Breakfast

Morning came way too early and Rose struggled to get up and start the day. She had spent last night wallowing in shame and worrying about the sudden thoughts and emotions she was having towards Caleb. She had finally managed the difficult task of getting ready and walked out of the house after a couple hours.

"Are you okay sweetheart?" Caleb asked as he watched her walk out of the house. He couldn't help himself, so he did what he always tended to do when she was within eyesight, and admired her from head to toe. She looked gorgeous in a light-pink sleeveless dress with a v-cut that and a hemline that reached right above her knees. She wore pink colored heels adorned with jewels, her hair was in waves that flew around her face and she wore light makeup that made her face glow radiantly. He swallowed hard as he fought the urge to grab her and hold her tightly in his arms.

Rose nodded and walked up to him as he held the passenger door of the car open for her. She complied and waited for him to walk around towards the driver's seat.

He started the engine and turned towards her with a smile. "Are you feeling okay?" He knew she hadn't slept very well. Her heart had been beating erratically most of the night and she kept shifting back and forth.

She nodded as she turned to look at him. "I'm alright." She frowned, noticing he was staring at her, his hypnotizing gaze making her shift uncomfortably. She gasped, eyes wide with shock when he suddenly moved over her without warning. She froze and avoided eye contact when she felt his face in front of hers. His body was stretched over her as if he was about to embrace her. She could feel him hovering over her, so close they were almost touching. Her hands clutched around her dress nervously and she gulped.

Caleb smiled as he watched her cheeks turn pink.

A few seconds passed by and their eyes met, making the air around them thicken with tension. A shiver ran down her body when she felt his breath tickling her lips. She shut her eyes and held her breath, waiting for his lips to cover the small distance between them and press against hers.

Caleb tried not to let the joy in his heart show as he realized she wasn't pulling away from him. He grabbed the seatbelt behind her and slowly clicked it in place before casually moving back to his seat.

Rose's heart pounded loudly in her chest as she tried to make sense of what had just happened. His lips were not on hers. His body was not touching hers. She swallowed hard and looked down at the strap across her chest. He hadn't kissed her, he was simply helping her put on her seat belt... she didn't know whether to laugh or cry at herself.

Caleb couldn't hide the grin that formed on his lips as they pulled out of the driveway. "We're going to grab breakfast first, and then I'll take you to your present," he said, knowing she was probably dying from shame.

Rose simply nodded, too shocked to formulate any coherent words or thoughts. She felt her cheeks burning with shame.

"You look beautiful," Caleb said as he stole a glance at her.

Rose turned to look at him and licked her suddenly dry lips. "Thank you. You look very handsome," she said, not knowing what else to say. She took a moment to look at him noticing that he did, in fact, look very handsome. He wasn't wearing a business suit like he normally did. He was in casual clothes. He wore black pants and a blue button up shirt that made his dark-blue eyes stand out more than usual. Some of the buttons at the top of his shirt were left undone, giving her a peek at his chest. She looked away and tried to focus on the road instead of the sexy man sitting next to her.

Caleb's smile didn't fade; he couldn't hide the happiness he felt. He continued to smile as they made it to the restaurant and began to eat breakfast.

"Did you rent the whole place?" Rose asked as she looked around at the empty restaurant.

Caleb shook his head. "No. I own the place, so I had them close for a couple hours."

Rose's hand froze as she was about to take another bite. It was one of the most popular restaurants in the city. It was said people had to wait weeks to get a reservation. She chuckled. "Of course you do."

His smile finally faded and he frowned as he looked at her, noting her sarcastic tone.

She gulped and shook her head, noticing the way his mood had changed. It was weird that it had only been a few days, but she was beginning to learn his moods. "I just meant that you have a lot of money. So you probably own half of the businesses in the city," she said jokingly.

"A little over half," he said, watching her reaction.

Her eyes widened in shock. "Really?"

He nodded and smiled. "Yes."

"Why?" He owned more than half of the city?! She felt her heart sink at the sudden realization that running away from him was going to be way harder than she had thought. She never expected him to be so fucking rich and powerful. How were she and Jack supposed to get away from him? She bit her bottom lip anxiously. This meant he had eyes everywhere.

"I have the money, so why not. It would be a waste to have it sitting in the bank when I could be putting it to use, don't you think?"

She chuckled dryly and nodded. "How do you have the time?"

He was happy that she was taking an interest in him, asking questions about his life. He wasn't sure if it was out of curiosity or something else, but he didn't care as long as she showed interest. "I have all the time in the world Rose."

"Right, you're a vampire, of course you have time."

"I have people that take care of my assets so I don't have to spend a lot of time doing business if I choose not to."

She frowned. "You seem to work a lot."

"I like working. I enjoy the power and respect that comes with hard work." He leaned over the table, keeping his eyes glued to hers. "It also gives me an advantage when I encounter enemies. I see everything and I know everything that happens in this city. I have eyes and ears everywhere. "

She gulped. He see's everything? Shit. Had he seen her and Jack? Her cheeks burned and her heart began to race. Oh, fuck! She tried to calm herself, aware of his keen vampire senses. She and Jack had been surrounded by trees back then so there was no way anyone would have seen them unless they had purposefully known where they were. Not even Katherine knew and she had been her tail that day.

Caleb knew what she was thinking, and even though it enraged him to know what she had done that day, he decided not to confront her about it. At least for now, he would pretend he knew nothing.

Rose suddenly lost her appetite. She looked down at her plate, unable to lift her head and look at him. Even though they weren't married, a part of her still felt guilty about her actions that day. She couldn't understand why she felt like she betrayed him. They weren't even a couple, so why did she feel this way?

Caleb frowned as he watched her get lost in her thoughts. He lifted the glass full of blood to his lips and took a few sips before setting it down on the table. "Are you done Rose?"

She looked up at him and nodded. "Yes." Her mood had changed with their conversation.

He got up and helped her out of her chair before grabbing her arm and wrapping it around his, making sure to keep her close by his side.

Rose felt her cheeks burn as their bodies touched. She tried to pull away, but his grip only got tighter.

"If you pull away I'll carry you around everywhere."

She felt her cheeks burn hotter and she bit her bottom lip. She stopped struggling, giving in to him and followed him towards the exit. Her mind was still stuck on their conversation, worrying about Jack.

"Don't worry, I don't have hidden cameras watching you like some pervert," he said jokingly, smiling as he looked down at her. He knew she was still thinking about their conversation. He didn't like watching her worry like this.

She chuckled at his words, knowing he was joking. She stopped and frowned, forcing him to stop with her. "I hadn't even thought about that until you mentioned it."

He chuckled, happy that she was going along with his joke. This was exactly what he'd hoped for. He knew the more time they spent together, the more she would open up to him until she felt comfortable with him.

"Now I'm really suspicious! I'm going to have to check every corner of that room!" His laughter actually made her smile and she laughed along with him as they made their way out of the restaurant and towards their vehicle.