Tempting the Best Man (A Gamble Brothers Novel) (Entangled Brazen) by J. Lynn Page A

You know my history. You know…what I grew up in. And you’re Mitch’s sister. It’s like spitting in his face.”
    Madison blinked. “You’re not your father.”
    Chase said nothing.
    “And…Mitch does trust you, but you’re not disrespecting him. It has nothing to do with him.” Lifting her chin, she met his eyes. “I understand what you’re getting at, but…”
    “But?” His brows rose.
    Madison took a deep breath. “But we’re consenting adults, Chase. We don’t need my brother’s permission. And you’re your own person.”
    “It’s not just about getting his permission.”
    It struck her then that Chase needed someone to believe in him, because his hang-up wasn’t Mitch, it wasn’t even her. And suddenly the comment he made earlier about her being too good made sense.
    He honestly thought she was too good for him.
    Her heart squeezed. Couldn’t he see what everyone else saw, that underneath it all, he was a good guy with standards? Could seeing his father mistreat his mom have warped him to this point, where he believed himself incapable of being in a relationship? Even with her, someone who had known him his whole life? Maybe all he needed was a tiny push over that hang-up. And that push would have to be from her, and it would have to be drastic.
    Swallowing, she placed her hands on the cool edge of the ceramic tub and pushed herself up. Water ran in rivulets down her body. Soapy bubbles slid over her thighs. The air was cool against her warm flesh, and she couldn’t believe she had done it. Stood completely naked in front of Chase, and if he refused her now, gave her any excuse, she would never be able to come back from that rejection.
    Chase’s nostrils flared as he leaned back, his hands clenching in his lap. “Jesus Christ…”
    Feeling exposed, she fought to keep her arms at her sides and let him look his fill. And boy was he ever looking his fill. Everywhere his gaze went, she felt the heated intensity igniting her flesh. Her skin pricked and flamed. Warmth flooded her, pooling in her core.
    “Towel?” she said, voice husky.
    He stared at her so long she began to wonder if he’d lost the ability to speak. And then she saw it—the moment he cracked wide open, and she was thrilled. “No.”
    Her pulse pounded. “No?”
    Chase placed his hands on her hips. The touch of his skin on hers sent chills over her. She let him help her out of the tub, made no sound as he tugged her between the V of his thighs. She waited with her heart in his hands as he leaned forward, pressing a sweet kiss against the flare of her hip.
    Madison’s chest swelled and heat speared her body as his mouth moved up her flat stomach, his tongue dancing around her navel. She grabbed his shoulders as her head tipped back, and his mouth traveled up…and up.
    Her body went weak at the first touch of his mouth on her breast, hot and demanding. His lips were soft yet firm, lingering and coaxing tiny moans from her parted lips. Her body turned to liquid under his skilled touch.
    “Open your legs for me,” he ordered.
    Beyond control of her own body, she obeyed and jerked when she felt the first light touch of his hand between her thighs. Chase’s fingers were feather light, teasing as he worked her into a state where her hips were moving against his hand, back arching, begging for more. And then he gave her more, slipping a finger inside her and then two.
    Panting, she felt her fingers dig through the shirt he wore, into the hard skin of his shoulders as her body rocked. His thumb moved in circles over the bundle of nerves at the juncture of her thighs. Her body coiled deep inside her core, and she felt herself start to splinter, to come apart.
    Chase removed his hand, and before she could cry out in denial, he pressed his lips to the inside of her thigh. Her heart stopped and then doubled up erratically. It had been long, so very long, since something this intimate had been done to her.
    “I want to taste you,”