A MATTER OF TRUST (3 page)

“Why didn’t you want the prescription for painkillers?” Maddy asked as she started on his lower back.

“I don’t take drugs of any kind.”

“No, I imagine someone like you wouldn’t.”

Chase closed his eyes, willing himself to concentrate on their conversation and not the heat that was pooling in his loins. “What do you mean by that, someone like me?”

“Nothing, it’s just…nothing.”

“You had to have meant something by it,” he said crossly. “Don’t be so damn mousy about everything and tell me.”

Maddy’s lips pressed together. He really was the most ill tempered man she’d ever met. “I just meant you seem like a very domineering man and…well, you probably view it as a weakness to fold to pain. Taking medicine would be too much like confirming that weakness, so you’d rather suffer than take something to ease the discomfort.”

Chase had never really thought of it like that before but he supposed she was right. His brows furrowed. “Domineering? You hardly know me well enough to make that assessment, don’t you think?”

Maddy smiled and applied more pressure to the taut muscles in his shoulders. “Commanding then, is that a more agreeable word?”

“I can live with that,” he chuckled.

****

Damn, the woman was good at what she was doing. He felt immeasurably better and though his arm still throbbed, the rest of him was feeling blissfully relaxed. Maybe she had some kind of mystical healing powers or something because all the tension seemed to have ebbed from his body, with the minor exception of one muscle in particular that remained stubbornly hard and firm.

Unfortunately, there was only one way to rid himself of the problem and somehow Chase didn’t think Miss Nervous Nellie would be agreeable to helping him out. He could almost see the look of horror on her face when he suggested she hop on and ride him for a few minutes, for he had no doubt he wouldn’t last much longer than that. He smiled to himself, letting his mind play out the fantasy of stripping Madysen and making love to her when he was abruptly yanked out of his erotic daydream.

“Turn over so I can do your front side,” Maddy said.

His eyelids snapped open, and to his astonishment Chase felt genuinely embarrassed by the idea of turning over and letting her see the affect she had on him. As jittery as she was around him, she’d probably make a mad dash for the door and keep right on running. He decided the accident must have done something to him, scrambled his brains a bit maybe, because there was no way in hell he’d ever feel so drawn to a woman like Madysen Sawyer under normal circumstances.

He’d always gone for tall, willowy females who had more beauty than brains, mostly because there was no danger he’d become emotionally involved so they posed no threat to his life as a confirmed bachelor. He liked his women to be poised and graceful, women who thrived on his demanding nature and enjoyed using their feminine wiles to entice him, not like this butterfingered little nymph who trembled every time he raised his voice and who seemed completely unaware of her own sexuality. No, Madysen wasn’t his type at all, but something about her rattled him and he almost regretted inviting her into his perfectly ordered life.

“Chase, did you hear me?”

“I heard you,” he snapped.

She leaned over him, setting her hand lightly on his shoulder. “Do you need help?”

He shrugged her hand off, an unreasonable anger stealing over him. “If I wanted your damn help I’d ask for it!”

Maddy drew in a stilted breath, stung not only by his words but the harshness of his tone as well. “I’m sorry, I just thought…”

“You’re not here to think,” Chase said impatiently. “Now kindly remove yourself from my bedroom so I can get some sleep. And Madysen…try not to break any of my things.”

He was tired and in pain, she reminded herself, but it didn’t stop the tears from forming in her eyes and spilling down over her cheeks as she made her escape. She was being overly sensitive and she knew it, but so many things had gone wrong today and Chase’s hateful attitude did nothing but compound the feeling that she was a complete failure at everything she did. Obviously she hadn’t done a very good job at working out his tension, but she’d done her best so it was horribly unfair of him to bark at her like that.

Maddy scurried across the hall to the bedroom she’d chosen when they first arrived. She hadn’t even bothered to look at the others because she’d instantly fallen in love with this one the moment she’d stepped inside and saw how bright and cheery it was. Chase hadn’t given her much time to explore but now she wiped away the tears and wandered through the room, examining the magnificent antique armoire and checking out the firmness of the mattress on her bed.

She never would have guessed by the simple blue jeans and t-shirt he’d been wearing that Chase was a wealthy man but everything about this house screamed money, as in multi-millionaire money. Not that the size of his portfolio made any difference to her, after all, she'd spent her entire life surrounded by people who had more money than they could spend in one lifetime. But it did make her wonder what he did for a living, because whatever it was, Chase was obviously very good at it.

Maddy rose from the bed and crossed the room, opening the double French doors to the balcony and let out a childish squeal of delight at the breathtaking view. She’d known they were near the ocean of course, but Chase’s house stood alone at the top of a stony cliff so she’d just assumed there was no access to the beach. Now she could see there was not only a clear view of the water but also wooden steps leading down to it.

The rain had thankfully stopped but the overhang of the roof sheltered the balcony so that even in a downpour she’d be able to sit outside and paint. She couldn’t have asked for a better place to spread her wings and try her hand at capturing the beauty of the ocean on canvas and suddenly Maddy was anxious to get her art supplies set up so she could go to work.

With a renewed sense of purpose, she slipped out of her bedroom past Chase’s partially opened door and hurried downstairs. She took only enough time in the kitchen to set some meat out to thaw for dinner and grab a quick bite to eat before hurrying out to her car and unloaded her easel, canvases, and painting supplies. So what if the circumstances for her being here weren’t exactly ideal? When she wasn’t tending to Chase’s needs, she’d be able to do what she loved most; recreate the beauty of nature through the strokes of her paint brush.

For awhile, she was blissfully happy as she arranged her things near the balcony doors and unpacked her clothes. She’d had no particular destination in mind when the unfortunate accident happened, and Chase’s house was much better as far as accommodations went than staying in a hotel and having to cart her art supplies everywhere. Granted, she wouldn’t have as much free time to paint as she’d like but it was only a month delay and she’d given herself a full year to prove herself as an artist.

Yes, Maddy decided, the remote location away from the sounds of the city and the breathtaking view from her room suited her just fine. She was just about to stroll out to the balcony to enjoy the peace and quiet when her tranquil afternoon was shattered by a thunderous roar from the green-eyed devil across the hall.

****

“Where the hell have you been,” Chase barked, “I’ve been calling for you for twenty minutes!”

Maddy knew he’d done no such thing, but she wasn’t about to work his temper up any more than it already was. “I’m sorry,” she said contritely, “what did you need?”

“A charley-horse in my thigh,” he gritted, rubbing the offending muscles rather ineffectively with his left hand.

She was by his side in an instant, pushing him back against the pillow. “Just lay back and try to relax.”

“Easy for you to say, it’s not your leg that feels like it’s on fire!”

Maddy didn’t bother to point out he might not have gotten the muscle spasm at all if he’d allowed her to massage the front of his legs as she’d done the back. Instead she went to work on his thigh, applying herself vigorously to the task of stretching the muscle. She got them in her calves on occasion and knew how painful they could be so she didn’t begrudge Chase his cantankerous mood at the moment. It didn’t take more than a few minutes to feel the muscle start to relax, but she kept at it just to make sure it wasn’t going to tighten up again, stopping only because Chase startled her by putting his hand over hers.

“That’s…fine,” he said huskily.

What was it about Madysen that made his insides churn and his heart start to race? He’d already determined she wasn’t his type because she was so different from the women he usually dated, but maybe that was exactly the reason he found her so refreshing. Chase lifted her hand from his thigh but he didn’t let it go. He liked the way it felt against his palm, soft and warm and as delicate as a hummingbird’s wings.

“So deceptive,” Chase said, examining the finely boned fingers. “You worked out the stiffness in my muscles like a seasoned masseuse yet your hands don’t look strong enough to crush a rose petal.”

Maddy snatched her hand away and immediately felt foolish for doing so because it only seemed to amuse Chase. Flustered and embarrassed, she tried to mask it by asking if there was anything else she could do for him then turned a light shade of scarlet when he arched a brow and let his eyes make a suggestive sweep down her body and back up again.

If another man had looked her that way she would have been insulted, revolted even, especially given the fact they barely knew each other. But Maddy didn’t feel anything but a melty kind of warmth, as if he’d caressed her with his hands instead of his eyes. It was a little unnerving and she took a few steps backwards, suddenly desperate to escape.

“I could get you some water or…or a glass of iced tea. Unless you’d prefer something stronger, or maybe something to eat…”

Chase laughed softly. “Madysen, you’re rambling. I don’t bite, you know.”

Somehow Maddy doubted that. “I’m sorry, I always babble when I’m…nervous”

“It’s because I’ve been such a bear to be around, isn’t it?”

“Yes,” she lied.

Well, it wasn’t a complete lie, it did make her jumpy when he was snapping at her, but that wasn’t what made her stomach flutter or her breath come up short or why she could hear the sound of her own heart pounding in her ears as if a herd of wild horses had been set loose inside of her head. She couldn’t even being to explain the sense of longing she’d felt when he’d held her hand or the throbbing ache that settled deep in her abdomen whenever he looked into her eyes. Her reaction to Chase confused her which in turn scared the hell out of her.

Chase could have kicked himself for terrorizing the poor thing. She just stood there, wide-eyed and trembling, and making such a valiant effort not to flee from the room that it tugged at his heart. It went against his nature to feel compassion for anyone who didn’t meet life’s challenges head on, and considering how much he detested people who exposed their weaknesses so openly, it seemed absurd for him to feel this overwhelming need to wrap himself around her like a coat of protective armor.

He gave her a warm smile, one that had melted the hearts of many women in his lifetime and practically had them throwing themselves at his feet. But Madysen seemed impervious to his charms, and instead of returning his smile she only retreated a few more steps; an act which made Chase’s considerable male ego bristle. What would it take to make Madysen tremble with desire instead of fear? Probably not much, he decided.

Judging by that metal bucket she drove and the simple clothing she wore, it wouldn’t take more than a few shopping sprees and maybe a diamond bracelet to impress her. He’d have to take it slow, but that was okay with Chase. He loved a good challenge, and the idea of coaxing this shy little lamb into his bed was certainly going to be a test of patience and perseverance, though he had few doubts as to the ultimate outcome.

“I’ll make a deal with you,” he said. “I promise to try and curb my bad temper if you make an honest effort not to let me intimidate you, okay? It makes me feel like an absolute letch every time you give me that whipped puppy look and it just makes me even more edgy. So, do we have a deal?”

Maddy returned his smile, enormously relieved she wouldn’t have to spend the next month walking around on eggshells. “Yes, I’d like that.”

“Good.” Chase swung his legs over the side of the bed and stood up. “Would you mind drawing me a hot bath, my muscles are starting to stiffen up again and a nice, long soaking sounds really good right now.”

Maddy took a hesitant step towards him and braved giving him her opinion on the hot bath. “Chase…you might want to take a cool one instead.”

For one uncomfortable moment, he thought she’d figured out why he wouldn’t turn over onto his back when she’d asked him to, but it was apparent she wanted to add to her comment and he couldn’t believe his reserved little Madysen had it in her to discuss his earlier state of arousal. He wondered if the woman had it in her to even say the word sex out loud .