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When she caain and was holding her in his lap, his cheek resting on her shoulder His hands traced an idle, s the curve of her spine

Madison didn’t protest when he leaned back, his vibrant blue eyes hooded Those di face, and she wanted to kiss the with repaying hith, but he stopped her "We still need to talk," he said, his fingers pressing into the flesh of her hips again as he placed her on her feet

Talk? She didn’t think she was capable of for a coherent sentence Tiny droplets of water sprayed from her soaked hair when she shook her head

Chase chuckled as he rose Reaching around her, he grabbed the towel and slowly, carefully dried her off before wrapping the oversized material around her breasts

"Now," he said, pressing a kiss to her forehead, "I can concentrate"

She stared up at hiineer her lust like that and not take any pleasure for hian in her belly, a not-so-pleasant thing to feel after soly wonderful "Well, I can’t"

Taking her hand, he led her out of the bathrooe of the towel, very unsure of everything again Especially when his emotions were on lockdown, his face blank, but his eyes…

He stood before her, legs spread in a powerful, dominant stance "I want you"

You have me, she wanted to say "I think we’ve established that"

His lips curved at the corners "And you want me"

"Another known fact," she said A well-known fact, that is, but there was no need for her to point that out "Where is this conversation going?" Because she wanted to finish it, strip hiet him where she’d alanted him Oddly, a heart-shaped bed was never in her fantasies, but she was okay with i

"And I care about you I really do" Chase knelt before her, his eyeshers "There’s only one option"

Hope was back again, beating at her insides like a hyper butterfly Caring about so her, but Chase wasn’t the type ofdevotion, especially with the daddy issues But she could ith this And of course, there was only one option Cut the crap and be together Face her brother, adether, she could prove to hi like his dad That he orth everything Then they could finally discover if there really was a fairy-tale ending for them And of course, lots and lots of sex in the near future

"I agree," she said, fighting a goofy grin that would make her look like she’d been smacked with the idiot branch

"Good Great" His shoulders relaxed "Because this is e both need"

God, did she ever need this--need his will be norain It’ll be over"

She started to nod in agree true, but what he said slowly sank in Icy dread drifted over her skin "Co sex," he explained as he rose and leaned forward, placing his pal her in "We do it Get it over with Because obviously we can’t go back to things being nor seeped through her skin, leaving her nus were before We can be friends again" He placed a large hand on her shoulder, and she flinched Chase frowned "No har a hard ti had she waited to hear him admit that he cared for her, wanted her, and this…this was added onto the end, like a disclaimer of doom?

An ache opened up in her chest

He cupped the nape of her neck, tilting her head back He placed a kiss under her chin, the gesture so sweet and gentle tears filled her eyes

Because the gesture really o,back onto his haunches

She wasn’t sure if she could say anything A lu up Her insides felt bruised, and when she spoke, her voice was hoarse "So…so that’s the et it out of our systeical fix," he said, head cocked to the side "But it’s soht, and no h And God, did that sting like a bitch? No, it orse than a sting It was like being cut wide open

"Wow," she murmured finally, somewhat dumbfounded "That’s such a romantic proposition, how could I refuse?"

His lips forht line "You don’t need to be a shed, but it was brittle sound "How aht, he took a step back and shook his head "Maddie--"

"Let s shook Her one free hand trembled as she crossed the distance between the Mitch by being with me and you don’t want to treat me like your dad treated your et it out of your system is less offensive?"

Chase opened hiscame out Maybe he realized his mistake, but it didn’tinto a htly "And even if in some messed-up parallel universe where that would be okay to my brother and you, I wouldn’t ever be okay with that"