Page 40 of Kiss & Collide (Racing Hearts #2)

Mexico City

I t was Wednesday night before he finally found himself outside Violet’s hotel room. His agent had booked a full day of meetings with PR agencies while he was in LA—Violet had been on him to hire his own person. The wait had been agony. He couldn’t think about anything else but talking to her.

But now that he was here, he wasn’t sure what to say or how to say it. He hadn’t actually dated anyone since Sophie, and he’d basically still been a kid then. This felt like entirely uncharted territory.

And he still didn’t know what she wanted. So if he was hesitating about knocking on her door, maybe it was because he feared it might be the last time he ever did.

Finally, he told himself sternly to fucking man up and rapped on the door. She took her time answering it, eventually cracking it open just enough to see him over the security bar.

The surprise showed in her eyes. “What are you doing here? I thought you said you were flying in tomorrow.”

She had music on inside, something angry and loud that he didn’t recognize.

“I came early. Can I come in?”

Wordlessly, she closed the door enough to release the bar lock then swung it open. He was relieved she was alone. In the back of his mind, he’d been dreading finding Ian there.

Her room was dim, just a couple of lamps lit in corners. Violet was in her black silk robe, and barefoot. She’d washed her face, so the smoky black eyeliner and blood-red lipstick were gone. She looked much younger and almost vulnerable without them.

As he closed the door behind him, she crossed the room to a small bar under a mirror and hit pause on a portable Bluetooth speaker, plunging the room into sudden silence.

She retrieved her half-empty glass of vodka and turned back to him, leaning against the bar, one arm wrapped around her midsection.

“How was LA?” Her voice was flat and uninterested.

He sat on the edge of the bed, across the room from her, and leaned forward, forearms braced on his knees. “Fine.”

“And Madison?”

Her tone was the same, but he felt the chill emanating from her all the way over here.

“Also fine.”

“The response on social media was great. People love you two together.”

“We’re not together,” he replied automatically.

She’d been looking into her glass, down at her blood-red toenails, anywhere but at him, but now her eyes shot to his. But she said nothing, so he decided to prod the sore spot, just to find out once and for all what the deal was.

“How’s Ian?”

Violet visibly startled. “Ian?”

“He was in Vegas, right?”

She paused before nodding slowly. “Reece hired the band to play his stupid party without telling me. He left me with multiple shit shows to clean up, as usual.”

He hadn’t even been aware of the tightness in his chest until it released.

“Reece hired him?”

“Did you think I invited him?”

“I wasn’t sure—”

“I didn’t.”

He looked down at the carpet and blew out a breath, trying to dispel his nerves so he could keep going. “I mean, I know you guys have a past, so—”

“Chase.”

He looked back at her. She’d set her glass back on the bar and was gripping the edges of it with both hands. “I didn’t invite him there. I didn’t even know he was there until I showed up. First I had to deal with the sex workers Reece hired and then I had to deal with him .”

“Sex workers?”

“Don’t ask. The whole night was a disaster.”

“Sorry.”

She shrugged dismissively. “It’s fine.”

Violet shifted her weight from one foot to the other, her arms still braced against the bar behind her, like she was afraid to let go of it. It was the closest to uncertain he’d ever seen her. “So LA. Cam and I didn’t set that up,” she said at last, eyes on the floor.

He rubbed his hand over the back of his neck. “She invited me.”

“So, is that—”

“No.”

Her eyes lifted to his again. “No?”

He shook his head. “No. I mean, she suggested it, but I said no.”

She let out a soft huff of laughter. “You said no to a woman?”

“It has happened, you know.”

She was smiling, even if it was slight, and he’d cracked a joke, so it felt like maybe there was something here, but he still didn’t know.

Finally, he just couldn’t take it anymore.

Whatever happened next, he just needed to know for sure.

If this was going to end, then he’d end it.

Like pulling off a Band-Aid, it was better done fast.

“Look, Violet, I gave it a shot with Madison because I thought you were with Ian last weekend.”

“I didn’t—”

“I know you didn’t ask him there. It was stupid, and I should have just talked to you about it.

But I thought you just might not care, and that would hurt …

Except here’s the thing.” He kept his eyes on a patch of carpet between his feet so he could get through it.

Then he took a deep breath and forced the unfamiliar words out.

“I’m into you. Really into you. And if there’s no chance of you feeling that way about me, I’d just like to know it, so I don’t get in any deeper here than I already am. ”

VIOLET WAS GRIPPING the edge of the bar so hard her hands hurt. She still hadn’t quite recovered from opening the door to find Chase there when she’d least expected him. She’d spent the entire flight to Mexico City imagining Chase with Madison.

It had been utterly humiliating, realizing that she hated imagining Chase with Madison. The mental images of the two of them together were absolute torture. It meant, somewhere along the way, she’d developed feelings for the bastard.

But now he was here, and not with Madison. When she’d opened her door and seen his dumb, gorgeous face on the other side, the wave of relief she’d felt had been terrifying.

She didn’t want to want him. She certainly didn’t want to need him. Part of her brain told her she should tell him to go. Don’t fall for me. I’ll only disappoint you.

But when she opened her mouth to say it, the words just wouldn’t come out. The other words, the ones telling him that she was in deeper than intended, too, also wouldn’t come out yet.

All she knew was that she was indescribably happy that he was here. And she knew she didn’t want him to leave again.

Pushing off the bar, she crossed the room to where he sat on the edge of the bed, leaning forward on his elbows, eyes on the floor.

She stopped in front of him. “Hey.”

He looked up at her and she felt a pang all the way through her chest, staring down at his pitch-dark eyes, the golden angles of his face, his jaw dusted with several days’ worth of dark stubble.

She reached out and laid her hand along his jaw, her thumb rubbing across the roughness.

His lips parted slightly. His mouth was indescribably beautiful.

She’d thought so from the very first time she saw him.

“Violet—”

She reached for his hand and tugged him to his feet. He rose slowly, dark eyes fixed on hers.

“I’m glad you came back,” she whispered.

“You are?”

She nodded tightly.

Then Chase brought his hands up to her face.

She forced herself to raise her eyes to his.

His nearness was setting off sparks across her skin, little tingles lighting her up from the inside out.

His lips hadn’t touched hers yet, but she felt like she could almost see the energy arcing between them, like an electrical charge.

His thumbs swept across her cheekbones and he smiled, just the slightest tightening of the corner of his beautiful lips.

Finally, he leaned in and kissed her. He’d kissed her so many times at this point.

Deep, hungry kisses, and quick, teasing ones as he brought her body right to the edge, and filthy kisses between her legs that left her shaking.

This kiss was different, soft and simple.

It felt like his words had that night back in Austin, when he’d told her that he liked her, that she mattered.

When the kiss ended, he looped one arm around her waist so he could pull her body in close to his while his other hand cradled her cheek.

She rested her hands on his biceps, eyes fixed on the top button of his shirt, on the triangle of golden skin revealed by his open shirt collar. “I’m not sure what you want.” Even though she wanted this, she really should try to warn him that it wouldn’t be easy, not for either of them.

“I’m not asking you for anything, Violet. Just stop trying to chase me away, okay?” He dipped his head and brushed another kiss across her lips. Her fingers tightened on his biceps. “Hold still and let me be with you.”

“I’m not good at this,” she whispered as he kissed his way down the side of her neck.

“I’m not that great at it, either,” he said. His hand skated up her rib cage, caressing her through the soft fabric of her robe. His thumb found her nipple through the silk and flicked across it.

She dragged in a deep breath. “I’ll probably fuck it up.”

He bent down, scooped an arm behind her knees, swept her up into his arms, and pressed another brief kiss to her mouth. “You have so little faith in me.” He started carrying her around the side of the bed. “Maybe I’ll fuck it up first. Let’s try it and find out, okay?”