Page 48 of Kiss & Collide
He scoffed. “Youwanted this. I’ll show up to the date when you tell me to.”
He took a step closer and leaned in. She could smell him, that expensive aftershave she’d given him when he’d gotten his makeover. She could feel him, the press of his fingertips on the sensitive skin inside her wrist, the warmth of his breath on the side of her neck.
And that was it. She was done trying to resist him. When he looked at her like that, she knew very well she wasn’t going to stay away from him.
The two of them looked at each other, wordlessly. And then Chase smiled, and what was weirder, Violet smiled back.
“Okay, let’s go,” she said.
He reached out for her hand and she let him take it, just because she was so hungry to be touched by him. It was ridiculous, the effect he had on her.
As she followed in his wake through the throngs of guests, she thought it must be some sort of Pavlovian response. Every time she was alone with him, they had unbelievable sex, so nowher body was primed to expect it whenever he got near. It wasn’t personal. It was hormones.
They’d cleared the ballroom and were halfway across the atrium, where overflow guests stood chatting in groups, when he stopped abruptly in front of her.
“Chase, what’s going on—”
“Hey, Chase.” It was Liam O’Neill on his way in, his arm around a tall, willowy redhead who looked vaguely familiar.
Chase dropped her hand.
“Liam,” Chase said, with that flat tone of voice she only heard him use when he spoke to Liam. Then his eyes slid over to the redhead. “Sophie.”
Sophie.Hadn’t he asked Liam about a Sophie back when they’d run into him in Spielberg?
“Hi, Chase,” Sophie said, and something in the tone of her voice, the look in her eyes made the hair on the back of Violet’s neck prickle. She knew him, and not just in passing. “How are you?” Sophie asked, in a bright, friendly tone completely at odds with the tension radiating off Liam and Chase.
“Fine,” Chase replied. Mr. Nonstop Charm was suddenly reduced to one-word answers, with all the warmth of an iceberg.
Sophie’s eyes cut to Violet, looking at her curiously. Chase noticed, and tipped his head in her direction. “Violet Harper, head of PR at Pinnacle. Sophie Kincaid. And you know Liam.”
She shook hands with Sophie, determined to be polite, despite Chase and Liam snarling at each other like angry dogs. “Hi, Liam. Sophie, nice to meet you.”
“I’m giving Violet a lift back to the hotel,” Chase muttered. “We should go.”
Seriously? She didn’t necessarily want to broadcast the fact that they were sleeping with each other, but he didn’t need to act like he barely knew her either.
“Have a nice night,” Liam said as they passed. There was something nasty in his tone. Teasing? No, more like mocking.
Chase scoffed and shook his head.
She didn’t know the backstory here, but she’d already figured out Liam was a fucking wanker.
When they were nearly to the bank of open doors leading to the terrace outside, Sophie called out again. “Chase!”
He stopped to look back at her, and something in his expression sent a shimmer of unease through Violet. He said nothing, he just stared at Sophie, his expression flat. It was weird, seeing Chase so closed off and unemotional. Usually she could read everything on his face.
“It really was nice seeing you. Good luck this season,” Sophie said, her eyes a little beseeching.
“Jesus, Soph,” Liam hissed. Then he took her hand and led her away.
Chase watched them go for a beat.
“So what was—”
She didn’t get to finish that thought because he turned and left. Violet hurried after him, out onto the terrace and down the wide limestone steps to the drive. A group of black sedans waited there to ferry guests to the hotel, even though it was just outside the park and across the road.
Chase jerked open the back door of one, holding it for her as she slid inside.
