Authors: Lauren Dane
“Don’t what?”
She stopped and pulled away, turning to escape him and the dance floor. He followed, catching up quickly. Reaching out, he grabbed her hand to stay her but she jerked it away and ran for the back deck.
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Sighing, he followed, catching up with her in the much quieter, much cooler, night air.
“You want to tell me what the heck you’re talking about? Don’t what?” He hoisted himself up to sit on the wooden railing of the deck so that he could face her.
Throwing one hand up in frustration she sighed. “Don’t pity me and throw a few false compliments my way because you feel sorry for me.” He was still confused. “I don’t pity you and they aren’t false compliments.”
“Please! My god, you don’t think I have mirrors at my house? I know what I am and I know what I’m not. I’m not Jane Marie, I’m not Kendra. I can’t compete with that. But I sure as hell don’t want some kind of pity thrown at me because Shane has gone back to his regular diet of tall, gorgeous women. It’s okay that I was an aberration. I shouldn’t have expected more, it’s my own damned fault.” Kyle sat in stunned silence for a few moments. He didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. This woman was so beautiful and so special and yet, she thought a vapid, shallow woman like Kendra, or worse, her own sister, was better than she was.
Grabbing her hand, he brought it to his lips. “Sugar, I can’t believe you think you have to compete with any other woman. I don’t believe you do have mirrors in your house. If you did, you’d see a beautiful woman looking back at you and it’s clear you don’t. Honey, take it from me—a lover of women—you are absolutely, positively gorgeous. I am not throwing pity at you. Honestly, the only thing that’s keeping me from grabbing you and kissing those beautiful lips is the fact that Shane is my brother.”
Sighing, she ran her hands through her hair and over her face. “I can see you need an example. I was a virgin until I was twenty-two. My first year of graduate school. I went out on dates sure, but no one ever showed any passion towards me. Like a lot of grad students I had an
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advisor. He was so nice, so attentive. He loved to read what I wrote.
Praised my work, paid attention to me as a person.” She hesitated and then continued. “No, as a woman. He made me feel sexy and desirable.
The first time he made love to me was in a hotel room in Atlanta. We were there at a symposium. He was gentle and sweet and he took his time. We continued to see each other throughout that entire year.
“My family came out to see me, my mom and dad and Jane Marie. It was a pretty big deal. The first and only time they ever visited me, actually. Anyway, I’d invited Charles over to dinner at my apartment to meet them all. He came and was his charming self. My mother and dad went out for a walk and I thought I would too. Janie and Charles said they would stay back and have coffee. It was a lovely early spring day but at the last minute, I decided that I’d skip the walk and go back home.
When I let myself back into the apartment, I saw that Jane Marie and Charles were on the couch.”
Her eyes blurred, lost in the memory. “They were having sex. Her perfect pleated skirt up around her waist and his slacks on the floor. I just stood there for a moment, not understanding at all, you know? My mind just wasn’t registering what the hell was happening. Anyway, I stood there until I felt sick and then I quietly and slowly backed out of the room like I was never there.
“I confronted him later about it and he told me that he’d never imagined that a girl like me would have a stunning sister like that and what did I expect? I never said anything to anyone else about it. It was a good lesson for me about things. And you know? I was a fool to ever pretend that any Chase brother would think I was worth more than a few amusing dates and maybe a quick fuck.” She hugged her arms around herself.
“My god, Maggie. What a bitch your sister is! What a calculating bastard your professor was.” He moved toward her but she backed up.
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“I have to go. Please don’t say anything, I’ve never told that story to another soul.” She spun on her heel and stalked back inside to the table.
Still refusing to look in Shane’s direction, she grabbed her coat and purse, plead sick and pretty much dashed out the door.
Kyle started to follow her out but Shane came up behind him, grabbing his arm. “What is going on?”
Shaking Shane off Kyle glared at him. “It’s none of your business, Shane.” But it was too late, as Maggie sped out of the parking lot.
Shane showed up after school on the next Wednesday. “Hey, Maggie, you have time for dinner?” he asked smiling.
Maggie looked at him, dumbstruck. Fine, if he wanted a casual thing she’d give it a try but there was no way she’d be some last minute drop in date. “Hi, Shane. No, I’m sorry, I have plans. Perhaps another time,” she said casually.
“Oh. How about tomorrow night then?”
“Fine. Pick me up at seven.” Keeping a smile on her face, she walked past him to her car.
She didn’t have plans of course so she stopped by the bank and asked Dee to have dinner with her.
“Honey, what do you think you’re doing?” Dee asked as they munched on pizza at Maggie’s house.
“What do you mean?”
Dee made a disapproving sound and frowned. “Margaret Wright, being dishonest is not who you are. Don’t lie to me and don’t lie to yourself. I know you and Liv think I’m some silly virgin but I know enough to see you’re in over your head with Shane Chase.”
“What do you mean!” Maggie challenged. The truth stung.
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“Oh, don’t be stupid! Honey, you are more than good enough for him.
He’s the one who isn’t good enough for you. You know what I mean. You are not the kind of woman who can do a casual affair. It’s not part of your make up. I’m not talking down about women who can do it. But I’ve known you your whole life—you’re not one of them. Your heart and head are too connected. You’re only going to end up hurt because Shane Chase cannot give you what you want and deserve. Listen, it’s still early, I can tell you like him but it’s not that deep yet. But this is a dead end street. Shane Chase is a dead end man. You cannot save him.” The eyes she turned to Dee made Dee’s heart ache. “I’m fine, Dee. I can handle it, I promise.”
Dee sighed and squeezed her hand. “You know where to find me when you need me.”
Shane knocked on her door precisely at seven and looked delicious as usual. He looked up and back down her body, with a slow sexy smile.
“You look gorgeous, Maggie.” He bent down and stole a quick kiss.
“Ready?”
“Sure.”
They went to The Sands, just a normal small town diner. She felt so comfortable with him. He was attentive and charming but neither mentioned the incident with Kendra.
“Hey!” She slapped at his hand as he attempted to steal a fry off her plate. “Get your own fries, buster.”
“You won’t share them? Not even with the sheriff?”
“Hell no!” she said, eating the last fry with relish.
He leaned over and placed his mouth over her ear. “Can we go back to your house, Maggie? I’d really like to be alone with you.”
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His warm breath on her ear and his confession sent shivers down her spine. “I’d like that.” No sooner had the soft words left her lips than he’d yanked her up, thrown money on the table and they hurried out to his car.
Once they were inside her house and on the couch he looked down at her with a grin. “I’ve wanted this since you spun around and started getting in my face at The Pumphouse that night. And definitely since I had to leave you on your doorstep after the movies.” Leaning up, she nuzzled his neck. He smelled good, his skin was warm. His head fell back against the couch. She really liked the moan he made when she nibbled his ear lobe and then down to the hollow of his throat.
“But you never noticed me before. Back in high school you dated girls with flashy bodies and perfect clothes.” She looked up at him with a grin.
“I think we established that I was a dumbass. I’m an idiot for not noticing you but your attitude is what turned me on first.” With a low growl, he brought his hands down her back and around to cup her breasts. Her breath caught as his thumbs moved up to flick over her nipples.
Her head tipped back for a moment as she enjoyed his touch. After a bit she moved so that she was looking into his eyes again. Slowly, he leaned her back onto the couch, settling himself into the cradle of her thighs.
His lips found the hollow of her throat and she arched, grinding into him.
“God, I love this,” she sighed.
And he froze.
He sat up quickly and reached for his coat. “I have to go. Thanks.” He rushed toward the front door.
“Wait! You’re leaving?” she asked incredulous.
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“I have to get to work first thing.” She barely understood his words he said them so fast, not meeting her eyes.
She wished she could crawl into a hole and disappear.
“I’ll call you,” he mumbled as he let himself out.
“Don’t bother, asshole!” she yelled out but heard the door slam has he scurried out like the rat he was.
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The next night, the three of them sat in their usual booth. “And he left scorch marks in my front hallway he ran out of there so fast!” Dee and Liv had looked at her, incredulous, as Maggie told them the whole story.
“I didn’t say I loved
him
, I said I loved
it
. I mean goodness, we were making out on my couch. It felt good!” She tossed back yet another beer and motioned to Patrick to bring them a fresh pitcher.
“I don’t understand. What an ass.” Liv’s face showed her anger and concern for her friend.
“Me neither but I’m done. What does he think? That he can throw a burger at me and get a cheap silent screw? God, he made me feel so stupid!”
Dee winced as she squeezed Maggie’s hand in sympathy. Both Liv and Dee froze, looking toward the door and Maggie knew that it was Shane. She slowly turned around and saw that he was there with Kendra.
Again
. This time his arm was around her and she was nuzzling into his neck. He saw her and didn’t even flicker recognition in her direction.
For a moment her mouth hung open and tears stung the back of her eyes. “Don’t!” Liv whispered urgently. “Don’t you let him make you cry, Maggie! He’s not worth your tears.”
She turned to face them. “I can’t believe how stupid I’ve been,” she whispered back and wiped at her eyes. “Okay, I could accept that we
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weren’t serious. But the way he just ran out like that and just now? My god, he makes me feel like nothing.”
Kyle saw Maggie wipe at her eyes, after she’d stared, hurt and dismayed at Shane. Shane who’d unbelievably looked through her like she didn’t even exist.
Matt and Marc saw it too. “Shane, what the hell is wrong with you?
You’re really going to blow something that could be so good because of Sandra?”
Expressionless, Shane stared back at him.
“Whatever, man, I never thought I’d see you act like such an asshole.
You don’t deserve her,” Matt spat out as he swept past and toward the front of the bar.
“What is he talking about?” Kendra asked.
“Who knows?” Shane knew, but he couldn’t afford to deal with that.
He had to make a clean break and it was better for both of them if he did it harshly but quickly, like ripping a bandage off all at once. He could not let himself care for Maggie. If she hated him, that would never be a problem.
Matt walked over to Maggie’s table and sat down, talking quietly with the three women. Kendra snorted with derision. “Why would a man like Matt waste his time with that woman? She thinks she can put on some new clothes and let her hair down and compete with the real women of Petal?” Her mouth twisted viciously “Janie might be worth it but not that bookworm.”
Kyle stared at them both, mouth open. “You are one stone cold bitch, Kendra.” Disgusted, he threw his cue down on the table. “And you are not the man I’ve always thought you were.” He shook his head at Shane and walked past them to join Matt at the table with Maggie and her friends.
“What did he just call me?” Kendra’s pretty face was pinched.
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“Maggie is a friend to
some
of us. We don’t appreciate people saying nasty things about her.” Marc looked at Shane narrowed his eyes, looking away sadly before heading off as well.
“Hey, Maggie,” Matt said as he approached the table and sat down.
“Listen, I just…”
Shaking her head to stay him, Maggie held up a hand. “Please. Don’t.
It’s not your fault. It wasn’t like he and I were serious or anything. I was just mistaken about him being a nice person.” Kyle strolled over then and sat next to Maggie. “Hey, Red. My brother is an asshole. Please don’t judge the rest of the Chase men by his actions.”
Maggie stood up. The tears were right there but she’d be damned if she’d give Shane Chase the satisfaction of seeing them. “I have to go.” She shoved at Kyle until he moved. Liv and Dee stood as well.
Liv handed Maggie her coat. “Let’s go to my place. I stopped at the package store yesterday and I have a big old bottle of Jose Cuervo Gold just waiting for us. Heck, let’s get some pizza delivered. I’ve got a few DVDs I’ve been meaning to watch, too. I’m pretty sure one of them is Thelma and Louise.” She and Dee each grabbed one of Maggie’s arms.
“Thanks, guys,” she tried to say lightly to Kyle and Matt but her voice broke and she shook her head hard to keep them from saying anything.
“I’ll see you later.” The tears sprang to her eyes, bottom lip trembling as she hurried out.
Kyle looked at Matt, scowling. “I can’t believe Shane made her cry.”
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The next weeks went by in a blur. Shane hadn’t even bothered to call to apologize or even to say he didn’t want to see her again. She supposed that was the message he sent by going out with Kendra.
But she’d be damned if she’d allow that asshat to chase her away from her own life or make her feel bad for thinking that she deserved to be respected by her dates. So she held her head up high and continued her Friday night Pumphouse-with-the-girls dates. Of course, he’d shown up with women. Different ones each Friday but at least Kendra was gone.
For the most part, Maggie just made it her mission to pretend he didn’t exist.
She bumped into Matt at the bank and they’d chatted for a few minutes. She also ended up sitting on the same bench as Kyle and eating lunch once at the park. He talked her ear off and was friendly and jovial.
Admittedly, she found him wildly attractive. But he was way off the menu. It still didn’t stop her from thinking of him or sneaking looks at him on Fridays when they were in the back playing pool.
Her life moved into a new stage. One where she was proud of herself for not letting Shane’s actions get her down. For a long time, she’d let people run her over. But no more. From that point on, Maggie realized she had every right to be treated well. She put the Shane incident behind her and she’d moved on.
One thing that did bother her was seeing Alex lurking around her neighborhood several times a month. She did her best to ignore him but she had to admit it did scare her slightly. He usually was doing something that she’d been able to explain away to herself—jogging, riding a bike, that sort of thing—but he still gave her the creeps.
Halloween came and went and Maggie worked in her garden all day the first Sunday of November. She tore out the old beds in the side yard and finished installing the raised beds she’d begun to build during the early fall. After getting her spring bulbs in the ground, she trimmed her climbing roses and fertilized her grass and trees. By the end of the day
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she’d cleaned out her yard and felt like she’d cleaned out her life. It felt damned good.
Sore but pleased with a very hard day’s work she showered before retiring to her back porch with a novel and a cup of hot tea.
“Wow, you’ve done some major work here.” She turned and saw Kyle Chase standing there, hands in his pockets.
He looked so handsome it took her breath away.
“Idle hands and all of that.” Her words were wary, even as her pulse sped at his presence.
He grinned and raised one hand in a casual wave. “Now that I’ve said, hey, you gonna invite me up there for a cup of tea? You’re a southern woman after all—it’s hardwired in your genetic code.”
“Tea?” She began to lose her battle against a smile.
“No. Unfailing courtesy, even when you don’t want to be courteous.” Laughing, she put her book down. “Come on up and sit, then. I’ll go and get another cup.” Motioning to the couch she disappeared into her house.
With a secretive smile of his own, Kyle made himself at home on the small couch gracing her back sun porch. As a landscaper, he knew just exactly how much work she must have done to make her yard look so great. Somehow, knowing she was such a hard worker only made him want her more.
Within moments she appeared again, carrying a tray with two steaming mugs of tea and a plate of muffins. She bent to put it down on the low table in front of him.
He smiled, grabbed the tea and breathed deeply, letting the heat from the cup warm his hands.
She motioned to the plate of muffins. “Blueberry muffins. I’ve been baking for the retirement home. Have one, they’re still warm.” The porch was enclosed and had a fireplace at one end that sported a warm blaze. The popping of the wood accompanied the soft clinking of
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his spoon against the mug as he stirred in sugar. She looked comfortable and beautiful as she sat, curled into her chair.
“These muffins are criminally good,” he said around a mouthful. Hot damn, was there nothing this woman wasn’t good at?
“Thanks.” Her smile faded as she got down to business. “Okay, niceties out of the way. What brings you here, Kyle?”
“I don’t know.” He hesitated. “Yes I do. I wanted to see you.” She narrowed her eyes at him. “You wanted to see me?” she repeated blankly.
“Yes. Maggie Wright, I wanted to see you. I can’t stop thinking about you. I should you know, but I can’t.”
She sat utterly still, staring at him for a few moments. Pleasure warred with panic inside her. She couldn’t deny she’d been attracted to him from the start. But she kept telling herself he was out of her league and also related to someone she’d dated, however briefly.
“You should what? What do you mean?” Her voice was careful.
Leaning forward, he sat his mug down, wiping his hands on his jeans nervously. “I mean that I can’t get you out of my mind. Your lips, your beautiful amber eyes. God, the way you smell—rain and vanilla. Is it a perfume or do you just naturally smell that way? Your skin, it’s like milk.
That dusting of freckles across the bridge of your nose, it makes my hands itch to want to run a finger over them. Your smile, you’re so genuine, Maggie. It’s a very appealing total package. And I can’t stop thinking about you.”
She closed her eyes slowly and put her head down. “Please don’t do this. I can’t take it.”
He came to kneel in front of her and slowly raised her face to his with a hand on her chin. “Don’t do what?”
“This! Damn it! You heard my story that night and now you feel even sorrier for me. You had to get on your white horse to come over here to try and make me feel better.”
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He brushed his lips along hers and she stilled again as his taste warmed her. “First of all that was way over a month ago. I don’t feel sorry for you, Margaret Wright. I feel something else for you. I want you. I want to get to know you better. I’ve tried not to think about it because of Shane. But since that night when he made you spill those fries, I’ve been crazy about you. I’ve gone out with a dozen women since then to try and push you out of my mind and it hasn’t worked.
“The story you told me about your sister and the professor, it did change things but not in the way you think. It made me realize just how stupid I was being for letting you go because of Shane. Especially when Shane was such an ass. Life can be about taking chances and finding really great things and yes, failing sometimes. Or it can be about wondering what if because you never dared to try. Now see, I look at you and I kick myself because I was willing to say
what if
because of Shane.
And damn it, he doesn’t deserve you.” His eyes looked deeply into hers.
Her heart quickened but not out of fear. Instead she let go and fell into his gaze.
“No more, Maggie. I want you. I don’t care what Shane thinks at this point. I would have come earlier but I wanted to give you some time to deal with how he treated you. It was about the hardest thing I’ve done in my life so far, watching you and wanting you but waiting. But as far as I’m concerned, Shane’s loss is my gain. Give me a chance to show you that not all Chase brothers are bad. Let me get to know you, show you who
I
am.”
Maggie looked at him and she felt her heart open back up, just a tiny bit. “I don’t know. What about Shane? He’s your brother.”
“What about him? Are you in love with him? If you are, I’ll back off, but only for a while because I’ll be waiting for it to wear off. If not? Well, I’ve talked with Matt and Marc about it, to get their opinion on the matter and they’re under the same impression I am. If Shane wants to
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continually close himself off because of an ex-fiancée, the rest of us should be able to follow our own hearts.” Maggie eyed him warily. “Love? I went out with him a few times. No, I’m not in love with him. I liked him and he made me feel like less than nothing. It was cruel and I have no clue why he acted the way he did. Ex-fiancée or not, he was a total jerk. Contrary to what he may have thought, I knew what our situation was, I wasn’t looking for a ring, for goodness’ sake!” She rolled her eyes at Shane Chase’s giant ego.
“But I don’t want to cause any problems between you two, either.
Plus, Kyle Chase, why are you interested in me anyway? How do I know you aren’t just doing this out of some kind of sibling rivalry thing and will lose interest in a few days?”
“First of all, I’m going to be totally honest with you. I’ve never actually pursued a woman before. They always come to me. That should show you a bit about how interested I am. I like you. You intrigue me. You’re beautiful and sweet and funny and a hell of a baker. Why shouldn’t I be interested?
“Second of all, I have no need to compete with Shane over women.
Pool? Sure. Baseball? Oh yeah. I would never use you like that.” He drew a fingertip down her cheek. “Let me in, just a little bit. Get to know me.
Let me know you. Come on, let me court you, woo you. I’ve never wooed before, it should be fun.”
“I’ve never been wooed.”
“See? We’ll both learn something. Let the woo begin.” He grinned and she smiled hesitantly. “We’ll take it slow, Maggie,” he whispered and kissed her softly, his lips feather light over hers.
Her body tightened, moisture pooled between her legs, her breasts grew heavy and her nipples hardened. All from a kiss. Wow, he was good.
Breaking the kiss, he leaned back to look into her eyes. “Your lips are softer than I’d imagined. And I’ve been imagining, a lot.”