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His eyes darken, and he growls. “Almost perfect.”
Caine pulls a small black velvet box out of his suit jacket.
“What the fuck is that?”
He opens the box, revealing a pair of diamond earrings. I’ve spent enough time with Lauren to know this isn’t gaudy costume jewelry. It’s the real thing. Tiny stones form a flower at the top, and at the bottom is a large teardrop shaped diamond. They sparkle in the light.
He closes the distance between us. He’s so close I can feel the heat rolling off him. The scent of his cologne sends my mind back to that first night in his apartment. With surprising delicacy, he puts the earrings on. Everywhere his fingers brush against my skin, electricity sparks.
“Where did you go that night?” he whispers in my ear. His warm breath dances along my skin, evoking a shiver.
“Home.”
He chuckles. “I could have sworn I heard a motorcycle engine revving. Do you have a bike?”
I do, but I don’t owe Caine anything. Least of all details about my life.
“No.”
I take a step back, and Caine studies me. A darkness fills his eyes until they’re bottomless pools I could drown in. I don’t know where his mind has gone, and I’m not asking.
I back up. He follows, trapping me between him and the desk. I consider vaulting over it to escape him, but I don’t think I can pull it off in this dress.
“Who did you leave with?”
Is he jealous?
He stalks closer, all the distance I gained lost in a heartbeat. Our chests press against each other, and my hands grip the desk behind me for support. The heat rolls off him in waves crashing against me. My nipples harden and my breathing is coming in short puffs. I’m working hard to ignore the ache this close contact is awakening within me.
And I’m going to make him pay for it.
I grin. “Why? Are you jealous?”
“Who was it?”
“My brother.”
Caine doesn’t back up. He doesn’t look convinced Liam picked me up.
“You called your brother to pick you up in the middle of the night from a one night stand?”
I grab the letter opener laying on the desk. My hand shoots out, aiming the pointed end at his carotid artery. Mom enrolled me in Krav Maga the second I was old enough.
“Say what you will about the Dullahans, but they don’t slut-shame,” I say. “Now back up.”
He almost cracks a real smile. “You’re breathtaking, lass.”
Caine catches my hand and I crash back to reality. I allow the letter opener to drop. As satisfying as it would be to kill Caine, I can’t. The O’Connors would kill me and my family for it.
His hand is warm and rough. Without realizing what I’m doing, I inch closer. Before I can gather my wits, he slips an engagement ring on my finger. It’s heavy literally, and metaphorically.
Caine moves closer, tangling our fingers together. His lips brush my cheek, and I try to fight off the rush of heat, to no avail. The unbidden memories of that night crash over me like a tidal wave.
I snatch my hand back. “Don’t touch me.”
“There was a time when you enjoyed my touch, sweetheart.”
Hot, bubbling anger rises inside of me. “Not anymore.”
