Falling For Caleb (Falling Book 7)

by Tracy Lorraine

  Turning back around, I see her rooting through a drawer. “Here.”

  I take the small piece of paper from her outstretched hand and, after thanking her, I march from the hotel.

  I find a bench a little down the street. I sit and stare at the piece of paper for a few seconds, trying to imagine what could possibly be on it. I come to a conclusion it can only be one thing. When I open it, I find I’m right.

  I’m sorry x

  “Motherfucker,” I mutter under my breath, and screw the paper up into my palm. That’s it. That was her last chance. I warned her and I meant it. I will not help her try to get away from him again.

  When I get back to the flat later that afternoon, Caleb is just lowering his phone from his ear. His face shows that he hasn’t just received good news.

  “That was the police,” he says sadly.

  “Go on.”

  “They picked up your stepdad earlier. Questioned him.”

  “And…”

  “They can’t charge him.”

  “Why the fuck not?”

  “He’s got an alibi.”

  “Of course he fucking has,” I mutter as I come to stand in front of our kitchen worktop. I place my palms on the counter and hand my head. “She’s never going to leave him, is she?”

  “Taylor,” Caleb says, coming to stand next to me before wrapping me in his arms.

  Caleb

  “This is the one,” Taylor announces as he spins around, looking at everything this appartment has to offer.

  In the past two weeks, we’ve looked at hundreds of apartments online and viewed a handful, none of which have been suitable. The second we were shown the details for this one, we both knew. This was the one. It’s a stunning top floor maisonette of a recently converted warehouse. It’s slightly more out of town than our old place but the compromise is so worth it. The space we get for our money is insane. So what we’ll have to spend a little longer each day commuting into the city?

  I continue watching Taylor take in all the details. I don’t need to see any more. The photos we’ve seen and his reaction now is all I need. He’s looking at the modern kitchen in a pool of light the giant windows let in. One wall is completely glass, giving us an amazing view. Most of the walls are exposed brickwork and the floor is stunningly refurbished dark wood. The mix of both wood and metal throughout this place is incredible. Taylor’s boss came up trumps with the estate agent recommendation. Brian was the only agent to know this was coming on the market, and we’ve been lucky enough to be the first and hopefully only people to view it.

  “Where do we sign?” I ask Brian, ripping my eyes away from Taylor’s ass as he starts climbing the stairs to check out the bedrooms and bathroom.

  “Don’t you want to look upstairs?”

  “I will, but I don’t need to. This is our new home,” I state proudly.

  We spend so long in the flat Brian has to practically drag us out because he has other clients to meet.

  “I can’t believe that’s going to be our new home,” Taylor sighs. He’s practically bouncing as we head back into the thick of the city. We have one more stop before going for lunch. “Hey, aren’t you excited?” he asks when he sees that I’m looking a little less enthusiastic about it than he is.

  “Of course I am. I’m just a little nervous about what’s next.”

  “Oh shut up. It’s going to be so hot. I’m already hard just thinking about it,” he announces a little too loudly on a busy London sidewalk.

  As we get closer to our destination, there seems to be more and more people; it could just be my imagination—or fear—mind you.

  “Fuck, that is seriously hot,” Taylor says beside me as the heads in front of us part slightly, allowing my first glimpse.

  There, staring back it me in the middle of the city, is a fucking giant billboard advertising a brand of underwear I’m fairly familiar with—mainly because I’m the one wearing them. There for the world and their wife to see is a fuck knows how many foot billboard of my scantily clad body.

  “Please can we get a copy for the wall of our new place?” Taylor asks excitedly. Unfortunately, I don’t get to answer because his question is overheard by some young women in front of us. I watch in amazement as they look from me to the billboard and back again with their mouths open and their eyes almost popping out of their heads.

  The next hour is a blur of excitement and autographs. Yes—I actually signed autographs. It was fucking crazy. And I’m not just talking autographs on paper, either, because I actually signed some woman’s boobs. I’ve never touched a pair of tits in my life before today. I guess it’s something I can now tick off my bucket list.

  The whole time, Taylor stands just to my side with the proudest fucking smirk on his face I’ve ever seen.

  Once all the crazy has died down a bit, I turn to him and wrap my arms around his waist.

  “I’m so proud of you,” he says, looking down at me.

  “Why? I didn’t do anything.”

  “There aren’t many people who would look good blown up to forty feet wearing only their underwear.”

  “You’d look good.”

  “Obviously,” he says with a laugh, and I can’t help but laugh along with him.

  “This is a new start. For both of us.” My statement makes him think about everything that’s happened and I lose him for a few minutes. “You don’t need them,” I whisper in his ear. “You’ve got me. You’ve got Lilly. Family doesn’t have to be by blood, Tay. It can be whoever we want it to be. One day, you can get rid of them completely, and change your name to West. I think Taylor West has quite a ring to it, don’t you?”

  When his eyes come back to mine, they’re a little wet. I love it when he allows me to see a chink in the rock hard exterior. It makes me fall for him that little bit more than I already have.

  I watch as he squares his shoulders and thinks about what I said.

  “New start,” he says with a nod. “Shall we start it with Chinese or sushi?”

  “Sushi.”

  With one last look at my giant body, and one final photograph of it on Taylor’s phone, hand in hand we walk to start the next chapter of our lives. Together.

  Epilogue

  Taylor

  “Hey, you made it,” Lilly says, stating the obvious the second she pulls the front door open.

  “Of course.” I wrap her in a tight hug.

  The last time I was stood on her doorstep, I was a broken man. This time, I feel better than I’ve ever done.

  “Caleb,” she greets and I step aside so she can hug him too.

  We both drop our bags in the hallway and follow her to the living room.

  “Fuck, look at those two go!” I say as two small people start dragging their bodies over towards us, doing a great snake/seal impression. I crouch down and grab one under each arm before I start spinning them around the room.

  “Taylor,” Lilly screeches, “they’ve just eaten.”

  I continue for a few more seconds just for my own amusement so I can watch her panic.

  Once she’s happy they’re not about to puke everywhere, she leaves to get us both drinks. Both Nathan and Natalie take one look at me and make a beeline for my feet. Leaning down, I grab them again, sit one on each leg and start making silly faces. They both giggle in the most infectious way.

  I look up when I feel Caleb’s stare burning into me. He has the sappiest look on his face.

  “What?”

  “You’re so good with them.”

  “What, these two? How could you not be? They’re adorable.”

  “Do you want kids?”

  “It’s not something I’ve ever really put much thought into. I was convinced I didn’t want a relationship so kids were never really in the picture.”

  “And what about now you’re in a relationship?”

  “I think anything is a possibility.”

  Our conversation gets cut short when Lilly reappears with two beers.

  �
��So, where’s the birthday boy?” I ask. Lucas hit the big 30 yesterday so Lilly invited us for the weekend, along with Marcus, Lucas’ brother, and a couple of friends to celebrate.

  “He’s gone to the hotel to pick up Marcus, Imogen and Eve. Joe and Nat are upstairs getting changed, and I think Dec’s on his way.”

  * * *

  Two hours later, the twins are in bed and the party has really started. By that, I mean CBeebies has been turned off, the mountain of toys has been cleared away, and the takeaway has arrived. It’s not exactly the kind of partying I’m used to, but I couldn’t think of a better way to spend my Friday night than with the people I love the most.

  “What did you think of that sofa I send you a picture of?” Lilly asks after a mouth full of chicken korma. Fucking lightweight with her pussy curry!

  “Loved it. We ordered it that night. We’re still searching for the right bedroom furniture though, so keep looking.”

  I swear Lilly almost had an orgasm when I sent her pictures of our new flat. The noises she was making over the phone while she looked at them were pretty obscene. She’s been sending us images of all sorts of furniture, curtains and knickknacks every day since—most of which we’ve ordered straight away.

  We continue chatting until the doorbell rings. It’s clear from the silent conversation Lilly and Lucas have between them that they’re not expecting anyone and don’t know who it is.

  Lilly gets up and disappears, leaving us all to wonder.

  “OH MY GOD!” is squealed from the front door, making us all look up and Lucas get to his feet. He’s just about to march towards the noise when Lilly follows it up with “NICOLE!”

  The next few minutes are a blur because no sooner than we continued eating, a brown ball of fluff comes bounding into the room. I don’t realise it’s there until it launches itself on my lap, squeezing its way between me and the table so it can lick up the remains of my lamb madras.

  “What the fuck?” I shout, trying to grab the fluffy thing and move it away from what it definitely should not be eating. I feel sorry for whoever is at the wrong end of that tomorrow.

  I just about get him to the ground before Lilly comes in, followed by Nicole. I’ve met her a couple of times but I hardly recognise her. Her skin is pale, her eyes are dark and sunken and her usually gorgeous thick hair is limp and straggly around her shoulders.

  “Everyone, this is Nicole, my best friend. Nicole, this is everyone.” Lilly goes around the table to introduce Nicole to those who haven’t met her before. It’s not until she gets halfway around the table that we all notice something is missing. Or should I say, someone.

  “Where’s Dec gone?”

  Find out what’s going on with Nicole and Declan in Falling For Declan, Angel Series #8

  ONE CLICK NOW!

  Acknowledgments

  I can’t lie, I felt a bit of pressure after Lilly and Lucas’ story. The reviews and messages I received blew me away so I needed to make sure Taylor didn’t disappoint.

  I hope you enjoyed finding out a little more about the mystery that was Taylor. I have to admit I have a bit of a sweet spot for him and Caleb, and I enjoyed writing their hot little story.

  Thank you to everyone who is reading this and still on this crazy journey with me. I’m getting towards the end of this series and I’m not sure how I feel about saying goodbye to all these characters. They’ve become quite a big part of my life. That being said, I’ve got some exciting things planned for the coming months that I’m excited to share with you all.

  I want to say a huge thank you to Deanna, Helen, Lindsay, Michelle and Tracy for beta reading Taylor for me. You all put my mind to rest with your love for these two.

  Nicole, as always, for your advice and support. It really is priceless. I wouldn’t be where I am now without you.

  Evelyn at Pinpoint Editing, thank you for working your magic on Taylor like you have all the others.

  Colleen and Itsy Bitsy Book Bits. Again, you guys have been incredible. I love working with you all.

  Thank you to all the bloggers who have shared for me. Without you guys, no one would know my books are out there, so thank you for spreading the word.

  Finally, Deanna. I’ve dedicated this one to you because of everything you do for me. You spend time every day helping me out and I seriously can’t thank you enough. I’m so excited to be working with you on our new blog—Laid-back Book Bitches, if you don’t already like us! I feel like it’s the start of something amazing. I can’t wait to see where it takes us.

  Nicole and Declan’s story is up next, and I can’t tell you how excited I am to write it. It’s been bouncing around in the head for over two years now and I am itching to get it out and to find out more about both of them.

  Read Falling For Daniel for FREE!

  Grab your FREE copy of Falling For Daniel now:

  Click here to claim your copy

  About the Author

  Tracy Lorraine is a M/F and M/M contemporary romance author. Tracy has just turned thirty and lives in a cute Cotswold village in England with her husband, baby girl and lovable but slightly crazy dog. Having always been a bookaholic with her head stuck in her Kindle, Tracy decided to try her hand at a story idea she dreamt up and hasn’t looked back since.

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  Keep up to date with Tracy’s books at

  www.tracylorraine.com

  Also by Tracy Lorraine

  Falling Series

  Falling for Ryan: Part One #1

  Falling for Ryan: Part Two #2

  Falling for Jax #3

  Falling for Daniel (An Falling Series Novella)

  Falling for Ruben #4

  Falling for Fin #5

  Falling for Lucas #6

  Falling for Caleb #7

  Falling for Declan #8

  Falling For Liam #9 Coming Jan 2019

  Chasing Series

  Chasing Logan

  Ruined Series

  Ruined Plans #1

  Ruined by Lies #2

  Ruined Promises #3

  Never Forget Series

  Never Forget Him #1

  Never Forget Us #2

  Everywhere & Nowhere #3

  The Cocktail Girls

  His Manhattan

  The Halloween Honeys

  His Sorority Sweetheart

  Second Helpings

  Cheeky Trifle

  Chasing Logan Preview

  Prologue

  “I don’t understand why there’ve got to be dancers. People are paying to come and hear me sing, not watch people prance around on stage. They can go and watch Swan fucking Lake if that’s what they’re into,” Chase snaps to a woman who has her back to me. She is dressed in a sharp, tailored suit; I can sense the aura of power she is emitting from here. She must be his manager from the record label.

  I stay where I am in the shadows, hoping they’ll move on in a minute so I don’t have to interrupt them. I don’t have a very good view of Chase from here, but I can see enough to know that the photos I’ve seen of him really don’t do him any justice. He is even hotter in real life. Another surge of excitement rushes through me at the thought of being up close and personal to him in the coming months.

  “When you’ve got a platinum selling album, I will take your suggestions more seriously. But as it stands, we are your record label, and we make the decisions. We’ve taken on board your concerns about this, and we have reduced the number of dancers, but you are wrong: this is a show. People want to see more than you sat on a stool singing into a mic. Now get your arse in there. Rehearsals are about to start, and that can’t happen without the star of the show,” she replies sarcastically.

  He stares at her for a beat before pushing past her arrogantly and disappearing throu
gh a door. She marches behind him, leaving the corridor clear.

  I feel some of the adrenaline I’ve been running on for the last couple of weeks wane a bit at Chase’s attitude towards this tour. This is the biggest gig Bella and I have landed, and the main guy doesn’t want us here. He doesn’t even seem even a little excited about his first nationwide tour.

  Chasing Logan Preview

  Chapter One

  “Oh my God, that was amazing,” Bella sings as we crash through our hotel room door, a bundle of excitement.

  Tonight was the first night of the tour, and it went off with a bang. No one could bring me down off my high; not the other four dancers that are here with us, who seem to think that this tour is below them, nor the look on Chase’s face every time I saw him off stage. I don’t know what his problem is, but he’s definitely got that moody musician thing down. You’d think most people would be beside themselves to have made it like he has, but he looks anything but. And the way he barks orders at people leaves a lot to be desired. So much for the fun-loving partygoer the press makes him out to be.

  “It was better than that. Now hurry up and get ready, I need a drink to celebrate,” I say, as I begin pulling my t-shirt over my head. We changed out of our costumes after we came off stage, but we both need showers before gracing other humans with our presence. Bella is my best friend, so I have no problem telling her to her face that she is a sweaty mess—as am I!

  I was sweating from excitement and apprehension before we even stepped on stage earlier. I knew it was going to go well; rehearsals had been great, and I was confident in what we were doing. It was the size of the audience that had the butterflies fluttering around in my stomach a little. Bella and I hadn’t danced in front of a crowd since we were kids and did shows, but even those audiences paled in comparison to the one Chase brought in tonight. Since then, we’ve mainly been working on music videos and in films, so the crowds were pretty small, as it was generally just crew.