“Let’s go, babe,” Cal said, but he was already ushering me out of the office and back towards the front of the club.
“Wait!” I froze in the hall and turned to face him. “What was that?”
“What?”
“You, in there. You were so…so different. You scared the shit out of Frank.”
“Did I scare you?” he asked as he crowded in closer to me and cupped the side of my face in his huge palm.
“Never. I know who you are Cal. I just…I wasn’t expecting that side of you. But I’d never fear you,” I assured him.
“You don’t know much about my earlier childhood yet. It’s a long story that requires a lot of whiskey to tell. Basically though, Arran and I were both raised, from a very young age, to be exactly who I just was in that office. Arran embraced it. I decided I wanted to push it away. That doesn’t mean it’s not still a part of me though, especially when it comes to the people I love.”
“Love?” I repeated as I just stared at him in shock.
“Love,” he nodded, then his lips were touching mine.
His kisses were gentle and tentative at first, giving me the chance to pull away. When I pushed my arms up, reaching onto my tip toes so I could wrap them around his neck, he took that as my permission and deepened the kiss, his hands finding their way to the back of my thighs. He lifted me up his body and I clung to him, interlocking my legs around his waist and pushing closer against him. The kiss was furious and passionate, both of us desperate for what had been building between us for weeks, pretty much since the day we met.
We were both breathless and smiling wide when we pulled apart and just stared at each other happily. I laughed a little giddily as I lay my head against his shoulder and placed a single kiss against his lightly stubbled jaw.
“I’ve wanted to do that since the day I set eyes on you,” he told me as he wrapped his arms around me.
“I hope it was worth the wait.”
“It definitely was, even if this wasn’t quite the romantic spot I hoped for it to happen.”
“It’ll make a good story. Our first kiss in the strip club,” I laughed.
“Yeah, maybe not one for the grandkids,” Cal chuckled. “We better get out there, before the others come looking for us.”
“I’m surprised they haven’t already,” I groaned as I forced myself to lift my head.
“Are you okay? That wasn’t too much for you, was it?”
“The kiss?” I clarified, and he nodded. “No, Cal. Of course not. I wouldn’t have kissed you back if I weren’t every bit as into it as you were.”
“Good, because I plan to do it often, now that I’ve had a taste.”
He smiled and lowered me down to my feet, then took my hand and led the way through the even more crowded club. I glanced to where Dante and Arran had been sitting before, and found only Arran sat there now. I tried to search the crowd for Dante, but Cal just ushered me outside until we were back out in the bitter cold once again. Snow had begun to fall in large flakes and the temperature had dropped even lower in the time we’d been inside. I shuddered, but couldn’t pull my jacket tighter around me, since Cal seemed determined to keep a hold on me.
“Let’s just get to the car, and they’ll meet us there, okay?” he told me quietly, so I just followed alongside him, releasing his hand in favour of hugging his arm for some heat.
It had been a hell of a night, and despite my fears I wouldn’t, I had made it through without breaking down. I was taking that as a win.
CHAPTER 16
CARA
As Cal helped me into the back of the car, Arran approached. I looked back to the club for Dante, and saw him walking round from the direction of the parking lot.
“Ya both alright?” Arran asked as he approached where Cal still held the back door open.
“Fine. Cara might have got a lead,” Cal answered.
“Jump in. Dante wants to get outta here as soon as possible. He wasnae happy that ye both left his sight,” Arran told us, then he jogged round the car to the driver’s side. Cal closed my door, then rounded the car too, jumping into the back on the other side.
“We had to leave his sight!” I argued. “We were safe and Cal texted you, so he can just get over himself.”
