Erik chuckled, and the sound made her toes curl.
“So what are we thinking? Full back piece?”
She couldn’t seem to stop smiling. “Absolutely.”
“And of course you’ll want it in color to really bring out those flames.”
Chloe rolled over onto her stomach, propping herself up on her elbows and kicking her feet. “Do you have any tattoos?” She’d seen him in a short-sleeved T-shirt, and he didn’t have any on his arms,but that didn’t mean he didn’t have them somewhere else on his body.
“A few.”
“Tell me about them.”
Erik let out a huff of laughter. “Nothing as badass as a giant rattlesnake riding a motorcycle.”
“A motorcycle made of human bones,” Chloe corrected with a giggle. This was nice. She felt lighter. So much lighter than she’d felt in a long time, and Erik… She had to admit, there was something about him that drew her. He was like a closed book that only gave you a brief, tantalizing flash of his pages, and she wanted to read it all.
Two months ago, she’d approached Lattie at the opera house because she’d decided she wasn’t going to let fear rule her anymore. A year and a half ago, she’d run away; hidden instead of facing her fears head-on. At the time, it seemed like the only course of action available to her. But it had cost her so much. Her career, her confidence, her self-esteem. What kind of life would she have if she kept hiding? Lonely. Unfulfilled. That’s what her future had looked like. She was done letting fear – lettinghim– win. Performing again was her first step out of the dark. Now, she wanted to take the next step.
Nervousness tightened her stomach, but before she could chicken out, she blurted, “Would you like to go out for coffee with me sometime?”
The prolonged silence on the other end of the phone had her heart pounding as she braced for rejection.
“Like a date?”
His voice sounded rough, but she didn’t know if that was a good thing or bad.
“Yes.” She wanted to leave it at that. Be confident. But her nerves got the better of her, and she quickly added, “Only if you want it to be.”
Biting her lower lip, she waited for his answer, her whole body practically vibrating with the suspense.
“I’d like that. When?”
Chloe quietly expelled the breath she’d been holding, and a smile of relief bloomed on her face. “Sunday?” With the show coming up, the rehearsal schedule was tight. They all worked long hours in preparation, but Sunday was the one day they had off.
“I’ll pick you up?”
She was just about to agree when her phone beeped, letting her know she had another call. Looking at the screen, she saw it was her dad – the one person she couldn’t ignore, or he’d immediately worry and call in reinforcements to check on her.
“I have another call coming through that I have to take. I’ll text you my address.”
“Okay.”
“And Erik? Thank you.”
He sounded perplexed when he asked, “For what?”
Her phone beeped again, and she knew she had to wrap this up, even if she didn’t want to. “For talking to me. You have no idea how much that helped.”
Before he could say anything, she said in a rush, “Talk to you later,” and answered her father’s call.
“Hey, Dad.”
“Were you rehearsing?”
“No. I was on another call. Rehearsal was cut short for the day.”
When he asked why, she told him about the accident with the stage light, but kept silent about someone being in her dressing room. After what happened with Jackson, he’d become overprotective. At first, he’d insisted on her moving west to be closer to him so he could look out for her. When Chloe had nixed that idea, he’d called up an old military buddy of his to help her relocate. If her dad got wind of the lotion incident, he’d likely blow it all out of proportion and call General Davies again. The man ran a base somewhere around here. His plate was full enough. He didn’t need to be babysitting her.
