"Oh, I quite agree, in dry conditions."
"What do you want? I’m in kind of a rush."
Before he can answer, my phone buzzes in my pocket and being frightfully rude but not caring, I answer it.
"Yes, my love?"
"Who is that man you are walking with?" CK snaps down the phone.
I stop dead in my tracks, causing Cade to walk out from under the umbrella into the rain before he realizes that I have stopped. I turn and look over my shoulder in suspicion but see no one spying on me. Well, I suppose I shouldn't really expect to see someone overtly spying on me. That would kind of defeat the purpose.
"A friend," I snap back as I start walking again, to which Cade's eyebrows go skyward. "Call off your guard dog, I will see you in a minute," I say and hang up on him. I pocket my phone quickly.
"Two things strike me as odd about that phone call," he says conversationally.
"Nothing should strike you as odd, as eavesdropping is incredibly rude."
He ignores my remark and continues, "One, that your husband has someone covertly watching you and two, that you called me a ‘friend.'"
"He's not my husband. He is an overbearing control freak," I mutter, livid beyond belief that CK has someone watching me. How long has that been going on? "And trust me, you don't want me telling him you are a stalker," I add with a pointed look.
He grins at my comment. He seems a lot more relaxed now, more forthcoming. I wonder if it is because he knows about me and his glee is in response to him plotting my demise.
"Not your husband? He is awfully jealous then for just your lover. But there again, I suppose if I dropped millions of dollars on a ring like that, I would want to make sure my investment was well taken care of," he says slyly.
I gape at him. “Excuse me?" I say, furious now at him for being so presumptuous. "How dare you make comments about my life and the people in it."
"I don't make presumptions. I state facts," he says mildly and just to piss him off, I close the umbrella in a fit of temper, leaving us both to get soaking wet. I don't mind getting wet. I don't like rain because of its bad mojo, but he will now be wet, cold, and uncomfortable until he gets home. And hopefully he will also catch a cold. Seeing as we are now almost outside my apartment building, I will be inside and dry in a matter of minutes.
He scowls at me as he pulls the collar of his coat up and hunches his shoulders. "Your little display of temper has confirmed my statements as accurate," he says.
"What is it to you who I spend my time with and why?" I say, unable to outright deny that he has in fact pretty much nailed it. With a few minor adjustments, of course.
"I like to know about the people I get involved with," he glowers at me.
"Involved? We are not involved in any way whatsoever and neither shall we be."
"Don't be so sure. You haven't seen the last of me," he says as he turns, shoving his hands in his pockets. “Oh, and by the way, Mrs. O’Dell,” he adds over his shoulder, “I counted three guard dogs,” and with that he turns again and heads off into the rain.
Mrs. O'Dell? I never told him my last name. Sure, it probably wouldn't be hard to connect the dots with a spot of Internet searching but something in the way he said it makes me think he knew all along and has sought me out from the beginning.
"Still nothing?" I ask Scott, who is standing smugly underneath his own umbrella nice and dry. Okay, he isn't smug, I am just projecting.
"Nope. Sorry," he shrugs.
I stomp off into the apartment building with a swift nod to Jerry, the doorman.
CHAPTER NINETY-FIVE
F laming mad, I barge into CK's penthouse. "Hello, Nico," I say before anyone has even looked up at me.
"Liv," he says warily. Yes, I knew he had to be hovering around here somewhere. Constantine wouldn't trust anyone else but Nico’s men to watch me.
I must look an absolute mess, soaking wet and dripping onto the probably madly expensive rug, but I don't care. I am mad as a snake and I want both of them to know it. Well, all three of them, as Sebastian is also staring at me with caution.
"Aefre," CK sidles over to kiss me, which I let him, as I know he is trying to placate me. "You are dripping on my very expensive rug. Go and get yourself dry." I glare at him and taking my phone out of my wet pocket, I throw it at him, then I spin in a circle and in seconds I’m dry, changed into sweats and a vest with my hair neatly pinned up. He hands me my phone back and I slip it into my back pocket.
"Who wants to start?" I bark at them as Sebastian stares at me in wonder.