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He filled her in on the details then headed downstairs as she returned to her office. Being alone with her for an extended period of time was high on his list of bad ideas. Kind of like that kiss the other night. He wanted to prove nothing incredible had happened between them, but all that brief kiss had accomplished was to make him hungry for more, and knowing she slept under the same roof didn’t help. He wanted to believe he could keep his hands off her, but he honestly wasn’t sure if he could.
Because he sure as hell didn’t want to.
After he’d finished dressing for his ‘date’ with Natalie, Chase headed upstairs. His misgivings about the evening increased when he found Natalie dashing about, fretting about her appearance. First she decided she didn’t have the right handbag, and then she changed her mind about her earrings. Personally, he thought she looked sexy as hell, and although it was on the tip of his tongue to tell her so, he decided that probably wasn’t the wisest thing he could say.
He may have teased her about being afraid to be alone with him, but to be honest he had a few reservations about the evening himself. Although he’d known Natalie for a number of years, it had taken him a while to notice she was no longer just Patrick’s little sister, but once he noticed he played hell keeping his hands off her. A part of him had always wondered why she agreed to an affair that was destined to end before it really began, but he never asked. Mostly because he didn’t think he wanted to know.
“Well, what do you think?” she asked after having changed her shoes, jewelry and grabbing another handbag.
He obligingly looked her up and down, but soon regretted it as his hormones jumped to attention. Her halter cut, fire engine-red dress fit like a glove displaying her cleavage, the curve of her hips, and the leanness of her legs. Chase didn’t know a great deal about fabric, but this one had a soft sheen and looked alternately red and hot pink depending on the lighting. Her hair was pulled back with a simple barrette, and her subtle makeup, or maybe it was the lighting, brought out the green in her eyes. However, a dress like that served basically one purpose – to make a man wonder how to get it off, and given the halter style, Chase doubted he’d need much direction.
But before he could manage an intelligent response the door opened, and Patrick came strolling in looking every bit like the high-powered advertising executive he was. Patrick and Chase were the same age, six years older than Natalie, but back in college it had become obvious Patrick was more suited to working behind a desk, whereas Chase preferred a more hands-on career. Although there was no denying Patrick was doing well for himself. Patrick’s suit wasn’t exactly Armani, but Chase recognized custom tailoring when he saw it.
“What are you all dressed up for?” Patrick asked, eyeing Natalie’s supposed going-out-with-a-friend dress.
“Chase and I are going out to dinner,” she said simply, while rearranging the contents of her black evening bag.
“You’re going out to dinner?” Patrick cast a wondering eye at Chase, then at Natalie. His expression reminded Chase of Natalie when she was uncertain about something. “Dressed like that?”
With a touch of annoyance, Natalie planted a hand on her hip, her gold bracelet catching the light from a nearby lamp. “Don’t give me that Dad routine.”
As Patrick’s expression grew more concerned, Chase hastened to explain. “A friend of mine wants me to have dinner with him. He told me to bring a friend, and since you and Erica are busy tonight – ”
“Yes, but that’s not a going-out-to-dinner-with-a-friend dress,” Patrick said in an accusatory tone. “That’s a date dress.”
“And how would you know?” Natalie slid her purse strap over her shoulder.
“I’m engaged, remember?” Patrick said, clearly offended.
Recognizing sibling rivalry when he saw it, and hoping to sidetrack Patrick from jumping to any more conclusions, Chase quickly intervened. “Look, Patrick, it’s just dinner. We won’t be late.”
“Yes, Patrick,” Natalie mimicked in a falsely sweet voice. “It’s just dinner. Besides I’m a big girl. I think I can manage for a few hours without a chaperon.” She slid her arm through Chase’s.
Chase wasn’t sure her touching him in front of her brother was such a smart move, but he supposed the gesture went along with her I’m-a-big-girl-and-I-don’t-need-advice-from-my-older-brother act.
He refrained from saying anything more while he backed out of the drive. Although the evening had been Chase’s idea, he was beginning to question the wisdom of his plan. Sure, bringing along Natalie to keep Drake from forcing Chase into an unwanted date was a simple enough solution, but things between him and Natalie weren’t exactly simple. The nights Natalie had spent in his bed were never far from his thoughts, and he’d be lying if he said he didn’t want a repeat performance.
However he wasn’t some horny high-school kid who couldn’t control his hormones. He could, when needed, exert some self-control. And as for tonight if Natalie wanted to torment her brother by wearing a dress that was guaranteed to raise the blood pressure of any normal male in the general vicinity, Chase really had very little say in the matter.
Although he had to admit, casting another sidelong glance at how the silky fabric clung to her breasts, if he was her brother he doubted he would like her dressing like that, either.
*****
Seated in a comfortable chair surrounded by understated elegance, Natalie perused an expensive looking menu. She had congratulated herself on how well she handled the scene earlier with Patrick, but a small voice reminded her Patrick was only part of the problem. The remainder of her problem sat to her left with his arm draped around her shoulders. All for Drake’s benefit she knew, but Chase’s innocent touch was a subtle reminder of everything she longed for, and everything she knew would never be.
Knowing such doomsday thinking was counterproductive she shifted her thoughts to Drake. Drake reminded her of an older version of Chase: passionate about his work, too good looking for words, and wary of any woman who crossed his path. Chase could usually talk a good story, but deep down she knew there weren’t many people he let close.
Not that she could wholly blame him with his family. His father’s multiple divorces had nearly buried the family in scandal, and in between marriages Chase’s father and mother would attempt reconciliation, and always with disastrous results. Natalie had given up trying to figure out Chase’s parents, but she wouldn’t mind getting closer to the man next to her. Too bad he wouldn’t let her.
Well, maybe you just need to try harder.
Knowing that listening to that tiny, encouraging voice would just get her into trouble, she ignored it. She was not going to delude herself into believing she would be the woman who would capture Chase’s heart. What she shared with him last year was about the most he was willing to give, and after he left she’d been forced to accept that’s all they would ever share. Although that didn’t mean she wanted a repeat performance. Her heart couldn’t take any more.
“You ready to order?” Chase’s smooth as honey voice in her ear reminded her of their close proximity.
Determined to remember she was only here to appease Drake, she gave her order then leaned against Chase, his arm once again encircling her shoulders. She knew she shouldn’t be encouraging his touch, but sometimes a girl just wanted to live on the edge.
Over the past few years Chase had bought several houses from Drake. Houses that he would renovate and then later sell for a profit. Chase had so much local success with renovating properties that when he moved to New York eight years ago, he had turned it into a full-time occupation.
Chase still bought property in Baker Hill, but those properties he hired other contractors to renovate. Rarely did he involve himself with those properties unless he spent an extended amount of time in town. Like he had last year when he returned home because of his father’s car crash, which had led to his affair with Natalie.
After dinner Drake suggested they move into the lounge. Chase kept Natalie at his side, his innocent touch like a subtle promise of something more. Kind of like the appetizer before the main course, and she wondered if that was where this night was leading. Given their former relationship anything was possible. She could easily delude herself into believing she had everything under control, but given her feelings for Chase that kind of control might be an illusion.
But considering how hard she’d worked over the past few months to get him out of her heart, those thoughts were rather unsettling. The main reason she’d agreed to this charade was to prove she could control her reaction to him. For the most part she was managing fairly well, but then again the evening wasn’t over.
The conversation drifted to the property Chase wanted to buy. Natalie sipped her wine, catching phrases like crown molding and curb appeal, grateful no one expected her to join in. It was just before nine, which meant the evening could go on for several hours yet. She wanted to encourage time to move forward, yet her heart wanted to extend the evening as long as possible, sort of like wishing for a new car then complaining about the color. Unfortunately when fate granted one’s heart desire, it didn’t usually bother with the fine tuning.
“I suspect our business discussion is boring your girlfriend,” Drake’s voice interrupted Natalie’s thoughts. “Why don’t you two dance, while I make a few phone calls?” He was speaking to Chase, yet his disarming smile was pointed at Natalie.
Yep, just like Chase. Drake knew when to uncork the charm.
With a smile Chase stood and offered Natalie his hand. For the first time she noticed the subdued music enticing couples onto the dance floor. Most likely her mind had tuned out the romantic sound hoping to prevent further intimate thoughts of Chase, but given this was supposed to be a date, she could hardly refuse.
Oh, hell, here we go again. Her heart thudded as he led her onto the dance floor then drew her against him. The alignment of their bodies wasn’t quite full frontal contact, but it was close enough for her to worry about breathing. It truly wasn’t fair how he affected her, but then again she was the idiot who had agreed to this. And she was also the idiot who had decided to wear such a revealing dress. At the time, choosing this dress had seemed like a good idea. Her feminine ego had wanted to prove she still possessed the power to raise Chase’s blood pressure, and the desire she’d seen in his eyes before Patrick walked in suggested her choice of apparel had done the trick. But her problem now wasn’t Chase’s reaction to her dress. It was her reaction to having his hands on her. The halter style left the majority of her back bare, something his hands hadn’t taken long to discover. The tantalizing way he caressed her back implied he wasn’t touching her just for Drake’s benefit. And when his embrace invited her closer, she felt certain he just wanted to put his hands on her.
She probably should object. After all this was just supposed to be about dinner, and besides she’d already decided she wasn’t going to let her heart, or her hormones, get the better of her again. She lifted her head to voice an objection, but then their gazes collided and her heart stalled. Chase’s eyes were full of memories, erotic, seductive memories that she so did not need to be reminded of.
Oh, yeah. She definitely needed to object.
“You probably shouldn’t be looking at me like that,” she somehow managed despite the thudding in her chest. A middle-aged couple dressed in jeans nearly collided with them, but Natalie was too caught up in Chase’s gaze to pay much attention.
“Why? Does it bother you?” he asked, his expression not changing.
The difference in their height was noticeable now that he held her so close, despite Natalie’s three-inch heels, and looking up at him she felt at a bit of a disadvantage, but regardless she still intended to say what she needed to.
“No,” she answered honestly. “That’s why you shouldn’t be doing it.”
Needing space, she attempted to put some distance between them, but his arms remained around her.
“Drake’s watching.” A slight smile curved his mouth.
The roguish glint in his eyes should have made her mad. She wanted to get mad, but she couldn’t. He was just too damned sexy, and she’d always been a sucker for a guy who was slightly incorrigible. So she satisfied herself with, “You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?” She even managed to add a touch of accusation to her tone.
“Maybe just a little.” His grin widened.
The problem was so was she. Seeing little point in offering further objection, she gave in and relaxed against him, her head resting against his shoulder.
What the hell, she thought, surrendering to his enticing embrace. She might as well enjoy his touch while she could. Besides, they were on a public dance floor, how carried away could they get?
*****
“Have you told Natalie why you’ve decided to come back home?” Drake asked, signaling to the bartender for another beer. He already had several but Chase knew Drake would take a cab home.
The indirect lighting helped disguise the fact that Drake was pushing sixty, and despite the lines around his eyes and a dusting of gray hair, he remained an attractive man. More than one woman tonight had given Drake the eye, not that Drake paid any attention. He’d been loyally married for nearly thirty years. Chase often wondered if he would ever share that kind of committed relationship with anyone.
Drake’s subtle question settled in Chase’s gut like a rock. “Uh, no. Not yet.”
“You mean she hasn’t questioned why you’ve taken so much time off?”
Chase glanced over his shoulder. Natalie had retreated to a quiet corner with her cell phone, but having no idea how long the call was going to take, he didn’t know when she’d be back. And this was not a conversation he wanted her to overhear.
“Natalie thinks I’m just spending time with my friend before he gets married.” Or at least that’s what Chase assumed she thought. He wasn’t exactly in the position to ask her.
“And what about you and her?”
Confused about the direction Drake was taking this conversation, Chase asked with a touch of caution, “What about us?”
“How long have you been dating?”
“I don’t know. A few months.” Knowing some men didn’t keep track of such things Chase didn’t feel his answer would tip Drake off. Besides Chase couldn’t remember what he’d told Drake before.
“Does she know about Denise?” Drake nodded in Natalie’s direction, her animated laughter evident from several yards away.
The rock in Chase’s gut turned to acid. The demise of his marriage was a sore subject, and he avoided discussing the topic as much as possible.
“Natalie knows I’m divorced,” he replied, knowing he hadn’t answered Drake’s question.
“But she doesn’t know why,” Drake guessed.
Seeing no way to sidestep that statement, Chase reluctantly admitted, “No, she doesn’t.”
He hadn’t told Natalie during his last visit because they didn’t have that kind of relationship. And now they didn’t even have a relationship, but even if they did, Chase doubted if he would tell her.
His feelings concerning his divorce were muddled up with his feelings for Natalie, and his feelings about where his life was going. Nothing in his life made sense any more, and given his confusion he doubted if he could explain these issues to anyone.
“Don’t you think you should tell her?”
Given the circumstances that question was beside the point, but realizing he couldn’t tell Drake that, Chase merely said, “I haven’t decided what I’m going to do.”
“You’re going to have to come to terms with it sooner or later, Chase.”
Chase had long ago reached that conclusion, but knowing Drake meant well, Chase lifted his beer. “Yeah, well, as soon as I figure out a way to do that, I’ll let you know.”
*****
During the ride home, neither of them said much, but the silence wasn’t awkward. Natalie gazed out the window while Chase pushed buttons on the radio. Unable to find a satisfactory music station he switched it off, but immediately wished he hadn’t.
Fiddling with the controls had given him something to focus on besides Natalie, and now he had nothing to occupy his mind but the tempting brunette seated next to him. He’d told himself a thousand times they couldn’t continue. Doing so would seem too much like a real relationship, and he just didn’t have room in his life for such things.
Besides he’d learned that most relationships just weren’t worth the aggravation they ultimately caused, so he often left before everything fell apart. Sure, he’d enjoyed being with Natalie during those few weeks, but if they started seeing each other on a regular basis their relationship wouldn’t be nearly as exciting.
Regular dating meant expectations. Expectations inevitably led to disappointment. Disappointment led to arguing. And then things often turned ugly.
No, they were better off this way. Much better. And as for his desire for her, well, he was only human. Besides, he’d rather think of her with a smile on his face than with an ache in his heart as he tried to figure out where everything had gone wrong.
Kind of like what happened with his ex-wife.
That gut-wrenching thought crept into his brain before he could stop it. His love for her had ended a long time ago, but the heartache had yet to wane. And one of the things that ripped at him the most was everyone assumed the demise of his marriage was inevitable because he was a Malone. Many of the rumors he’d heard about his father and brothers were true, but until his own divorce Chase had thought he was different. Clearly, he’d been wrong.
Finding Patrick’s house along winding River Shore Drive in the dark wasn’t easy, and Chase focused on locating the correct house for a few moments. But the process didn’t capture his attention for long. Now he had other concerns to face, such as how was he going to say good night to Natalie without them ending up in bed. The driveway stood empty which meant Patrick was still out with Erica. Chase had hoped Patrick would be home which would eliminate Chase’s need to test his self-restraint.
In his mind, he anticipated the evening ending like a typical date. First, they’d go inside all the while discussing the high points of the evening. Then there would be the inevitable offer of a drink as she kicked off her shoes. Then they’d chat as they sipped their drinks, and all the while he’d be wondering how much longer before he could kiss her. Or whose room they could go into so they could spend the rest of the night making love.
As much as he would enjoy letting that scenario play out, Chase knew better.
“How about a drink?” Natalie asked, kicking her heels off at the door.
Could he call them, or what?
“Sure,” he said, strolling into the living room, tugging at his tie.
Natalie headed into the kitchen, and he sank onto the couch, his tie dropping onto the coffee table.
Just one quick drink, then he’d go downstairs.
Simple, right?
She returned with two beers and handed him one. “I really liked your friend,” she said, tucking her dress under her as she dropped onto the opposite side of the couch.
And now she wanted to talk about the evening. Score two.
“Yeah, well, Drake is usually full of enough bull to be entertaining.” Keeping things light seemed like a good approach. It might even distract him from this whole man/woman being alone thing.
“Are you trying to tell me he made up that story about you and that Asian woman?”
Obviously she felt comfortable enough with the situation to tease him. Was that good or bad? Most likely it was bad considering her smile was wreaking havoc with his keeping things light theory.
“Of all the stories he told you tonight, you would have to remember that one.” Chase had forgotten Drake had repeated that tale. Although, thankfully Drake had kept the humiliating details to a minimum.
Her easy laughter washed over him, her blue-green eyes alight with humor. Growing more somber, her expression turned thoughtful.
“I’ve been wondering about something,” she said, inclining her head to one side.
“And what’s that?” He couldn’t tell by her tone if he should be worried or not, but it didn’t hurt to be prepared.
“Well, I realize this is probably none of my business – ” Oh, yeah, he should definitely worry. “– but I was wondering why you decided to stay until the wedding. Not that I mind,” she interjected, “I just thought it a bit odd you took a whole month off.”
Realizing this was what Drake had warned him about, Chase had a ready answer, and what was better it was almost the truth.
