The Safe Bet (Hidden Truths #1)(12)

Although he had agreed, Kate felt like Michael was almost . . . nervous. His jaw ticked, and his chest inflated a little beneath his shirt. When she saw how his eyes swept down her body and up again, she realized it wasn’t nerves, but something else lurking beneath his somewhat cold exterior.

When they entered her suite, and she remembered the bed was in another room, the knot in her stomach weakened. Why didn’t she trust herself? It wasn’t like she’d throw caution to the wind.

She slipped off her uncomfortable heels, pulled her hair in a ponytail, and approached the bar by the window.

Michael looked around the room, which wasn’t as lavish as might be expected. The furniture was minimalistic, and the room was almost boring, decorated in various shades of tan. The only thing that brightened the room was a vase of flowers on the coffee table. “Let me help,” he offered.

“Merlot okay?” she asked.

“Sure.” Her arm brushed against his as she moved away from the bar. The slightest contact had her body tensing.

She took a seat on a cream-colored loveseat and crossed her legs at her ankles. She stared at Michael as he poured the wine, appreciating how good his backside looked in well-worn blue jeans.

When he turned toward her, armed with two glasses of wine, her heart slammed against her ribcage. He stood still for a moment, holding the glasses and staring at her mouth.

What? Oh. She was biting her lip again. Don’t tell me you’re like that Christian Grey character. Kate may not have had much of a love life, but she’d at least read the infamous books. She was definitely getting a “dominant male” vibe from Michael, but whips? She doubted that.

Her lip quivered a little at the thought, which pushed her entirely outside her comfort zone and her cheeks heated at the image of Michael tying her up.

What is with me?

“You okay?” Michael moved toward her and sat down.

Apparently not. But she quickly nodded and averted her eyes to the glass she’d raised in the air, wishing the loveseat was a little bigger. She was far too close to him. “Um . . . cheers.” The man may have been a notorious womanizer, but she was beginning to wonder if it wasn’t his fault. Maybe women just threw themselves at him.

She’d never had a one-night stand before, but she had a list of men that she was willing to break her no casual sex rule for: Bradley Cooper, Brett Dalton, and Henry Cavill. Since Michael looked like Henry, maybe even better if that were possible, did that mean she could—

“You think you’ll be able to pull off this party by next Saturday?” Michael interrupted her thoughts, which was probably a good thing.

“I hope. Your sister is counting on me.” She looked down at the scarlet colored wine. “So, do you like being a venture capitalist? Do you miss running your old business?”

He set his glass down and rubbed the back of his neck. “I’m involved in running many businesses now. It’s exciting bringing someone’s idea or product to life. I never had any intention of creating my own company when I got out of the military, you know. I had ideas—a lot of ideas, and I needed help.” He crossed his ankle over his knee.

“You didn’t want to become rich?”

His lips curved at the edges, offering her an almost-smile. “I didn’t plan on selling my inventions to the military. I would’ve given them away. But to get my ideas from, well, an idea to a product, I needed capital. And investors want to make a profit.” He reached for his glass and took a sip of the Merlot. “After some time, I realized I couldn’t morally justify selling my inventions anymore. They were saving lives. Catching terrorists. The original investors offered me a chance to sell my share of the company to them.”

“And that’s when you decided to use the money to help veterans?”

He nodded.

“You’re amazing.” She didn’t mean to say that aloud.

He cocked his head to the side, and this time, a full smile slipped to his lips. “That’s what I think about you.”

She took in a breath, and her shoulders jerked at the sound of her phone beeping, alerting her to a text. “Sorry. Give me a second.” It had to be important if someone was trying to reach her so late.

She rose to her feet and walked over to her purse, which she had chucked by the door.

“Everything okay?” he asked as she dropped the phone back into her bag, her hand trembling.

“Um. Yeah, I’m fine,” she lied. “It’s—it’s actually my birthday today, and I got a birthday message is all.”

“Really? Happy Birthday. Julia didn’t tell me.”

“She doesn’t know.” Kate walked toward the wall of windows by the bar and folded her arms.

“You sure you’re okay?” He stood up and approached her, wine still in hand. He touched her shoulder, guiding her to face him, before tilting her chin up.

She prayed he wouldn’t see her pain. “I don’t ever celebrate my birthday,” she admitted.

“You don’t like getting old, huh?” He released his hand from her face and tipped the remaining contents of his wine glass into his mouth. “How old are you today?”

“Twenty-seven.”

“Well, you should at least continue celebrating your birthday until you get to be as old as me.”

“And you are?” She already knew the answer since she’d done her research on the company before visiting, but she didn’t want to come across as some creepy stalker.