Kaleb

by Nicole Edwards

  She expected him to open the door, so when she turned to slide down, she wasn’t expecting him to grip her waist and pull her closer, pressing his impressive body against hers. His cologne tickled her nostrils while his warm hands sent chills racing down her spine.

  “I can’t wait.” The seductively dark voice slid around her, captivating her as she zeroed in on his mouth as he moved closer.

  Zoey braced herself for the impact of his kiss, knowing if, like last time, she’d very well have to force herself not to fall into him. When his lips met hers, his brawny hands gripping her waist, she instinctively brushed her hands over his smooth cheeks before sliding her fingers into his silky hair.

  Lost to the sensations, the rest of the world fell away, leaving them standing just outside of the truck, the open door blocking anyone else’s view, but not providing nearly enough privacy for what she wanted. When he pressed his hips against hers, she felt the rigid length of his erection between her thighs, and she couldn’t hold back the moan as she pulled him closer.

  It was as if her body had come to life over the course of the last couple of days, a renewed hunger building inside of her, acknowledging there was something she’d been missing for five incredibly long years. The touch of a man should’ve been foreign, having gone so long without it, but with Kaleb, it felt... Well, it felt familiar.

  A horn honked, stunning her and causing Kaleb to gently pull away. Zoey realized five years were a damn long time to go without a man’s touch, to go without sex period, and she knew beyond a shadow of a doubt, she was putting an end to her abstinence just as soon as Kaleb was willing.

  Friends with benefits, she thought to herself.

  Why hadn’t she ever thought about that before?

  Chapter Six

  ♂♀

  The party, Kaleb knew, would undoubtedly be classified as a success. An hour into it and he was still busy greeting people, some he hadn’t seen in years, but had known all of his life, and others he had the pleasure of seeing nearly every day. The Walker’s had a large extended family, with Curtis, their father, having four brothers and three sisters, and Lorrie, their mother, having five sisters and three brothers. And thanks to all of them, Kaleb had close to forty cousins. Yep, they were a veritable small town, all on their own.

  And tonight, Kaleb was in charge of greeting all of those family members and friends as they poured in by the masses. Thankfully Zoey was acquainted with a lot of his cousins, having grown up in their small town, and she knew many of Kaleb’s aunts and uncles thanks to the number of hours she’d spent around his house. Although he was pretty sure she was having a hard time putting names with faces, she was doing a phenomenal job keeping up.

  For the last hour, Kaleb kissed so many cousins, hugged just as many more, and shook hands with more people than he could count, all while Zoey stayed close, reminding him exactly what he’d prefer to be doing. He tried not to dwell on how responsive she’d been to him by the truck because the all too familiar hard on she inspired was not appropriate with all these people around.

  Had it not been for someone honking their horn, Kaleb wasn’t sure how far he might’ve taken that little make out session by his truck, nor would he have guaranteed they’d be at the party right now.

  For the life of him, he couldn’t figure out how they’d managed to ignore the apparent chemical reaction that occurred when they touched. Not that he’d expected anything from her tonight, other than her company, but the way she kissed him spoke of salacious promises and he was having a hard time ignoring them.

  “Kaleb!” A familiar voice sounded from somewhere behind him, and Kaleb turned. He slid his hand into Zoey’s, linking their fingers and holding her close because that was the most natural thing to do.

  The woman approaching them, aside from being the equivalent of ice water on his balls, looked so out of place, and Kaleb suddenly wondered why she was even there.

  “Regina.” He couldn’t hide his distaste, but he didn’t figure she cared.

  When she went to reach in for a hug, Kaleb pulled Zoey closer, using her as a shield because the last thing he wanted was Regina touching him in any way. Immature? Maybe.

  So fucking what.

  “Why are you here?” He asked bluntly, taking in how she was dressed.

  Wearing those spiked heels he’d thought intensely sexy at one time, he wondered how she didn’t get stuck in the grass; the image of her fighting to get loose almost made him smile.

  Almost.

  The fact was, nothing Regina Hollingsworth did or said would ever make him smile again. Not after the hell she put him and his family through.

  “Travis invited me.” She said, glancing around as though she were looking for Kaleb’s older brother.

  “Bullshit.” He barked, glaring back at her. He knew damn good and well Travis never would have invited the lying, scheming bitch, nor would any of them actually have wanted her there. It had been several years since he’d last seen her and as far as Kaleb was concerned, it could be several hundred more, and it wouldn’t make a damn bit of difference to him.

  Regina pretended not to notice how pissed off he was, when she turned her attention on Zoey.

  “Who’s your little friend?”

  Kaleb hated the way Regina talked down to everyone she met and above all else, he couldn’t fathom what he had ever seen in the woman. Aside from being attractive, she was as shallow as the water in their drought riddled stock tank.

  “Cut the crap, Regina. You know damn well who I am.” Zoey spoke up. Was it his imagination, or did she take a step closer to him?

  “Oh, right, you’re the little girl from next door. I didn’t recognize you since you don’t look like a boy.” Regina said in the poorest excuse for nice that he’d ever seen. She was talking to Zoey as though she weren’t twice the woman Regina could ever be.

  Turning his attention on the woman beside him, he smiled down at her and then turned to go. He didn’t have anything to say to the scheming, cheating bitch who once had Kaleb convinced they were going to get married one day. He’d never fully fallen into that trap until...

  Realizing he didn’t want to think about her deceit, he started to tell her as much, but Regina put her hand on his arm and smiled back at him.

  “If you wouldn’t mind, once you take Zoey home, I’d like to talk to you.” Regina whispered, none too quietly. “In private.” The seductive grin she sent him had the hair on the back of his neck standing up in warning. The woman just didn’t quit.

  If he knew Regina, which, unfortunately, he did, she was doing this just to get a rise out of Zoey. She would stoop to any level just to prove what a complete bitch she was. Regina knew as well as he did that he wouldn’t give her the time of day, much less talk to her alone in private.

  “Kaleb,” Zoey interrupted, smiling up at him. “You might want to let her know that I don’t plan on going home tonight. At least not alone.”

  Kaleb bit back a groan. Zoey might’ve just said that to bait Regina, or piss her off, but his body didn’t know the difference. Smiling down at her, he pulled her close and pressed his lips to hers. “Don’t worry, baby. I don’t have any intentions of leaving you alone tonight.”

  Zoey kissed him back before smiling up at Regina. “Sorry.” She smirked, sounding anything but.

  Damn the woman drove him absolutely wild. But that was Zoey for you. All spunk.

  “Regina, look.” Kaleb turned back to her. “I’m not sure why you’re here, but I promise, if I find out you’re going after one of my brothers, you won’t like the consequences.”

  Regina had already tried it once. Four years ago to be exact. After all but convincing Kaleb she was pregnant with his child, she had the audacity to try to sneak into Sawyer’s bed one night after he’d had way too much to drink. As it turns out, most people, namely women didn’t understand the true depth of their brotherly bond.

  A Walker man didn’t turn his back on his family, and sleeping with one another’s
women, unless with their explicit consent, would cross a line none of them were willing to cross. And yes, there were times when they had shared a woman, many times, in fact, but never unless everyone was in agreement.

  Regina had never been one that any of them shared, and Kaleb had a sneaking suspicion she resented him for it. Among other things.

  Regina narrowed her eyes on Kaleb and put her hands on her hips. “I don’t care about your warnings, Kaleb. I never have. And you can’t stop me from going after what I want.”

  “No, you’re right. I can’t stop you. But I can assure you, not a one of them is interested in yesterday’s trash, especially not the likes of you.” With that, Kaleb turned and would’ve walked away if the one person guaranteed to ensure Regina Hollingsworth wasn’t allowed to get her claws into another Walker man didn’t walk up.

  “Why’re you here?” Lorrie asked, coming to stand on Zoey’s other side, glancing from Regina then to Kaleb and down to Zoey. “Hey there, sweetie. I’m so glad you could come tonight.”

  Kaleb’s mother leaned in and hugged Zoey before taking a step back and pinning Regina with that don’t fuck with my family glare they’d all seen on her face only a few times in their lives.

  “Congratulations, Mrs. Walker.” Regina smiled, apparently aiming for sweet.

  Kaleb glanced down at his mother, seeing the tight line of her lips as she obviously fought back some pretty nasty comments.

  “I admit I wasn’t privy to the guest list, but I’d bet my last dollar you’re not on it.” Lorrie was fit to be tied, and Kaleb had to fight back a smile. Not that he wanted his mother’s night to be ruined, but seeing her stand up to the deceitful bitch made him proud.

  “Regina was just leaving, Ma.” He assured her, looking back at Regina.

  “I most certainly am not.” She argued, cocking her hip and putting her hands down to her side. Her attempt to get all high and mighty, which she was known to do, was thwarted when one of those spiked heels got lodged into the moist earth beneath her feet sending her stumbling.

  Zoey, bless her, didn’t have the decency not to laugh, which only made Lorrie and Kaleb follow suit, which only pissed Regina off more. The laughter died the moment Kaleb’s father approached, putting an arm around Kaleb’s mother and shooting fire from his eyes. “I see my boys didn’t think about security tonight.”

  Kaleb watched in utter fascination as Curtis took it upon himself to seek out the nearest person – his cousin Jaxson – to “assist the woman back to her vehicle”, his gruff tone instructed. Jaxson looked more than happy to escort Regina from the property. Once they were on their way, Regina sending death glares at the four of them, the tension eased, and Zoey spoke first.

  “Congratulations, Mr. and Mrs. Walker.”

  “Awww, thank you, honey.” Lorrie smiled, her brilliant blue eyes sparkling. “I’m glad you could join us.”

  Kaleb was still holding Zoey’s hand, and he saw the instant his father noticed, as well. The look in his dad’s eyes was more of a warning than anything, and Kaleb nodded his head in silent agreement.

  His parents had nothing to worry about, although he knew they would. They would worry for both Zoey and Kaleb, but as far as he was concerned, they were wasting their time. Whatever was going on between them, they were both grown up enough to handle it.

  Thankfully another group of people stopped by and distracted his parents and Kaleb took the opportunity to sneak away, leading Zoey away from the throngs of people. When they were out of ear reach, Zoey turned and looked up at him. “That bitch definitely hasn’t aged well.”

  Kaleb chuckled. Regina Hollingsworth was just as beautiful as always, at least in the physical sense, but once they had all realized her agenda, there wasn’t a lick of makeup that could help her now. Zoey was right, Regina hadn’t aged well.

  Zoey turned and glared behind him, apparently looking to see if Regina was still around, but then turned her attention back on him. When he met her eyes, he expected to see something other than the warmth that radiated from the cobalt blue orbs. “Well, nobody’s perfect.” She teased him. “Maybe now you’ll realize whose door you should’ve been knocking on all along.”

  Kaleb gripped Zoey’s hand, pulling her around to the side of the house where they had a small measure of privacy before pressing her against the stone wall. “Are you teasing me, woman?” He asked, wanting to get lost in the warmth of her gaze.

  “Maybe.” She smiled, tracing his lip with her thumb.

  “You better be careful.” He warned her. “I’ve known for a long time that I don’t have any control when it comes to you.”

  “Well, I’ve dreamt of a million ways to make you lose control, so we’re even.”

  Kaleb crushed his mouth down on hers, needing her kiss, needing her touch, but trying to remember where they were. He didn’t let it go nearly as far as he wanted to when he pulled back and glanced down at his watch. “How long’s this damn thing going to last anyway?”

  Zoey laughed, then slid her small fingers into his once again. “Come on. I think there’s a dance floor calling your name.”

  He didn’t hear a damn dance floor, but he could hear a bed calling his name. Or hell, the wall would suffice. Either way, Kaleb knew that they weren’t going to make it through the night before he had her completely naked and he was using his tongue to explore a whole lot more than just her mouth.

  ♀♂

  Regina Hollingsworth was a crazy, delusional bitch and Zoey couldn’t stand the sight of her any more now than she could back then. It wasn’t her snotty attitude or the too tight skirt or the too revealing shirt, or even the ugly ass heels she wore. It was the woman herself and her lack of any type of conscience.

  Zoey remembered what had happened between Kaleb and Regina mainly because of how giddy she’d been to find out that Kaleb wouldn’t be getting married. She’d been conflicted at the time because learning that Regina had wronged Kaleb in such a horrible way had broken her heart for him, but in turn, she was thankful that he hadn’t gone through with any plans to marry her.

  At the time, their friendship had been on the back burner, mainly because of her marriage and Kaleb’s relationship with Regina. Rightfully so, they were both working on their own love lives and their significant others hadn’t appreciated their close friendship. So, they had abandoned one another temporarily.

  As if it wasn’t unfortunate enough that Regina had lied to Kaleb, and the rest of the Walker family, convincing them all she was pregnant, but to have tried to sleep with Sawyer... That was an all-time low. It was evident the woman didn’t know the Walker family all that well because she would have realized early on that they didn’t swing that way.

  With Kaleb pressed against her now, holding her close as they two stepped slowly across the makeshift dance floor, Zoey sent up a silent thank you.

  Despite the fact that Kaleb had been hurt by such awful deceit, Zoey knew she wouldn’t even have this chance now had Regina finally snagged him for good. She figured once a Walker man married, he married for always, and that would have been a long road for Kaleb.

  Zoey remembered the story, knew Regina had gone so far as to try to convince everyone she actually lost the baby, and for a time, Kaleb and Lorrie had both been devastated. Only one night, when Regina was in a drunken rage down at Moonshiner’s, she’d out and out admitted it was all a lie. Which was the reason Zoey was so damn surprised the woman actually had the audacity to show up tonight.

  As it turned out, Regina tried to sneak into Sawyer’s bed in an attempt to get the two brothers at one time. And that was another rumor that ran rampant through their small town. The Walker boys were known to be just a little wild, and there were some exceptionally hot stories by women who claimed to have been taken by more than one of them at a time.

  Zoey and Kaleb had never talked about that side of him, although she knew, for a fact, the rumor was true. There were many nights Zoey fantasized about what it would be like to be the filling in suc
h an intensely sexy Walker sandwich, but her friendships with the men made those exactly that. Fantasies.

  The idea of being with one of the Walker boys, namely Kaleb, was so much more than Zoey could fathom, she couldn’t even imagine being with two of them at one time. What would it even be like?

  Oh God. Clearly her mind was wandering way too far from reality because that was something she could never imagine doing, although the idea of it, from time to time, made for some remarkably vivid fantasies.

  Shaking off the thought, she turned to look up at Kaleb as the song ended and he stopped moving. When their eyes met, she felt the heat from the flame she saw burning there. It was almost as though he could read her thoughts.

  “What were you thinking about?” He asked, dispelling her assumption and making her breathe a sigh of relief. Zoey wasn’t the type of woman to engage in wild sexcapades, and thinking about something as hot as a threesome like that was only a fantasy. Nothing more.

  “You.” She said truthfully. At least a partial truth anyway.

  “You’re making this harder and harder on me, Zoey.” Kaleb said, sounding almost remorseful.

  Taking a step back, she looked deep into his eyes, trying to understand what he was telling her. Gone was the flirty, sexy grin and in its place, pure agony.

  “Why? What’s wrong?”

  Kaleb took her hand and led her to one of the empty tables that lined the provisional wooden dance area. When he sat down on the bench, he pulled her down beside him, leaving barely enough room between them for air.

  “You’re making it entirely too difficult to keep my hands off of you.”

  He sounded as if that was a bad thing.

  “I’ve waited so long for you, dreamed about you...” When he slid his finger down her cheek, she instinctively leaned into the touch, never breaking eye contact.