Tempting the Best Man - By J. Lynn Page 0,39

the pleasant burn in her muscles. Last night… yes, it had probably been the best night of her life. No lie. After Chase had a few moments to recover, he’d flipped her onto her stomach, drew up to her knees and…yeah, like she said, best night of her life. And her body was already warming, readying for him again.

Last night had to have been a turning point for them. The way he’d…the way he’d made love to her, it meant something deep, irrevocable, and perfect. She just knew it. Somehow they’d burned down those barriers without words. He had to see he was so much better than his father and he had to know that they were meant for this.

She rolled over and reached for the warmth of his body and found…nothing.

Her eyes snapped open.

The spot next to her was empty, but the scent of woods and something wild lingered on the pillow and twisted sheets.

Madison turned to the couch, but that, too, was empty. A deep sense of foreboding took root, and she scrambled off the bed, clutching a sheet around her. She checked the bathroom, but he wasn’t there, either.

He’d left without saying anything.

Her heart turned over painfully.

Okay. She was being stupid. He could be doing anything. Getting them breakfast or walking outside, enjoying the clean morning air.

Hurrying over to the window, she parted the blinds, wincing at the bright glare. The deck was empty. As far as she could see, there was no Chase. Turning around, she shivered as her gaze drifted over the bed. He didn’t leave her, not after a night like that. There was no way, because that…that would be like working it out of your system. That would be like getting what you wanted and then bailing, like guys did on one-night stands.

Last night wasn’t a one-night stand.

Her gaze travelled to the couch again, then to where her suitcase was near the small closet and then…her eyes darted back to the suitcase.

Coldness seeped into her bones.

His luggage was gone.

Heart pounding, she crossed the room and threw open the closet door. Two of her dresses and her bridesmaid’s dress hung in the closet, but all of Chase’s stuff—his tux, his dress shirts—were gone. As were his shoes, and she knew if she checked the bathroom, his stuff would be gone from there, too.

Madison stood in front of the closet until she realized she was shaking.

He’d left her.

He’d actually left her.

In a numb, painful daze, she went back to the bed and sat on the edge. Her throat burned and her eyes stung, but she clamped it down, pushed it all down. Minutes turned into an hour and still he didn’t show.

He really had left her.

Her brain had a hard time processing it, but the evidence was clear. She was a fool. Last night she had given in to her body and her heart, and it had come back and bit her in the ass.

Maybe she should’ve listened to him. He’s warned her—had been warning her all along. He said he was like his father, and he’d proven it.

And he’d demolished her.

…

Chase wanted to strangle the clerk by the time the man had handed over the key to one of the new cabins. He had made Chase wait for damn near a half an hour while the cabin was cleaned, which put him seriously behind schedule.

Taking his stuff to the new cabin, his eyes gazed at the regular king-size bed with satin sheets. Sheets he could easily see Maddie spread naked upon. That made him think of last night and his cock hardened. He was ready for round three…and then round four.

But he needed to shower first. Although he loved the lingering scent of vanilla—of Maddie—the last thing he needed to be doing was running around smelling like he’d just had sex with Mitch’s little sister.

Last night had been amazing—Maddie had been amazing. And it was more than sex. It was that connection, that whatever-it-was that went beyond an orgasm. It was something more—special. Once in a lifetime kind of shit. None of the women he’d been with had felt like that, and in that moment, he knew none of them would.

Now he sounded like he’d been watching Oprah reruns.

But…but it had to mean something. And he was tired of fighting the need to find out what that “something” was. Tired of denying what he really wanted—had wanted for far too long. Maddie was more than Mitch’s little sister. More than the little girl who’d