Take a Chance on Me(10)

“What did you do, hotwire the thing?” Amusement was plain in the deep tone of his voice.

“If you must know, I have three extremely overprotective older brothers, a worrywart mother, and a . . .” She paused, trying out the words in her mind and deciding she wanted to own them. “. . . suffocating ex-fiancé. They insisted I have one of those industrial-strength, military-grade, combination-lock hideaway keys. My uncle brought my car to the church because his was in the shop. So really, it’s their fault this happened.”

That was the moment she’d known she was going to run.

Surrounded by the smell of gardenias that made her want to gag, she’d pushed her bridesmaids out the door, begging for a few minutes of peace and quiet. She’d gone over to the window, desperate for the smell of fresh air, and there sat her little Honda. The cherry red of the car had glowed in the sun like a gift from heaven. A sudden, almost reverent calm descended on her. It had felt like peace: a feeling so foreign to her that it had taken a moment to recognize it.

Mitch laughed, pulling her away from those last minutes in the church and back to the temptation sitting next to her.

“Princess, you really are something,” he said, still chuckling. “Okay, back to your current options. Tomorrow, you’re going to be in the same situation you are tonight. So how will sleeping in your car help?”

“I don’t know yet, but I’m not calling them.” Every time she said the words, her conviction became stronger, and that damn knot in her chest loosened.

He shifted on the couch, his grip loosening. “Did something bad happen? I mean, other than climbing out the window?”

“No. What do you mean?” This conversation was making her head hurt and ruining a very fine buzz. She wanted to be back out front, where teasing flirtation ruled the day.

He shrugged, his thumb stroking over the fine bones of her wrist. “I don’t know, I thought maybe you caught the groom with a bridesmaid or something.”

“I only wish,” she blurted, then froze. What was she saying? She wished Steve had cheated on her? She cleared her throat. “Wait. That didn’t sound right. I only meant I don’t have a good excuse.”

“You had the best excuse, Maddie.” Sympathy warmed his eyes, and she wanted the charming, dangerous rogue back. Danger was better than this . . . this . . . concern.

“I don’t want to talk about this.” Her words snapped through the air like a whip. “I’m not calling.”

“All right,” he said, gentle tone matching the light brush of fingers against the flesh of her inner wrist. “I only asked to make sure nothing traumatic happened.” A slow smile slid over his lips. “Since I don’t want anything getting in the way when I make my move.”

“Oh,” she said, dumbly. “I thought you wanted to rescue me.”

He laughed, and some of her agitation drained away. “And why do you think I want to do that? Out of the goodness of my heart?”

“Well, yes.” The tension twisting in her belly eased with every passing second.

“No. Not even close.” He raised their joined hands. Turning her palm over, he pressed a kiss to the center, his tongue flicking briefly over the sensitive skin. That tiny lick spread everywhere, from the top of her head to the tips of her toes and all the wanton places in between. No other man had touched her like this, and she didn’t know if she wanted to run screaming from the room or lunge for him.

With her mind a complete blank, she could only stare at him like a deer caught in headlights.

“I can see you’re a woman who appreciates the bottom line, so I’ll put this in the clearest terms possible. I won’t insult your intelligence by pretending I don’t want to take you home and lick you until you scream, because I absolutely do. But I have no intention of taking advantage of you while you’ve been drinking, so you’re safe tonight. I want you conscious, level-headed, and willing when we go down that road.”

Maddie licked dry lips, her breath hitching a little as he described such a sexual act in such a blasé manner.

Another swipe of his thumb along the pulse pounding in her wrist. “I want you to come home with me because I find you fascinating and want to understand what’s going on in that good-girl, Catholic brain of yours. I want you to come home with me because I’ve laughed more in the last hour then I have in a long time. And I want you to come home with me because I don’t think I can let you out of my sight, which means if you sleep in a car, I’ll be sleeping there too. I’m thirty-four, way too old to sleep twisted like a pretzel all night.”


He let go of her wrist. She opened her mouth to speak, but he shook his head and the words died on her lips. “The truth is, Maddie, I need you to rescue me.”





Chapter Four



Standing on the threshold of Mitch’s living room, Maddie twisted her hands like a nervous old lady. They’d said their good-nights. He’d sent her to bed, and having to go and find him was the last thing she’d wanted.

She rubbed a finger over the slight indent where her engagement ring had been. Why must every stab at independence be met with more tests? She’d tried to take care of things herself but even the basics were challenging her.

Now here she was, once again forced to ask for help.