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“I can put on a good show. I’ve gotten pretty skilled at it over the years.”
And now he’s opening up his real self to me. How have I earned that level of trust from him? It’s one of the highest compliments he could ever pay me.
We dive back into the project, and I focus on my laptop for the next few hours. A couple hours after lunch, my eyes start to droop again, and I turn to Kaison.
“You want to go grab some coffee? I’m falling asleep over here.”
“Sure. Should we take the Lamborghini again?” He has a wicked smile on his face.
“Only if you want your dad to fire you.”
“Oh, fine,” he says. “We’ll take my Mercedes.” He’d had it sent up after being up here for a few days.
“What a sacrifice,” I say sarcastically as we head to the garage. “How much did you pay for this car, anyway?”
He shrugs as he opens my door for me. “I have no idea what things cost. I just buy them.”
I get inside. “What? You don’t balance your checkbook or anything?” I can’t believe it.
When he’s behind the wheel, and the garage door opens, he says, “I don’t buy stuff much. Mostly Corey does the shopping for me. Like groceries, takeout, clothes, household items.” He pulls out of the garage, and we head down the long driveway toward Blue Mountain.
“Do you have a cook at your place?” I ask.
“No, I like to cook for myself or I go get takeout.”
“All this time we’ve spent together has been at your parents’ place. I don’t even know how you live when you’re on your own.”
“I know.” He glances over at me. “I’d like to get to know you better when we get back to Atlanta.”
“Like date each other?” I ask.
“Yes. I’d like to take you out to my favorite restaurants. Travel someplace nice with you.”
“I’d like that.” I wasn’t expecting him to say that. I figured he’d go back to his player ways when we got back to Atlanta. There’s so much more to do there, more women to date. And then there’s the whole office dynamic. “But do you think we’d need to keep it quiet?”
“I don’t know,” he says. “How do you feel about it?”
“I’m afraid of losing my job.”
“What if we went to my parents and told them we were together?” he suggests as he turns out of the driveway.
“You’d be willing to do that?” It’s a big risk, but isn’t Kaison worth the risk?
“Of course I would. I love you, Ariana. I want to be with you.”
“You do?” I’m stunned. Does that mean he’s not going to keep looking for other women? Or is this something he says to keep women around? I’m so scared of letting him in that it almost feels safer to assume that he’s just a player and not a man who wants a serious, monogamous relationship with me. That’s my problem. I’m scared of being left again.
But I want to believe him. Being with Kaison is a dream come true. And not just because of his money or fantastic lifestyle. He’s sweet and handsome and easy to talk to. It feels natural to spend time in his presence.
He pulls into the coffee shop, and his phone rings. “Shoot. I have to take this. You go ahead. I’ll meet you inside.”
“Not a problem.” I head inside. The smell of coffee brewing hits my nose as I enter Blue Mountain Brewery. A Christmas tree stands in the corner of the room, and the couches around the room are mostly empty at this time of day. But a familiar figure stands at the counter, ordering. There aren’t too many in Blue Mountain with a sleek blonde ponytail that are long or artificial looking.
She turns to look at me when the twinkling of the bell on the door sounds. What’s she doing here, anyway? As far as I know, she doesn’t live in Blue Mountain. The only thing I can think of is that she’s here for Kaison, and that doesn’t sit well with me at all.
Her eyes light with recognition. “You’re Kaison’s employee, right?”
“I work with him,” I say.