Rousing herself with an iron will, Caroline drained the contents of her drink and stood. She excused herself several times walking through a crowd of people, noting absentmindedly that most of them were discussing Kimble and his now-infamous Ponzi scheme. A few whispers told her she hadn’t gone unrecognized, but it barely registered. Breathing through her nose, she focused on holding it together long enough to exit with some semblance of dignity.
The bouncer nodded at her gently as she passed, telling her she hadn’t quite managed to hide the overwhelming sense of loss threatening to drown her. When the cameras lit up immediately on her exit and voices started begging for a verbal reaction, she picked up her pace, heels clicking on the cold pavement. If she opened her mouth now, she had no idea what would come out. Sobs…epithets…screams? All three?
She pulled her trench coat tighter, realizing fuzzily that she’d never even taken it off at the bar. Had she known subconsciously he wouldn’t come?
“Caroline.”
Her footsteps came to an abrupt halt, Jonah’s voice resonating through her very soul. Slowly, she turned to face him. Looking tired and disheveled, yet heartbreakingly handsome at the same time, he stood ten feet from her, a magazine clutched in his fist. Her gaze ran over him, head to toe, soaking in his image like a woman dying of thirst. He did the same to her, his attention only drawn away when the filming news cameras circled them.
When he spoke, his voice shook with quiet intensity. “Where have you been?”
“Here.” She swiped at the moisture on her cheek. “What about you?”
Jonah raised a hand and began to tick off fingers. “Your apartment. Your office. Our steak house. Our jazz club. Anywhere I can think of that reminds me of you.” His hand dropped down against his thigh. “Turns out, everywhere reminds me of you, Caroline. Everywhere.”
She squeezed her eyes shut, joy winging through her chest. The cameramen had gone silent, as had the crowd spilling out from the club. It was so unnaturally quiet, Caroline worried it was all an elaborate dream. He’d gone looking for her, wanting to see her. Dammit, that was a start.
Jonah held up the wrinkled magazine in his fist. “You tell me you’re in love with me, you print it on the front page of your family’s magazine, then you turn your phone off and disappear?”
Caroline’s hand shot to her jacket pocket where the phone sat silently. “Oh God, I forgot.” She encompassed the cameramen with a glance. “It’s been a long day.”
“For both of us.” Slowly, he closed half of the distance between them, shooting a warning glance at a cameraman who inched too close to her. “It’s going to be a very long time before I forgive you—”
“I know,” she whispered into the deathly silence.
Something she couldn’t name shone in his eyes as he shook his head. “You still haven’t learned any patience yet, have you? I’m not finished, sweetheart.” Finally, blessedly, he reached her. “It’s going to be a long time before I forgive you for not being within reaching distance when I found out you love me. Every second I’ve spent today without you has been a nightmare. I’ve needed to hold you so fucking badly.”
Caroline had to command herself to remain upright. Emotions rubbed raw rose to the surface, dizzying her where she stood. “What are you waiting for—”
She was in Jonah’s arms before the words fully left her mouth. Feet dangling off the ground, her body melted against his in her staggering relief. His scent, his strength infused her, slowly making her whole, telling her with absolute certainty she wouldn’t have been able to live without this. Without him.
“I don’t want you to let me go,” she said into his neck. “That’s what I should have said to you that day on the phone. And again when you were lying in my bed. I don’t want you to ever let me go.”
“I never did, baby.” He pressed his lips to her temple, holding her so close she felt like a part of him. “I’m incapable of it. I couldn’t even bring myself to try.”
Her breath left her in a rush. “Oh, thank God. I missed you so much.” She swiped at her eyes. “And I might deserve a televised rejection, but it’s not exactly on my bucket list.”
Jonah’s laugh rumbled in his chest. “You don’t do anything in half measures, do you, Caroline Preston?”
“Never.” She brushed her mouth against his ear. “Take me upstairs and I’ll show you.”
…
Jonah led Caroline through the crowd briskly, thankful they were away from the cameras. Not only did they make him uncomfortable, but he didn’t like them anywhere near Caroline. Following his woman, speaking to her, filming her. He’d tolerated them briefly only because he’d been unable to focus on anything but her. My woman. Christ, he’d underestimated exactly how fucking perfect it would feel saying those words in his head, knowing they were real.