Page 35 of The Heartbreaker (Chandler Brothers 3)
Like staying at his home instead of a hotel. She wondered if he had a guest room or if he expected them to sleep together after her performance in the bar. If that’s what he desired, she knew he’d be impossible to resist.
A cold wind whipped up around her, fall quickly turning to an early winter. The wind seemed to penetrate her skin, seeping straight through to her bones. Sort of like what Chase had done earlier tonight. She trembled at the memory of him standing between her legs, looking down at her with a predatory gleam in his eyes. Dice might have commanded the performance, but when Chase came over her, they were all alone.
Without warning, he lifted the jacket off her shoulders and held it out so she could slip her arms through the sleeves. “Your teeth are chattering.”
“And you’re a nice guy.”
He scowled at that.
“Don’t worry. I haven’t figured out how nice.” Nor had she figured out what to tell him about her relationship to Samson. On one hand, he’d helped her out and answers weren’t too much to ask. On the other, this was the most private, painful moment of her life.
Then why did sharing it with Chase, an almost stranger, a journalist of all things, feel so right?
“Truck’s right here.” He pointed two parking spots ahead on the street and she nearly ran, happy to get out of the cold.
“Chase!”
A woman’s voice took Sloane by surprise and she followed his lead, pausing by a pretty brunette who greeted him with enthusiasm and a surprising kiss on the lips.
Sloane bit the inside of her cheek, hating that another woman knew Chase well enough for any kind of kiss. Which was ridiculous. The man had a life and she’d been a one-night stand.
“I saw your truck. I recognized the plates,” the woman said. “Then I went into the supermarket. I just came out. I’m shopping late tonight, as you can see.” She shifted the package in her arms. “And here you are.” She looked at him with pure pleasure.
And Sloane’s stomach cramped as she waited for Chase’s reply.
“Hello, Cindy.”
Sloane couldn’t read his tone of voice. Was he happy to see this woman or not?
“I haven’t heard from you in a while.” She spoke matter-of-factly, not petulant or whiny, but a hint of disappointment was evident in her voice.
“I’ve been busy. Here, let me help you with your bags.” Chase grabbed for her packages.
“Aren’t you going to introduce me to your friend?” Cindy asked, taking in Sloane, who’d opted to pull Chase’s jacket tighter around her and watch the scene unfold.
He exhaled a long sigh. “Cindy, meet Sloane. Sloane, this is my …” He paused long enough for Sloane to narrow her gaze. “This is my friend Cindy.” Chase finished the introductions, clenching his jaw, obviously not happy.
Sloane wasn’t thrilled either. Apparently, these two had a relationship of some sort. What sort was the question and he wasn’t being forthcoming.
After the awkward greetings, Chase helped Cindy put her packages in her trunk and sent her on her way. But not before giving her a quick kiss on the cheek, which made Sloane’s stomach burn with jealousy.
When was the last time any man had evoked that kind of emotion? Never. She gnawed on her lower lip, settling herself into the passenger seat of Chase’s truck, wondering what to do or say next.
“I’ll make you a deal.” She heard the words escape before she’d completely thought them through.
“What sort of deal?” he asked, turning the ignition, pulling onto the road, and heading for home, before glancing at her from the corner of his eye.
“You tell me about your relationship with Cindy and I’ll answer your questions about Samson.”
On the way home, Chase stopped at a fast food place, and because they were starving, they ate in the truck. Sloane knew he expected answers, but she had an important phone call to make first, and he understood her need to check in with Madeline.
Their conversation eased Madeline’s mind, since she’d been frantic. Thanks to Roman, who’d already spoken with Rick, her stepmom had heard about the explosion. Sloane promised to keep in touch more often from now on, although she had little information on the incident to report. Chase had called Rick from his cell phone on the way home from the pool hall, and though the fire department was still investigating, preliminarily they were calling the situation an accident.
If she were running on pure emotion, Sloane would be inclined to agree. She’d grown up with both Frank and Robert and she had a hard time believing they’d knowingly—physically—hurt another human being. Yet when she thought with her head and remembered Frank’s threats, she had to allow room for doubt. She refused, though, to burden Madeline with that kind of worry.
As for Michael, according to Madeline, he was frantic because Sloane knew the truth about her parentage and hadn’t spoken with him yet. She promised she’d talk with him soon and would even have had a short phone conversation except he was in a meeting planning strategy with Robert and Frank. According to her stepmother, both seemed unconcerned about Sloane’s “illness” or her absence from campaign events, and as agreed, Madeline hadn’t enlightened anyone but Michael.
