Mad, Bad and Blonde - Cathie Linz [79]
“You don’t know who he is,” Faith’s dad said, only to be interrupted by Gram.
“I know all I need to know. Now let’s dance.”
Faith’s father angrily returned to their table. Faith returned to Caine’s arms. Gram returned Caine’s smile of gratitude.
“You okay?” Caine asked Faith, his breath stirring strands of her hair.
She nodded, but her hands were trembling. “I’m feeling a little like Juliet. I just don’t want to end up like her.”
“She wasn’t a tough blonde like you.”
“Abs says I’m not tough.”
“Because she’s hard and tough.”
“And I’m not?”
“No. But I am.”
She smiled up at him. “So I’ve noticed.”
“How soon can we leave?” he said.
“I can’t just dump Dylan. But he has to leave early because of a previous engagement. I planned on taking a cab home.”
“Plan on sharing that cab with me.”
“You didn’t drive?”
Caine shook his head. “Not tonight.” He brushed his lips across her cheek before whispering in her ear, “Wait for me.”
Faith’s magical haze was blown out of town by the cold blast of her father’s anger once she returned to their table. “I can’t believe you were dancing with him after what he’s done.”
“Was that Caine?” Faith’s mom asked.
Faith nodded.
Her mom gave her a look of commiseration.
Gram returned to the table to give her son a look of reprimand.
Faith was amazed to see that her dad actually squirmed in his seat.
“You should have been dancing with your wife instead of trying to make trouble,” Gram said.
“I wasn’t trying to make trouble,” he protested. “You don’t know the whole story. He works for King Investigations.”
“Your archrival yada yada yada.” Gram shook her head. “I know. I also know that life is too short to have such hatred. Don’t let it erase the love in your life.”
The next hour was awkward as Dylan made his escape, stopping near the exit to pick up a bodacious babe who’d been eyeing him all night.
“Looks like your date just dumped you,” Aunt Lorraine appeared out of nowhere to tell Faith. “Seems to be a repeating pattern with you and men.”
“I thought you were swimming with the fishes—I mean the dolphins,” Faith said.
Aunt Lorraine sat in the seat Dylan had just vacated. She looked like Cruella De Vil, the villainess from the Disney classic One Hundred and One Dalmatians. “I was, but I flew back this afternoon. My flight was late, or I would have gotten here sooner. You don’t think I’d miss this event, do you?”
“I thought they forbade you from attending,” Megan said.
Sure easy for her to make a comment like that. Aunt Lorraine wasn’t her aunt.
“That was a misunderstanding.” Lorraine gave Megan a vulture glare. “Why are you here with your father? You couldn’t find a man either, Megan?”
“You know what?” Faith stood. “I’ve had enough.”
The older woman sniffed her disapproval. “I should hope you would have had enough of picking losers.”
“I’ve had enough of you, Aunt Lorraine,” Faith said. “I’ve had enough of this. I’m leaving now.”
Megan said, “I’d join you, but I have my eye on a couple of silent auction items that haven’t come up yet.”
Faith glanced over her shoulder to see Caine seated at the table with his gorgeous coworker hanging on his arm and almost drooling over him.
She’d once told Caine that she wasn’t a Marine, and therefore she didn’t march, but she did march right out of that ballroom, head held high, shoulders back, posture perfect. She didn’t look left or right. She just kept going.
She’d reached the cab line when Caine suddenly appeared by her side. “I told you to wait for me.”
“I don’t take orders from you. I don’t take orders from anyone. You got that?” She bounced her index finger off his sternum.
He lifted her hand and kissed it.
His romantic gesture caught her off guard. Usually he moved in like a commanding warrior, seducing and conquering.
“Having a bad night?”
She nodded.
“Let’s see if I can’t make it better.” He guided her into the cab and slid in beside her. He gave the driver her address and then turned to look at her in the darkness. A second later he was kissing her.
He