In Good Company (Pembroke Hills #1)

by Kat Singleton

A corner of my mouth lifts as I look in her direction. I cock my head to the side. Oh, this is a fun twist. Why is she lying?

I look back at Lucy, finding her wide eyes pinned on me. I’m not sure why she looks so confused by me playing along with her little lie. She started it.

I watch her for a moment, the rest of the room seeming to fade away as I focus on her.

For some reason, Lucy pretending she has no idea who I am has woken up something deep inside me. She’s amusing me, and I’m not amused often. Whatever game she wants to play, I’ll play along, and I’ll play it better.

“I thought I spoke pretty clearly. You’ve spent the entire night berating your own staff, and quite honestly, I’m sick of it. So let me say this nice and slow for you. Do. Not. Talk. To. Her. That. Way.”

It bothers me that I can’t figure her out. I normally have an excellent read on others, but she’s unreadable to me.

“Were you waiting for me?” I ask before I can stop myself. The thought just occurred to me. Callahan’s lip turns up in the cockiest of smirks. “Yes.” One word. So simple, yet for some reason, it sends a shiver down my spine. “Why?” The night feels way too quiet as my question lingers in the space between us. Can he hear my racing heart? I blame it on the fact I’m still recovering from him taking me by surprise in the dark. My heart definitely doesn’t beat erratically because I’m standing alone in the dark with Callahan Hastings.

“Because I felt like it. Now, which one is your car? Don’t make me ask again.” My cheeks heat at the commanding tone of his voice. Because I felt like it. I try not to read too much into his answer.

I’m immediately hit by the smell of him. Bergamot and sandalwood. It’s incredibly masculine and makes me want to inhale deeply and bask in the richness of his scent.

I don’t know how long we stand there quietly when he finally clears his throat and keeps his striking blue eyes pinned on me. “Become my private chef for the summer.”

If she was going to be anyone’s private chef this summer, she was going to be mine.

What doesn’t feel right is having her call me by my full name. It feels too formal…too impersonal. “Call me Cal.” She tucks a piece of her dark hair behind her ear. “You said at dinner to call you Callahan.” “I didn’t say that to you. You can call me Cal.”

I do care about what you think.” Her nose scrunches as she looks at me in disbelief. “Why?” I laugh, the sound of it vibrating my chest. “I keep asking myself the same thing.”

She lets out a dramatic sigh, but she does pull out her phone and unlock it before placing it in my hand. She keeps hers on top of it for a moment, our fingertips just barely brushing. I move first, shocked by the electricity I feel at the small connection of our skin. I pull my hand back and pull up her contacts. “Good girl,” I whisper, the words taking me by surprise. Luckily, it seems like the praise came out low enough that she didn’t hear me.

The heat of Cal’s gaze on me forces me to meet his eyes. His thumb traces over his bottom lip as he thinks over his friend’s comment. Eventually, he smiles, but again, it doesn’t reach his eyes.

Lucy plasters on a fake smile. I don’t miss how her eyes soften slightly when she looks at a snickering Jude. A pang of annoyance runs through me at the way she glances at him. Maybe I shouldn’t have forced Jude to tag along with me to convince her. I bet if it was Jude offering her the job, she’d accept immediately. I brush the irritating thought away when her eyes meet mine again, they’re narrowed and full of defiance.

Before I can think better of it, I reach out and grab her. My fingers gently wrap around her wrist, applying just enough pressure to get her to stop for a moment. Her skin is soft and warm underneath my touch. I ignore the way the small connection sends a rush of heat through my entire body.

I grunt, hating the way he called her cute. Cute doesn’t even begin to describe her. She’s breathtaking, with her big brown eyes that are hard to look away from and her high cheekbones that are pink from the sun.

“Playing this cat-and-mouse game has been far too entertaining for me to give up that easily.”

“Name any price and it’s yours, Lucy. I assure you, I can afford it.”

“Any other excuses you’d like to use, or are you ready to accept my offer? We both know it’s the best thing for you, Lucy.”

“How do you know what’s best for me? You don’t know me.”

“I’d like to, but you’re making it rath...

The sun reflects off her dark, shiny locks of hair. Despite having worked a full shift at Pembroke, her hair is smooth. I want to run my fingers through the strands. For just a moment, I let my eyes linger on her lips. They’re shiny from lip gloss, making it impossible not to wonder what she’d taste like if I leaned in and took her lips in mine.

I hold my hand out, and she timidly places her cold hand in mine. I wrap my fingers around hers, shaking her hand a few times. I try to fight the thought nagging in my mind…it feels right to hold her hand in mine. Lucy blushes at the contact of our skin. Fuck. Why do I love the specific shade of pink her cheeks turn so much? Her glossed lips spread into a wide smile.

Her fingers twitch against mine before she pulls her hand free. Our handshake lasted longer than it needed to, but I couldn’t let go. Not until she did. I can’t explain why, but I wanted to feel her skin against mine as long as she’d let me.

“It doesn’t seem right to make you carry in bags of food when I have two perfectly good hands that can help you.”

Her wide smile could thaw even the most frozen of hearts—including mine.

I try to ignore the way my chest constricts ever so slightly at the way she says my name.

“Maybe I’m a cold person.”

“Maybe you just want people to think you’re cold,”

He smirks and lifts his chin before sticking his tongue out to wet his parted lips.

“It’s kind of cute you’re still arguing with me when it’s useless. I’ll make myself a plate as soon as you do as you’re told and sit down and start eating.”

I almost jump out of the chair I just sat down in when Cal’s hot breath tickles the back of my neck. I stare straight ahead as he lines his mouth up right next to my ear.

“Careful,”

he warns, his voice deep a...

“It might hurt my feelings that you listen to J...

I s...

“Some might wonder if you even ha...

He laughs, his breath caressing the back of my neck in a way that sends ...

“Everyone has feelings. I’m just good at hiding mine. Wasn’t it you who pointed out my cold demeanor might just be a front? Did yo...

He chuckles, picking his own fork back up.

“She does listen to me after all. Good girl.”

I probably find too much pleasure in making her blush, but I don’t care. It’s just so easy to make her skin turn the perfect shade of pink. Of course, I can’t help myself.

I’ve never been to Italy, but I’d love to someday.”

“You should.”

“It’s a dream of mine, actually, to take cooking...

“Sorry, I probably got a little too passionate there.”

“Don’t ever apologize for being excited about something, Lucy.”

“Well, I deserve a love that’s actually love.”