The VIP Room(35)

Chapter 10





Sam





So far the day had been a frustrating combination of one step forward and two steps back. Chloe was keeping the clothes I’d bought her, and she’d agreed to stay in my house, but she’d shut down my overtures so completely at first I’d worried that she had no interest in ever letting me break through.

I wasn’t going to accept that. Not after the way she’d kissed me the night before. Chloe never would have kissed me with so much passion if she didn’t want me. I knew she cared for me. I just had to find a way to get her to trust me. If she wouldn’t accept that I was serious about her, I’d maneuver around her. At least that was my plan. It had been working so far.

I went in for a kiss, she’d push me away. So I stuck with the little things. Small touches. My arm around her. I’d figured out that she liked my easy affection, even leaned into me for more, as long as it wasn’t too overt. I was going to prove to her that she was mine. No matter how long it took.

We got home from the grocery store, and Chloe went to change, trading that sweet pink suit for a pair of stretchy dark green pants that hung loose around her legs but hugged her curvy ass so well I had to fight not to touch her. With it she wore a matching hoodie and tank top. It was comfy and fine for wearing around my Dad, but still undeniably sexy.

She was in the kitchen seasoning the chicken when Dad got home. At the sight of her cooking, he raised his eyebrows at me and gave me a look. He’d liked her for me from the start, but I’d always told him I wasn’t interested. I don’t know how he does it, but the second my feelings for her changed, he knew. He’d been on my ass ever since. I was doing this my way. As much as Dad liked Chloe, he didn’t know her like I did.

What came after was one of the best dinners we’d had in a long time. I had a professional grade kitchen, but neither of us cooked. We ate a lot of takeout, more than half the time sitting on the couch watching a game. With Chloe there, we ate at the table which Marte had cleared of her things while we were gone.

I’d been very pleased to find that Marte had made space in my closet for Chloe’s new wardrobe. More clothes had arrived while we were gone. Chloe hadn’t said anything, and I wondered if she’d noticed.

I was almost there. I had Chloe living in my house, her clothes in my closet, and she was sleeping in my bed. I just needed to join her there, and my life would be perfect. But we weren’t that far yet. And I had a feeling the conversation that took place after dinner had set me back. Again.

My guard was down when she left to change for the pool hall. I was full of the roasted chicken, veggies, and garlic mashed potatoes. The woman could seriously cook. It wasn’t why I wanted her. I’d eat takeout happily if I could eat it with Chloe. But her skills in the kitchen were a definite bonus. We’d tried to talk her out of the plan to find Feliks during dinner, but she’d dug in her heels. Dad and I were both a little mystified.

Chloe was smart. She was reasonable. Sensible. And reserved. Shy. Barreling into a pool hall was the last place she should want to go. She should have backed down and agreed to let Axel handle everything. It was the intelligent thing to do.

Instead she was insistent that she find Nolan herself. I understood that she loved her brother, but she was putting herself in danger she didn’t understand. Maybe she was right, maybe I didn’t get it. Because as far as I could see, Nolan wasn’t worth all this trouble, brother or not. He’d never done anything but take from her. She deserved more. When we found him, I planned to make it clear that his days of freeloading off Chloe were over.

I was sitting at the table thinking about what I was going to do to Nolan when we caught up to him, when Chloe walked out into the kitchen dressed for the pool hall. I almost swallowed my tongue.

I’d never seen her dressed like that. She wore black spike heels with an open toe that displayed shiny red toenails. Tight jeans cupped her ass the way I wanted to and a dark red clinging top with a scoop neck that showed way too much cleavage. They were completely un-Chloe clothes.

“What are you wearing?” I asked, my voice strangling in my throat. She looked down at herself and then back up at me.

“What? I don’t have much that’s casual. Unless you think I should wear a cocktail dress? Or what I was wearing during dinner?”

“No. Of course not. But that’s too-” I cut myself off and her face fell. She tugged on the top, pulling it out where it clung to her rounded waist. Shit. I should have known she’d think I was saying she looked fat. She was always worried about being overweight.

I didn’t think she was overweight. I thought she was just the right weight. But the one time I’d told her that, she’d skewered me with a look and asked if I thought bigger women were beautiful, why did I date skinny models all the time?

I hadn’t had a good answer. The truth was that I liked them too. I liked all different shapes on women, though too skinny had always been a turn off. And the other truth is that I’d been lazy. The model types were the women who came on to me. They were there, they were beautiful, and they were easy. But neither of those truths made me look particularly good, so I’d kept my mouth shut, probably making it worse. Exactly like I was doing just then.

Dad came to my rescue and said, “You look gorgeous, Chloe. I think what has Sam’s panties in a twist is that he doesn’t want to take you to a scummy pool hall where you’re going to attract attention from a bunch of men he normally wouldn’t want anywhere near you.”