Chapter 1 #2
She turned just as I reached them, her dark hazel eyes—whiskey-colored and sharp enough to age a man prematurely—locking onto mine. Her expression soured instantly, her frown so vicious I half expected a portal to hell to crack open beneath her heels and drag her home.
She didn’t bother hiding it, but I didn’t pay any attention to her, simply extending my hand toward my target instead. “Mr. Hinds, I’m Nate Westwood.”
Abram turned to me, his hand immediately meeting mine for a firm squeeze. “Westwood, huh? I was wondering if I’d see you here.”
“I was hoping to run into you as well.”
Kate made a small, disapproving noise that could have passed for a cough if she’d possessed any interest in subtlety. Abram chuckled as he glanced between us. “Do you two know each other?”
“Unfortunately,” Kate said brightly.
“In a professional capacity,” I corrected without giving it a second thought. There was no way I wanted him to think there was anything more to it. “Our paths have crossed before.”
Abram gestured toward her. “The Vanderhaul family helped get my business off the ground twenty years ago. I owe them more than a few favors.”
The revelation felt like a punch straight in the gut.
Fuck, of course. Alex is not going to like that.
Kate smiled at him, all polished charm. Up close, she was infuriatingly beautiful. Peach-toned skin that looked professionally taken care of, with no freckles and a flawless texture that suggested a skincare routine so intense, it probably came with a spreadsheet of its very own.
Her nails were immaculately done, glossy and an understated, pale pink. Her posture radiated athletic confidence, like she was one of those people who voluntarily woke up before sunrise to run marathons—or in her case, probably to outrun real life demons trying to drag her back to Hell.
“I was just telling Abram our family is very interested in acquiring his portfolio,” she said sweetly.
My eyes narrowed, but I quickly schooled my features and gave him a mild smile of my own, not wanting to come on too strong straight out of the gate. Not if he had such a long history with her family. “Is that so?”
“Yes,” she said, her eyes cool when they met mine, but warming instantly when she turned back to him. What a cunning little actress.
For the next few minutes, I tried to talk to him, but thanks to her continuous interjections, it felt like trying to make a pitch during a fireworks display. By the time Abram excused himself to greet another attendee, I already knew the interaction had gone poorly.
To say the least.
Once he was out of earshot, I glared at her. “The day Westwood and Sons buys out Hinds’ empire is going to be the best day of my life, and not because of the money.”
She crossed her arms, her red hair sliding forward over one shoulder like it wanted a front-row seat to the argument. The faint scent of citrus and something warm, maybe vanilla, wafted to my nostrils, affecting me in a way that was deeply inconvenient.
“Why is that, Westwood?” she asked.
“Because it would mean you lost.”
Her smile dropped like a guillotine. “Go to hell.”
“I’m already there.”
Her eyes flashed, the molten whiskey catching in the overhead lights.
For half a second, something electric snapped between us, anger, attraction, and mutual recognition of the other as a worthy adversary probably, but then she turned sharply away from me, already pulling her phone to her ear as she stormed off, her hair swinging angrily behind her.
I watched her go for longer than was professionally necessary, staring until Colin appeared beside me and finally drew my attention away from the shape of her ass. He shot me a knowing grin. “That looked productive.”
“I despise her.”
“Mm.”
I rolled my eyes at him and adjusted my tie, forcing myself to focus on the convention floor. Unfortunately, citrus and vanilla lingered in my nostrils, reminding me of her with every breath I took.
Damn it.
A few minutes later, my phone vibrated in my pocket and I wondered if Alex had somehow sensed there was a hiccup with the Hinds acquisition.
I pulled it out automatically, irritation from my run-in with Vanderhaul still simmering beneath my skin, but the second I saw Emma’s name on the screen, everything else dimmed.
I opened the message, my stomach dropping like a weight as I read it.
Emma: I’m so sorry. Something came up at work. I’m not going to be able to make it tonight.
Disappointment settled low and heavy in my chest as I re-read the text, half-waiting for a follow-up message that didn’t come. Irrationally, I immediately blamed Kate fucking Vanderhaul.
She had the distinct energy of a woman who could cause a market downturn by making eye contact with it. It was only natural that she had somehow ruined this too.
“What’s wrong?” Colin asked. “Don’t tell me Alex already knows.”
“Nope.” I locked my phone and shoved it back into my pocket. “My date just got canceled.”
“That’s rough.”
I nodded my agreement as I drew in a breath I knew wouldn’t steady me right now. “I hope I never see Kate Vanderhaul again. This is her fault. I don’t know how, but it’s true.”
Colin frowned, but he didn’t argue. Logically, I knew Kate couldn’t have called Emma and told her to cancel on me, but that didn’t matter right now. Emma was the love of my life and I’d planned on telling her that tonight.
Now, I couldn’t do it. Someone had to pay for that, and right now, Kate was the only target in sight.