Chapter Fourteen

She leaned against the pier’s rail, looking out at the dark water. The weekend hadn’t come soon enough. Exhaustion tugged at her when she thought of all the work she’d had to take home Friday night. She’d already spent the day bent over the desk in her small office, hammering away at the files she needed to get through. Tomorrow would be more of the same.

So tonight’s date was a welcome break.

If Caleb ever showed up.

She looked at her watch again. The man was late.

Stepping away from the rail, she strolled along the promenade, taking in the sights around her. Though the weather was warming up, the boardwalk was still anything but busy. Still, a few intrepid people were out to enjoy the best food trucks in town. She wasn’t sure if Caleb had been pleased or bemused by her suggestion of tacos over whatever expensive French restaurant he’d been about to recommend. Today, however, she’d just wanted to relax and unwind after her hectic week. Instead of the little black dress and heels, she’d picked a location where she could wear jeans and comfortable boots. The shift in weather had forced her to put away her down winter coat, and in its place she wore a snug leather jacket she’d fished out of her closet. Casual chic. That was a thing, right?

“Hailey.”

She turned to see Caleb striding toward her. Unlike her, he was in full suit mode. Black Armani draped him head to toe.

“Are you coming from the office?” she said when he got close.

“It’s been a hell of a week.”

He wasn’t wrong there. Looks like they were both working on their days off.

Caleb closed the distance between them, never slowing as he wrapped an arm around her waist and hauled her up against his chest.

“Hello, sweetheart,” he greeted.

Her lips quirked. “You call that a hello?”

“No,” he said. “I call this a hello.” His fingers sank into her hair as his lips slanted down on hers. She sighed against his mouth, rising to her tiptoes to get as close to him as she could.

Just one touch and her exhaustion melted away. Butterflies sprang to life in her stomach while her heart rate kicked up a few notches. This was what she’d been looking forward to all day.

Hell, this was what she’d been looking forward to since they last parted. And what she’d dreamed of every night.

He felt so good in her arms. The heat of his body banished any lingering chill, and for a moment she wished she hadn’t suggested they meet by the pier. They could have had dinner at his place, where she could have pushed him back on the couch, straddled his lap, and indulged herself to her heart’s content.

With a sigh, she made herself pull back.

“I’ve missed you,” he said.

“I know the feeling.” Maddening though it was.

“So,” he said as he wrapped an arm around her waist. “Have you scoped out the best spot to eat?”

“We’ve got some great street food to choose from.”

He shook his head. “I can’t remember the last time I ate out of a truck.”

“You’re dreaming of a five-star French restaurant, aren’t you?”

“Hey, hey, not at all. Count me in. I don’t think I’ve ever had a woman request this sort of date.”

She rolled her eyes and pulled him toward the parked trucks. Within minutes, their hands were full of tacos, burgers, and various meats on sticks. They headed over to one of the vacant picnic tables and laid out their stash.

Hailey claimed one of the skewers and started to eat.

“Is this something you do often?” he asked, grabbing a taco.

“I come down here sometimes in the summer. Usually, I’m too busy to take a break.”

“You work too hard.”

“Pot meet kettle. At least I’m not the one in an expensive suit chowing down on a five-dollar taco.”

“Fair point. But I have to say, this is a very welcome way to end my day.”

She smiled at him. “Me, too, even though I really should have stayed in tonight.”

“Busy week?”

“Alec always has a dozen projects on the go.”

His glance flickered up to hers. “And how is our particular project going?”

She hesitated, staring down at her food. Part of her didn’t want to tell him about her date, even though it’s what they’d been working toward. She lifted her chin. He had a right to know, especially after the things they’d done together.

“Actually, he asked me out. Looks like your coaching paid off.”

Caleb stopped chewing.

She held still, waiting to see how he’d react.

He swallowed and wiped his mouth with a napkin. “Congratulations.”

She blinked.

“This is what you wanted.”

“Yes.”

So why am I wishing he’d protest just a little?

“I think you should go.”

She reached down to pick at her taco. “Then we’re on the same page.”

He reached over lightning-fast, catching her hand in his. “Go out with him and you’ll realize just how much you want me instead.”

His gaze bored into hers, making it impossible to look away. “Are you so sure?” she breathed.

A grin split his face. “I bet on it, didn’t I? Trust me, at the end of the month it won’t be Alec you turn to.”

Staring at him, she feared her date might do more harm than good. What if he was right and dating Alec made her realize just how wrong he was for her?

Where would that leave her at the end of the month?

“Poor Hailey,” he said, his fingers stroking along hers. “Not so sure about what you want anymore, are you, sweetheart?”

“I wanted to see you tonight,” she said truthfully.

His smile widened. “Hallelujah.” He released her hand to go back to eating his taco.

“You know,” he said as he ate, “if you worked for me, we’d see a lot more of each other.”

Her gaze flickered up to his. “The thought had crossed my mind.”

“Did it?” A smile curved his lips. “How gratifying.”

“But you know what else crossed my mind?”

“What?”

She opened her mouth to reply and then thought better of it. Talking about Alec had been heavy enough. She didn’t want to ruin their evening.

“Never mind.”

“No, now you’ve got me curious,” he said, wiping a dollop of sour cream from his lips. “What have you been thinking about?”

She hesitated for a moment before saying, “Work, life, dating beyond this month…if I were to consider it—”

“Are you considering it?” he demanded, lowering his food.

“I don’t know,” she said honestly. “But this month isn’t going quite as easily as I thought it would.”

“That’s something, at least.”

“But my point is, I don’t know how this will all play out. I try not to think about the end of this month but when I do…” She sighed. “Making plans beyond this month sounds like a commitment. A big one. And you…”

“Aren’t a commitment sort of guy,” he filled in for her.

There was a flatness to his voice that had her frowning. “Am I wrong?”

Caleb looked down at the food for a moment before rising and walking around to her side of the picnic table. He straddled the seat to face her as she scooted back to make room for him.

“What are you asking me, Hailey?”

She bit her lip. “I’m just…trying to make sure I have all the information. I’m not saying I’m making a choice. There’s still some time left in the month.”

“You just want to know what next month would look like, if you picked me.” An intensity filled his eyes that made her drop hers. “Is that it?”

“It’s too soon for this conversation,” she said. “I shouldn’t have brought it up.”

“But now that you have, don’t you want to know the answer?”

Her gaze flickered back to his. Did she? What if it wasn’t what she wanted to hear? But she never took the coward’s way out. No sense starting now.

“Yes.”

…

Triumph surged through Caleb, and he did his best to tamp down his excitement. Hailey might think she was just after information, but he’d seen enough opponents weaken to know he was gaining the upper hand. Victory was getting increasingly closer; he just had to play tonight right.

The news that Alec had finally made a move was a double-edged sword. Joy rushed through him at the fact that all the pieces were falling into place, but it was quickly chased by the uncertainty of sending Hailey off without him. Though it seemed he wasn’t the only one with doubts.

And how sweet her hesitation was. Here she was, heading off on a date she’d made a devil’s bargain to achieve, and what did she want to know?

What his intentions were beyond the month. His, not Alec’s.

What would he do if she truly decided it was him she wanted? Longer than a bet.

They’d danced around this topic before, but that seemed so long ago now. Before, commitment had never been a real possibility. He wasn’t that sort of man.

But every hour he was in her presence had him reevaluating his life. The things he’d wanted a month ago were becoming more and more trivial.

Especially when compared to her.

He stared at her, not knowing what to say. A rarity in and of itself.

She looked up at him with those wide green eyes. Even if she didn’t admit it, she trusted him. Despite the tales he had no doubt Alec was pouring into her ears, she trusted him. Liked him.

Was falling for him.

And if he made her promises, she would believe him.

“Caleb?” she prompted.

He liked his name on her lips. Hell, it wasn’t the only thing he liked about her. Not by a long shot. He liked the fire inside her. She wasn’t afraid to stand up to him or anyone else. If her moral code of right and wrong was crossed, then she fought to restore the balance. But it wasn’t just her strength he admired. He adored the brief glimpses of vulnerability she afforded him when her guard was down. There was nothing simple about the woman before him, and for the first time in his life, he reveled in her complexities.

“I don’t know,” he said, the truth slipping from his lips.

Something dimmed in her eyes, and he was quick to offer an explanation. “I don’t want to make promises I can’t keep,” he said. “You matter too much for that.”

“So this, what we’re doing, it’s just about winning your bet. Next month you’ll be on to the next woman.”

“No. I don’t think that’s possible.” His words had never been truer.

“Then what are you saying?”

What indeed? He licked his lips, trying to find the right words. “My relationships have never been long-lasting. And never exclusive. I’m sure Alec has told you that much.”

She looked away.

“I don’t want to promise forever if I can’t deliver. But I can promise you are the only woman I want. You’re the only one I think about when you’re not around. It’s getting damned inconvenient to daydream about you when I should be working.”

Those green eyes were back on his. “I know the feeling,” she confessed.

Pleasure shot through him that had nothing to do with the wager.

“I don’t know if I’m made for commitment,” he said. “But for you I’d try.”

What did I just say?

It was too late to call the words back, but seeing the hope rise in her eyes, he found the desire to recall them slipping.

“So after this month, if I chose you…we’d have more.”

“Yes,” he said, but for the first time he was uncertain of his sincerity.

Hailey was like relearning how to breathe. He’d been sleepwalking through his life until she’d faced off with him across a boardroom table.

She inspired emotions in him he’d long since told himself he was immune to.

But could he offer her more than their bet?

It was his decision alone. Hailey didn’t understand the stakes. Didn’t understand the trap he’d led her into. And when it sprung, she’d hate him.

Don’t think of that, he thought. Focus only on the now.

On the beautiful woman smiling up at him as if he’d given her a gift.

“Eat up,” he said, snagging another skewer.

He bit into it hoping the food would satisfy the hole opening inside his chest. He’d told himself when this whole thing started that the only action out of bounds was falling for his bait.

And yet here he was. Staring dreamily at the one woman who seemed to understand him in ways no one else had.

Don’t sleep with her, his conscious whispered. There was only so much he could take. Keeping her at arm’s length would be best for everyone. He couldn’t become more attached than he already was.

Falling for this woman would bring disaster to his life. And as someone who had already weathered a brutal storm, he was not eager to repeat the experience.

…

He wants more than a month. More than a bet.

Hailey couldn’t wipe the smile off her face as she helped Caleb carry the garbage from their meal to the trash bin.

“That was good,” he said.

“Told you,” she replied. “You don’t need a reservation at unpronounceable French restaurants for a good meal.”

“Trust me,” he said, wrapping an arm around her waist, “every now and then, the food is worth the pretension.”

She laughed, steering them toward the boardwalk promenade. “I guess that’s true.”

“You make it rather difficult to impress when the total cost of a meal falls under thirty dollars.”

She grinned up at him. “I told you I wasn’t like other girls.”

“No,” he agreed. “A typical date would be all about showing off the service money can buy.”

She rolled her eyes, but he caught her around the waist, spinning her back against the rail of the pier.

“You can’t tell me it’s not an attractive quality.”

“Sure,” she said with a shrug. “I’m from a generation of women raised on the ideal of Disney princes. You’re like my Prince Charming.”

“Or his somewhat darker twin.”

She reached up to touch his face, trailing her fingers along his strong jaw. “But if money were the only thing I cared about, our romance would have progressed far differently.”

His head dipped toward hers, his mouth within teasing distance of a kiss. “As much as I wish you were a woman my bank account could sway, I have a feeling I’ll be disappointed.”

“I want more,” she agreed. “Is that greedy?”

“I’ve dealt with greed from the cradle. And you, sweetheart, are a far different creature.” His nose brushed against hers.

She rose to her tiptoes, running her lips along the edge of his jaw. “I grew up seeing true love modeled before me. It made my lunch and sent me off to school. I won’t settle for less.”

“You want your partner to be all in.”

It wasn’t a question, and she drew back enough to meet his eyes. “Yes,” she said, because she couldn’t say anything else. At the end of the day, she needed a man who was as devoted to her as she was to him. And maybe Caleb was that man. He’d been open to exclusivity, after all. But on the other hand, maybe he wasn’t. Maybe his destiny was to live a more transient life, and there was nothing wrong with that.

She just hoped she figured out which man he was before the end of the month. Because tonight she hadn’t thought of Alec at all.

“I may surprise you,” Caleb said, crowding her against the rail.

“I hope so,” she replied as his mouth came down on hers. She wrapped her arms around him, holding him tight.

How she wished he could be more.