Take a Chance on Me(79)

“It means I’m not going to tell you shit, because if I do, you’ll screw it the hell up.” Sam peered at him, his blue eyes knowing and filled with an inner understanding that eluded the rest of them. “Despite being an * at the moment, it’s time for you to have some happiness, but that won’t happen until you give in.”

Happiness seemed too far out of reach to be a tangible outcome. And how could Sam say this was his fault? What bullshit. His head pounded along with the too-fast beating of his heart. The panic he’d kept at bay by immersing himself in research all day threatened to boil over. He felt completely helpless, with no clue which way to turn.

Sam chuckled. “You’re not supposed to, dickhead.”

Startled out of his tumultuous thoughts, Mitch blinked. “What?”

“The path is never clear to the one who’s on it.”

Mitch snorted and took a sip of his beer. “Where you do get this stuff? A fortune cookie?”

“Nah, I get them off the Internet.” Sam grinned. “There’s a list.”

Mitch laughed, a hard bark. “Well it’s annoying as f*ck.”

“That’s why I do it.” Sam went back to looking at his paperwork.

Silence descended over the table once again, and Mitch watched the Cubs lose while Sam did whatever it was he did.

Mitch downed the rest of his beer and shook his head, admitting what he’d known deep down since the scandal broke. “It’s not going to work out.”

“It depends on you,” Sam said, not looking up.

“How does it depend on me?” Mitch asked the question but he didn’t expect an answer.

“Stop fighting it and you’ll find out.”

Sorry he’d even asked, Mitch slid from the booth and walked to the bar to grab another bottle of beer.





A hand clamped over Maddie’s mouth, jolting her awake in an instant. With her heart pounding so hard she could hear it in her ears, the strangled scream died in her throat. A large figure loomed over her. She gripped the hand at her mouth, but it wouldn’t budge.

“Maddie, it’s me.” Mitch’s whispered voice had her going limp with relief.

He let her go, and she sucked air into her burning lungs, willing her heartbeat to slow. “You scared me.”

“Sorry.” The word was gruff and raw. “I didn’t want you to scream.”

With her vision adjusting to the darkness, she said, “You left me.”

“I know.”

She wanted to be mad, to work up some righteous indignation, but she couldn’t. Every time she remembered that look on his face, it died away. She slid up the back of the headboard. “I stayed.”


“Good.” He stripped off his shirt and undid the button of his jeans. “I need you. Now.”

“What—”

“Later.” His tone was sharp.

Maddie reared back. She opened her mouth to speak, but before she could, he grabbed a handful of her nightshirt, yanked her to him, and covered her lips with his.

She gasped in surprise, and he took full advantage, angling his head to devour her like a starving man. Her thoughts scattered, fragmenting into a million little pieces as his kiss consumed her with raw, unchecked intensity.

He tore away. Teeth scraped along her jaw and over her neck. Pleasure throbbed between her legs as he nipped and licked.

She should stop him or slow him down so they could talk, but then he bit her throat, right over her pounding pulse, and she lost her ambition to do anything but sink into him.

He ripped the nightshirt over her head. With rough hands, he cupped her sex, rubbing his fingers over her cotton-covered clitoris. She moaned, slithering down the headboard and onto the mattress, parting her thighs to give him better access.

He growled, a low sound from deep in his throat. He grabbed the strings that held her panties together on either side of her hips and ripped, leaving her bare.

She started to pant when he stroked his fingers through her moist folds. God, she was so wet. So hot.

This was wrong. They had important things to say. They needed to talk.

His thumb brushed the bundle of nerves, and she bowed off the bed. “Mitch.”

He delivered a hard, almost punishing kiss, then pulled away to grip her chin. Her eyes fluttered open to meet his stark gaze.

“Are you going to tell me what you’ve been doing today?”

She blinked, fighting her way back from the drugging lust to focus on his question. “Errands.” It was not a complete lie; they were errands. Kind of.

He got on the bed and straddled her naked body, making her very aware of her vulnerable position while he was fully clothed. “What were you doing at Charlie’s?”

She couldn’t tell him the truth.

“I’m waiting.” Mitch’s voice was like the blade of a knife.

“I got a parking ticket.” It was her first lie, but he’d lied too, so they were even.

“You’re lying.” He shook his head, dropping his hand from her chin. “And you know what? Right now, I don’t even care. Right now, all I care about is sinking into that hot, tight * of yours so I can f*ck the hell out of you.”

Instinct warned her to step back. To stop this and force them to deal with everything left unspoken between them, but she couldn’t. She needed to wait until she could answer his questions. Then, maybe, he’d understand.