Taming the Boy Next Door (11 page)

Chapter 21

“Wow, you are breathtaking.  Mark is a very lucky man.”

Sophie’s eyes filled with tears.  “No.  I am the lucky one.”

Caleb gently pulled her into a hug.  A year ago, he would have thrown himself at her feet and begged her not to get married. 
He had spent months pining for her, hoping she would see him as something other than her friend.  And when Mark had caught her eye, he had jeopardized her happiness in his jealous attempt to break them up.  But standing with her today, he felt nothing but joy.  Looking back, he didn’t doubt that he had loved her.  It had been a quiet, reserved love that had taught him what he was truly looking for. 

He smiled.  When he had met Jena, she moved into his heart so quickly, he hadn’t seen it coming.
  She had torn down his defenses, shattered the walls he had built, and taken up residence in his brain.  His every thought had been of her.  He needed her like he needed to breathe.  He held his breath until he saw her every day, basked in the joy of what she made him feel, and dreamed of her every night.  As cliché as it sounded, he had known right away that she belonged with him.  Jena was his forever.  He would help her cope with her past, he would love her fiercely in the present, and he would spend his entire future proving to her that she was the most important person in the world.

“I almost bought Jena an engagement ring today.”  The words were out of his mouth so quickly, he wasn’t sure if he had said them aloud.

Sophie’s jaw dropped.  “Are you serious?”  She giggled at the look on his face.

“Completely. 
There was an issue at the jeweler and I slipped your ring on her finger.  I wanted it to be real.  Soph, she was so completely gorgeous in that moment, I almost fell to my knees.” 

Sophie stepped forward and fixed his tie.  She smiled as he looked down at her.  “I love you, Caleb. Jena is amazing and you deserve to be happy.  We are here in paradise, for a wedding, with all of our family and friends.  Maybe you should ask her.”

“It’s way too soon.”  He shook his head.

“C, if Mark had asked me the first day I met him, I would have said yes.  I knew the second I saw him that he was it for me.  It’s never too soon.”

He took her hand and kissed her cheek.  “It’s time, kiddo.  You ready to become Mrs. Moretti?”

Sophie wiped her eyes and nodded.  “More than anything in the world.”

~~~

The evening was warm,
a light breeze blowing off the ocean.  With the sunset in the background, the music started and the guests all turned.  Sophie’s hands shook.  Layla handed her the bouquet and grinned.  “You look gorgeous, baby girl.” 

Sophie
wore a custom made Pnina Tornae gown.  After giving her original gown to Layla so she could marry her prince, she had made the trip to NYC and fallen head over heels with the first dress she tried on.  The lightly beaded bodice was fitted with a delicate halter that gave way to a completely open back.   The material hugged her body and flowed to the ground.  Lace covered the skirt, making it feminine and beautiful.  Her hair was pulled into a twist with wisps hanging loose around her face.  Her chocolate brown eyes sparkled in the candlelight. 

As the music
got louder, Mark stepped into the flower covered archway placed only feet from the ocean.  With wide eyes, he watched the bridesmaids make their way to the end of the makeshift aisle.  When Sophie stepped into view, he beamed with pride and love.  The music changed as his future walked toward him.

~~~

Caleb had to remind himself to breathe.  When Jena had stepped into view in her fitted red gown, his heart started to pound out of his chest.  He couldn’t concentrate on anything other than her grace as she walked forward and the smile on her face as she looked at his mother sitting in the second row.  His world tilted on its axis.  The joy on his mother’s face as she looked at the woman he loved was something he had never seen before.  Catching him staring, his mom winked and blew him a kiss.  He blushed.  He never blushed.

Seeing the guests stand as Sophie walked down the aisle, he forced himself to tear his eyes away from Jena.  The minute he did, he missed her.  He chuckled to himself.  He had turned into a teenager again with the sweaty palms and the adrenaline rush and the constant desire to lose himself in her body.  He was staring again.

As if sensing him, Jena’s eyes met his.  Time stood still.  Her smile was his undoing.  He smiled at her and she blushed.  “I love you.” He mouthed.

“I love you too.” She mouthed back.

She had said it.  For months he had imagined what the moment would feel like.  And as his best friend started his vows, pledging his life to the woman he loved, Caleb could think of nothing more than making Jena his.

~~~

The groomsmen all sat at a long table watching the bridesmaids dancing around Sophie.  It was a beautiful site.  The joy and love that was shared in this group was almost overwhelming.  Caleb took a steadying breath as he watched Jena sway back and forth.  His mind replayed the night before, his body responding remembering the way Jena had let him take control.  He had lost himself inside her so many times but it would never be enough.

“I know that look.”  Caleb’s head snapped up to see his mother standing above him. 

“You look beautiful, mom.”  He pulled a chair out for her and she sat.  “I’m so happy you and dad could be here to share this.”

“I remember when you would come home with Sophie.  You both smiled and laughed so
. I wondered if she would be the one to steal my son’s heart.”  She took his hand.  “But I see how you look at beautiful Jena.  And I see how she looks at my baby.  I am a very proud mama.”

Caleb s
ighed as he looked back at Jena. “She’s the one.”  Jena looked over and caught their stares.  She smiled.  “She stops my heart with that smile.”

“Your father asked me to marry him the first night we met.”

Caleb was shocked.  “What?”

“Time stands still when there is love, my son.  I knew he had lost your mother and I
would never take her place.  But from the moment I met him, I loved him.  Then I met you and I knew I was made to be your mother.  I took the leap of faith.  Seattle might be your leap.  Your father and I love you with all our hearts.  We would miss you very much but we will help you pack.”

Caleb laughed.  “
I am not sure if I should say thank you or be insulted.”  He kissed her on the cheek and stood.  “For now, I need to go make something right.”

He walked toward the stage where Steve was waiting for him.  It had been a lifetime since he had done anything like this in public. 
He had ruined a very important moment for his two friends and he couldn’t think of a gift more perfect that this.  Steve nodded as he spoke to the DJ.  Caleb took a deep breath.

“Can I get everyone’s attention, please?”  The crowd quieted and looked to the stage.  Steve handed Caleb the guitar and he laughed.  “You are leaving me alone up here then?”

Steve chuckled as he stepped from the stage.  “This is your moment, Allen.”

He caught Jena’s eye and smiled at her confusion.  Mark and Sophie walked toward the stage.  “What are you doing?”  Sophie whispered.

Caleb adjusted the guitar and leaned into the microphone.  “A little over a year ago, our happy couple here wasn’t so happy.  I really don’t remember why.  I am sure it had nothing to do with me.”  The group laughed.  “Rich and Molly were getting married that weekend and Marco here had a really amazing proposal planned.  Of course, none of us knew anything about it and someone started these rumors that Mark was running around town with another woman.  Turns out, it was the beautiful Layla West who just so happens to be Sophie’s sister.  You see, Mark had flown her sister out to surprise her.  It was a ridiculous plan but when you are in love, do you ever really know what you’re doing?”

Mark shook his head and the friends gathered in front of the stage. 
Jena’s eyes hadn’t left his. 

“So I began thinking about what I could get the man who has everything an
d the woman who has his heart.”  He strummed the guitar, tightening a string and taking a deep breath.  “Then it came to me.  Please raise your glasses for Mark and Sophie Moretti.  You are a beautiful couple and we have been lucky to be a part of your journey.  Please consider this my apology for everything, but especially for taking that moment at Rich and Molly’s wedding away from you.”

The crowd was silent.  With tears in his eyes, Caleb began to sing.

“Forever can never be long enough for me
To feel like I've had long enough with you
Forget the world now, we won't let them see
But there's one thing left to do
Now that the weight has lifted
Love has surely shifted my way
Marry me
Today and every day
Marry me
If I ever get the nerve to say "Hello" in this cafe
Say you will
Mm-hmm
Say you will
Mm-hmm”

Jena’s jaw dropped.  His voice was smooth and haunting.  She hadn’t known he could play or sing and in that moment, she feel even deeper.  Tears filled her eyes as she watched Mark and Sophie hold each other.  The moment could not have been more perfect.

“This is the song that Mark sang at our wedding.  He was going to propose after it but he didn’t get the chance.”  Molly took Jena’s hand.  “He has a beautiful heart, J.  Please don’t break it.”

“I won’t.”  She wiped her tears.  “I promise you that I won’t.”

Chapter 22

“Will you walk with me?”  Caleb took Jena’s hand and led her out of the ballroom.
  His pace was quick and she jogged to keep up. 

“Are you alright?” 

“I will be.”  Caleb pulled her into him.  His arms wrapped tightly around her shoulders and he inhaled her scent.  He kissed the top of her head.  “I just needed a minute.”

Her hands slid inside his jacket and hugged him back.  “Ok.”

His whole body shook.  “I’m sorry.”

Jena pulled away from him.  Tears fell down his cheeks.  “Baby, what’s wrong?”

He brushed the hair from her face, his stare intense.  “The last few weeks killed me.  I can’t lose you again.  Jena, I need you.”

“Hey,” She held his face in her hands.  “I’m right here.  I’m not going anywhere.  I love you so much, Caleb Allen.  We will figure all this out.  Together.  Do you understand me?”

He pulled her into his arms again.  “I have waited a lifetime to hear you say that.”  His lips found hers, his tongue begging for entrance.  As the kiss deepened, she moaned into his mouth.  “Want to get out of here?”

She nodded and giggled as he tossed her over his shoulder.  He ran out the back door and laughed as she struggled to get free. 
She hit his back making him laugh harder.  “Put me down.”

He loosened his grip and she slid down his body, feeling every muscled ridge of his chest and powerful stomach.  She smiled as she looked into his eyes.  “I know we have a lot to ta
lk about, J.  Tonight I just want to lose myself in you.”

“Yes.”  Her whisper was all he needed.

Caleb pulled her down on top of him in the sand.  The waves crashed in the background and the stars blanketed the sky.  “Make love to me.  You own me, Jena.  I’m yours.”

With her dark hair cascading down her shoulders and her eyes s
parking at him, Jena leaned in to kiss him.  “No.  I’m yours.”

Caleb reached between them, pulling up her dress and moaned as he felt her wetness.  She was the most responsive woman he had ever known and he felt powerful knowing he did that to her.  She stirred reactions in him that no one else had.  “I love you.”

Jena eased down his length, shuddering as she took him in all the way.  “I love you, too.”  She began to ride him slowly, memorizing every inch of him.  The way his piercing hit her in just the right spot, the way he fit inside her, filling every inch of her, the way his face relaxed every time their bodies joined.  The pressure always built right away.  Their bodies were made for each other. 

Caleb dug his hands into the sand.  Giving her his power proved everything to him.  He wanted to spend the rest of his life making love to
this woman.  “Promise me, when we are old and gray, that we will still be this much in love.”  His voice was low, his eyes hooded, sweat covering his brow.  He wanted to let go, explode inside her, fill her with everything he had. 

Her pace increased and she whimpered trying to answer him.  “I will love you even more then.”  She threw her head back and her body contracted around him, pulling and sque
ezing, demanding his release. 

Caleb grabbed her hips and began pounding into her.  Her back arched, her hands gripped for purpose and the wave of pleasure hit her again.  “Jena,” he yelled as his orgasm hit him with such force tha
t his toes curled.  His body shattered.  “Oh God, Jena. Don’t move.”

She stilled on top of him, his length still jerking inside her.  His thumb rubbed her
clit.  She sucked in a breath.  “Wh.. What are you doing?”

“Reminding you who makes you feel this way.  When you go back to Seattle, I want you to remember this.  Remember us.  Remember how good we feel.” 

She bit her lip as he continued to knead her.  Her legs began to shake and her body tensed around him.  He hardened inside her and her eyes widened as her orgasm ripped down her spine and exploded around him. 

He flipped her onto her back, pinning her hands above her head. 
“Who do you belong to, Jena?”  He slammed into her.

“You,” She cried.  Another slam.

“Who makes you feel this way?”  Slam.

“You.” Slam.  “Oh God.”

“Who makes that beautiful pussy come so hard you forget your own name?”  Slam.

She tossed
her head back and forth, the intensity of the strokes pushing her toward the edge. “You.”

“I’d kill for you, J.  I’d lay down my life for you.  You are everything to me.  Don’t you dare forget that.”

And with a yell from both of them, they crashed together, pleasure pouring from their bodies, sand covered limbs tangled, breathing labored. 

~~~

“Whoa.”  Kevin grabbed Andi’s hand as she stepped off the deck.  “Hold up, doll.”

“Hands off
, tandem.  I need some air.”

Kevin couldn’t help but laugh.  The woman drove him insane.  She had yet to figu
re out how beautiful she was.  Or how turned on she made him.  He would gladly give up any three-some for one night with the smart mouthed Andrea Allen.  “Your brother is down there beating cakes.”

Andi stopped. “
Doing what?”

“You know.  Pounding the duck.  Taking ole one eye to the optometrist.  Getting his tip wet.”  Kevin couldn’t help but smile when her face fell.

“Holy shit.  Enough.  I get it.”  Andi pulled her hand away from his and turned back to the hotel. 

“Storming the cotton gin, A little horizontal refreshment.
  Taking the skin boat to tuna town.”  He followed her.

“Kevin!” Andi walked faster.

“Wait.  I have more.  I know how much you enjoy these.”  His laugh echoed through the hall and she slammed the door to the ballroom.

~~~

Caleb and Jena walked hand and hand back to the hotel.  Even with sand in places it should never be, Caleb couldn’t help but smile. 

“So what happens now?”  Jena whispered.

“One of us packs.”  He stopped and pulled her into a hug.

She sighed.  “I can’t leave Seattle for another four weeks.  We are wrapping up a big clinical trial and I have to be there for that.”

“So I pack.”  He shrugged.

“I can’t ask you to do that.
I’ll come home as soon as it’s finished.”  Jena grabbed his hand and started walking again.  “We can survive four weeks.  We have overcome worse.”

“I’ve waited thirty years for you.  I don’t know if I can wait any longer.”

Jena smiled.  “I love you, Mr. Allen.”

“I love you too, Dr. Turner.”

Chapter 23

“All first class passengers on
Flight 2740 to Los Angeles are now welcome to board at gate 11.” 

Caleb grabbed Jena’s carry on and smiled.  He knew that it would only be a few hours before he had to say goodbye to her again.  He had thought long and hard about her decision to come back to LA after the completion of her clinical trial.  After tossing and turning for hours, he woke her up and offered once more to move to Seattle.  After declining again, she wrapped herself around him and they fell into restful slumber.  “If it’s alright with you, I’d like to come to Seattle next weekend.” 

Jena winked.  “I would love that.”  She took his hand and he sighed.  “Caleb, please don’t be so worried about us.  I promise we will make it through the next few weeks.”

He lowered his voice.  “We haven’t talked much about what happened to make you run.  I’ve been hesitant to bring it up because I
didn’t want to ruin what we had started again.  I am here for you every second of every day.  If you need to talk, please call me.  I will be on the next plane out.”

She smiled at him with tears in her eyes.  “Kevin introduced me to an amazing therapist.  We talked every night
for the weeks I was gone.  I would like you to come to an appointment with me.  Maybe it will help you realize that we are ok.”

“I would be honored to, Jena.”  He leaned in and kissed her gently on the lips. 
“Someday I want to understand it all.  I want to hear everything you are willing to share.  But I won’t push you.  As long as you are by my side, I will make sure you are safe.”

Jena tucked her body into his side, breathing in his minty smell.  As he leaned his head back and closed his eyes, she watched his face.  His dark lashes fanned across his cheeks.
  She knew that just underneath those lashes were the most beautiful emerald eyes that sparkled when he smiled.  A hint of sunburn lined his cheeks, making his freckles stand out even more.  His full lips held the promise of a million passionate kisses.  His large hands wrapped around her and she never wanted to let go.

“You are staring at me.”  Caleb’s eyes didn’t open.  He smiled his crooked smile, with his amazing straight teeth and glorious dimple, and she melted. 

“I would give anything to have you getting lost in me just one more time before I head home.  You always tell me about how wet I am.  Truth is, I’m soaked everything I think of you.  Know what turns me on the most?”

Caleb took a deep breath.  “Yes.”

“I love the sound we make when our bodies are joined.  The way your skin slaps against mine, the sound of my excitement when you slide into me.  You make the most amazing sound when you come.”

He groaned.  “You
’re trying to kill me, aren’t you?”

“Is it working?”  She laughed when his body stirred.

“Making love to you is my favorite thing in the world.  Nothing has ever felt so good, J. I could do it a thousand times a day and never get enough.”

She blushed and purred in his ear.  “It
feels better than good.”

He whispered.  “If we were alone right now, I would have you
tied to my bed, legs spread, tasting your sweetness. I want to cover you in whipped cream and lick every ounce of it off your body while you squirm all over the mattress. You would be begging me to make you come.  I love how you contract around my fingers, my cock, my mouth.  You are always so ready for me.  So wet.”  She shifted in her seat and he continued.  “I love sliding into you, hitting that sweet spot.  Watching you throw your head back as your whole body tightens up before you explode around me.”

She moaned.
“I’m so turned on right now.”

Caleb grabbed the blanket from the overhead compartment and spread it out over her. “Lean back, angel.  Let me ease some of that ache.”

~~~

Layla glanced back at Caleb, Jena, Andi and Kevin.  She smiled when she noticed the smile from her husband.  Ryan kissed her hand and closed his eyes.  “It’s nice to see everyone so happy.  I think Caleb and Jena are going to make it this time.  Caleb deserves a happy ending.”  Ryan chuckled and she hit his arm.  “Not like that.”

“I think they will, baby.  Jena loves him and whatever happened between them, it’s obviously over.  They make a good couple.”  Ryan rubbed his hands over Layla’s swollen belly. 

“What about Kevin and Andi?  Is it just me or do you think something is going on there too?”

“Caleb would kill him.  I don’t think our boy is ready to settle down yet.  And Andi would give him a run for his money in the asshole department.”  Ryan laughed when Layla rolled her eyes.

“He’s the godfather to our little one here.  Any way he will ever settle down?”  Layla’s concerned eyes had Ryan smiling.

“He saved my life.  And he would do it again so there is no doubt in my mind he would lay down his life for our baby.  But settling down with one woman?  Doubtful.  And one that is off limits already?  Never.”  Ryan shook his head.  “But he looks at her the way I look at you.  And that scares all of us.”

“How does he look at her?”

Ryan took Layla’s hand.  “Like everything in the world makes sense when she’s around.  Caleb noticed.  Trust me.”

Layla leaned her head back against the headrest and sighed.  “Boy or girl?”

“It’s a girl.  Guaranteed.”  Ryan smiled.

“You’re that sure?”

“I had a dream about her.  She’s going to be beautiful and strong like her mommy.  I am already the luckiest man on earth.  I can’t imagine anything better than this.”

~~~

Several hours later, Caleb stood at the gate awaiting the announcement that Jena’s flight to Seattle was boarding.  He held her close to his body, breathing her in, basking in her warmth.  “I love you.”

“I love you.”  Jena pulled him tighter.  “It’s only a few days.  We’ll be together next weekend.”  Her voice cracked.

“Are you trying to convince me or you?”

Jena’s cry broke free and she buried
her face in his chest.  “I’m sorry.”

“Oh baby.  Don’t apologize.  This trip was amazing.  I will never be able to thank you enough for this second chance at us.”

Jena’s body shook and he held her close. “Thank you for not giving up on me.  I know it won’t always be perfect but thank you for the chance to try.  You have healed a lifetime of pain.  I will never be able to thank you enough.”

A tear rolled down his cheek.  “Jena, if I beg, will you stay?”

She laughed and cried at once.  “Yes.  I don’t want to go.”