That doesn’t sound threatening. I came in here to wallow, but Calder’s phone call grabs my attention. Where is he going? And why is he talking so quietly?
Cracking the door, I wait until he turns the corner, then I follow. When I see Beth’s guard is now standing near the hallway to the bathrooms, I fall in line with a couple walking past, then follow the path that Calder took.
When I catch up to him, Calder’s standing at the edge of the hallway that leads to the lobby. I pause behind a thick marble column. Calder is talking to a girl in her early twenties with her pitch-black hair swept up into a French twist.
I can’t see his face since his back is to me, but he must make some kind of comment about the stylish black leather jacket she’s wearing over an elegant floor length black dress. As soon as he tugs on the sleeve, she laughs and glances down as she covertly slides a shapely leg out of the thigh-high slit in the dress.
“That much thigh just put your dress in the slutty category, sister,” I grumble while the girl slides her leg back under the dress.
When she steps closer and reaches up to feather her fingers along the side of Calder’s hair, then down the back of his neck, I grind my teeth and turn away. Whoever she is…I don’t want to know. I’ve got enough worries of my own right now.
Once I walk back into the ballroom, I’m no longer dwelling on myself. Calder’s “mystery girl” was just the distraction I needed to bury my issues and get my head back into this event tonight.
Ben hasn’t seen me yet, but Beth does. She quickly walks up to me and holds her phone out. “Would you mind holding this for a few minutes? This long skirt is going to take two hands in the bathroom.”
“Of course.” Clasping her phone, I watch her head toward the ballroom doorway while I quickly type in the passcode and scroll through her contacts. Once I find Brent, I click on the info button. No last name, but his phone number is listed, so I memorize it. When I realize that Beth has suddenly stopped walking and is now glancing around the room quickly, I lower the phone so she doesn’t catch me looking at it. She doesn’t stop looking until she finds her father, who’s busy talking with a distinguished older man. What’s that about? But when Beth looks straight ahead once more and starts forward, her stride faster, I follow her line of sight out the ballroom door.
And lock gazes with Brent.
He’s dressed in a tuxedo and standing among a group of people spilling into the hall from some big event in the restaurant next door.
The phone in my hand buzzes and when I look down, Brent’s name flashes on the caller ID. I panic, thinking that I accidently dialed him, but then realize the call is incoming. I jerk my attention back to Beth. He can clearly see she’s heading straight for him and doesn’t have her phone. My heart racing, I click the Answer button and put the phone to my ear.
Brent smiles at Beth as she weaves her way around a couple of people to get to him, while his familiar voice booms in my ear, icy and threatening. “Don’t you dare fuck this up for me. Am I clear?”
I grip the phone tight, my pulse jacking higher. “Or what?”
People walk past in the hallway, blocking my view of Brent for a second. Then I hear Beth’s whispered voice in the background. “What are you doing here?” She sounds nervous but excited. “My guard will be out here after me any second.”
Brent holds my gaze above the crowd. Kissing Beth on the forehead, he answers me in a deadly tone as he wraps his arm around her waist. “You don’t want to find out.” Before he hangs up, I hear him say, “I wanted to surprise you, babe. Want to ditch this party and hang with me?”
I’m so focused on trying to keep Beth in my sights that I startle when Calder’s annoyed voice rumbles next to me. “I told you to stay in the bathroom.”
I cut a sharp gaze his way. “You weren’t there when I walked out.”
His face instantly hardens. “I told Anthony to watch for you.”
Annoyed with myself for letting the unknown girl he just met with get to me, I say, “Anthony needs to be on Beth at all times. Make sure that he doesn’t let her out of his sight.”
Calder instantly scans the room. “Is there a problem with Beth? Where is she?”
“She’s just outside the ballroom. Her guard’s probably looking for her in that crowd. Please remind him to be extra diligent.”
Calder stiffens. “What are you worried about?”
“Celeste, we’re heading to the top floor now,” Ben says before I can reply. Hooking his arm in mine, he smiles. “There will be more schmoozing, but this time there will be dancing with an amazing view of the city. Let’s go.”
As Ben starts to lead me away, I hand Beth’s phone to Calder. “Please make sure Anthony finds Beth and gives this back to her.”
It’s midnight by the time the event winds down. Ben wasn’t kidding about the amazing view. The bit of snow covering the city and the lights twinkling in the night was a gorgeous sight. Ben insisted on walking me to my car, so I button my coat closed as the doorman holds open the main door for us. My feet hurt from dancing so long in shoes I’ve never worn before, but I did enjoy his company once I stopped worrying about Beth. Apparently she had one drink too many and asked Anthony to take her home early.
Phillip left a half hour before and Calder is somewhere behind us. He stayed in the shadows along the walls most of the night, but I could feel his heavy stare.
The hotel has laid fresh salt on the walkway, but the mixture of sleet and snow coming down has already covered it again. When Ben steps forward, then starts to slip on the ice, his tight hold on my hand yanks me off-balance. My left ankle turns and as I stumble, I hear Calder grumble, “Fuck this,” and I’m immediately swept off my feet.
I let out a yelp of surprise, grabbing onto Calder’s shoulders in a death grip.
“Put her down!” Ben commands as Calder settles me against his chest.
“Follow me if you don’t want to break your neck, Hemming,” Calder grunts out, then utters, “dumbass” under his breath. He steps into the snow-covered grass beside the walkway and strides toward the waiting car.
Calder’s arms around me are so tight I don’t look up to meet his gaze. He’s clearly annoyed and I’d rather not be judged right now. Despite the tension between us, he’s so close I can’t help but inhale his amazing smell. Closing my eyes, I take in the arousing bergamot spice and other earthy scents in his aftershave. God, this man makes me want to bury my nose against his neck. I could fall asleep breathing him in.
All too soon Calder sets me down and I re-grip his shoulder to test my weight on my left foot. While I exhale my relief that my ankle seems fine, Ben reaches us and immediately clasps my hand, his expression reflecting regret. “Are you okay?”
Once I nod, he frowns at Calder. “I’m escorting Celeste home. Ride up front.”
When Calder doesn’t move out of the way, but instead holds Ben’s gaze with a bold challenging one, I’m suddenly anxious—both for what Ben might expect at the end of this ride and Calder’s reaction. Turning to Ben, I step between them and try to diffuse the tension. “That’s really not necessary, Ben. What about your car?”
“I took a cab to get here. I’ll just call a car service to bring me back to the city.” Ben waits for Calder to move to the front of the car, then he follows me into the backseat.
While Calder slides into the front and motions for Marco to drive, I furrow my brow at Ben. “You’re going way out of your way.”
Ben clasps my hand and sets it on his thigh. “You’re worth it.”
Usually when he says something like this, Calder is too far away to hear. Squirming in my seat, I try to ignore just how deathly quiet the car feels and turn the focus to the evening. “Tonight seemed to go well. Don’t you think?”
Ben smiles and talks about the people his father told him he needed to connect with. As he segues the conversation to future events Phillip has asked that we attend, I try to disentangle my hand from his, but he just folds our fingers tog
ether. “Enough about tonight’s social commitments. I hope you enjoyed meeting David. He wants me to invite you to the next competition.”
“So there will be a place to observe you in your element?”
Ben shakes his head, his eyes full of devilish amusement. “Observe?” He squeezes my hand lightly, laughing, “Oh no…you’re going to participate.”
I let out a nervous laugh. “You’re joking, right? I’ve never shot a gun in my life.”
Calder hasn’t glanced our way since we got in the car, but at my last comment he turns his head slightly to the left. He’s not looking at us, but the angle is enough for me to know he’s actively listening. I try to ignore the muscle jumping in his jaw, but it’s all I can see as Ben continues, “Don’t worry… I’m a great teacher. I won’t bring you with me until you can handle all three guns with ease. How about we start tomorrow? I’ll take you to the shooting range.”
Calder’s expression hardens and his gaze narrows.
“I don’t think I’ll be very good at it, Ben.” Marco’s watching me in the rearview mirror. I can tell by the look in his eyes, he’s smirking. The asshole is enjoying my fidgety discomfort.
Ben squeezes my fingers encouragingly. “You’ll do great. Don’t be nervous.”
“She needs a license to shoot a gun,” Calder cuts in, glancing our way. “That’ll take time.”
“No problem.” Ben flashes him a cocky look, then shifts his attention back to me. “With my connections, I can get her one by tomorrow. What do you say, Celeste?”
“Um…”
“Say you’ll do it.” Ben runs his thumb along mine. “It’ll be my only chance to spend some time with you, since I won’t be at the party.”
“You won’t? Why aren’t you coming?” I feel myself frowning. I don’t like the idea of facing another political event where every word I say is catalogued and judged. Ben is my social suit of armor. I don’t have to worry about blundering when he’s around.
“I promised to cover for a buddy’s shift a while back before...things changed.” He shakes his head and smiles. “Jake is coming to help Dad support Gregory instead. Don’t worry, he’ll behave. I think Dad must’ve threatened to cut him out of the will or something, because he has gone back to his normal smart-assy, big-brother self with me.”
Ben says a couple more things, but all I can hear is Jake is coming reverberating in my head over and over again. Except in my head it’s not an innocuous comment. It’s a foreboding one.
I don’t like the idea of attending this event alone, but the thought of Jake being there makes me instantly nauseous. I don’t care what kind of assurances Ben gives me. The need to rub my tingling wrists is almost overwhelming. I bite the inside of my cheek to try to regain my inner calm.
While stressing about Jake, I must’ve agreed to the gun range, because Ben’s smile suddenly widens to a pleased grin. Lifting our clasped hands, he presses a warm kiss to the heel of my palm. “We’ll have a blast. I bet you’ll get the swing of it quickly.”
A few minutes later, Marco turns into the front gates of the Carver estate. The sleet/snow mixture might’ve tapered off, but the vehicle slips as we try to pull up the long drive.
“Stop the car,” Calder commands, and I’m surprised that Marco instantly complies.
When Calder gets out of the vehicle and walks around the other side, I assume he’s going to tell Marco to slide over so he can drive. Instead, he opens my car door and puts his hand out. “Let’s go, Miss Carver.”
“Are you nuts?” Ben’s fingers tighten around mine. “She’s not walking up that long driveway.”
Calder’s laser gaze remains on mine as he answers Ben. “The car isn’t making it up there.”
“It’s fine, Ben,” I say and pull my hand from Ben’s at the same time I place my other hand in Calder’s. Before I can step onto the drive, he lifts me into his arms once more. Ben starts to open his car door, but Calder’s no-nonsense comment dismisses Ben in a rough rumble as he cradles me close. “There’s no need to call a service. Marco will take you home. Good night, Hemming.”
Calder shuts the car door when Ben starts to argue, cutting off his words. Nodding to Marco to do as he says, he steps into the crunchy grass on the side of the drive and waits for Marco to back out before he starts walking.
My stomach winds tighter and tighter as he carries me up the drive. Now that we’re alone, I expect him to say something, but the fact that he doesn’t speak at all has far more impact on my psyche. It’s too dark for me to see his face, and too cold for me to do anything other than cuddle close to him for warmth, but I know he’s angry.
I don’t argue as he walks into the house and carries me all the way upstairs. Thankfully it’s really late; no one is around to witness Celeste’s guard carting her up the stairs as if she were too drunk to walk on her own.
When Calder sets me in front of my door and glances down at me, the low light in the hallway highlights the muscles bunching in his jaw. He’s not just angry. He’s furious.
“Calder...” That’s all I get out before he turns away. I watch him until he enters his room and closes the door quietly behind him, then I walk into Celeste’s room and lean against the closed door, biting my lower lip. The Celeste situation aside, so much is left unsaid between us. Calder and I both have enough baggage that it’s a miracle we were able to get past it to have the one night we did together.
Is that all it’ll ever be? One night? As I kick off the heels and slide out of the dress, the thought makes me feel physically ill, but I don’t know how to fix it right now. While I mull the rising tension, I quickly slip out of the bra and find a fitted T-shirt to sleep in. My biggest worry is that if this Celeste thing drags on, it may be too late for us to mend the damage. But Calder is so angry I doubt he’ll listen to me right now.
Unless…what I have to say has nothing to do with Celeste, Ben, or this frustrating limbo situation we’re in. I grab my phone from my purse, intending to send him a text with Brent’s information, but the phone dies just as I start to type the text.
“Just great,” I mumble. I can’t let this go all night. I have to try to mend the growing chasm between us the best way I can for now.
Grabbing a soft white robe from the back of the bathroom door, I put it on and slip out of my room.
My stomach knotting, I shake out my hands, then knock quietly.
A second passes and then another. I start to turn away when I hear a light thump, then another.
Frowning, I reach for the knob. I step inside just as Calder lands from a spinning back kick. He moves so fast, then next thing I know he’s turning with a gun pointed right at me, an intense look on his face.
I gasp at the same time he lowers his weapon and yanks the ear buds out of his ears. “What the fuck, Cass,” he says in a low tone. “You can’t sneak up on me like that.”
I quickly shut the door as he sets his gun down and unstraps his phone from his arm.
He unplugs the headphones from his phone and tense music briefly fills the room before he turns it down. I stare at his bare chest and gray lounge pants, guilt riding me. Of course he has to keep training so he’s ready when the MMA match is rescheduled. He’s only here because of me.
The light sheen of sweat coating his hard chest makes the Celtic tribal tattoo running across his muscular left shoulder and along his chiseled abs stand out against his skin. I don’t get to admire his physique long before he turns to me with a stoic expression.
As he faces me full on, his green gaze still sharp with anger, I’m temporarily speechless. Seeking common ground, my gaze is drawn to the Latin word Solus along his rib cage. He told me it meant ‘alone,’ but he never explained why he had it tattooed on his body.
“Cass?”
My brain finally engages as the intense song playing on his phone registers. Linkin Park’s “One Step Closer.” He’s definitely in a mood. I clear my throat, but my voice sounds strained when I speak. “I tried to text you a
number but my phone died. I thought you’d like to have it now so maybe Elijah could start working on it for you.”
“Who’s number?”
“Brent’s. I memorized it from Beth’s phone.”
Other than a spark of interest in his eyes, Calder doesn’t let anything show as he gestures toward the desk. “There’s a pen and paper.”
I’m surprised he doesn’t ask anything else, but instead walks away to lower himself to the floor near the end of his bed. I watch him effortlessly do ten push-ups before I glance away.
Taking the hint he’s not in the mood to talk, I jot down Brent’s number. Just as I reach for the door handle to leave, Calder’s cold voice sends a chill of apprehension through my body. “You don’t have anything else to say?”
I slowly turn, and he’s standing near the bed, muscular arms crossed over his chest, his expression dark and brooding.
When I don’t answer right away, he snaps. “Ben.”
Trying to ease the tightness in my shoulders, I spread my hands and exhale. “What am I supposed to do? Ben thinks I’m Celeste, and Gregory and Phillip insisted that no one else know the truth. Maybe they’re worried Ben and Jake won’t be able to keep Celeste’s disappearance to themselves. I don’t know.” When Calder’s expression turns darker, I sigh and lower my hands back to my side. “He’s being attentive, not overly aggressive, Calder. It’s not the best situation, but holding my hand is pretty innocent and tame.”
At the same time the song comes to its crashing one-word ending, Calder strides forward aggressively. The intense look on his face has me instinctively backing up, but the moment my shoulder blades touch the door, he stops. Resting his hand on the solid wood above me, he steps into my personal space. “Do you think standing close like this is innocent?”
His masculine scent of sweat mixed with faint hints of his aftershave tease my senses, elevating my pulse. I refuse to look at his sculpted body. He’s far too enticing. My fingers itch to slide along his hard pectorals and trace the tattoo down his arm. My heart is beating so hard it’s a wonder he can’t hear it. I curl my fingers by my side and swallow as I lift my chin and hold his gaze. “I’ll admit it’s personal, but Ben hasn’t touched me inappropriately.”
Steel Rush (In the Shadows#5) Page 10