Chloe blinked back tears and dropped her gaze to the notebook in her lap. She smoothed her hand over the paper, and when she met his gaze again, her smile was small and sad. “You’ve already read it.”
“Chloe,” he choked, his body vibrating with nervous energy. He’d never felt this way; the anticipation, the longing, the undeniable desire. He inched closer, his heart slamming inside his chest. Chloe’s lips parted and her eyes widened. When he felt the warmth of her breath fan over his face, goose bumps broke across his skin. Their eyes remained locked, the sweet smell of lavender invading his senses and making him dizzy. His hands shook as he lifted them to cradle her jaw and his eyes fell shut when he felt the soft, plump touch of her lips. In that moment, he’d never wanted anything more than to press his lips against hers; so he did.
His fingers curled around her neck and into her hair. He pulled her closer, wanting more, needing more. When she wrapped her hands around his wrists and squeezed, holding him in place instead of pushing him away, he lost all control. With a soft sweep of his tongue, her lips parted and he slipped inside her. It was like nothing he’d ever experienced, but he knew he didn’t want to go a single second of the rest of his life without feeling it. Her tongue moved in perfect sync—every move, every moan, every soft suck a confirmation that this was supposed to happen. They were meant to happen.
“Chloe,” he groaned, pulling her lower lip between his teeth.
“Reid,” she exhaled, gripping him tighter.
He slid his hands to her shoulders, fingering the exposed strap of her tank, when the sound of a cell phone ringing broke the spell and snatched them back into the present. A sinking feeling spread through Reid as he ripped away from Chloe. With wide, panicked eyes, he pulled his phone from his pocket and stared at the screen. Jess’s name flashed across it mockingly.
Jess.
What the hell was he thinking? He looked from Chloe to his phone, torn between guilt and regret. “Shit, Chloe. I’m so sorry. I never should have done that.” Jumping to his feet, he backed toward the door. “I’m so sorry. I had no right. That was a mistake. I shouldn’t have done that. I’m so sorry. It was a mistake. A mistake.” He slipped out of the room and into the hallway, unable to bear looking at the anguish marring Chloe’s beautiful face.
Crashing into his room, he paced in front of the bed. Through the thin walls, he could hear Chloe’s soft cries from her room. It tore at him in violent ways. He touched his lips and closed his eyes. He could still taste and smell her all over him. And God help him, as much as he knew he should wash it away, wash her away, he just couldn’t bring himself to do it.
When morning arrived, it came with gray skies and rumbling thunder. The sun was nowhere to be seen. Chloe envied its ability to hide from the world. She wanted nothing more than to disappear. Unfortunately, that wasn’t an option. Kicking back the sheets, Chloe sat up. With her elbows propped on her knees, she dropped her head in her hands and sighed. Even though she knew it shouldn’t have been possible, her lips still tingled from his kiss. It had been everything she’d dreamed. It was perfect in ways she never imagined.
Until it wasn’t.
She rubbed the tips of her fingers over her swollen eyes and stood. After showering and eating breakfast, she packed her things, doing whatever she could to keep her thoughts from wandering to the night before. But no matter how hard she tried, one word echoed in her mind and pierced her heart over and over again.
Mistake.
When she knew she couldn’t hide in her room any longer, she grabbed her violin and bag for the show. Each step toward the lobby caused her anxiety to spike. By the time she stepped off the elevator, her heart was nearly at a full gallop.
“There you are,” Greer said, walking in her direction. “I thought we were going to have to send a search party.” When he moved in front of her, he paused. His brows pulled together and he frowned as he studied her. “Are you okay?”
Chloe shifted her weight and gave him a weak smile. “I’ve got a bit of a headache, to be honest. I might have had a few too many beers last night.”
“You know, all you had to do was ask, and I would have happily come over and helped you out. You might give people the wrong impression drinking alone,” Greer laughed, causing Chloe to roll her eyes, a smile threatening to break across her face.
“Greer, how are you going to get through the next couple of weeks without having Chloe around to harass?” Inky asked, joining the pair.
Greer smirked. “I have her number. Among other things.”
Chloe’s face blanched. “What did you do?”
Greer patted her cheek and laughed. “You’ll see. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to the festival to catch a few bands. If you decide to come, text me.”