pulling her against him as he deepened the kiss, their touching growing greedier and more urgent.
Her name was a soft moan that traveled down her spine as he said it, and she felt heat in places she hadn’t for too long. Just that quickly, she was lost in his arms, lost in him—maybe too lost to find herself again.
That thought sobered her up, and Chloe pulled back, breaking the powerful connection they’d been sharing. He released her, but the look in his eyes told her he was reluctant to do so. That made it so much harder for her to take another step back from him.
They gazed at each other for several moments as they both tried to regain their breathing. What had just happened? Chloe wasn’t really sure. It had been so intense, just how it had been the night of the wedding.
Chloe knew she had to end whatever it was he thought he’d come to start. She had to do so with finality, and maybe then he’d understand that he couldn’t just get a craving for her anytime he wanted and show up on her doorstep.
“You need to leave, Brandon. There’s nothing between the two of us,” she said.
He gazed at her, and his eyes narrowed. “That kiss calls you a liar,” he told her, taking a step toward her.
She retreated more, not quickly, not like she was running, but just enough so he couldn’t reach out to her. She couldn’t handle his touch, especially with the new knowledge that it was just as good as it had been before.
“You and I never even started, so it’s easy to be done,” she said. She stopped retreating and put her chin up, her hands on her hips.
“I disagree. I wasn’t sure how it would feel to kiss you again, but it’s more than just passion that fills me when you’re in my arms,” he told her. She didn’t know how to take his words.
“I walked away after the wedding for a reason. I don’t want complications in my life,” she said, hating the tears choking her voice. She was scared, but she didn’t want him to realize that.
“People can change,” he told her. “I know I’m not the same man I was even a year ago. If I truly believed there was nothing between us, I’d leave you alone. But what we share together is unusual, Chloe. Give it a chance, and see where it leads.”
She shook her head. “I don’t think that’s a good idea at all.”
“I won’t give up unless I think it’s hopeless,” he told her.
This time Chloe did retreat several steps. She couldn’t let him touch her anymore. She was too close to caving in to him.
“There’s nothing to fight for. Please accept that,” she said. “Now leave me alone.”
Chloe turned and didn’t care if he saw her fleeing. She ran back to her place, feeling his eyes on her the entire way. He didn’t say another word, but she knew he was there. She went inside her house, locked the door, then slid down it, clutching her knees to her chest as she shook with frustration.
She felt him on the other side of her door, felt him there for a while before emptiness took his place. The connection between the two of them had been damn strong since the beginning, but instead of dimming, it seemed to be growing stronger.
Chloe needed this man to disappear from her life, but she was afraid it was already too late for that. She didn’t know what she was going to do. Maybe Brooke’s advice to flee the country wasn’t such a bad idea after all.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Brandon had always lived life with a smile. He made a joke when the rest of the world was living in stress, and he smiled when others felt like crying. It wasn’t because he was insensitive. It was just because he liked to look for the gold at the end of the rainbow instead of the rain that had caused the colors to fill the sky.
When it came to Chloe, he wasn’t sure which direction he should go. She was telling him she didn’t want this. Should he give up? Everything inside him said to fight for this woman. But why her?
Did he want her so badly because she was the girl who’d gotten away? He’d decided he wanted her in his life, but he hadn’t realized how powerful the connection between the two of them would grow to be. It had