A shiver ripples through me from the way his jaw sets after he says Adrien’s name. Caleb is definitely jealous.
“Yes, he wants to be onOutside the Cockpit,” I explain.
Now his eyes flash. “Does he?”
“Yes, and I want him to. It will be an interesting interview.”
To my shock, Caleb puts his hand on my forearm, his fingers gently grasping my skin, and then he dips his head close to mine. His crisp citrus cologne envelops my senses, and I greedily drink in the familiar scent.
“Adrien will put moves on you,” he says, his voice just a rumble. Electricity rushes through me, both from his fingers on my arm and the warmth of his breath caressing the side of my face.
I put my hand on his suit jacket, lightly holding the exquisite fabric, and move my lips next to his ear, as if the room is very loud and this is the only way I can speak to him. “And does that bother you?” I murmur huskily.
I move back, reluctantly shifting out of his grasp, and smile up at him.
“Yes,” Caleb says, his jaw twitching.
“Well, that is good info to know,” I say. “Although it’s irrelevant to me. My interests lie in one specific place. And not the one you felt compelled to warn me about.”
His eyes soften, and a sheepish expression passes over his face. “I know. But when I walked in and saw what I saw? It drove mecrazy.”
“Perhaps you should just worry about driving your car, Mr. Collings,” I flirt back.
A huge smile passes over his face, and I feel one spreading across my own.
“Sometimes I can be an idiot,” he confesses.
“Good. Because I can be, too,” I say happily.
“Caleb,” Catherine says, stepping next to him. “We need to go.”
He nods. “Right.”
A pang hits me. “Good seeing you again.”
“Yes, you, too,” Caleb says, his eyes full of longing. “Good night, Isla.”
Catherine says good night, and I watch them walk back through the crowd and out the door. I take another sip of champagne. This is my first taste of what dating Caleb—at least in the short term—will be like.
It’s much harder than I thought. It’s hard to be in a room with him and notbewith him. To be afraid someone will pick up on one single look, a smile, a laugh, and run with some story about us. This is all new to me. I feel like I’m breaking the rules, when in reality, I’m not.
I feel my phone vibrate in my clutch. I set my champagne on a tray and retrieve it. I see it’s a text from Caleb:
Sorry I was an idiot. I know you’re seeing only me.
My heart flutters happily inside my chest. I text him back:
It’s okay. It was kind of nice to know you were jealous.
Caleb Collings is typing …
Well soak it up because I won’t be that stupid ever again.
I chuckle as I reply:
Noted. Have fun tonight. I’m about to head back to the hotel.
Caleb immediately responds: