“Damn it, you’re sexy …” Lance said as he walked into the bathroom.
My pulse was already rapid, as I’d been staring at Oliver’s message that had just come in. But as I heard my husband, it increased even faster.
Slowly, I set my cell facedown on the vanity, trying hard to find my breath again, and I glanced up at Lance.
And when our eyes connected, what returned was the guilt I’d felt before, but there was something else as well. It was an excitement, and it was building just as fast.
Lance’s eyes devoured me as he said, “I love you in red.”
There were two neckties in his hands, and I could tell he had come in to ask which one to put on. He always wanted to coordinate, and he hadn’t known what I was wearing to tonight’s gala.
Now, he did.
And the heat from his gaze was burning my skin. “Thank you.”
“You never wear that color.”
I shrugged, feeling the tight, strapless dress pull at my chest. “I always worry it’ll clash with my hair, and that alone makes enough of a statement.”
“And tonight?”
I smiled even though it was almost impossible to breathe. “I’m feeling a little dangerous.”
He set the ties down and came over to me. His hands gently pressed at my waist. “An hour—that’s all they get of us. Then, we’re coming home, so I can have you all to myself until you fly out tomorrow afternoon.”
My skin was on fire, my stomach a mix of tingles and aches, and I wasn’t sure which was worse.
“Baby …” His eyes dropped down my body, his head shaking. “I’m one lucky man. You look so fucking beautiful.”
I shook as I heard that word in my husband’s voice, and it hurt in a way I hadn’t expected.
And I hated myself for that.
I didn’t know how to make this feeling go away.
How to make … it stop.
How to make any of this stop.
But the one thing that felt right was to circle my arms around Lance’s neck and whisper, “I can’t wait until we’re alone.”
Forty-Two
Me: Landed. Love you so much. Call me when you wake up.
London: Are you back?
Me: Just had my first cup of Dutch pea soup. Mmm, so good.
London: Amsterdam missed you.
Me: I feel the same way …
Lance: The sunrise I woke up to wasn’t the same without you.
Me: Morning, my love.
Lance: Let’s video chat when I get to the hotel in NYC. 8 p.m. your time.
Me: Can’t wait. xoxo
London: Sorry I had to go after your presentation, but I had another meeting. You did a hell of a job, gorgeous. They’re enamored with you. It’s great to see you get what you deserve. x
Me: I know you didn’t have to be there, but thanks for taking the time to come. It meant a lot to see a familiar face in a very full crowd of strangers. I was nervous as hell.
London: Didn’t look it one bit.
Me: :)
Lance: I just saw something on Madison Ave. and thought of you, so I bought it.
Me: Oh, yeah?
Lance: I’ll give you a hint … it’s red.
Me: I can’t wait to wear it for you. ;)
Lance: Eleven days.
Me: They’re not going by fast enough.
“Hello?” I answered, sitting up in bed after seeing London on the screen of my phone.
“Chloe fucking Kennedy.”
My eyelids squinted shut, my head tilting back, and I let out the loudest laugh. “Oh, Jake. It’s so good to hear your voice.”
“What the fuck are you up to?”
I sighed, taking a look around my hotel room in Amsterdam. “I wouldn’t even know where to start with that answer.”
“Chloe, I’m asking what you’re doing right now. Oliver and I are down at the pub, and I’m buying drinks. Come fucking join us.”
Something tightened in my chest. “Jake—”
“I just flew all the way here from London,” he said before I could get any words out. “It’s been six years, Chloe. Meet us for old times’ sake.”
My eyes were shut again but for an entirely different reason.
I wasn’t going to be alone with Oliver. Jake would be there, and we’d all have one drink together. Then, I’d come right back to the hotel.
This is innocent, right? Just old friends.
That was what I kept repeating in my head when I said, “Okay, I’ll meet you. But just one drink, and you have to promise me that.”
“Yeah, yeah,” he replied. “I’ll text you our location. Oliver says you’ll be able to walk; it’s really close.”
“I’ll see you soon,” I said and hung up, dropping the phone onto the nightstand.
Once I’d gotten home from work, I’d changed into pajamas and climbed into bed. The days here were long and so tiring. But now, I stood in front of my tiny closet, trying to find something to put on with the limited options I’d brought with me.
I went with a pair of skinny jeans, a sweater, and knee-high flat boots, fixing my hair and makeup before I went back over to my phone and looked at the screen. There was a text from Oliver, sharing his exact location, and I knew just where the pub was located since I walked by it every day.
I slipped the phone into my purse, grabbed my key, and left the hotel. It was just after eight, and Amsterdam hadn’t even gotten warmed up. The streets had a quiet murmur of traffic, the sidewalk almost sparse as I made it to the cross street. At the Stop sign, I turned and only had to go one block before I reached the pub.
And once I was inside, they were easy to spot because Jake shouted, “Chloe fucking Kennedy,” across the entire bar.
I laughed as I made my way over, and Jake stood, greeting me halfway, giving me a hug and lifting me into the air.
“Looking fabulous as ever.”
I giggled, squeezing him back. “God, do you men ever age?”
He set me down, his eyes giving me a once-over. “So fucking great to see you.” He put his hand on my shoulder, clenching it before he brought me over to the table he shared with Oliver.
“Hey,” I said softly as we walked toward each other.
Oliver’s hand gently grabbed my waist, and he kissed my cheek, my body instantly filling with tingles. The leather and lust of his scent went to my nose, and I took the deepest inhale.
I’d missed his smell, and I had no idea what to even think about that.
“Thanks for coming,” he said in my ear, his fingers leaving my waist as he pulled away.
“Jake wasn’t going to take no for an answer,” I responded, sitting in the empty chair as Jake called over a waitress.
“What can I get you to drink?” she asked as she stood next to me.
I saw they were having beer, and I answered, “I’ll take the lightest lager you have on tap.”
When she was gone, Jake looked at me and said, “All of us back together—who the fuck would have thought that was going to happen?”
I felt Oliver’s eyes on me before I glanced at him and replied, “I certainly didn’t.”