Falling for the Wingman (The Kelly Brothers, Book 3) (17 page)

Now came the hard part. He sat next to her and looked her in the eye. “I know you wrote those emails.”

Her face blanched, making her freckles stand out even more. Terror filled her eyes. Her mouth fell open, but no sound came out.

It was all the confirmation he needed. “Why?”

She turned away, crossing her arms around her chest in a self-hug. “Caleb, I…”

“I fell in love with the woman who wrote those letters, and I think I deserve to know why you deceived me.”

She snapped her gaze back to him. “You fell in love with me?”

“Damn it, Alex, is this some game to you?” He bolted from the couch and ran his fingers through his hair. Could he have been as wrong about her as he had been about her sister? Were they both cut from the same fabric?

Alex caught his hand and placed over the spot where her heart beat. The steady rhythm soothed his rattled confidence.

“Will you please give me a chance to explain?”

“I’m listening.”

She squeezed her eyes shut and drew in a deep breath. When she opened them again, the terror was gone, leaving only a silent plea for forgiveness. “I never set out to hurt you, Caleb. I was just so appalled by what Kourtney did that I wanted to spare you any pain while you were deployed. At first, it was simple enough to send a few emails to keep your spirits up and continue the illusion that you’d have someone waiting for you when you came home. I never intended for things to go where they did.” She closed the space between them, keeping his hand over her heart. “I never tried to make you fall in love with me, but I’m not sorry you did.”

He swallowed and tried to digest her confession. He wanted to believe her, but there were still too many unanswered questions. “You could’ve told me Sunday night.”

“Would you have believed me?” When he didn’t answer, she continued, “I knew you were still under Kourtney’s spell. And when I saw that you were finally starting to notice me, well, I…” She released his hand and turned away. “You were the one who said there was something wrong about lying to make someone fall in love with you.”

He reached into his pocket and squeezed his good luck charm.
How did things get so complicated? Do I even know what I want?

Alex seemed to grow farther and farther away as the seconds ticked by, even though she hadn’t moved an inch. If he didn’t say something soon, he risked losing her altogether. And he couldn’t bear that, not when he’d just discovered how wonderful she could be.

He guided her chin back toward him and waited for her to look at him. “I need to know the truth, Alex. All of it.”

“Where do you want me to start? With the fact I’ve always had a thing for you and that you’ve never noticed me? With the fact that I should’ve stopped those letters months ago, but I was too selfish to because I’d fallen in love with you? Or the fact that I’d only agreed to be your wingman this week in the hopes that maybe, just maybe, you would see me for me and forget about my sister?”

Tears glistened in her eyes, but she didn’t stop. “I know what I did was wrong, Caleb. I know I shouldn’t have played with your heart and deceived you, but I’m not lying when I tell you that I do love you, and I want you to be happy with whatever you decide, even if it means letting you go.”

Now it was his turn to be left speechless. His chest tightened from the influx of emotion, tearing away the last shreds of doubt. This was what he needed to hear. This was what needed to know. And now, there was nothing holding him back.

He pulled her into his arms. “Damn it, Alex,” he said just before kissing her.

She stiffened at first, but in a matter of seconds, she was kissing him back in the same unrestrained manner. The last walls keeping them apart tumbled down. Here was his home, the place where he was safe and loved, and he was going to do everything in his power to keep her.

She guided him toward her bedroom, never breaking their kiss. He tasted her love, her passion, her need with every flick of her tongue. He slipped his hands under her T-shirt, running his fingers along the soft skin of her back and waiting for the moment when he could help her shed the clothing between them.

They bumped into the mattress, and he was finally forced to gulp in a few breaths. Alex took the opportunity to whip off her shirt and jeans before helping him do the same. They fell into bed locked in each other’s arms, skin to skin, lips to lips. An ache formed at the base of his cock, intensifying with every roll of her hips beneath him.

“Where’s a condom?” he asked, his voice tight with desperation.

She blindly reached into her nightstand drawer and pulled one out. “Here.”

He slipped it on and positioned his cock. But instead of plunging inside like his body begged him to do, he paused and stared at the woman under him. There was no mistaking the love shining from her eyes as she looked up at him. A sense of wonder and contentment filled him. Out of all the men in the world, she wanted him. “I do see you, Alex.”

She stroked her fingers along his jaw, her smile widening. “I know that now.”

He slid into her and knew he’d found the only woman he’d need. Here in her arms, he was home.

Chapter Twelve

A harsh buzzing of an alarm pulled Caleb from the most blissful sleep of his life. Alex stirred beside him. He tightened his arms around her. “Five more minutes.”

She gave him a soft laugh and smacked the snooze button. “Easy for you to say. You’re not the one who has to open up the shop in half an hour.”

“Jermaine can open the shop.” He rolled on top of her and pinned her hands above her head. Arousal stirred in his blood and sent it straight to his cock. “How about you call in sick so we can stay in bed all day?”

A hum of contentment rose from her throat as she closed her eyes and appeared to ponder his offer, but in the end, she shook her head. “Sorry, but I played hooky yesterday, and the cars won’t fix themselves. Besides, I’ll have to leave early to get cleaned up for the rehearsal dinner.”

“And I suppose you’ll need a date for that.”

“If you want to tag along. I heard the McClures are doing some outdoors luau thing at their house.” She bit her bottom lip, and a mischievous glow warmed her brown eyes. “Besides, I promise you I’ll make it entertaining, maybe with a little horizontal hula later.”

“That still doesn’t take care of now.” He shifted so his growing erection pressed into her lower stomach.

“You are completely insatiable.”

“Only when it comes to you.” He tried to coax her into lingering in bed with another kiss, but her alarm blared to life again.

“Sorry, flyboy, but it’s time for this working girl to get up.” She placed a quick peck on his cheek. “Later.”

He shifted to the side to let her get up, already missing the warmth of her body next to his. Was it possible to become addicted to someone after only two nights?

The sound of a shower came from the bathroom, and Alex came out a few minutes later with damp hair and glowing skin. She grabbed a pair of coveralls from the closet. “I’ll start some coffee in the kitchen while you get dressed.”

“I’m still too exhausted to move.”

“Then I’m going to start questioning your stamina,” she teased. “I thought pilots were supposed to be endurance athletes.”

“Maybe you should come back to bed and continue my training.”

“Love to, but can’t. There’s a busted fuel injector downstairs with my name on it.”

“Ouch!” He threw his arm over his eyes. “I’m getting dumped for a fuel injector.”

She gave him a playful swat with her towel. “Just for a few hours.”

Her laughter followed her into the kitchen, and Caleb crawled out of bed. He could definitely get used to waking up to the sound of it every morning. He pulled the ring he’d bought for Kourtney out of his bag and stared at it. It was large and flashy, the kind of ring Kourtney would’ve liked. But it didn’t fit Alex. She’d like something plain and simple.

He snapped the jewelry box closed and stuffed it back in his bag. It was way too soon to be thinking about marriage proposals. First, he needed to see where things went with them now that he was home. If the last few days were any indication, though, he could see himself spending his future with Alex.

Caleb hopped in for a quick shower. After he got dressed, he found a sticky note on the front of the coffeemaker.
I’m downstairs if you need me
.

He looked at the no-nonsense scrawl and grinned. No hearts. No flowers. Just the essentials. He poured a cup of coffee and went down to the garage. The front doors were open, and several cars waited on the lifts, but not a soul was inside. A laugh came from the sidewalk outside and drew him there.

It seemed like the entire town had gathered along Main Street. Caleb hung back, watching the citizens chatting with each other over their morning coffee and catching up on the local news. A group with several people he recognized from his brief stay in town had formed near the garage. Miss Martha, the B&B owner. Miss Ada from the café. Earl from the bar. And in the heart of it was Alex. She beamed at her neighbors, completely relaxed and yet shining so brightly in her element that his breath hitched.

How could I have not seen her before?

He inched closer to the sidewalk, not wanting to interrupt the conversation, but still wanting to listen in. He’d gotten so absorbed listening that he never heard someone approaching him. A hand landed on his shoulder, and he jumped.

“Careful,” J.T. said, steadying Caleb’s coffee mug. The sunlight flashed on his police badge. “Wouldn’t want to charge me with assault after you got burned.”

“Sorry—didn’t see you.” He took a sip of the coffee and waited for his pulse to drop down a notch. “Is it always like this in the morning?”

“Just about. The whole town loves Alex.”

“I can see why.”

“It’s because she loves this town as much as her dad did. We all do. Me, Bubba, Lisa—we all could’ve left and gone someplace else, but there’s something about being home, you know?”

Caleb gave J.T. a tight smile and tried to imagine his old neighborhood in Chicago being like this. “That’s one of the sacrifices of being in the Air Force, though. I’m always having to PCS to the next base.”

“Yeah, I got a taste of that in the Army. Didn’t suit me.” J.T.’s face grew serious. “I don’t think it would suit Alex, either.”

A chill raced down Caleb’s spine, making his hair stand on end. “Meaning?”

“Just that. I like you and all—you seem like a great guy—but I also know Alex, and she’ll never leave this town. So before you let things go too far, just remember she’s not the type of girl who’d make a good military wife.”

His throat tightened. It was the same reason Kourtney had given him. “Thanks for the warning.”

“Hey, you Air Force guys have your heads in the clouds so much, it takes some of us Army guys to bring you back down to earth.” J.T. gave him a light smack on the shoulder before joining the conversation with Alex and the other small business owners.

He finished his coffee and disappeared upstairs as the crowd started dispersing to open up their shops along Main Street. The lively, high-pitched whirl of the machines below marked the start of the workday in the garage, but his mood remained somber. A shield of ice surrounded his heart.

Was he just fooling himself to think he had a future with Alex? Or would she end things with him for the same reason her sister had?

And if she did, would he be willing to let her go?

Or was he better off ending things first?

****

When Alex came upstairs to get cleaned up after work, she’d half expected Caleb to follow her into the shower like he’d done yesterday. But when she emerged from the bathroom, he was still in the same place she’d left him—on the couch with his eyes glued to the video game he was playing.

At least he was dressed for the rehearsal dinner party. He wore the same sport coat from the night in Atlanta, but he’d toned it down with a pair of jeans and a crisp, button-down shirt that matched his bright blue eyes. The result was sophisticated, but sexy as hell.

She leaned over and placed a kiss on his cheek. “I’ll be ready in a few minutes.”

“Okay,” he replied in a flat voice, his attention never leaving the game.

A chill rippled down her spine and shook her very core. This wasn’t the same Caleb from this morning who didn’t want to leave her bed. It was like a stranger had come and taken over his body. She backed away, holding on the towel wrapped around her for dear life. “Is something wrong?”

“Nope. Just waiting on you.”

Her gut tightened, and warning bells rang in the back of her mind. Something had changed, and she had no idea why.

She retreated to her bedroom and put on the same dress and heels she’d worn two nights ago. That got his attention last time. A few minutes later, she came out and announced, “I’m ready.”

He finally turned from the game. His face remained blank as he looked at her, but there was no hiding the heat in his eyes. He still wanted her, but everything else about him had reverted to indifference. He set the controller aside and stood. “Let’s go, then.”

She fought to keep her pain hidden. “Fine. We’ll take my truck.”