But Caden’s kiss is sweet. Soft. Yet commanding at the same time. His thumb caresses my jaw. Goose bumps cover my skin, and my heart races. His tongue is exploring and tasting like he’s been dying to do this for as long as I have.
There’s nothing about this that I don’t like. So maybe I’ve been crushing on the guy since the first time we met. But I had a boyfriend, or at least I was supposed to give things with Jeremy a try. I’ve always thought Caden was hotter than hot and now his kiss backs that up even more.
“Holy hellfire. I need to find me a woman or go take a cold shower,” Gus says beside us and I’m brought back to reality.
I’m in a public place.
At the opening of my parents’ restaurant.
And my ex-boyfriend is a partner.
I pull back, my eyes blinking up at Caden.
“That ought to do the trick,” I whisper, as I pat the front of my periwinkle dress in place.
Caden chuckles. “I hope not. I wouldn’t mind doing that again.”
I can feel the heat on my neck and cheeks, and he slowly pulls his hand away from my face. I miss the contact the minute we aren’t touching.
My mother walks up behind me and breaks my trance. “Well, this is such a surprise. Hello, Caden. And is it—Goose?” she says when she looks at Gus, who’s staring at her like she has three heads.
“Goose?”
“Your name. I’ve only met you once. It’s Goose Taylor, right?”
His jaw drops, because Gus can’t even fathom that someone would forget his name. I turn to my mother. “Maman, this is Gus Taylor. You’ve met him several times.”
This is a little trick my mother likes to play when she wants to intimidate someone. I know this because I’ve been on the receiving end of her spite many times. Not that she could forget my name, but she has a gift for making her opponents feel small, including her daughter when I’m not on board with her plan. Not my sister, Juliette. She can do no wrong in my mother’s eyes. I look around for Juliette. She probably had a facial that she couldn’t miss.
“Oh, yes. I must be mixing you up with your other brothers, Splinter and Jackal.”
Now Caden’s head falls back in laughter and Gus looks like he’s been slapped.
“Spence and Jesse,” Caden says as he straightens himself, extending his hand. “Hello, Vivienne, thank you for the invite.”
“Well, had I known you were dating my daughter, I would have personally invited you.” She eyes him, flashing her best smile, but I know she’s conspiring.
“I’m sorry. We were waiting for the perfect time to speak to you about it,” Caden says, and he reaches for my hand. I can’t believe he’s willing to cover for me like this.
I lean into him and smile.
“I see. How long have you two been carrying on? I hope not during the time that Cosi was dating our Jeremy?” she says, turning sharply to face Caden. Her purse has now shifted beside Gus who just noticed Louie inside the purse. I want to warn him, but I’m too caught up in the conversation at the moment.
Our Jeremy.
“Well, seeing as your Jeremy was carrying on with other women while he and I were together, it’s tough to know exactly what the timeline really is,” I hiss, surprising both my mother and myself with my hostility.
“Tell the truth, baby.” Caden squeezes my hand, and I swear I melt into a puddle right there. He’s laying it on thick and I am so here for it. “We waited a respectable amount of time, because even though your Jeremy didn’t show my girl the respect she deserves, my Cosette would never stoop that low. We’ve been together for six weeks.”
I bite down on my bottom lip and look up to see Gus reach his hand into the purse as I come out of my Caden-induced daze. No sound leaves my mouth as I shriek for him to stop, just a loud squeak rumbles from my chest. Louie lunges out of the purse like a warrior under attack. My mother gasps, and Louie locks onto Gus Taylor’s pinky finger like it’s a piece of bologna. He squeals and cries out in pain, and Caden moves toward the dog.
“Hey, there, buddy. Let go.” He rubs the top of Louie’s head and the dog is putty in his hands. Louie releases Gus, who rubs his pinky fervently after he yanks it away.
“What the fuck was that? That little bastard gummed me something fierce,” he says, leaning down to investigate Louie’s mouth. “Well, I guess that makes sense now seeing as the little dude doesn’t have a lot of teeth.”
“That is so out of character for Louie François,” my mother says, trying to shove him back into her purse, but he’s licking Caden like his hand is wrapped in beef jerky.
Out of character? Gus isn’t even the first person Louie’s gummed tonight. The dog has bit everyone we know. Even in my own family, he’s bit my mother, my father, and my sister. Our doorman needed two stitches after Louie tried to take his hand off for handing my mother a flower delivery. I’m the only one he’s never attacked, and apparently, Caden Taylor just made the cut.
“So this makes sense why you’ve found a condo for my Cosi. You want to keep her close. How convenient.”
“Not much I wouldn’t do for her,” Caden says, sounding completely genuine, and I shoot him a look of thanks. I don’t know how long he’ll be willing to keep up this escapade, but I’m thankful for the reprieve tonight.
“Well, I’ll let you get back to it. Cosi, I expect some time with you in the morning before you head to the hotel to work.” This is my mother’s way of letting me know we will be discussing this further. This is not the time or the place. The Dubois are all about appearances. “Caden, it’s been a pleasure. Why don’t you and Goose go get a cocktail? They’re free. I’m sure you’ll like that.”
I close my eyes at her words. The woman never misses an opportunity to stick it to someone. Caden just chuckles. Gus doesn’t even attempt to correct her this time. She marches off, and I release a breath that I didn’t even realize I’d been holding.
“I don’t even know what to say. Gus, I’m so sorry about Louie and the whole Goose thing. And Caden, I don’t want you to worry. I’ll get you out of this quickly. You won’t have to keep this charade up after tonight.”
“Do I appear worried?” he asks, and his voice is so sexy that my tongue swipes out to wet my bottom lip because my mouth has gone dry. I glance down at Gus’ hand and don’t see any teeth marks. I think Louie really did just gum him this time. If he catches you with the snaggletooth, it can do some serious damage.
“Listen, you two figure it out. Goose needs a cocktail. I’ll be back.” He moves past us and heads for the bar.
“Your ex keeps staring at us. How about we send the message home?” Caden says, trailing the pad of his thumb along my cheek.
“I like the sound of that,” I whisper, and he wraps his arms around me and holds me against his chest.
“Good. Because I’m just getting started.”
Chapter Three
Caden
“What’s up, Goose?” I say when Gus walks into the lobby of The Lux Hotel where we spend most of our time.
“Shut the fuck up, you fake-dating dickcracker.”