“Interesting. And how do you know what I enjoy?” From where he’s walking, I can see his lips move, and I know he didn’t miss the little undertone of flirtation in my voice.
“Will you just trust me?” he asks, and my heart beats faster in my chest.
“How can I trust you? I don’t even know you. Remember what you said?”
“And what is it I said?”
“That monsters hide in plain sight,” I answer.
He stops short at my words, and I regret them instantaneously. His body pivots, and then he is standing in front of me. Narrow eyes. Stiff back. Jaw locked.
He doesn’t like my joke.
No, it’s more than that . . .
But what?
I can’t place it. Is he angry? But why?
Then Mara’s words resurface.
She warned me about him.
I have seen tiny inklings of that man, but the way he looks down at me now makes me wonder if her words were accurate and the man I met at dinner was the lie.
“You’re right,” he says, shocking me. “You don’t know me. And you shouldn’t trust me.”
“I didn’t mean it like—” I start to say.
“No, Layla, listen to me. In life, you will think you know someone, but you can never know what lies beneath the surface.”
He drills me with his stare, and I feel like, for a moment, I’m the other woman. And now I understand why she scurried away.
If I were someone else, I might flinch, but I haven’t gotten where I am by backing down or showing fear, and I certainly won’t become the journalist I want to be if I do.
“You don’t have to worry about me, Mr. Archer.”
“Cain,” he corrects.
“Cain.” I follow. “I might seem innocent, but I can promise you I’m not. Now, let’s stop talking about this and show me this mystery location.”
“You’ll like it.” Rays of sunlight stream down from the sky and cast a shadow over his face. It makes him look almost sinister. A handsome devil luring me. To what? I don’t know, but I welcome the temptation.
“I better because you really hyped it up. I’d hate for it to be a letdown.” I shrug, but I allow my lips to spread wide, letting him know that whatever just transpired is over, and I won’t be holding it against him for my interview. I’m not even lying to myself. I can’t imagine what it takes to build a city. Let alone one like this.
All the moving components. If I were him, I’d be frustrated, too.
“It’s not,” he finally answers, and I nod.
“Then show me.”
Cain then turns around, breaking our connection, and I have to refrain from speeding up so I can be next to him again. We walk past a few doors, none of them open, and I assume that whatever is inside isn’t ready yet.
When we reach a large, black double door that sits in the middle of the block, Cain steps up to it, lifts his wrist, and the chip in his hand must unlock it. The doors open automatically, both at the same time.
He lets me pass him, and when I go inside, my mouth drops open.
The ceilings are high, over two stories, and they’re all glass. It’s like an atrium. But that’s not what has my mouth hanging open. This building is complete, and now I know why he brought me here.
“What is this place? Paradise?” I jest, my voice rising in pitch with amusement.
“For some.” His voice is monotone.
This is not his idea of paradise, but I ask anyway. “And for you?” I want to know everything about him.
“I enjoy seeing people enjoying my vision.” I can see that about him. Every second since I’ve met him, he’s been observing me. And when I react, I’ve seen the way his lips tip up. He likes not only watching me, but it’s almost like he feeds off my reactions.
I pucker my lips playfully. “Not much for games?”
“What gave me away?” he chides as I take a step farther into the mammoth-sized space. “This is the community center.”
“Aka paradise on earth.”
“If that’s how you want to write it up, I won’t object.” This time, his voice simmers with emotion. It’s deep, crisp, and clear. Not over the top, but I can tell he wants, no needs me to write about this.
“Hell, no, you won’t. This alone will sell out your city.”
He proudly nods, and I let my gaze dart across the room.
Everything is here. Bowling. Games. Pool. Air hockey. A full bar. This is like an amusement park for adults. It must have cost a fortune. No stone is unturned. They have everything, even the walls are bright with splashes of neon pink, neon yellow, and blue. It’s almost sensory overload, but somehow, it works. It’s elegant. All the furniture is futuristic looking. White, modern tables with clear Lucite chairs sit at one end of the space. A long, black bar with clear stools sits on the other side.