Chapter Eighteen

Chloe paced the hotel room. She glanced at her phone.

2:00 a.m.

Where was Davis?

When Kara’s and Rick’s phones had gone straight to voicemail, she’d pulled Davis’s number from the liability waiver he’d had to sign before working on-site. Except, he’d used the number of his hardware store.

Who even had a landline anymore?

Chloe resumed her pacing, cursing Travis for showing up when he had. He’d asked to spend their breaks together many times in the past, but she’d known it would only lead to no good. He’d use it against her, just as he still used the kiss they’d shared four years ago.

Someone had placed mistletoe over the entrance of the tent, and they’d happened to walk in at the same time.

Now she wondered if it had been Travis himself who had hung it. Nothing would surprise her at this point.

But following her across the country, that was a new one.

Chloe slumped onto the bed and buried her head in her hands. She tried telling herself that she was only worried because she had been entrusted to take care of Davis until his parents arrived. But saying it that way made it sound like she’d been assigned babysitting duty, and she was embarrassed to admit that was how she’d viewed it when she’d first found out that she’d be Davis’s personal tour guide for a few days.

As Chloe had gotten to know him, though, she’d realized it couldn’t be further from the truth.

Sure, he got motion sick at the drop of a hat and couldn’t handle loud noises or crowds. But he was also compassionate and strong-willed, and would do anything for the people he loved. Even if it meant getting onto an airplane and flying halfway across the world to a foreign country he had no desire to visit.

Now he was gone. Because Travis had shown up like a jealous ex-boyfriend. Davis didn’t know Travis well enough to know that beyond his tough exterior, the man was all talk. She was sure he’d never thrown a punch in his life.

Chloe had searched every corner of the hotel grounds, and she doubted there was a hotel in Chiang Rai that had a room available.

So, where would he go?

Chloe tried thinking as Davis would. It had to be somewhere he could get to on foot—the motorcycle taxis and tuk-tuks freaked him out. Except, this resort was pretty secluded and there weren’t any other hotels within walking distance.

Davis didn’t know that, though. Maybe he’d tried.

She grabbed her jacket, determined to find him, when she heard the sound of a card sliding into the door. Chloe froze. It was the middle of the night, and no one, not even housekeeping, should be entering.

The door swung open, and there stood Davis in the doorway. His hair was disheveled, and he looked like he’d aged a decade since she’d last seen him. He didn’t come in right away.

“I was so worried,” Chloe said, running to him and throwing her arms around his neck.

Davis stiffened, and she stepped back.

“Sorry, I just… I didn’t know where you’d gone, and you didn’t call, and I could only imagine horrible things and—”

Davis stopped her mid-sentence when he gathered her back into his arms. “You didn’t warn me about what awful places hostels are.”

So many questions flooded her mind, but all she could do was laugh, tears of relief escaping her eyes. “How on earth did you end up at a hostel?”

“Travis. He invited me.”

And the surprises kept coming.

“And you went?”

Davis stepped back. He looked down at his shoes as if he wanted to take them off but was too tired. He instead sat on the bed and used his foot to slip off one shoe, then switched to the other. “Seemed my best option.”

Better than returning to where Chloe awaited him.

“He also promised me the best food that the Thai baht could buy. Including chicken satay. I basically just ate all day.” His words were thick with exhaustion. “There was this amazing deep-fried thing called a roti. Some sort of dessert, but I think it must have had drugs in it or something, because I’m addicted. I camped out next to that guy for an hour. Travis told him to keep them coming, and he did. Pretty sure sweetened condensed milk has replaced most of the water in my body.”

He was rambling now, and Chloe couldn’t help but smile. She knew the addicting power of food vendors.

“Did you know that in a hostel, several people all sleep in the same room?” Davis continued, his eyes seeming to grow heavier by the moment. “Except, it’s not like the tent. These people, they don’t sleep. Because they’re all college dropouts. Or on spring break, or whatever. They play music super loud, a couple of them were smoking heaven knows what, and I’m pretty sure all of them were completely plastered, beer bottles littering the place. One girl was so off her rocker that she tried making out with me while giving me a lap dance. But I never even had to reject her advances because she fell over, and Travis and I had to lift her off the ground and tuck her into bed. There should be standards for these types of places, you know?”

Oh, the day Davis must have had. “They’re not all like that.” Her smile faded. “For the record, Travis and I were never an item. Whatever he told you, there has never been anything between us.”

“You kissed him, same as me,” Davis mumbled as he slipped his shirt off over his head. “And it will end, same as him.”

Chloe kept her gaze from roaming to Davis’s bare chest and then turned away completely when he began to take his pants off. With extreme fatigue apparently came inattention to surroundings. After another minute, Chloe glanced over her shoulder to see if it was safe to turn back around. It was, as Davis was now wearing a pair of sweatpants, though he was still shirtless. He seemed completely oblivious as he climbed under the blankets on his side of the bed.

Chloe didn’t know what Travis had told Davis in the course of the day, but she doubted any of it had been good. She folded her arms over her chest, trying to keep the frustration from her voice. She didn’t know how much of this conversation Davis would even remember in the morning. “It was a one-second kiss because someone hung mistletoe at Christmas. It didn’t mean anything. It wasn’t like…he’s not like you. No one is. And I don’t regret kissing you. Not for a moment.”

Davis watched her, as if trying to determine whether she could be trusted—if her words meant anything. “Okay,” was all he said before turning over and falling asleep.

Well, at least she knew he was safe and not wandering around Chiang Rai in the middle of the night. Though what Travis had been thinking inviting Davis along to a hostel, she had no idea. Not all hostels were crazy like that; most weren’t, actually. But knowing Travis, he’d gotten the cheapest one with the worst beds.

Chloe climbed under the covers on her side, making sure to keep plenty of distance between her and Davis. It took another hour for her to finally fall asleep, though. The space she’d placed between them just wasn’t enough. Not when all she wanted to do was close that distance, until there was none.

Chloe’s eyes blinked open but immediately closed again. The sunlight stabbed at her pupils. “Another few minutes,” she mumbled.

A man chuckled. “It’s nearly noon.”

Chloe bolted upright. “Start the twins on the bamboo and have Eloise…” She trailed off, realizing she wasn’t on-site but instead in a hotel room. With Davis. It all came rushing back. The kissing. Travis. Watching Davis sleep like a crazy stalker.

Pain pulsed behind Chloe’s eyes.

“Here, this should help.” Davis held two white pills in his palm and a glass of water in his other hand. When she eyed them suspiciously, he chuckled. “It’s only headache medicine. I already took mine alongside a strong cup of coffee.”

“Why do I only get water?” It felt like a freight train had rammed her skull, and she had to hold still as the room swam around her. “I want coffee.”

“You slept through breakfast, so I brought it up for you. The coffee’s cold, though, so I didn’t know if you’d still want it.”

She blindly grasped the pills out of Davis’s hand and swallowed them, following it up with the water. Now where was that caffeine she so desperately needed? Cold or not, she needed that coffee.

“Shall we say that today is a breakfast in bed kind of day?” Davis asked, setting a tray of food in front of Chloe. And on it in a Styrofoam cup was her coffee.

She was feeling more awake now, and she couldn’t help but notice that something seemed more relaxed about Davis. And he was smiling. Up until now, she’d sometimes managed to pull a look of faint amusement from him, but never a full-on smile.

What had happened to bring about this change? Surely it couldn’t have been last night—that should have had the opposite effect. And it certainly wouldn’t have resulted in breakfast in bed.

Davis noticed her watching him. He glanced away, seeming embarrassed. “What?”

“Nothing… You just seem…happy this morning. You have a nice smile.” Chloe focused on her breakfast. The eggs and sausage were hot, as if they’d just come off the stove. Only the hard toast betrayed how long the breakfast had been sitting. “How did you keep this so warm?” she asked, wanting a safe subject to talk about—anything other than last night.

“Been putting it in the microwave every thirty minutes or so.”

Chloe’s gaze shot up. “What? Why?”

Davis rubbed the back of his neck. “Wanted to make sure you’d have a hot breakfast when you woke.”

Chloe was about to point out that she could have just warmed her food, that multiple times wasn’t necessary, or even ideal. But the sweetness of the gesture stopped her. “Thank you.” She took a bite. Not the best-tasting breakfast she’d ever had, but it helped ease her headache some. She glanced at Davis as she took another bite. “You sleep okay? I mean, after you got back from your rave.”

Davis snorted. “Yeah, great, thanks.” The dark circles under his eyes betrayed his lie, but once again, Chloe didn’t say anything. She owed him. For yesterday.

Things had been going so well, and then Travis had to show up. She knew what it had looked like, and Davis hadn’t seemed to believe Chloe when she said there was nothing between her and Travis. Maybe it was better that way. They only had a few more days together, and prolonging the inevitable wouldn’t do anyone any good.

“So…you liked kissing me, huh?” Davis asked.

Chloe nearly choked on a piece of sausage.

“Last night you said you didn’t regret it. Just wondered if that stayed true in the daylight as well.”

Guess he remembered their conversation.

Davis was watching her, his eyes seeming to laugh as she squirmed in discomfort. Was he doing that on purpose? Because there were social norms for this kind of thing, and Davis wasn’t following any of them. He was supposed to pretend last night hadn’t happened, or even if he didn’t pretend, he wasn’t supposed to talk about it. Or ask about it. Maybe kiss her again to gauge her feelings on the matter, but not turn it into the subject of a discussion.

“It was all right,” she finally said, raising one shoulder. She shoved a forkful of food into her mouth to keep from having to say more.

It didn’t fool Davis. He chuckled. “It was more than all right. At least on my end.”

Chloe swallowed her food quicker than she should have and had to grab her glass of water. Once she could breathe again, she threw a glance at Davis. “You know, I don’t remember you being this blunt a couple days ago.”

His gaze dropped, and he said slowly, “I learned some things while spending the day with Travis. I felt guilty, you know. The entire time I was gone, I knew I shouldn’t have left. But I believed Travis when he said you were too good for someone like me—for anyone. That I should get out while I could. Before you broke my heart.” He paused, his gaze finding hers. “But he was wrong.”

When Chloe’s eyebrows crept up, Davis hurriedly added, “Oh, don’t get me wrong, you’re definitely out of my league. But you once told me that I’m a better man than I allow myself to believe, and while at the hostel, I started to see it. And that must mean I have a chance. With you.” He released a small laugh. “My newfound honesty or courage or whatever this is—does it bother you?” His smile dipped, and he seemed genuinely concerned.

Heat crept into Chloe’s cheeks. This was definitely not the Davis she knew. Or maybe it wasn’t anything new, and he just had the guts to finally show it. Whatever it was, it was sexy. And it made Chloe kind of nervous. She liked the old Davis. This new guy was unpredictable. And making her answer awkward questions.

But the way he was looking at her, it was so endearing, she couldn’t help but laugh. “No, it doesn’t bother me. Just caught me off guard, that’s all. I’m going to have to be more careful around you now.”

Davis raised a perplexed eyebrow. “Why?”

“Because you’ll actually say what you think. Let’s say I do something without thinking—kissing you, for example. Now you’re going to want to talk about it rather than get all awkward and pretend it didn’t happen.”

Davis studied her, his expression thoughtful. “So you do want to pretend it didn’t happen.”

Oh, great. Chloe didn’t usually trip over herself quite this much.

“That’s not what I meant. I just—people don’t usually discuss their impromptu make-out sessions. Especially when it was with someone they aren’t supposed to be with.”

Davis sat down on the bed and moved in closer, his gaze intense. “Because I’m leaving in a few days?”

Chloe nodded slowly, his close proximity making her dizzy. “That, and you’re technically a volunteer. I’m the director. I’m not supposed to...” She caught a whiff of Davis’s cologne. It should be illegal for a man to smell that good. She pushed her plate of food aside and pulled Davis in, her lips landing on his, hungry for more of what they had started two evenings ago.

He nearly fell over, and he straddled her, one hand on the bed to keep himself from landing on top of her. “I thought you’re not supposed to,” he whispered against her lips.

It sent chills running down her spine, and any resolve she’d had to keep things professional quickly dissolved. All she wanted was Davis. His kindness. His muscles. His ability to keep her sane, even when she felt she was losing her mind.

“I don’t care,” she whispered back. That must have done Davis in because he crushed himself against her, his free hand entangled in her hair like he was holding on for dear life.

Looked like they wouldn’t be going out to see the city sights after all.