6
RAVEN
The hostess leadsus to a table on the rooftop of the hotel.
It’s not a skyscraper, yet it overlooks the ocean, and the panoramic view is breathtaking.
The woman shows us to a table where two plates, cutlery, and a floral centerpiece sit on a spotless tablecloth.
The sommelier brings us wine before the food arrives. Bruschetta, spinach salad with balsamic reduction, mushroom ravioli for me, and grilled halibut for him.
We indulge in creme brûlée when noise drifts from the entrance and three men and two women walk onto the terrace.
I casually look in their direction, following Kai’s eyes, and then I do a double take and my heart stops.
Wearing a black shirt and matching pants that are so sexy they should be illegal, Roman Cardenas talks to the people in his entourage.
What is he doing here?
Kai’s eyes stay on him while I sweat in my clothes. Roman was the last man I thought I’d see tonight.
I bite my lip to keep my mouth shut.
I don’t know how Kai feels about him and whether his presence here affects him in any way.
So far, he seems unfazed.
He doesn’t seem in a hurry to push to his feet and greet the man, and Cardenas has his back turned to us, so he’s probably unaware we are here. I wonder how much longer things will stay that way.
Kai removes his gaze from Cardenas but doesn't look at me. I take it as a bad sign.
Perhaps he doesn’t like that we are crossing paths with him again and there’s a history between us.
So maybe it does affect him, and he just conceals his feelings.
Pretending that I haven’t noticed that Cardenas is here would make me a blatant hypocrite, so I speak.
“Wasn’t he supposed to leave?” I ask, sinking my dessert spoon into my flan.
“He left and came back,” he says, no emotion in his voice.
Our eyes haven’t met once since that man walked onto the terrace, and I start to think his presence here plays a much more significant role than I thought.
“Is he doing business or something?”
I basically make conversation to chase away the awkwardness between us.
“Something like that.”
“You don’t like him.”
A smile pushes to his lips.
“I do like him. We’ve made good money together.”
“But?”
He lifts his gaze. The intensity of his stare falls through me like a guillotine.