She’d been devastated when Draco had ghosted her the first time. How would she feel when he did it again?
Was it ghosting when you knew what was to come?
Did it make a difference?
Her heart would ache just as much.
And that was the problem. As much as she told herself not to let him back under her skin, he was there.
Well, fuck.
“You’re frowning again,” Draco said softly. “If meeting with Brunner is worrying you so much, don’t do it.”
She shot a glance his way, his words yanking her out of her freefall into her residual feelings for the man beside her. “Not meet with Brunner? Are you out of your mind?”
“You’ve been frowning and quiet since we left the Brotherhood building. Before that, you were pacing in the conference room. If this meeting with Brunner has you wound too tightly, don’t go.”
“So far, he’s the only link we have to who is behind the nine-million-dollar theft,” Cate said. “I’d sooner lose a limb than skip out on that meeting.”
Draco turned to look at her. “I’d rather you didn’t lose a limb, if it’s all the same to you. They’re pretty impressive all attached to the appropriate places.”
Cate rolled her eyes. “I’ll be at that meeting tonight, with or without you.”
“With me,” he said. “You said it yourself. It’s not negotiable. So, what’s got you stewing so hard that you can’t stop frowning?”
“Nothing,” she answered too quickly, not wanting to admit she was thinking of him.
“Oh, come on,” he said. “Something’s bothering you. Fess up. It’s your rule to speak the truth.” He touched her arm. “Spill.”
Oh, hell no.
She refused to confess she still had feelings for the doofus. “I’m fine. Just hungry.” She lifted her chin toward a pizzeria ahead on the right. “Pizza okay with you?” she asked, knowing he loved pizza and how great it would be as a way to deflect his direction of questioning.
“I could eat a pizza,” he said. “And, by the way, I know what you’re doing.”
“Getting food?” she played ignorant.
“I want to know what’s bothering you. You deflect with pizza, knowing I love it.” He patted his chest. “I can only conclude that what’s bothering you is me.”
Cate grinned. “Bingo. You win the prize. You bother me.” She hooked his arm and steered him into the pizzeria.
He frowned down at her. “So much for your rule to tell the truth and no lying by omission.”
“Some things are best kept to oneself. Now, do you want anchovies or not?” Cate smiled at the man behind the counter, not giving Draco the opportunity to dig further into her secrets.
They ate pizza, sans anchovies, talking about anything but each other's personal feelings, which suited Cate just fine. That line of thinking served no purpose. They had no future together. She couldn’t commit to anyone who wouldn’t be around the next month, week or day. Hell, she’d built her life around the promise to herself not to give her heart away. Hadn’t she learned that people couldn’t be trusted to stick around? That loving someone would always result in pain?
To hell with love.
She’d built a business on her own. She had a nice apartment in Virginia, close enough to DC and the surrounding area to tap into the population’s need for private investigators. Why question her life?
Because being with Draco reminded her that she was alive, well and needed more than her lonely existence could provide.
She had to reconcile herself to an existence that didn’t include Draco.
Until they went their separate ways, she had an obligation to pretend they were a couple. It wasn’t hard to do. Sadly, she still liked being with him. She liked holding his hand, the way it made her feel warm, safe and cared for.
What would it hurt to play this charade until they learned everything there was to know about Calloway, Brunner and whoever was in charge of the crimes being committed?
