Page 65 of Wild

Mia laughs too and pulls her hoodie up over her head because she's cold.

"I have a very refined vocabulary when I want to, Dooley, but don't change the subject—answer the question. What are you bad at?"

"Letting you pursue me," she says, drawing out the word with just enough teasing to make Mia smile. "The bed part I've got pretty much handled. But everything else…"

Mia's stomach tightens.

"You're not doing too badly tonight, actually. You're here. You're talking to me, getting to know me, letting me get to know you. That's a big deal."

"I guess it is," Erin says, exhaling and closing her eyes for a moment, letting her head fall back against the wall.

"Does it hurt?" Mia nods toward her temple.

"Yeah. And it doesn't seem to want to quit."

"You should go to bed, then."

"What are you going to do?" the doctor asks.

"I'll stay up here a little longer. I don't think I can sleep yet."

In a reflex—or maybe pure professional habit—Erin reaches over and wraps her fingers around Mia's wrist to check her pulse. It's something she does three or four times a day, but right now it feels like something else entirely.

"Your rhythm's pretty normal. You should try. You need the rest."

The singer blows a raspberry.

"I'd rather count stars than sheep," she says, glancing up at the sky again. "But I promise I won't be long."

Erin laughs, and when she starts to get up, she feels the pull to lean over and kiss her—but she doesn't want to confuse Mia, or herself. She's loved being with her tonight, talking about things she never usually talks about with anyone, and she doesn't want Brooke's shadow hanging over this, or to wonder whether it was all just the product of a vulnerable moment. She needs to be sure this is really what she wants, because her insecurity isn't going todisappear overnight. She knows she'll need time, and she doesn't want to take any step forward without the certainty that she won't pull back the way she did on the bus.

Chapter 24

Erin hates early-morning meetings, especially after a concert night. Jude called her in for ten o'clock, and considering it was nearly two in the morning when she came down from the terrace, she knows Mia went to bed even later than that and hasn't gotten the rest she should have.

She walks into the singer's suite and greets the people there: Noah, Nell, Jude, and Violette, who's still in the city.

"Where's Mia?" she asks when she doesn't see her anywhere.

"In her room—she was finishing up in the shower, she'll be out in a second," Noah answers, nodding toward the door.

The doctor nods and walks over, knocking on the wood with her knuckles.

"It's Erin. Can I come in?"

"Yeah," Mia answers from inside.

The doctor opens the door and closes it behind her. Mia is standing by the wardrobe, searching for a hoodie to finish getting dressed.

"Good morning," the singer says.

Erin doesn't say anything. She just steps closer and takes Mia's chin in her hand, checking for dark circles under her eyes, drawing a sharp little gasp from Mia's lips.

"Did you get any rest?" the doctor whispers.

"Enough. Don't worry about it."

Erin's eyebrow goes up, because that answer isn't good enough, but her hand stays there, under Mia's chin, and Mia feels like her skin is burning in that spot.