Talking Dirty With the Player(43)
…
God, he’d never wanted a woman more. Judith sat across from him, looking so beautiful in a tunic thing the color of lapis lazuli. She was laughing at some irreverent comment he’d made about one of the celebrities sitting not far from them, her posture completely relaxed. Just like old times.
Except he wasn’t relaxed. He was impatient, aching to hold her, take her away, and make love to her. He’d never had to take it slow with a woman before, never wanted to. And if he screwed this up, he’d lose her. He knew that as surely as he knew his stupid Abs of Steele persona wasn’t worth risking Judith over.
“So why choose this place?” she asked him, elbow on the table, her chin propped in her hand. “It’s kind of like celebrity heaven around here.”
It sounded like a casual enough question although he knew it wasn’t. “You think that’s why I chose it?”
“Maybe.”
“Well, I didn’t.” He met her gaze. “I chose it because I thought you might enjoy the view of the harbor. And also because they do a mean chocolate cheesecake.”
She opened her mouth. Shut it. Then one corner turned up in a smile she was clearly trying to stop from happening. “Oh. Okay then.” There was a pause. “I do like cheesecake.”
He tried not to be smug. Failed. “I know you do.”
A little sigh escaped her. “You’re not going to make this easy, are you?”
“What? This whole ‘I need time thing?’ No.”
“So what happened to ‘take all the time you need’?”
“You can take all the time you need. I’m just offering a few incentives.”
Judith laughed. “You’re incorrigible.”
“Naturally. I wouldn’t be me if I wasn’t.”
Something flashed through the windows, distracting him. Across the street a man stood, a camera in his hands, the lens pointed straight to where he and Judith were sitting.
Shit. The press.
Almost on cue he sensed a presence at his elbow. He turned his head to find a guy standing right next to him. Who wasn’t a waiter.
The man smiled. “So Caleb, can you tell me who the lady is? A new friend of yours, perhaps?”
Caleb scowled. “I can’t do anything without you guys butting in, can I?”
“Hey, no drama. I’m Steve from the Herald. All I want to know is what’s going on with your lady here.”
“She’s just a friend, okay? Now piss off.”
Steve, unfazed by his rudeness, flicked his gaze to Judith. “Miss? Care to add anything?”
The smile had gone from her face. “I’m sorry, I don’t—”
“It’s a simple question. You’re more than friends, aren’t you? You’re Caleb Steele’s new playmate.” The reporter behind Caleb was starting to move around the table toward her.
A blue spark flashed in Judith’s eyes. “Playmate? What the hell are you talking about?”
Crap. This had gone far enough. Caleb shoved back his chair. Then he stepped between Judith and the dickhead who called himself a reporter. “Get lost, Steve. There are plenty of other people around here to bug.”
Faced with six foot five of muscular rugby player, Steve from the Herald wisely decided to back off, muttering half-hearted apologies as he did so.
But the damage was done. As Caleb turned back to Judith, he found her on her feet and gathering up her things.
A large concrete block settled itself in his gut. “Where are you going?” He tried to not make it sound like a demand.
“Back to work.”
“Why? Because of some stupid reporter?”
She didn’t look at him. “No. I need to get back anyway.”
“Jude.” He gripped her upper arm, making her turn to face him. “What is it?”
There was anger in her eyes, a flush to her cheeks. “He’s always going to be there, isn’t he? Abs of freaking Steele.”
He’d never wanted to kill anyone before but right at that moment he would have quite happily strangled that reporter with his bare hands. “I’m doing my best here, Jude.”
She looked away from him. “I know. But it’s hard when I get slapped in the face with ‘Caleb Steele, playboy’ every time I’m seen out in public with you.”
Frustration burned like battery acid. “I’m not sure what you want me to say. The past is the past. I can’t change it.”
For a long moment she was silent. Then she said, “I don’t know, either, Caleb. I think this trust thing is going to take me longer than I thought. Can you let me go? I really need to get back to work.”
The concrete block turned into a whole building, collapsing on top of his chest. “We should talk about this.”