by Rita Herron
"Superb." He clasped her hand in his, pulling her nearer. "Your houses drew a lot of comments, Maddie. I'm proud of you."
Maddie patted her purse. "I did pick up a lot of contacts. Hopefully, I can pay back my loan soon and get back my mother's necklace."
Jeff nodded. "Yes, of course." He reached out and caressed her cheek with the palm of his hand. "Can we go someplace and talk?"
"Er—"
"Come on, let me buy you dinner. I want to make things up to you. You have received all my gifts, haven't you?"
"Yes, and they were all very thoughtful. But I can't go right now," Maddie said. "I have to meet Lance and Reid about the tour."
"Later, then?" He stroked her cheek again. "Maybe we could celebrate together. Go out to the river like we used to do. Maybe take a boat ride."
Maddie took a step backward, her pulse clamoring as if she were being disloyal to Chase. Silly, since he'd never said he wanted a commitment. "I'll call you later and we'll talk, but right now I really have to go."
With a quick good-bye, she turned and fled to find the boys. She hoped Chase had already explained their relationship, so she and Chase could go celebrate together. That is, if her brothers hadn't tied him to a tree with his own belt and lynched him.
* * *
Chase shook hands with the last guest, a physician from New York who had decided to relocate to the sunny South, and jotted a note about the meeting they'd scheduled for the following week in his calendar. He should be excited—the tour had been a bigger success than any of them could have imagined. He had retainers from two customers, five others interested in custom-designed homes and a few more calls to return.
But he still had to deal with Lance and Reid and explain about his relationship with Maddie.
They'd temporarily called a truce when the tour had begun, all three of them turning to business, acting the professionals he'd thought none of them would ever be. But with each passing second, his anxiety grew. Reid and Lance had avoided looking at him at all—a testament to how much they hated him. He'd helped them intimidate Oglethorpe after that TV debacle. And now, he'd acted far worse than the wuss. He'd seduced their baby sister—they'd probably kill him.
Just at the time his business was finally panning out, his dreams for making something of himself and showing Savannah he wasn't a nobody, the rest of his world was falling apart. Crumbling in his hands so fast he wasn't sure he could save it.
"Looks like everything was a success," Lance said as the door closed behind the last visitor. The three of them converged around the round oak table in the breakfast nook, sipping on coffee.
"Yep. I'd say we're in good shape," Reid added with a grin. "And I heard several people raving over Maddie's decorating. Sounds like our little sister's found her calling."
Chase squared his shoulders and faced them. Might as well act like a man. "I told you she had things under control."
Both his friends' faces twisted with emotions—anger, hurt, disbelief.
"Yeah, and we thought you had things under control with her," Lance said.
"We trusted you," Reid said in a gravelly voice.
And therein lay the crux of the problem, Chase thought. He'd betrayed his best buddies' trust, the guys who'd helped him all his life. And the only way he knew to fix the problem was to let go of Maddie.
* * *
Maddie slipped into the model-home office, pausing when she heard voices. Her brothers' voices, Chase's. Hesitating by the kitchen doorway, she twisted her hands together and leaned next to the doorjamb beside the built-in bookshelves.
"We asked you to do a simple favor," Lance said. "To watch out for Maddie and make sure she didn't go wild with this decorating gig of hers, and look what happens."
Chase was supposed to be watching out for her?
"All we wanted was a baby-sitter so we could get our work done," Reid added.
Maddie clutched her stomach in misery. A babysitter?
"And, you agreed," Lance snapped. "You didn't think she'd succeed or even stick with this design idea any more than we did. And what did you do—you tried to seduce her!"
They didn't think she'd succeed?
"How far has it gone?" Reid asked. "How long have you been—?"
"Shut up," Chase growled. "I... I mean... it was just today."
A tear rolled down Maddie's cheek. What? Just today?
"Look, guys, I take full responsibility. Maddie was excited about the tour, we've gotten to be good friends—"
Good friends?
"That's all. I let the situation get out of hand today, and I'm sorry. It won't happen again."
Maddie bit back a sob. It wouldn't?
"I should never have touched Maddie; I was a—"
"Jerk," Lance supplied.
"SOB," Reid said.
Scumbag coward.
"You're right," Chase said in a low voice. "I was wrong, and I'm sorry."
"Think about Maddie," Lance said. "She's not the screw-around type, Chase. And you're not the marrying kind. You go through women like some men go through cars."
"Yeah, remember that bachelor pact," Reid added.
"I know," Chase said harshly. Maddie heard the chair scrape across the hardwood floor, heard Chase's boots clicking on the surface as he paced. "Don't worry, I'll explain things to Maddie and apologize. I won't... I won't touch her again. You have my word."
Maddie pressed her hand over cheek, wiping at the tears. What a fool she'd been—she'd secretly hoped he might confess his love, even talk about a commitment.
The sound of chairs moving startled her, and she realized they were all leaving, coming toward her. Her heart breaking, she tiptoed in the opposite direction and let herself out of the French doors, then hurried around the front to meet them on the doorstep.
Chase had broken her heart, but she'd be damned if she'd let him mangle her pride. She'd bid him good-bye before he had a chance to tell her their relationship was over.
* * *
Chase's feet felt heavy as he walked to the front door, but his heart was aching so much he couldn't seem to find the energy to make his body move any faster. Telling Maddie wasn't going to be easy, but he had to face her. He'd broken his promise once and look where it had gotten him. He'd lost the respect of his two best friends—no, his only friends. Now, he'd given the guys his word, and he had to keep it, no matter how much it hurt.
He had never hurt over a woman before, not since his mother.
Lance and Reid stepped outside, and he followed on their heels, shocked when he saw Maddie flying up the steps. "Hey, you guys," she sang cheerfully. "How'd the show go on your part?"
Lance and Reid exchanged confused looks.
"The tour?" Maddie said, shrugging as if none of them had any sense. "Everyone seemed pleased, didn't they?"
"Oh, yeah," Lance said. "We made a lot of good contacts."
"Me, too," Maddie said, barely looking at Chase. "I have a folder full of business cards. I'm probably going to be so busy the next few months I won't have time to breathe."
And so would he. But he would still miss her.
Chase fisted his hands by his side at the realization. Maddie was like a burst of fresh summer sunshine in a world that had been dark to him for ages. Now that he'd seen the light, had felt how incredible it was to be warm and... and loved, even if only physically, for a little while, how was he going to walk back through that tunnel of darkness?
He jerked when Maddie touched his arm, and realized Lance and Reid were leaving.
"See you later," Lance said, giving Maddie a quick kiss on the cheek. "We're proud of you, sis."
"Yeah, you surprised everyone," Reid said.
Maddie frowned at her brother. "You didn't think I'd succeed?"
Reid looked sheepish. "Sorry, Maddie. I admit we were a little nervous, just because you used to jump around a lot." He hugged her. "I guess we underestimated you. I'm glad we were wrong."
Maddie's smile seemed a little tight, but
then Chase was having a hard time forcing one on his own face, so he figured his perception was completely distorted. Lance and Reid gave him a pointed look as they left. He nodded, gesturing that he understood.
Maddie grabbed his hand and squeezed it. "Chase, I want you to know—"
"It's over, Maddie." Chase stared at his boots. "Our, uh, affair, I mean."
He heard her inhale sharply and expected to look up and see hurt on her face. Instead, she smiled, her dark eyes glistening with emotions he couldn't quite read.
"I know. I came to tell you the same thing."
His breath whooshed out in surprise. "You did?"
"Yes," Maddie said gently. "The sex has been great, Chase. You were a fabulous lover. You taught me how to loosen up, let go of my inhibitions." She laughed, releasing his hand. "Why, next time I'm with a man, I'll really know how to please him. And I have you to thank for being such a good teacher. Just like you taught me how to throw a baseball."
She was comparing their lovemaking to playing baseball—as if there had been no emotion or meaning? And he'd simply been her teacher?
"But like I said, I'm going to be so busy, and well," she hesitated, her voice softening, "Jeff's asked me to go out and celebrate and I told him I would." Her hand toyed with a Cameo pin, drawing his eye. "Jeff gave it to me," she said as if she realized he was staring at it. "To commemorate my new career."
So, the guy's gifts were winning her over.
Without saying another word, she pecked him on the cheek, turned and sauntered toward her sporty new convertible, leaving Chase alone with his thoughts—with images of Maddie in another man's arms, the wuss's to be specific, pleasing him the way she'd pleased him, filling his life with love and laughter and her radiant smile.
He didn't like the image—not one damn bit.
Chapter 26
"I'm such an idiot," Maddie cried. "I should wear a big fat sign that says GULLIBLE FEMALE—SCREW ME, AND LEAVE ME."
Sophie placed a plate of frosted brownies on the table in front of Maddie, then plopped down beside her and handed Maddie a fork. "You're not the idiot, those pigheaded stubborn brothers of yours are fools."
"And Chase. Don't forget Chase Holloway."
"He's lower than an idiot—he's slime." Sophie handed Maddie a tissue. "No, roadkill."
Maddie swiped at the tears streaming down her cheeks, dug into the rich chocolate and swirled it around on her fork. "But he seemed so... so sincere."
"Sincerely horny," Sophie said wryly.
Maddie laughed, and licked the icing. "I can't believe I fell for him. I actually was dreaming of a church wedding and bridesmaids dresses and... and of having his baby."
Sophie made a sympathetic sound. "Aww, Maddie. Maybe he'll still come around, maybe he wasn't ready—"
"No, Chase has always been a fighter. If he wanted me badly enough, he would have fought for me."
"Then you have to accept that your relationship is over and move on." Sophie nibbled the end off her own brownie. "How about some ice cream, Mad? We could add some whipped cream, too."
"No, every time I think about a decadent dessert, I remember that one I was going to make for Chase to surprise him. I probably won't ever be able to eat a hot-fudge sundae again."
"There are plenty of other men out there."
Maddie remembered the nudist colony, the TV producer. "We haven't done very well so far, have we?"
"I suppose not." Sophie grabbed a bag of chips and opened a jar of salsa to go with their comfort food. "By the way, Greg Pugh's still wondering what happened to his robe."
Maddie gestured toward her cat. Even he had trusted Chase. Poor thing. "I made T. C. a pillow out of it but he shredded it to pieces."
"We could try Marco and Antonio again. Antonio's been leaving messages on my machine."
"Yeah, Marco left me one, too." Maddie sighed wearily. "I just don't think I'm up for all that charm. At least Chase was... was real. Macho like, not so smooth and such a pretty boy."
Sophie laughed. "I'm glad you salvaged your pride, Maddie, and didn't let Chase know he broke your heart. That's something."
Maddie inhaled another bite of her dessert. "I can't tell you how many times I've wanted to let my brothers know I overheard their conversation. Every time I've seen them at the tour this week, and let me tell you I've seen all three of the rascals at least a thousand times, I've wanted to confront them."
"It would serve them all right if you did, just to watch them grovel." Sophie forced a smile. "So, what did you tell Chase?"
"That I was going to be too busy to see him." Maddie propped her chin on her hand. "And that I was going out to celebrate with Jeff. And I hinted that I might get back with him."
"Really?"
"Yeah, he asked me to go out. And he seems sincere, like he's really interested in my work now."
"So, did you go?"
Maddie shook her head. "No, I made an excuse. I just couldn't. He's just not..."
"Chase," Sophie said sympathetically. They sat brooding together for a moment, but finally Sophie broke the silence. "Look on the bright side though—your business has picked up."
"I know. I am planning to be so swamped for the next few months I won't have time to think about Chase. And when the tour's over, maybe I won't keep running into him."
"You might meet a nice single male client," Sophie suggested.
"He'll probably be a confirmed bachelor, too."
Sophie thumbed her hair away from her eyes. "That bachelor pact is so ridiculous. I can understand three goofy teenage boys making a dumb agreement like that, but now they're grown men, you'd think they'd realize how juvenile their plan was."
Maddie's hurt turned to anger. She had put her whole heart into Chase and into decorating his home. And maybe she'd secretly been dreaming of the two of them living in it when she'd chosen some of the furnishings.
But she wasn't dreaming anymore. And she wanted revenge. "I have an idea, Soph."
"Uh-oh. Planning a counterattack?"
"Maybe."
"Something devilish I hope."
Maddie polished off one brownie and scooped up another. "I was thinking about how much time and care I put into decorating Chase's new home."
"And?"
"And maybe I didn't do his house justice. Since Chase wants to be a bachelor forever..." Maddie tapped her fingernails on the table. "I need to rethink the furnishings for his house."
Sophie's green eyes twinkled with mischief. "Are you thinking what I think you're thinking?"
"Absolutely. Now hand me the phone. I have work to do." Maddie reached for a pad and pencil. "After all, a bachelor should have a bachelor pad for entertaining, shouldn't he?"
* * *
Chase slammed the hammer against the side of the Camaro, pounding out more dents. If only he could repair his friendship with Lance and Reid as easily as he could the damaged car. Ever since that day they'd caught him pawing Maddie like some oversexed teenager, they had been cold and distant. He'd crossed the line with Maddie and broken their trust. The Terrible Three would never be the same.
On top of everything else, he missed Maddie like crazy.
He'd been stewing over the breakup all week. Not seeing her was for the best; they both had to move on with their lives. But he hadn't been able to look at another woman without seeing Maddie's long, wild hair or her dark, mesmerizing eyes or thinking about that sexy little walk or the way she'd parted her legs and pulled him deep inside her.
Had she already moved on to another man?
He pounded the Camaro even harder, determined to straighten the rusted piece of metal, and tried to force the unwanted images from his mind—the images of Maddie, his Maddie, giving herself to another man. On some rational level, he realized his feelings of possessiveness were barbaric, but his emotions had no logic or order these days.
His business was going great. The tour was almost over and had been a magnanimous success for all of them. And he should be moving into his
new house.
But he couldn't bring himself to even go by the house, much less step foot inside the beautiful place—it simply didn't feel like home without Maddie. Every room conjured memories of their lovemaking. And in every corner of the house, he knew he'd be able to smell Maddie's sweet, erotic scent. The memory of that bearskin rug taunted him—Maddie's naked voluptuous body, those long slender legs wrapped around his waist, her sweet, erotic words, offering her virginity...
Forcing the tormenting images at bay, he tried to focus on the fact that he'd obtained his dream—he'd proven to all those people in Savannah he was somebody. He hadn't let a woman control his life like his father. And he'd made up with Lance and Reid. Well, sort of.
He should be happy.
But he'd never been more miserable in his entire life. And instead of feeling as if he had it all, he felt as if he had nothing.
* * *
Maddie stood in the middle of Chase's bedroom in his new house, and motioned to the movers, her head in a tailspin. "Haul it out."
The two beefy men she'd hired gave her a skeptical look. "Everything?"
Maddie nodded. "Yep, everything goes."
The men grunted as they began to disassemble the four-poster bed, occasionally pausing to reaffirm that she really wanted the room emptied. She didn't even hesitate.
Instead she waited patiently while they cleared the bedroom, then she began to give directions where the new pieces of furniture and accessories would go. "Put that lamp in the corner. Don't forget the remote control."
One of the movers shoved a hand on his hip. "I hate to question you, ma'am, but do you really want to put that bed in this house?"
"Yes, right there in the center of the room."
The second man scratched a balding head. "You don't think it's a tad bit on the... the wild side?"
Maddie studied the red velvet comforter, anger and hurt welling inside again. "No, the new furniture is perfect. My client is a bachelor, gentlemen. He'll be doing a lot of entertaining, and this bed will come in handy."
Knowing leers graced the men's faces. "I see." •
"Gotcha."
The first man left and returned, holding a box containing a life-sized, customized blowup doll. "Where do you want this?"
