Chapter 53
[ 498 words ]
Chapter 53:
Julian sat across from them, nursing a craft stout. He nodded politely, offering appropriate chuckles at Brenna’s rants, but his focus was entirely, intensely fixed on Caroline.
He noticed that Caroline hadn’t touched her mojito. She was shivering slightly, her hands wrapped around the cold glass, staring blankly at the condensation.
Julian quietly caught the bartender’s eye. A minute later, a steaming mug of hot lemon water with honey was placed gently in front of Caroline.
Caroline blinked, looking up in surprise.
𝖳𝗁𝖾 𝗆𝗈𝗌𝗍 𝗉𝗈𝗉𝗎𝗅𝖺𝗋 𝗇𝗈𝗏𝖾𝗅𝗌 𝗈𝗇 𝗀𝖺𝗅𝗇𝗈𝗏𝖾𝗅𝗌.𝖼𝗈𝗆
“You looked freezing,” Julian said softly, his voice barely carrying over the jazz music. “And you haven’t slept. Alcohol won’t help.”
Caroline felt a sudden, sharp ache in her throat. The simple, observant kindness of the gesture was overwhelming. “Thank you, Julian,” she whispered.
She reached for the mug. As she wrapped her fingers around the warm ceramic, Julian reached out to push the sugar packets closer. The back of his hand brushed against her knuckles.
Julian’s fingers twitched. He didn’t pull away immediately. His brown eyes darkened slightly, holding her gaze for a second longer than was strictly platonic.
Caroline quickly pulled her hand back, her heart giving a nervous flutter.
Brenna, oblivious to the silent exchange, slammed her empty glass on the table.
“It’s just impossible to find a decent guy in this city,” Brenna complained loudly. “They’re all either arrogant politicians or broke interns.” She pointed a finger at Caroline. “Look at poor Caroline. Her psycho mother is so desperate she forces her to go on blind dates with these awful, arrogant finance bros.”
Julian’s hand froze on his glass.
He turned his head slowly, looking at Caroline. The polite, friendly mask he had been wearing slipped, revealing a sudden, sharp intensity.
“Blind dates?” Julian asked, his voice very carefully controlled. He looked directly into Caroline’s eyes. “Are you single, Caroline?”
The question hit Caroline like a bucket of ice water.
Her heart slammed against her ribs. The heavy, crumpled marriage certificate hidden in her purse suddenly felt like it weighed a thousand pounds.
She opened her mouth to speak, but her throat locked up. What could she say? No, I’m secretly married to a billionaire military commander who terrifies me, but I can’t prove it because it’s classified?
She looked at Julian’s hopeful, intense eyes. She looked at Brenna, who was watching her expectantly.
If she told the truth, the cover was blown, and Jarrod’s wrath would destroy them all.
Caroline swallowed hard. She looked down at the table and gave a single, jerky nod.
“Yes,” she lied, her voice barely a whisper. “I’m single.”
Julian exhaled a long, slow breath. It was the sound of a man who had just been handed the winning ticket.
His entire posture changed. The respectful distance vanished. He leaned forward, his chest almost touching the table, closing the physical gap between them.
“That’s the best news I’ve heard all day,” Julian murmured, his voice dropping to a low, intimate register meant only for her. “Because I was hoping I could take you out to dinner this weekend. Just the two of us.”
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