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I look around the massive, crowded terminal of loud, aggravated travelers and wish I could shrink into myself and disappear.
Then, one of those women opposite us tosses her hair as she studies him. Cade’s a typical man, though, so he doesn’t notice.
But I do.
“I hate it there,” I say, aware that I sound sulky.
He frowns and I almost attempt to smooth his grimace away because all that worry belongs tome. Not those bitches drooling over him. “Tell me why, Belle.”
“Because,” I snap, looking down at my hands and then over at the women who are not even pretending they’re not watching us.
“Belle, I just spent fifteen hundred dollars on tickets. I need more than abecause.” He cocks his head at me. “Come on, sweetheart. How can I fix this if I don’t know what’s going on?”
“Look, my friend, Antoinette, was raised there and her father killed her mother, and I just… It has always been a place I don’t want to go.” I lick my glossed-up lips. “I should have told you earlier, but you distracted me—”
“Hold on. You don’t want to go becausea friendhad a tragedy there?” He looks at me like he knows I’m lying, but what am I going to say?
I can’t go, sorry, but my insane father lives there and I’ve spent the last ten years running away from him?Um, no.
“Yes.”
His eyes narrow and he takes his arm away as he studies the travelers passing us by—he knows I’m lying.
“I… It’s just, can’t we go somewhere else?”
I should have stopped him sooner. When he was buying the tickets, I should have spoken up, but I’d panicked. He’d seemed so set on the idea and I didn’t want to disappoint him. I thought I could do it, but I just don’t think that I can.
“The truth is, beautiful,it was a wise move for meto go back to New York,” he admits. “Whether you come with me or not, I have to return. I’d prefer it if you were on my arm.” He turns to me, and everything about his vibe is different. Even his voice has changed. As I swallow and recross my legs, a small ripple of excitement goes through me. “If I could switch up the end destination, I would, but I have business to attend to, and I want you to meet my family…” His hand brushes my neck as a shiver goes through me. “Don’t you want to meet them too? I know it’s fast, but we’ve got something good going on, don’t we?”
“I just…” I shoot him a nervous glance. “I said yes impulsively. It’s something I’m working on.” Then, I lean into his space. “You really think we’ve got something good going on?”
His grin has those dimples flashing—I am such a sucker for them. “You know it. Rarely say what I don’t mean. Life’s simpler that way and things are already crazy in my world.”
I can feel myself leaning into his space as his grin shifts into a lazy smile that gives my stomach butterflies and makes my pussy wet. That’s when I remember I’m in the most public of spaces.
No touching the dirty-talking businessman, Cindy.
Down, girl.
Shaking my head, I study my heeled pumps.
This guy’s dangerous because he’s disarming. He never says what I think he will. Has anyone ever been that candid with me before? Absently, my mind drifts to our conversation about loneliness. He was right in that Ryder would have preferred to swallow a bullet than talk about his emotions with me.
God, it’s no wonder Cade is like a breath of fresh air.
“Come with me, Belle. I promise it will be fun.”
His hand, which is on my nape, tightens, and I blink into his clear blue eyes. When he squeezes a second then rubs his thumb down the back, only stopping when he moves it in a circle over the top of my spine, I can feel myself melt into him.
“Fine,” I whisper, and I’m glad I made the decision because his eyes change, shift with his relief.
Relief.
Because he wants to be with me.
Me!
God, could I have found a man who is gorgeous, smart, and wants me even though he’s seen only the worst of me? Why does it make me want him to see the best?
