I nod, searching for Riley. After a moment, I find her and point. “I’ll be over there.”
He grins. There’s a spot of red lipstick on his lip, and I start to rub it off for him.
He stops me. “Leave it. I like your mark on me.”
I grin, shaking my head. Of course he does.
Halfway to Riley’s table, a girl approaches. She grabs my arm and pulls me out a side door, into a hallway.
“Excuse me,” I snap.
She lifts her mask.
Claire.
“What are you doing here?” I gasp.
She rolls her eyes. “Nice seeing you, too, sis.”
“Sorry. I just wasn’t expecting you to crash the party.”
“Yeah, well, I wasn’t expecting you to ignore my phone calls.”
“I’m not. I haven’t got any from you.”
She scowls.
“Seriously. And my phone is in Caleb’s jacket…”
“I have something important to tell you, Margo.”
I hold up my hands. “Okay, okay.”
It must be bad if Claire is willing to travel all the way to Rose Hill to tell me something. Bad or good, I guess. My bet is on the former. And as I think that, my stomach twists.
“I was worried about you,” she said. “And you know how we met your foster mom the other day?”
Last week, at the mall. How could I forget?
My face answers for me.
Claire sighs. “She was familiar—but like, in an ‘I have a bad feeling about this’ kind of way. You know those moments where you just want to follow your gut?”
“I… guess.” I don’t like where this is going.
“Remember when we lived together, and you found my stash?”
Of newspaper clippings. Yes.
Her parents died in a car accident, and for a while, she was obsessed with other kids who lost parents in accidents. If there was a newspaper write-up about it, you could bet that Claire had it cut out and pressed into a notebook.
“Some of them had pictures, you know? Like of the family mourning.”
“Okay, and?”
“Your foster mom seemed familiar.”
I roll my eyes. “You said the same freaking thing about Caleb!”
“He still is familiar,” she mutters. “But that’s not what we’re talking about right now. The point is: I figured out your foster mom!”
I squint at her, finally untying my mask. I pull it off. “From… your newspaper clippings?”
“Yes! Her daughter died in a crash like, five years ago. There was a picture of her and her husband at the grave site.”
“That’s awful, Claire. And, for the record, I knew she died.”
“No, but look.” She pulls a paper from her pocket, shoving it into my hand. “Just read that!”
“Margo?”
I spin around, crumpling the paper in my fist. Caleb walks toward us, gaze bouncing back and forth between Claire and me.
“I don’t recognize you,” he says, his eyes on her. “A friend of Margo’s?”
I glance back at Claire, but she has her mask firmly back in place. She takes a few steps backward, shrugging. “See ya later, Wolfe.”
“You good?” he asks.
“Yep.” My dress has small pockets. They aren’t big enough for a phone, but definitely for a scrap of paper. I tuck it in and retie my mask.
Caleb hands me a cup of punch, and we go join Riley and Eli.
Claire’s warning is swept away in the excitement of the rest of the evening. Eventually, Caleb’s hand on my back is too much for me to bear. The room is slowly emptying out, and I find myself leaning on him more and more.
We’ve done our part. We showed up, we danced, we were seen and admired. The last two things were just what I figured Caleb wanted. We talked with Theo and Liam, who both opted to come alone.
At one point, Theo stole Amelie away from Ian and whisked her around. They both actually knew how to do more than sway, which was… impressive. I didn’t figure him as the type to fall for her charm.
Caleb chuckled at my expression. “He’s using Amelie.”
“For what?”
He just shakes his head.
Now, I lean against Caleb and try to telepathically tell him that it’s okay to leave.
“Tired?” he asks.
I nod, emphatic.
He tuts and leans down. “Poor thing. I thought our night was just getting started…”
His words undo me.
I press my thighs together, turning so my lips brush his ear. “Tired of being surrounded by people,” I clarify.
He smirks. “If you insist.”
He takes my hand, lacing our fingers, and pulls me up. I come closer to his height in my heels, but he still manages to feel… bigger. Infinitely more imposing.
“We’re out,” Caleb says, slapping Eli’s hand. “See you tomorrow.”
We say goodbye to Theo and Liam, too. The latter has found a girl, and he keeps her in his lap as we walk by.
The music is much fainter in the lobby. He hands me my clutch and withdraws a keycard.
Our bags should already be in the room. This morning, Riley and I tossed our overnight bags in Caleb’s trunk. We all figured it was easier to explain it away than have Lenora and Robert ask me a million questions.
The elevator ride is quick, shared with another couple, and Caleb and I keep eyeing each other. Once we’re in the hallway, he takes my hand. We stop in front of a door, which he unlocks, and he quickly scoops me up. I throw my arms around his neck, suppressing a yelp, and he carries me over the threshold.
“Cute,” I say.
He just smiles.
He doesn’t set me down. He walks down the hall and into the room. But it isn’t just a room. It’s a whole freaking suite. There’s a living and dining room, complete with a giant oak table. A door with locks on it on the right, which I assume means it can connect with another suite, and the bedroom and bathroom on the left.
There’s a giant vase filled with flowers on the table.
“Wow.”
He shifts, lifting me higher. “It’s worth it.”
“Bedroom?”
“As you wish.” He strides toward the bedroom and places me on my feet.
I have a second to get my balance before he’s on me, pushing me against the wall. I arch into him as his lips meet mine. He teases me, brushing his lips against mine.
“Remember what I said?” he asks.