Chapter Seven
Caleb
As I strut across the room toward Angelica, she watches me the entire way with those dark, sultry eyes fixed right on me.
You don’t need to flirt that hard, sweetheart. You were already in my sights.
I stop beside her at the bar but deliberately face forward, acting like she barely exists. Out of the corner of my eye, I catch the slight narrowing of her gaze, then she huffs softly.
I smirk to myself.
Hooked already.
I like games. Always have.
And right now, she thinks she’s the one hunting me when really she’s walked straight into my trap.
I lean one elbow against the bar and rest my head lazily against my hand, turning even further away from her. The movement earns me another annoyed little scoff, and it nearly makes me laugh.
This woman is used to attention.
Used to men throwing themselves at her.
Which means ignoring her is driving her absolutely insane.
Perfect.
The bartender wanders over. “What can I get you?”
I don’t plan on drinking much tonight. I rarely do these days, especially when I’m driving, and I need to be careful because of my kidney transplant.
But there are times when I don’t care enough to follow the rules everyone keeps trying to force on me. Nights when I want to switch my brain off for a few hours and stop feeling every damn thing so intensely. Tonight feels dangerously close to being one of those nights.
“House beer’s fine, thanks, mate.” I nod toward Angelica. “And champagne for the lady.”
Beside me, she gives a tiny, surprised gasp.
Only then do I finally turn to look at her properly.
She’s gorgeous in an expensive, polished sort of way. Dark hair cascading over one bare shoulder, red lips slightly parted, designer dress tight enough to leave very little to the imagination.
She is almost too perfect.
Like someone crafted her in a lab specifically to ruin rich men.
“You do like champagne, right?” I ask casually.
She straightens instantly, pushing her chest forward.
Definitely not subtle.
“Sure,” she replies smoothly.
The bartender places our drinks down, and Angelica lifts the flute gracefully and takes a sip.
“So, Angel,” I say lazily. “What brings you here tonight?”
She giggles lightly and flicks her hair over her shoulder. “It’s some bratty teenager’s birthday party,” she says dismissively. “I’m mostly here for the free alcohol and celebrities.”
I nearly choke on the goddamn beer that I am not supposed to be drinking.
The timing is too perfect.
“Well…” I say slowly, “… that bratty teenager happens to be my cousin.”
Angelica spits champagne all over herself…
And me.
She starts coughing violently while staring up at me in horror. “Oh my God,” she wheezes. “I’m so sorry.”
I laugh despite myself and grab a napkin from the bar. “It’s fine, Angel. Annie absolutely is a bratty teenager.”
Those words finally relax her a little. However, her face turns bright red, which is entertaining.
“So…” she says carefully once she stops coughing. “Why Angel?”
“Angelica. Angel.” I shrug one shoulder. “Not exactly complicated.” I deliberately look away again while sipping my beer.
“You know who I am?” she asks quietly.
I glance back at her and smirk. “Sweetheart, everybody knows who you are.”
Something flickers across her face then.
Insecurity.
Interesting.
“Then why are you talking to me?” she asks softly.
Now that catches my attention.
I turn toward her fully this time and lean closer, close enough to smell expensive perfume and spilled champagne on her skin. Her breathing instantly changes.
Faster.
Shallower.
“There’s something about you…” I murmur near her ear, “… that looked a hell of a lot more interesting than the rest of this room.”
She inhales sharply.
And there it is.
That reaction.
That little loss of control people get right before they make bad decisions. I lean back slowly and watch her stare at me wide-eyed.
“Did you really just say that?” she whispers.
I raise an eyebrow innocently. “What? You expected another boring rich bloke talking about stock markets?”
She laughs softly this time, much quieter than before, thankfully. “Maybe.”
“Nah.” I take another sip of beer. “I’m far more entertaining than that.”
Her eyes drift over me slowly. “Oh, I gathered that already.”
I grin.
Yeah, this is definitely happening tonight.
But before I can say anything else, her brows pinch together as she looks down at the bar. “My drink’s gone,” she says in confusion.
I blink once, then look at the space where her champagne definitely used to be.
“Well…” I say slowly, glancing around the crowded room, “… either you drank it faster than humanly possible.” Her eyes widen. “Or someone just stole your drink.”
I glance at the bar and notice her champagne flute is gone. She must have finished it, and the bartender cleared the empty glass away. Honestly, I’m not entirely convinced she even realized she drank it.
I suppress a sigh and wave the bartender back over before she can make a bigger deal out of it. He notices me and pours another glass of champagne without me even needing to ask.
Angelica shakes her head slightly, still looking confused by the missing drink, and I have to fight the urge to laugh.
Christ, she’s ditzy.
Absolutely not my type.
But tonight I wanted a distraction, not depth, and Angel would do fine for a few hours.
The bartender slides the fresh champagne toward her, and she beams.
“Thank you, Caleb,” she purrs, trying to make my name sound seductive. Instead, it comes out sounding like a cat being strangled.
I take another swallow of beer to hide my grimace.
Seriously, why do I do this to myself?
Every damn time.
Find the loudest, prettiest girl in the room, sleep with her, then spend the next day feeling vaguely annoyed at myself afterward.
Not that I’m exactly innocent in any of it. I know I treat women badly sometimes. Maybe not intentionally, but I know what I’m doing. I flirt, charm them, give them one incredible night, then disappear before anything real can happen.
Because real does not work.
I learned that hard lesson years ago.
“Caleb?”
Her voice snaps me from my thoughts.
“Huh?”
She frowns slightly. “Were you even listening to me?”
“Course I was,” I lie smoothly before draining the rest of my beer. “C’mon, let’s go outside for a bit. I need some air.” I don’t wait for an answer before walking off because I already know she’ll follow.
And she does.
The outdoor terrace is colder than I expected, the London night air biting against my skin as I stop beside one of the tall outdoor heaters, where warmth spills over us instantly.
Angelica steps closer almost immediately. “Okay,” she says while tucking her hair behind one ear. “So you’re Colt’s nephew?”
I nod. “And Hux is my dad.”
Her eyes widen slightly. “Wow.”
“What?”
“You just… fit the whole rockstar family thing.”
I laugh quietly. “Guess that’s the hair.”
“It’s definitely the hair,” she says with a grin.
I smirk and lean casually against the railing.
“So what about you?” she asks. “You into music too?”
That question pulls a genuine smile from me for the first time all night. “Yeah, I sing in a band with my cousins and a couple of family friends.” Pride slips into my voice automatically. “We’re gonna make it big one day.”
“You really believe that?”
“I know it.”
And I do.
Music’s the one thing in my life I’ve never doubted.
Angelica studies me for a moment before smiling softly. “That’s actually really attractive.”
I raise an eyebrow. “The confidence?”
“The passion.”
Huh. Didn’t expect that answer.
“Well…” I say lightly, “… coming from someone already famous, I’ll take that as a compliment.”
Her smile fades a little at that. “You know…” she says quietly, “… people don’t usually want to be associated with me anymore.”
I shrug one shoulder. “I know what happened with the company.”
Her jaw tightens. “I didn’t know about the testing.”
I study her for a second.
Honestly? I don’t particularly care either way tonight.
And maybe that makes me a dick.
Probably does, actually.
“All I know…” I say while sliding closer, “… is you’ve been staring at me since I walked in here.”
Her breathing catches slightly. “And?” she whispers.
“And I’m trying to decide if you’re worth ditching this party early for.”
A slow smile spreads across her lips. “Oh, I definitely am.”
Cocky.
I like it.
I move closer until our bodies nearly touch and rest my hand lightly against her waist. Her breath hitches, and her fingers curl around the front of my jacket.
Yeah, she wants this.
“You always this forward?” she murmurs.
“Only when I know I’m getting what I want.”
“And what exactly do you want, Caleb?”
I glance down at her mouth briefly before meeting her eyes again. “To stop thinking for a while.”
Something flickers across her expression then. Curiosity maybe. But before she can ask questions, I lean down and kiss her.
Hard.
Not soft or romantic.
Just enough force to make her gasp into my mouth.
She kisses me back, fingers sliding into my hair while she presses herself against me, and for a second, I let myself disappear into it.
Into the heat.
Into the distraction.
Into pretending this is enough.
But even while I’m kissing Angelica, my stupid brain betrays me. Because somewhere in the middle of it all, I’m still thinking about Indi.
Still comparing.
Still missing her.
Then suddenly something slams into us from the side.
Our heads crack together painfully, and Angelica yelps while I stumble backward, swearing loudly. “What the fuck?” I grab my forehead before turning toward the source of the collision and spotting Annie sprawled on the ground, laughing hysterically.
“Jesus Christ, Annie!” I bark. “What the hell are you doing?”
She keeps laughing so hard she nearly tips sideways.
Then she hiccups.
Uh-oh.
I narrow my eyes and crouch beside her. “What’s wrong with you?”
She giggles again and waves a hand lazily through the air.
Another hiccup follows.
A bad feeling settles in my stomach.
“Annie…” I grab her chin gently and force her to look at me properly. “Are you… drunk?”
She shakes her head too quickly, then gags from the movement and clamps a hand over her mouth.