Chapter Five
Caleb read the note.
Then he tore it from the door and read it again.
“What the fuck?”
Swearing, he spun away and shoved a hand through his hair, wet from the rain he’d sprinted through. He’d come over here to talk to her. He’d left her that morning—he had a class, not that there had been much point in going, because he hadn’t heard any of the lecture. He’d heard Tessa—replayed each moan, each sigh, each ragged whisper of his name. He hadn’t seen the notes he’d written by rote. He’d seen her face, the flutter of her lashes, the flush on her cheeks and the dazed pleasure in her eyes.
He’d seen the shocked pain as it gave way to startled pleasure.
He’d felt the silken glide of her skin as he drove into her and he’d felt her climax, over and over.
And he’d heard the words he hadn’t said.
So he’d come straight here because he was tired of these games he was playing, tired of the things he hadn’t said.
But she wasn’t here.
Headed to the mountains a few days early. I need to think, Caleb.
T.
Think?
She needed to think?
“Why can’t you think here?”
But she wasn’t there to answer his question.
Swearing, he started to pace. But the porch wasn’t big enough to contain him so he moved out to her yard. Eventually, that wasn’t big enough either, so he started to move up and down the sidewalk. But even that became too small, so he started to run. Their small, neat subdivision wasn’t enough to help him burn out the frustration and the fear as he circled around it time after time, although the muscles in his wounded back were knotting up, screaming at him to stop.
He didn’t remember leaving the neighborhood where they’d lived most of their lives.
He didn’t remember taking the long, winding road that led out into the countryside.
But he had.
At some point, his leaden legs gave up on him and he slowed to a jog, then a walk.
That was when the pain made itself known and he realized he was doing more of a shamble than anything else.
He looked around in the driving rain and groaned.
He’d been trained to block out pain, block out misery, and just get the job done.
Apparently, he’d decided there was a job to do. That job had involved running his ass off and just getting the hell away from anything that reminded him of Tessa.
He’d done a good job, too. “Way to go, Caleb,” he said, panting. He looked around, caught sight of the distant glow of gas station. A few hundred yards. He could do that.
After all, he’d just run eight fucking miles.
Collapsing inside the cabin, Tessa looked around the dim room and then hit the lights.
It had been a ten-hour drive.
She was exhausted.
She was also an idiot.
She was tempted to go straight back home tomorrow, but she’d already paid for the extra days, and they didn’t do refunds here.
“You came here to think. So think.”
Her phone chimed and she glanced down, then sighed, sliding down the door to sit with her back against it in a slump.
It was him.
Not Caleb.
Her other him.
Which was why she was here thinking.
All this time, she’d been so caught up and hooked on finding this guy.
And then one night with Caleb….no. A couple nights with Caleb.
How could two different guys do this to her?
Especially when one of them had been right in front of her the whole time?
Tired, weary to the bone, she slid her thumb across the screen and read the message.
Been thinking about you.
She swallowed and dropped her head back against the door.
Hardly anything…for weeks.
And now he’s thinking about her.
Thinking about me? You don’t even seem to email me much anymore.
She typed it out, almost hint send.
But then she stopped and just deleted his message.
She wasn’t ready to talk to this man she didn’t even know.
He’d turned her world upside down, sent her spinning half out of control and she’d found herself smashing into Caleb.
At the time, she’d liked the spinning and the lack of control and she sure as hell wasn’t complaining about the fact that she’d wised up to what was going on with Tyson.
But now…
She thought about Caleb.
His green eyes.
His slow smile.
She thought about the way he’d crashed into her back when she’d first moved into that house, and how he still seemed to be crashing into her. Just in new and weird ways. Crazy ways. Amazing ways.
The phone chimed again.
But instead of reading it, she just silenced the phone and plugged it in to charge.
She was going to take herself a nice, hot bath.
She was going to have herself a nice, cold glass of wine.
And then she was going to sleep. For maybe a week. Or at least until she didn’t feel so damn tired.
Tomorrow, she’d think this whole thing through and maybe, just maybe, she’d figure out how her best friend had managed to tangle her up in a million knots.
And then, she’d figure out what to do about the other guy.
∞
Caleb grabbed the phone for the tenth time in under thirty minutes.
No response.
He tossed it back into the cup holder, cut across traffic, and hit the exit. The good thing about driving late at night was that there wasn’t a lot of traffic. The bad thing was that most of the traffic involved a lot of truckers. They didn’t the sleek, black bullet of a car he was driving cutting in and out, but he was in a hurry, so oh, well.
He’d been about four hours behind Tessa.
She hadn’t answered either of the messages he’d sent.
Well, the he she didn’t know was him.
He had called earlier and while she hadn’t answered that call, she had texted him back.
I’m a bum and you’re probably mad at me. But I needed to think. Please forgive me. I’ll be back soon.
Okay. So she had to think.
If he was a nicer guy, he’d leave her alone to think.
But it seemed to him that she’d think better if she knew all the facts.
So, hey, Tessa. I think you’re freaked out by what happened and I get that. Really. But there’s something you should know…
He laughed sourly as he took the exit that led toward the small town where Tessa was staying for the week. Or at least the small town closest to where she was staying.
She always went to the mountains.
And she had a particular cabin that she loved.
If she wasn’t there, then he’d have to resort to digging around come morning.
His muscles sent a spasm down his leg and he gritted his teeth, fought through it. He was going to be in a hell of a lot of pain when he climbed out of this car, that was for damn sure.
∞
He found her.
The cabin wasn’t hard to find and he climbed out of the car, then had to spend a miserable three or four minutes there, arms braced on top of the roof as he breathed through his teeth and called himself a hundred different names for idiot and dumbass. When he ran out of known terms, he created a few and shifted to one of the three languages he’d been taught in the service.
Finally, he thought he could walk without too much pain so he took a couple of slow test steps.
His leg wanted to buckle, but he kept going.
A hot bath. Maybe one of the pain pills he rarely let himself take. And he’d do the same PT exercises the physical therapist was always pushing on him. He’d be good as new—or as good as he could be anyway—in a few days.
But first he had to get in the damn cabin and sit down.
&n
bsp; See Tessa.
Talk to her.
Make sure she was okay.
He was sweating by the time he cleared the porch.
Lifting his hand, he knocked. Held his breath and waited.
The scream of pain in his leg made every second drawn out, but he was pretty sure he’d stood there almost a minute. He made himself wait another, because she was bound to be asleep.
Then he knocked again.
And again.
Finally, he pulled out his phone and squinted at it, his eyes blurring now from the pain.
He knocked again, waited again.
He gave it another five minutes and then called her.
No answer.
He couldn’t even hear her phone ringing in the cabin.
Teeth gritted, he started a slow walk around the porch. Adrenaline was boosting through him now though, clearing some of the pain. He sent her a message—and in the fugue-like state caused by pain, he didn’t realize he’d gone into the program he’d used to send her the anonymous messages.
If you’re in there, open the damn door, Tess. It’s Caleb, damn it.
Jamming his phone into his pocket, he eased closer and peered into windows. Living room. Not much to see. Kitchen. Not much to see. Bathroom…Jacuzzi tub. Wine glass. He frowned and stared hard, grimacing at the pressure he put on his thigh as he bent forward. Adrenaline had chased away the pain and he knew if he had to move, he could. He pivoted and started back to the front and then stopped.
The different angle let him see something he’d missed earlier.
Tessa lay bonelessly on a chair tucked into the corner.
There was a wine glass next to her hand.
He groaned and lifted a fist, tapped the window.
She didn’t stir.
He hit harder.
Still no response.
Fuck it.
He could get inside and he was going to get inside.
∞
Tessa’s head was pounding.
She was also moving and she didn’t think she was supposed to be moving.
A low voice rumbled in her ear and she tensed, then swore and swung out.
“Easy, Tessa. It’s just me.”
Opening one eye a mere slit, she saw a face above hers, blotting out the light that shone through the door. “Who…”
“Drink this.”
She shoved at the hand holding the glass to her lips. “Don’t wanna.”
“You drank a whole bottle of wine. You’re going to need the water. Now drink it.”
Bossy.
She wrinkled her nose but accepted the water. After a few drinks, she tried to push him away. “Not yet. Some ibuprofen.”
“Why don’t you shove—hey!” Something was shoved in her mouth and then she almost choked as he all but poured the water down her throat, forcing her to swallow the pills. “Asshole.”
“You’ll thank me later.”
“Asshole.” She slumped into the bed. Sighing, she would have curled up and drifted back into sleep, but a warm body settled down next to hers. Strong arms pulled her close.
She tensed again.
“It’s just me.”
She wanted to ask who me was.
But her brain wasn’t fully awake. She focused her thoughts to ask. Then her mind supplied her with an image.
Green eyes. A slow smile.
Caleb…
∞
The only light was the silvery glimmer of the full moon shining in through the skylight that was directly over her bed. And her eyes remained closed. When she didn’t waken, he wasn’t surprised, not really. She had been such a heavy sleeper in school, he had frequently been forced to stall the bus driver—forgot his lunch money, his ball rolled under the bus—anything to give her the extra five or ten minutes she would need to stumble out of the house, still half asleep.
He smoothed the hair from her face, stroked his thumb across her lower lip.
She shivered a little and then snuggled in closer.
She was going to have a headache in the morning.
But he’d managed to get the better part of two glasses of water down her, as well as some ibuprofen so hopefully, the hangover wouldn’t too murderous.
She shifted again and this time, her knee pushed into his throbbing thigh.
He swallowed a groan. How long did it take a couple of painkillers to kick in anyway?
Then she shoved her face into his neck and sighed his name.
The pain in his leg receded.
“I’m here, baby,” he whispered, cradling the back of her head. “I’m here.”
Eventually, the throbbing in his thigh dulled and his own exhaustion caught up with him.
He sank into sleep with the scent of her hair wrapping around him.
Chapter Six
Tessa came awake slowly, certain she was dreaming. A big, hard body was pressed against hers, a hot, heavy chest against her back, while one hand gripped her hip.
She shifted and heard a grunt behind her.
Her eyes flew open.
“If you keep squirming like that, you’re going to end up on your hands and knees with my cock inside you before I even fully wake up,” a low, husky voice rumbled.
For a split second, that tugged an image to mind. Something somebody had written her…
You on your hands and knees…
Instinctively, she shivered and clamped her knees together. That movement pushed her butt backward and she gasped a moment later when she found herself sprawled, half-bent, facedown over the bed.
Caleb pushed one knee between her thighs and she caught a fistful of the sheet in her hand as she looked into the mirror hanging on the wall across the room. “What are you doing here?” she asked, bewildered.
“I’m about to fuck you, that’s what.”
She shivered at the blunt, basic words. “But…”
He stilled, meeting her eyes in the mirror. “Want me to stop?”
Her breath caught. And then, slowly, she shook her head.
The rasping of his zipper was terribly loud and she bit her lip, not daring to move, not daring to do anything for fear of shattering this spell. She almost thought it might be a dream, except she had the dull, lingering headache caused by too much wine. If she were dreaming, she would have left out the hangover.
He moved between her thighs.
She continued to stare at him from where she lay, face down, her hips boosted up on the small pillow she’d curled around at some point during the night.
He pressed up against her and she moaned, blindly reaching one hand back to grab his thigh.
He pushed inside.
It was a slow, thorough claiming and she could feel each thick inch as he took her. She dug her nails into his skin and wailed as he pulled out, then surged back in again.
He caught her wrist, brought it to the small of her back, then did the same with the other.
She tensed, tugged against the light hold, but he didn’t let go.
“Tell me you’re mine, Tessa,” he said, his voice low and thick.
She whimpered instead.
He thrust harder, squeezed her wrists.
It sent a delicious, biting pain through her and she clamped down tighter on his cock. “Caleb!”
He went still and she stared at him in the mirror, watched as he slowly and patiently rearranged her body, like a doll’s. She groaned as he pulled her upright, her back flush against his front, one arm around her waist, her breasts thrust upward.
When he was done, he drew her up, displaying her body, her breasts, her torso…she could even see her pussy and the thickness of his cock spearing into her.
“You know how long I’ve wanted this?” he demanded, staring into her reflection, his gaze holding her spellbound. “How long I’ve wanted you?”
The words cut into the heart of her. She had no strength, would have fallen forward if he hadn’t held her steady with one strong arm. She gripped his forearm, clung to him as he drove up int
o her again, deep, hard, fast, with so much force it arched her back, lifting her breasts high.
“Tell me you’re mine,” he said again.
She reached up, cradling his cheek. His eyes were tormented, haunted. “Are you mine?” she asked instead.
He groaned and buried his face in her hair. “Always.”
His cock swelled, pulsed—she came with a broken moan.
∞
The first order of the day: bathroom.
The second?
Confront Caleb.
Not that she wasn’t happy…well, okay, that seemed a little tame considering she was still pulsing inside from the orgasm he’d given her.
She’d waited a while to actually get into the swing of things as far as sex went—a late bloomer for sure. She’d had her reasons. She’d gone to school with plenty of girls who talked about their virginity like it was some sort of burden to just be done away with, but that hadn’t been Tessa. She was, deep down, a romantic. She’d wanted it to matter and there hadn’t been anybody. The guy she’d dated off and on her senior year? He’d dumped her right before prom, so she’d just gone with friends, danced with them…and Caleb.
In college, she’d dated a few guys, but again, nobody serious.
When are you going to lose it? She’d been asked by some of her girlfriends. But she hadn’t looked at being a virgin as some sort of fatal disease. She’d have sex when she was ready.
And she’d been ready with her best friend.
Go figure. Now, though, she definitely understood why some women were really, really into the orgasm thing. Blushing, she studied her face. She looked almost ridiculously pleased which meant she was making the right choice.
She’d done it in a fit of alcohol-induced loopiness, but last night she’d come to the conclusion that Caleb wanted her enough to tell her, to come to her.
Whoever was seducing her in secret? He didn’t.
And she was coming to realize that she was crazy about Caleb. Completely crazy about him. He made her laugh. He’d always done that. He made her happy. He’d always done that. And now she knew he could make her burn.
Smiling a little, she opened the door and found him standing by the window, shoulders rigid.
Some of the pleasure fluttering in her heart faded away.
Still, she strove for a mock stern voice as she said, “Buddy, you and me are going to have it out. I’m not even going to waste my time asking how in the hell you got into my cabin. You and your superhero Navy SEALS shit…you realize people have an expectation of privacy, right?”
Seduced in Secret Page 5