But I am a filthy bastard, and as the minutes remaining until she missed the last boat to Blackstone Island ticked away, I fucking rejoiced silently in my seat beside her.
“No, no, no, Will, you left without me,” she cursed against the window, looking very frustrated and utterly tantalizing sitting inside my car. We could all see the boat had pulled away from its berth and was already movin
g into open water. Nope. Brooke wouldn’t be going home tonight. She would have to stay the night with me at the penthouse. I think my teeth were in danger of cracking from how hard I was grinding them together to hold back my victory yell.
I chose not to mention I owned a helicopter that could get her to the island in fifteen minutes. Nah, I wouldn’t say anything about my helicopter to her, because I wanted her to stay.
I wanted her to stay with me more than I’ve ever wanted anything in my life.
Brooke
You are welcome to stay at my place tonight. I have three guest rooms for you to choose from.”
I knew Caleb would make the offer before he said the words. I could feel his eyes on me, burning at my back as I watched my ride home float away. A shiver rolled through my body as a feeling of impending change came over me—something big, and something over which I had absolutely no control. It was being set into motion right this very minute. And it scared me.
The partition drew closed with a quiet hum, giving us privacy from his driver. Another shiver shook me.
“Are you cold?” Caleb put his hand on my shoulder and gently pulled me closer.
“No.” I turned away from the window and toward him. “I just—this was the very last thing I expected to happen.”
He smelled so good. I had to fight the urge to fall into his arms just so I could breathe in more of the delicious sexy-man-scent thing he had going on. I was well aware my hormones were screaming, “Yes, bitch, do it now, please!” as they slapped me across the face.
It had been so long since I’d been held with any kind of tenderness. I was tempted to accept his invitation. His presence was commanding up against me on the seat, but he pulled it off without being the slightest bit threatening. Something I’d had ample experience with to know exactly how that felt . . . unfortunately.
He waited patiently for me to say something.
I didn’t know why, but it felt as if Caleb was protecting me. It felt nice, but I needed a bit of clarification from him. He’d hired me for a massive job and had paid an enormous sum of money in the form of a retainer fee. I needed to believe he wasn’t using his position over me to get sex. Was I supposed to just dance my way into his bed whenever he asked me to? Was he asking me to do that tonight? I didn’t think Jon or Carlisle would throw me into a situation like that with a client, but Caleb was infusing a great deal of money into Harris & Goode. I imagined they didn’t want to risk losing him by imposing restrictions—either moral or contractual.
“I don’t think I should stay, Caleb. I—I really don’t know what you want from me—what you are expecting . . .” Well, that sounded awkward. Did I just ask him that question? God. “But maybe I should get a hotel room—”
“I’m not expecting anything from you, Brooke. It’s just an invitation from me to you because it’s the right thing to do. I feel responsible for not delivering you in time to make your ferry. Now you’re stuck in Boston for the night.” He grinned at me in his cheeky way—the one he’d somehow perfected to look utterly devilish without the obnoxious and lewd. “I do have a big house and I’d like you to stay. And really, if you think about it this way, you should get a feel for the space you’re going to be renovating. It can be preliminary research for the project.”
I took a deep breath and considered his logic. He had a good point on getting to know the penthouse I’d been hired to design. I decided to be blunt and ask him the question I really wanted answered. I’d know better what to do after I’d heard from him. “But what is going on here with you and me?” I asked, flicking my fingers back and forth between us. “Is this you trying to get me into bed?”
“Literal answer or figurative?” he asked easily, as he reached for my hands and enfolded them in his to rest on his chest. “I won’t lie and deny wanting to be with you. You’ve totally captivated me from the moment I first spoke to you. You’re beautiful and funny and smart, Brooke. And I am a human male. Everything’s in working order just as it should be.” He tilted his head down toward his crotch and smirked. “Trust me.”
I couldn’t help cracking a smile at his announcement, but there was no way in hell I was going to get caught having a go at his cock, so I just focused on his blue-and-gold eyes instead. Why was this beautiful man so persistent with me? He could have any woman he wanted, and from the pictures on the Internet, he’d had many. Models, celebrities, heiresses: they were the women from his world, not someone like me. Caleb really didn’t have a clear picture of my past. He might think he wanted me right now, and surely wasn’t the first guy to think with the brain that lived in his trousers. But if he knew everything—he probably wouldn’t want me then. I didn’t know that answer yet.
I liked the feel of his hands around mine, but realized he’d conveniently trapped me by holding them together against his chest. He had me right where he wanted me. I stared at his lips and remembered how they’d felt against my cheek when he’d kissed me there: soft, determined, erotic even. I would wager Caleb Blackstone was spectacular in bed.
He drew even closer and whispered, “Let’s just say I won’t turn you away if you find yourself considering it.”
I tugged my hands out of his grip. “Well, thank you for the honesty, but I won’t fall into bed with you, Caleb. I don’t do that with men I’ve just met—”
He put two fingers gently on my mouth and stopped me. “That was my literal answer, Brooke. The figurative one goes something like this: Of course I don’t expect you to sleep with me. I’m not trying to take advantage of you, and this is not some orchestrated seduction on my part. I’m just letting you know I’m very interested. Nothing has to happen that you don’t want to happen. And nothing will happen unless you want it to. I will always respect your choices.”
Well, he said all the right things. I’d give him props on that. I supposed it was stupid to pretend I wasn’t feeling attracted to him. I totally was. I could tell he was attracted to me. Again, not a surprise, but I knew it was just biology at work.
“Better answer?” he asked, with a smile.
I nodded again. “Thank you again for being such a gentleman. It’s a very different experience for me.”
“Why does that bother me and please me at the same time?” he asked wryly.
“I said it was a different experience for me, not that I didn’t like it.”
“I know. I can work with it, beautiful Brooke Casterley with the sexy voice.”