“What did she say?”

Mac shrugged. “Nothing worth repeating.” He debated for a second but had to know. “What did my mother have to do with putting your mother in jail?”

Maddie gasped. “She told you that?”

“Is it true? Did my mother have something to do with it?”

Maddie seemed to weigh her words carefully. “It was a combination of things.”

He lowered himself to the coffee table, forcing her to look at him. “Tell me.”

“My mother passed a bad check at the hotel bar, and yours reported her.”

“For a first offense?”

“Third.” Maddie’s eyes dropped to her lap, her cheeks flushing with embarrassment. “Your mother didn’t have a choice.”

Mac covered her good hand with his and squeezed. “I’m sorry.”

“She’s been courting disaster for years now. It was bound to happen eventually.”

“And you’ve tried hard not to make the same mistakes.”

“For all the good it’s done me. I’m always one step ahead of disaster.”

He linked his fingers through hers and was pleased when she let him. “I’m incredibly drawn to you, Maddie.”

Her face flushed again. “Don’t say things like that. You don’t mean it.”

“I do mean it.”

Bringing their joined hands to his lips, he kissed the back of hers and decided not to push the issue. He had a feeling that too much too soon was not the way to woo this stubborn woman. “What do you say we clean up those cuts?”

“I was hoping you’d forgotten about that.”

“No such luck.”

“I’d love to take a shower. I feel gross.”

He tucked a shank of honey hair behind her ear. “You don’t look gross. In fact, you look quite lovely.”

“You don’t need to say that stuff to me. It’s not going to get you anywhere.”

“And where is it that you think I want to be?”

She replied with the scathing look he’d grown quite fond of during their day together.

“Why don’t we deal with this thing you’re worried about right now?”

“What’re you talking about?”

“You think I’m only doing all this so I can sleep with you, right?”

She had the good grace to appear embarrassed by his frank assessment. “It’s crossed my mind.”

“Then let me put your mind at ease—we won’t sleep together until you tell me you want to.” When she began to protest, he rested his fingers over her lips. “Until you say these words: ‘Mac, make love to me,’ I swear it won’t happen. I can’t promise I won’t try to kiss you again, because I really liked kissing you. But anything more than that? It’s all you.”

“Can I talk now?” she asked.

Mac smiled and removed his fingers.

“I’m not used to people without ulterior motives.”

“I’m sorry you’ve been mistreated in the past, but not all men are lousy pigs.”

She studied him with eyes utterly lacking guile, and his heart stuttered in his chest. “They aren’t?”