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done that morning and shook his head. “I can’t.”
     
    She crossed her arms, a smug smile playing on her lips. “So you admit you’re too uptight to just take some time off to enjoy that magnificent beach down there.”
     
    The beach wasn’t the only thing magnificent he’d be missing out on. Maddy’s sudden spark of boldness made her even more desirable, if that was possible, and just looking at her sucked the air right out of his lungs. Why shouldn’t he spend his day in the company of this beautiful woman thinking of nothing but how pleasant it was to be with her? He’d put in his time over the last eight years making his company the success that it was, he’d earned some time off.
     
    “I’ll admit no such thing, Miss Sawyer. Just help me get dressed and we’ll be on our way.”
     
    ****
     
    Maddy followed him to his room, her moment of triumph dampened by the anxiety she felt at having to dress him. Chase directed her to the closet and told her what to pick out; a warm pullover and sweats. At least she wouldn’t have the embarrassment of trying to work the zipper up on a pair of jeans, although she did find it a bit unnerving when she came out of the closet to discover he’d already divested himself of the shorts he’d been wearing. He sat down on the edge of the bed while she put on his socks and slipped the sweats over his feet then stood up so she could hike them up over his hips.
     
    “Can you tie the string a little tighter?” Chase asked with just a hint of a grin. “You wouldn’t want my pants to fall down while we’re walking.”
     
    Maddy gave him a wilting look. “I think you’re enjoying this way too much.”
     
    “I’m enjoying it immensely as a matter of fact, but I’m sure you’ll agree it’s necessary as I only have the use of one arm.”
     
    Biting back a nasty retort, she turned down the waist band and found the string. “Tell me if it’s too tight,” she said sweetly, deliberately giving the string an unnecessarily hard tug.
     
    “Too tight,” he gritted.
     
    Her apology was less than sincere as she loosened it then tied it off. “It’ll be easier to put on your shirt if you’re sitting down.”
     
    “Are you planning on torturing me with that too?”
     
    Maddy couldn’t stop herself from smiling. “The thought did occur to me to only pull it half way over your head. It would be quite amusing to watch you struggle to get it down the rest of the way, but for the sake of getting to our walk I’ll play nice.”
     
    “Your kindness is overwhelming,” Chase said dryly.
     
    She helped him get the shirt on then retrieved his tennis shoes and helped him with those as well. “Just let me grab a sweater and we can go.”
     
    “I’ll meet you downstairs,” he called after her.
     
    Chase waited for her on the deck, a sense of both anticipation and anxiety nibbling away at him. When was the last time he’d genuinely looked forward to being with a woman for something other than a romp in the sack? And as far as he could recall, he’d never felt anxious about it. The idea that he couldn’t hold any woman’s interest or seduce her into his bed was inconceivable. Consequently, he’d never had any reason to feel anything but completely confident, but Maddy was different and he’d recognized that the moment he’d first set eyes on her. He didn’t want to blow it by taking things too fast, but he was finding it increasingly difficult to keep from kissing her and had to fight for control anytime she was within arm’s reach.
     
    “All set,” Maddy said from behind him.
     
    He turned around and was quite literally blinded by her beauty. Big blue eyes sparkling with excitement stole his breath at the same time Maddy’s dazzling smile worked his heart into an erratic tempo. Sunlight played off her long tresses making it look like spun gold and despite his firm resolve not to spook her by moving too fast, he couldn’t stop himself from reaching out