by V. Kelly
“Eyes up here, Everly,” he demands.
I turn and glare at him. “If they could give medals in stalking, you’d win gold, Caleb.”
“I’m not stalking you,” he states laughing. “It’s merely a coincidence that we’re in the same place once again. Though, I do believe fate is trying to bring us together.”
He gets up from the chair and stalks towards me. He has an angry look in his eyes. He’s cut up and bruised across the face from the fight, and I’m pretty sure he’s limping a little bit. If I took a couple shots to the kidneys, I would be walking funny, too. My breath hitches when he stops in front of me and grabs my waist.
“I told you not to wear that dress.”
“And I told you that you aren’t the boss of me.”
My heart pounds deep within my chest. His hand grips me tighter, his face millimeters away from mine. He’s about to kiss me again and I’m about to let him. What the hell is wrong with me?
“It’s about fucking time. Fuck the bitch. Get her out of your system, so you can stop thinking about her. You almost lost your fight today because of her skanky ass.”
The fog in my head lifts and anger bristles against my backbone. I make a fist and open my mouth to say something when Caleb turns, a deep guttural growl forms in his throat. “What the fuck did you just say, Chris?”
“I said, fuck that bitch and get it out of your system. You fought like shit tonight, and I’m not about to let some glove chasing slut ruin my best fighter.” The girl riding Chris must’ve noticed Caleb’s anger, because she jumps off of him, smooths down her skirt, and runs from the room.
“Chris, I’m going to give you two seconds to shut your fucking ugly ass face before I take this fist and shove it so far up your ass you taste it. Don’t you ever talk about Everly like that again! She’s not some glove chasing slut. Shit, she doesn’t even like me.”
“It’s true, I hate him,” I remark from over Caleb’s shoulder.
Caleb turns around and grins at me; then he winks.
“Ugh, we’re back to winking again.” He smiles.
“I’m just saying that ever since you saw her in the lobby, got her on that elevator, and she ditched your ass, you’ve been a moody jerk. Not to mention, distracted and off your game. Whatever hold she has on your dick needs to be rectified soon. I’m not sure your body can take another fight like that last one. He almost had you.”
“I think I’m going to go,” I mumble, butting into their conversation. I hate being talked about like I’m not in the room. I also hate hearing that I was the reason Caleb was worked over in that boxing ring. I have no reason to care about his safety . . . but I do.
As I turn to leave, Caleb grabs me. “You’re not going anywhere,” he grumbles into my hair. He releases me for a second and shouts. “Everybody get the fuck out.”
“Caleb, you know I’m right about this. Please, don’t let one girl cloud your judgment. You’re my moneymaker. I’m not going to let her ruin this for us.” Chris glares at me, and I flip him off. “See, she’s not even classy. A slutty ass dress to go with a vulgar personality.”
I scoff. “Oh, I have the vulgar personality? Honey, I just told you to fuck off in sign language. If that doesn’t show my class, I don’t know what does.”
Caleb laughs. “Chris, I appreciate your concern, but I can tell you right now, Everly has more class than your little finger. She wasn’t the one fucking some hoochie slut while your wife is at home raising your three kids. Next time you want to pass judgment on someone, at least have the decency to remember what skeletons you have hidden away in your own closet.”
Chris looks at his feet sheepishly and sticks his hand in his pocket. He pulls out something gold and I see that it’s a ring. “Y . . . you’re not going to tell her, are you?” He takes the ring and circles his left ring finger with it. What a pud!
“Get the fuck out of here, Chris. If you ever try to tell me who is or isn’t worth my time again, I’m going to fire your ass and send an anonymous letter to Karen about your extracurricular activities when we travel.”
Chris hangs his head and leaves the room, squeezing in between the Tweedle twins. Caleb doesn’t even say anything to them. He just gives them a look. Both bodyguards turn, and leave the room. Great, I’m alone with Caleb—again.
“The likelihood of you being saved by muumuus is slim tonight, Everly.” He’s standing in front of me once again. Now that we’re alone, it’s harder to fight him. I want him to stop being so damn attractive so I can focus on the task at hand . . . keeping him away from me.
“Fuck, this dress—this stupid fucking dress,” he breathes, playing with my cleavage. He presses his forehead against mine, our eyes dancing with lust. The minute his fingers play with my breasts, I know I’m done. I’m not going to be able to say no to him—not when he’s looking this good. Caleb’s lips cover mine, brushing playfully as they barely touch. It’s a tease. A big one.
When his mouth fully connects with my lips, he zaps me—the static electricity igniting our kiss with even more passion.
“See, I told you what we have is special; even our kisses are electrified.” He kisses me, running his tongue along my lips. I break free of the kiss and try to distance myself from Caleb. It doesn’t work.
He grabs my wrist, whips my back against his rock hard body, and kisses me even harder. This time, my hands find their way into his hair. I thread my fingers within the spikes and pull. He moans and smiles against my lips.
“You taste like butterscotch,” he tells me.
“Shot,” I mumble. Trying to place what exactly he tastes like. It’s a mixture of alcohol and maybe spearmint gum. No . . . wait . . . it’s peppermint.
His grin stretches across his face as he runs over to the bar and pours four glasses of Silver Patron into some shot glasses. He then grabs a couple lime wedges, some salt, and calls me over to him. I’m not sure why I go, but I end up cuddling up to him at the bar. I’ve never backed down from a challenge, and the moment those shots hit the bar, it was on. I pour some salt on his wrist. Seductively, my tongue comes out and I erotically lick the salt from his skin. His eyes close when I do it, and he seems to enjoy the feeling of my saliva against his flesh. I place my hands behind my back, bend down, and cover the shot glass with my mouth. Tipping my head back quickly, I down the shot in one try. Caleb gulps and watches me attentively. When I put the glass back down, I turn to him and he smiles. A full lime wedge sits in between his teeth. I take a deep breath and touch my lips to his, stealing the lime wedge away from him.
Before I’m even done with my lime, he has my breast out of my dress and is coating my nipple with salt. He bends in, his eyes trained on mine. He sucks my nipple into his mouth and runs his tongue around it. Heat builds at my center and I cross my legs. Caleb’s hand comes down and forces them apart. As he sucks on my nipple his fingers lightly circle my clit causing me to lean into the bar. He pushes my underwear to the side and slides a finger inside of me.
“God, you’re so wet right now.”
“Yeah, well, don’t get used to it.”
He stops moving his hand and glares at me. “Oh, I’m going to get used to it all right. This is mine. You hear me? Your pussy was practically made for my dick, and I will not allow anyone else to taint what I have claimed.”
“Claimed? What do you think I am, property?” Screw you, Caleb. Whatever you think you’re achieving with your sexy alpha-ism is not working on me. I have no plans to be with you. I don’t want to date you, I don’t want to be in a relationship with you, and I definitely don’t ever want to see you again.”
The moment the words leave my lips, I regret them. The thought of not seeing Caleb again brings an unfamiliar pain to my stomach.
Caleb grabs a shot off the bar, downs it, then turns back to me and growls. “We’re leaving.”
“Excuse me?”
He grips my hand and pulls me behind him. When we get out into the actual club, people start screaming. Girl
s are jumping all over him. Guys are asking for his autograph. His two bouncers push their way through the crowd, allowing Caleb and me to keep walking.
“Everly, what the hell?” Max asks grabbing my arm as we pass. He pulls me away from Caleb, who looks utterly pissed with over the slight detour until he sees that it’s Max.
“Hey Max,” he says coolly.
The two girls from the bathroom crowd Caleb, then a few more people circle him. Before I know what’s happening, a sea of people has split us apart. I can barely see him over the heads of people, and I’m almost thankful for the group pushing their way between us. It takes something big to break the force pulling me towards Caleb. A crowd of screaming fans is exactly what I needed.
“Max, can we go?”
He looks over my shoulder and makes eye contact with Caleb. “Yes, of course, Everly. Breezy probably should get away from all this tempting alcohol anyway.” I hold on to his shirt and let him guide me to his friends. Everyone is by the front entrance, and I’m giddy that they are going to help me make my escape. I glance over my shoulder. Caleb is glaring at me, and I stick my tongue out at him. I guess his alpha ways don’t work on every girl. Sayonara Caleb!
I retreat behind my brother and practically dance my way back down the strip. Once back in the safety of my hotel, Max stops me and waves everyone else upstairs, but not before he kisses Breezy. Once they’re all gone, he turns to me and crosses his arms. “What was that all about?”
“Caleb is stalking me . . . I think. Well, not exactly stalking me. He just keeps popping up everywhere I go. I swear he stuffed a GPS tracking chip in my bra or something.”
“He shouldn’t be stuffing anything anywhere.”
“Max, I told you once already. I’m not interested in Caleb. If anything, he’s good for sleeping with, and that’s about it.”
“I just want you to be careful, Everly. Guy’s like that have a mean streak to them. Boxers are all the same: self-entitled fucktards that use their bodies as punching bags and spend way too much time working out or jonesin’ on roids.”
“Max, I appreciate you worrying about me getting hurt, but I can assure you . . . Caleb Conaway is the last man on this planet I want anything to do with. Now go upstairs and make love to your wife. It’s officially the start of your honeymoon, for god’s sake.”
He smiles and kisses the top of my head. “What kind of older brother would I be if I didn’t give you a ration of shit once in a while? Just remember what I said, okay?”
“I will. Love you, Max.”
“Love you too, Ev.” We both get on the elevator together and I get off on my floor. He has to ride the elevator up higher to his honeymoon suite. Lucky bastard. Once I’m at my room, I sigh. Everyone is going to get a piece tonight, and I’m stuck alone in my bedroom. Vegas is turning out to be totally boring. What’s that saying ‘what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas’? In my case, instead of hiding treacherous secrets, I’m going to be hiding the fact that I didn’t get any, my entire trip. I have to keep my street cred somehow.
I put my key card into the door and enter my room. I hate how dark hotel rooms are. Walking to the lamp to turn it on, I see something move and a hand shoots out to grab me. I scream so loud I’m surprised the lamps didn’t shake.
“Did you seriously think it would be that easy to lose me, Everly?”
You’ve got to be kidding me! How in the hell did Caleb get into my room?
“You almost gave me a heart attack. What the hell are you doing in my room, Caleb?”
He turns on the lamp, bringing light to our faces. That assholish smile of his is stretching to his ears. I hate how it turns me on and turns me off all at the same time. He takes one of those Alpha steps toward me and grabs my waist. He doesn’t say a word. Instead, his lips come crashing down on mine, his tongue forcing its way into my mouth. At first, my body has its defenses up. I start to push into his stomach to break free from his kiss. Then my vagina scolds me. She’s strutting again and taking major notice of Caleb’s exceptionally hard abs. Caleb has a cut over his top lip and as we kiss, I start to worry that maybe I’m going to hurt him. Why do I even care?
He pushes me back on the bed and I giggle. I watch attentively as his hands find the bottom of his shirt and lift that ab-blocking fabric over his head. He has bruises up and down his rib cage—fresh ones. Some are bandaged; others are purpling and are a dark blackish blue. I don’t know why, but I sit up and start kissing him everywhere I see a bruise. He watches me curiously and moans when my lips graze his skin.
“I’m not hurting you, am I?” I ask running my tongue over his abs. For some reason, he tastes even better than I remember.
“No,” he gulps as I work his belt away from his jeans. My hands fit into the waistband of his pants, maneuvering them off his body.
In just his boxers, Caleb is a sight any girl would swoon over. Even covered in bruises, his body is gorgeous. I’d be lying if I didn’t say I wasn’t turned on by him right now. His boxers tent from his massive erection. I smile knowing that I’m the reason he’s that turned on. I know he wants me to fully undress him, but not until I get some answers about why he’s here and how.
“Are you going to answer me about how you got in my room and back here before me?”
“You were walking . . . I had a limo. I’m somewhat of a celebrity around here. All it took was some shameless flirting with the girl behind the front desk, and she was giving me your room number and a key to it.”
“Great, that means you can come in here anytime you want now.”
“Seems that way.”
“Good thing I’m leaving tomorrow.”
“Then we better make the most of our time together. First thing, this dress needs to come off. It brought you way too much attention tonight.”
“What do you mean?”
“The guy with the southern accent, your redheaded friend, both of them wouldn’t stop staring at you.”
“Stalking is against the law, Caleb.”
“I was merely observing. You’re mine, Everly. Once you realize this, you’ll make things better for the both of us.”
“I’m nobodies, Caleb . . . especially not yours. You and your mutant penis need to stay away from me.”
“Mutant penis? Why does my cock have to be a mutant?”
“I dunno, it’s just too . . .”
“Perfect?”
“Yes,” I breathe. I’m back under Caleb’s spell, my lips are looser than Monica Lewinsky in the Oval office. I don’t like this . . . I don’t like it one bit. “You need to stop chasing me. I don’t even like you.”
“We’ll see about that,” he exclaims, removing the dress from my body. He shreds my panties, rips them completely in half, and throws them across the room. I’m moaning even though he hasn’t really touched me yet. He shucks off his boxers, reaches down, pulls out a condom from his wallet, and then stands over me while he puts it on.
“Caleb, you can’t keep doing this. I’m not going to date you, no matter how many times you try to force me.”
He ignores me and spreads my legs, running his rough calloused hand up my thighs. The difference in skin textures has me biting my lip. His hands feel so good against my skin. I don’t want him to stop touching me. I know I’m going to let him take me again. I could probably say no, but I know it’s useless since every cell in my body is chanting Caleb’s name. He kisses my knee and trails a few pecks up to my center. When he reaches the lips of my pussy, he stops and grins. “Tonight I’m taking my time with you. This time, you’re not getting rid of me, and there will be no leaving in the middle of the night like before. Tonight, you’re mine. Tomorrow, you’ll be waking up next to me, and we will be having breakfast. What time does your plane leave?”
“Four o’clock.”
“Consider yourself mine until then.”
“Caleb . . .”
His mouth covers mine, silencing my words. As we kiss, he slides into me, and I melt at how perfectly he fits ins
ide. I won’t argue with him anymore. Right now, he feels too good. The thought of not waking up alone in Vegas is more appealing than kicking him out of my room.
Tonight, I will allow myself to be Caleb’s.
Tomorrow, I will take back what’s mine . . . me.
Chapter Fourteen
The smell of sex permeates my nose when I finally open my eyes the next morning. I’m exhausted and every muscle in my body is taking a sabbatical under my skin. My head is nestled on Caleb’s shoulder, while he’s still sleeping I take this moment to admire his partially uncovered, still naked, body of perfection. I stole the comforter from him last night, and the only thing between me and his morning wood is a flimsy white sheet. When I go to move away from him, Caleb’s arm tightens around my waist.
“I told you, you’re mine today. No getting out of bed unless I instruct you to do so.”
I roll my eyes and press my hands into his side. “I need to take a shower. I’m starting to smell like you.”
“I smell awesome. So you should be appreciative of that.” His hold releases and I scramble from the bed, heading towards the shower. I can’t believe I’ve slept so late. It’s almost eleven. I’ve already missed breakfast and probably lunch with my parents. This day is almost halfway over. In a couple hours, I have to get on a plane. Marathon sex with Caleb last night was a bad idea. Not only am I regretting my decision, but I’m also incredibly behind in everything I was going to do today.
Once I’m in the shower, I let the scalding water coat me. It’s not that I feel dirty letting Caleb claim me again, but I do have an overwhelming desire to wash him off me. It’s not okay for me to feel this good with him, not when it’s never going to be more than just sex between us. Through the condensation of the glass shower door, I see Caleb enter the bathroom.