She’d only seen that look on one other man—her father. And that grief over love lost had sucked the joy out of the last fifteen years of her dad’s life. A broken heart had killed him slowly and painfully.
And she’d be damned if she was going to stand by and let Grant do the same thing to himself. She may not be able to compete with the memory of his wife, but after that kiss last night, maybe she had a shot of reminding him he could feel something.
Because like it or not, she was starting to feel more than lust toward the cocky cowboy.
Maybe it was time for the trainee to turn trainer.
NINETEEN
Charli kept herself together for the rest of the meeting. She served cheese and samples of the wines, helped hand out more documents, and adjusted the slide projector when Grant asked. She was finally getting used to the heels and managed not to trip again. But as soon as she got a minute free, she scrawled a note on the back of one of the handouts and set it on top of Kade’s legal pad.
She pretended to take a strong interest in the presentation, but she didn’t miss the curious look or the barely concealed smile when Kade read her note. When she refilled his water glass a few minutes later, the slight nod from him was all she needed. The plan was a go.
Now the question was, could she actually pull it off?
Grant wrapped up the meeting, and everyone started to gather their things to head out. Many went toward the front of the room to shake hands and talk shop with Grant, and the room grew exponentially louder as people chatted amongst themselves. But after exchanging a few quick words with the man next to him, her recruited partner in crime made his way over to her.
Kade wasn’t as tall as Grant, but he still had an inch or two on her, and he walked with the swagger of a guy who knew he didn’t have to try too hard. When he got close enough, he put out his hand. “We weren’t properly introduced. Kade Vandergriff.”
His accent was refined twang—old Texas money, she’d guess. She gave him her hand. “Charlotte Beaumonde.”
Instead of shaking her hand, he brought it to his mouth and laid a kiss on it. “A pleasure, Charlotte.”
Her gaze shifted toward the front of the room, and she caught Grant peering in her direction. She looked back to Kade and put on her best attempt at a seductive smile. “Thank you so much for helping me, Mr. Vandergriff…with the brochures. I can’t believe I was so clumsy.”
“No problem. I can’t resist a beautiful woman in distress.” He leaned a shoulder against the wall, putting his back to Grant and the front of the room, caging her a bit in the corner. Amusement colored his features. “I have to say you must be a particularly brave sub or one who gets off on being bratty. Baiting your dom isn’t usually wise, especially if you’re dealing with someone like Grant.”
She tilted her head and laughed a little, like he’d said something wildly charming. “I have my reasons.”
“Wish I could stick around and see the ramifications. I have a feeling it will be quite entertaining to watch.”
He said it with good humor, but her cheeks warmed anyway. They were putting on a show for someone else’s benefit, but she could sense Kade was being genuine. He was flirting with her and helping her out because he found her attractive. The thought gave her a secret little thrill. Maybe this whole thing was transforming her. A week ago she would’ve never felt confident enough to even faux flirt with someone like Kade.
“He’s watching us,” she said, leaning a bit closer to Kade. “Maybe he doesn’t mind.”
“We’ll see.” Kade’s voice had dropped to a conspiratorial level. “Want the true test? I’m going to touch you, Charlotte. If he really sees you as his, that’ll piss him off more than anything.”
She bit her lip, attempting to look coquettish, and Kade reached out to push a hair that had escaped her French twist behind her ear. His fingers lingered at her nape a bit too long.
“You’re quite enticing, Charlotte. I have a feeling you keep a dom on his toes. When your training ends with Grant, you should look me up.”
“You’re sweet.” And he was—sexy even, but all she could think about was the man at the front of the room. Grant glanced over from his conversation when Kade’s fingers were still against her skin. Grant’s lips pressed into a hard line, but he turned back to the man he was talking with.
Her heart sunk. Damn. Maybe this wasn’t going to work at all. Maybe what she’d thought had happened between them last night really wasn’t anything more than sex. Maybe she was the only one developing a stupid attachment.
Epic fail, Beaumonde.
Grant couldn’t even hear the words coming out of Chef Lane Donovan’s mouth. Blood was roaring in Grant’s ears, and his temperature was rising faster than the desert in summer. What the fuck was Kade Vandergriff doing with Charli?
Seducing her?
By the looks of it—yes. Charli couldn’t seem to stop smiling, and the fucker had just touched her. Touched his sub.
Asshole.
Kade was a friend, a colleague, and a member at The Ranch. A good guy. But right now Grant had the urge to throttle him. Grant dragged his attention back to Lane. “Can I give you a call on Monday and we can discuss the details? I want to make sure we get you exactly what you need to complement your spring menu.”
“No problem.” Lane reached out for a handshake. “I’ve got some time before I need to confirm the wine list. We can get the details worked out next week.”