Page 87 of Eye Candy

“Chase.”

“Caroline.”

Awkwardly, we stood there, like we were suspended in time, each of us too scared to move in case the moment was an illusion. We were in a concrete hallway lined with mops, bits of wood, and old set pieces, the pungent smell of bleach in the air. To me, it was paradise.

Chase spoke first.

“Floss, you matter. I’m sorry I made you feel like you didn’t. You matter in the world, and you matter to me. You’re all I think about, and I can’t concentrate when I’m apart from you—not because you’re a distraction but because I know there’s no point.” He reached out and grabbed my hands before saying simply, “I don’t care about anything that doesn’t lead me to you.”

“I’m sorry too. About everything I did.”

“I’m not.” He flipped our hands over and kissed the back of mine. “I love you.”

Hearing it was as good as I imagined. Warmth spread through me, kind of like drinking mulled wine on a freezing day. It was warm and happy and secure. It’s not that hearing it made all of our obstacles fade away—they just felt more scalable.

I reached up on tiptoes and cupped his face in one hand. “I love you too.”

A smile spread across his face, making him look boyish. “I’ve waited so long to hear that.”

“Me too. It’s all I wanted.”

He reached up and straightened the bubble headdress I still wore. “Caroline, this job, the Dragonfly, doesn’t have strings. It’s yours. No one who saw you tonight could deny you deserve to be up there. You earned that.”

His praise felt so good. But he had to know.

“I didn’t come back for this job. I was already in Houston when Gerard called. I was coming back for you.”

“Really?”

“I read your blog.” I put my hand over his chest to feel his heart thump. His jumper was soft and familiar. This, more than anything, felt like coming home. “Chase, you didn’t need to get onstage in front of a crowd to prove anything to me. Love doesn’t fix a fear like that, and I don’t need it to, anyway. You don’t need to be fixed, you’re perfect.”

His chest jerked as he huffed a laugh. “I actually enjoyed it. I knew no one would be looking at me when you were half naked in front of them.”

To emphasize his words, he slid both hands under my short robe and cupped the globes of my ass, squeezing. My pussy throbbed in response, and I leaned into the sturdy warmth of his body.

“Say it again,” he whispered, eyes locked on my mouth.

I knew what he meant.

“I love you, Chase.”

Tenderly, he pressed his lips to mine and we stood there together, locked in the moment. This was the instant I would always look to as an anchor point in the setlist of our lives.

Stretching on tiptoes, I dropped a quick kiss on his nose before fixing our lips back together. Each press of his lips confirmed what I had realized back in Woodville: this was the man for me. He poured his heart into the kiss, letting me feel his relief that we were back like this. But like lights dipping between performers, the kiss evolved. His lips moved over mine with hot intent, and our tongues tangled with the promise of what was to come. His hands, large and smooth, kneaded my butt cheeks under my robe, his fingers dancing mischievously along the line of my thong. Below my navel, need twisted in my belly, and all I could think about was how to get Chase’s hands to move more, perhapspulling my thong aside and sliding his fingers through my wet folds…

Just when I’d decided to pull him into the closet dressing room for a more naked reunion, someone passing through the corridor cleared their throat and muttered, “get a room.”

I reluctantly pulled away.

My friends were waiting out front. I needed to find them and hug them and thank them properly. After that, I could focus on more pressing matters—like how badly I needed the man I loved underneath me, naked and sweaty.

Breathing heavily, Chase asked, “How soon can we get out of here?”

“I just have to?—”

I was going to tell him about Lyss and Greta and the rest of them and about getting my tips from Sal, but Chase leaned down and murmured in my ear, “I need to get those strappy panties off you.”

CHAPTER 32

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