Page 68 of Rastor

"Nah, that's alright," Chloe said. "It's not really a big deal."

But from the look on her face, I wasn't convinced.

"Sure you don't want me to talk to her?" I asked, wanting to insist, but trying to play it safe.

She gave me a smile that melted my heart. "I'm sure."

I loved that smile. I lovedher. And now, I had to leave. I hated that. "I don't wanna let you go," I admitted.

"You mean to work?" she asked.

I leaned toward her. "I mean anywhere." I wrapped her in my arms and kissed her like I meant it, because Ididmean it. I was going to be out of town almost a week, and I wanted like hell to drag her back to my place and do a whole lot more than kiss.

When our tongues met, she gave a muffled moan against my lips. My pulse throbbed, and my jeans grew tight.

Forget bribing Brittney. I should bribe Chloe to ditch work tonight, or better yet, ditch it forever. But I remembered my promise. No matter what, I wouldn’t make her late.

Damn it.If I couldn't keep a small promise, how would she trust me with the big stuff?Don't screw this up.

When she pulled away, I didn't argue. She looked toward the house and suddenly smiled. I looked too, and saw Chucky peering out through the curtains.

I had to laugh. "Our chaperone."

"Yeah." Chloe sighed with obvious regret. "I've gotta go."

"I was afraid of that."

She leaned into me and asked, "When do you fly out?"

"Tomorrow morning. Six o'clock."

"So early?" she said.

I nodded. "Are you sure don't wanna come with me?" I leaned my forehead against hers. "Tell ya what, you don't even have to wake up. I'll carry you onto that plane myself."

She laughed. "I wish. But I've got Chucky. And work."

"When I get back, we'll have to talk about that." I lowered my voice. "And just so you know, I want to do a whole lot more than talk."

Her voice was all kinds of sexy when she said, "Me, too."

A few hours later, just before dawn, I was on the plane, heading for Vegas. The timing sucked. I didn't want to go anywhere, not without Chloe. But the Vegas thing – one of several mixed martial events in a global series – had been in the works for months, technically years, since it was an annual thing.

For these events, I delegated a lot, but there were some things – personal appearances mostly – that I couldn’t farm out, not without damaging the brand. So I just had to suck it up and count the days until I returned.

While in Vegas, I called Chloe every night, taking advantage of the time-zone difference to catch her when she got off work.

Midnight in Vegas was three o'clock in the morning in Michigan. It was an obscene hour for most people, but not for Chloe. For her, three o'clock was early, thanks to her work schedule. In a way, I was lucking out. Usually, her shifts didn't end until nearly dawn.

Still, the phone calls weren't enough. By Friday morning, I was going crazy missing her, which is why late that afternoon, I was headed back to Michigan.

I couldn't stay long, but it would be long enough to see Chloe, and that's all that mattered. I was already on the plane when I called to tell her. There was only one problem. For some reason, she didn't sound happy to hear from me.

Chapter 32

Something was bothering her. I heard it in her voice from the moment she answered with a tense, "Hello?"

"What's wrong?" I asked.