Chapter 22 #3
A ragged breath shuddered out of him. He pulled back just enough to look at her, his thumb rasping over the sensitive skin behind her ear, sending sparks up and down her spine.
“We can’t do this. Not here.” He glanced around the empty lounge, as if the walls themselves had ears. “You’re coming home with me.”
“But—”
A soft thud of approaching footsteps echoed from the hallway. They both froze, their eyes locking for a split second before Caleb stepped back, putting an appropriate amount of distance between them although the lingering heat of his body, the scent of him, still suffused every part of her.
Just then a tall figure emerged from the corridor, a man in an expensive dark suit with perfectly coiffed gray hair.
Hoyt Philbin.
The sight of him made Daniela’s blood run cold. The panic she’d felt earlier returned tenfold. This was it. The moment she’d dreaded. The moment her two worlds collided. The moment her cover got blown to smithereens.
She forced a neutral expression onto her face, her mind racing with a million scenarios of how this would play out, none of them good.
Philbin came forward, his gaze sweeping over them with a knowing little smile.
“Well, well, well. If it isn’t Caleb Thorne.
Fancy meeting you here.” His voice was smooth as churned molasses, deceptively cordial as his gaze shifted to Daniela.
“And you must be a friend of Caleb’s,” he drawled, playing his part with the silver-tongued perfection of a Marvel villain.
“Mayor Philbin.” Daniela’s voice was assiduously neutral, with just a touch of polite deference. “It’s so nice to meet you.”
“Likewise, Miss—?”
Her mind blanked for two seconds, muscle memory wrestling with her carefully cultivated persona. “Moreau,” she blurted. God help her, she’d almost said Roarke.
“A pleasure, Miss Moreau.” Philbin gave her a sympathetic albeit amused smile, fully recognizing the tightrope she was walking.
Caleb’s expression was hard, his jaw clenching beneath his beard as he glared at the former mayor. The air between them crackled with animosity, a palpable tension that could be felt continents away.
“Philbin.” Caleb’s voice was clipped, icy as a polar vortex. “What do you want?”
“Want? Who says I want anything?” Philbin countered, his placid smile unwavering.
“San Antonio is a big small town, Thorne. You can run into anyone on any given night. I was just enjoying a lovely dinner with my wife when I happened to see you across the room. Thought I’d make my way over and say hello.
” His pale blue eyes held Caleb’s, a silent challenge bristling between them.
“It’s always a pleasure to see you. Or not. ”
“Not,” Caleb gritted. “Definitely not.”
Philbin chortled, a dry, humorless sound. “Well, in that case, don’t let me keep you from enjoying your evening. I need to go say hello to Gavin Kinsale. Did you know your boss was one of my biggest donors?”
Caleb smirked. “There’s no accounting for taste.”
Philbin laughed, genuinely amused. “Touché, Mr. Thorne.” Smiling, he gave Daniela a brief, almost imperceptible nod, a silent acknowledgment of their shared complicity.
She forced a smile, her heart pounding a chaotic two-step. “It was nice meeting you, sir.”
“Pleasure’s all mine, Miss Moreau.” He sketched a courtly bow, then turned and leisurely strolled out the door.
Daniela released a shaky breath she hadn’t realized she was holding. God, what a close call. Way too close.
Caleb was glaring after the mayor, his eyes narrowed to dark slits.
His hostility was unmistakable, a seething, visceral hatred that made Daniela’s stomach churn.
The guilt she’d been suppressing weighed her down like an anvil.
For the first time, it occurred to her that she might be on the wrong side of this feud, that she might be colluding with the enemy.
Caleb turned back to her, a cold, hard glint in his eyes. “Don’t ever let that man near you, Daniela. He’s poison.”
She nodded jerkily, unable to speak, still reeling from the nerve-racking encounter.
“Go,” he commanded, his voice tight. “Go back to your table. I’ll follow in a minute.”
She didn’t need to be told twice. She practically ran back to the main dining room, her body trembling from the impact of Caleb’s lethal fury, his jealousy, their explosive kiss and the terrifying run-in with Philbin.
Kolter looked up at her approach, his face a picture of bewildered concern that renewed her anger. “Everything okay? You were gone a while.”
Daniela slid into her seat with an accusing glare. “Kolter.” Her voice was low, laced with steel. “We need to talk.”
He shifted uncomfortably. “Oh? What about?”
“Don’t play dumb. You know exactly what about.” She leaned forward, her gaze direct as she said through gritted teeth, “You set me up. You rescheduled our study group dinner without telling me.”
His face reddened. “No, I—”
“Don’t even try it!” she hissed, jabbing a finger at him. “What kind of schoolboy bullshit is this?”
“Shit. I’m sorry, Daniela. I—” He broke off with a frown. “What happened to your mouth?”
She touched her split lip, a parting gift from Caleb. Her cheeks burned. “Don’t change the subject,” she snapped irately. “What the hell were you thinking, Kolter?”
“I’m really sorry. I wasn’t trying to be shady. I…I just thought it would be nice to have dinner with you, just the two of us.” He gulped. “I really like you.”
“Then why not just ask me out like a normal adult?”
“Would you have accepted?”
“No, but that’s not the point!” Her eyes narrowed with suspicion. “Did you make a bet with your friends about hooking up with me?”
“What? Of course not!” But his eyes slid guiltily away. “There’s no bet, Daniela. I mean, nothing official,” he admitted sheepishly. “I just think you’re hot and smart as hell. The way you go toe-to-toe with Professor Thorne…what can I say? It turns me on, and I’m not the only one.”
“Oh my God.” Disgusted, Daniela scraped back her chair and stood, the sound drawing attention from nearby diners.
Kolter stared up at her, stricken. “Oh, c’mon, don’t leave. Since we’re already here, let me buy you din—”
“No, thanks. I don’t appreciate being manipulated.” Hypocrisy, thy name is Daniela.
“At least let me drive you home.”
“Not a chance.” She slung her purse strap over her shoulder. “I’m getting an Uber, you idiot. Goodnight.”
She didn’t wait for his response, didn’t look back at his beet-red face.
With her head held high, she walked out of the dining room, past the bewildered ma?tre d’ and out the front door.
The unseasonably cool night air hit her face, a welcome balm after the suffocating vibe of the restaurant and the tension caused by Caleb’s presence.
Sidestepping a group of diners crowded under the canopied entrance, she pulled out her phone, already opening the Uber app as she marched down to the far end of the walkway. She just needed to get home. To breathe. To decompress. To process the sheer insanity of this wildly unpredictable night.
“Daniela.”
The voice, sharp and commanding, stopped her mid-stride.
Caleb.
She turned around, her heart doing crazy flip-flops in her chest.
He strode purposefully toward her, his expression unreadable in the muted overhead light. “You’re not getting an Uber.”
“Yes, I am,” she countered.
“No, you’re not.” His deep voice brooked no argument. “I’m taking you home.”
“You don’t have—”
“I’m not asking, Daniela.” He grabbed her hand, his strong fingers wrapping around hers as he tugged her along to the valet station and handed over his ticket.
“What about Dean Kinsale?” Daniela mumbled. “Won’t he get suspicious that you cut dinner short to come after me?”
“We were finished,” Caleb said brusquely. “He ran into an old friend on our way out.”
Daniela looked pointedly at their joined hands. “You better hope they have a lot of catching up to do. Because if he comes outside and sees us leaving together, that won’t be good for you.”
She expected him to immediately release her. Instead he tightened his grip.
It wasn’t long before a sleek black Lamborghini with dark-tinted windows purred to a stop in front of them, impossibly low to the ground and gleaming under the lights. The iconic scissor doors opened vertically, and with a flourish, the grinning valet handed Daniela into the car.
The handwoven leather seat felt like a dream against her skin, and the digital screen on the dash was a work of art. She loved fast cars, and she’d never been in a Lamborghini before. But she was a mess of nerves right now, too agitated to fully soak up the rare experience.
After tipping the valet, Caleb settled into the driver’s seat and revved up the Lambo, the powerful engine rumbling beneath them.
As they tore away from the curb and sped off into the night, Daniela risked a glance at him.
His profile was grim, his eyes fixed on the road.
She could feel the tension radiating from his body.
He was brooding, undoubtedly still angry about her “date.” He probably already regretted offering to introduce her to his father.
It wouldn’t surprise her if he called the whole thing off, which, to be fair, he absolutely should.
She was in too deep. With Caleb. With her undercover assignment. It was all a tangled, dangerous clusterfuck, and she couldn’t see herself walking away without sustaining apocalyptic levels of damage.
They flew down the highway, the city lights blurring past in a dizzying kaleidoscope of color. The silence in the car was thick, heavy with unvoiced words and unspoken emotions.