Page 40 of Confusing Cade
“Sometimes, an in-person meeting is more effective.”Plus, I wanted to see you.
“Fine, I’m here.”
I glanced at my watch. “I hate it when people are late. Hate it.”
“Sometimes people are late,” Bella said, her voice tight, like she was biting back something sharper. “They can’t always help it.”
I crossed my arms. “I don’t conduct my business that way. Never have, never will. I respect that other people’s time is valuable, and I don’t waste it.”
She sighed, the sound heavy with exasperation, her fingers flexing briefly on the table as if to steady herself. “I’m sorry I was late, Cade. I am.” The words were clipped, each one laced with a barely concealed edge that didn’t sound apologetic at all.
I tilted my head, studying her. “You don’t sound sorry. You sound annoyed.”
This conversation was veering off course, nothing like what I’d expected when she walked in. Still, I wasn’t backing down. We were here now, so we might as well hash it out.
Her eyes flashed, a spark of irritation breaking through her usual composure. “Because I am,” she replied, then seemed to catch herself, her jaw tightening as she leaned forward slightly. “But not necessarily with you.”
I raised an eyebrow, caught off guard by the heat in her voice. “With what, then?”
Her lips pressed into a thin line, as if she were weighing whether to let me in on whatever was simmering beneath her cool exterior. The tension in her shoulders said she wasn’t ready to give ground just yet. But finally, she spoke.
“Lilly’s school called me today. She’s having a rough time with some of the girls in her class.”
“Like bullying?”
“I’m worried there is more going on that she’s not telling me, more that she’s kept from me.” Bella shook her head and gave me a sheepish grimace. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t bother you with this kind of stuff. It’s not your problem.”
“No, it’s okay that you told me,” I replied, leaning across the wide table and feeling an urge to be closer to her, to be near her. No wonder she was late. Her sister was the most important part of her life.Could I be more of an ass?“Was that why you were late?”
“I was on the phone with some of the administrators.” She reached for the marketing packet and fiddled with the corner of the cover. Her next words were so quiet I almost didn’t hear them. “Cade, what if her friends found out about FanZone?”
“They didn’t.”
She bit her bottom lip.
“They’ve never failed me,” I insisted. “I pay them too much for that.”
She laughed, and I thought I saw a tiny bit of something in her expression that looked like relief. “Like I said the other night, you didn’t have to do all that for me.”
“I wanted to.”
We stared at each other for a long beat. Again, I felt the strangest shift between us, as if something primal, something needy, was growing And I knew I wanted more of it. Much more.
“If this is all you need from me, I should probably go,” Bella said.
I leaned forward slightly, my gaze locked on hers, a slow warmth curling in my chest. “Yes,” I murmured, my voice low and deliberate, almost a caress. “You probably should.”
The way I said it made it clear I wanted the opposite. I wanted her to stay, to linger in this moment with me, and I was almost certain she could hear it in my tone and see it in the way my eyes didn’t leave her.
She didn’t move right away, her lips parting as if she might say something more, and for a fleeting second, I thought she felt it too. But then she stood, smoothing her skirt with a grace that drew my attention despite myself.
“I know details are important to you, Cade, and I like that,” she said. A faint smile played at her lips, and the way she said my name sent a quiet thrill through me. “I’m glad you don’t leave anything to chance.”
“Thanks,” I said, my voice softer than I meant it to be. I rose too, mirroring her movement, my pulse kicking up as I searched for a way to stretch this moment, to keep her here just a little longer. My office, my table, my time with her all felt too short, too fleeting. “Let me walk you out.” I stepped closer, close enough to catch the subtle scent of her perfume, something light and intoxicating that made it even harder to focus.
Her eyes flicked up to mine, and for a moment, her smile widened, just enough to make me think she wasn’t in as much of a hurry to leave as her words suggested. “You don’t have to,” she said, but the way her gaze held mine, bright and knowing, told me she didn’t mind if I did.
“I want to,” I replied. I crossed around the edge of the table, then gestured to the doorway, and when she pushed past me, I seized on the opportunity to place my hand on the small of her back. I was a gentleman, of course, but I couldn’t deny the electricity I felt when I touched her again. I couldn’t explain it, either, the way the heady mix of her presence did something to me that I’d never felt before, something I never thought I’d feel. Taking over my dad’s empire left little time for relationships and absolutely no time for love, but here I was, wishing I could clearmy schedule just to spend time with Bella Moretti, a woman barely half my age and far more troubled than anyone I’d ever allowed in my orbit.
