Desperate Times (Boys of Silver Ridge 2)

Somewhere in the back of my mind, I know I should stop, but it’s easy to get carried away when it comes to Chloe. Her carry-on bag slips from her shoulder, yanking her arm down and forcing us to stop kissing.

“Hello to you too,” she breathes, hiking her bag back up. I reach out and take it from her, surprised at how heavy it is.

“What do you have in here?” I ask, working hard to resist the urge to kiss her again, and hook the bag over my shoulder.

“Books and my laptop. I brought the whole Nightfall series with me to flip through on the plane. I purposely set up a lot of loose ends throughout the series and needed to double-check some things before I get too far into what I’m writing.”

“Don’t you have them all in digital format?” I ask with a laugh.

“Oh, I do, but there’s something about flipping through my notes that’s just easier for me. And I like the feel of a nice, thick book in my hands.” She wiggles her eyebrows and I’m all the more tempted to find an empty closet and fuck her senseless. “But there’s another thick thing I’d like in my hand even more.”

Goddamn, this woman is going to kill me.

“Do you want to know what it is—”

“Are you Chloe Fisher?” a young woman rushes out, coming over to Chloe. She’s clutching a worn copy of Nightfall in her hands. “Oh my God. You are, aren’t you? Oh my God! I just love you and your series and—oh, I’m so sorry. You probably don’t want to be bothered!”

Chloe beams. “I am, and it’s fine. I see you’re a fan of Marcus and Kellie.”

“I’ve read it probably a hundred times. Maybe more!” the woman says with a nervous high-pitched laugh. “And I’ve seen every episode at least twice. I totally imaged Kellie to look like you when I read it and then when you and Charles started dated it was like—oh my God—Kellie and Marcus are real! But then you guys broke up and…” She trails off, eyes going to me.

“Would you like me to sign your book?” Chloe asks and the woman jumps up and down with excitement. We step off to the side and Chloe writes a nice little note in the book and takes a few selfies with the woman before coming back to me.

“I thought you said getting recognized only happens in Silver Ridge,” I tease, lacing my fingers through hers.

“It happens from time to time, and never did until the show started and I started doing talk shows. Those things are nerve wracking, by the way. I kind of hate doing them, to be honest.”

“I don’t think I’d like it either.” We slow at the baggage carousel, waiting for the suitcases to start coming around. “I’ve never sat and watched a whole interview through,” I admit. “Seeing you reminded me of how much I fucked up.”

Chloe squeezes my hand. “You’re more than welcome to continue to make it up to me in the form of back rubs and multiple orgasms.”

“Fuck,” I mutter and pull her close, burying my face in her neck. Chloe slips her arms around my waist, fingers inching up my shirt.

“I cannot wait to strip you down and put your cock in my mouth,” she whispers, and I just about lose it. Groaning, I put my lips to her neck and she shivers, sliding her hand around to my chest. Inhaling deep, I straighten up and press a kiss against her forehead.

“How was the flight?” I ask, needing to shift my attention away from the thought of Chloe’s naked body.

“Other than being late, not too bad. I got a row to myself, which was nice. There was a group of college kids coming to Chicago for someone’s party or something and they maxed out on the amount of drinks you can order on a flight. It’s one per hour, by the way.”

“You knew that before, didn’t you?”

She laughs. “I might have maxed out drinks before too, but only because it was a short flight and the wine they bring is so less than an actual glass and probably watered down. I ordered one glass on the way here and it was not good.”

“I picked up some wine for you, though I’m not sure if it’s any good. I’m not a wine person.”

She looks up and smiles. “I’ll turn you into one, and thank you. That was really sweet of you.”

“If you’re going to draw all the blinds and sit in the dark writing all day, you might as well drink too, right?”

“You know me well,” she laughs. “Oh, there’s my suitcase!”

I grab it for her, and we start the long walk to my car, holding tight to Chloe’s hand the whole way. It’s late and the airport isn’t as crowded as it normally is. Chloe and I are the only ones around as we enter the parking garage. The air has taken a bit of a chill to it, reminding us that fall is on the horizon, and gone will be the long, hot days of summer.