Kaleb (10 page)

“What
was I going to tell you?” Kaleb asked, sounding dumbfounded. “I would’ve never
thought to share some of the things I dreamt about doing to you. I know you,
Zoey. You would’ve run for the hills.”

True.
Zoey wasn’t one to have engaged in any sort of intimate relationship over the
last few years. Not since Jason. Her heart had been broken, and she had no
intentions of letting it get broken again. Not by any man. But this... this was
different. Kaleb was her best friend, and if they were smart about it, there
was no reason they couldn’t incorporate a little sex into it. Neither of them
were having it, and she knew that for a fact, so they wouldn’t be hurting
anyone else either.

“Ok,
maybe you’re right.” She admitted. “But that doesn’t mean we can’t do the whole
friends with benefits thing, right?”

“Friends with benefits?”
Kaleb smiled, but Zoey realized immediately that it didn’t quite reach his
eyes. Did he not want to do this?

“Yes.
You know, we get naked every now and again?”

“Hmmm.
I like the idea of seeing you naked.”

That
was the Kaleb she knew.
The man who flirted the panties right
off of women everywhere.

When
he leaned closer, Zoey smiled and then kissed him. For some reason, it felt
natural to kiss Kaleb. Maybe that’s because she’d dreamt about it for so long.

“This
night has been a long time coming.” Zoey whispered against his lips.

At least for her that was true.

When
he pulled back, locking those smoky eyes with hers, one of those lingering
embers deep in her core burst into flame. She suddenly wished they were alone,
someplace where they could explore the firestorm that was brewing out of
control between them.

He
didn’t say anything, but Zoey knew he was beginning to reconsider. The
gentleman in him couldn’t allow him to throw caution to the wind, likely from
fear of hurting her. Zoey wasn’t fragile, neither in heart or spirit, and she
wanted to assure him that she could deal with the aftermath. She wasn’t looking
for strings, or attachments, or promises.

“I
want to be with you tonight.” Zoey said, willing him to see everything she was
feeling as they stared at one another.
“Even if that’s all
you’ve got to give me.
Just give me tonight.”

She
wasn’t sure where the words came from, or when she had started feeling that
way, but there it was. Maybe it was the fact that she’d been in lust with this
man for as long as she could remember, or maybe it was because she wanted to
pursue something she felt might very well slip from her grasp if they waited
too long.

This
was exactly where she wanted to be; in Kaleb’s arms for as long as he would
have her. It didn’t have to be forever, she wasn’t sure she even believed in
forever anymore. But for one night – this night – she knew exactly what she
wanted.

♂♀

The
sound of metal clinking on glass caught their attention, and Kaleb forced
himself to look away from Zoey. He wasn’t quite sure what he was feeling –
definitely lust, maybe something more – but he was grateful for the
distraction.

“First,
I want to thank everyone for coming.” Travis said, standing in the middle of
the floor beneath the tent holding a microphone. “As you all know, on this day,
fifty years ago, my parents vowed to love one another and, somehow, I’m not
quite sure how, my mother has put up with my father through all of these years
and here they are.
Still together.”

A
rumble of laughter erupted from the crowd; exactly Travis’ intention. The man
might not be one to laugh easily, but he had a way with crowds.

“Mom,
Dad, we came together to celebrate this day with you because you’ve been an
inspiration to us all. The love and support you’ve provided us, you
r
family
and friends, through the years, hasn’t gone unnoticed, nor has it been
unappreciated.

“As
the oldest of the seven of us, I can tell you that you’ve shown us what it means
to love and be loved and for that, we will always be grateful.”

Kaleb
wasn’t sure where his brother had come up with the words, but he’d easily
expressed exactly what Kaleb felt. Glancing at his brothers, they were all
riveted to the three people standing in the center of the floor, each of them
smiling, endorsing every word Travis spoke.

Curtis
tilted his head in his normal acknowledgement while Lorrie had tears streaming
down her face. Granted, they were tears of joy, but the sight still tugged at Kaleb’s
heart as it did anytime his mother cried. Thankfully that wasn’t often, unless,
of course, she was getting mushy. They definitely tried to avoid those times.

“Dad,
if you don’t mind.” Travis stated, handing him the microphone.

Curtis’
voice boomed through the microphone, drifting across the humid August night,
spilling out from the tent and washing over each of the guests who had come to
celebrate the wondrous occasion. “I’d like to thank everyone for coming, and
I’d like to thank my boys for thinking ahead and sending me on a wild goose
chase across the state of Texas just so they could put this little shindig
together.” Again the crowd laughed. “But most importantly, I’d like to thank my
beautiful bride for honoring me fifty short years ago.” Looking down into
Lorrie’s eyes, Curtis continued. “I’d do it all over again.
In
a heartbeat.”

To
Kaleb’s surprise, his sweet, demure mother, threw her arms around his father’s
neck and planted a scorching hot kiss right on his mouth. The crowd cheered.
Then Curtis raised the microphone, glanced around at the hordes of people
circling around them. “And that’s all I’ve got. Time for everyone to clear out
now because I’ve got somewhere I need to be.”

Handing
the microphone back to Travis, Curtis pulled Lorrie into his arms, lowered his
mouth back to hers and again, the crowd cheered.

When
Kaleb glanced down at Zoey, he noticed she was smiling, as well as wiping what
appeared to be a tear from her eye. His heart turned over. Pulling her in close
to him, he continued to focus on his parents, trying to give Zoey a little
privacy.

When
the band started up again, he turned back to the woman beside him, tilting her
chin until she looked at him.

“I’m
taking you to my place tonight.” He warned her, the driving hunger roiling
through him. “I just need you to know what you’re getting yourself into.”

Zoey
nodded her head as though she understood what he was telling her. He continued
anyway.

“I’ve
waited too damn long to have you. I’ve kept my distance, kept my hands to
myself, but I can’t any longer.” Her eyes darkened with the same overwhelming
desire he felt every time he looked at her. “Do you understand what I’m telling
you?”

She
didn’t answer, but she didn’t look away.

“I
can’t promise gentle, and I can’t promise I’ll shower you with sweet words. As
much as I want to, I’m not that man. I need you, Zoey.”

This
time she did nod her head, her fingers linking with his and squeezing her
silent agreement.

Now
if only the damn party would end. Kaleb wasn’t sure how much longer he’d be
able to wait.

♀♂

Zoey
was a nervous wreck. Her hands were shaking, her palms sweating, and her heart
was pounding like she’d just run a marathon. For the better part of the last
hour, she and Kaleb had made their rounds, talking to the lingering guests,
dancing, and finally saying their goodbyes to Lorrie and Curtis before walking
out to the truck.
Where they were now.

Kaleb
reached the door before she did, and he eased it open, taking a step back so
she could get in. When he crowded her between the truck door and the seat,
similar to the way he had earlier, her blood pressure spiked, and she feared
she might just pass out.

Never
in her life had she felt like this. Never had her body throbbed with
anticipation, an eagerness to touch and be touched. But that’s what Kaleb did
to her. He had always heightened her sensuality, made her want things she
didn’t figure she would want from a man.

It
wasn’t like she was a virgin. This wasn’t her first time. She’d been with two
men in her life, one being her husband, the other a man she dated before Jason.
Both of those were serious relationships, both of which she knew what she was
walking into. She knew Kaleb better than she knew either of them, but yet, she
felt as though there was so much she didn’t know.

And
here she was about to alter the rest of her life because Zoey knew without a
doubt that being with Kaleb would ruin her for any other man. She loved him.
Had always loved him; although maybe that love was based more on friendship
than anything else, but it was love nonetheless. There was no way to confuse
lust with love when it came to Kaleb because, despite the fact that she was
attracted to him, she deeply cared about him. Always had and always would.

That
didn’t mean she was
in love
with Kaleb, but she feared she was. She had
always feared he could break her heart so easily if she had given him the
chance. And maybe that’s why she’d kept her distance for so many years. Their
friendship was strong, always had been and why would she want to ruin that with
one night of passion.

It
was too late to think about that now because her body was committed, her heart
might be a little hesitant, but she wasn’t listening to her heart. Not tonight.

“You sure about this?”
Kaleb asked, his masculine scent like a drug, infusing her body with a buzz
that had her aching for more.
Addicted.
That’s what
she was. She was addicted to this man.

She
dared a glance up into the gray-blue of his mesmerizing eyes and smiled. She
was ready. “Yes, I’m sure.”

If
she wasn’t mistaken, Kaleb’s hands were shaking nearly as much as hers were.
She doubted he was nervous, probably just anticipating what was to come. If the
chemistry between them was anything to go by, then they were in for the ride of
their life when their bodies came together as one.

Instead
of lingering, she climbed up into the truck, aware of his penetrating eyes
still raking over her, making her knees weak. If she wasn’t careful, she’d be a
puddle of hormones by the time they reached his house.

When
Kaleb climbed into the driver’s side, he didn’t say a word, but he did link his
fingers with hers again as they drove in silence down the dirt roads that
bisected the Walker land. Her nerves were rioting, and she was pretty sure he
could hear the pounding of her heart over the low hum of the engine and the
radio that was playing softly through the cab of the truck.

When
they pulled up to his house a minute or two later, she steeled herself.
Choosing to preoccupy her mind by admiring his home, rather than dwell on what
was about to happen, Zoey found herself reliving some of the times she’d been
here.

They
had hung out at his house a number of times in recent years, but almost every
time someone else had been there too.
Generally a group of
people including Kaleb’s friend Gage, who was currently out of state.
He
was another one of the men in town that the women lusted over, and it was no
secret he too had been included in some of Kaleb’s more infamous rendezvous.

Never
had she been to Kaleb’s house alone before now.

His
house was the epitome of the man, and she knew he was proud of it. Dark wooden
beams held up the cover over the front porch while river rock lined the bottom
of the house. The cabin wasn’t so much a cabin as it was a house, but because
of its size and seclusion, she figured that’s why they referred to them as
such.

Instead
of wood logs, the house was dark, chocolate brown stucco, with thick wooden
beams for trim. The front of the house was mostly windows and a door, and
during the day, with it positioned to face the sun rising in the east, there
was a vast amount of sunlight peeking through the thick trees, bringing with it
warmth and light.

Zoey’s
thoughts were interrupted when Kaleb opened her door, standing just outside
looking sinfully sexy with his mussed hair and chiseled good looks. Although
she figured he’d shaved when he had come to pick her up several hours before,
he now had a line of stubble along his jaw, and she wanted to run her fingers
over it, just to feel the sensual scrape against her skin.

Without
further hesitation, she climbed out of the truck, joining him as he led her up
the steps and onto the wide front porch, before opening the front door and
allowing her to go in before him.

Once
inside, Kaleb flipped on a small table lamp and the room filled with a soft
yellow glow. It took every ounce of nerve she possessed to stand there, trying
to ignore the tension that had grown to monumental proportions in the last few
hours.

Taking
a step forward, Zoey was in the living room, arranged exactly as it was the
last time she’d been there. An oversized brown sofa, covered in buttery soft,
distressed leather, and an equally large recliner sat facing a wall of river
rock encasing a fireplace. The room had little else besides a table made of
unfinished wood and wrought iron, holding a couple of coasters and a remote
control for the massive flat panel television.