Seducing Chase Read Free Page B

abruptly stopped laughing and his gaze followed her hand, as she pressed it to her stomach, before rising to her breasts. Her body temperature kicked up yet one more notch. Finally he made it back to her face. Male interest glinted in his heated stare.
    “I can assure you, I’m not running an escort service. I can also say with conviction that I’m not trying to take your job. I’m helping an old friend, that’s it. So you can stop worrying.”
    “I wasn’t—”
    Nate raised an eyebrow. Damn the man and his perceptiveness. Of course, even though she loved it, she could see how a man like Nate would be bored out of his skull by her job. He was used to the frenetic pace of New York City and living the high life. Slogging away his days at a nonprofit cancer hospital in Upstate New York probably wasn’t his idea of a good time.
    “Yes, you were. It’s only natural. I’d feel threatened if I was in your position. But Val, I have no intention of trying to snatch your position from you. I’m doing what I can to help someone who’s helped me in the past. That’s it.” A brief shadow fell over his face before he smoothed out his expression.
    She stood, silently regarding him.
    “Have dinner with me.” Where did that come from? Is he asking me out on a date?
    She realized she was gaping at him and snapped her mouth shut, her brain whirling, trying to come up with an appropriate response. At a loss, she finally asked, “Dinner? Why?”
    “Just as colleagues. You need to eat, right? And I don’t know my way around here at all.” He smiled at her. “Take pity on the poor, helpless man.”
    Val barely suppressed a snort.
    Pity? You’re not likely to need anybody’s pity. You don’t even live in the same universe as helpless.
    She knew she shouldn’t mix business with pleasure, and particularly not with a man like Nate. He was way out of her league. No doubt he normally dated women well outside her social class, and probably had a different one on his arm every night. Hearth and home were undoubtedly not concepts Nate understood at all. It wasn’t as if she was searching for a baby daddy constantly, but Val was on an admittedly limited timeframe to settle down and start a family. At thirty-six, she wasn’t getting any younger. Even though her rational brain knew all this, she found herself agreeing anyway.
    “Great. I’ll come pick you up at your office at six.”
    “Uh-huh.” Val backed away and immediately grabbed a bottle of water from the department fridge. Downing half of it right there in the kitchen, she fanned herself.
    I can’t believe I just fell for his charm like a desperate woman. This is ridiculous. Nate was not the first handsome man she’d ever seen, and yet she’d let her baser side make a bad decision. She wouldn’t go back on dinner, though. Some insane need to see what Nate was all about prevented her from exercising her better judgment. With a grunt at her own stupid weakness she made her way back to her office and sat down to start making phone calls.
     
     
     

Chapter Three
    “Can I ask you a question?” Val inquired as she and Nate headed to the parking garage later that day.
    “Of course.”
    “Why are you doing this? This is seriously small potatoes for you. Actually, beyond small potatoes.”
    Nate turned away for a moment, debating on how much to tell her. “Doug’s been a good friend to me. We met in college and he was there for me when I was going through some stuff with my parents.”
    He looked back and caught her cocked eyebrow. “Most people would send a fruitcake at Christmas, not spend several days away from their own business.”
    “Doug is someone I’d drop everything for. Can we just leave it at that? Really, it’s no big deal, as long as this doesn’t interfere with my work with my clients.”
    “How could it not?”
    “I’m actually in a bit of a lull, so the timing, as far as that goes, was good. My business isn’t exactly