“And sometimes, the animal gives its prey a warning before it strikes.”
The way he eyed me… Wow. Blunt honesty and overt interest—I liked it.
“Is that what I am to you, Devlin? Prey? Someone to stalk, devour, and bury the carcass once you’re satiated?”
“I don’t devour, Juliana. I savor, lick the wounds I left behind, stake my claim, and make sure I save something for when the hunger strikes again.”
Uh huh…
“God, you’re intense.” And sexy and intriguing. Yeah, I’m in so much fucking trouble.
“What are you doing here?”
“I came to offer you a cup of coffee.”
“And you just happened to know when I’d be getting out of class, and that I usually get my coffee fix at this time.”
“I’m just that good.” He pulled open the passenger side door to a sleek black convertible.
“I’m sure you are.” I couldn’t contain my smile as he raised an eyebrow, apparently surprised I was flirting with him.
He took me to a coffee shop I’d never been to. It was small, a few miles from campus with very few people inside. Nothing like the Starbucks near campus that was more crowded than the university’s library. I talked him into ordering a caramel mocha Frappuccino and laughed at his grimace after he took a sip.
“What? It’s amazing.”
“It’s overly sweet. You can barely taste the coffee in it. What’s the point?”
I chuckled as he took another sip, placed the cup on the table, and pushed it away. “I’ll get you something else. What do you drink, black coffee?”
“Don’t worry about the coffee. I think you know I came here for you.”
“So what does a man like you want with me?”
He stared into my eyes almost timidly. “I’m still trying to figure that out.”
“I thought you were pretty clear the other night.”
“If all I wanted was sex, I wouldn’t be here. That I could get anywhere, without all this… dating stuff.”
I laughed at how awkward this situation was making him feel. It was just a coffee date. I could only imagine how thrown off he’d be by dinner and a movie.
“So you own a club. What else do you do with your time?”
“I don’t own a club, I own a corporation. Ward Enterprises.”
I choked on my drink with that revelation. “What? You’re the Devlin Ward?”
This was so bad. Why couldn’t I be attracted to a reputable man? Someone my dad would be okay with, and then he could get off my back about Nicholas.
“You’ve heard of me.”
Heard of him?
He was the most ruthless man in the business, and my father and his cronies never missed an opportunity to gossip about his questionable ways. He’d built quite an empire in Washington. He owned restaurants, hotels, and a fleet of charter planes to name a few. He had an empire that rivaled my dad’s, but he’d achieved it in a fraction of the time.
“I’m a business major. Of course, I have.”
“Business major?” He seemed delighted by this information. “How far along are you in your studies?”
“This is my last semester. I graduate in May.”
“Ward Enterprises is always looking for fresh talent.”
“I have a position waiting for me at Callahan Corp.”
He lifted his eyebrows and nodded. “Impressive. You must be quiet the student.”
“Not really. It’s a family business. My dad’s Robert Callahan.”
He adjusted his glasses, then smiled nervously.
He should really smile more often. It made the blue in his eyes brighter. It got harder and harder to concentrate as I gazed into them.
“You just keep getting more interesting.”
“Good.” I sipped on my drink, trying to hide my smile and calm the butterflies he brought to life in my stomach. “I wouldn’t want to bore you.”
He leaned his crossed arms onto the tabletop, and then moved a fisted hand under his chin. The way he scrutinized me made the nervousness resurface.
“I can imagine you’d be many things, but boring isn’t one.”
“You'd be surprised.”
He leaned forward, his elbows resting on the tabletop, then he reached out and put his hands over mine. “Boring is subjective. You don't need to conform to what everyone else your age does to be interesting. What's something you do that makes you happy?”
I could barely concentrate on his words as I watched and felt his thumbs caressing the back of my hand.
“Juliana?” I glanced up at him and my heart did a little flip, and I was flattered by the way he was so focused on me. He was really trying.