She nodded slightly, not wanting to encourage him with anything more.
“In fact, I’d like to take you to dinner so we can get to know each other better.”
Caitlyn kept her face neutral even as alarm bells began to clang faintly. Don’t overreact. Give him the benefit of the doubt. She took another step back, anyway. “My schedule is quite tight, I’m afraid.”
“How about tonight, then, since you’re already here. There’s a nice bistro not far away …”
She shook her head. This shouldn’t be happening here. The guest list was very exclusive and supposedly kept situations like this from even coming up. “I’m sorry, but I can’t.”
He was not to be deterred by the gentle brush-off, though. Maybe she was overreacting, but the alarm bells rang louder as he leaned closer and she smelled the alcohol on his breath.
“Then we’ll talk here.”
“Actually, I was just about to go back inside when you caught me.” She picked up her purse and indicated they should walk. “Shall we?”
“Miss Reese …” He didn’t take the hint, so she moved past him. “Caitlyn, wait, damn it.”
She was two steps past him when he caught her arm and tried to stop her with a too-tight-to-be-casual grip. At that moment he crossed the line. Her training kicked in, and a second later he was on his knees whimpering in pain from the way Caitlyn had his fingers pulled back. “Do not touch me. We don’t know each other well enough for that, so it’s quite rude.”
“I just wanted to talk to you.”
She tightened her grip just enough to make him gasp and understand that she was serious. “That’s not going to happen. You’re going to go back inside so that I don’t have to have you arrested for assault and make a scene in front of all those people.”
At his nod of assent she released his fingers and he flexed his fingers experimentally. “No need to be such a bitch about it.”
This was not what she’d signed on for tonight. “Go away. I’m done talking to you.” She stepped away and pinned him with a stare that hopefully would convince him she meant business. The adrenaline pumping through her system left her shaky but energized.
“Caitlyn …”
“I think Cait was very clear in her instructions. I suggest you do as you were told.”
The voice hit her like a brick wall. Her stomach sank at the same time electricity sizzled up her spine. Damn, damn, damn. This was not how she’d planned on seeing him again.
Maybe it wasn’t him. It had been three years; she’d probably just confused his voice with a stranger’s. She’d been tense about seeing him, and her mind was surely just playing tricks on her. Because anything else would just be really unfair. Holding on to that hope, Caitlyn looked over her shoulder as the owner of the voice emerged from the shadows.
Finn.
Great. What had she done to karma to deserve this? She just seemed destined to have Finn a part of all the times of her life she’d just like to forget.
At least Finn wouldn’t blab about what he’d just witnessed to the papers. It was a small consolation, and Caitlyn grabbed on to it like a life raft in the swirl of emotions and memories that low, rich voice stirred up.
She could tell the guy—she still couldn’t remember his name—recognized Finn, which wasn’t surprising since Finn garnered almost as much press as the stars in the films he produced. And, of course, everyone on the planet knew about her past with Finn. The double whammy for her admirer, though, had to come from Finn’s family ties: smart people didn’t make enemies of the Marshalls. Especially if they wanted any kind of future in politics. They were simply too powerful a family to mess with.
But this guy, proving again he wasn’t the sharpest knife in the drawer, got belligerent instead. “This is a private conversation, if you don’t mind.”
“Oh, I mind.” Disdain dripped off Finn’s words.
The men sized each other up, and Caitlyn couldn’t help but do the same. She hadn’t exactly forgotten Finn—how could she?—but reality was slapping her in the face now. Finn could give his leading men a run for their money when it came to heartthrob status. He had strong, aristocratic features made less harsh by a deep tan earned from his love of all things outdoors. His dark blond hair had sun-bleached lighter streaks, and, as always, it had that casual windblown look that all men who weren’t Finn had to work hard to achieve. The dim light made it hard to see the color of his eyes, but she knew how their deep green could suck a girl in and melt her insides.
Finn had a good four inches in height on her admirer and, while both men were lean, he looked athletic and strong even in his suit. He might have the bluest of blue blood in his veins, but he had an edge that belied the DNA—not enough to make him look out of place in the throng of political and social elite inside, but it certainly set him apart.
It made the red-faced young man look ridiculous even trying to match up. He just fell short all the way around.
And his scowl was nothing compared to Finn’s.
Which brought her nicely back to the real problem at hand. Finn had an odd gallant streak when it came to damsels in distress. At the right time it could be endearing—sweet, even—but this was not the right time for Finn to channel his inner caveman.
“I distinctly heard Cait tell you she was done talking. Do you really need to resort to assault?”
What’s-his-name bristled visibly. Lord, the man was too stupid to realize the danger lurking behind Finn’s controlled cadence. She knew better, though, and launched into damage control before this got worse. “That was just a—”
“I know what that was, Cait,” Finn snapped. He took her arm and moved her a few feet farther away, putting himself between her and the man like a bodyguard. He looked her up and down, then asked quietly, “Are you okay?”
“She’s fine,” the other man answered testily. “It’s just a misunderstanding.”
Finn’s green eyes flicked in his direction. He obviously wasn’t impressed with the man. “I didn’t ask you.”
He puffed up like a blowfish and Finn squared his shoulders. With all the testosterone in the air, this was about to get ugly.
Caitlyn cleared her throat. “I’m fine, Finn, thanks. And I would like us to all go our separate ways now so that this just remains between the three of us. There’s a lot of press and a lot of people inside who don’t need to be party to this.”
Finn’s eyes narrowed as he looked her over. “Are you sure?”
She nodded and saw Finn un-bow his shoulders a little bit as he released her arm. “Fine. No sense embarrassing you unnecessarily.”
Thank goodness. “I’d appreciate that.”
He turned to the other man, who seemed to get younger and weaker-looking as each
