The Safe Bet (Hidden Truths #1)(25)

He clapped his hands together before tapping her on the shoulder like a sister. Good. She hoped he would start treating her like one more often.

“Another round,” he said, waving his hand in the air. He adjusted his seat so he could better face Kate. His dark brows lifted as his attention shifted to something or someone behind her. “Did you invite Maddox?”

Kate’s hand rushed to her throat as if she was going to choke, and she shifted in her seat to check if Michael was, in fact, on approach.

“Isn’t that the supermodel, Jamie Landon?” Joseph arched his shoulders back in obvious excitement.

“Yes, it is,” Kate said under her breath. The sight of Jamie with her arm wrapped around Michael’s as they walked toward the bar like a power couple had her stomach flipping, which was ridiculous, she knew. How many times did she have to remind herself that she was the one who turned him down? It was her fault that she’d never experience his hands on her body, or discover the way his mouth would feel on her skin.

She needed to keep her heart guarded, to keep her plans intact.

Business first.

Boyfriend later.

And preferably fall for a man who actually wanted a relationship.

She shut her eyes for a second, hoping she could blink the two of them away. When her eyes opened, Michael was staring back at her, shy of her by a couple feet.

“Kate,” Michael said her name while giving her a curt nod.

She stood up and closed the short gap between them. “Hi, Michael. This is Joseph, the caterer for the gala. I didn’t expect to see you here.” Are you following me? I already have someone doing that, her inner voice surprised her with a joke. She looked over at Jamie, who began to touch her bottom lip with a bright red fingernail as she tilted her head slightly.

“So, you’re the one who managed to get Michael to throw a party. Thank you.” Kate detected a slight Brooklyn accent beneath Jamie’s polished tones.

“And thank you for participating in the auction.” Kate glanced over her shoulder at the bar and became a little pissed that there happened to be two empty seats next to where she and Joseph were sitting. It’s a Friday night. Seriously? This place should be packed.

Hiding her annoyance, Kate motioned her hand, inviting Michael and Jamie to sit. When she looked over at Joseph, she found him staring at Jamie with his mouth ajar.

Michael glanced at the empty bar stools before his gaze swept back to Kate. “We have reservations. Late dinner. Jamie’s flight arrived an hour ago. But thank you for the offer.”

Kate shot him an awkward smile, hating the stir of jealous inside of her. She wished for one night she could let go of her principles—her plans . . . and be with Michael. But it was the morning after that had her entirely too fearful of being so daring.

“Well, you two have a good night. We’ll see you at the ball tomorrow.” Michael shook Joseph’s hand and looked back at Kate. His body appeared rigid, and his eyes gave no indication of what he was thinking.

“Bye.” Bye? Really?

“Wow, she’s gorgeous.” Joseph sat back down at the bar.

“Sure, if you like long legs, big boobs, flowing brown hair—” Kate stopped herself and took in a deep breath.

“Do you have a thing for Maddox?”

Kate’s eyes widened. “What? No way.”

Joseph smiled as he reached for his whiskey. “Sure. And I don’t want to see you naked.”

Kate slapped his arm as she sat down and shook her head. “Joke around with me one more time, and I’ll deck you.” Her lips quirked up. She could always count on Joseph to lighten her mood. She started to reach for her drink, but she could still feel his eyes on her.

She looked over and saw Michael standing near the entrance to the hall that led to the restrooms. He cocked his head to the side, beckoning her. She looked back down at her drink, feeling confused. “I need to use the ladies room. Be right back,” she told Joseph before rising to her feet and heading toward the ever-so-dangerous tiger of a man.

She stopped in front of Michael. “What?” she hissed, not meaning to sound so angry, or so jealous.

He folded his arms and leaned against the wall. She hated how casually sexy he looked in black slacks and a polo shirt. “Something going on with you and the chef?” he asked as his eyes focused on Kate’s lips.

She took a step back and threw her hand to her cheek. “You’re kidding, right?”

“I thought you didn’t date at work—”

“And why do you care? You’re here with a supermodel.” She took another step back, but there was no room in the narrow hallway. She couldn’t breathe.

He angled his head and moved toward her, placing his hand against the wall above her shoulder. “You know that you’re the one I want.”

The sexy sound of his voice almost caused her to lose balance. “And you know how I feel,” she said through gritted teeth, feeling angry with herself more so than with him.

“You want to be with me as much as I want to be with you. That much is obvious.” He moved away from her, giving her some breathing room, but the look in his eyes was dark. “So, are you into the chef?”

“Are you into Jamie?” she challenged, folding her arms.

His eyes shot down to the curve of her breasts. She was exposing more flesh than she wanted to at the moment. “I want you, Kate.”