Another beat of awkward silence. Denton checks his watch. “It’s getting late,” he says, his tone brisk. Businesslike. “I should get you back. Tabby has that… thing. In the morning.” He doesn’t specify the ‘thing’.
Relief wars with a sharp pang of disappointment. Leaving sounds good. Escaping this unfamiliar world, the confusing push-pull of Denton’s attention, the sting of my own misplaced hope. “Okay,” I say, my voice carefully neutral. “Sure.”
He nods, already turning towards the exit. “This way.”
We weave through the thinning crowd. Evan and Sophie wave from across the room. I wave and manage a weak smile in return. The cool air from the lobby hits us as we step out of the ballroom, a welcome shock after the warmth of all those bodies.
The elevator ride down is silent. The memory of his hand on my waist, his breath against my temple, now feels like something that happened to someone else.
The elevator chimes at lobby level. The doorman nods as we pass, holding the heavy glass door open for me. The cold Chicago night air slaps my cheeks, sharp and bracing. Snowflakes swirl in the cones of light cast by the hotel’s entrance. A sleek black town car idles at the curb, the driver standing ready.
Denton gestures towards the car. “That’s us.”
I start to move towards it, pulling the borrowed wrap Charlie insisted on tighter around my shoulders against the sudden chill.
I’m halfway to the car when I feel it. His hand. Not on my back this time though.
Instead, his fingers slide between mine, warm and strong.
I freeze. My heart stops, then kicks into a frantic, hammering rhythm. I look down at our joined hands. His large, calloused hand engulfing mine. Then I look up at him.
He’s not looking at me. He’s staring straight ahead at the waiting car, his jaw set, his expression unreadable in the shadows.
He doesn’t say a word. He just holds my hand. Tight.
And just like that, standing on the snowy curb under the swirling flakes, I know.
I am in way, way over my head.
Chapter 15
Denton
The warmth of Holly’s hand in mine feels solid in the chaotic swirl of my thoughts. Snowflakes catch in her hair, sparkling under the harsh lobby lights before melting into the dark strands.
I should let go. The performance is over. The party is behind us. But my hand refuses to obey the command.
The driver opens the door for us. I release her hand only to place it firmly on the small of her back again, guiding her into the plush leather interior.
I slide in beside her. The door shuts with a soft thud, sealing us in silence. The partition between us and the driver is up, muffling the city sounds to a distant hum.
The car pulls away from the curb. Chicago slides by the tinted windows – a blur of neon signs reflecting on wet pavement, towering buildings silhouetted against the night sky, snow swirling in the headlights of passing cars.
Out of the corner of my eye, I see her smooth her dress over her knees. The midnight blue fabric clings, hinting at the curve of her thigh.
The memory of her body pressed against mine during the slow dance slams into me. The heat. The way her breath hadhitched when my thumb stroked the bare skin of her back. The almost-kiss. Thewantthat had been a physical ache, a pull stronger than gravity.
I wrench my gaze away, staring straight ahead at the partition. My hands clench into fists on my knees. I focus on the rhythmic swipe of the wipers clearing snowflakes from the windshield. Left. Right. Left. Right.
“Well,” Holly’s voice cuts through the silence, soft but steady. “That was… an experience.” She lets out a small breath that isn’t quite a laugh. “Your teammate Evan is… something else.”
“He’s an idiot,” I say, the words coming out harsher than I intend. “But harmless. Mostly.”
“Mostly?” she asks.
“He talks too much,” I mutter, finally risking a glance at her. She’s looking out her window, her profile illuminated by the passing streetlights. She looks beautiful. My throat feels tight.
“He cares about you,” she says softly, turning her head to meet my gaze. Her warm brown eyes hold mine in the dim light. “He and Sophie both do. They were watching out for you tonight. In their own way.”
