An Engagement in Seattle - Debbie Macomber [118]
All Lesley wanted was to feel. When she was in Chase’s arms she could feel again. For months she’d been trapped in a kind of numbness. Sometimes the pain surged up to inundate her but most of the time she’d felt nothing. No laughter. No tears. Just a lethargy that sapped away her energy and destroyed her dreams.
Then she’d met Chase and suddenly she was laughing again, dreaming again. Whenever he kissed her, a cascade of feelings flooded her body—and her heart. She needed to experience that excitement, those emotions.
For reasons of his own, Chase needed her, too. She would reciprocate generously and without reserve because she wanted him as badly as he wanted her.
As she luxuriated in the shelter of his arms, he buried his face in her neck, his breathing heavy.
Then, without warning, he broke away from her, leaving her breathless. Stunned. Before she could analyze what was happening, he was on his feet and moving toward the door. “I have to go.”
“Go? But why?”
He paused, his back to her. “Because if I stay we’re going to end up in bed.”
“You…you don’t want to be with me?”
Chase didn’t answer. Although Lesley thought she knew why he’d resisted the temptation to make love to her, she still felt hurt. She suspected that he feared she might not go through with the marriage. His lack of trust offended her, and his rejection was more than insulting, it was painful in a way that echoed past anguish. She’d lowered her guard, offered him everything she had to give and he was walking away from her. The six-year-old child whose father had abandoned her was back, chanting her fears.
“Go, then,” she said furiously, trying to silence the sounds of grief only she could hear.
He paused at the front door, his shoulders slumped forward. “I can’t leave you now.”
“Sure you can.”
He turned back and walked over to the sofa, sitting down next to her. He pulled her into his arms, disregarding her token objections, and held her. She let him, although the little girl in her wanted to push him away, hurt him for hurting her. But the womanly part of her needed his comfort.
As Chase kissed the crown of her head, she sighed and nestled in his arms.
“You tempt me, Lesley Campbell, more than any woman I’ve ever known,” he whispered.
“You tempt me, too.”
She felt his smile and was glad he was there with her.
“Becky Bright, the reporter who did that interview with me, phoned earlier this afternoon,” he told her.
“How come?”
“She wants to do an interview with the two of us right after the wedding. Do you mind?”
“I suppose not. Do you?”
“I do, but it’s the only way I can think of to stop the phone calls. According to the answering service, they’re still coming in.”
“Still?”
“I had the billboard taken down and asked Sandra to cancel all the remaining appointments, but there are more women phoning now than ever. I’m sure some called before and were discouraged when they didn’t hear back right away. Several were phoning to see if I’d made a decision and others wanted to know it if was too late.”
“It’s certainly been an…interesting experiment, hasn’t it?” she said.
“Yes, but it isn’t one I care to repeat.”
Lesley jabbed him with her elbow. “I should hope not!”
Chase laughed, slid his arms around her waist and nuzzled her neck. “I’m going to have my hands full with one wife.”
“What about the applicants you’ve already seen?”
“I had Sandra write up a form letter and send it out to everyone, including them.”
“To eight hundred women.”
Lesley felt his smile against her skin. “Not exactly.”
“What do you mean?”
“I got eight hundred calls, yes—well, maybe a thousand in total if we add the recent ones—but not all of them were from women who wanted to be my wife. I found that at least a hundred were from mothers planning to introduce me to their daughters.”
Lesley stared at him. “I hope you’re joking.”
“I’m not. And there were more crank calls than I care to mention.”
“So,” Lesley said, feeling a bit cocky. “When you come right down to it, exactly how many serious applications did you receive?”
“One.”
“One?