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After that…she did everything in her power to avoid Chase Not that it worked or anything

One would think in a city as overpopulated as Washington, DC, she’d be able to avoid the rat bastard, but oh no, the laws of nature were a cruel, unrelenting bitch

Chase was everywhere She’d rented one of the smaller apartments on the second floor of the Gallery, and weeks later, he’d bought one of the penthouses on the top floor Even on family holidays, he and his brothers had seats at her parents’ dinner table, since they treated the Gambles like a flock of sons

Working out at the gy while she did her daily pretend-run on the elliptical And when he got on the treadmill? Oh, ho knew calf muscles could be so sexy? It wasn’t her fault that she stared and maybe drooled on herself a little Had maybe fallen off the elliptical a ti abs that looked like so out loud, and wiped his broith the hem

Who wouldn’t be driven to distraction and take a tumble?

Hell, if Madison went to the local grocery on the corner, he’d be there, too, feeling up the peaches with his wonderfully long fingers—fingers that no doubt kne to struuitar just as well as they kneork a woht of sexual frenzy and then some

Because she did know—oh, did she ever kno good he was

Of course, half of DC probably kne good he ith those hands of his by now

“You have that look on your face” Bridget raised a brow at her “I know that look”

Madison shook her head in denial She really needed to stop thinking about his fingers, but there was no escaping her childhood crush—the embodiment of every fantasy she’d ever had An infatuation she never grew out of and the reason why no other guy lasted longer than a few rave

Chase was the Antichrist to her

A really, unbelievably hot Antichrist…

Suddenly it ay too ware of her blouse and scowled at the invitation It was only four days in the romantic, upscale vineyards Hundreds of people would be there, and even though she had to deal with Chase during the rehearsal and wedding, she could easily find creative ways to avoid him

But the nervous flutter in the pit of her sto a whole different story, because seriously, hoas she going to steer clear of the only man she’d ever loved…and wanted to maim?

“Tossif Derek ht be available after all

…

The drive to Hillsboro, Virginia, on Wednesdayinto the city for his or her daily co for NASCAR

According to the three ht Madison had been kidnapped in the big, bad city and was now being held for an ungodly su if she kne to navigate the beltway—because apparently little sisters couldn’t drive—and the voicethere was a problem with the reservations, she was late for brunch

Who in the hell still ate brunch?

Thru wheel, she squinted as the late May sun glared off the exit sign Yep—as she zoomed on by—she’d missed the exit

Damn it

Tossing a glare at her cell phone, because she so kneas going to ring in a hot second, she darted into the other lane and took the next exit so she could backtrack to where she needed to be

She wouldn’t be running late and be so…so disco like a normal, emotionally stable woman in her mid-twenties—a successful, e the fact she had to walk arm-in-arm down the aisle with Chase, because, for real, that was just plain cruel The fact that Derek had another date that weekend and couldn’t acco insult to injury

Her cell phone went off the er hit the correct exit ra into the tenth circle of hell Were there ten circles? Who knew, but she figured by the ti about how Madison used to run around shirtless as a child, there’d be twenty circles to hell, and she’d have visited every one of them

Tall black walnut trees crowded either side of the rural route she flen, shading the road and giving it an almost ethereal feel Up ahead, the deep blue of theas the weather held up, the outdoor wedding was going to be beautiful

A sudden pop jerked her chin up and the steering wheel to the left, right, and then left again Heart racing, she gripped the wheel as she weaved and crossed the centerline like a poster child for DUIs

“Daained control of the Charger A tire had blown—atire had blown “Why not?”

Debating whether or not to atteether an atrocity of curse words that would’ve ht and coasted to a stop on the shoulder of the road Throwing the car into park, she debated getting out and kicking the da: placed her head on the steering wheel and cussed some more