Seduced in Secret (3 page)

She probably had two or three hundred odd little gifts laying around her house from places he’d visited over the years.

Every single one had been a silent
I love you
.

She hadn’t seen the message.

But Caleb was patient, always had been. She’d been the one to sneak into Christmas presents early, while he would take his time with each and every one come the big day. He understood the value of taking his time and he was going to wait.

She lifted her bottle to her lips, took a slow, lingering drink and he looked down, as he always did, to stare at the ring.

But it wasn’t there.

He grabbed her hand.

“Hey!”

Cider splashed on both their hands as he unbalanced the bottle. He barely noticed.

“Damn it, Caleb!”

“Your ring.”

She stopped trying to pull her wrist away and an odd, strange silence fell around them.

Slowly, he looked up.

Tessa was looking off into the west. He’d worked so late into the evening, the sun was starting to set. It painted her skin with the softest of golds and the colors of the sky reflected in her eyes.

She was so damn beautiful it hurt to look at her.

She remained silent and he had to fight not to do anything.

Patience.

“I gave it back,” she said, her voice rough.

She tried to tug her hand away, but his grip instinctively tightened.

“You gave it back.”

Finally, she looked at him and managed a weak laugh. She shrugged and this time, when she pulled away, he let go. He didn’t have much choice because if he kept touching her now, he’d do something stupid.

“Yeah.” She lifted the bottle, but put it down without taking a single drink. Then, with shaking hands, she shoved her hair back. “I gave it back. You kept telling me it wasn’t right, Caleb. You were right. But when
aren’t
you?”

She shoved upright and paced away, folding her arms around her middle.

He wanted to beat his chest, wanted to grab her.

But she looked fragile and shaken.

He opened his mouth, searching for something to say. He’d been waiting for this. Hoping for it. Planning for it. Planning for it ever since he sent her that damn basket. Yeah, he’d been planning.
He
was the one who knew Tessa, understood her, loved her. He knew things about her that would probably surprise the hell out of her, had learned things that drove him crazy, and waiting for her was killing him.

If he’d had any sense at all, he would have just told her the day Tyson had proposed and fuck being the good guy.

But he’d waited. Because he was used to doing the
right
thing and the guy had proposed and she’d said yes. It had thrown him for a loop and Caleb hadn’t known what to do.

Sending her the basket had been equal parts desperation and dismay. She’d agreed to marry a man she didn’t really love—and Caleb
knew
she didn’t love Tyson. She was going to marry a man who’d never make her happy.

He’d never tease her. Never play with her. Never make her burn up inside the way Caleb knew he could.

She needed to know that.

So he’d started a half-ass plan to make her realize it.

The basket, phone calls, letters.

It was a case of obsession, plain and simple, and he knew it. He could get his ass locked up and if he was caught, he’d never practice law. Granted, it wasn’t likely he
would
be caught—he’d broken in the small, private practice where she worked as a manager of a pediatrician’s office and it was child’s play compared to all the
other
places he’d broken into.

He called her, late at night, using technology or just plain old subterfuge to disguise his voice. Again, child’s play.

The hard thing was waiting…and lying to her.

Because that was what he was doing and he knew it.

Waiting was the hard part.

The waiting was driving him insane. But now the ring was gone.

Mouth dry, he went to take another swig from his bottle only to find it empty.

Blankly, he stared at the bottle.

“Back in a minute,” he said, shaking his head.

He stood up but on his way inside, she got up and followed him.

He mutely held the door open and she followed.

On the way into the kitchen, he asked, “So what happened?”

“I just realized you were right—you told me a dozen times I didn’t love him. Lately, I’ve been thinking the same thing and…” She stopped and looked away, a blush settling over her cheeks.

He studied her for a minute, running his tongue across his teeth.

Then he headed into the kitchen. He rummaged through it and came out with a bottle of beer. Twisting off the cap, he sent it spinning through the air, hitting the trashcan dead center. Slowly, he looked back at her.

She had her arms wrapped around her middle.

And she was still blushing.

“Is it because
you
figured it out?” he asked, dread knotting inside him. “Or because your secret admirer got inside your head?”

What’s it matter?

Tessa slid him an odd look, clearly puzzled. “You know, you’ve been on me for months to wisen up over Tyson. Now I have.” She made a show of scratching her head. “But unless I’m imagining things, it almost sounds like you’re
irritated
.”

Now, head cocked, she lifted her cider to her lips and took a drink, staring at him, a dare in her eyes.

“What gives?” she asked after she lowered her bottle.

Blowing out a breath, Caleb stood there. He couldn’t answer her. Not for the life of him.

∞

Tessa had left.

Alone in the quiet of his house, he locked himself in his bathroom, taking another beer with him. He was hot and tired; the muscles in his leg screamed and his back on fire from the exertion. They hadn’t bothered him earlier, but he knew the kind of tricks the mind could play on a guy. Now that he wasn’t distracted by Tessa, now that he was alone, now that he was brooding, the physical pain was going to creep up on him.

He’d spent nine months renovating the house and getting it the way he wanted, and the bulk of that had been focused on the kitchen, the bedroom and the master bath. The sunken tub had provided untold relief for his messed up back and the heat from the shower jets soothed the muscles he continued to abuse.

Now, with his shoulders braced against the wall, he closed his eyes and let the water beat down around him as he thought about Tessa.

She’d given the ring back.

She had seemed…fine.

Almost happy, really.

No strain in her eyes and no tension lingering to stiffen her shoulders.

Happy, her soft mouth smiling…

Her mouth.

Caleb groaned and tipped his bottle back, taking another deep drink. He didn’t need to think about her mouth.

Although how could he not?

Absently, he put his beer down on the built-in shelf.

His cock pulsed and he closed his hand around it, his thoughts still centered on Tessa and her mouth. Her smile. Fisting his hand around his penis, he drew it up, then down. His cock jerked demandingly, his balls drawing up.

Here he was again, about to jack off again, while he held a picture of her in his mind. It was familiar territory, something he’d been doing since he was…hell. He couldn’t even remember how old he’d been the first time he fantasized about the pretty blonde across the street. Too young. But old enough to know she was the one he wanted. Pumping his hand up and down, the engorged head of his cock bobbed in time with his movements; he pictured her spread out on his bed.

Naked.

Her hands tied.

Tessa would like that.

It was beyond fucked up that he knew that, but he did and the knowledge tormented him.

He knew way too much about her reading material, and way too much about the things she fantasized about. All the things he wanted to do with her, she was already dreaming of having somebody
do
them.

He’d fist his hands around the rope stretching between her bound wrists, stare down in her wide, hungry eyes, and come inside her.

She’d moan.

She’d shudder and wrap her legs around him.

“Soon,” he muttered and then he shuddered as he started to come, his cock jerking. The shower washed the semen away and he stared through the spray of water.

Chapter Three

You haven’t called.

No.

I got your letter.

I know.

Cellphone in hand, Tessa chewed on her lip and read the message that popped up in her Facebook Messenger box, and then went back to staring at the image that represented her secret admirer.

She didn’t know who he was.

The name on his account wasn’t a name.

It read simply
SL15
as his name, and the longer version was
SLFifteen
.

Not much of a clue there.

Rubbing at her lip, she debated and then sent another message.

I gave the ring back.

I know.

She could have screamed.

Anybody ever tell you that you talk too much?

Daily.

Despite her frustration, she laughed.

When are we going to talk? As in, really talk?

Are you sure you’re ready to?

YES!

Her entire body lurched at the thought of it and she wanted to dance at the thought, laugh at the thought, shiver at the thought…burn.

Holding her breath, she waged a mental war and then told herself, “It’s now or never.”

You knew it wasn’t right for me. I don’t know how we know each other, but we do. I can feel it. So I broke it off. It’s done. Now I want to know what’s next. When do I get to meet you?

For a long time, there was no answer.

Then…

I dream about slipping into your room.

You’re asleep. You don’t even know I’m there.

Then I climb into bed with you and bring you awake with my mouth, with my hands, with my body. By the time you really wake up, I’m already fucking you, Tess.

Tessa had to squeeze her thighs together.

Tipping her head back, she stared up at the ceiling and waited until her head cleared before she tried to formulate an answer.

Don’t you think that will go over better if we meet? Talk?

We have met. We have talked. You see right through me. But you won’t see right through me when I’m inside you. On top of you.

She blew out a breath. Need was a beast inside her, and she wanted to ask him where on earth he wanted to meet.

Anywhere. Any time.

Then let’s meet, SL.

∞

Let’s meet.

Simple words.

Caleb drove a fist into the heavy bag he’d hung in his garage, a snarl on his lips.

Simple words.

Simple, simple, simple words and here he was, furious over them.

She wanted to meet some anonymous bastard for…for what? He didn’t know and the bitch of it all, the man wasn’t anonymous, it was
him
and he was furious—with
himself
.

First, he hated Tyson with a passion and now he found himself jealous of himself.

“You’ve lost your mind.”

He continued to pound on the bag for another forty minutes, right up until his internal clock went off and told himself he needed to get out of there, or he’d be late for his classes that afternoon. Six more months and he’d be done with school. Then…then what?

Because he wasn’t ready to go down that rabbit hole, he turned away from the bag and headed inside.

A quick shower, a meal that consisted of an apple and three hard-boiled eggs, and he was out the door, speeding through the mess that was construction traffic. The entire way, he brooded over the mess he’d inadvertently gotten himself into.

What was he doing?

He didn’t know.

He really didn’t know.

His phone rang and he answered it automatically, wishing he hadn’t after his brain processed who it was.

Tessa.

He wasn’t ready to talk to her. Not yet. Not now.

“I think we’re going to meet. I mean, like a date.”

Caleb had always been quick on his feet so he fired back a response even as his brain was shying away from what he’d committed to. “Meet? Like a date? About fucking time, Tessa. I’ve been trying to get you to go out with me ever since you told me no when I asked you to go to the prom with me.”

“Whatever. It’s not like you really wanted me to go with you anyway, Caleb.” Tessa sniffed. “You were just trying to get Missy Tanner jealous and it
worked
.”

No. I wasn’t. I asked Missy after you said no, to get you jealous…and it didn’t work.

“I’ll have you know that you broke my heart, Tess.” He kept his voice light, although he didn’t see what it mattered. She’d never believe she really had broken his heart—that day and every other time since then. “About fifty times now.”

“Whatever.”

“Cruel woman.” He sighed mournfully, cut into a gap in traffic, and hit the downtown exit, heading for the college campus. Parking was a bitch—always was here, but the only option was to live close to the college and
that
wasn’t happening. “Okay, if you’re not calling to ask me out, then why are you calling?”

“You’re in a weird mood, Caleb,” Tessa said. “The guy. Remember the guy?”

He grimaced. “Yeah. I remember the guy. FYI, I’ve got a class in forty and I’m in the labyrinth—a.k.a. the endless hunt for a parking space. This can’t be an hour long explanation, sugar.”

“Then quit being a dolt,” she said. “We’re going to meet. A date. Or…well. Ahem.”

His mental alarm started to blare. “What’s…” he echoed her throat clearing. “…mean?”

She didn’t answer and he did a quick backtrack through their chat from a couple hours ago.

Okay,
he
had planned on them meeting. Someplace public.

A date.

So he could…well. Yeah.

He hadn’t thought that far ahead yet.

“Tessa,” he said slowly. A car pulled out and he shot into the parking space, narrowly missing a truck that tried to steal it. When the guy flipped him and shoved his head out to start yelling at him, Caleb turned his head and stared him down. After about fifteen seconds of a silent stare down, the guy flipped him the bird again and drove off.