Tempting the Best Man - By J. Lynn Page 0,5
eyes. “Who names their kid Lake? Oh! If you have kids, you can call them River and Stream.” Shaking her head, her eyes narrowed. A knowing look crossed her face. “So you’re still dating them?”
Honestly, dating wasn’t the term he’d use for the tall, lanky twins. “I’m not dating them at the same time, Maddie. Nor have I.”
“That’s not what I’ve heard.”
“Then you’ve heard wrong.” But that look of hers spread. Clamping his jaw shut, he followed her. No point in correcting her assumption because his reputation was probably right up there with his father’s already.
Opening the back door, she frowned. “Haven’t made it to your room yet?”
He placed her bag in the trunk alongside his own. “Haven’t checked in. I’d only arrived about fifteen minutes before your rescue call went out.”
She smoothed invisible wrinkles from her pants, chin tucked low. “I didn’t need rescuing.”
Chase arched a mocking brow. “That’s not how it looks to me.”
“Just because I blew—”
“Say that again.”
Maddie lifted her gaze to his again, and he felt their soulful depths in his gut. She could always take his breath away with a single look. “Say what?”
“Blew.”
She rolled her eyes. “That’s real mature.”
“Anyway, you blew a tire and I had to come out here and get you. How is that not me rescuing you?”
Huffing, she spun around and returned to her car. With her purse in hand, she stalked over to the passenger side of his Porsche.
He grinned. “You should always have—”
“I know. A spare,” she said, cutting him off and sliding into the car.
Laughing under his breath, he climbed in and sent her a sidelong glance. She was staring out the tinted window; her hand clutching her cell phone like a lifeline. He casually adjusted himself and prayed he got himself in check before her family swamped them again.
The first five miles back to the vineyard where his buddy was getting married were quiet, not terse, but definitely not the most comfortable of experiences.
He should just ignore it. “Why are you pouting?”
“I’m not pouting.” She cut him a dark look.
“Could’ve fooled me, Maddie.”
“Stop calling me that.” She dug around in her bag and pulled out a pair of sunglasses. She slid them on and then turned to him. Cute. “I hate it when you call me that.”
“Why?”
She said nothing.
He sighed and went with a safe topic. “Your brother is really happy.”
Beside him, Maddie relaxed a fraction. “I know. I’m really happy for him. He deserves this, right? He’s so nice that any other girl would take advantage of that.”
“He does.” Chase’s gaze flickered off the road. She was staring at him still, and he hated that the sunglasses blocked her eyes. He had no idea what the little terror was thinking behind those dark shades. “Lissa’s a good girl. She’ll do right by Mitch.”
Maddie sucked her lower lip in and then said, “Mitch will do right by her.”
A small smile tugged at his lips. “That is true. Though, marrying? Never thought I’d see the day when he settled down.”
“I really don’t want to hear about his escapades.” She ran a hand over her hair, smoothing the few loose strands which had escaped her chignon. “I haven’t eaten yet.”
“Would a full stomach be better?”
She snorted.
“Remember that girl he was dating his sophomore year in college?”
Her eyes went wide, and his grin spread. “Oh, God—the one who actually started naming their kids on the first date?” she said, laughing. “What was her name?”
“Linda Bullock.”
“Yes!” She popped up in her seat. “She had Mitch scared to death, calling him at all hours of the night. He got so mad when you told me about her.”
“She camped outside our dorm after one date.” Chase shook his head. “Pretty girl, but man, she was crazy.”
They were coming up on the vineyards quickly. Before he knew it, Maddie would be surrounded by those who loved and cared for her, and he’d be back with his brothers, watching them troll the guest list for the ladies.
As if she were reading his thoughts, she glanced at him. “I bet you and your brothers couldn’t be happier.”
“Why is that?”
Her lips formed a tight smile. “It’s a wedding, which means easy pickings.”
“Are you saying I need easy pickings?”
“Maybe.”
He chuckled and said, “I think you know better than that.”
A red blush stained her cheeks under the sunglasses. Seeing her face flame attractively was almost worth going there with her, rehashing memories that needed to stay memories.
“Okay,” she said. “You don’t need easy pickings. I’m not saying that.”
“Then what