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.

But here was a man she should fight against, and what did he do? Offered her the most honest conversation she’d had in months.

Don’t get drawn in. None of this can last.

For a night, however, it felt so good to simply have some company that understood the aspects of their jobs no one else could.

The waitress arrived with their meals, and she leaned back. The crepe before her smelled amazing, and she had to acknowledge whatever else he was, Damien could pick a tasty restaurant.

“Bon appétit,” she said, reaching for her fork.

She ate a few silent bites, savoring her food.

“Worth the tension?” he asked.

“Definitely. I might keep you around just for your food connections.”

“If I had a nickel.”

She laughed, enjoying herself more than she should.

“Boston seems very far away this week,” he said.

She nodded. “I love coming to this conference. I always leave with good ideas, and the time-out from reality can do a person good.”

“I’ll have to come again next year.”

She glanced up at him. Going to the same event every year could get complicated fast.

Hell, going to one event together had gotten complicated fast.

A self-deprecating grin tipped his lips. “Or maybe not.”

“Well, we’ve lasted two days without ripping each other to shreds. Surely we can survive a couple more.”

“Aren’t you the optimist.”

“We’re small fish in a big pond. I have to be.”

He inclined his head, cutting into his duck. “Why don’t you want to sell? Not that I’m asking again,” he said, holding up a hand in peace. “I’m just wondering. Your life must be exhausting.”

She paused, thinking over her answer. “How do you sell something someone you loved gave literally everything they had to?”

“But it wasn’t your dream.”

“It is now.” A bittersweet smile curved her lips. “I know you’ll come after us eventually. And who knows. With your influence and reputation, you’ll probably win.”

There was no pleasure in his face as he watched her.

“I’m not naive,” she said. “I just…I’ll hang on as long as we can. I might surprise you all.”

“Maybe you will.” He reached for his wine. “I almost hope you do.”

She raised her own drink to him. “To paths not yet traveled.”

“Look at you. Finding a toast we can agree to after all.”

Don’t smile. Don’t enjoy. He might be your downfall.

But if he was, what a way to go.