Take it All (Blinded by Love) (22 page)

“I’ll remember that for next time.”

“Good, you betta or I’ma bust a cap in yo’ ass, son.”

“It’s moments like this that I cherish the most,” Raine said, and Lennox could hear the grin in his voice.

Over the last couple weeks Raine and Lennox had grown closer and they now considered each other close friends. They didn’t see each other as much as she had Caleb and he was dating Courtney, but they made time at least once a week to go for coffee and talk. She had gone to him for advice on Caleb when things were weird and she didn’t know what to do. Raine listened as she ranted and at one time cried, thinking Caleb was seeing someone else but he was there to talk her out of the crazy thoughts and convinced her to just talk to him, that it wouldn’t do any harm to be upfront and just ask him.

“So, what’s up, what do you want?” she asked, sensing he wanted something.

“Can’t I call my good buddy to say hi?”

“Yeah, you can, and you do, but that’s not why you’re calling now,” she said, matter-of-factly.

She couldn’t see it but she heard the eye roll in his tone as he said, “I hate that you know me so well.”

“Uh, no you don’t, in fact I know,” she paused, clearing her throat, “you absolutely love it darling,” she said, in an airy British accent.

“True, but I was calling you to see if you and Caleb had plans tonight or tomorrow?”

Her eyebrow popped up in interest, “I don’t know, why?”

“Well, you know Courtney.”

“Not personally, but yeah, what about her?”

The line went silent and he didn’t say anything. “Raine, what’s going on?”

“She wants to meet you, with Caleb.”

Lennox’s head jerked back in surprise, “Okay, but why?”

“‘Cause, she wants to see that you have a boyfriend and when you and I hang out it isn’t me seeing you on the side.”

“You’re kidding me, right? I mean please tell me that’s a joke,” Lennox laughed, waiting for Raine to turn around and tell her he was kidding. But there was nothing but her laugh on the line; his was silent. “Oh my God, you aren’t kidding.”

“I wish I was, Lennox. So what do you think, can you?”

Lennox scoffed, “What I think is you need to get rid of her; clearly she’s crazy and has issues.”

“Lennox…”

“Raine, I’m serious, she doesn’t seem very confident if she needs proof that I have a boyfriend and you and I are friends I mean–”

“Will you or won’t you?” Raine cut her off. “I like her, Lennox.” His voice was soft, and almost pleading.

She sighed heavily, “Fine,” she said giving in, knowing how much he liked Courtney, “I’ll do it, but you owe me, and I mean big, like paying for coffee next time big.”

“Yes,” he exclaimed, “thank you, thank you, and thank you.”

“Yeah, yeah, when you thinking?”

“Tonight or tomorrow night, whichever works for you guys.”

“Not tonight,” she said, a little too quickly.

“Okay?”

“Caleb’s having some of his friends over and I haven’t met them yet, but tomorrow should be fine.”

“I’ll let Courtney know. I’m probably just going to hit the gym later then hang out at her place,” he told her.

“Okay well, have fun with that. Pump lots of iron and, did you record this convo for her, so she knows everything that was said?”

“Ha, you’re hilarious, hilarious I tell ya.”

“Oh, I know, but I gotta go. Caleb’s gonna be here in a few. I’ll text you later.”

“‘Kay, tell Caleb I say hey, and I’ll talk to you later.”

As Lennox hung up and dropped her cell phone into her purse, she heard a car honk and knew it was Caleb. She hopped off her bed and grabbed her bags, along with her coat and rushed out of her room and down the stairs.

“Caleb’s here, I’m leaving,” she shouted as she hit the last stair pulling her arm through one sleeve then holding her bags in the other hand and sliding her arm through the other sleeve.

“‘Kay sweetie, love you. Have a good night and
be safe
,” Kelli yelled from the kitchen, putting emphasis on the ending.

She rolled her eyes as she made her way to the door, saying, “Yeah, mom, see ya later, love you.”

Lennox closed the door behind her and made her way down the steps and walkway to the curb where Caleb was parked and waiting. She opened the door and pulled the seat forward, throwing her bag and purse on the back seat before pushing the chair back and climbing in.

“Hey baby,” Caleb said, leaning into her as she buckled up then turned to him, grinning as she met and claimed his lips with hers.

“Hi,” she whispered when they broke apart.

Caleb took her hand in his and pulled away from the curb. “Should I stop at Londyn’s so you can drop off your stuff now, since we’re right here?”

“Um, no, that won’t be necessary,” she said, coolly as she looked out the window, trying to keep her nerves at bay.

“Okay,” he said hesitantly.

Not looking at him she bit her bottom lip then quickly released it before she said, “I’m not staying at Londyn’s tonight.”

“Oh, Tatum’s then.”

“No.”

“Oh, am I bringing you home later; I thought that was your overnight bag,” he said, gesturing to her bag in the back seat.

“Not exactly, and yeah it is,” she trailed off, still looking out her window as Caleb turned onto Main Street and headed for the highway.

“Wanna expand on that, Lox?”

Lennox took a small breath before turning to face him. She saw his brows were knitted together in confusion, his jaw was tighter than normal and the muscle on the side faintly twitching.

She took in his face as she looked at him. His stubble was growing in from when he shaved after Valentine’s Day, and even though she loved his face clean shaven, she was beginning to love it even more with the stubble. She loved the way it scratched across her skin when they kissed or while they were doing more than kissing. She loved watching him rub his hand over it, scratching it. She loved brushing the pads of her fingers over it when they were just lying on his couch, watching a movie. And lastly, she knew she was going to love it even more when she felt it brush against her bare skin, in places he had yet to touch and that made her stomach clench in anticipation.

Letting his hand go and taking it in her right hand, her other arm lifted and curved around his shoulder and her hand rested on the back of his warm neck. The moment her hand touched his skin, tingles shot through her, and she started kneading the back of his neck with her fingers; something she started doing in the last couple weeks.

“What I’m trying to say is I’m not staying with anyone but
you
tonight, Caleb.”

She felt his body stiffen then just as quick relax under her touch. His head turned and his eyes found her gaze. That instant was all he needed to see it in her eyes, to see that she was serious and he had heard her correctly. Breaking eye contact, he checked over his shoulder before he signalled and changed lanes, pulling off to the side of the road. No sooner did he put the car in park did he reach over, unbuckle her seatbelt, and lift her up, pulling her into his lap.

“Oh, my God, Caleb–”

His lips cut her sentence off as they collided against hers, impatiently moving. Her arms slung around his neck as his curled around her waist, pulling her closer into him. She straddled him as she pulled her head back until their eyes met. No words were said as her hands fell down, and rested softly on his collarbone then slowly made their way up, over the stubble on his face and into his soft, tussled hair. She was so connected and mesmerized by him that she hadn’t notice her body moving over his until his head fell back against the seat. As she continued running her hands through his hair, a groan rumbled in his throat. She could feel him, between her legs, and through her jeans; the throbbing excitement that was all because of her. Their eyes burned into one another as bolts of electricity shot through them, creating an escalating ball of fire that was ready to combust at any given time. Their eyes were still locked and her body slowly moved into his when his hands gripped her and pulled her down so she was as close against him as possible, feeling him twitch again. “All you… beautiful,” his hoarse voice said in a murmur.

A moan escaped her as she crashed her lips against his. His tongue slid across her lip and they instantly parted as her tongue shot into his mouth, thoughtlessly seeking his. Her arms ringed around his neck once more while their tongues battled passionately. Caleb’s hands moved around and started undoing the buttons on her jacket then slid it down and tossed it to the side. His arms curled around her, and his hand found the hem of her shirt and slid under, feeling her warmth against his skin. With one hand on her back, his other smoothed around until it was flat against her stomach, then ever so softly and slowly, his thumb made circles up her ribs until he brushed the bottom of her right breast, causing another moan to vibrate inside his mouth. Covering her breast with his hand, he squeezed it tenderly and she bucked into him, both of them feeling the fire inside them burn deeper.

Finding it harder to keep control, Caleb abruptly stopped the kiss, his hand fell from her shirt and landed on her thigh, and their heavy breathing filled the car, as every window had fogged up. Lennox’s head fell forward into the crook of his neck as her breathing began to even out. Caleb’s hand smoothed over her backside while he kissed the top of her head a few times. “We should get going, baby,” his husky voice spoke into the darkened car and he kissed her once more on the side of her head before she climbed off him, and reclaimed her seat next to him.

She took his hand in hers as he pulled off the shoulder and back onto the highway; bringing his hand to her mouth she lightly touched her lips to his knuckles. Sensing his eyes on her, she looked up from under her lashes and smiled back at him as their drive back to his place and his friends stopping by couldn’t come to an end soon enough.

Pulling up in front of Caleb’s house, she saw all the lights on and people inside through the window; cars lined the street and the faint sound of music flowed out towards them. Getting out her eyes were on the window. “Thought you said only a few people were coming over?” she said laughing nervously.

“So did I, but I guess word got around I was having a party or something,” he said, taking her by the hand and walking up to the front door. He looked over at her and saw her lips pulled up between her teeth, “Don’t be nervous, they’re gonna love you, and you don’t have to do anything you don’t want to, got it?” His tone was firm as he reached up and used his thumb to pull her lip from her teeth.

“What do you mean?”

“They,” he started, jerking his head towards the house, “like to whip things out and do shit, the not so legal kinda shit.”

“Like brothel type shit?”

He laughed, “No, definitely nothing like that.” He took a deep breath before continuing, “It’s the reason why I’ve put off introducing you to anyone but Emerson and Reed; their idea of a good time at a get together like this, is sitting back drinking, shooting the shit and passing the dope around.”

Lennox nodded as she looked at the door in front of her, before the words blurted out of her mouth. “What if I wanted to try it?” It had never crossed her mind before, trying it, but since she started dating Caleb and she found out he did it, she became curious, wondering what it was like, just one hit; one hit to see how it made her feel, an experiment.

“Lennox,” he countered, surprised at what he had heard.

“What, Caleb, I’m just–”

“Just what, don’t think you have to sit there and smoke it just to fit in with these guys, or think it’s what I want you to do, it’s not; it’s the last fucking thing I want.” He dropped her hand and moved over father on the porch, away from the door.

“That’s not it, not in the least. I’ve never tried it, and I’ve never been in a situation where I had the option to try it, to see what it was like. It has nothing to do with you or trying to make your friends like me, it’s my own curiosity,” she protested in defence.

She knew she was contradicting herself in some ways, because on one hand, before Caleb, she wouldn’t have given a thought to being with someone who was in anyway involved with drugs. She would have walked away because it was her one deal breaker. She had heard firsthand, at the age of fifteen, what drugs could do to a relationship when her cousin Rachel went through an addiction problem and since then it had always been in the back of her mind never wanting to be put in that emotional turmoil that her mom’s side of the family went through. But on the other hand she knew people at work and school who smoked it and she hadn’t minded it, as long as it wasn’t forced on her.

Then Caleb came along and that principle went out the window. She was able to look past it and not end things because of it; she had seen him do it one night when they were watching movies at his place. He asked her if it was okay and she said it was fine, and it was. It was then the curiosity had set in, wondering what it was like, if it tasted as bad as it smelt; if it really did give you the munchies but most of all what it made you feel like. She had all these questions about it and she knew if she asked Caleb, he would tell her but a bigger part of her wanted to experience it on her own.