything.
Chase shifted closer, lowering his head as his fingers cupped her elbow. She jumped at the unexpected jolt that sent heat zinging through her veins. Against her will, her eyes found his, and she caught his smug grin.
“That’s what I thought,” he said.
She didn’t move, couldn’t or just plain wouldn’t. “Thought what?”
When he spoke, his voice was a whisper against her cheek. “You’re pretending like nothing happened, that you’re unaffected, but I know better.”
Madison bristled and shot him a glare. “Excuse me?”
“Oh, don’t pretend now. You’ve been hiding from me all day like a little coward—”
“A coward? God. You—”
Up ahead, the wedding planner cleared her throat, interrupting what would have been an epic tirade. “All right, we are going to run through the bridal party,” the planner said, voice clipped and as professional as her tight ponytail and crisp pants suit. “At the start of ‘Canon in D,’ the first couple will lead off and I will give a signal to each additional couple.”
Couple? Madison jerked her arm free.
Chase smirked.
The classic instrumental music keyed up, and the first of the procession started forward, arm in arm.
Madison fixed an icy glare on Chase. “You’re an arrogant ass,” she finished. “I’m not caught up in you as much as you think I am.”
“Says the girl who
smacked me yesterday and then screamed my name as—”
“Shut up,” she hissed, cheeks flushing,
Sasha and Chad went next. The bridesmaid was clinging onto Chad’s arm as if she feared he was about to run off. Smart move.
Chase offered his arm. “M’lady?”
Rolling her eyes, she debated ignoring him, but that would draw unnecessary and unwanted attention. Several eyes were already on them. So, okay, more attention.
Begrudgingly, she placed her arm in the crook of his. “We’re not going to talk about last night. It is what it is.”
He stared. “You make no sense.”
“And I drive you crazy. I get it.”
“Miss Daniels and Mr. Gamble,” the planner called.
Together, they started forward stiffly. It had to be obvious to everyone present that something was going on between them. Chase looked like he wanted to strangle her. and she had the wide-eyed, deer-in-headlights look. When they reached the end of the aisle, they parted ways. Taking her spot beside Sasha, she glanced over at the groomsmen.
Chase watched her with an intensity that both unnerved and kindled excitement inside her. Betrayed by her heart and now her body, she forced herself to look away. Confusion swept through her like a cold splash of water. Chase didn’t understand her? Well, they were two peas in a pod, then, because he’d made it clear yesterday he’d only been interested in a one-night stand. And he’d gotten it.
Unease replaced the confusion rising in her like wisps of acrid smoke.
After Lissa made her entrance, the practice run went smoothly and quickly. Dinner was being set up in the nearest dining hall, and although she was hungry, her stomach roiled. The air became stale in the lodge, and she felt as if she couldn’t get a breath.
Excusing herself, she hurried out of the reception hall and toward the back of the lodge. On the deck, she dragged in the fresh, sweetly scented air. She placed her hands on the railing and squeezed until her knuckles ached.
