Take it All (Blinded by Love) (40 page)

Caleb looked at his father, challenging him, knowing he didn’t believe he could follow through with getting clean and sober because in their eyes he’ll always be their disappointment and the black sheep of the family. Caleb reached across and took Lennox’s hand in his and entwined their fingers as he said, “Hope, I have hope on my side.”A small smile played on Lennox’s mouth as she held his hand tightly.

“Well, good luck,” his mom said, looking at the two of them, “Lennox, do your parents know about any of this?”

“No, not yet.”

“I see,” she said with a grimace, “well, I think you should go to NA meeting’s Caleb, they could really help you and I think Lennox should go with you.”

Lennox sat frozen to the couch not knowing what an NA meeting was and she didn’t want to ask and look like an idiot in front of Caleb and especially in front of his parents. “Narcotics Anonymous,” Haley said, finally speaking since hearing about Caleb’s relapse, looking at Lennox who was looking at her confused, “NA.”

Lennox nodded, “I’d like that, might help,” she said with a small shrug.

“It will give you a better understanding of what’s going on and how his choices don’t just effect him but the people who love and care about him,” Will spoke, looking directly at her, and even though he was across from her she felt tiny under his intimidating stare.

“I wanna go to some with you as well, Caleb,” Haley pleaded at him then looked to Lennox to make sure it was okay with her when she nodded encouragingly. Haley sunk back into the chair relieved, then went back to staring at the flower vase.

“Okay,” he agreed with a stiff nod, “but we should get going, Lennox.” Caleb stood and pulled a lost Lennox up with him to her feet and headed for the front door with his parents and Haley on their heels.

Lennox pulled her purse up her arm then was pulled into a hug by Haley who wrapped her arms around her waist so tight she was close to not being able to breathe. “Thank you,” she whispered so low, Lennox almost missed what she said.

“For what, sweetie?” Lennox asked, stunned as she looked at Caleb who looked as she felt.

“Coming into my brother’s life,” she sniffled, hugging her tighter, “and saving him.”

Lennox felt an overwhelming pang inside her. She hadn’t done anything except join him on a downward spiral to hell. She could only think of one way for it to stop and that was by giving him an ultimatum. An ultimatum that they both knew if he said no to, he would be continuing on this downward spiral alone. So in all honesty, she hadn’t saved anyone yet, she just hoped she was more important than the drugs. Hearing Haley say she saved him put added weight on her shoulders. Until he was on the road to recovery without a relapse, she really didn’t know where their road was going to take them. As much as she was hoping for a clear road from here on out, she wasn’t sure if it would go that way.

“Where’re we going now?” Lennox asked as she pulled her seatbelt on and watched Caleb do the same then start his car.

He turned the radio off before looking at her. He took in the way her hair was, down in loose waves with her bangs pinned back, like the day at the cafe. Her makeup was natural, one of the things he loved about her being she didn’t have to wear a lot of makeup to be beautiful; it came naturally to her. The weather was turning but it was still a bit chilly out so she was wearing his brown pullover hoodie, the one she always took off the hook on the back of his door and pulled on when she arrived Friday nights and her jeans with a tear in the knee with her purple chucks on her feet. He loved the way she looked. He’d never trade it in for a more girly one or sexy one; to him and in his eyes, she was everything he’d ever need and he wouldn’t change a damn thing about it.

“Caleb,” she called, with a small laugh, “what?”

“You wanna get married?”

Her lips parted as her jaw fell and her heart started beating faster, wondering if she had heard him right, “Married, like to you?” she asked confused and having no idea what was happening.

The serious expression on his face cracked and dissolved when he laughed. “Yeah Dove, to me,” he brushed a piece of hair away and off her shoulder, his eyes never breaking from hers.

“Umm... I...” she stuttered, “wait, are you asking me or–?”

“Yeah, well not like right now or anything but I mean in the future. Is marriage on the table for you?” he corrected with the half smile she loved so much.

Her shoulders fell and a smile broke out across her face, “Well when you say it like that, yeah, it’s on the table. What about you?”

He nodded, “Absolutely.”

Her smile widened, “Kids?”

He nodded again, his smile not wavering, “Little girl with your eyes and that laugh you do when something isn’t all that funny but you think it’s the funniest thing ever heard and who bites her lip when she’s nervous– like you’re doing now,” he said, his voice comforting and content.

Her lip slipped between her teeth before she said, “Boy, with your eyes; couldn’t imagine the world without more of them. Or that half smile you do that makes it so easy to give you anything you want; it’ll be double the trouble with a little boy who had that.”

Caleb moved into her, his half smile glowing, as he said, “Yeah, it would be.” Then tenderly he captured her lips with his, her mouth parting just enough for his tongue to slip inside and tangle fervently with hers until he pulled away abruptly, their breathing filling the car and fogging up the front windows. “We should go, I won’t be held responsible for what I do to you right here, in front of my parents house,” he said, smirking and his breathing evening out.

She looked out her window to their house, then back at him with a wide grin, “Don’t think that’s a good idea, there are other places we can park though,” she said, suggestively.

“What?” he asked, reeling back surprised.

“It was just an idea, thought it’d be something different for us to do, you know.” Her cheeks reddened with embarrassment as she turned to look away.

Caleb’s hand on her chin stopped her and pulled her back, gently, to face him as he spoke, “You never cease to amaze me, you know that.”

She grinned then leaned forward until her lips were beside his ear and she whispered, “So... I shouldn’t tell you I only suggested it because I can’t wait until we get back to your place and that I need you now, huh?”

“No, you probably shouldn’t have but a little too late,” he said, then turned back in his seat and sped away from his parents place with Lennox’s laugh filling the car.

“You sure you wanna do this here?” Caleb asked hovering above Lennox as he looked out the back windows’ making sure no one was around.

“Never been surer,” she said, lying naked underneath him, her hands undoing his belt then moving down to his button and zipper, pushing his jeans down until he was free.

He grinned down at her as his head dipped into her collarbone and he started trailing warm, soft kisses up her neck, his tongue gliding over different spots along the way. Lennox’s hands wrapped around his bicep as her other hand scratched up and down his back, a small moan sounding when his teeth grazed her earlobe. Her leg hooked around his waist and pulled him closer to her until she felt him twitch over her opening that was so desperately aching for him to be inside her.

“I don’t have a condom, baby,” he whispered.

“It’s okay; I just wanna feel you, all of you with nothing between us.”

“Me too, but are you–” he groaned into her neck as she reached between them, took him in her hand, and guiding him inside her; her leg wrapped around him pulling him down. In one swift rock of his hips he slid as deep as he could, her breath hitched and he paused, feeling her wrapped perfectly around him before he started moving, claiming her lips and smothering her moans at the same time.

Caleb moved slowly, taking his time as each move he made was precise and full of nothing but fluidity until his pace quickened as he felt her coming closer to her release. He pulled out, ignoring her cry, and lifted her up so he was sitting with her straddling him. She looked at him; her hands sliding through his hair as she moved over him and slowly lowered herself over him taking every inch of him. Their eyes stared back at one another as she started rocking her hips into him and a groan rumbled in his chest. He pulled her closer and his teeth sunk softly into her shoulder; leaving a faint imprint of him behind. Her hips moved quicker, grinding into him as her lips hungrily moved over his, her teeth biting and pulling on his bottom lip until she tasted blood on the tip of her tongue before her head flew back as she rode out her climax. His hands gripped her around the waist as his hips continued to move faster, his climax building. She wrapped her arms around him and buried her head into his neck, her lips kissing and nipping over his skin, his pace quickened and she knew he was close.

Her mouth found his ear and moaned, “Come on baby.” She flicked her tongue against his ear, “Come on baby, almost there.” Her arms tightened around him and her teeth softly bit the side of his neck as he took a final thrust before he released inside her.

Moments passed before she slowly peeled away from him, just enough to look at him with his head back against the seat, looking at the ceiling and his chest still heaving. Her hand ran along his cheek and he looked at her with amazement swirling in his eyes; he didn’t have to say anything, she could see it in his face and that was enough for her, “I know,” she agreed, her breathing returning to normal.

“Where’d that come from?” he asked smirking, as his breathing was still trying to even it out.

She chuckled, “I have no idea, I felt it, and so I went with it.”

“It was hot, baby.”

She pecked his lips then started to climb off his lap, “Glad you think so,” she said, pulling her jeans back on then slipped her arms through her bra and did the clasps up behind her back.

“Trust me Dove, I did,” he chuckled as he finished pulling on his jeans and doing his belt up. He reached forward and pulled the lever on the driver side seat so the chair folded over and he pushed the door open then climbed out; Lennox following after she pulled her shirt on over her head.

Lennox walked around the car and pulled open the door, “Now where?” she asked as she folded into the front seat, pulling her hair back into a messy bun.

“My place to get your car then I’m following you back to your place,” Caleb told her, starting the car and flipping through the radio stations until he found a station to listen to.

Lennox looked at him with her brows knitted together as she buckled her seatbelt, “Why?”

“We’re going to talk to your parents.” He put the car in drive and pulled away from the large bush they had parked behind that they had found as they detoured off a dirt road a few minutes from where his parents lived. The area had been empty with nothing around them; no farms or main roads for miles, but Caleb had parked behind the bush just in case.

“Are you sure you wanna do that now?” she asked, unsure whether it was a good idea or not. She wouldn’t normally be scared of telling her parents anything but this wasn’t just anything, this was her being involved with a drug addict and dealer and after what had happened to Rachel, she didn’t know how her parents were going to react. She hoped they were as they normally were; open and supportive, but once they found out she took money from them without asking or turning to them for guidance, she wasn’t sure how they’d take it.

“Yeah,” he took her hand and swept his lips over her knuckles, “I’m sure, that way it’s out and you’re not hiding anything from them,” he said, reassuring her with a squeeze of the hand.

She took a deep breath and held it before blowing it out her nose, “Okay,” she said hesitantly, biting her lip.

“It’ll be fine. Whatever happens we’ll make do and get through it– together,” he said, glancing at her and smiling.

She smiled then turned to face out her window. The ride back to Caleb’s wasn’t a long one and before she knew it he was pulling up behind her jeep. “I just have to run in and grab my stuff, and then we can go,” she said, as her seatbelt slid back into place and she pulled the handle to open her door.

“Why don’t you just leave it,” he suggested with s slight shrug.

She looked at him with raised brows, “Leave it?” she repeated puzzled.

“Yeah, you’ll be back Friday so just leave it. Bring some more things with you then and leave them here too, that way you’re not having to always pack a bag to bring.”

“Really?”

“Absolutely, then in the summer maybe we can look at finding a place of our own,” he said casually, trying not to laugh at the stunned look on her face, “I mean unless you don’t wanna live together until we’re married then that’s fine too.”

“You’re serious,” she unintentionally whispered, then cleared her throat, “you’re serious,” she repeated with a firmer and louder voice.

“When it comes to you, always, baby,” he grinned.

She nodded her head slowly, her head still consuming everything. “I don’t want to wait until we get married, summers fine– I mean perfect– I’m not old fashioned or anything.”

“Okay, then this summer we go looking for our own place, unless Emerson moves out between now and then,” he chuckled.