“You do care. That’s the whole point of this arrangement.” She extracts her hand from my arm carefully. “I need some air. You should smile for the cameras.”
She walks away before I can stop her, heading toward the terrace doors.
I stand frozen, torn between following Bailey and maintaining appearances for everyone watching.
Larsson catches my eye from across the room and gives me a subtle nod of approval. Well, at least the evening is going well for him. The optics are precisely what he needs to feel confident about the merger, but Bailey is standing alone on the terrace because I failed her the moment I hesitated to defend her.
I make excuses to the nearest cluster of investors and follow her outside.
The terrace is quieter than the ballroom. String lights glow overhead, and the city sprawls below us. Bailey is at the far railing, a few feet away from a handful of people smoking and talking in low voices at the other end. She’s staring out at nothing in particular.
I approach slowly and carefully. “Bailey.”
“I said I’m fine.”
“You’re not fine.” I stop beside her at the railing. “I’m sorry.”
“For what exactly?”
“For not shutting her down immediately. I shouldn’t have let her speak to you that way.”
“You were being reasonable.”
“I was being a coward.”
She turns to face me fully. Her eyes are bright with unshed tears, and seeing her hurt twists something in me.
“You were supposed to act like you cared,” she says quietly. “That was the whole deal. I’m your girlfriend. Someone says something awful to me, and you defend me. That’s how this works.”
“You’re absolutely right.”
“I know I’m right. But it doesn’t help that you know it now. I needed you to know it then. I needed you to act on it then.”
The words hit me like a physical blow to the chest.
“You think I don’t care?” My voice comes out rougher than I intend. “You think I didn’t want to tell Patricia Whitmore exactly where she could shove her social register?”
“Then why didn’t you do it?”
“Because I was being cautious. Honestly, her husband controls a huge chunk of my capital, and I didn’t want to…offend her. It’s so stupid, I know. I’m so used to calculating every word and action that I forgot the most important calculation.”
“Which is what?”
“That I shouldn't let anyone hurt you.” Bailey raises an eyebrow, so I quickly add, “Because it's bad for our image.”
“I failed you tonight. I let someone hurt you because I was too busy protecting my interests. That makes me exactly the kind of person Cassidy’s article described.”
“You’re not that person.”
“I am. Or I was earlier.” I reach up, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. My fingers linger against her jaw longer than necessary. “But I won’t let it happen again. Next time someone comes for you, I don’t care who they are, I’ll make them regret it.”
Her breath catches, and I feel it against my palm.
“Daniel—”
“You’re safe with me,” I say, my thumb brushing her cheek. “I need you to know that.“
We’re standing close now. We’re standing too close. I can see the pulse jumping at the base of her throat. I can see the way her pupils are dilated. I can feel the heat radiating off her skin.
