Taking Chloe (Vaughn)

Lacey called and announced she’d be dropping them at the airport. She’d claimed it wouldn’t be safe to leave their car at the airport for a week. Merrick knew she had a point, but he also knew Lacey wanted to give Chloe a pep talk. The drive was only a means to an end.

“If I’d known what a crazy driver you were, sis, I never would have let you take us.” Merrick scowled as Lacey took the curve too fast and pulled into the airport lot.

“You’re welcome,” Lacey grumbled as she pulled up to the curb at the drop-off spot.

Merrick smiled and flung open the car door, then moved to retrieve their luggage from the trunk. He could hear murmurs from inside the car. He wondered for a minute what Lacey was saying. He shuddered. Hell, it was better not to know. When he noticed Chloe hugging his sister and leaving the car, he breathed a sigh of relief.

As she came around to the back to help him with the luggage, Merrick said, “I’ve got these.”

When she tried to grab one of the heavier suitcases, Merrick handed her the shoulder bag instead. Chloe didn’t argue. In fact, she wasn’t saying much of anything. Was she nervous about the trip? Christ knew he shook like a damn leaf in a fall breeze. You’d think they hadn’t been married for the last two years, the way his heart pounded and his palms sweated. He was fighting for his life here, though. She was giving him a shot to prove himself. If he screwed it up, she’d leave and there’d be no changing her mind. Fuck, no pressure there!

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Several hours later, Merrick’s hopes were steadily falling. The plane trip had been annoying as hell. Chloe either sat quietly and read a magazine or slept. Her subdued attitude worried him. Any time he tried to draw her into a conversation, she’d talk in short sentences, never saying more than necessary. He’d really made a mess of things.

He had a solution though; at least he hoped he had a solution. After sleeping in his car outside her hotel two nights in a row—he still had an annoying crick in his neck—he’d finally come onto a plan. The alone time had allowed him a chance to work out a way to relieve himself of some of his duties so he could spend less time at work. The way he saw it, the bigge

st problem was all the social events he attended after hours. They were necessary, but majorly time consuming. When he returned from their trip, Merrick would need to talk to Jackson to find out if he’d be willing to take them on. For now, he only wanted to concentrate on rekindling the spark in his marriage. He only hoped he hadn’t missed his chance.

Chloe had always pushed him to his limits. Since the first day she came to work for him, she’d stretched the walls of his comfort zone. She had a quiet way about her that made him want to just sit and watch her. She drifted around his office as if on air, getting things done with a slow but steady pace. He’d noticed her efficiency, then he’d noticed her curves. Chloe was the type of woman a man would kill to possess. Every man in his company had drooled over her the instant she’d glided through the doors. She made a man want to sit up and beg. Her smiles alone made him want to drop down on all fours and pant like a damn dog in heat.

After a few months of denying their mutual attraction, Merrick had asked her out to dinner. He’d gleefully broken one of his own cardinal rules: never get involved with an employee. Halfway through the filet mignon, he’d figured out there’d be no ignoring the chemistry arcing back and forth. A dinner invitation had turned into an entire weekend spent in bed together. Merrick hadn’t fought, he’d dived head first into love after that. It’d felt right when he’d proposed marriage. As corny as it seemed, he’d known deep down in his soul Chloe was his other half.

Now, as they sat side by side in the taxi heading to the hotel, a new determination rose up. He’d win his wife back, one way or the other. She was the only woman he would ever love. There would be no divorce. No splitting up the pans and towels. If he had anything to do with it, Chloe would be his again, inside and out.

As they arrived at the hotel, the same one they’d stayed in for their honeymoon, he heard Chloe gasp.

He reached across the seat and took her hand in his. It was so automatic; Merrick hadn’t even thought to stop himself from comforting her. As she clutched onto him, he let go the tension that had dogged him during the plane trip. “Are you okay, baby?”

“I can’t believe we’re really here.”

The breathless voice and small note of surprise seemed like a good sign, and Merrick wanted to hold onto it with all his strength. “Believe it. I aim to pamper and pleasure you this week. Nothing negative from this moment forward, agreed?”

Chloe looked over at him for the first time since they’d arrived in Honolulu, her eyes bright with unshed tears. “Agreed.”

Now they were getting somewhere. He could practically see the walls coming down. Or at least cracking a little around the edges. By the end of the trip, he’d have her, body and soul, and she’d have him.

If he didn’t screw it up.

After he paid the driver, Merrick opened the door and stepped out, then reached in to help Chloe. She took it without hesitation. When she emerged from the dark interior, Merrick had to stifle the urge to kiss her. She was so beautiful. Her long, straight, dark hair shone in the Hawaiian sun. The red t-shirt and blue jeans she’d worn for the long plane ride lovingly cupped her curves. How long had it been since he’d made love to his wife? Jesus, he couldn’t even remember. He’d been such an ass! It was no wonder she’d left him. Chloe wasn’t about to be a doormat, and that’s exactly how he’d treated her. Some women might put up with being second fiddle, but his Chloe had too much self-respect. Merrick was ashamed he’d put her in the position of having to choose between their marriage and her happiness. They should be one and the same.

“It hasn’t changed,” Chloe murmured. “Not one bit.”

“No,” Merrick agreed as he watched her face light up with delight. “Still as beautiful as ever.”

Chloe’s gaze rested on his. He was surprised to see her cheeks turn pink with embarrassment. God, it was like their honeymoon all over again. This had been a good idea, no doubt about it.

“Come on,” he urged as he placed his palm at the small of her back, “let’s get checked in, then we can shower and go out for some dinner. Remember that little restaurant we’d found the first time we came here? The one with the open fire pit? I thought we’d go there tonight. You liked their lobster, right?”

“Yes, it was heavenly. I can’t believe you remember that.”

As the bellhop gathered their suitcases and loaded them onto the trolley, Merrick turned to Chloe and whispered into her ear, “I remember everything, baby.”

“Do you?”

He cupped her chin and said, “I might’ve had a moment of stupidity, but you’ve got my attention now. I plan to spend the week showing you just what I remember. Who knows, maybe we’ll even manage to make a few new memories.”

“I’m afraid,” Chloe admitted.