Shadow of Sin (The Martin Family) (12 page)

Chapter 12

“Y
ou’re an asshole.” Alec’s chastising tone vibrated through Caleb’s cell phone.

“Your point?”

“That
is
the point.”

Caleb didn’t give a shit that Alec disagreed with his decision. He wasn’t going to tell Samantha the real reason for attending the fundraiser. They’d been cooped up for days. Samantha had been a good sport about it. Too good. That, in itself, had Caleb worried. As if she were biding her time … the calm before Hurricane Samantha opened up and leveled them all.

His time with her was running out. Maybe she knew it too, and that was why she’d been so accommodating. Of course, the fact that he’d barely kept his hands off her had probably helped. It certainly hadn’t hurt.

But, he couldn’t keep her here forever. Very soon, he’d have to let her go. After he had his little chat with Matteo tonight, Caleb wouldn’t have any reason to keep her here. They’d never know Matteo’s next move if Samantha was kept under lock and key. As much as it killed him, she needed to go back to her life. A life she’d insisted wouldn’t include him.

Tonight could be their last night together. Caleb wanted her to enjoy it, not worry about why they were there. Or, worse, pick her own fight with Vincent.

“It’s not your call to make.”

“And you think it’s yours? ’Cause you and Sam are solid, right?”

Caleb had no idea how solid they were, but he wasn’t budging. “Why’re you busting my balls about this?”

“Mostly ’cause it’s fun.” Alec laughed. “But also for the well-being of my future nieces or nephews.”

Caleb grinned. He couldn’t wait to hear this. “Meaning?”

“Meaning me busting your balls is a lot better than what Sam will do with them when she finds out you lied to her.”

“I haven’t lied to her.”

“Yet.”

“Give me a little credit. I’m not
that
much of an asshole.”

“Says who?”

“Says me, dickhead.” Caleb lowered his voice. “Come on, Alec. You know I’m right about this. Samantha’s unpredictable on her best day. If we tell her now, she’ll have time to think about it and god only knows what she’ll plan. She has every right to be pissed off, but I’d prefer to handle this my way. With any luck, we can keep the two of them apart and she’ll never be the wiser. No harm, no foul. Samantha enjoys her evening and I eliminate the threat. It’s a win-win.”

“What makes you think it’s going to be that easy?”

Caleb chuckled. “I can be very convincing when I need to be. I’m sure I can get Matteo to see reason.”

“And if Sam decides to confront him herself?”

Caleb ran a hand through his hair and blew out a breath. Every instinct screamed that this was a bad idea, but he didn’t know what else to do. He’d leave her ass at home if it were possible. Unfortunately, they’d used her name to secure their invitations. Any other time, he might think it was funny to be Samantha’s ‘plus three’.

It was a risk he had to take. He couldn’t let Samantha go without putting assurances for her safety in place. She’d always be looking over her shoulder, always wondering. Whether she’d admitted it or not, she was afraid. And that was unacceptable.

And even after he let her go, Caleb would still watch. From a distance, of course. At least until he was certain Matteo stayed leashed.

He wouldn’t fail her. Caleb would keep her safe.

“She’s promised to trust me. And you need to do the same thing. She deserves a little fun, Alec. She deserves to go where she wants, whenever she wants, without fear.”

He’d give her that. Whatever it took.

“Well, well, well. Listen to you. Sounds like someone is going all soft for our girl.”

Soft wasn’t the word he’d have chosen. “I’m hanging up now, Alec. I got this.”

He disconnected on Alec’s laugh. His brother didn’t understand how easily things could fall apart. It was something Caleb knew all too well. He was already walking a fine line with Samantha, allowing emotions to get involved. The more time he spent with her, buried deep in the welcoming heat of her body, the more he lost himself to her.

He’d worked hard over the years to keep her at a distance. Now, in the course of a few days, the wild Irish beauty had wrapped herself around his heart.

He moved about the kitchen as he considered what they knew. Jack shit, that was what they knew. Hunches and speculation, that was what they had. Nothing concrete. No evidence to link Samantha’s harassment to anyone, let alone a powerful man like Matteo. Alec and Amanda had come up with a big, fat goose egg in their search of Matteo’s files. Frustrations were running high.

Caleb filled two glasses with ice and grabbed a pitcher of tea from the fridge.

Lack of information made it damned hard for him to know what to do.

Who had helped Samantha make Carlotta disappear? Why had Carlotta hired Samantha in the first place? Where was the woman now and what made her worth all of this trouble?

There were too many unanswered questions.

Caleb grabbed the glasses and found Samantha sitting in the middle of his bed. A warmth filled his chest. She looked as if she belonged here, in his space, his bed.

Dressed casually in jean shorts and a T-shirt that hugged her curves, she sat cross-legged, her gaze intent on the laptop as her fingers flew over the keys. “Someone busting your balls?”

He leaned a shoulder against the archway. “How much did you hear?”

“Not much, but over the years I’ve grown accustomed to the tone you use when you’re annoyed.”

“I’m sure you have,” he said dryly. “What’re you working on?”

“Hmm?” Her fingers kept working as she finally spared him a glance. “Oh, a friend of mine has a non-profit and I’m helping him with some funding paperwork.”

“Him?”

“Yeah, Mike Harris. He runs a youth home outside of town. You know him?”

Prominent businessman turned savior to Austin’s youth? “Heard of him. Decent guy if the rumors are correct.”

“The rumors are very correct. He’s the best of the best. I swear the man’s a saint.”

An uncomfortable feeling tightened Caleb’s gut. “Are you two close?”

“We’re friends, colleagues.” She sighed and closed her laptop, giving him her full attention. “I do a lot of work for local charities, fundraising and such. Was there something specific you wanted to know?” Her eyes sparkled with mischief.

There was a hell of a lot he wanted to know, but he wouldn’t give her the satisfaction of cornering him. He shrugged nonchalantly. “I’m curious about you, that’s all.” And there were more pressing issues Caleb wanted to discuss. “You about done here?”

Her mouth eased into a sexy grin and he went rock hard, instantly imagining her on her knees as he pumped between those succulent lips.

“You’re insatiable,” she accused. Then, as if she’d just noticed the extra glass in his hand, “You brought me tea?”

“When it comes to you, I am.” He moved to her. “And yes, I thought you might be thirsty, what with all the heavy typing you’ve been doing in here.”

“Ha, ha.” She took a long drink before reaching to set the glass on the side table. She moved the laptop out of the way before stretching, cat-like, across his bed, arching her back until her breasts strained toward the ceiling. “So, tough guy, is there a reason you interrupted my work?”

Caleb was, again, struck by her beauty. He’d had her more times than he could count over the last few days and it still hadn’t been enough. He feared he’d never get enough.

She moved her hands over her breasts, caressing over her nipples with her thumbs until they were sharp peaks. She moved down her torso to her waistband. Her stomach flattened further as she rolled her hips, creating space for her hand to slip inside her shorts.

Caleb groaned, wanting nothing more than to strip her naked and fuck the shit out of her. If they’d had more time, he’d already be balls-deep inside her. “As much as I love how you think, darlin’, we don’t have time for that now.”

He breathed a quiet sigh of relief when her hand stopped its downward movement. If she’d gotten any closer to touching herself, he’d have lost all restraint and they’d end up missing the fundraiser all together.

“Why don’t we have time?”

Damn her wandering hands. His mouth watered as she cupped her breasts, raising them in offering. “Stop. Damn distracting woman. I’m taking you out tonight and you’ll need something to wear. We need to go shopping.”

She looked playfully skeptical as she propped herself up on her elbows. “You mean you’ll actually take me outside where it’s unsafe?”

“What do you mean? You went out yesterday with Amanda. What do you say? We can’t stay locked up in here forever, right?”

“Shopping?”

“Yep.”

“I’m sure I have something at my place that’s appropriate. What’s the dress code?”

Caleb laughed. Of all things, he hadn’t expected Samantha to argue about shopping. He remembered she did a lot of pro-bono work; maybe she was concerned about money.

“It’s on me,” he assured her. “Whatever you need for tonight.”

Clearly not the right response.

She jumped from the bed and was in his face in a heartbeat. “I can buy my own clothes, thank you very much. I just don’t see the need when I have perfectly good clothes at home.”

Caleb shook his head, forever baffled by this woman. Unable to do anything else, he pressed his lips to hers, swallowing her surprise.

He loved kissing her. She gave as good as she got, always fighting him for control. Not this time.

She melted against him and he felt her give over to the pleasure of their kiss. He urged her lips open, nipping and teasing as he circled her tongue, drawing the very taste of her into his mouth.

He took his time, enjoying the feel of her. His hands curled around the curve of her ass, his fingers digging into the denim that hugged her soft flesh.

He released her, breathless, aching, and cursing the clock. Maybe he should let her pick something from her own closet. It would be much faster and then he’d have time to get her naked now.

No. He didn’t understand it, but he was overwhelmed with the desire to see her in something worn just for him. He rested his forehead against hers, unwilling to break contact just yet.

“It’s just a dress, sweetheart.”

“How about I let you buy me lunch? We’ll talk about the shopping.”

Caleb chuckled, confident he’d won the battle. “Deal.”

* * *

Shopping with Caleb hadn’t been quite the nightmare she’d expected. Samantha stared at herself in the mirror and smiled. This was the fifth one she’d tried on and he still wouldn’t tell her why she needed a fancy dr
ess. But jeez, the man had good taste.

Samantha swiveled her hips, testing the flow of the material around her thighs. The gorgeous black dress was held up by thin wisps of jewel encrusted silk. Its neckline dipped and hugged her breasts, raising them into impressive cleavage. The fabric held tight to her sides, only to flair out into a skirt that barely hit her mid-thigh. Paired with three-inch heels, her legs would look amazing.

What she wouldn’t give to have those heels right now, before she went out and modeled for him again. They’d definitely be sexier than the flip-flops she was wearing.

Samantha had never been much of a shopper. In fact, she avoided places like this as much as she could. Reminded her too much of things best forgotten. Not to mention the fact that most of her clients were non-profit organizations or people who couldn’t afford other legal means. Oh, she took enough high paying gigs to pay her bills, and there was always the trust fund her grandfather had left her, but it was inappropriate to walk into a woman’s shelter wearing Armani.

She frowned into the mirror. Was Caleb serious about buying her a dress? In her experience, a man didn’t buy a woman something so personal unless they wanted something. Since she’d already fucked him nine ways to Sunday, she couldn’t imagine what was left for him to want. She wouldn’t allow him to pay for her outfit, so it didn’t matter anyway.

“What do you think of this one?” She faked a runway walk out of the dressing room, hoping she didn’t look like a complete idiot.

Caleb’s gaze darkened. He shifted in the straight back chair that looked far too delicate under all those muscles. “Come closer. Let me see you.”

Samantha laughed as he stood. He took her hand and turned her under his arm.

“Mmm, mmm.” He whistled. “That dress could make a man jealous of fabric.”

“You? Jealous?” Samantha shuddered at the desire in his eyes. He looked her over as if he owned every inch of her. Instead of being angry at his possessive look, she felt powerful, strong. No man would ever own her, but she was starting to think belonging to Caleb wouldn’t be such a bad thing. Even if it was temporary.

She swept a hand over her belly and looked at him through her lashes. “Is this what you had in mind?”

Caleb sank back into the chair and urged her between his knees. “We’re gettin’ close, sugar. There’re a few things I need to check first. Turn around.”

Her breath hitched as the heat from his hands surrounded her hips. If he leaned forward, he could rub his face between her breasts. The way he eyed her, she knew he was thinking the same thing.

She glanced around, hoping they didn’t have an audience. She’d done a lot of things in her life, but sex in public wasn’t on her bucket list. Still, her body warmed at the idea of Caleb’s hands on her, inside her. He’d yet to do anything inappropriate, damn him, but she still felt naked under his gaze, as if he knew all her secrets.

She turned slowly and straightened her back, waiting to see what he did next. A gentle touch along her spine caused her to shiver. Her nipples hardened to tight peaks. As one hand trailed down her back, the other trailed up the side of her thigh.

“Your skin feels like velvet. So soft, I can’t help myself.”

She was barely aware of the hand squeezing her hip, focusing instead on the hand that eased under the hem of the dress, teasing the back of her thigh. She stopped breathing all together when he reached the curve of her ass; her eyes drifted closed as he traced the rounded edge.

“Open your eyes, Samantha. Look how beautiful you are.”