by M. S. Parker
She gaped at me, dark eyes wide. “Why…why are you doing this?”
“Because I can. Because you need it.” I brushed a wispy lock of hair back from the baby’s forehead and then smiled at her. “Go on…I think she needs her diaper changed.”
I headed back into the store and almost walked into the businessman as he headed out. He glared from the girl to me. “Square things up with your sister?”
“Yep.” Breezily, I edged around him and took my place in line.
“That was nice of you.”
I jolted at the sound of Kaleb’s voice coming from just over my shoulder.
Whipping around, I met his eyes. “What…where did you come from?”
“Same place you did. I put my order in then came over here. I needed…something.” His gaze slid down and lingered on the box in my hands, his lips twitching in amusement. “Looks like great minds think alike.”
I flushed. “Well, I’m taking care of it. You can go back to the restaurant.”
“I don’t think one box will be enough,” he said easily, gaze heated. “Again, that was nice of you.”
We shuffled forward as the customers in front of us each paid and went on their way. It was down to the last one before he spoke again.
“Nothing to say?”
Huffing out a sigh, I said, “What’s to say? She needed a break. I gave her one.”
“Just like I needed one.” He didn't sound angry, but he wasn't happy either.
“No, you’re doing me a favor,” I said quickly, shaking my head.
“I’m the one getting paid to–”
Spinning around, I clapped my hand over his mouth. “Shh…” I didn’t give a quick look around, although I was tempted. “Be quiet, you…” Huffing, I dropped my hand and turned back to the counter just as the last person in front of me moved off. “Just hush,” I said grouchily.
I dumped my stuff down in front of the cashier, hoping she hadn’t noticed the interaction between Kaleb and me.
I suspected she had though.
If for no other reason than the fact that she was gaping at him.
He seemed to inspire that reaction quite a bit, not that I blamed any of them. He was gorgeous.
And for a while, he was mine.
Instead of making me smile, though, the thought made me a little sad.
He was mine…but only for a while.
“You can’t do that,” I said, focusing on my irritation instead of the thought that had been circling through my head since we'd left the store.
Astra had wandered off to check out some purses in the store we’d just passed, giving me the chance to finally talk to Kaleb about what'd happened.
We still had an hour to wait until boarding, and Astra couldn't sit still for that long, especially not with a plane ride ahead of us. I didn't want to talk to him in front of her, not when I knew she'd see more than I wanted her to.
“I can't do what?”
Kaleb was wearing a pair of sunglasses now, and I wanted to tug them off, look into his eyes.
“Say things about me paying you.” Self-consciously, I glanced around and then met his eyes. At least I assumed I was meeting his eyes. The lenses of his glasses were opaque. “I get recognized sometimes. Not as often out here, but if a person is a journalist, especially on the political beat, it’s not a stretch. I can’t have anybody hearing that I’m paying you. It will get back to my dad, and this is all for nothing.”
“And they might assume you’re paying me for something else.” He wagged his eyebrows.
I laughed even as blood rushed up to heat my cheeks. “My father would have a heart attack.” I was only half-joking about that. Offering him a smile, I said, “Just…don’t do it, okay?”
“No problem.” He slung his arm around my neck. “Shall we find our gate, my darling wife?”
“We shall.” I pasted a smile on my face, hoping it would hide the hollow ache settling inside.
It was the shortest flight ever.
Or it felt that way.
As we collected our luggage, Astra watched me with gleaming eyes, and I had to poke her in the side and give her a death glare to keep her from saying something.
I didn't know what she wanted to say, but I had no doubt it would be something embarrassing. When Kaleb made a quick stop by the restroom, I found out.
“You two almost look like this is…real,” she said, her voice low.
“That’s the idea.” I managed a non-committal shrug.
“Except there’s no reason to play it so well right now. And I don’t think you’re playing.” She tapped a bright pink fingertip against equally pink lips. “You like him. I mean, really like him.”
“Well, yeah.” I kept my eyes on the restroom. “What’s not to like? We get along. He’s funny and sweet. He’s not into me because of my parents or my money.”
“All good things,” she agreed. “But this is just a temporary thing, remember? You don’t really know him. So why does it seem so not temporary?”
“You’re imagining things.” I waved it off and started to add something, but a tall, blond figure caught my eyes, and I gave her a quelling look to keep her from pursuing it.
She arched an eyebrow, but lapsed into silence.
A moment later, Kaleb joined us and took his luggage, a single duffel bag which he hefted over his shoulder with ease. He also took my suitcase and Astra’s, leaving us with our carry-ons and purses.
“It’s so nice having a big, strong man around the house,” Astra said, sighing lavishly.
“Stop it.” I smacked her on the arm and moved to his side, gesturing toward the exit. “Our car is on the way. Won’t take long.”
“Your car?” he asked.
“We always have a town car pick us up,” Astra said, checking her phone. “It’s so much easier than trying to deal with parking and lugging our own luggage around. Of course, if you asked Piety’s daddy, he’d insist that we take a limo.”
I rolled my eyes. “Astra, stop. Your dad isn’t much better.”
“Oh, I know. Sometimes, he’s worse.” She flashed a sunny grin our way. “That’s why we never tell anybody when we’re going out of town. Then we don’t have to worry about unexpected chauffeurs showing up at our loft.”
We moved past the crush at luggage pick up and got outside just as the driver texted that he was there. “Perfect timing,” I said, gesturing to the car. “It’s Roy.”
We had a favorite, a guy we usually requested and most of the time, we got him. His worn, friendly face creased in a smile as we waved him down, and he studied Kaleb with curiosity as he held the door for us. Kaleb hesitated, eying the bags.
“I’ll get them, sir,” Roy assured him.
“Come on,” I said, tugging on Kaleb's hand.
After another moment, Kaleb climbed in after me, sinking back onto soft leather, but looking uncomfortable. “He’s…”
“If you let Roy hear you calling him old, he’ll have your heart on a platter,” I said, keeping my voice low. “He thinks he’s still thirty-two. Besides, he likes his job. He does this so he can help with his granddaughter’s college. Doesn’t have to. He retired from the military, but he wants to help.”
“Sounds like you know him.”
I nodded, but I didn’t go into any detail as Roy slammed the trunk shut and came around to the driver’s seat.
Kaleb still looked like he wanted to say something, but when I took his hand, he twined our fingers and slowly relaxed.
“So…are you ready for this?”
He stared out of the window as we pulled away from the airport, the Philadelphia city skyline slowly revealing itself. “Ready as I’ll ever be, I guess.”
“Welcome home!” Astra threw back the door and stepped into the loft we shared.
I still stood next to Kaleb, holding his hand.
The doorman was taking care of the luggage, yet another thing Kaleb was clearly not used to.
My life must seem so strange to
him.
I didn’t mind carrying my own luggage. I was usually the one carrying it down when I left – Astra too. But when we got back, the staff in our building, like Roy, made us feel like we were doing them injury if we didn’t let them handle it. Granted, I think they appreciated the tips, and I had a feeling we tipped better than most of the people here, so maybe that was part of it.
But Kaleb was clearly not used to having his luggage handled for him or doors opened, and the expression on his face made me re-evaluate every little thing, even though I always told myself not to take anything I had for granted.
I didn’t think I did. Many of the people Astra and I knew growing up didn’t know what to make of us. While they’d been partying and shopping and heading off to Cancun for vacations in high school and college, we’d wanted to get involved with Habitat for Humanity. We hadn’t been able to in high school, no matter how much we begged, so we’d done it in college, never even telling our parents.
Over the summers, we backpacked through Europe, staying at hostels instead of the lavish hotels our parents had pushed on us.
I knew I was a little spoiled, but I didn’t want to live my entire life never seeing beyond the silver spoon.
Astra and I got along so well because we both felt the same way.
Now, though, I felt like I was seeing my life through somebody else’s eyes and it was…weird.
I wasn’t sure I liked it.
Shaking off the feeling, I pulled at Kaleb’s hand. “Come on. Astra can wait for the luggage. I want to show you around.”
“Ah…yeah. Yeah, sure.” He looked a little dazed, eyes lingering on the huge windows that dominated one wall, facing out over the city, the river sparkling off to the east.
“We moved in the year before we graduated from college, handled all the designing, picking out the furniture.” We walked into the large, wide-open living room space. “Our mothers kept insisting we let somebody from their circle recommend a decorator. But we didn’t want a designer space. We wanted something comfortable.”
“It’s gorgeous,” he said. Then he smiled a little. “And comfortable. I could sleep on that couch for a month, I bet.”
“I’ve tried.” Then I laughed.
I took him through the entire place, room by room, although I only gestured toward Astra’s rooms. “She’s a bit of a messy roommate, and the lady who cleans for us has been on vacation in Puerta Vallarta this week. You don’t want to look in there.”
“It can’t be any worse than…” He stopped, trailing off and shaking his head. “Never mind. I’ll take your word for it.”
I paused by another door and opened it. “One of the guest rooms. We have three. Sometimes we have a party here, and we’ll let a guest stay over in case…” I rolled my eyes and mimed drinking from a bottle.
“You’re a good mate.”
“And this is my room.” I bit my lip as I led him inside, still holding onto his hand.
It wasn’t as large as my childhood room, but it was mine – decorated by me and only me. A rainbow of colors that shouldn’t have worked erupted around us, cheerful and chaotic and wonderful. Orange and red and pink, blended with the colorful carpet I’d bought from a street vendor on one of my trips out of the country with my parents. It had appalled my mother, which made me love it even more.
The silk comforter on my bed was pink and orange, and it might have been too much for some, but I loved it. The walls were the only thing lacking in color. They were a pure, soft white, but there were bits and pieces of art, pictures, silk wall hangings that echoed the color design.
“I feel like I’ve fallen into a flower,” he said, smiling as he turned to look at me.
“Is that a bad thing?”
“No.” He smiled. “I like it. It’s kind of like…you. Crazy and wild and…soft.”
“Oh.” Something I didn't want to think about made my throat close up. “Well, I think I like that.”
“Good.” He cleared his throat and ran a hand through his hair. “Well, should I…um. Any particular guest room I should take or can I just pick?”
I moved closer.
His pupils spiked, getting a little larger as I reached past him and nudged the door closed.
“I was kind of thinking that you could just stay with me.”
Eleven
Kaleb
Stay with me.
Her words lingered with me all through that night, clear into the next morning.
Standing under the hot, pulsating spray of the shower, I braced my hands against the wall and told myself to quit thinking about it – about her.
I needed to be thinking about my problems, of which there were many.
I still hadn’t heard back from Camry.
I’d left more than a couple of messages. She should have called by now. I didn’t know if I wanted to be pissed or scared. I was a little of both, but I couldn’t do anything about it here. And I couldn’t leave until the bloody money was in my hand.
It was quiet, not even a whisper, but the brush of chilled air against my skin let me know that the shower door had been opened. I turned just as Piety pressed flat against me, her breasts warm and soft – everything about her was warm…and soft enough. She definitely had an athletic build. She had the look that made me think she could take a run down the beach and maybe even join me when I went out surfing.
It made me wonder if she’d ever gone surfing herself.
If not, I could teach her.
She pressed her mouth to my neck, and I reached out, gripping her hips. “If you need the shower, I can let you have it in a few minutes,” I said, head falling to the side as she bit down.
Fuck.
“Hmmm. But I climbed in here because you're here.” She eased back, blinking the water out of her eyes. She pressed her hands against my chest and let them slide down, the path made slicker by water. “I was thinking we could engage in some…water conservation.”
She slid her hand down to my cock.
“That’s…an important issue,” I said, the words rough.
She tightened her grip as she neared the tip, rotated her wrist as she moved closer to the base. It was enough to drive me to madness.
“Isn’t it?” She licked water from where it ran down the midline of my chest, then she sank lower, giving me a view that I knew men would kill for.
Then she closed her mouth around my cock.
“Oh, shit.”
She chuckled, and the reverberation had me slamming a hand against the wall. When she leaned forward, I eased my weight completely against the tile and threaded my fingers through her hair, shaking the water out of my eyes as I watched her swallowing my cock. I'd had her more than once since we'd met, but we'd both been too eager to take the time for this.
When the water clouded my vision again, I fumbled for the faucet and turned the spray off, shuddering out a groan as she paused a moment to lick the water away from my belly and left thigh.
“Didn’t want to waste that water, since we’re trying to conserve and all?” she asked, giving me a sly smile.
“Can’t have that.”
I grabbed her hair and tugged her mouth back. I clenched my teeth as she took me back inside, the wet heat almost enough to undo me. This time, she sucked on me with a fervor, not letting go until I was panting and half-mad. When she finally did, my cock slid from between her lips with a little pop before she stood up in front of me, raising onto her toes until our lips were pressed together.
The brush of her belly was damp against my cock, and I swore. I needed her again.
Spinning her around, I bent her over the built-in bench seat and drove inside.
She was even more wet and soft than usual, slick like satin.
And naked…
No.
“Shit. Condom,” I said, groaning.
I started to pull away.
“Don’t stop.” It was a weak whisper, and I told myself to ignore it. To do the smart thing.
T
hen she reached down and closed her fingers around my balls. My eyes crossed and hot licks of pleasure-pain went shooting straight up my spine. Talk about having someone by the balls.
“Shit, Piety, I…fuck, we need a rubber.”
“I brought one. But…” She wiggled her ass back against me. “Do we really need it? You feel so good. I’m…safe. Protected.”
I rolled my hips against her, told myself again to pull out.
“Please, Kaleb. You feel so good like this.”
She looked over her shoulder, her eyes deepened to indigo.
How the hell was I supposed to say no to her?
“Yes,” I muttered, knowing I was doing something incredibly stupid. But if I was going to be stupid about something, I might as well be stupid for her.
And maybe for myself…a little. This once.
She squeezed my sack again, and I thrust against her again. I could only withdraw so far with her holding onto me, but the friction was perfect, sweet and tight. And then I heard her cry out and knew that I'd found her sweet spot.
“Fuck me, Kaleb.” She released me, using both hands to balance herself.
She didn't have to tell me twice, not when I finally knew what it felt like to be skin to skin with her. I doubted I could ever have it another way after this. I reached underneath us and found her clit, stroking it as I thrust into her, long, deep strokes that would get us to our climax quickly.
I planned on having her again in her bed, and then I'd take my time.
As I felt her clench around me, heard her gasp out my name, I wondered if I'd be able to let her go when the time came. I pushed the thought from my mind as I let my own orgasm roll over me. I pressed my mouth against her shoulder, murmuring her name as I emptied myself inside her.
I wouldn't think about the future. Not now. I'd enjoy what time I had with her. All of it.
“Think of a happy place.”
Glancing at Piety, I asked, “Are you telling me or yourself?”