A MATTER OF TRUST (2 page)

“I told my mother I rented a room from you for a month because your house was close to the ocean and it would give me a chance to try my hand at painting seascapes.”

Why wasn’t he surprised she didn’t have a steady job? “So you’re an artist. If this car is any indication of the degree of your success, I’d have to guess you were a starving one.”

Maddy shoved her phone back in her purse, telling herself it didn’t matter what Mr. Chase Malone thought of her or her work. “You’ll have to give me directions. Like I said, I was just passing through and…”

Chase cut her off. “Listen, Miss…?”

“Sawyer. Madysen Sawyer.”

“Miss Sawyer, let’s get something straight. I’m tired and hungry and my arm hurts like hell. I’d love nothing more than to go home and sleep for the next twelve hours but I can’t because I have to contact the police department and find out where they hauled my bike off to and make arrangements to get it back. All I want you to do right now is drive me home then make me something to eat. I’m not interested in hearing about your life or getting to know you better. As a matter of fact, I’d be blissfully happy if you’d simply respond with a yes or no and leave it at that, do I make myself clear?”

Maddy swallowed the lump in her throat and turned the key in the ignition. “Yes,” she managed to choke out, then clamped her mouth shut and silently followed Chase’s directions to his house.

****

Chase watched her move around the kitchen, fascinated that such a graceful looking woman could be so inept at doing the simplest of tasks. He’d been tempted to go lay down while she made his lunch but after observing her uncoordinated movements and the way inanimate objects had a tendency to go flying from her hands, he decided it might be best to remain where he was in case the poor thing really did set the kitchen on fire. Admittedly, he wasn’t completely averse to watching her, especially since she’d changed into a pair of khaki shorts and a cropped off t-shirt.

She wasn’t model material; at five foot five she didn’t have the height for it, but Madysen most assuredly had the looks and figure to be one. Hair the color of corn silk hung long and straight down to the center of her back, and with those enormous blue eyes of hers she’d probably left more than her fair share of broken hearts in her wake. Her bone structure was delicate, fragile even, which only made her innate clumsiness seem that much more tragic.

Chase sucked in air between his teeth, his eyes lingering for a moment on Madysen’s well-rounded bottom before wandering down to lock on her shapely legs. It was a crying shame she was such a walking disaster because he would have loved to take her to bed and test out his theory that there was a wildcat hidden beneath the helpless kitten. What would it take to unleash the fire and passion, to rid Madysen of her shyness and watch her bloom like a Spring flower under his ministrations? It was an intriguing thought.

Maddy kept her back to him as much as possible, but she could almost feel his eyes following her as she prepared his meal. It was unnerving and she was sure she was only solidifying his belief that she was an absolute klutz every time a utensil slipped from her hand and went sailing across the counter. Once, she nearly dropped the Cornish game hen on the floor and only managed to catch it by trapping it between the stove and her stomach. Thank God Chase had been preoccupied with rearranging his arm in the sling or she would have died of embarrassment right then and there. What was it about the blasted man that turned her into such a blundering idiot?

At least he wouldn’t be able to find fault with her cooking, regardless of the fumbling methods used in preparing it. Maddy pulled the game hen from the oven, pleased with the golden brown coloring and the tenderness of the vegetables she’d sliced and placed in the pan to stew in the juices. Resetting the dials on the oven, she placed a pan inside with the peach cobbler she’d thrown together so it could bake while he was eating the main course.

She liked to cook and was pleasantly surprised to find his kitchen so well stocked and that it contained all the modern conveniences anyone could ever ask for. Double ovens had provided her the means to broil the game hen and bake homemade dinner rolls simultaneously, and she could hardly wait to do a thorough examination of the pantry and expansive spice rack.

Ignoring the grumblings of her own stomach, Maddy dished up a dinner plate for Chase and carefully carried it over to the table and set it down in front of him. Inwardly, she was nearly giddy from the smile he rewarded her with when he inhaled the enticing aroma, though outwardly she kept her face as unreadable as she had back at the hospital. She didn’t bother asking what he wanted to drink with his dinner because she’d already examined the wine rack and selected a bottle of Chateau Petrus.

Maddy was impressed with his collection. The bottle of Petrus retailed for fifteen hundred dollars and was one of the most expensive red wines in the world. It’s sweet black fruit and vanilla flavor along with the smooth and silky texture was the perfect complement to the meal she was serving Chase, and though he made no comment when she set the glass in front of him, Maddy could tell he was pleased by her choice. Returning to the cooking area, she searched the cupboards for storage containers and began the task of putting the leftovers away.

“The food smells delicious,” Chase said, “but I think my appreciation of it would increase tremendously if I was actually able to consume it.”

Maddy blushed profusely as she hurried back to the table. “I…yes, of course.”

The color in her cheeks deepened when Chase pushed his chair back and nodded to the one next to him. She didn’t want to sit so close, but she had very little choice if she was going to cut up his food for him. Taking the seat he’d indicated, she scooted as close as she dared then sliced off a piece of the game hen and lifted it to his mouth. He took it hesitantly, as if he expected it to taste bad, but the minute his lips closed around the fork he let out a little groan of approval. Maddy speared a few vegetables with the second bite of meat, smiling to herself when he opened his mouth like a baby bird eagerly waiting for its mother to feed it.

“Are you going to have some too?” Chase asked after he’d swallowed down the piece of flaky biscuit she’d popped into his mouth.

Maddy shoveled another mouthful in and replied, “No.”

He washed it down with a sip of wine, eyeing her curiously. “Why not, you must be hungry.” She responded with an indifferent shrug of her shoulders and held up another bite of food. He chewed thoughtfully for a moment, savoring the delightful blend of spices and idly wondering where she’d learn to cook like this. “It is because you don’t want to be indebted to me any more than you already are? Is that why you won’t eat anything?”

“Yes.”

“That’s ridiculous,” he started, and found another mouthful of food being shoved between his parted lips. He chewed and swallowed then caught her wrist with his good arm when she tried to ply him with more food. “Look, your room and meals are on the house, okay? I can’t expect you to live here without feeding you and if all your meals are as good as this one, I’ll consider myself fortunate to have you cooking for me. Are we in agreement?”

“Yes,” Maddy said stiffly, acutely aware of the warmth of his hand on her wrist.

“Good,” Chase released his grip and allowed her to continue feeding him.

Such a timid little thing, he thought, as he openly studied her face. He supposed he should have felt at least a smidgeon of guilt for bullying her into taking care of him, but he was genuinely happy that she was here where he knew she’d be safe. Chase blinked, startled by the notion that he could have even the remotest of feelings for Madysen’s welfare.

It was just that she seemed so pathetically incapable of taking care of herself and she was far too trusting. Even considering she’d been smart enough to glean some personal information on him so her parents would know where she was at and who she was with, he could easily have given her a false name and address and she’d have been none the wiser until it was too late.

While he polished off the last biscuit, Madysen rose from the table to pull yet another delicious smelling dish from the oven. The rich fruity aroma wafted its way across the room and set his mouth to watering. How had she managed to pull together such a spectacular meal in just a little over an hour? Chase inhaled deeply and was practically salivating by the time she drew up her chair and fed him the first spoonful. As the heavenly concoction brought his taste buds to life, what little remorse he felt at forcing her to come home with him faded into oblivion.

Chase sighed regretfully when the last spoonful was held to his lips. He would have loved to indulge in a second helping but he was stuffed to the gills and desperately needed to lay down for awhile. He waited until Madysen cleared the table and stacked the dirty dishes in the dish washer before pushing his chair back and standing up. The meal, or maybe it was the wine, seemed to have cured his headache but his arm hurt like holy hell. He winced, as even the careful steps he took sent shards of pain slicing through his entire arm.

“I’ll need help undressing,” he said, the fatigue and discomfort lending a sharpness to his voice.

Maddy whirled around, her face paling to find him towering over her. Why did she suddenly feel like Little Red Riding Hood about to be devoured by the Big Bad Wolf?

Chapter 2

Maddy followed him up to his bedroom doing her best to look indifferent. A nurse would do no less, she reminded herself, and it wasn’t as if Chase had asked her to strip him naked and hop into bed with him. A slow blush began working its way up her neck at the thought of lying in a tangle of sheets with Chase’s muscular body entwined intimately with hers. Good Lord, why was she conjuring up such carnal images? Besides the fact she’d never even slept with a man before, Maddy was painfully aware that a man like Chase Malone couldn’t possibly find her sexually attractive. Focus, that’s what she needed to do. Focus on why she was here and stop letting her thoughts stray to places they had no business being.

Maddy didn’t say a word when Chase stopped beside his bed. She simply reached out and started unbuckling his belt as if it was the most natural thing in the world. Her fingers fumbled for a moment with the zipper before she managed to get a firm grip and tug it down, and all the while her racing heart was hammering so hard against her rib cage it was a wonder they didn’t crack under the pressure. Holding her breath, she hooked her thumbs in the waistband of Chase’s jeans and started to push them over his hips.

“Boots,” he said.

“Boots?”

“My boots, they need to come off first.” Chase dropped down onto the edge of the bed and stuck out first one foot and then the other. “Every muscle in my body aches,” he groaned when he stood up again.

Maddy merely nodded then took a deep breath and shoved his jeans down and helped him with his t-shirt. Stooping to pick up his socks and jeans, she looked around for a hamper and spied it through the open closet door. After depositing his dirty clothes in the basket, she turned around and discovered she was alone. Should she wait for him to come out of the bathroom or just leave? Not willing to face his wrath if Chase decided he needed something more, she wandered back to his bedside and waited for him there.

His bedroom suited him, she thought. It was spacious and uncluttered, adorned with only a few large, masculine pieces of furniture and an enormous four poster bed that dominated the room. And it smelled like Chase; a musky male scent mingled with something else…sandalwood maybe?

A few minutes later, Chase emerged from the bathroom and Maddy tried not to notice how well he filled out his boxers or wonder if he looked as good without them as he did with them, but it was nearly impossible to keep her eyes to herself and she once again found herself blushing. He grumbled all the way to the bed, lowering himself down on the edge with a groan. Guilt washed over her in waves. It wasn’t her fault the truck hit her and bounced her across the lane into Chase’s motorcycle, but she was still responsible for his injuries nonetheless.

“I could…give you a massage if you like,” she said meekly. “You know, work out some of the soreness. It would help you sleep.”

Remembering all of Madysen’s near mishaps in the kitchen, Chase wasn’t sure he was safe letting her anywhere near him, and her hands were so small he doubted she’d make much of an impact on his aching muscles anyway. But it had to have cost the nervous little thing dearly to offer, and he just couldn’t make himself tell her no. Nodding his assent, he removed the sling then crawled up on the bed and lay on his stomach with the pillow fluffed up under his chin.

A low moan whispered from his lips when her warm hands moved up over his calf and began to gently knead the tension from his muscles. Gradually, her touch grew more confident, her fingers skillfully working out the knots in each calf before tending to his thighs. Having a full body massage wasn’t a new experience for Chase, but getting aroused by it certainly was, and he was shocked by his body’s response. There was nothing erotic about the way her hands moved over him and nothing suggestive or even remotely sexual about the massage itself, so he couldn’t explain why his skin was tingling or why he suddenly felt flushed as if he had a fever.