Kyle said, “You have nothing to worry about.” His gaze slid over me. “You’re perfect.”
“Hardly.” I snickered.
He added, “Come on, Ari. You’re beautiful.” His blue irises deepened in color. “Maybe you’ll have dinner with me tonight?”
“That’s not going to happen. Now or ever.”
My head snapped up, since I’d been spearing romaine lettuce and Kalamata olives with my fork.
Dane stood over Kyle’s shoulder, shooting me a really, this again? look.
I tried a placating smile. “Mr. Bax.”
He scowled.
Kyle’s brow furrowed.
Dane rounded the table and said to me, “We have a meeting in my conference room with all of the department heads.”
I consulted my watch. “In fifteen minutes.”
“I thought we could discuss a few agenda items beforehand.”
My heart skipped several beats. Could he be more alpha? And did he honestly think he had anything to worry about when it came to Kyle? I was in love—head-over-heels in love—and I’d told Dane that already.
But he did like to hold what was his close to the chest.
I said, “Take a peek at the private party invitations Kyle made up.” I handed one over, hoping to diffuse some of the sudden tension. “Gorgeous, right?”
He actually grinned. “Am I allowed to form my own opinion on this?”
“I’m just sayin’,” I casually told him with a wave of my hand.
Dane studied the cardstock and nodded. To Kyle, he said, “Excellent work. I really do like it.”
I breathed a sigh of relief. Kyle’s chest puffed out a bit, though I could still see how he bristled over Dane being so territorial with me.
“Thanks,” he said. “I’ve got more tweaks, but I thought it’d make a good base.”
“Agreed. I appreciate the time and effort you’ve obviously put into this.” That was about as much of a truce as they’d reach, I suspected, because Dane’s attention returned to me. “Now, let’s have a quick chat before our meeting.”
I left my salad, since one of the servers was closing in on the remnants anyway. The hotel wasn’t fully staffed, but there were plenty of workers not only learning the ropes but also perfecting their positions. Dane wanted a smooth-running operation before the Lux even opened. That meant allowing everyone to run through the paces on a daily basis with other staff, as though they were actually catering to members and guests.
“I’ll talk to you later,” I said to Kyle, who appeared a bit perplexed over the entire exchange.
“Sure.”
As Dane and I walked off, I felt his irritation. He said, “How many times has he asked you out?”
“That might have officially been the first.” I didn’t think it wise to mention our conversation at the Delfinos’. “And you can’t get mad at him.”
He crooked his dark brow at me. “Oh?”
“Dane. No one knows that we’re together. So it’s not his fault.”
We’d miraculously kept our relationship a secret thus far. I was shocked, considering the way his eyes smoldered when he looked at me and the fact that every time he was near I felt as though I’d spontaneously combust. I wouldn’t go so far as to say that my colleagues didn’t appear to speculate, but I hadn’t encountered any under-the-breath comments or outright insinuation.
Dane and I didn’t spend enough time together at the hotel for anyone to put two and two together was my guess. With the exception of Kyle, because he’d already begun formulating that idea—and Dane had clearly just confirmed it.