Kaleb (6 page)

“I’m
still pretty sure I don’t owe you,” Zoey smiled a real smile for the first time
since they’d walked outside, “but I’d still say yes.”

It
took him a second to comprehend what she was telling him, but when it hit him,
his entire body tensed. Although, he hoped she might hedge a little because the
idea of kissing her was damned appealing.

He
managed a small smile at the same time he put one hand on her cheek, feeling
the soft, smooth skin beneath his fingers. When she leaned into his touch, he
knew the moment couldn’t have been better. Taking one step closer, he hesitated,
waiting to see what she would do. When she didn’t take a step back, he took
that as a good sign.

“Zoey.”
He growled her name, unable to control the hunger that had been building in intensity
over the years any longer. She was still looking up at him when he closed the
gap between them. “I’m not sure I can stay away from you much longer.”

Aside
from the wind rustling the branches of the trees, they were hidden behind and a
couple of birds braving the Texas heat, the only other sound
was
Zoey’s sharp intake of breath. Looking down at her, he could see the rise and
fall of her breasts with every ragged breath and that was all the assurance he
needed.

Cupping
her jaw, trying to keep his hands from groping every luscious curve of her
body, he bent his head until his lips hovered just above hers. Before he could
get closer, she took the decision away from him when she pushed up on her toes
and planted her warm lips to his.

The
kiss started out sweet, just her mouth pressed to his, but the sweet scent of
her hair sent a rush of adrenaline flooding his system and he was past the
point of no return. Pulling her flush against him, Kaleb kept his hands on her
face, not willing to push her too far too fast, but Lord have mercy, he had to
taste more of her.

Thrusting
his tongue between her lips, he locked his knees to keep him from falling over
as soon as her little pink tongue surged forward to meet his. Then the world
tilted, exploded, and the only thing remaining was the feel of Zoey’s delicious
taste overwhelming his senses.

He
growled when she whimpered, pressing her tight little body against his,
grinding her hips into his, her fingers slipping into his hair, pulling him
closer until he knew that, at any moment, he was going to take it too far. The
image of being buried inside of her, both of them naked and sweating flashed
through his brain and his dick throbbed behind the irritating zipper of his
jeans.

The
only thing that slowed them down was their need for oxygen, and when their lips
parted, he pushed his forehead to hers, but didn't let her go.

“It
seems like I’ve waited my whole life for you to do that.” Zoey whispered.

Her
admission made Kaleb’s head spin. He
had
waited his whole life. Since
junior high school when he had fallen head over heels in love with her, he’d
ached to kiss her. For years, he’d spent many a session with his own hand,
dreaming about what it would feel like to have her mouth on him – everywhere –
or to bury his tongue into the warm depths of her pussy. And all the ways he
intended to pleasure her.

“Trust
me, baby. I
have
waited my whole life for that.”

Having
been friends for so long, he worried that this little derailment of their
friendship might just be leading down a road better left untraveled, but hell,
the woman was so fucking tempting.

Wild
fantasies and some of the hottest dreams he’d ever had starred Zoey, but Kaleb
never figured any of it would come to fruition, but right here, right now, in
the small copse of trees, shielded from the rest of the world, he wanted to do
just that.

Not
that he would.

Not
yet anyway.

She
knew some of the darker sides of Kaleb, but in all the years they’d known each
other, never had they talked about it. And no matter what she thought she knew
about him, Kaleb knew she didn’t understand the beast that prowled beneath his
skin. The one that wanted more than her innocence could possibly fathom.

“We
should go back.” He said reluctantly, not wanting to move from her embrace, not
wanting to lose the warmth of her tender touch, but terrified that he might
just do what he’d wanted to do for the last week. Hell, for the last
fifteen
years
.

♀♂

Zoey
nodded her agreement, but neither of them pulled away for long minutes. The feel
of Kaleb’s work roughened fingers against her cheek was unlike any touch she
had ever felt before, and for as long as she had waited, she didn’t feel as
though she’d gotten enough of him yet.

When
she told him that she’d waited her whole life, she hadn’t been lying. And after
years of anticipation, she certainly hadn’t been disappointed.
At least not by his kiss.
Boy, could he kiss. The way his
tongue expertly stroked hers, Zoey knew she’d wait another lifetime for just a
promise of another.

Never
had she been kissed like that.

She
wasn’t a prude by any means, but no other man had invoked her desire the way
Kaleb’s lips did when they touched hers, or the spicy scent of the man as it
infused her senses, making her want, making her ache.

If
only they weren’t outside... If only they weren’t standing yards away from her
father’s house. Zoey didn’t want to let the moment end because she feared it
would never happen again and going another minute without his touch would be
too much. Not to mention, she feared she would never get up the nerve to do it
again.

This,
whatever this was, could very well destroy the friendship they’d developed over
the years, and if either of them thought about it long enough, they might just
come to their senses.

When
Kaleb pulled away, despite the heat from the early August day, Zoey still felt
the warmth being drawn away. She would’ve wrapped her arms around herself just
to hold in the lingering heat if Kaleb hadn’t taken her hand.

Looking down to where he now laced their
fingers, their arms hanging between them, she felt like a teenager all over
again.
The one who had pretended that being friends with
Kaleb Walker was all she ever wanted, but knew deep down she’d wanted so much
more from him. But they weren’t teenagers, they were adults, and Kaleb was all
man. One that she wanted to explore in ways she’d only dreamed about. And yes,
maybe that categorized her as slightly crazy.

“What
time is the party?” She asked, trying to make conversation and ignore the fact that
she would much rather sneak deeper into the trees and experience the wonder of
Kaleb’s mouth on every inch of her skin.

“Seven.”
Kaleb responded, his voice still a little gruff.

Zoey
liked the rasp in his voice, liked the way he growled his pleasure because it
was sexy as hell. But she expected that from him. With Kaleb, there was an
intensity about him, a measure of control that he didn’t let slip. Of all the
Walker brothers, he was the laid back, gentle giant, but Zoey knew beneath that
nonchalant exterior, there was a demanding creature that wanted to break free.

“So
I should be there then?” She asked, trying to get her mind out of the gutter.

“No.
I’ll pick you up at six forty five.” Kaleb said, turning to face her. His voice
lowered, and those sparkling blue eyes lit up with something dark and
possessive.

Good
grief. If he only knew what that sexy tone of his did to her insides, or how
her pussy throbbed from the sensuality she detected in the smoky blue depths of
his eyes... She was pretty sure if he knew, they wouldn’t be standing there
right now. They’d find the nearest place to get horizontal and get to know each
other on a much more intimate level.

Lowering
his head closer to hers, Kaleb brushed his lips against hers once more.
“Zoey...” He growled, “woman, you don’t know what you do to me.”

No,
she didn’t, and she had the sudden urge for him to tell her because she was so
tired of waiting for this man, so tired of aching for his touch, his kiss. And
now that this – she still had no clue what it was – was happening between them,
she didn’t want to waste another second.

Instead
of telling him that, she pressed her lips to his gently,
then
took a step back. She needed to go home and take an ice cold shower. “Tomorrow
night. Six forty five,” she said. “I’ll see you then.”

Kaleb
nodded and watched as she walked inside. Zoey felt the heat of his gaze on her
skin and once again, she knew tomorrow was going to be the longest damn day,
and it had nothing to do with work.

An
hour later, Zoey had managed to calm her hormones by way of a shower, although
it hadn’t been all that cold. She’d quickly made her father some dinner,
finished the few remaining chores before hurrying back to the guest house.

When
she walked in the door, she glanced around, wondering what was different.

“Hey,
V.” That’s what she got for leaving her door unlocked. She wasn’t sure how she
hadn’t noticed V’s car parked out front, but somehow she’d missed it. Sitting
on her couch, her feet propped up on the coffee table, V looked right at home.

“I
was hoping we could hang out for a while. You know, talk.” V smiled, and Zoey
immediately knew something was up.

“About?”
As she listened for her friend’s response, she detoured to the kitchen and
pulled out a bottle of wine and two glasses. Based on the twinkle in V’s eyes,
this was going to be one of those nights. Hopefully one bottle would be enough.

“Oh,
I don’t know.” V hollered from the living room. “Maybe we can start with you
abandoning me the other night.”

Zoey
smiled to herself as she poured the wine. “Don’t even pretend you weren’t happy
about that.”

“I
wasn’t!” Vanessa was extremely animated, and she was showing it now. Sitting
up, she tried to act as though she were truly upset.

Zoey
knew better.

“So,
how’d it go with Zane?” Handing one of the glasses to V, Zoey toed off her
boots and then sat on the couch beside her friend, pulling her feet up beneath
her.

V
didn’t answer in words, but her face lit up like Rudolph’s nose.

“Oh.
My.
God.”
Now it was Zoey’s turn to get animated. “You
didn’t!”

“Oh,
honey, we did. And holy fucking shit!” V’s smile lit up the entire living room.

“If
you even think about leaving out a single detail, I’ll kill you.” Zoey
exclaimed.

Vanessa and Zane?
Holy crap.

“Well,
he is a Walker, and you’ve heard the rumors about them.”

Which one, Zoey thought to herself.
There were too many to recall. The Walkers were celebrities in town, and there
were so many stories and rumors Zoey had never been able to keep up.

“Let’s
just say we were lucky the sheets didn’t go up in flames.” V said, no longer
blushing but still grinning like a fool.

“So,
it wasn’t good?” Zoey threw in some sarcasm, although she smiled at her
friend’s happiness.

“Good
isn’t nearly the word to describe Zane Walker naked, honey. But, I seriously
don’t want to sit here and talk about that.”

“Like
hell.” There was no way Zoey was going to let her friend get away with not
sharing the details. “Did you go back to his house or yours?”

“Mine
of course. There is no man out there going to get me to do the walk of shame.
No way. Uh-uh.” V smirked. “And let’s just say
,
it was
nearly dawn before he went home.”

Zoey
felt a smidgeon of jealousy listening to V and, had she not just experienced
the hottest kiss of her lifetime just that day with Kaleb, she might actually
tell her so. Instead, Zoey smiled. “Well, you know I’m happy for you,” Zoey
took a sip of her wine before continuing, “but you also know I’m going to tell
you to be careful.”

V
was one who fell in love easily and often. Although most of the time she didn’t
get hurt in the end, there was always that chance that her heart would get
broken and Zoey didn’t want to see it happen.
Because Zane
Walker was a heartbreaker.

“You
don’t have to worry about me.” V stated, not sounding nearly as confident as
she normally did.

“Are
you gonna see him again?”

“I
don’t know. I’ll leave that up to him. I refuse to add my name to the long list
of women who flaunt themselves at the Walker brothers and chase them down. If
Zane thinks I’m one of them, he’s got another thing coming.”

“I
seriously doubt it’s like that.” Zoey said, downing the last of her wine and
reaching for the bottle. “So how’s your mom?”

V
didn’t answer immediately, but Zoey knew she would eventually. It wasn’t a
secret that Vanessa had had a tough life growing up. But the woman was more
determined than anyone Zoey had ever met, and she’d insisted on making a better
life for herself than her mother had. It didn’t stop V from worrying about her
mother, and because she was her friend, Zoey worried, as well.