She narrowed her gaze, eyes focused on Chase. If she was waiting for him to blink or squirm, she’d be here a long time, but he understood her need to scrutinize him. Madeline Carlisle was known to protect her family and went overboard to guard the private parts of their lives despite the fishbowl in which they lived. No matter what politics dictated, she wouldn’t give up an interview to just anyone.
“Are you as honorable as your brother and sister-in-law?” Madeline asked.
“More so.” Roman grinned. “Not only did Chase raise me to be the outstanding gentleman I’ve become, but he followed the same rules himself.” He slapped Chase on the back. “Honorable is Chase’s middle name.”
Ribbing aside, Roman had a point. Chase was known as the upstanding Chandler, the dutiful oldest brother. The honorable one. If he didn’t count last night, Chase thought wryly. Taking the beautiful Faith to his hotel room and into his bed had been a departure from his normal upstanding moral code.
But she’d been different, just as their connection had been. Even now, he couldn’t shake those beautiful green eyes from his mind or the sounds she made while he was deep inside her body. For a one-nighter, she’d made one hell of an impression.
Madeline grasped Chase by the elbow. “I’d like to speak to you and Roman alone. Away from prying eyes.” She tipped her elegant head toward the people and reporters milling around, many waiting for her to extricate herself from them and make herself available once more.
Minutes later, they were in the Carlisles’ suite, the door shut and locked behind them.
Chase waited until Madeline settled herself on the sofa before doing the same. He liked to study a person, take their measure, and he planned to do that to Madeline Carlisle now.
But Roman, his antsy younger brother, could never sit still and he paced around the room, picking up odds and ends before putting them down again and moving on. “What’s going on?” he asked at last.
Madeline laced her hands together on her lap. Apparently, like Chase, she preferred to do business calmly. “I called Charlotte this morning.”
“At the shop?” Roman asked from the other side of the room.
She nodded. “I wondered if either of you would be going home anytime soon. To Yorkshire Falls.”
Chase didn’t know the woman, but even to him, her question seemed odd. Roman and Charlotte commuted between their hometown and D.C., Roman’s home base for work. Charlotte had her lingerie shop, Charlotte’s Attic, in both towns. But why would Madeline Carlisle care?
“Unfortunately, we’re in D.C. for the next week,” Roman said. “Barring anything unexpected, work’s got me busy here.”
“That’s what I thought Charlotte told me. What about you?” Her gaze strayed to Chase, and this time, she did the studying and her curiosity was evident. “Is that true for you too?” she asked.
“I’ll be home tomorrow.” Chase felt like he was being led someplace, but he hadn’t any idea where. He pinched the bridge of his nose in thought but couldn’t come up with any answers.
“Is there something I can do for you?” he asked, hoping she’d end the suspense.
She dug through her purse and pulled out her phone but didn’t open any app. “I need someone to watch out for my daughter.”
“Sloane?” Roman asked before Chase could.
Madeline slid her finger back and forth over the top photo. “When I said she wasn’t quite herself, I was serious. She’s had some … disturbing personal news and she needs time alone.” She raised her gaze to eye Chase once more and chewed on her bottom lip. “This has to be off the record.”
“Of course.” She was keeping her cards close.
Madeline exhaled, obviously relieved. “Because I adore Charlotte and Roman, and because I consider myself a good judge of character, I’m trusting you with this information.”
“You won’t be sorry,” he assured her. But he wondered if he would be. He stretched his hand over the back of the sofa and waited for her to continue.
She offered him a strained smile. “I hope not. You see, Sloane took off to regroup. She went to her mother’s hometown. To your hometown,” she said to Chase.
“Why?” Roman asked, jumping back into the conversation.
“Good question,” Chase said.
“One with an easy answer. Yorkshire Falls is as quiet a place as you can get. Sloane thought she’d see where her mother grew up and maybe learn a few things about herself in the process.”
Enigmatic, Chase thought. Senator Carlisle’s daughter was searching for some R&R in his little small town? When all the family action was in D.C.? Didn’t seem entirely plausible to him. “Where do I come in?”
“How do you feel about a quid pro quo?” Madeline asked.
Chase shrugged. “Depends on what’s being exchanged.”
“I do like your style.” She tucked her hair behind one ear. “Here’s the deal. You go home early and look out for my daughter. In return you’ll get an exclusive interview with me when this is all over. I’m not certain how long she’ll be there, but I need you to make sure she doesn’t get into trouble and doesn’t call too much attention to herself. The last thing she needs is the press following her around.”
Chase leaned forward in his chair and braced his arms on his knees. “What am I in all this?”
“When it comes to Sloane, you won’t be a reporter, you’ll be a friend.” Madeline’s eyes warmed to her idea. “And any information you want to use on our family, you’ll get from me in our interview. We agreed this was all off the record, remember?”
He remembered, all right. He just felt extremely set up and cornered and didn’t like it one bit. But Roman stood behind him, not objecting to Madeline’s deal. Which meant Roman thought this idea had merit.
Chase scrubbed a hand over his face. “What about protection?” Chase was trained to take in every detail and he’d noticed the Secret Service agents in place around the room where the senator spoke. They had to be protecting Sloane as well.
But Madeline’s next words killed that notion. “She slipped out alone. That’s why she needs you.”
He groaned. “I’m not a bodyguard. And forgive me for prying, but isn’t Sloane a grown woman? Why does she need anyone to look out for her?” The more he thought about it, the more uncomfortable he became with the idea of getting involved with this woman’s daughter in any way. He was a journalist, not a baby-sitter.
“She doesn’t think she needs anyone. It’s me. I need to know she’s okay and has someone to lean on if it comes to that.” Madeline backed up her emotional words by reaching for his hand and holding on tight.
But Chase still felt manipulated. “There’s obviously a lot you aren’t telling me.”
“That’s true. But if you want the exclusive interview, you won’t ask too many questions. You’ll just go home a day early, find Sloane, and look after her.”
Chase frowned. “Whether she wants me to or not.”
“Exactly. You’re good-looking, charming. I’m sure it won’t be too difficult to win her over.” She patted his cheek. “Make use of those Chandler genes.”