the club being closed, I was devastated. This place was half the reason I moved back here instead of staying in Texas after I broke it off with Anthony.” Those hopeful eyes cut him deep. Suzanna wasn’t the first person in the past few weeks to come to him pleading that he fight for the club.
But she was the one who made his gut clench. She was the whole reason he’d opened this place to begin with. And here she was, all innocent and a beautiful mess, begging him to save it.
“It’s all right, Suzie Q. I won’t let it happen, okay? I won’t let them shut us down and run us out of town. No matter what.”
“You promise?” she asked, sniffling and then taking a deep breath.
“I promise.”
Chapter Five
Liz stood in front of the sprawling red-and-tan brick house, worrying her ear with her fingers as the midsummer heat enveloped her. So not what she’d expected when she’d agreed, sort of, to meet Chase at his home. The sprawling McMansion before her made her cringe. Didn’t look like he was having financial problems like he’d implied. If he sold this monstrosity, he’d have no cash-flow issues. Stubborn jerkface.
The orange door opened, and she hastily yanked her hand away from her ear. There he stood framed in the doorway—the man who’d made more than a cameo appearance in her dreams over the past two weeks. He wore a pair of almost-too-tight, low-slung jeans and a snug black muscle shirt. Clutching her purse strap, she stepped onto his stone walkway and up to his front porch.
“Good afternoon, Ms. Clark.”
How could he make a name sound so dirty? And the fact that he called her Ms. Clark instead of Liz made it sexier. Maybe because in every power-based relationship fantasy she’d ever had, one person was always referring to the other with a term of respect and deference.
“Hi,” she said icily. She had to keep her guard up around this guy. Or else. She wasn’t sure what would happen, but she knew it wouldn’t be good.
A slight half smile quirked up his bow-shaped lips as he moved back to allow her entrance. Barely stopping herself from gulping like an ingenue entering the house of a serial killer, she stepped over the threshold in her low-heeled sandals. She’d dressed a bit more conservatively today for their meeting. Skintight, lightweight jeans had replaced leather pants, and instead of a lacy black top, she wore a light blue tank top. The lower heels were certainly easier to walk in, but they left her at more of a disadvantage in front of the six-foot Chase.
Even with five-inch heels on, she’d had to tilt her head back to meet his gaze, and now that she wore her two-inch ones, she had no hope in hell of looking him square in the eyes. She hated having to crane her neck to see a man’s face. What was wrong with short guys? She’d never understood why women didn’t actively seek out guys more their size instead of hulks like Chase.
Crud. She was rambling again. At least it was inside her head and not coming out of her mouth. She glanced around the house as Chase led her silently to the back. The color scheme inside was as earthy as outside. Taupe walls, thick beige carpet, rust-colored overstuffed sofa and chairs, huge TV, a sunken formal dining room with an empty table and little on the walls. Where in the world was he taking her? More importantly, why was she blindly following? Say something, Clark!
Before she could, he pushed his way through a swinging door and held it open for her. The kitchen made her gasp. More modern than the rest of the house, it shone from top to bottom. Stainless-steel appliances, dark, glass-fronted or open cabinets, and slate-blue countertops contrasted with the warm red walls and oak floors. Copper pots and pans hung from a rack above a huge island in the middle of the space that had bar stools on one side and a range top on the other. Double ovens in the corner completed the look of a professional kitchen. Other than a couple of small appliances and
But she was the one who made his gut clench. She was the whole reason he’d opened this place to begin with. And here she was, all innocent and a beautiful mess, begging him to save it.
“It’s all right, Suzie Q. I won’t let it happen, okay? I won’t let them shut us down and run us out of town. No matter what.”
“You promise?” she asked, sniffling and then taking a deep breath.
“I promise.”
Chapter Five
Liz stood in front of the sprawling red-and-tan brick house, worrying her ear with her fingers as the midsummer heat enveloped her. So not what she’d expected when she’d agreed, sort of, to meet Chase at his home. The sprawling McMansion before her made her cringe. Didn’t look like he was having financial problems like he’d implied. If he sold this monstrosity, he’d have no cash-flow issues. Stubborn jerkface.
The orange door opened, and she hastily yanked her hand away from her ear. There he stood framed in the doorway—the man who’d made more than a cameo appearance in her dreams over the past two weeks. He wore a pair of almost-too-tight, low-slung jeans and a snug black muscle shirt. Clutching her purse strap, she stepped onto his stone walkway and up to his front porch.
“Good afternoon, Ms. Clark.”
How could he make a name sound so dirty? And the fact that he called her Ms. Clark instead of Liz made it sexier. Maybe because in every power-based relationship fantasy she’d ever had, one person was always referring to the other with a term of respect and deference.
“Hi,” she said icily. She had to keep her guard up around this guy. Or else. She wasn’t sure what would happen, but she knew it wouldn’t be good.
A slight half smile quirked up his bow-shaped lips as he moved back to allow her entrance. Barely stopping herself from gulping like an ingenue entering the house of a serial killer, she stepped over the threshold in her low-heeled sandals. She’d dressed a bit more conservatively today for their meeting. Skintight, lightweight jeans had replaced leather pants, and instead of a lacy black top, she wore a light blue tank top. The lower heels were certainly easier to walk in, but they left her at more of a disadvantage in front of the six-foot Chase.
Even with five-inch heels on, she’d had to tilt her head back to meet his gaze, and now that she wore her two-inch ones, she had no hope in hell of looking him square in the eyes. She hated having to crane her neck to see a man’s face. What was wrong with short guys? She’d never understood why women didn’t actively seek out guys more their size instead of hulks like Chase.
Crud. She was rambling again. At least it was inside her head and not coming out of her mouth. She glanced around the house as Chase led her silently to the back. The color scheme inside was as earthy as outside. Taupe walls, thick beige carpet, rust-colored overstuffed sofa and chairs, huge TV, a sunken formal dining room with an empty table and little on the walls. Where in the world was he taking her? More importantly, why was she blindly following? Say something, Clark!
Before she could, he pushed his way through a swinging door and held it open for her. The kitchen made her gasp. More modern than the rest of the house, it shone from top to bottom. Stainless-steel appliances, dark, glass-fronted or open cabinets, and slate-blue countertops contrasted with the warm red walls and oak floors. Copper pots and pans hung from a rack above a huge island in the middle of the space that had bar stools on one side and a range top on the other. Double ovens in the corner completed the look of a professional kitchen. Other than a couple of small appliances and
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