Chloe and Chris headed for the elevator, pressed the down button, and waited in silence.
When the elevator doors slid open, she pressed the button for the ground floor.
“I’m sorry if I offended you earlier in the kitchen. I didn’t mean to,” Chloe said.
Shaking his head, Chris said, “Don’t worry about it, Chlo. It’s fine. I know you didn’t mean anything by it.”
“See. That’s the thing. I don’t even understand what I said wrong.”
Turning to face her, he put his hands on her shoulders and waited until she made eye contact, then said, “No man ever wants to be seen as safe by a beautiful woman. It bruised my ego for a minute. It’s all good now.”
Chloe continued to peer at him for a moment, somewhat confused, and asked, “Why does it matter what I think? I’m just Deacon’s little sister.”
She felt his hands, still resting on her shoulders, tighten almost imperceptibly.
A strange look passed over his face and then he said, “You haven’t been just Deacon’s little sister to me in a long time, Chloe.”
The doors of the elevator slid open, effectively breaking the moment. Chris removed his hands from her shoulders, and stepped back. Chloe exited the elevator, lingering in the lobby for a minute.
Chris said, “Are you headed home?”
Nodding, she said, “Yeah. It’s still too bright out there. It’s probably over one hundred degrees outside.”
“Me too. There’s some PS3 and beer with my name on it.”
Walking toward the door, they stepped into the scorching heat again, and she said, “Sounds exciting. Ugh. It’s still ridiculously hot!”
Nodding, Chris said, “Where are you parked? Close?”
Pointing down the street to her light blue VW, she said, “Yeah. Right there. Need a ride to your car?”
“Nah,” he said, “I’m right over there,” pointing down the block and across the street.
Reaching up, she gave him a hug and a kiss on the cheek. She felt his arms wrap around her, then squeeze.
“See ya later,” he said, quickly breaking physical contact with her.
“Yeah, see ya later,” she echoed, walking to her car.
Unlocking the door, she started the car, turned up the air, and rolled down the windows to cool the car down. Putting on her seat belt, she pulled on to the street and headed back toward the freeway.
What the hell had that been about? This
definitely called for more investigation.
Chapter 2
Groaning, Chris got into his car, cranked up the air, and rolled the windows down to let the trapped hot air out. What the hell had he just done?
He had basically just told Chloe he was attracted to her. He couldn’t imagine how Deacon would react if she told him. He didn’t think she’d tell him. But honestly, he didn’t know what the hell she would do. She had looked totally stunned by the admission. Like it had never even crossed her mind that he’d see her that way.
Truth be told, he’d been seeing her that way since she was about twenty, and way too fucking young for him. He was ten years older, but she was in her midtwenties now. The age gap mattered a little bit less. Still. Deacon would probably destroy him. He’d all but raised her. He was Dad, Mom, and brother all wrapped into one.
When he saw her next, he was going to pretend nothing happened. He’d been looking at her and pretending for longer than he could remember anyway. Plus she’d just broken up with that tool, Peter. She was probably feeling vulnerable. Yeah. He regretted the entire exchange.
She was one of the most inquisitive people he knew. If she decided she wanted details, she’d end up badgering him until he either went crazy or gave in. He really should have kept his mouth shut.
He stewed a bit more as he drove home, then decided it was time to soak in his whirlpool tub. His knee had been throbbing all day. Admittedly, that probably didn’t help his disposition either.