by Kari Alice
Lexi looked back up at the stars. “The stars didn’t look like this in Florida. Too many city lights.”
“Sometimes you can see the aurora borealis in the winter. You need a cabin with a view though, or you’d freeze to death.” He watched her. She couldn’t guess the danger she was in…the sounds of nature surrounded them…the illusion of privacy. It wouldn’t take much to seduce her right here and now. He clenched his fists. Her mouth was soft and warm, that was how it’d start. A single kiss… He bit his lip. Her body called to him, and he bit harder as his physical restraint weakened. What was happening to him? Seriously, he had to get a grip. The truth was that it had to be special. She deserved the best of him, not a lapse in judgement. He’d never waited this long into a relationship for sex, but then again, he’d never been with a virgin either. She was pure and deserved to be worshiped, not groped.
“Thank you for being…you.”
“What?” She turned to face him. He held her face between his hands and kissed her. The kiss was tender, like what she deserved.
“You bring out the best in me. You have no idea how freeing it is to be with you.”
She smiled at him. The air was getting brisk. Together they followed the moonlight back to the SUV, hand in hand the whole way.
5
Thorns
Lexi neared her office and blindly felt for the light switch on the wall at its entry. Where there should have been an empty void on the desk sat a vase of roses and a wrapped gift. The roses were pale purple and heavily scented. The color was surreal, and they looked like they belonged in a fairy garden. The weekend had been uneventful, other than Labor Day celebrations. Lexi couldn’t forget the stars though. The view she’d shared with Caleb that night seemed celestial. She viewed Caleb like one of those stars—beautiful, transfixing—still out of her reach. On Monday, Lexi attended Ashley’s office luncheon, since Mike was working. The luncheon was drama free and went off without a problem.
Things with Caleb were progressing, just not physically. Caleb was contained, and he seemed to resist most urges that other men wouldn’t endure. Even without the physical connection that Lexi craved, being near him was still satisfying. Lexi dropped her purse and lunch onto the desk and read the card nestled in the roses.
To Lexi: You’ve stolen all of my attention and my heart. Caleb.
She slid the small card back into its envelope and smelled the roses. She inhaled deeply a few times just to take as much in as she could. The two-dozen roses were anything but generic, and she ran her fingers over one of the buds to make sure that the lilac coloration wouldn’t rub off. It went against all logic that altered flowers could smell so intense, when their natural counterparts didn’t carry nearly as much perfume as these did.
The click of heels clanged down the hall—Missy’s signature sound. Missy wore heels on a daily basis, unlike Lexi, who glanced down at her cute but practical flats.
Missy edged around the corner and popped into Lexi’s doorway. Her highlighted blond hair was perfectly coifed, and she was dressed like she just fell out of a Cosmopolitan magazine spread. She was good at her job, but her passion seemed to be fashion.
Missy smiled widely as she focused her gaze on the roses. “Well, I take it you and Miles must really be hitting it off?” Her tone was all knowing. Had she had prompted Miles to come after Lexi that night at the bar?
Lexi grimaced as her memory flooded back to that Friday night. So much had happened since then, and that was the night Caleb had first asserted himself as her protector and the man who seemed to love her. “Um, no. They didn’t come from Miles.” Miles wasn’t necessarily a bad guy, just not the guy for her. Would it be too personal to share things with Missy? She had showed up at the picnic with Corrine… Maybe this is an opportunity I can’t pass up. Caleb had sent the roses to the office rather than to Lexi’s home—he’d had to know Lexi would face questions. Was this his way of coming out publicly?
“Not Miles? Then who are they from?” Missy asked. Her posture had changed, and she seemed more imposing.
Lexi took a breath and tried to sound casual even as she felt prickles of nervous sweat form all over her body. “These are from Caleb.” She sniffed the roses again.
Missy’s eyes widened. “You mean Dr. Avery sent you roses? I don’t get it. Have you done a lot of overtime or something?” Missy asked. She seemed angered by Lexi’s declaration. Her nose crinkled in disdain.
Lexi’s heart pounded in her chest, but she willed down what anger she could. “No, not for just working here or doing anything extra. We’ve hung out together a lot lately,” Lexi said in a voice that she hoped exuded confidence.
“No, that’s not possible. He’s been with his girlfriend, Corrine, for a couple of years. I’m pretty sure they’ll be engaged by Christmas,” Missy said, as if she was trying to spare Lexi’s feelings.
“They’re not together anymore.” What else was there to say? Lexi took in more deep breaths as she tried to disguise the hostile thoughts that flitted through her head. The relationship she shared with Caleb was still so new, and Missy’s negativity was unwelcome.
“I talked to her yesterday. They might be going through a rough patch, but you wait. They’ll get back together,” Missy said in a factual tone. “Besides, you saw how he gawked at her at the Labor Day party, right?”
Lexi’s cheeks burned with anger, but she held her tongue as she composed herself. With her gaze refocused on Missy, she said. “I don’t know Corrine or anything about her. I do know Caleb and I are together.” She held her chin high, staring down Missy.
Missy scoffed and turned as she made her way back down the hall, her heels clicking in double time. Was she on her way to call Corrine?
Lexi sank into her chair, and guilt bubbled to the surface. Even though Caleb and Corrine were history, some of the blame for the death of their relationship rested on Lexi’s shoulders. Talking to Caleb about this guilt wouldn’t help matters, but her self-torturing wouldn’t ebb its grip either. What was it her mom used to say? The truth always comes out in the wash.
Somehow things usually resolved themselves on their own, and maybe this would happen in this impossible situation as well. It wasn’t really Lexi’s fault Caleb had broken off with Corrine. Lexi was with Caleb now—he’d made that clear. And he wasn’t like Justin at all—Caleb wouldn’t say he cared for her and then cheat on her or get engaged to a former lover. She was almost sure of it. But then again, he’d only recently revealed his knowledge of her father’s death… Her stomach churned.
As a distraction, Lexi unwrapped the gift. Her mouth curled into a smile as she held a sketch pad and an assorted pencil set that contained both charcoal as well as graphite pencils. Tension melted away. He’d remembered. As beautiful as the roses were—this gift revealed how deeply he cared. The pencils were by Derwent, a name brand she’d used before and liked how they blended on paper. She resisted the urge to break into the pencils and paper right now—that would have to wait until after work if she wanted to remain employed at Hale Health. After all, it’d be a waste of precious art supplies to draw pictures of Missy and Corrine with horns and distorted bodies.
Distraction would be the objective of the day, proving she was a valuable employee at Hale Health. The art would have been a better outlet, but it wouldn’t pay the bills.
She’d passed Caleb’s office door multiple times during the workday but hadn’t caught as much as a glimpse of him. He would be behind today, with extra patients to make up for the long Labor Day weekend.
As the day edged closer to its end, Missy stopped back by Lexi’s office. “Lexi, I’m sorry if I came across harsh this morning. I called Corrine, and she did say that things were not good between her and Caleb. I don’t know if maybe she didn’t want to admit how bad it really was to me or what. But I am sorry for how I acted.”
Lexi swallowed hard but listened to Missy’s apology. Hurt feelings were one thing, but there were also work relationships that had to be mai
ntained. Someone had to act like a grown-up, after all. “It’s okay, Missy. I get it. You were just looking out for your friend.” Lexi forced an overly wide smile.
“Yeah, that was it. Thanks for understanding.” She awkwardly nodded and left, her movements unlike her normal graceful-dancer self.
Lexi closed out her program and locked up the confidential files that still needed to be entered into the system. She packed up her roses and gift as she started down the short hall, hoping to finally see Caleb. Even his lunch hour had been tied up by a meeting, and she was feeling withdrawals from not getting her daily dose of him.
Caleb’s door was finally open, and Lexi peeked inside. Her arms were loaded, but she stopped at the doorway as she waited for him to look up. Caleb busied himself by shutting down the computer and putting away files, just as she had done minutes before.
“Where are you sneaking off to?” he asked as his gaze met hers. His eyes looked hungry, and his cologne scented the air in and just outside the office.
Excitement fluttered through her veins at the sound of his deep voice. She walked a few steps inside of his office as he stood and met her halfway. He unburdened her arms.
“I wasn’t sneaking off anywhere, or I would have rushed past your door. Which wouldn’t have been hard to do, since you’ve been so reclusive today.”
“You’re right. I’ve been a shut-in. I had a few patients with chronic conditions, and they took up a lot of my time.” He rubbed his face, clearly fatigued by his work. “Did you like the roses?” He asked as he eased into a more personal banter.
“They’re exquisite. I’ve never seen a purple rose before. And the art supplies are great too.” She smiled and felt her face flush from his nearness.
“You just have to know who to call.”
“Well, I’ve never had to know who to call.” The only time she’d ordered flowers were for her mother’s funeral service, and even then the arrangement idea had come out of the sample catalog the florist kept. Hybrid specialty flowers weren’t in her budget then, nor were they now.
With her hands freed, he pulled her closer to him, his large hands gripping her lower back. “I’ve thought about you all day,” he said as he began to nibble on her bottom lip, and then he kissed her gently on her parted mouth.
A boneless sensation weakened her stance, and she kissed him back, unable to resist him. She pushed her mouth solidly against his to enjoy the kiss for as long as it lasted. She would long for him as soon as she was out of his clutch—he always pulled away just when it turned interesting.
Missy’s erratic high heels clicked down the hall and would soon tap by Caleb’s office door. Even though they looked like a couple of teenagers sneaking around, at least Missy would witness them for herself. As always, the kiss was short lived, and Caleb pulled away.
Caleb slid on his jacket and grabbed his keys, and then he helped Lexi with her roses and gifts. “Ready?” he asked as they both headed toward the exit.
Missy was up at the reception desk, talking to Yvette, and there was no doubt she was talking about Lexi. Missy’s loud laugh traveled down the hall and was clearly heard by anyone still left in the office.
The laughing caused Lexi’s stomach to knot. “They’re talking about us, you know,” she blurted out, unable to keep it inside.
“What?” Caleb asked.
“I don’t think they can see why you’re interested in me,” Lexi said. She creased her forehead.
“Why do you care what they think?” Caleb asked. He sounded concerned but looked annoyed.
“It’s not that I really care. It’s just that I wonder to myself why you feel so compelled to be with me…” Lexi responded in a weak voice. Why did her insecurities surface now? It couldn’t be helped. He’d have to know this part of her too, the insecure part.
He walked her silently to her SUV. He finally said, “I don’t understand why you’re even asking this, Lexi. I thought I had explained my feelings to you, and I thought that you understood me. I guess I should ask you why you would want to be with me. After all, I’m the one who pursued you. What if you really don’t want to be with me?”
Tears prickled at her eyes. He did have a point, though it was one she hadn’t considered. “I guess I worry that maybe you’ll stop feeling whatever it is that you’re feeling for me now. Maybe something like this is only temporary, like anesthesia, and once it wears off, then you’ll see that I’m not who you thought I was,” Lexi admitted. What she’d confessed was a confusing babble, but what if…
“Well, it sounds like you’ve got it all figured out then. Except one thing. Don’t you remember me telling you that I haven’t felt this way about anyone else and when I look at you, I feel like I would do anything you asked? Do you think I would have done that for Corrine or that she would have done anything like that for me? I don’t like to talk about her, but it feels like she could continue to come up.” His voice was strained with anger and adrenaline.
“I’ve been let down before, Caleb. I just don’t want to be let down again. In my heart I know that I can trust you, but when I think about how it would feel if you left me…I hurt just thinking about it.” She bit her lip as she waited for his response.
Caleb put what he carried down in the cargo area of Lexi’s SUV and reached for her. Warm tears ran down her cheeks, and her vision blurred. Growing up she rarely cried, and now it seemed as if the flood gates had been opened for good. Before her mom died, she’d felt invincible, but now it was clear that the confidence she once held was all an illusion.
“Stay at my house tonight. I need you close,” Caleb whispered in her ear. “We’ll stop by your place so that you can pack a bag.”
Lexi nodded against his chest, her conscious thought temporarily fractured. She needed Caleb to fortify her.
“Don’t worry, Lexi. I’m not going to throw myself on you. I just want to be near you tonight,” Caleb said, his words calming her fears slightly. He kissed her forehead as she dried her eyes.
Lexi couldn’t help but smile to herself. And just why did he assume she didn’t want him to throw himself at her? Had he not been paying attention?
“I’ll meet you at your place,” Caleb said.
Once there, he came inside to wait as she packed a bag. Ashley was in the living room and greeted them. She hugged Caleb. “It’s good seeing you around, Caleb,” she said enthusiastically.
Ashley had told Lexi that Caleb acted different around Lexi, like he was now a free and happy man. He’d seemed dark and angrier when he was with Corrine, Ashley had said. Remembering that conversation made Lexi wonder why she couldn’t force her insecurities aside and enjoy Caleb.
“I hadn’t noticed this before, but you look more like Mike than I thought. I guess it’s your smile,” Ashley said with a laugh.
Lexi excused herself and went up to her room to get her essentials and work clothes. She packed her toothbrush, but she planned on using Caleb’s toothpaste and other bathing toiletries.
“Thanks, Ashley. Speaking of Mike, how is he treating you?” Caleb asked as he directed the conversation on her. “Do I need to get a tux?”
Ashley smiled warmly. “Well, I don’t know. I haven’t heard anything about that yet, and I would probably be in the loop if I were getting married,” she said.
“I guess you would be privy to that information.” Caleb grinned. He’d only been around Ashley a handful of times, but she was kind and easy to talk to.
Ashley’s face grew more serious. “You know that Lexi’s been through a lot. Please be careful with her,” Ashley said in a rushed whisper.
Caleb looked Ashley in the eyes, trying to convey his sincerity. “Were just learning each other right now, but I promise you I have her best interest at heart—even if she can’t seem to understand that.”
Ashley smiled and squeezed Caleb’s arm. They turned as they heard Lexi coming down the stairs.
“Let’s go,” Lexi said as she made her way to Caleb’s side. “Good night, Ash
ley,” Lexi said and gave her cousin a hug and kiss on the cheek.
“Good seeing you, Ashley. Good night!” Caleb said.
Ashley waved as they left.
Caleb drove them to his house. The sky was twilight, and there were only touches of daylight edging the trees. Lexi blinked as she watched a car pulling away from Caleb’s. She raised one eyebrow, and her eyes squinted toward the car in question. Caleb waved at the older burgundy Buick that passed by them. The paint had worn away on the roof, and there was rust at the bumper.
“Who was that?” Lexi asked, curiosity seeping into her voice. Though the car itself was unimpressive, it was odd that anyone would be pulling away from Caleb’s house. Corrine would likely drive something flashier, but the driver was difficult to see in the dim lighting.
“That was Gail. She’s my housekeeper,” Caleb said, as if that was a run-of-the-mill answer.
Lexi had been to his house a couple times already, but she never noticed any evidence of Gail. “You have a housekeeper?” Lexi looked over at Caleb, her eyes studying him, but his face was impassive. “I thought only rich people had those?” It seemed weird for him not to have mentioned Gail sooner, but Lexi had instantaneous relief that the older Buick wasn’t Corrine’s.
“Well, I’m a bachelor, and I work far too many hours to keep things maintained here. Besides, Gail is a sweetheart—she’s known my family since I was little. She’s made us dinner tonight.” His smile was sudden and arresting.
“Does she always do that?” Lexi asked as she blandly smiled back. It’d take her a while to adjust to the whole idea.
“Well no, but she will prepare a meal if I ask her to. Of course she didn’t have too much time tonight, so it’s a simple dish,” he said, clearly not bothered by Lexi’s apprehension.
Lexi relaxed, allowing her face to ease back into its normal composition. “Well, that doesn’t sound too ridiculous, I guess. What else does she do?”