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“Fucking bosses in secret and getting us free club entry,” Amberley quips, dryly pecking my cheek when I choke out a laugh.
I finish getting ready, and she passes me some perfume. “You’ll be here when I get back?”
“Nope.” She laughs. “You won’t be coming back.” Her hands find my shoulders, and she angles me towards the door. I give my reflection a quick once over and pull at the shirt tucked into my jeans. “He’s here,” she announces, with her face pressed against the window.
Butterflies erupt in my stomach. I give her a quick hug before I leave her, peering down at the car park below. My legs feel wooden as I leave my apartment and take the lift down. Cain is already inside the building, and his eyes do a quick sweep of my outfit. He looks good, tired, but really good in his tailored suit and sporting a little stubble.
“You look nice.” His jaw convulses, and his eyes lift to mine, regret burning hotly.
“Thanks. Shall we go?”
“Sure.” I expect him to hold the door, but when he takes my hand, I tense. “How's work been?” He keeps his tone light and relaxed, and it eases my nerves. Cain keeps our fingers entwined as we leave the building and walk to his car.
“Fine, busy.” There is an awkwardness between us that was never there before. It’s more than likely down to me still feeling snubbed.
As soon as we are in the car, Cain turns to me and leans to cup the back of my neck, his other arm resting on the steering wheel. My spine lengthens, and I grit my jaw, not wanting to give in so easily to him. “There’s a lot I need to tell you, explain. I don’t want you going into this blindly.” His gaze drops to my lips, but I make a point of turning my head away and clipping my seatbelt in, my gut aching when I hear him cough softly at my dismissal. I don’t want to come off as bratty, but I have so much to lose. “Did you do much today?”
“I met my family for lunch.”
Cain sits back, and our eyes briefly meet. “Did you have a nice time?”
“It was okay. I don’t really see eye to eye with my brother, so it was a little awkward.” I pull at my ponytail and stare out of the window. Deeks is just getting out of his car, and he lifts his hand in a wave. I smile but duck my head. I’m not sure he approves of Cain, even if he did agree to keep an eye on me.
During the drive, Cain chats to me about New York, and we fall into an easy conversation about how much we have travelled, or in my case, haven’t. “It’s a great city,” he remarks as we pull into the underground garage.
“I bet. Do you have offices elsewhere?” It feels peculiar to be talking about work like this. We made a point not to when we spent the weekend together.
“A few. Italy, Paris.”
“How do you manage it all?” I laugh, following him to the bank of elevators.
“I don’t. I manage people.” The doors close us in, and he takes my hand and pulls me forward as I bump gently into his chest.
“Cain.”
“I needed New York to think, not because I was unsure about you. I wasn’t sure if you could handle being with me. I told you about my father.” His mouth flattens as pain flits across his face.
“We don’t need to do this now,” I murmur.
“I really want to kiss you.” He smiles and cups my face. “I’m a prick. I act before I think. I’m quick-tempered because I’m used to getting my own way, but it’s more than that. I’m… there are things going on tha—” The doors whoosh open, and it catches me off guard, distracting me. Cain walks me backwards and slants his mouth over mine, groaning appreciatively. He doesn’t demand I kiss him back, and his lips sit firmly over mine, but I don’t pull away, nor do I reciprocate. I’m not punishing him. I'm just trying to be reasonable about this—level-headed. Slowly, he steps back and smiles hopefully at me. “I know I'm asking for a lot.”
“You’ve not asked me anything,” I point out, and for once, he looks perplexed. His head shakes slightly, and his lips quip into a smirk.
“Let's go and eat.” He makes a play for my hand, and I let him, enjoying the feel of how his larger one envelops my own. My skin absorbs its heat—this one touch and his kiss back in the elevator have me feeling weak already. His penthouse is quiet, and the faint scent of garlic lingers. “My housekeeper has just left,” he says when I peer into the kitchen as we head down the wide hall leading into the sitting area.
“I didn’t know you had a housekeeper.” I never met anyone the weekend I stayed.
“Carly works Monday to Friday, but she stayed late to assist with dinner.” He unhooks my bag and pulls out a bar stool for me, then leaves me to pour us both a drink.
I decide, rather than waiting for him to address the situation, I'm going to ask the questions I want answers to. “Cain, why did you ignore me?” There’s no malice in my voice, only genuine confusion. If he had gone back to being short-handed and rude, I’d have found it easier. I expected nothing less. It was how he always was with me.
My drink is placed down in front of me. He removes his suit jacket, draping it over the back of the seat, and he rolls his shirtsleeve up, revealing a toned arm smattered in hair. “I’m an idiot,” he admits, moving to lift the other sleeve. Only then does he lift his head to look at me. “I knew looking at you would only make me regret leaving. Plus, I would have kissed you.” His smirk is slight.
“I don’t thi—”
“I would have kissed you,” he declares boldly.
I swallow and turn away, lifting my glass and taking a small sip.
