Where the hell was Colin? Wes’s pulse sounded in his ears, and he didn’t realize he was gripping his flute until Luca’s amused voice broke into his thoughts.
“Careful, my friend, you are about to snap the stem.” Luca glanced at Cara, and then gave Wes an understanding smile. Wes watched as Colin joined Cara and the stranger, positioning himself so that the lecherous jerk had to take a step back. Good man that Colin, Wes thought as he struggled to get his shoulders to relax.
“Looks like our American friend has anamourof his own,” diBenecto said. “She is a beautiful woman. You are brave to let her out of your sight.”
The man was joking, but he was also correct. Wes shouldn’t have left Cara’s side. Not because he was in love with her, he scoffed silently, but because she still had a stalker out there. They couldn’t be sure he hadn’t followed them.
“That’s Corinne’s daughter,” Melody interjected. “She and Wes are friends.” Her mouth turned down when he didn’t answer right away. “Right, Wes?”
Melody didn’t look amused. Wes should be thrilled at this sign of jealousy, but as he blankly watched Luca intertwine his fingers in Melody’s and raise their joined hands to his mouth for a kiss, all he could think about was how fast he could extricate himself.
“We’re roommates.” His pointed comment hit the mark, and Melody made a face.
“Just temporarily, though.”
Wes brought his gaze back from Cara and Colin. “Are you coming back to Atlanta, then?”
“No.” There was that insincere smile again. “But you’re house hunting, right? It was never supposed to be a permanent arrangement. Have you found a house yet?”
“There’s one or two I saw online. I haven’t really been looking.”
Melody’s beautiful face creased in a frown, but she quickly wiped it away.
“But you will. I wonder if Cara knows someone that can take your room. Since she doesn’t have a problem living with a guy, I could give her the name of some male models I know.”
Wes knew Melody was baiting him, but his gut twisted at the concept. He didn’t want to think about some random guy moving in with Cara.
The thought of Cara curled up on the couch, under a blanket, watching TV with someone else was unacceptable.
“I should go check on her.”
“She’s not a child, Wes. These are her people. She probably knows more people here than I do,” Melody said through her teeth. Luca’s eyes shifted between the two of them.
“Bella, let him go.” Luca brought her hand to his lips again, keeping his eyes on Wes, but all Wes felt was annoyance.
“I’m not keeping him here.” Melody wrapped her arms around Luca’s neck, bringing him in for a leisurely kiss. Wes mentally rolled his eyes.
“Have a good night.” Wes nodded at the crowd and snaked his way through the crowd to Cara. Colin attempted to separate Cara from the man in the dark suit, but the larger man only clapped Colin on the back, knocking the shorter man off balance. Wes picked up his pace. He hated bullies.
“Cara.” Was that relief in her eyes?
She cut her eyes at the man. “This is Damon. He’s an associate of my mother’s.”
Damon’s eyes narrowed slightly when Wes intentionally stepped too close, crowding his space. Damon was forced to tilt his head in order to maintain eye contact before extending his hand.
“Nice to meet you.” He turned to Cara. “I think they are getting ready for whatever the surprise is.”
“I’ll go check with my mother and make sure she doesn’t need help.”
Damon’s lips twitched. “I’ll walk with you. I haven’t seen the happy couple yet tonight, and I should thank them for inviting me.” Damon put his hand on Cara’s waist to pull her along with him.
For a split-second, Wes wondered how much of a scene it would be if he ripped the guy’s hand off and beat him with it. Cara twisted away with a glare.
“Actually,” she cast a warm look up at Wes. “I need to stop by our room first.” Cara took a step closer and rested her hand on his bicep. It felt like she’d branded him, and suddenly his mind was back to the shadows, his leg between hers, and the warmth of her sex through the thin fabric of her jumpsuit.
Wes caught Cara’s other hand in his.
“Meet you out front?” She said to Colin. He nodded but it was evident he was unhappy at being left behind. Wes didn’t acknowledge Damon, and in fact, was proud of himself that he didn’t tell the asshole what he thought of him and his pushy, handsy…
