How had things changed so much in only a few hours? Sure, she had two martinis and so did Chase. But there was something that seemed to have started when they walked out of that bar and headed back to the hotel, something that had been building when they weren't surrounded by places and people, when it was just the two of them walking together.
In the lobby just now, Emma could tell that Chase was being "on" and playing the role of the actor for his fans. But he wasn't acting in the elevator, and he sure as hell wasn't acting now. He was being real as he looked at her and gave her alopsided smile that was awkward and nervous and something she had never seen from him before.
"Emma."
His hand brushed her hair over her shoulder, his fingers teasing her bare skin at the neckline of her dress. But she didn't pull away. She didn't dare. Because she wanted to be this close to him, wanted to feel his touch, wanted him to look at her like this. It was as if there was no deal or bargain or whatever. It was just the two of them.
He stared at her as his hand slid down her side and around her waist, pulling her closer. He was warm and sturdy and everything that Emma expected him to be.
So she leaned in and kissed him.
She had no idea why she did it and she didn't care. She just knew that her lips were on his, catching him by surprise because he wasn't kissing her back, making her wonder if she read this whole thing wrong. But then he pulled her tighter and kissed her back, his lips pushing against hers as he backed her against the wall. She was pinned by the cheap hotel wallpaper and Chase's strong and sturdy body.
Holy hell, this was so good. Better than anything she could've dreamed up. His hands moved lower on her waist, trying to take in more of her, taste more of her. Her fingers grabbed at his shirt as she pulled in Chase Warwick, superstar actor that her grandmother had coerced into hanging out with her.
Oh fuck.
Emma pulled away, or at least as much as she could considering her position against Chase's body and the wall. His eyes roamed her face, searching to see what she was wordlessly trying to say to him. But she couldn't put words together, and even if she could, she worried it would've sounded like, "This was a bad idea."
It seemed like Chase could tell that's what she was thinking, pulling away from her and leaving her cold where his body had been touching hers. He stuffed his hands in his pockets as he took a step back, and then another one and another one.
Chase gave her that awkward smile again, but this time it looked a little different, like maybe he regretted kissing her. "I, uh..." He looked up toward the ceiling. "Sorry, I shouldn't have done that."
"It's OK," she stammered. "That was my fault. I didn't mean it."
She did mean it, she really did, but she also had to let him off the hook if that wasn't what he wanted.
And yet, when she said that she didn't mean it, there was something behind Chase's eyes like he was sad or disappointed. She would have to apologize for that later. But now, she just needed to get out of this situation. So instead, she took a deep breath and stood a little taller away from the wall.
"I should get ready for bed. We have a big day tomorrow."
"Right."
She gave him a tight smile and quickly grabbed her suitcase, ducking into the bathroom to get changed.
Dammit, how had all of this gone so sideways? Things were great earlier when she was watching him and the other actors taking questions and joking around with fans. Drinks were a wonderful little chance to have a moment with Chase like Nana used to have. It was a beautiful warm night in Palm Springs walking back to the hotel.
And now she was hanging up her dress and putting on some sweatpants so she could quickly climb into bed and ignore the awkwardness between her and Chase.
In their one hotel room with their one bed.
Emma made sure to brush her teeth since she didn't want them to smell bad if she had to share a bed with Chase, which was going to be a whole lot more awkward thank when they checked in.
She never expected to kiss Chase Warwick when they checked in.
She packed her things back into her suitcase and rolled it out of the bathroom, hoping that things could just get back to normal — or maybe not. She honestly had no clue what she wanted at this point.
It was clear when she stepped back into the room that Chase was distracted by all of it as well. He was standing by the window looking out over the parking lot and the night sky, his body solid and stoic.
"I'm going to sleep on the sofa tonight," he said without looking away from the window. "You can have the bed."
"You don't need to do that. It's a big enough bed for both of us, and you have a long day tomorrow."
"Emma, I—"
"Just stay in the bed," she said with a bit of force. "Really, it's no big deal."
She was such a liar. It was a big deal, a huge deal. But she wasn't going to tell Chase that. Besides, she was being truthful when she said they had a big day tomorrow and would both need their rest.
