No Love Allowed(19)

“Good to know.” She laughed. “Let’s go. You wouldn’t want to be late for this garden party of yours. Daddy dearest might get mad.” She headed toward the car.

Running on autopilot, Caleb turned on his heel and overtook her. As he opened the door, he made sure he kept his eyes firmly on the ground. She laughed some more.

“Not funny,” he muttered, throat dry. After shutting the door, he hurried to his side and slid into the driver’s seat. Then his gaze flicked to her lap. Another curse dropped out of his lips. “Can you please pull your skirt down? I can’t be held responsible for crashing this car if you don’t.”

As if she had taken pity on his obvious discomfort, she tugged. But, of course, adjusting the hem meant the lowering of the scooped neckline. It exposed the upper curves of her breasts. Caleb gripped the steering wheel so hard the leather made a crunching sound beneath his hands. He couldn’t tell if he was the luckiest guy in the world to have a girl like her sitting beside him or if the universe was messing with him.

She hummed, enjoying herself way too much. “Is that your cell phone in your pocket or are you just happy to see me?”

Her question jerked him awake. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the phone he was sure she hadn’t really meant to mention. He swiped his thumb over the screen, tapped several times, then brought the receiver to his ear.

A couple of seconds later, the guy at the other end picked up, and Caleb spoke quickly. “I have her.” He slanted a glance her way before returning his gaze straight ahead. Yup, looking anywhere else was safest. Not waiting for a reply, he said, “Stay there. I’m driving her over.”

In his periphery he noticed her raise an eyebrow.

He hung up and started the car. Over the rumble of the engine, he said to her, “Buckle up, I’m about to break a couple of traffic laws.”

Fifteen tense minutes later, during which Caleb didn’t speak, didn’t even glance her way, Didi leaned half her body out of his car window to get a better view of the massive stone mansion with ivy-covered walls they were driving toward. Gravel crunched beneath the wheels as he skirted a huge fountain that served as a rotunda. She let out an excited hoot.

“Will you get back in here, please?” he begged.

A tugging on the hem of her dress forced her back into her seat. “Is this your house?” she asked, a silly grin on her face. “It’s a castle.”

Sighing through his nostrils, he said, “This is my cousin’s house.”

Remembering the call from earlier, she asked, “What’s his name?”

“Nathan.” Caleb parked the car by the front steps and killed the engine. Even before she could unfasten her seat belt, he was already opening her door. He reached in and helped her out. Heat climbed from where he touched her all the way up her arm, culminating as tingles in her belly.

Needing something to focus on besides how warm his hand was, she let go and yanked the stubborn dress down. The stretchy fabric had ridden up her thighs during the drive and subsequent leaning out of the window. When she looked up she locked gazes with a guy who could have easily been Caleb’s twin, except with a slimmer build. He walked down the front steps to meet them in white pants and shirt with a seersucker blazer on top.

“Jesus.” He let out a low whistle. “You were right, Caleb. Looking at her is certainly a religious experience.”

“Nate,” Caleb said with clear warning in his voice.

“Hey.” Nathan raised both hands in surrender, “I’m just repeating what you told me about her. Hello.” He reached out and took her hand. “I’m Nathan Parker.”

His smile was so open and gentle she couldn’t help but smile back. Unlike his expressive yet often guarded cousin, Nathan seemed like the type who kept his emotions on the surface. Very much like she did.

“Diana Alexander.” She shook his hand. “But they call me Didi.”

Nathan and Caleb shared a look before Nathan said, “They?”

Caleb shook his head, then glanced at his watch. “I’m already running late. Can you help her?”

Nathan glared as if Caleb had just stabbed him. “You didn’t seriously just ask me that.”

“Nate.” He gestured toward Didi. “As you can see, I have my hands full with this one.”

“Should I be insulted?” she asked Nathan, who granted her another one of those brilliant, almost-all-knowing smiles.

“Don’t mind Caleb. He was raised by wolves.”

She caught the tail end of Caleb giving his cousin the finger when she glanced at him, and she laughed. She liked them together. The air Nathan carried around him seemed to relax Caleb. They gave her the impression of being close. Being an only child and not knowing what it meant to have family other than her mother, loneliness pinched at her heart.

Must be nice to have a cousin to count on, she thought.

“I have to go,” Caleb said, drawing her attention. He was already backing up toward his car.

“I called Preston,” Nathan told him. “He’s fielding for you with Michael. You’re lucky JJ’s in court today.”

“Just get her there as quick as you can.”

“Give me an hour.”

Caleb stopped at the driver’s side and scowled, sending new waves of shivers through her. For that look alone she didn’t mind that he was leaving her with a relative stranger. Emphasis on the word relative.