Caleb was right. I didn’t need to prove myself—I entered the world a better human than this man could ever be, and there’s not an apology in the world that could induce me to forgive him now.
“I hope you have a good lawyer,” my father says to Caleb while he wipes blood from his face with his sleeve, “because I’m going to sue you until you’ve got nothing left.”
That’s when I laugh, the sound a surprise even to me. He’s far stupider than I thought if he doesn’t realize how very, very easily I could destroy his precious “family is everything” reputation with a few choice words. “The responsible thing,” I snap, “would be to walk away as if this never happened. You wouldn’t want us all putting out our version of events, would you?”
“I won’t be bullied,” he sneers.
“Oh, it’s you who’s been bullied?” I ask. “Are you sure? We’ll see what the press thinks.”
His mouth opens, ready to spout off another threat…and I stare him down. I will tell the whole fucking world who I am and thus, who you are. And we both know you don’t want that.
Two tense, silent seconds pass before my father looks away. “He’s not worth it,” he says to the group with him. “Let’s go.”
“If there’s any fallout from this,” I add to his back, “any fallout whatsoever, we’ll be providing our own very detailed account.”
He stiffens, then continues walking. It’s only when I turn to Caleb and see the frown on his face that I realize I’m shaking. I feel like I might pass out.
He places a firm hand on my hip. “I’m not attending the luncheon,” he tells Mark, guiding me away.
“Caleb, you’re getting an award,” Mark calls from behind us.
“They should have thought about that before they cancelled Lucie’s session,” Caleb replies, leading me to the elevator doors.
“Where are we going?”
“Away from the crowd,” he says. “You look like you’re going to be sick.”
We squeeze into the crowded elevator, and I stare at our reflections in the gold-plated doors—Caleb, tall and handsome and certain; me in front of him, small and safe with my back to his chest, his hand resting gently on my hip to make sure no one bumps me.
Jeremy used to promise he’d do anything for me, but they were mere words—he never defended me once—while Caleb not only defended me today but put everything at risk to do it. If word gets out that he hit Robert Underwood, it could definitely mess up the merger.
He says he doesn’t want a commitment, that he doesn’t want the responsibility…but he behaves like a man who already has them. And the longer I stare at the two of us in the elevator doors, the less it matters to me that he refuses to be the prince in my fairy tale, that we want different things. Because this is already more than I’ve had with anyone else, more than I will ever have with anyone else.
The bell for the fourteenth floor pings and he leads me off, using his keycard to open a spacious suite. “I’m so sorry, Lucie,” he says, running a hand through his hair. “I’m sorry about what happened at work. I am going to make Mark your supervisor because I’m clearly in way over my—”
I grab his lapels, go onto my toes, and press my lips to his.
He’s stiff, shocked, frozen.
It’s the world’s least romantic, most mortifying kiss. I let him go, an apology ready. “I’m—”
The next words die on my lips as his hands wrap around my waist.
“Fuck,” he says quietly. “I always knew this dress would do me in.” And then he kisses me, hard. With intent. As if he’s waited a very, very long time to do exactly this. As if he’s waited most of his life, the way I have.
There is so much of him and not enough all at the same time. His tongue is in my mouth, his scruff rough on my skin, his erection digging into my stomach. More, more, more. My arms circle his neck, clinging for support, making sure he stays close. His tongue moves over my neck as his thumb slides over my rib cage, climbing higher. I gasp as the tip of his index finger brushes the underside of my breast.
“If you’re going to stop me,” he growls, “do it now.”
As if I could. There’s no version of me strong enough to tell Caleb to stop at this point. “I’m not.”
Beneath his palm, my nipple draws tight and he grunts low in his throat. “You’re sure?”