A soft smile touched his lips as he watched her. “Good.”
Her heart thumped in her chest.
“Come on,” he said, pulling her along. “We’ve got four more rows.”
Smiling by his side, she followed his lead to the next stall.
…
Damien walked through the sea of happy people around him. Everyone was enjoying one of the last of the warm evenings before fall arrived. He had to admit that while it wasn’t the direction he’d thought this evening would go, he wasn’t hating it as much as he’d first thought he would.
When Caitlyn had been cagey about their date plans tonight, his mind had gone straight to dirty activities. Never had it crossed his mind she’d want to take him out to see art. This world wasn’t one he normally spent much time in.
At least, not when others are around.
“Art” had always been a dirty word in his family. A waste of time. A frivolous talent.
No one outside of a few teachers here or there had ever encouraged him. Certainly no one he’d ever cared about.
He glanced down at the curly redhead by his side. She was from the same world as he was. She should have mocked his sketches when he’d showed them to her, not stared at them in wonder.
What is she doing to me?
She was the first person who had made him feel like his hobby was something to be proud of, rather than something to hide.
“Oh, look,” she exclaimed, her hand tightening on his. “Sketches.”
He dutifully followed along as she pulled him into a stall filled with framed pictures created with charcoal.
“These are beautiful,” she said to the proprietor, who smiled at them as they ducked into the small space.
“Thank you. Feel free to look around. Let me know if you have any questions,” the man said before turning back to the piece he’d been working on.
He glanced at the sketches crammed into every available inch of space in the stall.
“Look at this one,” Caitlyn said, pointing to a forest scene. “These are gorgeous.”
He studied the piece over her shoulder.
“I can get it for you,” he offered.
She laughed over her shoulder at him before rising to her tiptoes. “I’d rather have one of yours,” she whispered in his ear, sending a shiver down his spine.
“You can’t afford mine,” he teased.
“Hmm, perhaps I can come up with some sort of payment plan.” She pressed her body against his. “I wonder what it could be?”
He chuckled. “I’m sure we can come to an arrangement.”
Her grin was bright as she looked up at him. “Good. I want that one of the old man on the park bench.”
He arched a brow. “Not the one of you?”
A slow smile stretched her lips before she shook her head. “I want you to keep that one.”
As if he’d ever throw it away.
Waving goodbye to the artist, they moved away from the stall toward the next. As they checked out the different mediums, Damien felt the tension in his body drain away. Caitlyn was clearly anything but judgmental when it came to creative expression.
How is she real?
How did she grow up in the same world he did with such optimism still intact? Tonight, she smiled up at him without any guile or hesitation. Even he could see she was having fun, enjoying herself. Other women from their corporate bubble would have preferred a fancy dinner at a Michelin-starred restaurant to a stroll through the park. But not her.
She’s making me different, too.
He never would have made time to see something like this otherwise.
The thought should have triggered his usual panic when he got more than a few weeks into an affair.
But this time, the feeling never came.
What is she doing to me?
Because whatever it was, he sort of liked it.
When they reached the end of the final row, she pointed toward the makeshift bar that had been set up near the band that was playing before some folding tables and chairs.
“I’m going to run to the washroom. Grab me a beer?”
“On it.”
He got their drinks in no time before finding an empty table on the edge of the temporary patio. The indie band wasn’t terrible, though he couldn’t help wondering if they’d ever achieve more than this sort of casual concert.
I could have had a completely different life.
If he’d gone to art school instead of business school, he might be a different person right now.
I never would have met Caitlyn.
That alone was enough not to miss the path not taken.
Listening to the music, he lost track of time before his date bounded back to his side.
“Sorry I took a bit longer than I thought. I wanted to get you something.”
The words had both his brows rocketing toward his hairline.
In Caitlyn’s hands was a brown paper–wrapped package. For him.
“I can’t remember the last time someone gave me a present,” he said before he could call the words back.
Her lips parted on a silent O before sympathy welled in her eyes.
“We need to get you to stop saying such sad things,” she said, taking her seat and pulling her chair closer to his. “I’m going to make that a priority.”
He shook his head. “The things I say aren’t sad.”
She pressed a hand to his jaw. “They are when you hear them.” Handing over the package, she pulled back. “I think we should work on making better memories for you.”
Taking the gift, he turned it over in his hands for a moment before ripping into the brown wrapping.
“I wasn’t sure you’d like it,” she said as he pulled a leather-bound sketch pad from the paper. “But I thought this place might inspire you to start drawing again.”
He flipped the book open and ran his fingers over the thick white pages within.
No one’s ever given me a present like this.
Aside from that one nanny, he’d always been the one to buy his own supplies. God knew his parents never would have lifted a finger to help develop that particular talent.
“Do you like it?” she asked, making him realize he’d been silent too long. “We can probably get it traded for something else if you don’t.”
He gazed at her, noting the way she shifted nervously in her seat. Something warm flooded his chest at the sight.
God, I’ve done nothing to deserve her.
Reaching over to wrap a hand at her nape, he pulled her forward for a kiss. There were so many things he wanted to tell her. Things he’d never be able to say. But maybe she could feel them instead.
“Thank you,” he whispered against her lips. “I love it.”
Her smile took his breath away. “Really?”
“Really.”
She let out a puff of air. “I was worried this night would be a disaster and you’d never let me plan a date again.”
“Crisis averted, cupcake.”
“Ah, sweet relief.” She took a sip of her drink, glancing around the little beer garden. “It’s such a pretty night.”
“Without you, I would have spent it holed up in my office working.”
“Me too,” she admitted. “My VP has to remind me to take breaks.”
“You think any of the people in this audience are Fortune 500 CEOs?”
She snorted. “I very much doubt it. Our competitors don’t really go for scenes like this.”
He gazed at her. “Their loss.”
She moved her chair even closer, so their shoulders touched. “It would have been my loss, too, if you hadn’t shown up on my doorstep months ago.”
He took her hand, running his fingers lightly over her palm. “Two weeks was as long as I could stay away from you.”
She rolled her eyes. “I’m not that hard to resist.”
“You are from where I’m sitting.”
Those big green eyes shifted his way.
&
nbsp; “It wasn’t the chase, you know,” he said, brushing the pad of his thumb against her mouth. “This wasn’t about the rivalry or winning at something. I turned up at your house because I couldn’t stand thinking about you for another second when I could be touching you instead.”
She caught his hand in hers. “If you hadn’t shown up at my door, I would have ended up at yours eventually.”
“Is that so?”
“Definitely. Don’t tell Shireen. She totally called all this.”
“Your secret is safe with me.”
If only he could promise all her secrets were safe the way any other couple could.
The companies are a problem.
But what was the solution?
“So is yours. About the sketching, I mean.” Her fingers trailed over his jaw. “And just for the record, whether you want to be an artist or a CEO, I like any and all versions of you.”
His chest tightened. “Thank you.”
She melted in his arms as he caught her lips with his. The kiss was light, given the audience around them, but he couldn’t help needing to touch her.
Somehow the last woman he should ever want had become someone he dreaded to be without.
What a dangerous notion for a Reid and a Brooks.
Chapter Sixteen
Caitlyn had spent the last hour of her busy day staring at one thing.
A key lay on the dark wood of her office desk.
Such an innocuous object to cause such stress.
This morning Damien had tossed it to her over coffee. When she’d stared at him in mute shock, he’d shrugged and told her given how many nights she was over there these days, there was no need to make her wait in the hall.
She had to admit he had a point. They rarely spent a night apart anymore, opting to crash at one of their homes depending on who had the earlier morning. A second toothbrush now resided in her bathroom, and she’d strategically hidden a hair straightener at his. They’d agreed to keep their respective studies locked and off-limits to protect their companies’ well-being, and since that promise, she’d no longer thought twice about having her lover in her home.
A key isn’t casual. A key means this relationship is a hell of a lot more than temporary.
Didn’t it?
She picked up the key, turning it over in her hands.
It should bother her, having someone in her space so often. She’d never considered giving any of her other flames a key to her home. Usually she preferred to keep some distance between her and her partners.
But no part of her wanted to hold Damien at arm’s length.
Is the feeling mutual?
She had the sensation that something was clicking into place, rather than the usual suffocation she associated with relationships.
He doesn’t tell you to work less. He enjoys that you can be ruthless. Everything you like about yourself he likes, too, because we’re far too similar for our own good.
She hadn’t thought she needed that sort of connection, but Damien was proving her wrong.
I should stop at a locksmith on the way home.
If they were keying each other, then she would return the favor. There was no stopping the butterflies that erupted in her stomach at the thought.
Luckily, her cell rang, interrupting her musings.
Checking the caller ID, she answered. “Hi, Mom.”
“Your dad and I are coming over for dinner.”
She smiled. And people wondered where she got her forthrightness from.
“Okay. Any particular reason?”
“You have a nicer garden than we do, and I want to BBQ.”
“Fair enough. I can stop at the store on my way home and get some burgers.”
“Already handled. We’ll be cooking when you get home.”
“You know, emergency keys are for, well, emergencies.”
“I desperately need a properly grilled burger?”
“Nice try, Mom.”
She sighed. “I just thought with the weather being nice we should take advantage of it.”
Of the nice days we have left.
She swallowed before nodding. “You know you’re always welcome. Make use of my kitchen and grill however you want.”
“I knew I raised you right.”
“It’s rather self-serving for me to agree.”
“We’ll see you when you’re home, honey. Don’t rush. I know where everything is.”
She pulled up her calendar as her mother spoke, checking her afternoon appointments. “I can be home by seven,” she said. “Make mine a cheeseburger.”
Her mother laughed. “Anyone who knows you knows you’re a cheese addict.”
A knock sounded on her door.
“Mom, I need to run,” she said as her VP stepped into her office.
“I have heard that sentence many a time. Go do what you need to. Food will be waiting when you come home.”
“Love you. See you later.” As she disconnected, she thought of her partner.
I should text Damien a warning.
He’d want to avoid her place tonight.
But the thought was fleeting at the dire expression on her VP’s face.
“What’s going on?”
Jeremy shook his head. “I’m not sure. But I want your authorization to look into the new Q11 drug.”
“The one R&D pushed the release timelines on?” she asked. “Why? What’s happened?”
“I don’t know yet. There may be issues with the third-party lab we used to outsource the test trials.”
“Dammit,” she said, rising to her feet. “I told you we needed to keep testing in-house.”
“We can’t afford to,” he replied. “And there’s nothing to worry about yet. I just want to dig a little deeper before we release the drug.”
She shot him a glare. “If you have any qualms whatsoever, shut the release down. The last thing we need is untested drugs hitting the market because we skipped a step. That’s a malpractice lawsuit waiting to happen.”
“I will. Promise. Give me two weeks to investigate.”
“You’ve got one, and I want a summary report in my hands before I leave tonight. Get me answers. Now.”
He inclined his head and backed out of the room without an argument.
A sure sign something is wrong.
She pinched the bridge of her nose.
I’m doing a good job running the company. I am.
Illicit enemy affair aside.
Just take it a day at a time.
And hope her decisions didn’t have long-term consequences.
…
Damien ran his hands through his hair, reminding himself murder was illegal.
“But your mother has advised us that—” his head of R&D stuttered.
“My mother has no power over this company,” he replied, his voice cool.
His research head swallowed. “She told me we needed to cut costs in production and increase our drug prices.”
She’s going to steer us over a cliff.
“Ignore her. Do not use lower-quality materials and don’t worry about our pricing structure. I’ll handle it. Just focus on making our drugs the best and safest choice on the market. That is your only goal.”
“But—”
“There are no buts here. Ignore everything my mother told you and do not bring it up again.”
The man actually bowed in his haste to leave.
What have you gotten me into this time, Mother?
He’d bet his salary it was nothing good.
She might have been the right woman for Father after all.
He leaned back in his chair, staring at his closed door.
His father had been ruthless, and he’d picked a mate with morals that matched his own.
Caitlyn would never put profit over people’s health.
No, it hadn’t taken long to see she approached their industry with a different mind-set entirely. She was in this for the science, not the money.
Because she’s searching for a cure that doesn’t exist.
And her father’s illness was fueling an R&D quest he’d never imagined.
He ran a finger along his lips. Socially, he’d applaud the millions she was funneling into cancer research. But privately, it stepped on a lot of his toes.
Only one company can sell a cure.
Reid Enterprises needed to be that entity.
His sigh was long and drawn out. Needing to hear a friendly voice, he grabbed his cell and called up a number.
“Is this a wedding invite or do you need to drink?” Spencer asked when he picked up.
“Hello to you, too,” he said drily.
“Question still stands.”
“What if I was calling to catch up with you?”
“You call when you need something. So do I. It’s our thing. That’s why I call so often.”
“I’m not getting married.”
“Aw, Red losing her touch?”
“She’s…” He stopped himself. “This isn’t why I called.”
“Don’t care. For the first time in our adult lives, I can tease you about a girl. No way I’m letting that pass. I’ll see a planetary alignment before I see this again.”
“Flattering. I definitely shouldn’t have told you I slept with her at the conference.”
“Ten bucks says you’re still doing it.”
“Spence—”
“I’m right, aren’t I?”
He sighed.
“Pay up. Okay, how have you screwed this up already?”
“What makes you think I did? I was calling to pick your brain on a production problem.”
“Uh-huh.”
Damien shook his head. “Nothing is wrong. That’s the problem.”
“Not following.”
“We spend almost every night together. She’s starting to leave things at my place. Usually when that happens I feel…”
“Panicked. Suffocated. Bored.”
“All of the above.”
He could almost hear Spencer smile. “But not with her, I take it.”
“I can’t date my rival.”
“Why not?”
“Be serious.”
“I am. Think about it. How many players are there in the pharmaceutical world? Dozens at a bare minimum. In the grand scheme of things, your two companies don’t matter all that much.”
“That’s uncharacteristically optimistic of you. Suffer any head trauma recently?”
Catching the CEO (Billionaire's Second Chance) Page 12
