Page 81 of Lead Me On
“Yes.”
“Mmm,” he said again. Jane wondered what that noncommittal hum could mean.
She hadn’t wanted to bring Chase along, but he’d decided that every solitary woman in Aspen was in danger. He also seemed to have decided that Jane washissolitary woman and he wasn’t going to let anything happen to her. In all honesty, she probably could have convinced him to leave her alone. He had no control over her. She could’ve kicked him out.
But the truth was that she had the perfect excuse to have a few more unwise days with him, so she’d asked him to drive her to Greg’s house.
“So what about guys like me?” he asked, startling her out of her thoughts.
“What do you mean?”
“You said you’d never done this before. I assume you meant you don’t usually keep a guy like me on the side?”
“No!”
Chase nodded, his hand hanging casually over the steering wheel, as if he hadn’t just said something outrageous. “Well, that guy doesn’t look like he’d be able to handle someone like you.”
“What?”Jane heard her voice echo through the cab of his truck and realized she was shouting. “What do you mean, ‘someone like me’?”
When Chase turned to her, his face was flushed with anger. “I’m not calling you trash like yourclassyboyfriend did, if that’s what you mean.”
All the blood seemed to drain from her head. She felt clammy and cool and confused. “You heard that?”
“Yes. And I came damn close to getting out and putting my fist in his face, but I figured that wouldn’t help your brother.”
“No,” she murmured, shame drifting over her like wisps of fog. She’d let Greg call her garbage and trash. She’d stood there and let him say those words, and Chase had heard them. For some reason that was worse than knowing what Greg thought of her.
Chase cursed under his breath and wrapped both hands tightly around the steering wheel. “When I said he didn’t seem like he could handle a woman like you, I meant that he seemed like a jackass. And a wimp. And a pussy.”
Her throat got even drier.
“I meant that he wasn’t good enough for you.”
Oh, God. Why did Chase have to be the one to say the right things? Why did he have to be the man who made her feel tight with need? “I called it off with Greg because I wasn’t in love with him. And in the end, I guess I didn’t really like him.”
“I’m glad to hear that. I would have doubted your judgment otherwise, Jane.”
“I suppose. But he wasn’t that bad before. Maybe he’ll come through. Maybe he’ll give Jessie a fair shake.”
Chase shrugged. “We’ll see,” he said, but his voice still held the censure of disappointment.
Jane stared out the window and willed herself not to cry.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
“WHY IS THERE A HEAVYbag in your spare bedroom?”
Jane looked up from the book she was reading to try to take her mind off her worry. The book wasn’t working. Neither was the movie playing on television. “I box for exercise.”
“Really? Boxing? That’s kind of hot.”
“You say that about a lot of things.”
“Seriously, you sweating and half-naked while you beat the shit out of that big red bag? That’s hot.”
“Why would I be half-naked?”
“Er… Because you like me?”
