“Damien…”
“Get to know me. Away from the office.”
“Why would I want to?”
She felt him smile against her skin.
“Because you intrigue me. Can you really tell me it’s not the same for you?”
The honest words rocked her. Her jaw dropped as he leaned back to view her expression.
“It’s only dinner,” he teased. “Scared?”
“Not on your life.”
“Perfect. I’ll pick you up at eight.”
Well played, Reid.
“Fine.”
He grinned. “I love your enthusiasm.”
“If this turns your head, just wait till tonight.”
A laugh escaped him. “Oh, I will.”
Trying to rally her defenses, she lifted her chin. “You should let me go or we’ll miss our session.”
“Would that be so bad?”
No.
“Yes.”
“All right, Caitlyn. You win.”
But as he stepped back, his hand sliding away from her waist, she didn’t feel victorious at all.
…
What possessed me to ask her to dinner?
Damien glanced across the crowded ballroom toward Caitlyn. She’d pointedly walked in the opposite direction he’d turned when they’d arrived at the workshop together. He’d let her escape, knowing they could probably use a breather from the hallway.
He should be trying to concentrate on his company. Not seducing a rival.
But what a tasty rival she is.
Which was true without a doubt. That’s not all there is to this, though.
No, if she was just another attractive woman, he’d have no trouble putting her from his mind. But for all her stubborn pride, there was more to her than the facade she showed the business world.
His mind circled back to the night before at the bar. When he’d leaned closer, there’d been something in her gaze that had captivated him. That tempting mix of vulnerability and uncertainty that he had never noticed before.
Because I didn’t bother to look?
In their previous dealings, he’d been more than happy to enjoy the sexy, spitfire package she presented. That was, when he didn’t want to growl in frustration at her refusal to ever do what he wanted.
But last night…
Something changed.
And today, with her in his arms for the first time, it hadn’t been business on his mind.
Be careful.
He had no intention of getting caught up in any useless emotional turmoil. It was a weakness he could never afford. He had to stay focused on what mattered—the company his family had created.
Still, his eyes drifted back to that familiar red hair.
For the first time in longer than he cared to remember he was…eager about something. About her.
His life had fallen into a predictable pattern. The company was stable, and the board was excellent at their job. These days he did little more than act as a guiding force, directing those who followed him through the sometimes-choppy waters of the pharmaceutical world. When he left the office, he went home to an empty penthouse he shared only with a housekeeper twice a week. Not that there was anything wrong with that.
It’s not like he was ever bored. It took less than no effort to find company when he wanted it. A smile here, a flash of a black card there, and women flocked to his side. They wanted what he did. Hot nights with no attachment. An amicable parting over breakfast neither minded.
Not once had anyone wormed their way under his skin. Not the way Caitlyn had without even trying.
Dinner is a bad idea.
The last thing he needed was to have her on his mind more often. She should be an afterthought to him. An annoying fly to be swatted out of the way as he advanced his empire.
Instead, his thoughts were all on her. The presenter on the stage in front of him might as well have been speaking in another language for all the attention he paid.
I could cancel.
But that would be running. And—like her—he refused to back down.
What harm is there in a single meal?
He might even learn something new. She was not as trained in business as he was. There was always the chance she’d slip and tell him something he could use when he got back to the city.
His gut twisted at the thought.
Am I really so cold?
His father would be proud.
Forcing his attention away from Caitlyn, he did his best to concentrate on the workshop. He’d come here to learn.
You could learn what she tastes like.
His hands fisted by his sides. He’d shrugged off her offer to avoid each other this week, but in hindsight it might have been the wiser course of action.
Go back to Boston and find someone warm and willing to purge Caitlyn from your mind.
It’s what any of his friends would counsel him to do. But when he thought of calling another woman, every drop of desire in his body vanished.
This is bad.
Caitlyn could not become his addiction. He needed to be better than that.
Just get through one meal and then admit she was right. You need to stay away from her.
For both their sakes.
Because whatever this inconvenient lust was, it wouldn’t change the reality that waited for them back home. And he’d do well to remember there was no point in growing closer to a woman he might have to crush.
Chapter Five
“This is such a bad idea, and with my track record that’s saying something,” Caitlyn said.
Shireen laughed, perched on the king bed. “Should have thought about that before you said yes to dinner.”
“What was I supposed to do? Say, ‘thanks for saving me but I don’t want anything to do with you’?”
“Sure. If any word you just said was true.”
Caitlyn glared at her from around the bathroom door before turning back to the mirror, brushing invisible lint off her navy dress.
“What do you think?” she asked, walking back into the bedroom.
Shireen looked her over with a critical eye. “Perfect for a funeral. Planning to kill him tonight?”
Sighing, she went back to the closet.
“What you wore yesterday was pretty.”
“He’s already seen that dress,” she muttered.
“What?” Shireen sat up. “You never said.”
“You were busy with drinks, and we sort of…bumped into each other. That’s all.”
Her friend frowned. “You’re sure you hate this man, right?”
“Yes.”
“Do you usually date people you don’t like?”
“It’s not really a date. It’s just…”
I have no idea what this is.
“A meal,” she settled for.
Shireen rolled her eyes. “I saw a flirty red dress in there. Wear that and knock his socks off.”
She reached into the closet for the dress in question. It was tighter than the navy one she now wore. Hell, it’d only made the trip because she knew Shireen had a penchant for dragging her on epic nights out.
“Wear it, and he definitely won’t think you’re intimidated by him. In a dress like that, you could have any man you wanted.”
No, I can’t.
Because the man she wanted was the only one she shouldn’t have.
Rolling back her shoulders, she nodded. The dress might be a showstopper, but she rather liked the idea of starting this evening with the upper hand.
“Deal,” she said, taking the dress into the bathroom to change.
When she reemerged, Shireen whistled in approval.
“Damn girl, you clean up well.”
She patted her chest. “With breasts like these, every dress looks risqué.”
Grabbing her purse and slipping into her heels, she spun before the full-length closet mirror for one last check.
Shireen’s not wrong.
She did look good
in her outfit.
What will Damien think?
She’d love to make his jaw drop just once. Whenever he was around, she always felt off-balance. How amazing would it feel to turn the tables on him?
“Not that I’m one to shy away from a little fun, but can I ask a big-picture question here?”
She glanced at her friend. “Go for it.”
“What are you two doing?”
She shrugged. “Beats me.”
“Is this about selling your company?”
“Definitely not.”
Shireen frowned. “Is this about getting him in bed?”
“Also no.”
“Then…”
“I don’t have an answer for you, Shireen.” Because she honestly didn’t know. She’d agreed to dinner because he was right.
She’d wanted to.
The man bothered her like no one else could, but that didn’t change the fact that she noticed when he walked into a room. The workshop they’d shared today had been torture, trying to focus on the stage while she could feel the weight of his gaze on her.
She didn’t know what would come of tonight. If anything. But she knew for the first time in months she was intrigued by something. Someone.
A knock sounded on her door.
“Time’s up,” Shireen said, jumping to her feet. “Go, go, I’ll hang up the other dress and make sure everything is locked when I leave.”
“Thanks,” she said, heading for the door.
She took one deep breath before pulling it open.
Damien waited on the other side. His gaze ran over her in a slow, thorough study before rising to her face. Those normally cool eyes were liquid heat by the time she met his gaze.
“Have I mentioned how much I love the color red?” he said in greeting.
“Really? I could still change.”
A grin curved his lips. “I have a feeling you’d look great in anything.”
Or nothing.
The unspoken words hung between them, heating her cheeks even though she tried to remain aloof.
“Ready?” he asked.
As I’ll ever be.
Stepping from the room, she pulled the door closed behind her.
“Where are we going?”
“I made a reservation. Hope you like French.”
“Love it.”
She tried to ignore the butterflies in her stomach as they headed for the elevator. But there was no ignoring the searing heat of his hand brushing against her back as they stepped into the waiting elevator.
What am I doing? This is such a bad idea.
But it was too late to turn back now. For better or worse, she had to see this evening through.
And hope she got out of it unscathed.
…
He’d known he’d made a mistake the second she opened her door.
Did she have to look so devastatingly sexy?
He’d tried his best to keep his hands off her during their car ride to the restaurant, but he hadn’t been totally successful. There was just no way to stop himself from brushing her arm or touching her back when he had the opportunity.
You’re playing with fire.
That was going to burn them both.
The restaurant he’d picked had seemed like a good idea at the time, but now that they were here, he eyed the romantic twinkle lights and intimate setting with chagrin.
What’s the alternative? Take her to a fast food truck?
The better question was, what the hell did he think he was doing? He had no game plan here. Him, the master predictor who was always two steps ahead of the market. Asking her out had been a whim, something he rarely gave in to. And now they were both stuck.
He glanced at his date, noting how she shifted in her seat. She was no more comfortable with this than he was. Racking his brain, he tried to come up with something to break the tension.
But Caitlyn, of course, beat him to the punch.
“This is weird,” she said with a sigh.
His lips twitched. “Yeah.”
“Should we just call it?”
He should jump at the chance to take the free pass she offered. But when he opened his mouth to accept, different words came out.
“We both need to eat. Unless you want to go.”
She chewed on her lower lip, and he couldn’t help but be captivated by the nervous motion.
Finally, she shook her head. “You’re right. We’re here. Let’s push through.”
“One thing you are excellent for, cupcake, is keeping my ego in check.”
Her eyes narrowed at the nickname. He should have stopped teasing her years ago but found he enjoyed her reactions too much to quit.
In fact, he enjoyed far too many things about her. The feeling of her in his arms this morning hadn’t left his mind all day.
“We can’t really talk about work or we’ll end up fighting,” she said.
He shrugged. “It’s a date. I don’t usually discuss corporate matters on dates. And if you do, I’d recommend adjusting your game.”
She glared at him. “It’s not a date. It’s an…”
“Uncomfortable dinner between rivals?”
She blinked before a slow smile curved her full lips. “Precisely.”
Beautiful.
She really was. When she wasn’t snapping his head off or trying to screw up his business deals.
She leaned forward, crossing her arms on the table in a way he’d bet she didn’t know pushed her breasts forward. He shifted as certain parts of his anatomy reacted to the sight in a way he wished he could control.
“If work is off the table, then tell me something else,” she said.
“What do you want to know?”
She shrugged. “I never really paid much attention to the Reids before I took over for my dad. What did you do before that?”
“Before you became a charming thorn in my side?”
Her grin was faster this time. “Yep.”
“There’s not much to tell,” he said. “I was groomed to take my father’s place, and when he died, I did.”
She blinked. “That might be the saddest sentence I’ve ever heard.”
Something in his chest twisted, but he ignored the strange sensation. “I assure you, it really isn’t.”
“You must miss him.”
“Sometimes.” Mostly he tried not to think of the past.
“My dad—” She stopped. Swallowing, she shook her head. “I just meant, you have my condolences.”
He hesitated for a moment, unsure how welcome his question would be. Or how personal he wanted this evening to become.
“Is he doing better?” he asked at last.
She looked down. “Cancer,” she said. “Stage four now.”
“I’m sorry.”
“He spent his life trying to cure others, and now he’s dying from an incurable disease. How ironic is that?”
“Some things we can’t fix, even with all our science.”
She nodded. “He said something similar when we got the news.”
“You’ve got the world on your shoulders.”
Her expression closed. “I’m still not selling,” she said, clearly misconstruing his words.
“I didn’t ask you to.”
Those expressive green eyes rose to his.
“My labs don’t have anything that would help,” he said. “I’d tell you if I did.”
That brought a half smile to her face. “You’d tell me about a cancer cure that would make you untold billions just because I needed it?”
Of course not. That would be corporate suicide. I would never—
“Yes.” The word slipped from his lips before he could call it back. And when it did, he knew he’d spoken the truth. The pain in her eyes was heartbreaking. It unsettled him in a way that made him want to make it better.
It took her two tries before she said, “Thank you. Whatever else happens with our companies…thank you for that.” She cleared her throat, reaching
for her wine. “Let’s change the subject, shall we? Did you want to take over the company? You must have dreamed of being something else as a kid.”
“Astronaut,” he said with a grin, following her lead.
“Cowboy,” she replied, pointing at herself.
“We’re both a long way off.”
“You could always quit and give NASA a call.”
“Ladies first.”
She smiled. “I didn’t think I wanted anything to do with the company when I was little, but now that I’m here…”
“No place you’d rather be.”
She saluted him with her glass. “Same boat, huh?”
“Seems like.”
“I used to resent the company, you know. My dad was never home when I was growing up. The lab was his life. And then one breakthrough led to another, and we just kept growing and evolving. He built something incredible from nothing.”
“I know what you mean. I was raised by nannies,” he said.
“Where was your mom?”
He shrugged. “Wherever she wanted to be, I suppose. She travels a lot. I think we do better with an ocean between us. She’s home now, and it can be…trying.”
“So much about you is beginning to make sense.”
He grinned. “Careful, if you try to psychoanalyze me, you might be surprised by what you find. I don’t need anyone.”
She leaned her chin in one hand. “Yeah, me neither,” she said. “Sucks sometimes, doesn’t it?”
His smile slipped away along with his humor. She didn’t drop her gaze, merely watched him with calm green eyes.
Eyes that saw more than he was comfortable with.
“Yes,” he finally said before taking a long sip of wine. “It does.”
And it seemed like the only person who’d ever noticed that about him was the one person who shouldn’t be looking his way.
…
The silence was heavy between them.
Caitlyn studied him, noting she’d succeeded in her goal of unsettling him at least once. The sight should make her feel victorious, but instead all she felt was a strange kinship with the man across the table.
What am I doing here?
The last thing she wanted was to form even more of a connection with Damien. Yet it seemed she couldn’t help herself. She wanted to learn more about him. Wanted to see how many other shared experiences they might have had. In her line of work, she was always chasing after the rest of the pack. Female CEOs were few and far between, and more often than not she found herself on the outside of the old boys’ club looking in.
Catching the CEO (Billionaire's Second Chance) Page 4
