The Billionaire's Best Friend(8)
Lauren frowned but nodded. “She’s here with her husband. If you want to say hello, she’s still at our table on the other side of the room.”
Everything from her body language to her voice told him she was uncomfortable. Yet his pleasure at finally seeing her kept him from letting her walk away. After fifteen long years he wanted to stand there and soak up the sight of her.
“I’ll catch her before I leave tonight.”
“She’d like that.” Lauren pressed her lips together and met his gaze. “How long are you on leave?”
“I’m not on leave, I’m back permanently.” A room full of people prevented him from telling her everything, but he needed her to know he wasn’t going anywhere. “Until I find a place, I’m staying in my parents’ apartment.”
An emotion he couldn’t label flickered in her eyes and then disappeared. “Then I guess I’ll see you around.”
“Plan on it.”
Lauren’s lips started to form a word, but then she stopped herself.
“Didn’t you want to check on your sister?” Kevin asked.
She nodded and looked over at her date. “I do,” she said before her eyes met his again. “She wasn’t feeling well earlier. It was nice seeing you tonight, Nate. I’m glad you came.”
How could he argue with that? He’d seen Kelly earlier, and she looked as if she could have her baby any day now. “Tell her I said hello. And I’ll see you soon.”
Lauren graced him with a tentative smile. “I will.” With her date’s arm still around her, she walked away.
Another jolt of jealousy shot through Nate as she crossed the dance floor. Logically he realized he should’ve expected her to be involved with someone. Not once during their time apart had he contacted her or given her any indication he wanted a relationship with her. Still, he hadn’t been prepared to see her with another man. Instead, he’d hoped that by some miracle she was waiting for him. The presence of a man in her life tonight changed nothing. While it might complicate his current mission, it didn’t change it. Even with a guy in her life, he intended to fight for her.
***
He’d noticed the change in Lauren the moment Nate stopped them. Her back went rigid and she’d all but entirely clammed up. Even now, more than two hours since their run in, she remained unusually quiet. In the time he’d known her, she’d always kept up a steady conversation when they got together.
Readjusting his legs under the table in an attempt to get comfortable, Kevin shot a quick glance around the banquet room and shook his head. The party didn’t look to be winding down anytime soon. Any other time he wouldn’t have minded that, but he had work to finish tonight so he’d be prepared for his first meeting in Atlanta tomorrow. He’d worked on it already that afternoon before the party, but still had a fair amount to do. He couldn’t tell Lauren that, though. He’d already messed up tonight by showing up late and didn’t want any more strikes against him. They were still early on in their relationship, and if he hoped to keep things progressing toward an engagement, he needed to show her he was invested in them as a couple.
Kevin lifted his glass, prepared to finish off his drink, when his eyes locked on the guy from the dance floor Not that the guest Lauren introduced as Nathaniel Callahan noticed. Judging by the way the guy stared at Lauren now and the way she had reacted to him, they’d been more than just neighbors growing up. Putting his drink down, Kevin leaned in toward her and placed a kiss on her cheek. “Ready for another dance?” he whispered in her ear.
When Lauren jumped slightly, he clenched his teeth together as a light blush crept up her cheeks. Obviously, she’d been thinking about something other than him. Definitely not something that normally happened with women he dated.
“Um . . . sure. I’d like that.”
Standing, Kevin pulled back Lauren’s chair and took her hand. As she came to her feet, he shot another look in Nate’s direction and nodded. In response, the guy’s eyes narrowed and he scowled but then looked away.
Kevin led Lauren onto the dance floor as another slow ballad started. Pulling her close, he wrapped his arms around her, but his mind stayed focused on the guy across the room. Or rather how he was going to make sure he stayed away from Lauren. He hadn’t spent the past few months developing this relationship with her just so someone from her past could come along and lure her away.
***
“Don’t forget what I said. You can stay as long as you want. There’s no need for you to rush out and find a place.” Janet Callahan handed her son the keys to the apartment over the garage.