“D-did you come here to catch me?”
“To catch you?” Caroline continued to stare through Hannah, slight frown lines between her brows. “Catch you where?”
Hannah swallowed, aware that putting this idea in Caroline’s head could backfire on her. “Here. With Juliet.”
Caroline’s brows shot up, genuine surprise now in her eyes. “You think I wanted to catch you cheating?”
Hannah slowly lifted a shoulder, casting her gaze on the space between them. She really didn’t want that to be the reason, but she couldn’t recall the last time anyone she cared about ‘surprised’ her. “I don’t know.”
“I…no. That’s not why I’m here. Do you really think that of me? That I’d show up somewhere hoping to catch you in bed with another woman?”
“It’s not just any other woman, though, is it, Caz? It’s an ex-client. And I know she’s my boss, but that thought must still be there.”
Caroline nodded, lowering the arms she’d had wrapped around her. “I see. You think I don’t trust you. I had no idea you felt this way.”
“I saw that jealousy in your eyes when you realised Juliet was here.” Hannah couldn’t lie to Caroline. It was clear as day. Juliet likely noticed it, too.
“Of course I was jealous. She’s spent the last three days with you and was in your suite when I arrived. But I didn’t think for one second that you’d be sleeping with her. God, Hannah. You really believe that?”
“I’m sorry.”
“I just wanted to be here with you. It’s been a miserable week without you, so I thought I’d jump on a train and be with you. Simple as that.”
Hannah felt dreadful. Mostly because if the shoe were on the other foot, she’d be jealous to find Caroline in a room with someone else. It wouldn’t mean she didn’t trust Caroline, not at all. “I feel like an idiot now.”
Caroline’s shoulders sagged as she puffed out her cheeks. “I don’t ever want you to feel that way, Hannah. Like I don’t trust you. I travelled here to be with you, not to catch you out.”
“I’m sorry.”
“After the things I said to you on Sunday...” Caroline took a hesitant step forward. “I know I hurt you when I said I was trying, and…well, I wanted to show you that Idowant to be with you. That even though I’m a mess sometimes and fully believe you’ll see sense one day in the future, I want to be with you in the here and now. That it’s not just part of me that wants to be with you, as I foolishly said, butallof me. And it always has been deep down. I just…I try to protect myself.”
“I know you do. That’s why I didn’t take it to heart too much. Caz, I know life has been hard for you in the past, that it’s taken a lot for you to trust me and let me in…but I want this to work for us. If it’s what you want, I really want it to work.”
“Itdoeswork. It works more with you than it ever did with Naomi. God, itreallyworks, Hannah. I suppose I just…try not to get my hopes up. It’s a downfall, I’m aware of that, but you’ve been patient with me, and I wanted to surprise you.”
“You really missed me so much that you wanted to surprise me?” Hannah’s voice unexpectedly broke, the idea that Caroline missed her quite overwhelming. Hannah knew she could love Caroline with everything she possessed, but when Caroline’s true self unexpectedly broke through the self-doubt, yeah…itwasoverwhelming. She took Caroline’s hands, bringing them to her lips. “I’m so happy you’re here.”
“Are you sure about that?” Caroline smiled, cocking her head.
“I am. I think it was something Juliet said that sort of put the idea in my head as to why you were here.”
Caroline tensed. “What did she say?”
“Nothing that matters right this second.”
“No. I want to know. Whatever she said, I need to know.”
“Before I came to your place that night. The night when we basically got together. Well, we’d gone out to dinner earlier in the week while we were working, and Juliet made a comment about how she was jealous you’d potentially get to see me naked one day.”
Caroline rolled her lips inward, nodding slowly.
“And then tonight, she asked if I’d told you about that conversation. She mentioned how you felt about it. What she’d said.”
“Well, I knew nothing about it. But even if I did, why would I worry? I’m the one you spend your evenings with. I’m the one who gets you outside of work…not her.”
“I know, babe. I think it just stuck with me. Then you showed up, and I wondered if you were feeling something about us working together. But I know you trust me. I really do.”
Caroline snaked an arm around Hannah’s waist, taking her bottom lip between her teeth. “So, the hot lawyer is jealous of me?”