“Oh no.
Nooo…”
For a moment her mind blanked. Not one thought filtered through, the tsunami had crested and sheer panic had rendered her dumb, deaf and blind. Somehow she had to make it to the door, without incident or total meltdown.
Have to make it out. Have to save Dare from going to jail after he murders Victor. No, I mean I have to save Victor from being murdered.
She just had to
move.
Now. The only problem was her expertly fitted dress came right above the knee, not allowing her to take the full-length stride she needed to bolt for the office. Tiny step, tiny step, pause, tiny step…
Damn this dress
.
She managed to excuse herself with something that sounded like
blahedy, blah blah,
but since no one stopped her, she figured it was good enough. Numbness was suddenly replaced by fury. How dare Victor come here? Just when she’d created something good, just as she was on the precipice of making something of herself.
Just when she’d finally gotten close to someone.
Little did she know a too tight dress was the least of her problems.
Chapter 31
‡
“Y
EAH.
I
’VE SEEN
her.” Dare stood outside Ms. Belle’s school, just at the top of the steps. He stood with his arms crossed, not budging an inch.
No way, I’m letting this asshole in.
Wonder how long it’ll take him to notice the hostility?
Coming from a dog-eat-dog childhood, it always amazed Dare how clueless some guys were. Every situation, every new encounter of his teenage years, had him asking the question, can I take him or can he take me? It was a lesson too long engrained, and it was a code he still lived by.
This guy? Privilege leaked out of every designer pore, from his Rolex down to his shiny shoes. He didn’t have a clue, didn’t realize that the man in front of him wanted to beat him to a pulp. If that was what privilege caused, Dare wanted no part of it.
“Great.” Moron pushed back his sunglasses, still not bothering to meet Dare in the eye. He took a step forward, up the first step, still about a foot beneath Dare and if he’d kept going, he would have run smack into his chest. Finally, he looked up and frowned. The irritated gesture was quickly replaced by a phony smile. “Is she here?”
“Yup.”
Moron looked down at his watch and squinted at Dare with one eye, a nervous laugh escaping. “You gonna let me in?”
“Nope.” Now he’d gotten his attention.
Moron raked his gaze over Dare, taking in the narrowed gaze and crossed arms. “Why not?” His temper made his words sound shrill.
Dare felt triumphant. This was the real him, not the cheesy con man who thought he could cover everything up with a smile. Dare had no doubt this loser was a captain of industry, probably some kind of hedge fund operator that’d bilked people out of millions. Or would eventually. He was just the type. “Don’t feel like it.”
Moron’s eyes narrowed, but the negotiator was back in place in seconds. “Look, man. I don’t have a lot of time. I’ve got a really important meeting coming up, so I have to make this quick. You understand what I mean?”
Dare didn’t bother to answer. Appealing to common decency didn’t work if the person you were dealing with didn’t feel like being decent. And he didn’t. Not with this prick. Caelen was too important. He would tear down the stars to make her his. Or to protect her.
Moron gave a tense laugh. “Come on, man, I come in peace. I’m trying to win over my girl. If you could just let me in—”
Dare saw red. “Don’t. Call. Her. That.”
He looked startled. “Don’t call her—What? My girl?” His ground his teeth and got all splotchy in the face, but still hadn’t taken a step forward. “What the hell do you know about it?”
“You did it again. Second strike. Third one’s the charm.”
Just give me the excuse. Please give me the excuse
. A small part of Dare acknowledged that fighting with Victor would only hurt him in the long run, but surely it would be worth it. The smile on his face froze in place when he remembered his promise.
I can’t hit him
. He unclenched his hands as the thought filtered through.
Then darker thoughts crept in. Maybe Caelen had asked this douche to come over. Had they set up the meeting? Just because she’d made love to him last night didn’t mean they were together. She’d promised him nothing.
“Or what? What are you going to do to me, asshole?
Where to begin?
All of the bloody possibilities flashed like home movies through his overactive mind.
Moron had worked himself into a fine lather, spluttering and spitting. He looked like a rabid Chihuahua. “Do you know who I am? Do you know who I work for? If you so much as lay one finger on me I will have the cops here in
seconds
to haul your ass off to jail. You hear me?” The idiot continued his rant, crossing back and forth in front of the steps, but never coming closer.
What a coward. All prick, no balls.
Hell.
Moron wouldn’t lay a hand on him, and for all of Dare’s rage, he would not strike the man first. He couldn’t go that far back on his principles. And damn it to hell, even if Caelen’d set up the meeting, he didn’t want to go back on a promise. So that just left a lot of chatter. Dare realized the idiot was waiting for a response. He hadn’t even heard half of what he’d said. But he still knew one thing for sure. “You’re still not getting in.”
“I don’t have
time
for this shit.”
The click of the front door opening and the faint whiff of Caelen’s unique scent, caught his attention. It was all he could focus on. Her smell. He ratcheted up, tighter. What would she do? Who would she choose?
She’d promised him nothing, yet he’d given her everything.
Caelen stepped forward, directly behind Dare, and the ranting lunatic hadn’t even noticed. She placed a soft hand against his shoulder and his bunched muscles loosened, just a bit. Still, she said nothing.
“I can’t believe you dated this prick.”
Caelen sighed long and low. “I need to talk to him.”
Her statement was like a spike to the chest. “No.”
“Alone, Goldie.”
“No.”
Come
on.”
He didn’t care that he had no claim. He didn’t care that they had a temporary agreement, he would not leave her alone with this asshole. What if he hurt her? What if he made her cry again? His chest became tight.
What if she picks him over you,
an insidious whisper skittered through his brain.
Just like Janie.
“Caelen.
Finally.”
The moron looked like he was about to launch into another rant, but then caught himself. Cue the smarmy smile. “Baby. I’ve been trying to reach you. This…” he gestured toward Dare, and Dare couldn’t resist leaning menacingly forward. He jumped back.
“Guy
wouldn’t let me in.” Victor’s neck was bulging, blue-green veins pulsing with agitation. “I need to talk to you.”
Caleen stepped back and damn if Dare didn’t feel the loss of her soft palm. It made his Goddamn chest hurt.
“Goldie, I need to talk to him. And then after, I need to talk to you.”
Not gonna look back. Not gonna do it.
Now who was the coward? Caelen’s softly spoken request cut him in half, because he didn’t know what it meant. Talk to him and then follow it up with the breakup, the deathblow? He just didn’t have the balls to turn around and try to gauge the answer from her expression. So he stepped to the side and let her pass.
*
D
ON’T PANIC.
Too late. Before her was a living, breathing nightmare. Dare and Victor, face to face, both men pissed and ready to brawl. Not that it would be a competition. Dare would wipe the floor with Victor. Tear him limb from limb. But he’d hate himself afterward. Once again, her stupidity was hurting the people she loved most.
All she could concentrate on was getting rid of Victor and talking to Dare. She walked past quickly, but before she spoke to her ex, she glanced back at Dare. He looked like a stone soldier, arms folded, muscles bunched, his face set in harsh lines. But his eyes? They were alive. She was lost to the intensity of the emotion. God, he was pissed. But so,
so
beautiful in his intensity.
Caelen blinked, realizing that he was… dressed up. A crisp, white button-down shirt was tucked into charcoal slacks that hugged his muscular thighs. His hair was styled, sweeping off the front of his face. His clean-shaven face highlighted the strong jaw and killer dimples. “You look… amazing,” she breathed.
A slight shrug was his only reply. He wouldn’t look at her, instead he kept his calm, intent gaze locked on Victor.
This is not good.
“Dare, I promise I will talk to you right after this. And wait.
Shoot!
I forgot about—Well, there’s another situation I have to handle in Ms. Belle’s office. But I promise,
right after that,
you and I will talk. Okay? Just give us a minute.”
“Goddamn it, Caelen. I’m standing right here, and you haven’t even looked at me.”
Caelen spun around, realizing Victor was right; she hadn’t looked at him. And now she did. For the first time, in the harsh light of the afternoon sun, she really saw the man she thought she had wanted to marry. Handsome, with graying temples and eyes with smile lines on the side, he looked petulant. With flowers and a Tiffany bag in tow, he presented like an impeccably dressed conman, ready to manipulate the situation to his advantage.
It was a side of him he’d shown her before, but she’d always made excuses for him, told herself it wasn’t the
real
him. Now she knew, if she chose to go back to Victor, this would be her future. The idea of it scared the shit out of her, and with a final snip the tenuous threads that’d connected them snapped and fluttered away.
Again, she looked to Dare and tried one more time. “Give us a minute. I’ll be right in.”
Dare looked disgusted, but after a long pause, he turned toward the large door.
“You don’t have to explain anything to him! Who the hell is this guy, anyway?” Victor asked.
Caelen made it down the last step, scowling at Victor who was now focused on Dare, probably because Dare was leaving. All of a sudden, he’d gotten real brave. “He’s none of your business.”
“None of my business? Why are you acting like this? Does it have something to do with him?” His eyes narrowed, and he looked from one to the other. “Are you fucking him? Are you fucking this piece of shit?”
The rest happened simultaneously in hyper speed and super slow motion. Dare spun and was down the steps in seconds, ready to beat the life out of Victor. He, in turn, took a few steps back, but was unprepared for the assault, tripping on his own feet in his haste to get away. Caelen, on the other hand, felt like she was moving through molasses with a really tight dress on. All she knew was she had to stop Dare, had to stop him from ruining the rest of his life.
“No. Stop!” Caelen half-shuffled, half-ran and right before Dare would have been up in Victor’s face, she took a running jump, pell-mell, straight into Dare’s arms.
Luckily, he was strong. He took the brunt of the force, wrapping steely arms around her as he stumbled backwards, tripping on the middle step, and falling flat on his ass with Caelen in his arms.
At this point, everybody was on the ground.
All of them were slightly out of breath. Dare looked over her shoulder, pulverizing Victor with his eyes as he said to her, “Still protecting the moron?”
“Moron? That’s the best you can come up with, huh?” Caelen took his face in her hands. “Listen to me, you idiot. He’s nobody. I’m not going to let you throw your life away for him. You promised you wouldn’t hit him.”
Dare flicked a dismissive glance toward Victor. “I wouldn’t have until he started disrespecting you.”
“Once again, I am
right fucking here.
I won’t be ignored!” Victor shouted as he awkwardly jumped to his feet.
Neither of them paid him any attention. “Goldie, I’m trying to get rid of him. How can I prove that?”
Finally, Dare swung his gaze away from Victor and concentrated on her lips. “Kiss me.”
“What? Right here? Right now?”
“Yeah. Right now.”
Caelen knew the request was some sort of macho move that only Victor and Dare understood. They might as well whip out rulers and start measuring dick size. But she was so happy that Dare was still seated that she didn’t even care. Leaning forward, she whispered, “I think you had your one kiss for the day, but I will make an exception in this case.” Instead of going in deep, she settled her lips against Dare’s, reveling in the warmth, sinking further into his arms.
“You feel so good.” Dare breathed into her mouth.
Victor continued to spew profanities in the background, and right smack in the middle of the softest kiss of her life, Victor said two words that he couldn’t come back from.
“Fucking cunt.”
Dare didn’t utter a word. His muscles tensed, and Caelen grabbed his face again. “No.
No.
Enough. He’s just goading you.”
“He can’t talk to you like that!” His voice roared. He stood, deposited her next to him on the steps and moved quickly toward Victor.
The color in Victor’s face seemed to drop to his feet—he was as white as a ghost. He backed up, quickly, and actually started running away.
“Goddamn it! Don’t make me chase you, you son of a…”
“I am calling the fucking cops! Stay the fuck away from me!” Victor called over his shoulder, his phone glued to his ear.
Caelen launched forward and grabbed onto the back of Dare’s crisp shirt. She held for dear life as she pleaded, “Please don’t fight because of me. I’m not totally innocent in all of this. He’ll sue you, me, the
school.
He doesn’t care. And if he does that, it’ll be all my fault.” Her breath caught in her throat. “I’m not worth it.”
He spun around, his fists still bunched. His eyes… The heat, the
fury
in them was enough to make a girl faint. “You’re worth everything,” he whispered fiercely, his voice raw with emotion.
“Everything.”