“A bug on her Bug?” Mateo’s laugh blended anxiety with scorn.
“This is not a laughing matter, Mateo.”
“And this is not a concern, Franco. It’s pathological. You’re obsessed with her.”
“Do not analyze me.” Franco picked up a solid gold letter opener and slammed the tip into the polished top of his twelve-thousand-dollar desk. “I want Jade controlled.”
“You want her, period.”
Jerking the letter opener out of the desk, Franco walked within inches of Mateo and asked, “Do I need to remind you what I know about you and a select few of your patients?”
“No more damning than the so-calledbeforephotos of Jade that you showyourpatients!” For a few seconds, it was a standoff, then Mateo held up a hand in surrender. “Are we controlling her with legal or illegal drugs?”
“I have the drugs,” Franco sneered. “You perform the voodoo.”
“I’ll do it, but don’t ever complain about my hypnosis or call it voodoo again.”
* * *
“I’ve hadthe time of my life today.” Jade smiled at the gorgeous man whose bronzed muscles flexed as he reached across the water and brought her kayak closer to his.
When they were ready to leave that morning, Jade had assumed they’d drive to Lake Pueblo in Chase’s pickup and rent kayaks. Instead, he’d taken her to the garage where there was a brand-new double-cab, black Dodge Ram truck, a shiny blue Corvette, a Harley Davidson motorcycle, and an Army green Hummer. Within minutes, he’d strapped two kayaks to the roof of the Hummer. Jade had never traveled in anything remotely like a Hummer. Windows down, music playing—it was an exciting ride.
Once they arrived at the state park, the lake was a lot larger and even more beautiful than Jade had expected. A warm summer breeze floated in off the sparkling water. As Chase headed the Hummer west, they passed boats on ramps waiting their turn to launch, people carrying paddleboards, shorelines full of fishermen, and families climbing into canoes. Chase had told her the western end of the reservoir was a prime area to kayak due to the no-wake coves. Near a spot Chase said was called Boggs Creek, they found such a cove and unloaded the kayaks.
Chase had shed his shirt and handed Jade a bottle of lotion with a low sun protection factor. She had thoroughly enjoyed spreading the lotion onto his already tan broad shoulders and back. He’d tugged her around in front of him and kissed her as she’d rubbed lotion on his muscular chest. When she’d removed the white cover-up that matched her bikini, Chase convinced her that a slightly higher SPF would let her tan without burning. Oh, but she did burn with every stroke of his large hands smoothing the lotion onto her skin.
Explaining they were required to have life jackets onboard their kayaks but didn’t have to wear them, Chase said he never wore his. Promising him that she could swim, Jade left hers off as well, choosing to tan. Giving her a lesson on how to enter and exit the boat, he put their kayaks in the water and handed her a double-bladed paddle. When they were seated and floating on the lake, he pointed out that if she dropped the paddle, it was gone. Then he demonstrated the forward stroke and what he’d called a sweep stroke for turning the boat. It was relaxing when they floated and challenging when they paddled. She didn’t once drop her paddle and wouldn’t have missed this for the world.
For lunch, they’d ordered pizza and picked it up from one of the many of the lake’s nearby eateries. While they ate, Chase had told her about Lake Pueblo. It was a reservoir that was one hundred and thirty-five feet deep with sixty miles of shoreline. Part of a ten-thousand-acre state park, the area offered hiking, biking, and miles of trails. His parents had brought him and his siblings here as kids to enjoy it all—including overnight camping. If you ventured onto the lake with anything requiring a motor, you needed a boat permit.
“You’ve gotten the hang of kayaking,” Chase said, come late afternoon as they floated side by side in a quiet cove near Boggs Creek. “Tired yet?”
“A little, but I’ll bet I can beat you back to shore this time.”
“I’ll give you a head start.”
“I’ll take it.”
Jade gave the paddle all she had. A glance over her shoulder showed her Chase had yet to start paddling. Then she laughed as he easily came up beside her and passed her by. Her reward was him pulling her kayak onto the shore. She had barely touched her feet to the ground when he lifted her up against him. She wrapped her arms around him and lost herself in his embrace. His kisses were all-consuming. Chase was all-consuming. As he touched her feet to the shore again, she dreaded having to say goodbye all too soon to this cowboy and his kisses.
“Hey, something wrong?” Chase asked.
“Wishing the day hadn’tfloatedby so fast.” She smiled up at him.
“Me too,” he said. “Let’s load the kayaks and go home.”
CHAPTERELEVEN
“So you had fun kayaking?” Chloe asked Chase as they stood in her kitchen.
He had asked Jade to come to his ranch for the evening. She’d accepted and wanted to grab some clothes from the bed-and-breakfast to change into once they got there. Chloe had surprised them with a dinner invitation too mouthwatering and convenient to pass up.
“Had a great time,” Chase said, wearing a tee shirt with his swim trunks and boat shoes.
“By the way, when I went to change the sheets today, I found Jade’s cell phone. I hope she doesn’t think she lost it at the lake.”
“No.” Chase frowned. “She told me she leaves it here on purpose. But she’s not telling me the whole truth about it.”
