My frown deepens. “Are you doing something illegal?”
“Constantly.”
My eyes widen. “What?”
He cracks a smile at my panic. “I have a kidnapped fiancée, don’t I?”
I roll my eyes. “You know that’s not what I meant. Why do you have to communicate on a burner phone if you’re not doing anything sketchy?”
“I’m doing something very sketchy, that’s why the details won’t be communicated over a phone at all. Don’t worry about it,” he says, nodding at the notebook he clearly wants me to shift my attention back to. “I’m smart enough not to get caught.”
“All criminals think that until they get arrested. Why don’t you just… not do anything illegal?” I suggest. “I’ve just come around to the idea of liking you. I’ll be pretty annoyed if you end up in jail now.”
He rolls his eyes. “I won’t end up in jail.”
“Right, sorry. Prison. You never bother unless you’re doing something truly heinous, so I’m sure it would be prison, not jail. Let’s obey the law and avoid both places.”
“The law is so inconvenient sometimes,” he says.
I shake my head at him, but I know at the end of the day he’ll do what he wants.
“It’s sweet that you’re worried about me, though.”
I glance over at his devious little smile and shake my head. “If you end up in prison because you didn’t listen to me, don’t expect me to write you.”
“You’d write me. You’d have to—how else would I receive those anniversary cards you’re so looking forward to?”
“That is true,” I murmur.
He nods. “Besides, I’ve already made contingency arrangements in the event I ever got myself in more trouble than I could get out of. We’ll adopt new names, flee the country on a private jet, and lay low on a friend’s island for a while.”
“A friend’s island, he says,” I mutter, shaking my head. “You’re too rich. It’s offensive.”
“On the upside, without my having to work, you’d have me all to yourself.”
I press a hand to my chest as if I can’t handle the excitement. “Oh, my. What did I do to deserve this bounty of good fortune?”
Calvin smirks. “It sounds pretty good to me.”
“That’s because you’re a lunatic.”
“I’m just saying, the worst case scenario isn’t so bad as long as we’re together.”
“Aw,” I murmur by accident, not even being sarcastic. “That’s actually really sweet.”
The smug bastard nods before returning his attention to his phone. “And that’s how I know you’d write me.”
I roll my eyes realizing he’s probably right. I probably would.
He doesn’t have to be honest all the time and point it out, though. God. So rude.
Chapter Forty Two
Hallie
On Sunday when it’s time to meet Calvin’s parents, he’s much less anxious about making any kind of impression.
I can tell he doesn’t really want to go. I don’t think he sees a lot of his parents, and I know from the story he told me that night at The Met that he very much does not like his father.
I still want to make a good impression, though.
I want to wear the pretty new mahogany sandals I bought, and luckily, I was able to find a matching belt. I pair it with a white dress Calvin bought me and finish the look with brown sunglasses. When I look in the mirror, I think I look like I belong in Italy again.
Maybe I should say yes to that. I have always wanted to see Italy, and I have the perfect outfit…
Calvin is already dressed in a black T-shirt with a charcoal gray pinstriped dinner jacket and matching pants. He looks striking, but he always does. It’s the inside that can be a little off-putting.
Looking at his color palette and mine, I wonder if I should’ve worn black and gray, too. Calvin normally picks out my outfits, but he let me do it tonight.
Unsure if he’ll like what I picked out for myself, I move closer until I catch his attention.
He leans back on the couch, and I’m unnerved by the sinful way his eyes rake over me—as if we were in a strip club and I’m standing here on a stage without a single scrap of clothing on my body.
Naked.
He makes me feel bare naked, like I can’t hide anything from him.
He senses my unease. He knows I’ve come looking for his approval, and he likes it.
Smiling tentatively, I grab a handful of my dress and do a little twirl. “You like?”
I shouldn’t ask. Shouldn’t care. Still, when his eyes warm with pleasure and a sensual smile tugs as his lips, I find myself warming a bit.
“I love. You’re beautiful, Hallie. Inside and out.”
The man may be the devil, but he sure knows how to give a compliment.
“You think your parents will approve? I wasn’t sure if I should wear something so casual, or maybe something more conservative…”
Immediately dismissive, he shakes his head. “You can wear a bathing suit to meet them if that’s what makes you happy. My mom will love you no matter what, and if my father doesn’t like it, he can fuck himself.”