Rising on shaky legs, I walked to the ladies’ room. It wasn't a graceful exit, nor a brave one, but I could not make my mind cooperate and help me understand what was even happening.
I splashed cold water on my face and gazed at my reflection in the mirror. Wasn't this what I had wanted? For LJ to show up and woo me back? I couldn't shake the understanding look in Caden’s eyes, though. I was a woman. I was supposed to want two men to try to win my heart. I just didn't know which one I wanted to win this battle. I didn't know which one I even wanted to explain things to when I got back to the table. And damn Graham. Why would he cross his brother like this?
I couldn't stay in the bathroom any longer without drawing concern, so I closed my eyes and took a deep breath and walked back out. As I approached the door to the patio, my heart was beating faster than I had ever experienced before, as I wondered what they would be talking about when I got there. I realized, after another four steps, that I didn’t need to worry about them talking. Only LJ was left at the table.
“LJ, how did you find me? Where have you been? Why did you leave me?” The questions I'd been wanting to ask coming pouring out with my tears.
“Cara, my beautiful Car,” he reached toward my hand, and as I turned away, he searched to meet my eyes, “I was so wrong. I'm so sorry. I asked at the gym, and one of the instructors said you came here—I’ve been asking for you at every hotel. We are so good together, and I got scared. But I'm here now, and I'm never going to leave you again. You are my everything.”
Tears flowed down my face, but I didn't even care. The person who I’d known I would spend the rest of my life with was back for me. And he was sorry. What more could I ask for?
Caden’s eyes flashed back in my mind. He was everything that LJ wasn't. He was worldly, kind, less social, but more introspective and romantic. And he wanted me to trust him. He had begun to trust me, and I had let him down. Caden hadn't even stayed to try to see my side of what happened. Who knew what LJ had said to Graham. There was no going back.
“Let me take you home, Cara. Let's go back to our home,” LJ pleaded.
“I can't just leave. I still have a room reserved for tonight. I also need to get my bill here,” I stumbled over words as I tried to put thoughts together.
“Your new guy friend paid the tab for you two,” LJ snorted. “Don't worry, I forgive you. I know why you went on a date with him. We will make it all better.”
Hesitantly, I glanced at the beach that had held so much beauty a half hour ago, and now, like my life, was starting to rise and crash in a more erratic manner. No longer were the waves calm, but they were pushing against the breeze that had become a fury of gusty winds. I took LJ’s hand, the hand I had known for so long, and followed him out.
Chapter 10
Caden
I pulled Graham into the bar, away from the table that Cara and I had been occupying. She had run off to the bathroom, upset. While I wanted to chase after her and had words for the ex-boyfriend who didn’t deserve her, I chose to lay into Graham first.
“What the fuck, Graham?” I could feel the vein in my neck pulse as I clenched my fist, wanting to swing at him. It wasn’t the first time I had experienced this type of anger toward my younger stepbrother. He was great at finding new ways of pissing me off. “You went out of your way to find me and hand-fucking-deliver the guy that had broken her heart and you destroyed my date. What were you thinking?”
“What do they say? All’s fair in love and…”
“Love? You don’t even know her. Three hours ago, you thought of her as a piece of ass that I had and you didn’t.” The moment the words fell from my lips I realized what this was about. Graham was always jealous of me, but without reason. He was handed things, I worked for them. He was the one that typically landed the girls while I watched. It was always that way, until now. “How the hell did you even find us?”
“GPS. I guess you should reconsider sharing your location with me.” Graham snickered.
I shook my head in disgust, knowing I had to undo the disaster he had just created. “I’ll deal with you later. This is far from over.” By now a few of the people in the crowd could sense the heated exchange and had begun to watch. I made my way back to the table where I had left this LJ character. The table was still filled with our drinks and food and the check lay on the edge of the table.
The waitress watched me approach and then quickly weaved her way to where I was standing. “She just left with that other guy. She didn’t look happy. I think you can still catch her. Go! Go!” she prodded.
I looked at her as my heart sank. I looked down at the check and reached for my wallet.
“Don’t worry about the check,” she said, “just go.”
“Give the check to that other asshole I was just talking to in the bar,” I said without hesitating. I quickened my pace out to the parking lot a saw the Cara and her ex making their way to the car. “Cara!” I yelled from the other side of the parking lot.
Adrenaline pumped through my body as I closed the gap between the three of us. I wasn’t one for confrontation, but this situation had gotten the better of me. Before I realized it, I was standing face to face with LJ who was still clutching Cara’s hand.
I looked at her, looked at their hands, and then back at her.
“Caden, I thought you—”
“I’ll handle this, Cara,” LJ said, cutting off Cara and then pulling his hand away from hers. He stood up tall, which wasn’t necessary since he was at least five or six inches taller than me already. “Your date’s over. Cara and I are back together. You were just a little distraction for her.”
A part of me just wanted to swing and knock the arrogant look off of his face. He may have been taller, but I had already sized him up. Tall, thin, not much muscle. A couple of strategic punches and I could have leveled him, but it wasn’t my style, nor was it the right thing to do.
“I’m sorry,” I said with a condescending tone. “I don’t think I was talking to you.” I looked at Cara, whose face had turned a shade lighter. She seemed embarrassed and confused at the same time. “I realize this is a difficult situation, but if this is the guy that dumped you—”
“You told him about us?” LJ said to Cara, scolding her.
“I did. You did. You walked out on me. You couldn’t answer my texts, or emails, or phone calls. You disappeared like I didn’t matter.” Cara’s embarrassment turned into a light simmer of anger as I watched the confrontation. I felt out of place, listening to their private conversation, but I also was eager to watch.
“I told you why. I explained—”
“LJ, it doesn’t matter. I need time think, away from you.” Cara snapped back.
“Away from me? What the hell does that mean? You mean with him?” LJ pointed at me and scowled. “Seriously Cara? That’s what you’re going to choose?”
I clenched my jaw and silently counted to ten. Did that fucker just call me a ‘what’?
“You said you needed time LJ, and now so do I. Just go.” Cara looked at me and began to walk past me and away from LJ. “Caden, I believe we had plans. Can we please finish them?”
“Definitely.” I couldn’t help but smile at her and then raise my eyebrows to LJ.
“Cara, wait!” LJ took one long step and had caught up to Cara as he extended his arm, reaching for her upper arm. “Get back here!” he demanded.
In a split second I reacted, instinctively grabbing his wrist and twisting his arm behind his back while pushing him chest first into the car beside us. “Don’t you dare touch her like that.”
LJ struggled, fighting back. As he wriggled his body, trying to loosen my grip, I bent his arm up higher. “Shit! Okay, Okay,” he said. “Let me go.”
I glanced back at Cara. She stood silently, taking it in. “Caden, please don’t hurt him. LJ, just go.” She watched for another few seconds and then walked back toward the bar.
I gave his arm another slight twist before using my free arm to push
him into the car. Then I released him. “I’d take her advice and leave before this turns into something you didn’t come looking for.”
LJ rubbed his shoulder as he squinted at me and pursed his lips. “This isn’t over, pretty boy. She’ll realize what she’s missing.” He took a couple of steps backward, keeping his eyes on me and then turned, moving toward one of the cars. “Just wait.”
I took another deep breath, turned, and caught up with Cara. “Hey, I’m sorry about that...he reached for you, and it just happened.”
“I know,” she said. “I don’t know what came over him.” Cara frowned, but grabbed my hand.
“Well, I don’t know what came over me, either. I usually don’t—”
“Don’t what? Stand up for your girl? I believe that’s twice you’ve come to my rescue, Mr. Zahn.” Cara squeezed my hand gently. “I’m sorry I left. I thought it was the right thing to do. I didn’t want to, but I also didn’t want the drama. He told me you had left. He said you had paid the bill and just left.”
I shook my head as I looked at her. “No, I didn’t leave. I’d never just leave and not speak with you, no matter what.” I pulled her hand to my mouth and gently kissed the back of it. “Shall we go inside?”
“I’d like that,” she said. “But what about Graham?”
“He already took off. I’ll deal with him later, because I think it’s unlikely that he’ll want to see me right now.”
Cara leaned in and kissed me again on the cheek. “Then let’s finish our date and try to put this behind us, okay?”
“Yes.” The word immediately shot from my lips. Nothing would keep me from her, not ex-boyfriends or plotting stepbrothers. Cara was the only thing on my mind and she was worth fighting for.
Chapter 11
Cara
I, for once, took the lead, walking toward the bar.
“I think this disaster is shot worthy. What do you think, Mr. Zahn?” I forced a smile through the confusion I was feeling.
“Only if it’s tequila,” he responded, not missing a beat. “Salt, limes, and the whole deal.”
“It’s seriously as if you’ve know me forever,” I said with a laugh as we took our seats.
The bartender, another beautiful blond, the type that always seemed to keep showing up around us, came over with a huge smile. “Hi, guys. I’m Lexi. Looks like you all have had quite an afternoon already. I heard you talking about tequila—and the owner just ordered a couple of bottles of the best tequila I’ve ever tasted. It’s pricey, but if you don’t mind fifty-dollars shots, I’m happy to bring out the good stuff.” She put the bottle on the bar.
“Casa Dragones Tequila Joven,” I read from the label. “Sounds good, but I think it may be a little much for just a shot.”
“What my beautiful date means is that we will take two.” Caden paused and smiled a conspiratorial smile. “Two each.” Looking at me, with my mouth open as if to object, he added, “Cara, there is no expense I would spare on you. I can tell that anything I could ever buy for you would be more than worth it.”
I couldn’t really object to such flattery, so I just blushed, as Lexi shook her head.
“Sounds like a keeper to me. You’re a lucky girl. My boyfriend would say the same thing, I think.” She rimmed our shot glasses with salt, poured in the tequila and set two limes on a plate to the side. “Here’s to feeling good tonight.”
Caden and I raised our glasses toward her and then threw back our heads and let the liquid warm our throats. This tequila was definitely worth the fifty bucks. The taste disappeared from my tongue the moment it got to my throat. No aftertaste, no real need for a lime. By the time we set our glasses down, Lexi was making our second shots. I wasn’t sure this was the best idea, but it sure did feel good to worry more about how tequila tasted than what was going on in the mess my love life had become.
Lexi handed us the food menu. “Here. I think this may be of some assistance tonight. What else can I get you to drink?” Eyeing the taps, I saw that they had Pocahoptus, and ordered two. Caden looked surprised as I placed the order for us both, but just chuckled and got ready to take the next shot.
“Cara, you are perfect,” he told me, shaking his head, but his eyes twinkling the whole time. He ordered some more appetizers, to keep our stomachs full as we allowed our guards down for tonight.
“All right, Cara, how do you feel about cats?” Caden asked, more serious than I thought the questioned warranted.
“Cats?” I laughed, “Well, I prefer dogs, but I’m not allergic to cats.”
“So, that means you do not have cats, right?” Caden continued.
“No, Caden, I do not have cats. Is there a reason you ask?” I looked at him quizzically, trying to figure out why in the world he was asking about cats.
“I think they’re crazy,” he admitted. “I didn’t used to, but now, I am convinced. And also crazy, is the woman who has twelve of them.”
I laughed out loud. “Bad relationship with a cat lady, huh?”
“You have no idea. Cheers to no cats.”
We clinked glasses and took our next shot, which was at least as good as the first. The wonderful Lexi brought our perfectly-poured beers to us as we put down our emptied shot glasses.
“All right, Caden, give me more,” I said. “I want to hear all the stories about any crazy dates you’ve had.” I noticed he was holding his beer, but not yet taking a sip. I nodded toward his glass. “What are you waiting for?”
“You. I wouldn’t drink without you.” He waited for me to pick up my glass and sip. He took his sip, and began, “Well, I haven’t dated a lot, but I have had my share of relationships that turned crazy. If you’re sure you want to hear, here goes….”
The next few hours were filled with us comparing stories of bad dates, horrible relationships, and the outrageously stupid mistakes we had made, all with a light-hearted humor that allowed us to make fun of ourselves. We never had an awkward silence, we never judged the other’s stories, other than to laugh right along with each other. Our barstools had moved closer and closer to one another as the time went on, and at some point during the evening, his hand had moved to my knee. Everything was so easy with Caden. As the hours passed, the sun got lower and lower until we found ourselves looking out over a dark ocean, stars and the moon showing in the perfectly clear sky.
“Caden, do you think we should maybe go back to the hotel?” I asked, even though I really didn’t want the evening to end. I could feel myself falling for him, and my head was too foggy from the drinks for me to process it.
Lexi was smart enough to have us drink waters between the beers, all the while snacking, but, it was long enough of a time that we were definitely not okay to drive. “Hey, guys, I called you a taxi.” She handed us the taxi driver’s card as she took Caden’s platinum credit card. “He’s a friend of mine, so you’ll be taken care of.”
When Caden signed the credit slip, I glanced over to see what type of tip he was leaving. I knew it was silly, but I always judged a man by the tip that he left. Having spent time as a waitress for two years, I could read people’s personalities by their tips. If it was under 20 percent and the service was good, I had to assume they were stingy. If it was 30 percent, they were over-spenders who were trying to show off. To my delight, he was right at twenty-five percent. One crisis averted.
Caden pulled out my stool, and then led me to the door, where the taxi was waiting outside. “Your chariot, my princess,” Caden said, opening the door to the taxi. “Back to the Hilton, please,” he instructed our driver, who nodded and made his way the short distance to the hotel. Caden had his arm around me the whole ride, letting me rest my head on his chest. I felt so safe there, like there was nothing in the world that could hurt me. The driver took us to the too-bright entrance to the Hilton as the valet opened our door, with Caden only a second behind him to lead me inside toward the elevators.
My head was spinning as Caden walked me to the door of my hotel room. I was check
ing out tomorrow, and I didn't know exactly what I was going back to. Would LJ be at our home? More importantly, would Caden and I see each other back in the real world of our home town? I fumbled with the room key card, and Caden smoothly took it from me and slid it in and out slowly until the light turned green and the door unlocked. How in the world that could even seem sensual to me, I wasn't sure, but I knew that there was no question of me inviting him in.
“My knight in shining armor, please come in and let me reward you with treasure from the mini fridge,” I said in measured speech, trying to not let him know the effect those drinks from dinner had on me. Those drinks had been necessary, though, in helping to dull the horror and drama of LJ showing up. I was a little disappointed in the force Caden had used with LJ, but at the same time, I had never had a man want to fight for me like that. And it wasn't like he had done anything drastic like hit LJ. After LJ lied about Caden paying the tab and leaving, he deserved to be put in his place.
I fell into the couch, “Wow. I think that maybe those drinks are hitting me. I may have to drink water, but you feel free to see what's in there.” I motioned toward the fridge.
“I think water may be the best thing for both of us.” He stared right through me with those beautiful eyes. The traces of white circles around the blue even more mesmerizing now. He was facing me on the couch and began to lean forward, placing his hand on the top of the couch to hold himself above me. The palm of his other hand was tilting my jawline up toward him.
My insides were like fireworks as I realized he was finally going to kiss me. I closed my eyes as his lips met mine. Soft. Tender. My body arched toward him as I wrapped my arms behind his shoulders and pulled him further in to me. Our balance a little off and he fell toward me, but it was still smooth, and we adjusted so that he was lying on top of me. His kisses began to grab at me, his tongue slipping gracefully in and around my mouth. I couldn't pull him close enough or kiss him hard enough to make him feel the desire that had been building. His chest and mine pushed the air away between us.
Torn_An Alpha Billionaire Romance Page 6
