Page 75 of Wild

She leaned in, took Erin's chin in her hand, and kissed her on the lips.

"I have plans with Noah to sort out the day, and then I'll go down to the gym for a bit. Text me when the interview's over."

"So you can make sure I eat a little more, or because you'll want to see me?"

Erin took a long sip of her strawberry smoothie, finishing it off, then got up off the bed and rested her arms on Mia's shoulders.

"Because I want you to eat and rest…"

"And?" Mia smiled when Erin trailed off.

"And because I'll want to hear how the interview went and lie down with you while you sleep." Erin kissed her on the lips and stepped back. "Go shower. You're going to be late."

Erin was woken by a kind of convulsion running through Mia's body. After the interview and after getting her to eat something, she'd lain down with her intending to keep her company until she fell asleep—but sleep had claimed her too. Another spasm from the singer made Erin open her eyes fully and prop herself up on one elbow to look at her. Mia was asleep, but her brow was furrowed and she looked tense. Erin pressed her fingers to her neck to check her pulse and felt it racing—probably a nightmare—so she pulled Mia in and held her tight against her body until the singer woke with a sharp gasp, her whole body jerking like she needed to break free.

"It's me," Erin whispered, pressing her lips to her shoulder. "You're okay. It was just a nightmare."

Mia let out a long, shaky exhale and turned toward her, burying her face in her neck and staying there while she steadied herself.

"Do you want to tell me about it?" Erin breathed.

An arm slid around Erin's waist, and Mia moved her hand to her back, tracing slow patterns with one finger.

"I don't remember it very well—it was really strange. I know I was on stage and the floor started to move, not like it was vibrating, but like it was rippling, and it was impossible to keep my balance. Then I was in the dressing room and it was like this giant fish tank, but with no water and the glass was all opaque. I don't remember anything after that," she said, her voice heavy.

"That does sound pretty strange," Erin replied, kissing her hair. "It was just a dream. Don't think about it anymore and it'll fade."

Mia shifted in her arms and looked up at her.

"Are you ready for the gala tonight?"

Erin sighed. She'd been trying not to think about it all day, and honestly, going with Mia didn't bother her—but the idea of cameras made her nervous.

"I can convince Jude to keep you off to the side if you're not comfortable."

"I'd rather be close to you. Don't worry, I'll be fine."

With a smile, Mia curled up against her and drifted off again. Erin didn't. She checked the time—they had thirty minutes before they needed to get up so the singer could start getting ready—but until then, she'd make sure Mia was comfortable and use whatever time was left to let her keep resting.

Chapter 28

"Is it always this overwhelming?" Erin asks from the side of the room where the gala is being held.

Noah is standing next to her, wearing a suit and a tie that's slowly strangling him. They arrived an hour ago, and she, Noah, and Jude came in through a back door after showing their credentials, while Mia entered through the red carpet, where she spent time posing in front of dozens of cameras and answering questions from journalists — Lexie Farhall among them — who had gotten her press credential after Erin asked Mia for it.

The singer hadn't made a fuss about it. She picked up her phone, sent a text to Noah to handle the logistics, and when she was done typing, she looked up at Erin.

"What exactly is she to you?"

"Nothing you need to worry about," Erin answered, not looking away.

A strange silence settled between them for a few seconds, because Erin felt it was too soon to have that conversation — she still needed to process what was happening between them. Mia stood up and walked over to her, placing both hands on the armrests of the chair Erin was sitting in and leaning in close.

"We don't have to talk about this yet," she whispered, as if she were reading her mind, and Erin shivered. "But I promise you don't have to worry about anyone either."

She kissed her and went back to her seat, leaving Erin with her thighs trembling with want.

"It's pretty chaotic, yeah, especially the first few times," Noah answers, trying to adjust his knot with increasing frustration.