Page 75 of With This Kiss
They were his, and his alone, and sometimes I wished I could be like that.
I wished I didn’t feel so much, and I wished I didn’t show my emotions so easily.
He nodded in acknowledgment of my statement, and that was all.
Perhaps I should’ve hated that. But that wasn’t the case at all. I liked that he didn’t try to offer false sentiments that I wasn’t sure he felt anyway.
At least from him, I knew I wouldn’t be getting pity.
I looked out my car window and watched as New York passed me by. There had always been something magical about New York during the wintertime. I might not like the mushy, wet snow or the cold weather, but at least it made the air easier to take in.
We didn’t go far since I still had to go back to work after this.
He pulled up at a small bistro on the corner and parked nearby.
I stayed in the car and waited for him to take in his surroundings first before getting out. We walked to the bistro together, and the hostess greeted us at the door. Her eyes lingered on Caine a little longer than necessary, not that he paid her much attention, or that he paid much attention to anyone, for that matter.
He was around Kingston’s age, at thirty-three, but I couldn’t even remember a time when my brother was infatuated with a girl. Or with anyone, really.
I’m not even sure if he wanted to fall in love.
“What?” he said when we sat down, and he noticed I was staring at him.
“I was just wondering when you’re going to find a nice girl to settle down with.”
He frowned. “Don’t talk nonsense.”
“Finding your person is metalking nonsense? Don’t you want to fall in love?”
“No,” he said without hesitation, surprising me.
“No?”
“No.”
“Why not?”
“Because it’s not important.”
I pressed my lips together, not sure of what to say about that. I looked down at the menu in front of me, trying to put the conversation out of my head.
“Doyouwant to fall in love?” he asked after a few minutes of silence, surprising me.
I blinked. “What?”
“I asked if you want to fall in love with someone. Or if there is already someone.”
I didn’t answer him. I could feel my cheeks burning, and I knew my face gave away too much. My brother was an astute man. He had to be to help our father with his business. But there were times I wished he wouldn’t look at me too carefully. This was one of those times.
“Who is it?” he asked, his voice not changing in the slightest, but I knew better. I could almost see how he was trying to work out his thoughts, as if shifting through his memories of all the men I had interacted with in the past.
I shook my head. “I didn’t say anything.”
“You don’t have to. Is it Preston?”
“Preston?”
I hadn’t seen Preston since that day at the coffee shop. I barely texted him. And fortunately, he was also giving me space to think on my own.
