Page 10 of Finding Chloe

Declan led Alex out of the barn, and the silence that followed was deafening. Chloe let out a deep breath, and I could almost feel it whooshing past my ears.

“Something not going right?” I asked, breaking the quiet bubble.

Chloe squeaked and turned around. She spotted me crouched below Atlas.

“What are you doing over there?” Chloe asked, taking quick strides toward me. She smiled, and it lit up her face. God I’d missed her smile.

“Just finishing Atlas’s pedicure,” I winked. “What were you doing?” It took everything in me to act normal when I wanted to gather her in my arms.

She twisted her hands together. “Wedding planning. We have a meeting every few days since the wedding is so close. I have to do a lot of work in such a short time.”

“Must be a challenge.” I marveled at how even my tone was.

She shrugged. “It is, but I love it. The end results are worth it.”

I stood, removing my gloves and wiping my hands on my rag. She was only a few feet away, and I closed the distance until I stood right in front of her.

My voice dropped an octave. “We need to talk.”

“About what?”

I gripped her chin between my finger and thumb, remembering doing the same thing five months ago. “Youknowwhat.”

“We don’t need to talk about it.” Her weight shifted from one foot to the other, and her gaze dropped to the ground, dislodging my hand.

“You want to ignore it? Pretend like it never happened?” Did she really want nothing to do with me?

“No.” Her face shot up, huge, round eyes meeting mine.

“Then what?” Because I didn’t think I’d be able to handle being around her and not having her.

“I… I…” Chloe stuttered.

“Do you ever think about our night together?” My heart clenched as I waited for her answer.

Chloe tugged her lip between her teeth and turned away. I hated that she wouldn’t look me in the eye. I lifted her chin with my fingertips, using my thumb to pull her lip free. When her eyes met mine again, I bent down, hovering my lips a few inches from hers.

My heart raced inside my chest. I wanted to kiss her so badly, but I needed to know. Ihadto know if she had thought about me as much as I had her over the last few months. That she still wanted me. “Answer. The. Question. Kitten.”

She leaned into my grasp, trying to close the gap, but I wouldn’t kiss her until I heard it. Her sigh sent warm breath over my face.

“Every day,” she whispered. “I think about that night all the time. I dream about it almost every night.”

“Good.” I brushed my lips over hers. “Because I do too.” The last of my control slipped away, and I pressed my lips to hers, capturing her mouth in a deep kiss. Chloe’s soft moan pierced my ears. I hadn’t heard anything as sweet in months.

“I’ve been dreaming about the day I’d see you again. Why did you leave?” I backed away a couple of inches. I didn’t want to get into it right now, but the words flew out of my mouth.

“I had to say goodbye to my aunt before she left and then get home to finish my assignment. The show was one of my volunteer projects.” Chloe’s mouth turned down in a frown.

“But you didn’t leave your number. I thought we had something special.” I cupped her jaw and ran my thumb along her cheekbone.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t want to ruin the weekend or the memory of it. If I’d left my number and you didn’t call, it would have broken my heart.”

It broke my heart to hear her utter those words. Clearly I had not done a good enough job at making my intentions clear. “Oh, kitten. What made you think I would’ve done that?”

“I met you by saving you from another woman—one you’d already slept with. So why would I think if I left my number you’d actually call me?” Tears pricked at her eyes. “Especially when you were only in town for a show. I didn’t think I’d ever see you again.”

“I get it, but it kills me that you didn’t think enough of our time together to leave it for me.”

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