by Jorja Lovett
* * * *
Flickers of daylight reached behind Caleb’s closed lids to coax him awake. Mia stirred beside him, giving a stretch that showcased everything she had to offer. It hadn’t been a dream?
“What time is it?” She yawned and cuddled back into his side.
“Dunno.” Quite happy to lie there all day long, he neither knew nor cared about the time. He settled down for another doze, but Mia tensed beside him.
She sat up, hugging her arms around her knees. “I have to go.”
As always, her panic pricked their bubble, to turn the dream to dust.
“So, this is another regret-filled parting of the ways?” Some men would probably be grateful for the quick getaway, and usually he was one of those men. For some reason, each snub from Mia cut that much more deeply. Yet, the masochist in him couldn’t resist any chance to be with her.
“I have to carry on like this never happened? Again?” For once it would be nice to have someone act proud of their association with him instead of showing shame.
Mia frowned at him. “I thought we agreed on the ‘no strings’ thing?”
He frowned right back. “But you’re still sneaking out.”
A quick smile unfurled her brow, and she leaned over to kiss him softly on the mouth. “I am not sneaking out. I am sneaking back into my house. In case you haven’t noticed, I am naked. Besides, if this is nothing more than a bit of fun, there is no reason to get my family involved. They don’t need to know my every move.”
“And, girl, you have some moves.” The wink he gave her gained him a playful slap to the arm, while he did his best to ignore the slight against him as her guilty little secret.
“I’m serious. I want to enjoy this for what it is, and not worry what other people think of me.” Her honesty came with a bite. That notion that he wasn’t good enough to parade on her arm resonated with a heavy clang.
But surely he wanted the same thing—sex with Mia, no commitment, and absolutely no reason to cross paths with the Wicked Bitch of the West up at Blake Towers.
“I’m going now before anyone spots me roaming naked in the hills and asks any questions. Okay?” She patted his hand the same way he did when letting a girl down after a one-night stand.
“Okay.” He stifled a laugh at the sudden role reversal, not sure he would feel more emasculated if he grew a pair of tits.
They parted on the doorstep with a lingering kiss that said everything of the times they could look forward to. With no definite plans for when they would meet up again he feared he’d be left there pining until she could snatch five minutes unsupervised to slink back. He needed to find something to occupy his time there in between visits, for the sake of his sanity, and his reputation.
As Mia changed into her stunning white wolf and disappeared into the trees, Caleb wondered when exactly she had become such a big part of his life.
* * * *
The water swirled, white foam bobbing on the surface as he rinsed the razor in the sink. When he leaned in to check his reflection, it finally dawned on him that this was all his—the sink, the mirror, the bathroom, the house—all of it.
With a shake of his head he fished the plug out from the sink and let the soapy water drain away. Up until now he could have fitted all of his worldly possessions onto the back of his motorbike, and now… He reached for the towel to pat his face dry and took a good look out of the window at the rolling fields he currently possessed.
Maybe as a landowner now he needed to buy some tweeds and a shotgun as opposed to the ripped jeans and smile he currently sported. Content with all that he surveyed, he didn’t even resent the huge slice of the property sold off over the years to fund his father’s excesses.
Once upon a time their ancestors had owned the majority of the farmland hereabouts, and the Jackson name had demanded respect. A certain responsibility lay with him now, as the last member of the clan. The line finished with him, and there was a possibility that he could be the one to blame for wiping them from Olcan Hills’ future history. After all, the chances of him settling down with a loving wife to have fat wolfie babies were slim to say the least.
The walls of guilt closed in on him and the urge to run became overwhelming.
The last clean T-shirt he owned, a freebie courtesy of some beer promotion, lay in a ball at the bottom of his rucksack. He pulled it on along with his black leather jacket and boots, opting for the human method of escape today.
* * * *
He cruised the country roads on his beloved Triumph Thunderbird Storm, thankful for the sacrifices he’d made to purchase his dream motorcycle. Every double shift, late night gig and not knowing where he would sleep from one day to the next was worth it for this adrenaline rush.
Exhilaration fuelled his journey as he wound his way through the hills, twisting and turning as the wind carried away his problems. He didn’t set out with a destination in mind, but he slowed the bike when he came across the local cemetery. He’d never made it to his father’s funeral. After all, he wasn’t a hypocrite.
The man had bullied and beaten every ounce of love out of Caleb until he hadn’t even been able to find it in him to mourn the loss. Yet, here he stood at the graveside of the only parent he’d ever known. The black marble headstone, no doubt provided by the good people of Olcan Hills, looked stately. Something the great John Jackson would surely have approved of. But to Caleb it was simply another symbol of the lies.
“’A great man’, huh?” The gold lettering told of a person whom Caleb didn’t recognise. “I wish I had come sooner. To tell you, tell them, what a cruel bastard you were behind closed doors. But who would have believed me anyway when you were such a convincing saint to the rest of the world?”
No one could have known that the late, great John Jackson had taken out all his frustrations on his only son, when he portrayed himself as a man who would do anything for anyone. Even thinking about him increased Caleb’s resentment to the point that it left a hollow crater where his heart should be.
His thoughts drifted to Mia, as if she was his body’s natural attempt to repair the trauma inflicted by his father. Alcohol usually did the same trick, but she definitely seemed like the best cure-all for his ills. Better than that, he could have Mia and beer at the same time. Screw waiting around for her to come to him, he knew exactly where he wanted to spend the next few hours.
* * * *
With a smile for everyone and a gentle laugh that he could pick out across the busy pub, even just to watch her move behind the bar soothed his troubled soul. Instead of the frosty air she often took on when confronted with him in public, she gave him a friendly wave when she spotted him.
Only the pink tinge to her complexion gave away any clue that their relationship went beyond mere acquaintances. The shared secret made him stand taller in the room full of judgemental arseholes who believed that he’d wronged his father in so many ways. This wonderful woman was his. For now, at least.
“Hey, Mia.” He sauntered over to the bar, resisting the strong urge to kiss, or even touch her when he knew the slightest contact would end in him ravishing her on the bar top.
“A beer please, barmaid.” Picturing her in a wench outfit, her bosom heaving from lacy white ruffles, didn’t help the growing discomfort in his pants. One sniff of this hot she-wolf and he reverted to the horny leg-humping mutt everyone assumed him to be.
“Would you like me to top that up with lemonade?” She nodded towards Rory parked at the end of the bar.
Sheesh! Does this guy actually have a life of his own?
“I suppose you’d better make it a shandy since I’m driving. I don’t want a run-in with the law, now, do I?” With his need for alcohol already overshadowed by Mia’s more intoxicating presence, a sip of the now innocuous drink slaked his thirst.
As Mia returned to serve her other customers, Caleb found himself gravitating towards Rory. Strangely, since his return to the Hills, languishing in his own company no longer held the s
ame appeal it once did.
“Do you want to slap the cuffs on me now?” Caleb held out his wrists with some apprehension. The Blake family exhibited such changeable personalities that he couldn’t predict how Rory would react to him after the disastrous dinner.
He patted the seat next to him. Definitely preferable to the headlock Caleb had envisaged. “Personally, I enjoyed the entertainment, but I think mother is still recovering from the shock of having a gigolo at the dinner table.”
“Jesus! I was joking!” If word got around that he made his living fucking rich housewives, he could kiss goodbye to any local goodwill that might have remained.
“I know, but where the fuck did that come from?” To Caleb’s relief, Rory laughed and displayed no signs of anger in his direction.
Caleb exhaled the breath his lungs had refused to let go of since he’d approached Mia’s brother. “I don’t know. I guess I let my temper get the better of me when Robbie had a go at me in front of everyone. Please pass on my apologies.”
“No worries. I’m not exactly a fan of his either, and Mum can be full-on at times too. I’m sure she’ll get over it. Once she’s disinfected everything you’ve touched, of course.” They exchanged grins, and Caleb could only imagine what means of capital punishment they would inflict on him if they knew he’d touched every inch of Mia.
“Do I take it I’m off the guest list for Gayle’s next soirée?” At least half of the family didn’t appear to hold Caleb’s bad temper against him. The half whose opinion he cared about.
Isn’t that strange? Now that Mia and I are together, having Rory on side suddenly matters. Maybe it’s because her brother holds so much sway with her, or possibly because I know he could beat the shit outta me if he felt so inclined.
“Well, I’d hold off on ordering the tux for now. If it’s any consolation, the dinner parties are full of boring tossers like Robbie Carson. I prefer to socialise with more…interesting people. Here’s to raising a little hell now and then.” Rory raised his coffee cup in salute and Caleb clinked his glass to it.
“To hellions!” Let’s hope you still feel the same way when you find out your sister has crossed over into the dark side.
Chapter Five
Mia couldn’t wait to finish her shift. Especially with Caleb here to drive her to distraction. Watching her secret lover laughing and joking with her big brother caused no end of conflicting emotions. On one hand, fear lingered that he would find out about their shenanigans, and about the trouble it could lead to with her family. But to see them getting on so well together also played a merry tune on her heartstrings.
The what-ifs ran amok, teasing her about how life could be with both men in her life. If Caleb could be the man she needed him to be, if Rory backed off just enough to let her breathe, life would be perfect. In the end, though, Caleb wouldn’t stay and her parents would never accept him anyway. For now, she would simply have to settle for the fantastic sex. That thought was incentive enough to get her through the working day.
Her shift took an unexpected turn when Naomi took a phone call a while later.
“What’s up?” Mia could see the worry etched on her face as soon as she hung up the telephone.
Naomi checked her watch for the umpteenth time. Something had clearly rattled the usually unflappable Miss Doyle. “That was Emily’s nursery. She’s complaining of a sore tummy, so I need to go pick her up. The trouble is the nursery is forty minutes away.”
“I can cover until you get back. I’m sure I can manage the afternoon rush of soup and sandwiches.” Even if the orders backed up she was sure she could sweet-talk the two men hovering around her like flies into helping.
Naomi wrinkled her nose and the offer fell flat. “I have deliveries coming I need to sign for. Even if I do go get her, what the hell am I going to do with her this afternoon?” The rubbing of her temples predicted a migraine that really would leave Mia in the lurch.
A strong independent woman, Naomi managed her role of single mother as efficiently as her position as owner of The Wild Dog. She wouldn’t relinquish control of either without a fight, and she’d made it clear in the past that she had no family to call on for help.
“Maybe we could tuck her up in the back room?” Mia didn’t relish the idea of adding clearing out the room to her list of things to do, but if they didn’t sort something out soon she would never get to spend quality time with Caleb.
“I could go and pick her up.” Rory’s bolt-from-the-blue offer shocked them all into silence. Tumbleweeds blew across the floor as they gawped at him open-mouthed. He was the last person Mia had expected to volunteer.
When no one reacted verbally, Rory’s shoulders dropped and he mumbled into his coffee, “I was only trying to help. I’m not a complete stranger to Emily, and, well, I thought you could use the time to get your deliveries organised.”
Naomi blinked furiously and opened and closed her mouth several times before she finally spoke. “Thank you, Rory. That would be great. I’ll phone ahead and let the nursery know you’re coming.”
A double-bumper surprise on top of Rory’s bombshell, to think she would even let him assume responsibility for her precious baby.
Whilst Rory looked as though he’d won the lottery, Naomi floated past Mia in some sort of daze. It amazed her how one act of kindness could melt the ice around the most hardened of hearts. And she hadn’t even had to interfere.
Caleb, too, picked up on the vibes after Rory had left with Naomi’s gratitude ringing through the premises. “If we can prise Velcro man from your side and reattach him to the boss lady, maybe we’ll get some peace.”
Mia collected the empty glasses lining the bar and winked at him. “My thoughts exactly.”
Ultimately denied Caleb as a permanent feature in her bed, she would make do with number two on her wish list—some time out from big bro so she could get jiggy without worrying about her grey wolf-shaped secret being discovered any time soon.
Now why won’t that clock go any frigging faster so I can get the hell out of here?
* * * *
Rory returned after the lunchtime feeding frenzy, but before the delivery showed up. He cut quite a figure on his entrance, a towering giant carrying a tiny infant in one arm.
Naomi appeared in an instant to fuss around Emily. “Thanks again, Rory. How is she?”
“She’s running a slight temperature and she’s a bit, er, clingy.” He attempted to extricate the chubby arms from around his neck, but she tightened her hold and buried her head in his chest. No wonder. Mia remembered how safe and protected her brother had made her feel when she was young enough to appreciate it.
“Now, Emily. Let Mr Blake go. He has work to do.” Naomi tried to persuade her to let go, but Emily shook her dark curly head and pouted, displaying the same stubbornness as her mother.
“It’s okay. I’m off on leave at the minute. I can take her back with me until you’re finished here if you want? I think I’ve finally figured out the mechanics of the dreaded car seat.” Mia thought Naomi might faint on the spot as Rory rode in on his white charger for a second time.
Instead, she stroked Emily’s forehead and kissed her flushed cheek. “I don’t want to put you to any trouble, Rory. I’ll collect her as soon as this blasted stock arrives.”
“It’s no trouble at all. Besides, I don’t think my cling-on here is going anywhere soon.” He let go of his charge, her grip so tight she didn’t move even without his support.
“Okay, but phone me if there is any change in her.” Naomi didn’t sound one hundred per cent convinced and Mia stepped in to reassure her that she was doing the right thing.
“Don’t worry. Rory practically raised me. He’s more than capable of watching her for a few hours.” The watery look she received in return told of Naomi’s struggle with her inner control freak to believe her.
“Look, as soon as this blasted delivery comes you can take off. We’ll get one of the evening staff in early for some overtime.”
This time Naomi managed a wobbly smile. It unnerved Naomi to see her so vulnerable. She prayed the lorry would turn up soon before she witnessed a complete mummy melt-down, and Mia was left holding everything together.
* * * *
The way the day had gone so far, it came as no surprise that the driver chose today to make The Dog the last stop on his round. Mia surmised that only Rory’s constant updates on Emily’s condition stopped Naomi from tearing the driver to shreds when he arrived ten minutes before the end of the shift. As it was, her glare sent him scurrying to the back of the truck to unload his cargo and make a quick getaway.
“Some of us have more important things to do than wait around until you decide to grace us with your presence.” Naomi signed off on the order with a vicious swipe of her pen that made Mia wince. She knew there was a reason that she stayed on the woman’s right side.
“I’m out of here.” Naomi tugged on her coat as she walked to the door, her relief obvious. Then she added, “I suggest you get going too before another catastrophe rears its ugly head to scupper your plans.” She threw a knowing glance in Caleb’s direction.
“I’m sure I don’t know what you mean.” Mia practically pushed her out through the heavy doors.
“Come off it. I’m not stupid. He’s sat here all afternoon nursing soft drinks, and I don’t think he’s here for the ambience.”
At that moment Caleb slipped Mia one of his sexy grins and rendered her attempts to feign ignorance futile.
“You’re young. Go have some fun.” Sounding wise beyond her thirty or so years, Naomi left her with a friendly hug.
“For God’s sake tell me we can go now. As much as I love you, er, love being with you, I could do with getting away from here.” Caleb forced her to do a double take.