Winning Back His Wife (10 page)

“You know what you are, Caleb. You are a serial cheater. You
are one of those guys that just can’t keep it in your pants.”

“Stop calling me that, Neela. I am not a serial cheater,” he
shouted.

That was the reaction she was hoping for. She pushed harder.

“Yes you are! You slept with Lori when we were married and
then you continued to sleep with her when I left. That’s still cheating. Now
you want to be with me but you still can’t help going to her. You are a serial
cheater and you will always be one.” She was prepared to push further but Caleb’s
next words almost made her swallow her tongue.

“You think you know me, Neela. Well, here’s something you
don’t know about me,” he raged. “I’ve never had sex with anyone since you left
me five years ago.”

What could she say to top that?

****

“You must think I’m really stupid if you expect me to
believe that you have been celibate for the last five years?” Neela spat at her
husband.

“I don’t expect you to believe anything I say Neela, but it
is the truth,” he replied somberly.

“Well, then I guess Graig or Craig or whatever his name was
conceived through Immaculate Conception.” Sarcasm drenched her voice. “I know
you, Caleb. I know there is no possible way you can stay celibate for five
years. It’s highly impossible.”

“For some it may be impossible but not for me. Not when I
love you as much as I do.” His tone coupled with his words, was doing something
weird to her inside. Anger was slowly seeping away to be replaced by a deeper,
stronger emotion but she still needed answers.

“The next thing you’re going to tell me is that you didn’t
sleep with Lori five years ago, that those pictures were doctored to make you
look guilty. Right?” Her hand sliced through the air, her tone daring him to
deny her words.

“No. As much it kills me to admit it, those pictures were
real. Nothing I do can change that. I did sleep with Lori that night but I
never touched her or any other woman since then.” A part of her was really
hoping he would deny that but now Neela felt that familiar sense of hurt and
jealousy.

“I guess in the back of my mind I always believed that you
would come back. I believed here,” he touched the skin above his heart, “that
you would forgive me.” Pausing, his eyes searched out hers. “I hurt you once,
Neela, and I will regret that for the rest of my life. I made a promise to
myself after that. I promised that as long as I wore this ring, as long as my
heart belonged to you, I would never hurt you like that again.” He raised his
left hand, pointing at the single gold band she had placed there almost six
years ago.

He was making it so hard not to believe him. What if it was
true? What if he had kept his promise? What was stopping her from forgiving
him?

“Okay, so let’s say I believe you. Then that would mean that
Lori’s baby is not yours.”
Please
say it’s not.

“Biologically, no. But as far as the world knows, Craig is
my son and it has to stay that way.” That is not what she wanted to hear.

“Wait! I don’t understand that. You are not that child’s
father but you want everyone to believe you are. Have you lost your mind?” she
was yelling again, but she couldn’t help it.

“You don’t understand, Neela…”

“Well, help me, Caleb. Help me understand why this is so
important to you. You say you love me and you want us to be together, then tell
me why you are willing to claim Lori’s bastard.” Why was he doing this to them?

“Don’t, Neela. Don’t call him that. He’s not a bastard!” Tiredness
seeped through his voice.

“Dammit, Caleb, tell me what’s going on.” She stomped her
foot in frustration.

“I can’t,” he surrendered, wiping a hand down his weary
face. “I can’t talk about this anymore.” Long strides took him quickly towards
the stairs but Neela wasn’t accepting that. There was nothing keeping them from
being together now except that little secret, and she was going to find out
what is was.

Dashing across the floor passing him, she took the stairs
two at a time. Stopping on the second-to-last step she spun around, spreading
her legs and her arms in an attempt to cut him off.

Stopping in front of her Caleb said in a worn-out voice,
“Neela, please move.”

“Oh no! You started this and we are going to finish it. You
are going to tell me who you’re protecting.”

Her eyes level with his, she was able to see emotions flash
across the blue pools - confusion, sadness, pain, tiredness. Her heart squeezed
at it. Now she was actually seeing some of what he must be battling with.

“Neela…”

“No, Caleb. I’m not letting you pass until you tell me.”

She was only kidding herself if she really thought that she
could stop him from passing.

When his large hands clamped around her slender waist and
lifted her of the ground, she did the only thing she could think of. She threw
her hands around his neck and wrapped her jeans clad legs around his waist,
burying her face in his neck. God, he smelled so damn good!

Momentarily stunned by her actions, Caleb stood still with
her wrapped around him. When she didn’t make any move to dismount him, he
moved, taking the last two steps, his hands still on her tiny waist.

Neela could feel his muscles working as he moved steadily
towards his room but what she was more aware of was his arousal pressing
against her through the thin fabric of his pajama bottoms.

Outside his door, he stopped. Pressing her up against it, he
pulled away a little, their lower bodies still locked together.

In the semi-darkness of the hallway she could barely see his
face but in the silence she could hear his labored breathing. Against her
breast she could feel the stuttering of his heart.

He pressed his head against her neck, inhaling deeply. Neela
could sense that he was struggling for control. Burying her hand in his hair,
she held him close to her, absorbing his strength, his weakness, his pain.

Five years this man had waited for her, not out of loyalty
but out of love. To be loved like this was something so rare.

She wanted to hear him say it - to hear the words on his lips,
to feel it on her skin while she was this close to him. Nudging his head away
from her shoulder she lightly tugged on his hair.

Closing her eyes she rested her forehead against his and
made a secret wish before she asked. “Caleb, do you love me?”

Groaning, he brought a hand up to cup her jaw.

“Neela, sometimes I believe what I feel for you cannot be
called love. People survive after they’ve loved and lost. I don’t think I would
be able to survive if I ever lost you and I think that’s one of the reasons I
never gave up. I don’t think I would have survived otherwise.”

His genuine words tugged at her heart finally allowing her
to surrender completely to the emotions tumbling inside her. Tomorrow they
would deal with the issue of Lori and her child. Tonight was for her and Caleb.

Whispering his name, she touched her lips to his. He didn’t
react right away but when her wet tongue came out to caress his firm lips, they
opened on a growl that escaped from deep down. When her tongue slipped past his
teeth she tasted heaven. She had forgotten how it felt to truly be kissed by
this man.

His tongue mated with hers, driving her nerves to a higher
level. She whimpered when his teeth nibbled at her lips. He sucked, nipped,
teased and caressed, slowly pushing her over the edge.

A large hand slid under her top, skimming over soft skin
until it reached the firm mound of one breast. The buds tightened when his hand
cupped her through the thin laced bra.

She had missed this feeling. The feeling of completeness. Caleb’s
mouth released hers to cut across her jaw. His lips found the soft spot under
her ear and Neela moaned when his tongue flickered out to touch her there. She
pressed her body closer to his, silently begging for more. Tremors shot through
her from head to toe when Caleb applied gentle pressure to her breast.

“Caleb…” she whimpered.

“God, Neela, I love you so damn much.” His tortured whisper
brushed against her skin.

Reaching behind her for the doorknob, she turned it.

Invitation accepted, Caleb walked them through the opened
door, Neela shutting it behind them.

Stopping short of the large king-sized bed, Caleb gently
lowered her to her feet, her body sliding seductively against his.

Once on the ground, Neela looked up at her husband. This
beautiful man standing in front of her was hurting, his strong features
revealing a vulnerability she had never noticed before.

“Neela… Please tell me this is really happening. Tell me
that you are not going to change your mind,” he begged, desperation weighing
down each word.

Stepping back, she opened the space between them. Eyes fixed
on his face, she tugged her top above her head, letting it fall at her feet.
Caleb’s eyes darkened at the first view of her breast peeping through the red
lace.

Unbuttoning the jeans, she shimmied out of them while
kicking off her shoes.

Across the room she heard Caleb’s deep intake of breath as
at the same time his eyes clouded over with passion. How long had it been since
she witnessed this side of her husband?

Sinking onto the large king bed, she crawled backwards until
she was resting on the pillows and waited.

****

Caleb was in a mess. Watching Neela, a vision of astonishing
beauty, lying back like that on his bed in nothing but the slightest piece of
lace, was wreaking havoc with his senses. Red - his favorite color!

Five years had only made her more beautiful. Long, thick
legs travelled up to wide hips, a slim waist line, flat stomach. Higher, large
breasts spilled over the top of the red fabric. Her hair! Dear God, her hair.
That was his kryptonite. That mass of long thick curls, spread across the
pillows, beckoning him to come closer.

Undressing in half the time Neela did, Caleb took the same
path. Dressed only in his boxers alone, he crawled up the bed until he was
lying above her.

Cupping his face in her hands, she pulled him down to meet
her lips. Five years was a long time and restraint was the name of the game.

Slowly, he punished her lips. Taking control he teased,
torture so slow but yet so sweet.

She tasted just as she did the first time, of the sea and
vanilla. Her soft breath feathered against his lips, setting his soul on fire.
He craved her sweetness.

Her soft whimpers tangled with his low groans as passion,
want, and need ravished their starving bodies.

Caleb brushed kisses down her neck and chest until his lips
found its destination. Through the fabric, his teeth nipped at the swollen bud.
Neela arched, wanting- needing more.

“Caleb…?” she begged.

“I know, baby, I know” he growled reaching behind her to
unclasp her bra.

When the full mounds spilled free Caleb lowered his head to
take one of the peaks in his mouth.

All plans to take this slow went out the window when Neela’s
hand came up to stroke his arousal.

Later there would be time to take it slow, now he just needed
to be inside her.

What started off as a slow seduction, quickly turned into a
frenzied session of mind blowing, raw, and animalistic sex.

Later when heartbeats returned to normal, Caleb explored
every inch of her body, his tongue and hand taking her on a journey beyond this
world.

When sleep finally claimed the exhausted couple, the sun was
making its first appearance from behind the horizon.

****

She looked so beautiful, asleep in his bed where she
belonged. Curled up in a fetal position, her cheek rested in her palm. The
coverlet pulled over her, innocence embalmed her face.

Last night was exceptional. Being with her like that after
five long thirsty years was pure ecstasy.

How long it would last, he didn’t know. They made love
several times in the few short hours before the sun woke. Even though he had
repeatedly bared his heart to her, she never once said she loved him.

Then there was still the argument that had resulted with
them ending up in bed - why he couldn’t tell her the truth about Lori and Craig.

It was a hell of a thing when a man had to choose between
loyalty and love. Neela meant the world to him and keeping the truth from her
was something he wished he didn’t have to do.

He hated secrets but this secret was not his to tell. Too
many lives would be destroyed if Craig’s parentage ever came out.

The twins were already up and dressed. They were supposed to
spend the day at his parents’ so there was no need to wake her. After last
night she needed the rest.

Maybe there was some way to salvage this whole situation. If
there was truly a way, only one person he knew could help him.

When he needed advice there was only one place Caleb could
go - George Wilder. His father had a wealth of knowledge and Caleb needed some
of that right then because there was no possible way he could let his family go
again.

****

“It’s so good to see you, son. It almost seems that since
your wife’s return you have forgotten your old man,” the elder Wilder heartily
said, slapping Caleb on his shoulder.

“Forget you, Paps? Never. It’s just a lot of hard work when
a man is trying to woe his wife into forgiving him.” Something similar to pain
flashed across his father’s face but as the Wilder men were good at doing, it
was concealed in a heartbeat.

His father turned to the wide-glassed window that opened up
his ground level home office to the backyard. Caleb joined him to observe the
scene outside.

Helen Wilder sat on a lounge chair under the large weeping
willow tree. Next to her Daphne sat with her new son in hand.

Both looked on as KC and the twins ran a football across the
yard. As angry as he was with her, something in his chest moved when he saw her
like this.

“I am so happy to see her back to her old self.” Caleb knew
who his father was talking about - KC!

“Yeah, me too.” Both men took a sip out of the glasses in
their hand.

“I would do anything to protect them. You know that, right?”
George motioned to the family outside.

“I know, Dad.”

Turning to his son George Wilder questioned, a seriousness
in his tone that made Caleb’s hair stand on edge. “How are things with you and
your wife?”

Eyes still trained on the site outside, Caleb chose his
words carefully. “I honestly don’t know, Dad. I think we may have made some
progress but then again I may be wrong.” He took a swing of his Jack Daniels
again.