An Indecent Proposal(40)

“What did he say?” I asked, warily.

“Not much. Like you, he’d had a few glasses too many and was rather cryptic. But he did something else that didn’t make sense to me.” His scowl deepened as he regarded me intently, probably watching my reaction to what he was about to say. “Like I said, I want us to be honest with each other.”

“What did he do?” My voice came out shrill as blood rushed in my ears.

He hesitated. “He offered me money to break off our engagement.”





Chapter 14





I stared at Chase as his words slowly sank in. Clint had offered him money to leave me without knowing that Chase and I weren’t really engaged. We weren’t even together. In spite of our differences, I had always thought that Clint and I had a silent agreement. That he wanted me to find happiness and the closure I had waited for, while I kept silent about the past. I expected him not to meddle in my affairs just as much as I wanted him to move on and leave me alone.

“Why would he do that?” Chase asked.

I shook my head, signaling that I didn’t know. And, truth be told, I didn’t know. The entire situation shocked me just as much.

“Are you sure that’s what he said? Maybe he offered to help with money, or—” I stood up and began pacing the kitchen up and down, my thoughts a maze of confusion and hurt. But in my heart I knew the truth, even though I had yet to admit it.

“There’s a lot you haven’t told me.” It wasn’t a question; it was a statement. He was spot-on.

“I can’t,” I whispered.

Chase moved behind me, and his strong hands settled on my upper arms with enough pressure to force me to turn around. I raised my gaze to meet his. The gentleness I found in his eyes destroyed my last reserve.

“I know it’s hard, but I’m here to help.” His arms wrapped around me, pulling me against his chest. I buried my face in his shirt and took deep, calming breaths to help me control the tears gathering behind my closed eyelids.

I couldn’t cry.

I hadn’t cried in years. With my walls up, the tears were long depleted—or so I had thought. But now the walls were coming down, shaking me to the core.

“Please don’t ask me to,” I whispered weakly.

“But I want to help you,” Chase said. “Let me help you, Laurie. I see how much this pains you.”

“You don’t know what you’re getting yourself into.” My voice came so low that I doubted he had heard me. For a few moments he remained silent, confirming my thought. Then he lifted my chin to meet his gaze, and I noticed the stubborn expression in his eyes.

“I want to get involved in whatever you’re involved in.” His words took me by surprise. “I want you to trust me. Even if it’s hard to believe it, I want you to know that you’re no longer alone. I’m going to help you.”

“But you don’t even know what it involves.”

“Doesn’t matter. All I see is that you’re hurting. You’re scared.”

I laughed darkly. Scared was an understatement. I was freaked out. There was so much panic inside me that it made me wish I could just run—far away. If it weren’t for Chase’s hands holding me, I might just have.

“I can see that this man has hurt you, Laurie. Don’t even try to pretend it’s not true.”

A tear rolled down my cheek. I wiped it away, angry at myself, angry at Clint for pushing me into such a situation, angry at Chase for not running away when he should have been.

“Why do you want to help me, Chase?” I asked, ignoring his previous statement.

“Because you’re special.” A soft smile played on his lips. “I really like you, Laurie.”

“But you don’t know me,” I said, unable to hide the anger in my voice. “You know nothing about me.” I yanked myself out of his embrace and was turning to leave when his hand grasped my arm, keeping me pinned to the spot.

“Then let me get to know you,” he whispered. “The real you.”

I snorted. “Trust me. I’m a horrible person. You don’t want to know me.”

“Leave that to my judgment.” His voice was hard. “Even though we’re not together, I’m still your fiancé. And to your stepfather: fuck him. I’m staying. That’s what I said to him, you know?”

My heart lurched as I stared at him in dismay.

“Money can’t buy me.” He regarded me, his gaze hard again. “I chose this job because I wanted to. Not because I had to. And now I want to help you.”

He wanted to stay. He wanted to know. He stuck with me even though he didn’t have to. Only God knew how much money Clint had offered him. Money I didn’t have.