No Love Allowed(47)

On anyone else it would have just been a dress, but because Didi wore it, he couldn’t take his eyes off her. His father’s words about his mother came to mind, Every time she entered a room the air grew lighter. He had never understood what JJ had meant until this moment.

As if an invisible force pulled him to her, Caleb handed his drink to Nathan and moved toward the stairs. He never took his eyes away from her.

A step below where she stood, he stopped and took her hand. He brought the back to his lips and pressed a gentle kiss against the soft skin. Her scent comforted him the instant he inhaled. Her presence gave him the unlimited endurance he needed to get through the night. She whispered his name in greeting, and he looked up to see that her smile had softened. It was the smile she reserved just for him when they were alone.

Climbing the last step so he could meet her on even ground, he placed the palm of her hand against his chest.

“You feel that?” he asked.

She nodded, matching him stare for stare.

“It hadn’t started beating until you got here.”

His words granted him the blush he so craved. “Happy birthday, Caleb.”

“Happy now that you’re here.” He eased closer to her side until his lips touched the shell of her ear. “You look beautiful.”

“You like the dress?”

“Like is too weak a word for how I feel about you in that dress.” He placed a kiss on her cheek. “I almost want to carry you out of here just so no one else will get to see you but me.”

“As much as I would like to do that, it’s your birthday party. What would they think if we just up and left?”

He frowned and gestured to the crowd below. “They’re all too drunk to notice.”

She leaned in and kissed him on the lips—a quick, soft touch that ended too soon. “Nate promised really good cake. Can we stay long enough for that?”

“Why, Diana Alexander, are you handling me?” he insinuated with a grin.

She nodded boldly, not bothering to hide her manipulation. Then in a whisper, she told him, “And you still need to unwrap my present.”

“Is it anything under this dress?”

Gasping in shock, she slapped his chest. “Caleb Parker, behave.”

“You in that dress is making it very difficult.”

Biting her soft pink lip, she laced her fingers through his. “Come on, I want to see the band Nate promised.”

Unable to resist when her eyes brightened with excitement, he escorted her the rest of the way down to the ballroom floor.

“Why is no one dancing?” she asked, looking at the empty dance floor.

Caleb smiled. “We can easily fix that.”

She mirrored his smile and allowed him to guide her to the center of the floor. He pulled her into a gliding step. They moved as if meant for each other. Something in Caleb knew this to be true. Didi was his the same way he was hers. He moved his hand from her hip to the small of her back, closing the already small gap between them. Looking into his eyes, she swayed. He loved the trust in her gaze.

Soon they were no longer the only ones on the dance floor. The band switched to something more up-tempo and Caleb whipped Didi around, then pulled her back in just as quickly. She gasped, then giggled. He knew he would give anything to keep her smiling like that.

The sparkling lights. The mix of cologne, perfume, and sweat. All of it seemed to seep into them as they moved with the mass of bodies. They jumped. They swayed. Didi closed her eyes and twirled in his arms. The fringe of her dress whipped around her legs.

She opened her eyes and beamed. “Caleb! This, all of it!” she said above the music, breathless.

He brought his lips to her ear. “Having fun?”

As if on cue, the balloons popped one after the other, raining gold and silver confetti over them. It was magical. The entire evening was magical.

“So pretty.” She raised her hands again, catching the glittering squares in her palms, and bobbed from side to side as he moved his hands up her arms.

A tap on his shoulder from behind broke the spell. He turned around and came face-to-face with the icy glare of the last person he had wanted to see that night.

“Caleb, I need to speak with you,” JJ said.

“Father, can we not do this now?” he asked between his teeth. Didi’s hold tightened in his hand, giving him much-needed restraint as they stopped moving.

His father’s gaze hardened. “Yes, we are doing this now. I’m giving you the option of speaking privately in my study or out here in the open.”

Caleb’s mouth opened to respond, but Didi’s lips on his cheek stopped the nasty words from tumbling out. “Go with him,” she said softly so as not to draw attention to them. “I’ll be fine with Nate and Tash.”

“You sure?” Even if he asked, he already knew the answer, so he caught his cousin’s gaze in the crowd. He shared a brief nod with Nathan. But before leaving Didi, he cupped her face with his free hand and gave her the kiss he had wanted since she arrived—hard, hot, and full of promises. Only when she stared back at him with desire-dazed eyes did he let go of her hand and follow JJ to his office.





Twenty-One


“CLOSE THE DOOR behind you,” JJ said after entering his office and striding to his desk without as much as a look back.