Wes’s body still thrummed with anger, but he knew he needed to check on her. See if she was all right after the nasty scene. He put his hand on her back and his heart contracted when she flinched away. He felt helpless while they stood on the curb in silence waiting for their ride.
Cara’s knuckles were white where she gripped the phone, her other hand stabbing at the screen. Her coat forgotten on a chair in the bar, Wes wasn’t sure if her trembling was from cold or the shock of the adrenaline leaving her body.
“What he said—” Wes’s blood coursed hotly. “He was the one—”
“Not now.” Cara sounded like she’d been chewing glass. Wes slipped his sport coat off and laid it over her shoulders, but her trembling only increased. His molars ground together.
She must have found what she was looking for because he heard her exhale a shaky breath, and for a split second, she looked up as if she might say something.
A car pulled to a stop in front of them, and Cara opened the back door. Before she climbed in, she wordlessly extended her arm behind her, offering him the phone.
Wes didn’t want to look. He suspected he already knew what she wanted to show him. In the back seat, Cara turned her whole body to look out the window, and he could only stare at her back as the car pulled away from the hotel, wishing he had the right words.
Wes looked down once to confirm she had in fact pulled up a news story detailing the tabloid photo scandal. He pressed the button to power the phone off and set it in his lap.
Cara’s shoulders rose and fell in ragged little breaths, making Wes feel like someone had hollowed out his chest. She had recoiled from his touch before, but it was all Wes had to offer her.
He took one of her hands, gripped stiffly in her lap, and pried her fingers apart, pulling her to face forward. The driver looked curiously at them in his mirror, but Wes ignored him.
Wes applied very little pressure to her hand before Cara was turning and burying her face against his side. He shifted so that he could bring his arm around her back and bent his head to place his cheek against the top of her head, the honeysuckle scent of her blonde hair filling his nose.
CHAPTERTWENTY-FIVE
Wes unlockedthe front door and stepped back so she could go in first. She paced several steps then turned to face him, looking tiny and vulnerable in his coat. His heart broke. Her eyes were puffy but dry, as if she refused to cry.
Cara folded her arms across her chest and raised her chin. “Did you read it?”
He shook his head, and little furrows appeared between her eyes.
“Why? I want you to.” She shoved her phone at him again. “I want you to read it!” Her voice pitched higher, and it occurred to Wes this might be her way of controlling what had happened.
“I already knew.” He kept his eyes on hers.
“What? How?” Cara’s lips quivered, and her eyes took on a hunted look.
He hated it.
She licked her lips. “This whole time?”
“No! I didn’t put it together until the other night.” Wes shoved a hand back through his hair. How was he going to explain this?
Cara slowly took his coat off and draped it over the back of the sofa, pivoting to retreat into her room.
“Wait!” His voice broke. “I swear to you. I didn’t know until you told me your real name.”
Cara turned slowly, her expression wooden. “You saw the pictures.”
“I did. It’s not what you’re thinking… You know what I do…” His voice was anguished. How could he make her understand? “I only look at photos long enough to identify them. I neverlookedat them—I knew from the client request that age was an issue…”
He trailed off as all color rushed from her face and then flooded back, an angry red.
“It was you! You were the white-hat hacker Declan hired.” She laughed bitterly. “Wow. The two of you must have…” She stopped, shaking her head. “I really am as naïve as my brothers accuse me of being.”
“Unless you told him, as far as I know, your brother has no idea we even know each other.” Wes held her gaze, hoping she would see he was being sincere. “I should have told you the second I knew, but I didn’t know how. You were already so upset that night. I didn’t want to make it worse.”
Her lip curled.
“Cara, what can I do to make you believe me? I would never hurt you. Tell me what I can do!” He knew he sounded desperate, but he didn’t care.
