Hold Me (9 page)

“Caleb?” I ask when he doesn’t say anything.

His head whips toward me. “Whatever you want. I don’t really...”

“No, I want you to choose. Something you’d like.”

“And what if I pick something you don’t like?” He eyes me carefully.

“Doesn’t matter. It can still be fun.” I shrug. “Come on. Pick something.”

“Okay.” His eyes go from the list to me, as if he’s trying to read my mind and choose something he can be sure I’d like. “This one.” He finally points at one of the posters, and I sigh in relief.

“Thank God you didn’t pick a romantic comedy.” I laugh.

His shoulders slump in relief, and he seems a bit too relieved actually, so I wonder if I’ve just put him through a stressful situation.

“Oh, do you like popcorn? Because I do. Let’s get some.” I’m more nervous than a little kid, and I can’t even tell why. It isn’t as if this were my first date ever, and yet it feels like it. I so badly want Caleb to have fun with me that I’m probably going to ruin it. As I dash to get the popcorn, I can see the corners of his lips turn upward. Maybe not everything is lost just yet.

“Did you see that? She brought down like five guys. I wish I could do that,” I say as we emerge from the movie theater. After watching a fast action movie, I can still feel the adrenaline surging through me and my shoulders are no longer tense.

“Have you ever tried? Maybe you can and you don’t even know it.” He teases.

I give him an incredulous look. “What? No! I can barely do a light training routine, let alone take on an armed guy. I’d be dead in like... one nanosecond. What was your favorite part?”

He looks thoughtful for a moment, then grins. “The moment you threw a popcorn at me.”

“Whoa.” I raise my hands up. “That wasn’t... That wasn’t part of the movie.”

“No?” He stops, amusement glinting in his eyes. “I thought it was. I’m sure you could take down a bunch of bad guys with just one popcorn.”

I burst out laughing. “Okay, I shouldn’t have thrown that popcorn at you. I’m sorry, but you said the main couple wouldn’t make it to the end. What was that about?”

“I thought you didn’t like romance. The tragic ending seemed more likely.” His lip twitches a little, and a shadow passes through his eyes.

“No, I said I don’t like romantic comedies, not that I don’t like romance. That’s like a whole different thing. I can’t imagine a movie without a happy ending. That would be so...” I frown, “...depressing.”

He averts his gaze.

“Hey, don’t tell me you believe that love can’t defeat anything?”

He scratches the back of his neck. “I know it can’t.”

“How can you know that?” I gape at him.

“Because I do.” He blinks, then shakes his head. “It doesn’t matter. At least you enjoyed the movie.”

“But...” I don’t want to upset him, so I bite down on my lip to stop myself from asking anything else. Does a disappointment in his love life have anything to do with his current job? I doubt he’d tell me even if I asked. “I’m starving. Wanna join me for dinner?”

“Sure.” He takes out his phone and checks something, then focuses back on me.

“Great.” We walk down the busy street while I’m trying to make up my mind about where to take him. Would he prefer a fancy restaurant or something more familiar? I don’t even bother to ask because I’m sure he’d just tell me to pick whatever I want.

As we pass through another street, I notice a tall man in a black shirt and gray jeans. If I’m not wrong, he’s actually looking at Caleb and me. I’m not sure if the man recognized me or anything, so I quicken my pace.

A couple of moments later, we take another turn, and when I glance over my shoulder, the man is still there; not too close to us, but definitely keeping an eye on us. I grab Caleb’s shirt and pull him toward me. His eyes are wide as we stop, our noses almost touching.

“Someone’s following us,” I whisper, slipping my fingers through Caleb’s hair and pretending I’m just fixing the stray strands.

Caleb’s face is expressionless as he steps away from me and looks right in the direction of the man, who is now standing at one of the corners and pretending to be busy with his phone. Caleb clears his throat, squirming, and I tilt my head.

“Do you know that man?” I ask.

He nods. “He’s... like my bodyguard.”

“What?” I can’t believe my ears. Why in the hell would Caleb need a bodyguard, especially one who looks like a stalker and not a professional? “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I... I didn’t want to worry you. Just ignore him. That’s what I do.” He gives me his best pleasant smile and places a hand on my shoulder. “Let’s go.”

“Why do you need a bodyguard?” I start walking again, feeling the man’s eyes on my back. I’m sure he’s started walking too, even though I can’t see him. Before Caleb can open his mouth to answer, I raise my finger. “Look, I know you want to protect your privacy, and I understand that, but if you need a bodyguard, I need to know why. I might be in danger, too.”

“You’re not in danger. I assure you,” he says.

“I’ll only relax once you tell me why.”

He licks his lips. “He’s there to protect me. In case my clients get ideas that... could endanger my safety.”

A frown line creases my brow. “Do you think you need protection from me?”

“No, that’s not...” He grimaces. “I have many clients, and some of them can get... a little jealous. My bodyguard is here in case someone sees me with you and wants to attack us.”

“Um, okay.” I run my hand through my hair. “I just don’t understand why you keep doing this if it’s so dangerous for you, but hey, that’s none of my business.”

“Thank you for your understanding.” A relieved smile stretches his lips, and I can’t help but keep glancing back at the man. Bodyguard, huh? More like a creeper. Ugh. I’m ecstatic when we reach the small restaurant that has been my long-time favorite. It’s a sweet little place, far from noise and annoying people.

Judging by the look on Caleb’s face, I can tell that he likes it too. As we settle at one of the tables, I’m glad the bodyguard decided to stay and wait outside, although I’m not sure how he’s supposed to protect Caleb if he can’t really be at his side.

“Lilith! Hey!” The waitress waves at me, her smile broadening when she spots Caleb with me. I wave back at her. She comes a moment later with the menus.

“Clary, this is Caleb,” I say while he is scanning the menu. “Hopefully, he’ll be your new regular.”

“Hi.” She grins at Caleb, who nods, then she turns to me. “Want the usual?”

“Yeah.”

“Right away!” she says after she jots down Caleb’s order and walks away.

Caleb’s eyebrows are raised in question.

“She’s a friend,” I say. “From high school.”

“You come here often?” he asks.

“Yeah. I prefer small, cozy places over big, fancy restaurants. What about you?”

He looks around. “This is perfect.”

I can’t stop the smile from popping up on my lips. “I’m glad you like it. The food is delicious too. You’ll see.”

It’s pretty late once we come out of the restaurant. I’ve managed to get Caleb to try some of my pasta and I’m sure he liked it. As we walk out into the street, I hook my arm through his and we stroll toward the nearby park.

“Have you ever done something like this before with a client?” I ask.

“No. No one ever wanted to pay a crazy sum of money just to be in my company.” He laughs, and I narrow my eyes at him, but my lips are pulled into a smile.

“Are you implying that I’m crazy?”

“Maybe a little.”

“A little? Well, thank you. Such a compliment.” I press myself closer to him. “Oh well, still had an incredible night. I say it was worth it.” I tug him toward one of the benches and we sit down. The air is chilly so I huddle next to Caleb’s warm body and he puts his arm around my shoulders. I don’t even want to acknowledge the presence of his bodyguard in the bushes not far from us, and I hope he can’t hear us.

A woman with a box of roses and trinkets comes our away, a smile plastered on her face. She almost shoves the box in Caleb’s face. “Wanna buy something for the lady?”

I expect him to tell her to go away, but he actually picks something from the box. “How much?” he asks. She raises two fingers in the air, and he takes two dollars out of his pocket and gives them to her.

“Thank you.” She grins at him and trudges off. Caleb turns toward me and offers me a bracelet with tiny blue and green stones.

I look at him. “For me?”

“Yeah,” he says. “It reminds me of your eyes. They briefly go green in the light.”

My mouth falls open. I can’t believe he noticed. I let him put the bracelet on my wrist. “Thanks.” When I look back at him, his face is only inches from mine. I want to close the distance between us, so I lean in, my lips parting. His dark eyes gaze into mine, and he’s about to kiss me, but then his phone vibrates, making him jump.

He pulls back as if he’s been hit by lightning, and I curse whoever has texted him for ruining the moment. A frown appears on his face as he looks down at his phone. I try to catch a glimpse of the screen, but he’s tilting the phone away from me, as if he doesn’t want me to see it.

“I’m sorry,” he says. “I have to go. I didn’t even notice how much time has passed.”

“Oh, no, don’t apologize. It’s my fault. I should’ve known you’d have other engagements.” We get to our feet, and I fiddle with my hands. “I didn’t want to waste your precious time on...”

“No, you didn’t.” His gaze is steady, and he offers me a big smile. “It was my pleasure to be your company today. I hope I’ll see you again.” He bites his lip, looking away. He’s said something he shouldn’t have, I guess, and I have to force myself not to grin from ear to ear.

“Yeah, me too,” I say.

He looks around, then focuses on me again. “Are you going home? I could accompany you to your car.”

I wave my hand. “You don’t have to. I’ll be fine. I left the car near that alley where we met. It’s not a long walk from here.”

“It’s okay. I’ll go with you. It’s on my way anyway.”

“Thank you.” His concern for me warms my heart. I don’t even know yet what exactly it is that I want from him, but I hope I’ll find out.

I pull into my street and park my black Audi in its spot in the garage. On my way to the elevator, I dig my phone out of my purse and dial the number of one of my father’s old friends, a former detective. It’s still not midnight, so he should be awake. He’s probably the only person I know who doesn’t mind late calls.

“Hello?” a gruff male voice says on the other end of the line.

“Hi, Mr. Prescott. It’s Lilith,” I say.

“Lilith! What a nice surprise!” The tone of his voice immediately changes into a kinder version. “To what do I owe this pleasure?”

“I have a favor to ask you,” I say. “Something you’re very good at.”

“I’m listening.”

“I need you to track down someone for me. I know you retired, but...”

“Say no more, my dear. You know how much I love my job. Who do you want me to find?” he asks.

I smile to myself. Prescott has always lived for his job, and even after he retired, he’s still waiting for a call from one of his friends so he can do some work. Some think he’s too old to do his job properly, but he’s one of the best.

“I’ll send you the details, but there’s one thing... My father mustn’t find out about this,” I say.

“What did you get yourself into this time, young lady?”

“Nothing, really. My friend... She’s hanging out with some strange people. I just want to make sure she stays safe.” It’s easy to lie and shift the blame for this whole thing onto someone else. I wasn’t too successful in my original plan because Caleb was good at evading my questions, so I need to find out more about Caleb while I’m still able to walk away and pretend I wasn’t really trying to get him to like me or anything.

“Okay, I’ll be glad to help you. Send me what you have, and I’ll look it over.”

“Thank you. You’re amazing.”

He snorts. “I hope you’ll still think that when I hand you what I find.”

“Of course I will.” I laugh. “Bye.” I end the call, and immediately text the details to Prescott’s private number. It’s not the first time I have a job for him.

I chew on the insides of my cheek, my stomach fluttering. Maybe I shouldn’t have done this, but what’s the worst that can happen? I can find out that Caleb is not who he pretends to be and is only being nice to me because he is trying to get me to hire him again. Ah well, I wouldn’t be the first dumb, rich blonde to fall for the tricks of a beautiful man. I still don’t regret anything, though. At least my life is no longer boring.

The piercing sound of my phone rouses me from sleep and I feel around for it on my nightstand until I find it. My eyes still bleary, I squint at the overly bright screen and swipe at it.

“Yeah?” I ask, unsure who to expect on the other end because I didn’t see the caller’s ID.

“Honey, it’s me,” my mom says. “Are you still in bed?”

“Yeah, I... What’s wrong?” It’s Monday, and I’m sure my mom wouldn’t be calling me on Monday morning if it wasn’t something important.

“Do you remember Mr. Prescott? Your father’s friend?” she asks, and I sit up, suddenly wide awake.