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About Last Summer
Sandra Panting
Bad Boy…Best Man.Natalie Campbell – type A personality, dutiful daughter, and manager of the family event planning business – is organising her brother’s wedding. Which is awkward, since last summer she fell into bed with the best man.Chase Malone is all wrong for her – commitment-phobic, recently divorced, and living on the other side of the country. He never promised her a future, and he doesn’t want anyone to know about their past. But history does have a way of repeating itself… and with the wedding coming up, their little secret is harder and harder to keep!
Bad Boy…Best Man.
Natalie Campbell - super-organized, dutiful daughter, and manager of the family event planning business – is organizing her brother’s wedding. No matter how long her to-do list (and at the moment it seems never-ending!) she’s grateful for the distraction. Because if she’s fiddling with the table plans and arranging flower centerpieces she’s not thinking about last summer. When she fell into bed with Chase Malone—her brother’s best man. Now this is going to get awkward!
Chase is all wrong for Natalie – she’s sure even the word commitment would send him running for the hills! He never promised her a future, and he doesn’t want anyone to know about their past. But with the wedding coming up, their little secret is getting harder and harder to keep…and almost impossible not to repeat!
About Last Summer
Sandra Panting
Copyright (#ulink_390db926-ee08-5c38-b3d8-5caeac8144ad)
HQ
An imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd.
1 London Bridge Street
London SE1 9GF
First published in Great Britain by HQ in 2014
Copyright © Sandra Panting 2014
Sandra Panting asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.
All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins.
E-book Edition © January 2014 ISBN: 9781472074980
Version date: 2018-09-19
Contents
Cover (#uea7cab45-ce77-5ac8-852b-c1e570b42e23)
Blurb (#u5769ccb9-415c-545f-8a2a-729400c18e6a)
Title Page (#ubdf3bc92-b60e-59ef-8d9e-b64b967561ca)
Copyright (#ua269bbc6-d7ba-54bc-a8ba-13232e52947e)
Author Bio (#u5050b5c0-109f-5380-9d04-3d7ae8f662b2)
Dedication (#u0a006850-5ff7-5f86-a488-1680df2cf668)
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Endpages (#litres_trial_promo)
About the Publisher (#litres_trial_promo)
As a child SANDRA PANTING used to tell people that when she grew up she wanted to write Nancy Drew books, although in reality what she really wanted to be was Nancy Drew. She eventually gave up on the dream of imitating her favorite teenaged crime fighter, but her desire to become a writer never waned. Currently Sandra lives in Illinois with her husband and four children. Most days she can be found writing, spending way too much time on Twitter, and anxiously awaiting the next Dancing With The Stars elimination.
Thanks Dad
Chapter One (#u08ae1b32-6cdf-5494-a63c-f4f524249783)
The last time Chase Malone had seen Natalie Campbell she had been naked in his bed, and when he awoke she was gone. That was over a year ago. He’d never asked why she left and, given the statute of limitations had no doubt expired on such a question, it was unlikely he ever would. Besides, asking those kinds of questions wasn’t his style.
From his secluded position, he watched as she stood on a small wooden pier, while an expanse of the Mississippi River held her gaze. Somewhere in the distance guests had gathered to celebrate her brother’s birthday, and it wasn’t like Natalie to not join in. But Chase hadn’t followed her to discuss her brother’s birthday. Actually, he wasn’t certain why he had followed her, but for some reason he couldn’t stay away.
Deciding he’d had enough of loitering in the shadows, he pushed away from the tree he’d been lounging against. The soles of his shoes clumped slightly as he strode across the wooden planking.
“You know that’s not allowed.” He crossed his arms on top of the railing, the polished plank adequately wide enough to rest his arms.
“What’s not allowed?” Natalie’s eyes remained focused on the dark surface of the river. If she was surprised to see him, she hid her reaction well.
“A long face at a party.” His gaze followed hers across the river to the houses dotting the shore. The view was the same as he remembered, the little of it he could see in the muted moonlight. “Care to talk about it?”
Instead of answering, she asked, “Are you sure you want to risk being seen talking to me?”
Chase didn’t need a road map to follow that remark, although he couldn’t tell whether she was asking out of spite or curiosity.
Going out on a limb, he chose the latter. “Well, considering your brother is wrapped up in his fiancée, I think I can risk it.” With a subtle shrug, he added, “Besides, Patrick knows we’re friends. Your parents may have an issue with us talking, but I doubt Patrick will have a problem with it.”
A soft June breeze carrying the scent of the river tousled Natalie’s shoulder-length hair. She’d cut it since the last time he’d seen her, although he hadn’t decided if he liked it or not.
“Is that what we are, Chase? Friends?”
That casual question struck a bit below the belt rendering him somewhat speechless. He could admit their former relationship lacked most of the usual boundaries, but he’d been under the impression she wasn’t interested in labeling it any more than he was.
Or had that been wishful thinking on his part?
Deciding to risk making eye contact, his gaze fell on her profile. “I’m not sure I understand what you’re asking.”
A moment ticked by as she tucked a strand of sandy-colored hair behind one ear. The subtle gesture registered as deliberate, suggesting his nearness made her nervous, although her lack of expression left him baffled. Some sixth sense warned her attitude had something to do with him, although he had no idea why. He hadn’t seen her in almost a year.
As the moment ticked by, she waved a hand in a dismissive gesture. “Don’t worry about it,” she said. “It’s been a really long day, and I’m in kind of a weird mood. You’d probably be better served to ignore me.” She tossed him what he assumed was supposed to be a blithe smile before pushing away from the railing.
“Wait a minute.” Motivated to stop her before she walked away he touched her arm, halting her forward movement. His male nature enjoyed the excuse to touch her, and taking further advantage he stepped closer. He didn’t know what was going on, but he’d never seen her like this, and he didn’t like it. “Maybe you should just tell me what this is about.”
His nearness must have triggered a self-defense mechanism as her expression again grew guarded, but finally her eyes lifted. The scar on her chin she’d gotten from falling out of a tree when she was eight was barely visible in the dim lighting. “Are you aware that for the next few weeks you and I are going to be staying in the same house?”
He hesitated, their gazes mingling. Being so close to her after nearly a year apart felt a bit strange especially given how their relationship ended. No arguments. No tearful goodbyes. He woke up one morning and she was gone. He often told himself they were better off this way, but sometimes he wondered.
Pushing aside past memories, he asked, “How can that be? I’m staying with Patrick until after the wedding.”
“I know.” She leaned against the railing, the cut of her summery green sundress offering Chase a tantalizing view of her cleavage. “Patrick and Erica are buying a new house, and I’m buying Patrick’s. Before I knew he’d invited you to stay, I moved in.”
Erica Sullivan, Patrick’s fiancée, was also a good friend of Natalie’s. Patrick and Erica had hired Natalie to be their wedding planner. Patrick had invited Chase to stay until after the wedding given Chase was the Best Man, and Patrick and Chase hadn’t spent much time together since Chase moved to New York eight years ago. Chase agreed as spending extended amounts of time with his family generally wasn’t the best way to go about maintaining his sanity. Last year Chase’s father had been involved in a near-fatal car crash and between traveling back and forth to New York and Chase’s bickering family, Chase didn’t know how he would have coped if it hadn’t been for Natalie.
“So you’re living here?” He inclined his head in the direction of the house and Natalie nodded, moonlight glittering off her dark hair.
Now that could be a problem. He and Natalie under the same roof as her brother, combined with the seductive memories of how good they’d always been together, did not spell happy conclusion.
Apparently having interpreted his silence, she said with a rueful smile, “I see you’ve grasped the problem.”
Oh, he grasped the problem all right.
Trying out his voice of reason, he said, “So we have two choices, either one of us can stay elsewhere, or we can pretend nothing happened.”
“I would say those are our options,” she said. “Although if one of us leaves, Patrick is going to want to know why.”
He exhaled a tense breath. “Oh, boy.”
“Yeah, I’d say that about covers it.”
Silence stretched as their gazes continued to mingle. Their positions were reminiscent of days past, back when he was free to touch her, to kiss her, to make love to her. He didn’t want to remember those days but he did. And each day the memories tugged at him a bit more.
“I probably shouldn’t say this, but I didn’t want things to end.” Subtle regret tinged his voice as he revealed that piece of information, but what the hell, it was the truth.
“Neither did I,” she said, her admission delivered with the same hint of regret he heard in his own tone.
Sexual awareness pulled at him. Damn, he hadn’t wanted to go down this road with her again. Her parents made no bones about the fact they thought he was bad news, an opinion that had been reinforced by his divorce over two years ago. Not to mention Patrick had made it clear he didn’t want Chase getting involved with Natalie. The two men may have been friends since the third grade, but the Malone men didn’t have the best reputation with women, and Patrick didn’t want his sister getting mixed up with the Malone family drama.
But sex with Natalie was like alcohol to an alcoholic or chocolate cake to an obese dieter. No matter how many times he told himself he shouldn’t touch her, the chemistry between them combined with blissful memories of hot, lusty sex grabbed him and wouldn’t let go. And a year later the memories were still there.
Without conscious thought he stepped closer, his arm sliding around her waist. Natalie’s greenish-blue eyes remained locked with his, her elbows on the dock railing.
All he wanted was a kiss. One, sweet, simple kiss. He needed to know if he imagined the potent chemistry between them, because the more he thought about it the more he was convinced he must have. Sex just wasn’t that amazing. Sex was sex. It can be fulfilling both emotionally and physically, but sex never made him feel like his next breath depended on being inside her.
Sex just wasn’t that good.
Ignoring his conscience he moved in for a taste. Once, twice, three times their mouths connected. Then by degree his kiss lingered. With the exception of his arm at her waist only their mouths touched. The lack of full body contact was both erotic and frustrating. He wanted her flat against him; her body aligned with his, her hands tangled in his hair, but if he took things that far there would be no turning back.
And he couldn’t afford to forget about her brother, who also happened to be Chase’s best friend, a friend that had asked Chase to keep his distance from his sister. Resisting the intoxicating allure of tasting more of her sweet kiss, he reluctantly withdrew.
Resting his forehead against hers, he said, “I think you’re right. We do have a problem.”
“Chase,” she said, her eyes speaking of the same desire, a desire that had once consumed them both without regard for the consequences. “We can’t do this again.”
“I know.” Boy, did he ever know. They were lucky someone hadn’t caught on before now.
She placed a hand against his chest, the warmth of her touch detectable through the thin fabric of his cotton shirt and, taking the hint, he backed off.
“I should be heading back to the party,” she said, although he suspected her statement was a cop-out to avoid facing what had happened between them. Not that he had any right to judge.
He nodded. “That’s probably not a bad idea.”
Natalie headed up the path, his gaze trailing after her, his emotions twisted worse than a corkscrew. He hadn’t wanted to go down this road with her again, but his biggest problem was how did he stop?
*****
“Beautiful wedding, Natalie.”
Natalie tossed Wendy Taylor a brittle smile, although she didn’t stop to chat. Having spent the last four hours on her feet in three-inch heels, and with her mother breathing down her neck about every detail of the wedding, Natalie had only one thing on her mind: getting to the bar.
Last year Doris Campbell had retired from the event planning business, and turned the reins over to Natalie. Well, that was the official story anyway. Doris still poked her nose into the more notable events, and she had a tendency to make Natalie feel as if she wasn’t capable of a competent decision.
But always the cool collected professional, Natalie smiled, did her job, then tossed back a few shots at the bar when no one was looking. After all, imbibing alcohol was preferable to murder. And it was more socially acceptable, too.
“I see your mother is as omnipresent as ever,” Wayne Holland commented as he claimed the bar stool next to Natalie’s.
Wayne was the bride’s cousin, and his sense of humor had saved Natalie’s sanity more than once during the past year. He was good looking in a Jason Bateman kind of way, and Natalie had noticed more than one of the single female guests giving him the eye.
Natalie, elbows resting on the dark mahogany bar, exhaled a weighty sigh. “My mother has spent most of the afternoon complaining about the F.O.B.’s tie.” At Wayne’s confused look, she clarified, “The Father of the Bride.”
