Take a Chance on Me(18)

“Would you shut the hell up?” Mitch’s words held no heat, just good-natured exasperation. He shook his head at Maddie. “Don’t mind her, Princess. She has no control over her mouth.”

“Look at him, all protective.” Gracie gave Mitch a slow once-over. “That’s new.”

That earned her a menacing look from Mitch. “You can go home now.”

Gracie laughed, a full-bodied, throaty sound. “Not on your life.”

“I’ve thrown you out before,” Mitch said, putting his own coffee mug down on the counter as if preparing to do just that. “I’ll do it again.”

Maddie kept quiet, observing the interaction between them. There couldn’t be anything romantic between them, since even the most enlightened woman wouldn’t be this cool about a boyfriend bringing a strange woman home. That left friends, which, in some ways, was harder to believe.

How could any man have platonic thoughts about Gracie Roberts?

She wasn’t exactly Hollywood beautiful. More, she was jaw-droppingly cute mixed with downright sexy. Like Mary Ann and Ginger rolled into one drool-worthy package.

Gracie vaulted off the counter and planted her hands on full hips encased in a pair of jeans so low and tight that Maddie couldn’t figure how they stayed up. “Is that the thanks I get for coming to your rescue?”

“I didn’t need a rescue,” Mitch said, tossing a sly glance at Maddie. “I was doing fine without you.”

Maddie cleared her throat. “Well, I do appreciate the clothes.”

“Of course you do,” Gracie huffed. “He’d have kept you naked like a complete Neanderthal.”

“I was taking care of her. Wasn’t I, Maddie?”

Both of them looked at her. Having grown up in a household where these types of arguments had been a daily occurrence, Maddie wanted to protest the “taking care” comment, but decided that this wasn’t the time. Instead, she smiled calmly. “Yes, if it wasn’t for you I’d probably still be stranded in my car. And you were very . . . um, kind last night.” Before she could think too much about the orgasms they’d been discussing, she turned her smile toward Gracie. “But I can’t deny the essentials you gave me are a godsend.”

“See, I told you she needed those things.” Gracie’s expression held pure victory.

Mitch scrubbed a hand over his newly smooth jaw. “Yeah, you did.”

A smug, sly expression crossed Gracie’s features. “And I brought homemade treats.”

At the mere mention of food, Maddie’s stomach growled. She shrugged at Mitch. “She wins.”

“She usually does.” He sighed, shaking his head, but Maddie didn’t miss the amusement gleaming in his eyes. The amusement changed to heat as his gaze caught hers, pinning her to the spot. A reminder, without words, that he hadn’t forgotten last night. A warning not to forget he wasn’t harmless. His attention dropped to her mouth, lingered, and then rose again to meet her unblinking stare. “I’ll get the plates.”

He pushed off the counter and the spell broke. Flustered, she wiped her palms on her shorts, then smoothed her ponytail and turned to find Gracie watching her with avid curiosity. Maddie willed herself not to blush, and said, “Thanks again for the clothes.”

“Honestly, it was nothing.” Gracie surveyed Maddie and snorted, waving her hand up and down, making her Playboy-worthy breasts jiggle in a red tee with the words MIDWEST FARM GIRL sprawled across it. “Sam said you were tiny, so I scrounged in my closet looking for the smallest clothes I had. Those shorts you’re swimming in haven’t made it past my hips since practically the sixth grade,” Gracie said, her lower lip puffing out. “It’s so unfair.”

Before Maddie could stop herself, she blurted, “You’re not expecting me to feel sorry for you, are you?”

Horrified, Maddie covered her mouth.

Three mismatched plates in hand, Mitch roared with laughter, drawing a surprised glance from Gracie before she joined in.

“I’m sorry,” Maddie said, talking over the two of them laughing like a couple of hyenas.

“Don’t be. She deserves it,” Mitch said, the laughter dying to a chuckle.

“My only excuse is I haven’t had any coffee yet, and you’re . . .” Maddie waved a hand. “Not what I expected.”

Gracie eyed Mitch with a sniff. “Mitch always makes me sound like a pain in the ass.”

“You are a pain in the ass,” Mitch said, putting down the plates in the center of a worn kitchen table. “Do you want coffee, Maddie?”

“That’d be great,” Maddie said. “Point me in the right direction.”

“You sit.” Mitch’s tone was laced with the “obey me” command that both raised her hackles and sent a peculiar jolt of heat through her lower belly.

“I got it,” Gracie said, pointing to an empty seat and gesturing for Maddie to sit. “How do you take it?”

Maddie nibbled on her bottom lip and contemplated kicking up a fuss at their bossiness, but decided against it. It wasn’t worth the hassle. She needed to sit anyhow, because her abused feet certainly couldn’t handle standing to make a silly point. So, like a good little girl, she pulled out the chair and sat. “I take it black, thank you.”