A MATTER OF TRUST (19 page)

****

Chase came home to find Maddy curled up in a ball on his bed, sound asleep. Damn. He didn’t have much time before he had to leave again and he’d been looking forward to stripping her naked and having his wicked way with her. It was getting more and more difficult to stay focused at work when his mind kept straying to Maddy, each hour dragging on endlessly until at last five o’clock rolled around and he was able to leave without feeling too guilty. He wasn’t being altogether productive and he knew it because too many times he’d catch himself glancing at the clock and imagining what she was doing at that particular time.

At nine o’clock, he pictured her sauntering in to take a shower and then desperately fought to suppress any visuals past that point. At ten he envisioned her sitting out on the deck sipping a cup of coffee or nibbling on a piece of toast, her long hair shimmering in the early morning light. She’d paint for awhile after that, either on the balcony or on the cliff overlooking the ocean, and then she’d take a short nap. Like she was doing now, he thought with a soft smile.

Chase kicked off his shoes and loosened his tie then lay down beside her, turning onto his side so he could watch her while she slept. He loved coming home to her, and he loved knowing he had the means to support her so she could spend all her time doing what she loved. He’d been worried that Maddy would want to travel as she’d originally planned but she convinced him she was perfectly happy being here with him. She’d told him wasn’t going anywhere, that all the beauty of the world had come to her the moment he’d first kissed her and all she had to do was think of him to be inspired. They were sappy words that had made them both laugh, but he’d tucked them away in his heart anyway so he could recall them whenever he started to worry she’d grow restless one day and leave him.

It was a new experience for him, feeling so…vulnerable. He’d never let any woman get close enough to penetrate the stone wall he’d built around his heart, but Maddy had done it without even trying. She’d pulled it down, brick by brick until there was nothing left to protect him, nothing to prevent her from shredding his heart or destroying his life if she wanted to. And it would be destroyed, utterly and completely, if she ever walked out on him or if her love for him diminished in any way.

But that was never going to happen, Chase thought fiercely, because he would never let it happen. He’d take care of Maddy and make sure she never wanted for anything, but more important than any material thing he could provide her with, she’d have his heart, his mind, his soul. Everything that was his to give would be hers. There were no bounds to his love, no conditions, because he trusted her as he’d never allowed himself to trust anyone before.

Maddy smiled dreamily when she woke to find Chase lying beside her. “Hey, you.”

Chase brushed her lips with a soft kiss. “How are feeling?”

“Better now that you’re here.”

With a regretful sigh, he told her he had to go back out. “If it wasn’t a new client I would have tried to reschedule but my assistant said he was adamant about meeting tonight because he had an early flight out tomorrow morning and wouldn’t be back for a few weeks.”

“I understand,” she said, not quite successful in keeping the disappointment from her voice.

“Trust me, sweetheart, I’d much rather stay home and make love to you than go talk business for two or three hours.”

Maddy’s fingers began to work his tie loose, a sexy, wanton gleam in her eyes. “How much time did you say we have before you leave?”

Being the quick study that he was, Chase wasted no time in following her lead and started peeling off her clothes. A low guttural moan vibrated in his chest as he settled himself between her silky thighs and plunged deep inside of her, his male pride bolstered by the fact she was already wet. Maddy’s heat surrounded him, her inner muscles contracting around his throbbing erection, milking him, coaxing him towards that one explosive moment when they reached the heavens together then clung to each other as they plummeted back to earth.

It was always like this with Maddy, always so powerful, so consuming that it left him feeling mindless and weak, as if his bones had melted in the passionate heat making it impossible to do anything but collapse over her until he regained enough strength to lift his crushing weight off of her. She didn’t complain, not ever. Instead she kept her arms wound tightly around him, whispering soft words of love, pouring her heart out to him and giving him what he needed most; the assurance that she was his, that she would always be his, and that nothing would ever tear them apart.

****

Chase was still feeling the tingling afterglow of sex as he got in his truck and headed into town. Even the quick shower he’d taken hadn’t dispelled it, and he was anxious to get the meeting over with so he could go back home and crawl into bed and hold Maddy in his arms as he’d been unable to do before he left. There’s been something brewing behind those blue eyes of hers as she walked him to the door, something that was troubling her, but when he’d asked if anything was wrong she’d only laughed and told him it wasn’t important and could until he got home. He’d hugged her to his chest, instinctively knowing she needed to be comforted and he’d been right because the smile she’d given him was nothing short of radiant and it was love, not apprehension, shinning from her eyes when she waved good-bye to him from the porch.

Chase pulled into the hotel parking lot and secured a spot close to the door. It wasn’t unusual to meet his clients in their hotel room or even in the bar or restaurant since most of them were high-powered executives or politicians who were too busy during the day to come by his office. It was a little out of the norm for a first time consultation however, and he would have preferred to meet at his office where his assistant was on hand to take notes and provide him the necessary contracts for his client to sign. Now he’d have to take the notes himself, adding even more time to a meeting he wasn’t thrilled with having in the first place.

Shoving his irritation aside, Chase gathered his briefcase and the shoulder bag containing his laptop and forced his mind back into business mode. Reaching into the pocket of his jacket, he pulled out the paper his secretary had given him and read the name and room number; James Lawson, room 520. The man must have money because the fifth floor housed the Deluxe Suites which were just shy of being an actual apartment. Chase’s attitude didn’t improve as he entered the hotel and rode the elevator up. Unfortunately, money equated to a lot of assets and investments and that meant he’d probably be tied up with Mr. Lawson for at least three hours.

Chase put on his best game face as he stepped out of the elevator and made his way down the hall. One thing was for sure, they were going to have to step up the wedding because until he made Maddy his wife, he wasn’t going to be able to keep his mind focused on anything else. Hell, he doubted he’d ever have that sharp edged business sense he had before he met her, but somehow it just didn’t seem to make any difference.

He’d made his first million before he was twenty-five and his business had thrived over the year. He’d made wise investments and branched out into real estate which had only added to his wealth. If he never worked another day in his life he’d still leave his children one hell of a legacy. Chase liked that idea, he liked it a lot. It didn’t take him two minutes to figure out spending time with Maddy and the half dozen kids he intended to have with her was more important than accumulating additional money he’d never live long enough spend.

It was a genuine smile Chase wore when he rapped on the door and waited for James Lawson to answer. Except it wasn’t Lawson that opened the door. The smile froze on his face when Angela, dressed in nothing but a sheer black negligee, launched herself at him and ground her mouth into his. At first he was too stunned to do anything, then his brain finally began to function again and it registered that if anyone saw them it might get back to Maddy. It would devastate her to think he was having an affair with Angela and he’d never be able to convince her it hadn’t been planned. Chase tore his mouth away, recoiling in disgust when she buried her face in his neck and continued to kiss him.

Dropping his briefcase, Chase gripped her by the waist and tried to pry her off of him. “For God’s sake, Angela, have some respect for yourself!”

Laughing, she backed away just far enough so he could get the full effect of her translucent attire and the voluptuous body beneath. “Oh come on, Chase, let’s have a little fun. I went to an awful lot of trouble to set this up, surely it must impress you that I went to such lengths to get you alone.”

“No, I…” Chase stopped, certain he’d seen movement at the end of the hallway but when he looked, there was no one there. Turning back to Angela with an angry scowl, he grabbed his briefcase and shoved her inside. “No, I’m not impressed in the least. I’m mad as hell, in case you haven’t figured that out.”

“But why? I’m not asking you to marry me. I’m not even asking that you see me again after this. I just want one more time with you, Chase, just a few hours of hot, wild sex and then I’ll be out of your life forever.”

“I don’t believe this,” he muttered, raking his fingers through his hair. “Listen to me, and listen well because this is the last time I’m going to tell you. I love Maddy, I’m going to marry her, and there’s not a woman on earth that could lure me away from her. There was never anything between you and me but sex, Angela, and it’s time you accepted that.”

She smiled beguilingly and closed the distance between them. “You can’t tell me you don’t want me.” She took his hand and placed it on her breast. “No man could resist this…” Angela’s eyes widened when Chase jerked his hand away. “You can’t be serious. You’re really turning me down?”

“Yes I am, and quite frankly I’m at a loss as to how I can get through to you. You need to get over this obsession and move on with your life, and you need stop trying to ruin my relationship with Maddy.”

Angela’s voice came out in a vicious hiss. “Your precious Maddy is nothing but a little gold-digger who’ll never be in the same league as I am.”

“You’re right about that,” Chase said, retrieving his briefcase and turning back to the door, “you and Maddy aren’t in the same league at all. She’s much too classy for that.”

Angela let out a shriek of indignation. “Don’t you dare walk out on me, Chase Malone!”

He didn’t even bother to look back her. With hand on the door knob, he made one last stab at ridding himself of her, despising the necessity of using cruelty to achieve that goal. “How can I walk out on you when I was never with you to begin with? I don’t want you, Angela, I never did. You were only mildly enjoyable the first time I slept with you and if I’d had any plans at all that weekend, I wouldn’t wasted my time or energy on the second performance.”

“You bastard! Do you have any idea how many men would have killed to be in your place? There are men who would pay handsomely for the chance to sleep with me!”

Chase glanced back at her with a harsh laugh. “Oh believe me, I’ve paid dearly for it.”

“You haven’t even begun to pay,” she spat.

“No, I’m done with it. I won’t tolerate any more of your games, and I won’t hesitate to file charges for stalking. Stay away from me Angela, this is your last warning.” The door had barely closed behind him when it was flung open again. He whirled on her, the anger in his eyes turning to astonishment. “What the hell…”

Angela stepped out into the hallway, naked as the day she was born. With a wild laugh she threw herself at him, locking her arms around his neck and winding one leg around his thigh. Once again his briefcase hit the floor, and for several insane minutes, Chase struggled to loosen her grasp and separate their bodies. Her arms felt like a vice and if he hadn’t been afraid of hurting her, he might have freed himself sooner but it was his misfortune to have an inbred revulsion at manhandling a woman. By the time he finally did manage to grip her wrists and push her back inside the room, Angela was panting heavily from the struggle but the expression on her face was triumphant.

She wrenched herself free, giving him a dismissive wave of her hand. “Go on then. Go back to your little housekeeper while you still can.”

Suspicion and perhaps a touch of fear made him ask, “What is that supposed to mean?”

“Nothing,” she shrugged. “I just don’t see it working out, that’s all.”

“I really don’t care what you think, but in case you have any foolish ideas about telling Maddy I slept with you tonight, don’t bother. She trusts me, and she wouldn’t believe any of your vile lies if you told her.”

He didn’t wait to hear Angela’s reply, he’d had all he could stomach and just wanted to go home to Maddy. His briefcase was just where he’d left it and Chase heaved a sigh of relief as he grabbed it up and strode toward the elevator because the hallway had remained blessedly deserted and he’d never have to tell Maddy what happened here tonight. It wasn’t as if he was being dishonest with her, he reasoned, he was doing it to protect her. When all was said and done, that’s all that mattered.