Page 70 of A Legal Affair

“We are, sir. Very much,” Kolter said with the eagerness of a golden retriever. “We haven’t tasted the food yet, but so far theplace definitely lives up to the hype. The ambience alone is top notch.”

Dean Kinsale smiled indulgently at Daniela. “Would you agree, Miss Moreau?”

“Oh yes. For sure.” She shifted from foot to foot, her legs suddenly too wobbly, her heels too high. “If you gentlemen will excuse me, I need to use the ladies’ room.” She shot an apologetic glance at Caleb, then turned and practically fled before anyone could respond.

She hurried through the restaurant, her mind a whirl of conflicting emotions. She needed to lock herself in a stall just long enough to gather her composure. But the restroom was crowded, every toilet and sink occupied.

Frustrated, she backed out the door and looked around. After a moment’s hesitation, she continued down the hall. Tucked away in the back was a small private lounge reserved for special events. It was filled with plush sofas and chairs, with a bar on one side and a grand piano in the corner. A bank of windows overlooked a small garden.

The lounge was blessedly empty, the lights dimmed low. Moving toward the windows, Daniela took out her phone, her fingers fumbling as she navigated to her text messages and pulled up her last conversation with April.

She fired off a text.

Hey! Where the hell are you guys???

Her phone buzzed moments later, April’s reply lighting up her screen in the dim room.

What do you mean?

Daniela huffed in exasperation, her thumbs flying across the keypad.

Did you get caught in traffic? Kolter and I are here waiting for you guys to show up.

There was a long pause.

Uh…this is weird. Kolter moved dinner to tomorrow, said he had a conflict tonight and asked if we could reschedule. It was in the group chat. Didn’t you see the messages?

Stunned, Daniela shot back the only response she could.

WTF???!!!

Her phone buzzed again with April’s rage-inducing reply.

Oh shit. I just realized Kolter created a new group chat. I’ve been so swamped today I didn’t even notice; I just saw his text and updated my calendar without replying. Girl, wtf is he up to?!?!

Daniela stared at the screen, her disbelief turning to anger. Kolter had rescheduled tonight’s dinner without telling her. He’d deliberately excluded her from the new group chat to keep her in the dark. He didn’t have a conflict; he’dcreatedone to get her alone and all to himself.

“That little shit!” she fumed, squeezing the phone in her hand. She couldn’t believe he’d maneuvered her into a date masquerading as a study group outing. Fury shot through her veins, making her seethe.

“Something wrong, Miss Moreau?”

The voice, deep and resonant, sent a jolt through her. She spun around, her heart leaping into her throat.

Caleb stood in the doorway, his wide shoulders almost filling the frame. Those dark, intense eyes were fixed unerringly on her. She hadn’t even heard him coming. He’d just appeared like smoke.

“Ca— Professor Thorne,” she managed, her voice little more than a croak. “I…I was just…”

“What’s going on?” His voice was a low rumble that had shivers shimmying up and down her spine.

She swallowed hard, her anger at Kolter momentarily eclipsed by the potent pull of Caleb’s focused attention. “You wouldn’t believe me if I told you,” she muttered.

Caleb moved away from the door, advancing with an almost predatory purpose that was both exhilarating and terrifying. “You took off rather abruptly, leaving your date to fend for himself,” he said with a dangerous edge.

The word “date” hung in the air, heavy with accusation. “Date? You think that’s what this is?” She gestured impatiently with her phone. “Kolter tricked me, Caleb. It was supposed to be a study group dinner, but he rescheduled with everyone else and didn’t tell me.” Her voice rose, indignation sharpening every word.

Caleb stopped just inches from her. His size and aura of raw masculinity dominated the small space, shrinking it in half.

“Kolter tricked you,” he repeated flatly.