3
I wonder what her story really is.
Former Navy SEAL and black ops operator for Nemesis Inc., Caleb Hunt, watched Rose as she walked away from him. Disappointment he hadn’t been able to engage her in conversation warred with the desire to follow her. But he could tell she was uncomfortable around him, and he refused to be a dick.
From the second she’d shown up at Draven’s mom’s place this morning to take photographs of Draven, his groomsmen, and his family as they got ready for the wedding, Caleb had been fighting himself and the semi-hard-on he had going on in his pants.
This is ridiculous; she’s clearly not interested. Go ask someone else to dance.
But he didn’t want to ask anyone else to dance. The bridesmaids, while lovely, didn’t make his chest do that weird flip-flop thing inside it. Besides, most of them were either related to the happy couple or attached to his teammates. While his brothers-in-arms wouldn’t mind him dancing with their wives and partners, they would definitely not be happy if he danced with them the way he wanted to dance with the pretty photographer named Rose.
“You strike out?”
He dragged his eyes away from the door Rose had disappeared through and glared at his brother, Kacey. “Fuck you.”
“Hah, I knew it.”
Who knew Delta Force would produce a Michelin-grade chef, and wasn’t it a hoot that it was his brother? Who also knew that all the time Kacey spent making sure they all ate when they were kids while their parents worked five jobs between them to keep them afloat would turn into him being Nemesis Inc.’s resident chef? “Shut it, Kacey, before I put your face through that damn cake you spent all week baking.”
“If you do, I swear to fuck I’ll plant you somewhere even Google can’t find you,” Kacey warned. “I think it’s my best one yet.”
“Of what? Three? Four?”
“A blast charge is less fiddly than piping frosting designs.” Kacey grabbed himself a beer and twisted off the top. “If Willow hadn’t helped me there at the end, we’d have no cake at all.”
“Aww—” Caleb cut himself off and turned back to the door, some kind of second sense alerting him, and he watched as Rose came back into the ballroom.
“You have it bad, bro,” Kacey said. “Don’t tell me the great Casanova Caleb Hunt has finally found a shy bone in his body. Go ask her to dance or something; maybe get her number.”
“She’s working.”
“That’s never stopped you before,” Kacey reminded him. He drained his beer and placed the bottle back on the bar. “Know what? I’ll go ask her for you.”
Caleb grabbed the back of his brother’s shirt and hauled him back. “No, no, you won’t.” He somehow knew Rose would hate it if Kacey was a jerk. His brother wasn’t exactly known for his tact at the best of times. “Leave her alone.” He’d figure out another way to get to know her. Hell, he’d ask Indy or Draven’s sister Lizz for her number if he had to or start dropping into Aces every time he was in town. But for now, she was working. He wouldn’t hit on her until she was off the clock. What he was watching finally made sense, and he nodded toward where she followed Draven and Indy toward the stage where the cake was still waiting to be cut. “I think they are gonna cut the cake.”
“I should get over there.” Kacey pulled free of his grasp and took off in their direction.
Shit, I didn’t think that one through.
If his brother said anything to Rose, he would kick his ass, he decided. He could drag him outside the hotel and do it with Draven and Indy, none the wiser, just like when they were kids and trying to keep their squabbles from their folks.
He stayed at the bar and watched as Rose directed Indy and Draven in cutting the cake, taking pictures of every single second.
He replaced the champagne with a bottle of beer and took a swig as he watched Draven make a move as if he were going to rub the cake all over Indy’s face.
“If you do that, Draven, I swear I’ll Photoshop every single photo of today to show you with a tiny dick.”
Caleb choked on the drink he’d just taken from the bottle and spewed it onto the floor. He hadn’t expected that to come out of Rose’s mouth.
Oh, she’s going to keep me on my toes .
He didn’t understand why he was sure of it—he just knew he was.
Now, he just had to persuade her to take a chance on a washed-up operator who lived states away from here and was almost at the end of his career.
Easy day. Easy fucking day.
But he knew easy wouldn’t be part of the equation when it came to winning the trust of this wary woman. He reached for another beer when an idea popped into his head, and he put it back without opening it and reached for water instead. He glanced at his watch and calculated the amount he’d had to drink in his head and when the photographer would finish for the night. If he stopped now, then he should still be okay to drive.
Keeping an eye on Rose as she went about her duties became a lesson in self-restraint. When was the last time someone had captivated him so much or so fast? He was pretty sure the answer to that was never. There was just something about her that drew him like a flame pulls in the moth. If he didn’t find some brain cells fast, he was pretty sure that, just like the moth, he was going to get burned big time.
Did it stop him watching her or wandering around the room just to stay in her orbit, though? No. No, it did not.
He hooted and hollered along with all the guests when Draven scooped his bride up, tossed her over his shoulder, and strode toward the ballroom door.
“It’s so romantic,” Matthew “Wolf” Steel’s wife Caroline remarked as she hurried along next to her husband while they followed the bride and groom through the hotel lobby and out into the parking lot.
“Yep,” Wolf agreed. “I’ll toss you over my shoulder and carry you upstairs when they’ve left.”
Caleb grinned at Wolf and winked before his attention was once again drawn to the photographer. Damn, if only she’d give him a hint that she’d enjoy it, he’d scoop her up and run off with his prize too. But Rose’s attention and camera lens were focused on the vintage Ford decorated with tin cans and balloons, which Draven placed his bride into. He stood as close to her as he could without getting in the way of her shot. His big frame kept Draven’s aunt and her camera out of the way, ensuring Rose’s lens wasn’t hindered as she got the money shot.
“Thanks,” Rose whispered. “I’ve been sidestepping around her all day.”
He peered over her shoulder at the photo she’d just taken. “Awesome job. Well done.”
“Thanks,” Rose replied. “It’s a good one.” She turned her attention back to the camera, focusing on her job as Indy and Draven’s getaway car took off down the curved driveway.
Caleb hooted and hollered with the rest of them. When the car disappeared from view, he turned to ask Rose if she’d consider having a drink with him now that the happy couple had left for the night and frowned when he found she’d disappeared. “Damn.”
He followed the crowd back into the hotel function room, keeping his eyes peeled for her. His heart sank when he didn’t find her.
Damn it. She must have slipped out when I wasn’t looking.
Fuck .
He scanned the room of couples who had gone back to dancing and decided there was no point in staying any longer. He wasn’t in the mood for dancing. At least if he went back to the apartment his boss kept for his team here in Riverton, then he could drink himself into a coma and wake up in his own bed tomorrow.