Instead of heading to the restrooms, I made for the exit, my breathing harsh in my ears as I attempted to manage the pain and fury. That meant I didn’t hear the footsteps behind me as I marched down the narrow corridor toward the front door.

A strong hand gripped my arm and I let out a soft cry as I found myself jerked into an alcove opposite the front door. I pressed back into it as Caine’s cologne tingled my nose and senses when he leaned into me. He rested his hands on the wall at either side of my head, caging me in.

“Get out of my way.”

“Lexie—”

I glowered up at him. “I said get the hell out of my way.”

Caine cursed. “Lexie,” he said, his voice hoarse, “I’m sorry.”

Not wanting to crumble in my resolve, I looked over his shoulder, avoiding his dark, liquid gaze. “I’m tired and you have a party to get back to.”

“Don’t do this,” he growled, pressing his fingers against my jaw and gently forcing my gaze back to his. “I fucked up … but don’t shut me out.”

After his behavior tonight he had the audacity to ask that of me? “Are you kidding me?”

He briefly closed his eyes, and there was remorse written all over his face. “Jesus, Lex, I should never have said what I said. As soon as the words were out of my mouth …” He lowered his head and I found my eyes caught in his. “You are the last person in the world I want to hurt.”

My mouth trembled with emotion and I fought the burn of tears. “Then why?”

Caine looked at his feet and when a few seconds passed without an answer I huffed in annoyance and pushed at his chest. “Get out of my way.”

“No.” He lifted his head, eyes heated. “I fucked up and I’m apologizing. Let’s leave it at that.”

Anger curled in my gut. “Get. Out. Of. My. Way.”

His jaw clenched. “Lexie—”

“If you say my name one more time I’m going to scream bloody murder. Just get out of my way, Mr. Carraway.”

He narrowed his eyes. “Alexa—”

“Why?” I pushed up from the wall, pressing my body against his, turning the tables on him, trapping him. “Why? What happened? We were fine when we got here and then suddenly you started acting like I’m the enemy again. Or worse … like I’m a Holland whore you can pass off to someone else when you get bored w—”

“Wrong.” He pushed me back into the wall, his features harsh, his words guttural with feeling. “I’m a jealous bastard who watched man after man flirt with you and I can’t stand the thought of you being with one of them. I said something I didn’t mean because of it.” His chest heaved with emotion.

I sucked in a breath at his confession.

We stared at each other in thickening silence.

“Fine,” I whispered. “But don’t ever speak to me like that again.”

I saw a measure of edginess leak out of him at my response. “I won’t,” he promised softly. “I’m sorry. I’m not …” He shook his head, seemingly as frustrated with his feelings as I was with my own.

And that was when I realized what the problem was between us, where that tension sprang from, where the animosity had a place to fester and grow from …

Friendship, intimacy—it hadn’t made us any less uncertain of each other because of the temporary nature of our relationship. Other couples, normal couples, could admit how they really felt … but admitting anything more than we already had meant setting ourselves up for an even bigger fall.

And yet … I couldn’t help myself.

The words just spilled out of me. “I only want you, you know.”

Caine’s chest shuddered beneath my hand and then suddenly I was in arms. His kiss wasn’t gentle or apologetic. It was wild. His lips pressed hard against my lips, his tongue licking and stroking mine in a wet, deep kiss that I felt between my legs. I clung to him, kissing him back just as passionately, my fingers curling into his hair as I bit playfully at his lip. He groaned into my mouth and shoved me hard against the wall—

A throat cleared behind us and we both froze.

Slowly, Caine broke our kiss but kept his arms wrapped protectively around me as we both looked over his shoulder.

Henry stood smirking at us. “I guess you’re making up after a lovers’ quarrel? Am I right? I’m right, aren’t I?”

I pinched my mouth closed to stop from laughing at his boyish good humor.

Caine, however, had grown taut against me. “You breathe a word of this and I’ll knock your fucking head off.” There was a hint of his old Southie accent in the words.

Henry laughed, but he had the good sense to agree. He pointed to his own mouth. “As silent as the grave.” His chuckles trailed behind him as he wandered back toward the party.

Caine relaxed against me, his eyes still filled with heat. “Let me take you back to my place.” He smoothed his hand over my hip. “Let me apologize properly.”

“What about Kipling?”

“You’re more important.” His confession was so quiet I almost didn’t hear him, didn’t believe him.

But hear him I did.

And God help me but I wanted to believe him.

Hope bloomed through my whole body. Caine might not have admitted what I had with words, but his reaction was all the confirmation I needed.

He only wanted me too.

“Then we better leave now, because you have a lot of apologizing to do.”