Читать книгу Brides, Babies And Billionaires - Мишель Смарт, Rebecca Winters - Страница 30

CHAPTER SIX

‘DON’T WORRY ABOUT IT.’

Callie cleared her throat and smiled when Bianca led them to a table in the corner. She knew the woman had probably squeezed it in herself, and she thanked her and rolled her eyes at the wink Bianca sent her after looking at Blake.

Callie busied herself with looking at the menu, and though she could feel him staring at her eventually Blake did the same. She sighed in relief, knowing that she didn’t want to talk about her parents’ deaths with him. She just wanted to have dinner and go home, where she would be safe from the feelings that stirred through her when she was with him.

‘Their burgers are really good. And of course you should have one with a milkshake.’

She spoke because she didn’t want to revert to their previous topic of conversation.

‘Sounds good,’ he said, and placed his menu down. And then he asked exactly what she’d tried to prevent. ‘When did you lose your parents?’

She didn’t want to talk about this, she thought, and shut her eyes. But when she opened them again his own were filled with compassion and sincerity. So she gave him a brief answer. ‘Almost a decade ago now.’

He nodded, and was silent for a bit. ‘My mom left when I was eleven. It’s not the same thing, of course, but I think I may understand a little of what you feel.’

She stared at him—not because his mom had left, but because he’d shared the fact with her. It made her feel—comforted. That was terrible, she thought, but then he smiled at her, and she realised that comforting her had been his intention. She found herself smiling back before she averted her eyes.

How did he do that? And in this place that was so personal to her? She’d brought him here out of instinct, because she’d honestly had no idea what else to do. He’d put her on the spot and the only place she’d been able to think of was the one her friend owned—the one she had so often come to with her father in the year before his death.

She tried to pop in as often as possible, even just to grab one of the chocolate croissants that Sakari was known for. Maybe it was because she didn’t want to lose the connection she’d had with her father. But it had taken a long time after his death for her to realise that.

‘I know this isn’t what you’re used to.’ She changed the subject to a safer topic. ‘I mean, it isn’t a five-star restaurant or anything, but it is highly rated.’

He laughed. ‘It isn’t what I’m used to—but not because I’m a snob, which you seem to be implying.’

She blushed, because maybe he was right.

‘I just don’t have time to find places like this. I usually eat at the hotel, or go out to dinner for business.’

‘Do you enjoy it?’

‘My job?’

She smiled, and wondered if he knew how cute he looked when he was confused. ‘No—being so busy.’

He didn’t respond immediately, and when the waiter came to take their order he still hadn’t said anything. She didn’t press, because somehow she knew he was formulating his answer.

‘It works for me.’ He shrugged. ‘Keeping busy means I don’t have to think about the problems in my personal life.’

She hadn’t expected such a candid answer, but she took the opportunity to say, ‘Your family?’

He nodded, though he didn’t look at her. ‘Partly, yes. And some other things.’

Callie suddenly remembered what he’d said about dating, and how he had told her without words that a woman had made him cynical about it. As much as she wanted to know, she didn’t ask. She didn’t want to tell him about how her parents had died, or how she’d fallen apart when they had. And clearly there were things that he didn’t want to speak to her about either. And that was fair. Though a part of her hoped that it would change.

‘Well, I hope that one day, when this mess is all over, you’ll take a day to relax.’

‘Relax?’

‘Yes, it’s this thing us normal people do—usually in the evenings or over weekends—when we try to put aside thoughts of business and enjoy the moment.’

He leaned back in his seat and grinned. ‘Never heard of it.’

She laughed. ‘I could show you some time. It’s pretty easy.’

‘I’d like that.’

He spoke softly, and suddenly the noise in the restaurant faded to the background as she held his gaze. Thoughts of the two of them spending evenings together, weekends, made her heart pound. And yearn.

He lifted a hand and laid it over hers, and suddenly the sweetness of her thoughts turned to fire. She wanted to lean over, kiss him. She wanted to know what it would be like to feel his lips on hers, his hands on her body. His hand tightened on hers and she wondered if he knew her thoughts. The way his eyes heated as he looked at her made her think he did, and she leaned forward—just a bit. If this was going to happen, then she didn’t want him only to be a spectator.

And then the waiter brought their milkshakes, told them their burgers were about ten minutes away, and the spell was broken. Immediately Callie pulled her hand from under his and placed it in her lap, where it couldn’t do anything ridiculous like brush his shampoo ad hair out of his face. She drank from her chocolate milkshake, and wished she’d ordered something that would actually help quench her suddenly parched throat.

‘Do you ever bring Connor here?’

She looked up, saw the apology in his eyes—or was it regret?—and nodded in gratitude.

‘Sure. If we do supper we either do it here, or somewhere close to the hotel. It depends on whether we’re working or just meeting up.’

They continued their conversation, steering clear of any topics that might reveal anything personal about each other. And, though she longed to know more, she didn’t ask about his family, or the mysterious woman in his past. She didn’t think he spoke of it very much, regardless, and she didn’t want to be the one he did it with. She ignored her thoughts that screamed the contrary, and instead focused on eating her food.

At the end of their meal, he offered to take her home.

‘No, thanks. I’ll just get a taxi.’

‘That’s silly. It isn’t that far, and it’s unnecessary for you to pay—’ He stopped when he saw the look on her face. ‘What?’

‘I don’t want you to take me home,’ she said, because the alternative, I’d want to invite you in if you did, wasn’t appropriate.

‘Of course.’ He frowned, and stuffed cash inside the bill. ‘Can I at least call you that taxi?

She smiled her gratitude at his acceptance. ‘Sure.’

He waited with her for the taxi. Since Sakari was only a few kilometres from the sea she could smell it, and feel the chilly breeze it brought even in summer.

She shivered, and he glanced down at her. Without a word he took off his jacket and laid it over her shoulders. The action brought him face-to-face with her, and gently he pulled at the jacket, drawing her in so that she was pressed to his chest. She felt her breathing accelerate at the feel of his body against hers, at the look in his eyes when they rested on her face.

‘What is it about you that makes me forget who I am?’ he asked, his voice low and husky, and her skin turned to gooseflesh.

‘I could ask you the same thing,’ she responded, before she even knew what she was saying.

But their words only encouraged whatever was happening between them, she thought. Especially as they stood together, frozen in time, looking at each other. Neither of them moved—not away from each other, nor any closer—and Callie could feel the hesitation, the uncertainty that hung between them. She could also feel the want, the need, that kept them there despite the ambiguity of their feelings.

The longer she stood there, the more pressing her desire to kiss him became, and she moved forward, just a touch, so that their lips were a breath away from each other’s. His eyes heated and he leaned down. Callie closed her eyes, lost in anticipation of the kiss...

The sound of a car’s horn pierced the air and they jerked apart. She lost her balance, and was sure she would soon be landing on her butt, but a strong arm snaked around her waist and pulled her upright. Again she found herself in Blake’s arms, almost exactly as she had been a few moments before, but the magic had passed.

She cleared her throat. ‘Thanks for...um...saving me.’

‘Of course.’ His words were stilted. ‘I assume that’s your taxi?’

She turned and looked around and saw that the hoot had indeed come from a taxi. She closed her eyes in frustration and then turned back to him.

‘Yeah, it is. Thanks again.’ She gestured towards the restaurant and felt like an idiot. ‘And...um... I hope you feel more confident about the tour for the proposal now, having seen some of the stops.’

He stuffed his hands in his pockets. ‘I do. I enjoyed today. I’ll see you tomorrow.’

She nodded and smiled, and then awkwardly walked to the taxi, knowing he was still watching her. She lifted her hand as the taxi pulled away, and resisted the urge to look back at him.

* * *

‘Blake?’ Callie pushed open the conference room door and saw him sitting at the head of the table, where she’d found him the first time.

Was that only yesterday? she wondered, and nodded a greeting when he looked up.

‘Morning,’ Blake said, his tone brisk, and immediately Callie’s back went up. ‘Grab a seat and we can start talking about the proposal.’

Callie stood for a moment and wondered if this was a joke. There was no familiarity in his tone, no semblance of the man she’d spent the day with.

The man she had nearly kissed.

When he looked up at her expectantly she walked to a seat at the table and felt her temper ignite.

‘So, I’ve gone over your list of places—including the ones we saw yesterday.’

Oh, she thought, so he did remember it. ‘Yes...?’

‘I have some ideas on how to complement the business side of the proposal with the tour. Have a look at these and let me know what you think.’

Callie took the papers he offered her and began to look through them. But somehow she kept reading the same line over and over again.

What was wrong with him? He was treating her as he had after that welcoming event. Cold, brisk, professional. The aloof and unattainable boss. She knew she shouldn’t expect more from him—or anything from him, for that matter—but she’d hoped that their day yesterday, the things they’d learned about one another, the attraction they’d both felt, would have eased things between them. She didn’t want her spine to feel like steel from the tension in the room. And yet that was exactly what was happening.

She cleared her throat as she built up the nerve to address it. ‘Blake, did I upset you last night?’

He barely acknowledged that she was speaking, but she pushed on.

‘When I told you I didn’t want you to take me home? Or when we nearly—’

‘Callie, I don’t need you to explain anything. I just need you to read through the document and tell me your thoughts on it.’

He continued working on his laptop and didn’t see her jaw drop. Just as quickly as it had dropped, she closed it again. This wasn’t the man she’d spent the day with yesterday, she realised. Now she was dealing with her boss. The one who had made her feel as if she was dishonest and nosy when she’d first met him.

Suddenly all the regrets she’d had about not letting him take her home, about not kissing him, about not telling him more about herself faded away. All the questions she’d wanted to ask him about his mother, his father, the woman he wouldn’t talk about, no longer mattered.

She should be thanking him, she thought. He was saving her, really. She didn’t have to worry about developing feelings for him. She didn’t have to think about opening up to him. She didn’t have to open up to her boss. She could be just as brisk and aloof as he was.

‘Of course,’ she replied, and read through the document, making notes and ignoring the disappointment that filled her.

* * *

Blake threw his pen against the door five minutes after Callie had left for the day. It had been a week since their tour together. Seven days of complete torture, five of which she’d spent sitting across from him, answering all his questions politely, only speaking when it had to do with work.

And he’d done that. He’d pushed her away with his professionalism. The stupid professionalism that he’d prided himself on before Julia. No, he thought. He’d never been this bad before Julia. She’d made him into this cold person. This person who didn’t open up even when he wanted to.

He closed his eyes and leaned back in his chair. That wasn’t completely fair. Julia may have brought it out in him, but he’d made the decision to be cold. Just like now, when he’d decided that after the day they’d spent together—after he’d almost told her too much...after he’d almost kissed her—that Callie was too dangerous to his resolve to stay away from relationships.

So he’d ignored the fact that their day had meant something to him and dealt with her just as he dealt with any other employee. And each time he did, he could sense the animosity growing inside her.

She didn’t deserve this, he thought, and loosened the tie which seemed to be strangling him. She didn’t deserve to feel as if she had been the only one to want something more than professionalism.

But it had to be this way. Or else, if they started something, he might begin to need her—to want her and want things he’d forgotten about a long time ago. Julia had done a number on him, he knew, but he’d deserved it after the way he’d reacted to her. He’d been attracted to her like no one else before, and she’d had a sweet kid who’d needed a father.

He rubbed his hands over his face and thought about the first time he’d met Brent. He and Julia hadn’t been dating very long—perhaps a month—when she’d brought the boy to work with her because her babysitter for the school holidays was sick that day. Brent had been sitting with Julia at the table when Blake had got to the restaurant where they’d planned to have lunch. Blake had known Julia had a son, but hadn’t thought too much about it until he’d met the boy.

‘I’m glad you two finally get to meet,’ she’d said, her arm around her son’s chair. ‘Brent, this is the man that I’ve been telling you about.’

The boy had looked up with solemn eyes, and examined him for a long time. Then he’d asked Blake, ‘Are you going to be my new daddy?’

It had shocked him, and he’d resisted the urge to laugh nervously. But then he’d looked up into Julia’s eyes, seen what he’d wanted to see, and replied, ‘Maybe.’

He shook his head and stood now, his body tight from sitting at the table for the entire day. And from the direction of his thoughts. Being around Callie brought up all sorts of emotions inside him, and awakened memories he’d thought he’d put to rest.

Such as the fact that he had wanted to give that boy a family like the one he’d never had.

His mother had done a number on his father as well, and since then he and his father had always focused on their joint interests instead of on family. He’d never had a normal family situation. Just as he had told Callie.

Which was exactly why being professional with her was so important. He couldn’t afford to fall for her. She was everything he had tried to stay away from, and he’d already revealed things to her that he didn’t even think he’d known about himself.

It was the best decision to distance himself, Blake decided. And he didn’t question why it felt so wrong.