Page 73 of A Legal Affair

“No, but that’s not the point!” Her eyes narrowed with suspicion. “Did you make a bet with your friends about hooking up with me?”

“What? Of course not!” But his eyes slid guiltily away. “There’s no bet, Daniela. I mean, nothing official,” he admitted sheepishly. “I just think you’re hot and smart as hell. The way you go toe-to-toe with Professor Thorne…what can I say? It turns me on, and I’m not the only one.”

“Oh my God.” Disgusted, Daniela scraped back her chair and stood, the sound drawing attention from nearby diners.

Kolter stared up at her, stricken. “Oh, c’mon, don’t leave. Since we’re already here, let me buy you din?—”

“No, thanks. I don’t appreciate being manipulated.”Hypocrisy, thy name is Daniela.

“At least let me drive you home.”

“Not a chance.” She slung her purse strap over her shoulder. “I’m getting an Uber, you idiot. Goodnight.”

She didn’t wait for his response, didn’t look back at his beet-red face. With her head held high, she walked out of the dining room, past the bewildered maître d’ and out the front door. The unseasonably cool night air hit her face, a welcome balm after the suffocating vibe of the restaurant and the tension caused by Caleb’s presence.

Sidestepping a group of diners crowded under the canopied entrance, she pulled out her phone, already opening the Uber app as she marched down to the far end of the walkway. She just needed to get home. To breathe. To decompress. To process the sheer insanity of this wildly unpredictable night.

“Daniela.”

The voice, sharp and commanding, stopped her mid-stride.

Caleb.

She turned around, her heart doing crazy flip-flops in her chest.

He strode purposefully toward her, his expression unreadable in the muted overhead light. “You’re not getting an Uber.”

“Yes, I am,” she countered.

“No, you’re not.” His deep voice brooked no argument. “I’m taking you home.”

“You don’t have?—”

“I’m not asking, Daniela.” He grabbed her hand, his strong fingers wrapping around hers as he tugged her along to the valet station and handed over his ticket.

“What about Dean Kinsale?” Daniela mumbled. “Won’t he get suspicious that you cut dinner short to come after me?”

“We were finished,” Caleb said brusquely. “He ran into an old friend on our way out.”

Daniela looked pointedly at their joined hands. “You better hope they have a lot of catching up to do. Because if he comes outside and sees us leaving together, that won’t be good for you.”

She expected him to immediately release her. Instead he tightened his grip.

It wasn’t long before a sleek black Lamborghini with dark-tinted windows purred to a stop in front of them, impossibly low to the ground and gleaming under the lights. The iconic scissor doors opened vertically, and with a flourish, the grinning valet handed Daniela into the car.

The handwoven leather seat felt like a dream against her skin, and the digital screen on the dash was a work of art. She loved fast cars, and she’d never been in a Lamborghini before. But she was a mess of nerves right now, too agitated to fully soak up the rare experience.

After tipping the valet, Caleb settled into the driver’s seat and revved up the Lambo, the powerful engine rumbling beneath them.

As they tore away from the curb and sped off into the night, Daniela risked a glance at him. His profile was grim, his eyes fixed on the road. She could feel the tension radiating from his body. He was brooding, undoubtedly still angry about her “date.” He probably already regretted offering to introduce her to his father. It wouldn’t surprise her if he called the whole thing off, which, to be fair, he absolutely should.

She was in too deep. With Caleb. With her undercover assignment. It was all a tangled, dangerous clusterfuck, and she couldn’t see herself walking away without sustaining apocalyptic levels of damage.

They flew down the highway, the city lights blurring past in a dizzying kaleidoscope of color. The silence in the car was thick, heavy with unvoiced words and unspoken emotions.

As Daniela stared out the window, her mind replayed the crazy events of the past hour. The close call with Philbin had left her completely rattled. She hoped Caleb didn’t suspect anything, that he hadn’t caught the subtle undercurrents between her andthe mayor. She didn’t know the full extent of his rage, or why he openly detested the man. But if he ever found out she was colluding with him, God help her.

Suddenly Caleb swerved off the main street, taking a sharp turn onto a narrow, bumpy road. The low car bounced roughly as they drove deeper into the darkness, heading down a lonely, tree-lined lane that took them further away from the bright lights of the city.