And then suddenly he felt the tension leave her body, first from her shoulders, then her arms, and then her torso, so that she literally melted into him. He swallowed hard as he placed his free hand on her lower back, and he was taken aback when she started to move first, setting the pace and swaying gently to the music.
It only took him a second to follow her lead, and when he felt her hand slide up his back and come to rest just below the nape of his neck, he inhaled a shaky breath, hoping she couldn’t feel his heart slamming against his ribs.
This was a bad idea. What the hell was he thinking?
He had no idea what song was playing. He didn’t even know if he was moving in time to the beat. The only thing he was aware of was her body against his, the softness of her breasts pressing just below his chest, her arm around his back, tightening infinitesimally as the dance continued so that she kept pulling his body closer to hers. He didn’t know if she was doing it intentionally or if it was the result of the vodka coursing its way through her system, but he allowed her to do it, trying with all his might not to focus on the way her hips were moving.
She turned her head, resting it against his chest, and he was assaulted with the scent of her hair. Instinctively, he turned toward it, completely overwhelmed with the desire to press his lips to the crown of her head.
She continued dancing, her movements fluid and simple but provocative nonetheless, and he could imagine what it would be like to hold her this way without the barrier of clothes between them. He could picture what it would feel like, how perfectly they would fit together, how effortless it would be.
Chase’s hand moved on her lower back, slipping past the fabric of the dress and up to her exposed skin, and he immediately closed his eyes. He’d had his hands on quite a few women in his life, but Jesus Christ, her skin actually felt like silk. Without his consent, his fingers curled, and he dragged the tips of them ever so lightly up the length of her back. Her skin prickled with goose bumps beneath his touch, but she made no move to pull away, and so he trailed them back down again, his fingertips ghosting the vale of her spine.
He had never wanted a woman so badly in his entire life.
The song ended, switching to something upbeat and pulsing, and Chase was completely torn between utter relief and the consuming desire for it to go on forever. She lifted her head off his chest, her arm still around his back and her hand clasped in his, and he tilted his head, looking down at her.
She met his stare, her eyes dropping to his lips for a second before she lifted them back to his, and he knew that if she had been anyone else, it would only be seconds before his mouth was on hers.
She seemed to realize this at the same time; he felt her grow tense against him as her eyes widened in alarm. “Andromeda,” she blurted out.
Chase pulled back from her slightly. “What?” he murmured, fighting the urge to sweep her hair away from her face.
“Andie,” she said, her voice softening. “It’s short for Andromeda. That’s my name.”
Chase stared at her, watching the flush color her cheeks, and she averted her eyes. “It’s Greek,” she stammered. “It means beautiful.”
She pulled away from him then, pressing one hand just below the base of her throat as she scooped up her dress with the other, hurrying off the dance floor.
He watched her rush toward the doorway that would take her out to the terrace, out to Colin, and he closed his eyes and set his jaw.
Andromeda. It means beautiful.
He inhaled deeply before opening his eyes. “Yes. It does,” he said softly, watching her retreating silhouette disappear through the doorway.
CHAPTER NINE
Andie folded her clothes, her hands trembling as she placed them into her suitcase. She hadn’t even been able to think about breakfast that morning; her stomach rolled and flipped incessantly. It was similar to the feeling she used to get before the first day of school, this combination of excitement and anxiety.
She would be starting the drive back up to New York that afternoon.
No, they would be starting the drive back up to New York that afternoon.
Andie was thrown by the dichotomy of her emotions; she was absolutely terrified to see him again, yet at the same time she found herself wanting to throw her things haphazardly into her bag and run down to the car.
She had almost kissed him last night.
And with that thought, her stomach flipped again. She had barely slept the night before, that moment replaying itself in her mind over and over. She didn’t trust herself alone with him, but at the same time, it was the only thing that could make this better. She needed some closure. She needed to face whatever this was head-on so that she could regroup, so that she could go back to New York with a clear head.
Andie heard the click of Colin’s key card in the door, and she straightened up as if she had just been caught doing something wrong. The door opened and she smiled up at him, hoping she didn’t look as guilty as she felt.
“Hey,” she said. “Where’d you disappear to?”
Colin plopped onto the bed, reaching into her suitcase and pulling out the pair of lace panties she had just packed, dangling them off his finger as he waggled his eyebrows up at her. She laughed softly, shaking her head as she pulled them from his hand and refolded them.
“I was downstairs talking to Chase,” he said, and it felt like her stomach turned inside out.
“Oh?” she said, keeping her eyes trained on the clothes she was stacking in her bag. “Is he almost ready?”
“No, but he’s not leaving until later tonight, so it’s all good.”
Andie stopped, looking up at Colin. “What do you mean? I wanted to leave by one.”
Colin smiled. “Don’t worry, we’ll leave by one, if that’s what you want.”
She put the shirt in her suitcase and stood up, running her hand through her hair as she shook her head in confusion. “What do you mean we? Are you driving back up with me?”
“Yep,” he said as he sat up, taking a pair of Andie’s shorts out of the suitcase and refolding them more neatly. He flashed her his toothpaste commercial smile before putting the shorts back in her bag.
Andie pulled her brow together. “But what about your plane ticket?” she asked, realizing she probably should have been acting somewhat excited by this point.
“Chase is gonna use it,” he said, sliding off the bed and going into the bathroom to collect his things.
Andie was thankful that he had left the room, because she was terrified that the swelling disappointment building in her chest would be evident on her face. “Well, that was nice of you to offer to switch with him,” she finally said, the words feeling like cement in her mouth.
This was for the best, she told herself. This was a sign. She shouldn’t be alone with him again. And truth be told, she had no business feeling let down by this turn of events.
Colin stuck his head out of the bathroom. “As much as I’d like to take the compliment, I didn’t offer.”