A MATTER OF TRUST

A MATTER OF TRUST By: Kimberley Reeves

When Maddy's car skids into Chase Malone's motorcycle and he breaks his arm, she is blackmailed into taking care of the green-eyed devil for six weeks. Chase is the most ill-tempered, arrogant, demanding man she has ever met. So why does she allow him to kiss her senseless and why does her heart long to trust a man who doesn't know the first thing about love?

Chapter 1

Despite the fact her composure was wilting at an alarming rate beneath the man’s heated glare, Maddy's expression was deceptively impassive. No doubt, he would have been thrilled to know how violently her insides were shaking which only made her more determined to keep him from seeing just how intimidated she was by those gold flecked eyes of his. Her pride had taken quite a beating while he verbally abused her but somehow she'd managed to remain mutinously quiet.

Maddy shivered, but it wasn’t from the chill of her rain soaked clothes. The man made her nervous, especially now that he’d stopped muttering oaths under his breath and was looking at her speculatively, as if he was hatching a plan that would lead to her hasty demise. She couldn’t really blame him, Maddy thought dismally. It was her fault he’d wound up in the hospital emergency room being fitted for an arm cast and that his motorcycle was lying in a mangled heap on the side of the road. Not that she hadn’t tried to avoid hitting him, but it was raining and the roads had been slick.

Maddy had done everything right; she pumped the brakes on the beat up old Chevy she was driving and turned into the skid, and more importantly she hadn’t panicked. Then just when she’d gotten control of her vehicle, she’d been nudged from behind by a pickup and went careening into the motorcycle. Why anyone would be foolish enough to ride a motorcycle in the rain was beyond her but at least he’d been wearing a helmet, and while he was obviously angry about the broken arm it could have been much worse. Of course, Maddy wasn’t brave enough to voice that particular opinion.

“You’re lucky, Mr. Malone, it was a clean break,” the doctor said as he finished setting the cast. “It should heal nicely with no residual effects.”

Chase skewered the young woman who’d hit him with a frosty glare before turning back to the doctor. “How long will I have to wear this thing?”

“We’ll check it in three or four weeks, but I wouldn’t count on having it removed before six.”

Chase’s temper exploded. “Six weeks! How the hell am I supposed to get any work done if I only have the use of one arm for that long?” He honed in on the woman responsible for his predicament. “This,” he bellowed, “is all your doing. I’ve got a good mind to sue your ass off for negligent driving.”

“That’s not fair,” Maddy choked, “it was raining and…”

“Just tell me that heap you were driving is insured.”

She lifted her chin indignantly. “Of course, it’s insured! I’m not some irresponsible…”

“Irresponsible is exactly what you are,” he growled. “I’d be looking for a new insurance company if I was you, sweetheart. That was a Deuce you single handedly destroyed.”

“Ouch,” the doctor grimaced, “that had to have hurt almost as much as the broken arm did.”

What Maddy knew about motorcycles could fill a thimble but it didn’t take a Rhode Scholar to figure out there something significant about it being a Deuce. “I…I’m sorry. Is it a classic or something?”

“It isn’t anything anymore,” Chase snapped. “It was a Harley Davidson.”

“Oh. So…that means it was worth a lot, right?”

Rolling his eyes, he eased himself off the table and limped over to her. “Twenty-five thousand is what I paid for it, but that doesn’t include the new chrome I’d just put on or the tires that were less than an hour old when you plowed into me.”

Maddy’s eyes grew round with fear. He looked as if he wanted to throttle her, and perhaps he would have if he’d had the use of both hands. “I’m sure my insurance will pay for it,” she squeaked, hating the weakness in her own voice. She cleared her throat, resisting the urge to scamper away from him when his scowl darkened. “Look, I said I was sorry and I am, but there’s nothing I can do now except call the insurance company and have it fixed.”

“Oh, you’ll do more than that,” Chase said menacingly. “Because of you I won’t be able to drive myself anywhere for the next several weeks. Because of you, I won’t be able to use my computer without doing a left-handed hunt and peck, not to mention the other inconveniences I’ll suffer until this thing comes off.” He shook his head, thoroughly ticked off by the twinge of guilt he felt when she flinched. Chase heaved a sigh of irritation. “My first vacation in five years and I have to spend it with a cast on my arm!”

“Because of me,” she murmured.

For a moment, his anger slipped. She looked so small and vulnerable, those big blue eyes of hers refusing to look away though he could see the fear hovering behind them. Was she scared of him, or the financial devastation he’d threatened her with? Probably both, he decided. So maybe he wouldn’t sue her. It wasn’t as if he didn’t have the money to buy another Deuce if he wanted to. Besides, if the condition of her car was any indication of her financial status, he wouldn’t get anything more than what the insurance company was willing to pay out.

The fact remained, however, that he was going to be incredibly inconvenienced over the next several weeks and it was all due to this timid little mouse and her inability to handle her car in a minor rain storm. Still…there was something about her, something that made him want to protect her, if only from herself.

“All right,” Chase said evenly, “I’m not an unreasonable man and am quite prepared to work out a deal.”

Maddy eyed him suspiciously. “What do you mean, work out a deal?”

“I’m going to need someone to help me until the cast comes off. Can you type?”

“Yes, but…”

“Can you cook without setting the kitchen on fire?”

Color flamed in her cheeks. “I don’t see what my culinary talents have to do with anything.”

“It will be one of your duties, of course.” Chase turned away from her and addressed the doctor. “Are we done here?”

“I just need to get you a sling first and write out a prescription for painkillers then you’re free to go.”

“No painkillers.”

“Very well, Mr. Malone, if you’d just wait here for a few minutes I’ll send a nurse in with that sling.”

Maddy waited until the doctor left to rise to her feet, albeit a bit unsteadily. “I…I’ll drive you to your house.”

“Damn right you will, and anywhere else I want to go for the next several weeks.”

The muscles in her stomach knotted. “Wh-what do you mean?”

“The way I see it, there are two choices here. I can sue you for negligent driving, maybe even reckless endangerment. I’ll petition the court for compensation for wages lost as well as any money I’ll have to dish out for hiring someone to take care of me while I recuperate, and of course they’ll be pain and suffering…”

“You can’t do that!” Panic welled up inside her when his lips curled into a devilish grin.

“I assure you I can, and will, unless you agree to work it off. Believe me, honey, I have the time and patience to see this through. You’ll be in debt for the next twenty years, assuming you don’t do any time behind bars.”

Maddy swayed unsteadily on her feet, the color slowly draining from her face. It was blackmail, pure and simple. She wasn’t concerned about the money but the thought of spending time in jail made her physically ill. She’d be forced to go to her father to get her out of this mess and have to witness the look of deep disappointment on his face. She couldn’t bear it, not after she’d so adamantly insisted she didn’t need his help and could make it on her own.

Maddy drew in a shaky breath. “I’ll do it, but I’ll need to find a place to live. You see, I was just passing through and…”

“That won’t be necessary,” he said brusquely. “I have several spare bedrooms and it’ll be more convenient for both of us if you’re within hollering distance.”

Maddy shook her head. “No, that’s impossible. I don’t even know you.”

“This is non-negotiable, lady. Either way, you’re wasting even more of my time by standing here and quibbling. So what will it be; my house or jail?”

****

Seeing no way out, she took the lesser of two evils. “Your house,” she mumbled.

“Good.” Chase presented his back to her. “You can start by getting me out of this hospital gown. My jacket was ruined but that bumbling nurse managed to get my t-shirt off without shredding it. It’s over there,” he nodded to a chair in the corner.

Maddy took a few hesitant steps forward, despising the way her hands shook when she reached for the ties on his gown. He was a big man, at least six foot three or four and she felt dwarfed by his size. Broad shoulders tapered down into a trim waist and as she pulled the last tie free, she caught a good glimpse of the sexy rear end and muscular thighs that were encased in a pair of snug blue jeans. His body was beautiful, its masculine perfection giving rise to a needy ache deep in her abdomen and Maddy had to fight hard to squelch the urge to run her hands over his bronze skin. Shocked by the inappropriate images that flitted through her head, she stepped away from him and hurried over to the chair to retrieve his t-shirt.

Get a grip on yourself, Maddy chastised herself. He’s just a man, and a disagreeable one at that. There was nothing special about him, nothing… Her thoughts totally derailed as an unexpected heat surged through her veins when she turned around to find him bare-chested, his corded muscles rippling as he examined the cast. Dark tufts of hair threaded a path upward from his flat belly and she could have sworn her fingers actually began to tingle when she pictured how her hands would look splayed across that massive chest.

Berating herself once again for such an adolescent response, Maddy pressed her lips together and ordered her feet to move forward. She would have been okay, she told herself later, if only he hadn’t looked at her just then. Those cat eyes of his seemed to bore straight through her, but it was the cocky grin that gave her the uncanny feeling he knew exactly what she’d just been thinking.

Pure mortification enveloped Maddy when she stumbled then pitched forward and ended up with her face pressed against the most recent object of her fascination; his bare chest. She wanted to separate herself from him, she really did, but he’d caught her around the waist with his good arm and now had her pinned so tight she couldn’t move. Her heart began beating out a rapid tempo while an entire gymnastic routine played itself out in the pit of her stomach, and if that wasn’t bad enough Maddy found herself inhaling deeply, dragging in the masculine scent of him like some sort of junkie savoring the effects of their addiction.

“Are you always this clumsy or is it just around me?” Chase asked.

Maddy squeezed her eyes shut for a fraction of a second before tilting her head back. Amusement danced in his eyes, belying the rough edged tone of his voice. Muttering an apology, she disentangled herself from his embrace and helped him put the t-shirt on. It wasn’t easy, but at least the cast only covered the area from his wrist to his elbow so he was able to bend his arm. She had quite a time getting it over his head though and had to ask him to lean forward which brought his face so close to hers, Maddy felt herself blushing when his lips accidently brushed against her shoulder. The man was dangerous, there was no doubt in her mind about that, but it was a danger borne of his natural sensuality that alarmed her not the size of his bulging muscles.

She’d just tugged his shirt down when the nurse arrived with the sling and Maddy took advantage of the woman’s presence to put some distance between herself and the imposing Chase Malone. Gathering her purse, she clutched it to her chest as if it was a piece of body armor that could protect her. Why was she doing this? Why had she agreed to go home with a man she knew nothing about?

It was foolish, to say the least. For all she knew he could be a serial killer or a rapist, but Maddy didn’t give that thought much consideration. In spite of his surly disposition, the man instilled an undeniable sense of trustworthiness, and without knowing why, she was confident he’d never lift a hand to hurt her, or any female for that matter. Still, it wouldn’t hurt to be cautious.

She waited until they got to her car to broach the subject and was immensely relieved that he didn’t balk at giving her personal information. She jotted down his full name, address, phone number, as well as his number at work then dug out her cell phone and sent a text message to her mother with all the information he’d just given her.

Chase leaned back against the seat, a dull headache beginning to make his temples throb. “Just out of curiosity, what reason are you giving for staying with me for the next month or so?”