Free A MATTER OF TRUST by Kimberley Reeves Page B

and about something missing in my life, but you’re dead wrong if you think the reason I didn’t make love to you was because I was afraid something real would develop between us.”
     
    “Then why?” Maddy’s heart fluttered when he drew her into him and lowered his mouth to hers. His lips were warm and soft, the kiss so agonizingly slow and tender it made her want to cry.
     
    “That’s why,” he said, his voice thick with emotion. “I want more than just a physical relationship with you and I was afraid that making love to you now would cloud that. I’ve never felt this way about anyone and I don’t want to ruin it before it’s even had a chance to begin.”
     
    “Oh Chase, why didn’t you just say that?”
     
    “Because I wasn’t sure myself until I had time to think it out.”
     
    Maddy smiled up at him. “Is that why you were bellowing for me?”
     
    “I don’t bellow. I admit I may have been a little more vocal than normal because I was afraid I’d chased you off, but that’s all.”
     
    “So you weren’t going to tell me all this, you just wanted to make sure I wasn’t leaving?”
     
    “I wasn’t sure what I was going to say, I only knew I couldn’t lose you.”
     
    “You know people are going to think we’re crazy.”
     
    “Maybe we are,” he grinned.
     
    “So what do we do now?”
     
    “We could take that walk on the beach you suggested earlier.”
     
    “Aren’t you afraid I’ll accidentally trip you going down the stairs?” She teased.
     
    “I’ll take my chances.”
     
    “Brave man.”
     
    Chase pulled her closer. “Maybe you should give me a kiss for luck.”
     
    Maddy wasn’t sure if kissing the jinx would do any good, but she wasn’t about to do anything that would dissuade him from doing it. She’d been so miserable thinking he didn’t want her but now that she understood his reasons for not taking her when he had the chance, she was glad. Not that she would have regretted making love to Chase, but she liked the idea that he wanted them to get to know each other better and form an emotional bond before they gave in to their physical desires. Besides, Maddy thought as she molded herself to him, the anticipation of being together would only heighten the experience when it finally happened.
     
    ****
     
    Chase couldn’t have been happier with their arrangement. They’d walked along the beach hand in hand that afternoon, talking and laughing and getting to know each other. Occasionally he’d stop and give her a kiss, his heart swelling in his chest every time she accepted his attention as if it was the most natural thing in the world. He was falling hard and fast but for the first time in his life he had no desire to stop and analyze his feelings or wonder if he was getting in too deep. She was kind and giving and so different from the cold, calculating women he’d been keeping company with that it was easy to forget he’d ever vowed to remain a bachelor.
     
    When they returned, he’d followed her to the kitchen where she'd made a light lunch and then they’d spent the next few hours in his study doing paperwork and responding to e-mails. She was an excellent assistant; as proficient at typing while he dictated as she was at comprehending the intricacies of his business and helping him work out contract details. Afterwards, they’d grilled steaks for dinner and when she’d finished cleaning up the dishes, Chase had stretched out in his chair on the deck with Maddy curled up by his side and they’d talked for hours.
     
    It was a routine they repeated over the next few days and except for the disappointment of sending her off to bed alone, he was elated with the way their relationship was progressing. It was during their fourth day together that their tranquil existence took a bad turn and it was due solely to his own stupidity. He’d been ignoring messages on his cell phone for days from the women he’d been juggling before Maddy came along,