Page 96 of Tempting the Player
But he couldn’t peel his eyes off her for the life of him. Maddie may be tiny, but she rocked some hellish curves, and even though she wasn’t the type of woman he usually went for, she was beautiful in her own way. Perky nose and plump lips, cheekbones covered with a speckling of freckles. Long hair, currently pulled up, normally reached the middle of her back.
The kind of hair—the kind of body—a man could easily get lost in. Aw, hell, it was more than that. Maddie would make some son of a bitch a happy man one day. She was and always had been the complete package: smart, funny, strong-willed, and kind.
And that ass…
Chase pivoted around, inhaling through his nose, half tempted to drop Maddie off, drive into town, and pick up the first chick who looked his way. Or grab Maddie’s rear.
She brushed past him, casting a weird look over her shoulder. “Are you dazing out on me? Let me guess. Bambi or Susie kept you up late? I can never tell them apart.”
“You’re talking about the Banks twins?”
Maddie cocked her head to the side and waited.
“Their names are Lucy and Lake,” he corrected.
She rolled her 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 eyes 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 clutched 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.”
