Page 25 of Kiss & Collide (Racing Hearts #2)

W hen Chase got downstairs to the restaurant, Madison was waiting for him just inside the door, half concealed by the shadows, right where Cam had said she would be.

“Hi, Chase.” She stepped into the soft light by the hostess stand. She looked amazing in a tight gold dress, with her blond hair down.

“Hey. Nice to see you again.” He hesitated for a moment, not really sure how to greet her.

Then, remembering this was all for show and someone might be watching, he leaned in and kissed her cheek, setting a hand on her waist as he did it.

It felt weird and too forward, but she gave his arm a squeeze as he did it, so he figured he’d judged correctly.

“So.” He rocked back on his heels and stuffed his hands in his pockets. “How does this kind of thing go?”

He was pretty adept at charming women when he put his mind to it.

But that was always real … at least real in the sense that he’d been interested in the woman.

This … pretending … was a different ball game, and suddenly he didn’t know what to say, or how to stand, or where to put his hands. He’d never felt so awkward in his life.

Madison seemed to pick up on that and smiled. “I’m an actor, remember? Just follow my lead. I got you.”

He smiled back and relaxed a little, remembering how chill she was, and how easy it had been to talk to her at the photo shoot. “Okay, let’s do this.”

She held her hand out to him and he took it. Like a boyfriend would.

The hostess led them through the dining room and out to a small terrace overlooking the Bellagio fountains. The low lighting and intimate tables inside were probably better for a date, but that would have defeated the purpose of this event—to be seen. Out here, the eyes of thousands were on them.

He helped her into her chair before settling into his, across from her.

“The flowers,” Madison murmured under her breath.

“What?”

She threw a significant glance at the glass vase of peach rosebuds on the table. “Offer me one.”

“Oh. Right. Got it.”

With a flourish, he took a rose from the bowl, leaned across the table, and held it out to her. Madison looked adorably flustered as she smiled and took it. She was a good actor. Then she laid her free hand across his palm. His fingers curled around hers.

“Well done,” she said under her breath. “It’s on.”

For all of his resisting, dinner was actually fine. The prices were eye-watering, but the food was amazing, the setting was beautiful, and Madison was fun. The conversation hadn’t dragged once all night.

They’d talked about growing up in Chicago, about her family, about his family.

She’d told him stories from her tough start in LA, sleeping on friends’ couches for months, running from one audition to another, taking every small role that came her way, trying to break in.

He told her about his early days in racing, pretty much doing the same thing, hustling, just trying to stay afloat in a tough sport. They had a lot in common that way.

She was savvy and a little bit cutthroat in a way he’d never quite managed though.

She cared about her work, but she was also aware of all the compromises her industry required of her for success, and she was willing to do whatever it took.

He supposed that’s why she’d just taken this arrangement in stride.

His career might have had a different trajectory if he’d had half her street sense.

As they lingered over dessert, which Madison barely touched, she smiled across the table at him. “I think this was a huge success.”

“I guess we’ll see.”

“Oh, I know. Have you really not clocked how many times we’ve been photographed tonight? We’re blowing up the internet as we speak. We’re going to be viral by midnight. So, well done.”

He’d been absolutely unaware of that, and it blew his mind that she’d been tracking it all even as she chatted so casually with him. This all felt weird, the performance of a lie.

“Do you ever get used to it? Having to do this kind of stuff just to be able to do the thing you love?”

Madison tipped her head to the side, considering. “I guess I’ve never tried to separate them out. I knew how the game was played from the beginning. This is just another move on the board.”

He envied her for her ability to see the whole game being played and to know what moves to make.

It was the part he’d never been good at.

But listening to her stories about LA, he could tell Madison could read people and their motivations and navigate situations to get the outcome she wanted. She was a lot like Violet in that way.

Violet was probably back in her hotel room, scrolling through the hashtags, watching every moment of tonight unfold online. The thought made his gut twist up. This might be just another move on the board, but it wasn’t one he’d ever be comfortable with.

“Everything okay?” Madison asked. “You just dipped out.”

He shook his head. “Sorry. My mind wandered for a second. I’m glad this worked out tonight. Thanks for making it so easy.”

“No problem.” She hesitated, her eyes dropping to the table. “We don’t have to call it a night if you don’t want to. I know we’ve been on display all night, but we could move somewhere more private. You know … just so we can relax a little.”

He leaned back in his chair, absorbing that. It wasn’t an outright invitation, but she was definitely leaving the door open. If he wanted to walk through it.

But much as he liked her, he couldn’t summon up that kind of interest. Because his fucking head was somewhere else, with someone else. Instead of blond hair, he was seeing black. His hands didn’t want to trace over Madison’s golden curves, he wanted Violet’s icy-pale skin.

“I’d better call it a night,” he said with what he hoped was a casual shrug. “I’ve got an interview over breakfast and then I’m heading straight into more press events.”

“No problem. Cam’s got me on a six a.m. flight to Vancouver tomorrow morning.”

“Ouch.”

“I have to be on set by noon.”

“So …”

She looked up and met his eyes. “I guess I’ll see you next time they set something up.”

“I guess so. This was fun.”

Her smile was wide and genuine, so she didn’t seem to be at all hurt that he hadn’t taken her up on her offer. “It was.”

“So … how do we do this? The exit?” He cleared his throat. “Since we’re not … uh, leaving together.”

“Well, we leave the restaurant together, then Cam escorts us through the service exit so we can get back to our hotel rooms separately.”

“Cam’s thought of everything.”

“It’s all very well-planned.” Madison looked up at him again. “Everyone will think we went home together tonight.”

He swallowed thickly. “That’s good. Okay, I’m ready when you are.”

After an enlightening fifteen-minute tour of the bowels of the Bellagio Hotel, Chase finally found himself looking down a hallway lined with rooms. He took a quick glance around to make sure no one was there before he exited the service elevator. He was supposed to be in Madison’s room right now.

But no one was there to see him as he made his way to a different room.

He knocked quietly at the door. A minute later it cracked open.

Violet’s pale face appeared out of the darkness.

Her eyes were still rimmed in dark, although she’d undressed, wearing just her black silk robe, which she was holding closed at her neck.

“You’re here,” she murmured with surprise in her voice.

Without a word, he slipped inside and closed the door behind him.