Wicked Lovers 06.5 Wicked All The Way (7 page)

Caleb let out the breath he hadn’t realized he’d been
holding. “Good. But if you didn’t like it, that was going to be tough shit for
you.”

Tyler laughed out loud from the door. “This is every bit as
entertaining as watching a toddler put his toy trucks down the toilet.”

Deke marched over to Tyler and punched him in the shoulder.
“Damn it. Last time Seth came for a playdate with my boy, he taught little Cal
to shove his toys down the john, too.”

That only made Tyler laugh more. “Just spreading the love
one crapper at a time.”

“Lord, what am I getting myself into with this whole
parenthood idea?” Hunter asked.

“Your children will have lots of stellar influences.” Caleb
gestured to Deke and Tyler.

Suddenly, he sensed someone behind him and turned to find
Carlotta in a soft pair of jeans and a red V-neck shirt that revealed enough
hint of cleavage to fire his blood again.

“Hello, everyone.”

Deke looked down, repressing a smile. “Hi, ma’am.”

Tyler wasn’t much more graceful, just more brazen as he
waved. “Good day so far?”

Caleb wanted to elbow the troublemaker.

Hunter drew in a deep breath, then approached Carlotta with
a gentle hug. “Thanks for your help with the house. I want to surprise Kata for
Christmas.” Then his son gestured toward him. “Don’t let the big guy give you a
hard time.”

Carlotta just flushed. “What is first on our agenda?”

#

Two evenings later, Carlotta sighed with a smile. The entire
house was looking largely transformed. With Tyler’s and Deke’s help, they had
torn out the half wall in the foyer, removed all the old carpet, and peeled
back the linoleum. Hunter had lent a hand until he had been forced to return to
active duty, and Carlotta had seen the worry on her daughter’s face as she’d
watched her husband walk out the door, not knowing if he would return again.
But Kata was strong—and she’d buried herself in work since Hunter’s departure.

Carlotta looked around the kids’ new house with a keen eye.
Drywall had been repaired and the cracked window replaced. She had scrubbed the
fireplace until the brick looked fresh. New paint had gone on every wall of the
house under her watchful eye. The new carpet had gone in with the help of
installers. The guys had laid the new hardwood floors and they gleamed in the
space, adding new life and vibrancy. The cabinets were stacked in the kitchen
and waiting for Deke and Tyler to return tomorrow to help. The fabricators
would come measure for the countertops as soon as the cabinets were in place
and had promised a quick turnaround. She had shopped earlier for new hardware
for the kitchen cabinets, as well as the bathroom fixtures. Time had not been
kind to the plastic faucets, and she had replaced them with something sturdier.
Somewhere in the middle of everything, Caleb had found the time to mow the
lawn, front and back.

He was an amazing man, and she could not deny that she liked
him more with every moment they spent together. They had not, however, had
another moment alone since that breath-stealing moment he had nearly seduced
her on the living room floor.

Carlotta wished very much that Hunter and his friends had
come just a bit later.

Across the kitchen, Caleb had removed his shirt and opened
the windows. The dusk was surprisingly warm. Sweat sheened across his body as
he lifted the cabinets across the new floor and set them in their place,
rearranging them until they fit in the space.

“You okay, Lottie?” he asked.

Now that they were finally alone again, she wondered what
might happen.

“Fine. I wish I did not have to go back to work tomorrow.”

He snorted. “You’ll get more sleep at home than you’ve been
getting with Mari and her two kids.”

As much as Carlotta loved her older daughter and her family,
she couldn’t deny that truth. She nodded. “Before I go, I would like to pick
out the light fixtures so you can hang them. Oh, and the curtain rods.”

He picked up a hammer from the floor and tossed it back in
his toolbox. She gawked at every ripple of his body as he moved. So strong and
male and… She sighed.

Caleb turned to her with a very knowing, very sexy grin.
“Something on your mind?”

She hesitated. As much as she wanted to talk about what had
nearly happened—or if she was honest, find out what the real deal would feel
like—she merely smiled. No way would she let Caleb near her before she had
showered. She smelled like paint and sweat and dirt. Not sexy.

“Dinner?”

With a nod, he stretched, reaching his big arms over his
head. Carlotta nearly swallowed her tongue. She really did not want to go back
to East Texas alone, without knowing what Caleb felt like against her, deep
inside her. But ladies never brought up sex. She bit her lip.

He just grinned at her. “Why don’t you shower here? You
brought a change of clothes, right?” When she nodded, he smoothed a hand over
her hair, tucking a strand behind her ear. “Good. Get ready. I’ll finish the
prep here and shower. We’ll grab some dinner and light fixtures, then come back
and…talk.”

Did he genuinely want to merely discuss things or was that
code for sex? She had not dated in so long, and Caleb kept her tied up in so
many knots, she was uncertain what to think.

But she merely nodded and got herself beneath a hot spray of
water. An hour later, she walked out of the master bathroom all put together
again with some minimal makeup and her clean hair flowing free. She had
splurged on a bit of perfume and hoped that it made him want to be near her.

He stepped out of the bathroom down the hall, and a cloud of
steam followed him. He looked beyond fine in a pair of jeans, a black T-shirt,
some boots, and a sly grin.

“You look good enough to eat,” he said in that low voice
that seduced her.

Carlotta felt heat climbing up her cheeks. “You do, too.”

“Hmm, how fast can we find dinner and shop? I can think of
something else I’d rather turn on besides light fixtures.”

The blood rushed up her face faster, but she edged closer to
him. “Very quickly, I hope.”

He tipped her chin up so she met his gaze. “I’ve tried to go
slow and give you space and time to think. I need you to tell me if you’re
feeling afraid or worried.”

“I am,” she admitted. “But not enough to stay away from
you.”

Caleb wrapped strong, hot hands around her face and looked
like he wanted to take possession of her lips. Then he gritted his teeth and
stepped back. “Nope. If I kiss you now, we’ll never make it out the door. We
both need food.” He took her hand. “Let’s go.”

She directed him to a small Italian place she had always
loved. The wait was about an hour, so they put their name in and drove to the
lighting store across the street. Keeping the tight budget in mind, she picked
out new lighting for the kitchen, bathrooms, and dining room on sale. Caleb
told the store owner he’d pick them up in the morning, then they headed back to
the restaurant.

The hostess seated them right away, and Caleb ordered a nice
bottle of wine. The lighting was low, the booths tall, the ambiance intimate.

He reached an arm around her and drew her closer. His very
touch warmed her through and through—but his stare blistered her with need. She
had not thought of intimacy with a man in years. Now, she could hardly think of
anything else—or anyone but him.

The wine arrived, and the waiter poured them each a glass.
She sipped hers with a little moan, then smiled at Caleb when his grip
tightened around her. They quickly ordered before the waiter scampered off.

“What do you see happening between us?” he asked suddenly in
a low voice.

Carlotta nearly choked. “Here is not the place to discuss
that.”

“That?” He raised a brow at her.

“You know…” She had been unable to drag her stare from his
rugged face just moments ago. Now she could not meet his gaze at all. “Sex.”

“So the sex we haven’t had yet. That’s all you see happening
between us?”

“No. You may have guessed that I am not the sort of woman to
sleep with a man without being serious or invested, and I know we have not
discussed—”

“I love you.”

His declaration knocked the air out of her lungs. Carlotta
gaped at him.

He cursed under his breath. “I know blurting it isn’t the
most romantic thing, and I should probably move more slowly and let you think
about this more. But I’ve been thinking about you since the night Hunter first
took you from your ex-husband and brought you to me. I’ve watched over you
since. I’ve wanted you since. And with every time I saw you, I got to know the
tender-hearted woman under your scars. Don’t tell me this is abrupt. I know how
I feel.”

Caleb wasn’t the sort of man to fall in love a great deal;
that went without saying. And she had not loved a man since Eduardo. She was
very fond of Caleb, wanted him desperately, respected and liked him… “I am
afraid of love. It sounds silly, I know. I never loved Gordon, and yet he still
hurt me very much. But loving someone gives them power.”

He brushed a knuckle down her cheek. “Trusting someone and
giving yourself to them can also free you from that fear.”

Her thoughts scrambled. He was right. “I never considered it
that way.”

“I think it’s time you did, Lottie. I want to make you
happy. But you have to let me try.”

Her breath seized. She probably did love him, and that
terrified part of her did not wish to admit it. But when her car had broken
down in August, had she called the roadside assistance company she paid each
year? No, she had called Caleb. Had she called an electrician when she had
experienced problems with her circuit breaker? Or called a coworker to help her
home after some outpatient surgery to help her ankle just before Halloween? In
every case, she had leaned on Caleb, knowing full well that he would be there
for her each and every time.

She licked her lips nervously, then sipped her wine. “You
are right. I have been a coward.”

Caleb cupped her face in his hand. “Not a coward, baby.
Cautious. Understandably so. But you know I would never hurt you like Gordon
did. I’m not married to my job anymore. I’ve learned a lot since my marriage.
No matter what, I would never stop listening to you.”

“I believe you.” She met his deep blue stare and felt
something in her chest give way, as if opening herself to the possibility of
love with this man. She fell a bit more.

For a long while, she had wished she could have a do-over
with her love life for the past twenty years. She had never imagined that her
do-over would not be a rehashing of her past, but a brand-new future.

He pressed a lingering kiss to her lips. She heard him growl
under his breath, then pull away. “You are dangerous to my restraint, baby. If
I wasn’t starving and didn’t have a long drive back to Tyler to take you home,
I’d suggest we skip dinner and…”

His long, slow smile made that little ache Caleb always
incited between her legs grow to something more urgent and needy.

Before she could take him up on his wonderfully
inappropriate offer, the waiter returned with their food. She dug into her
lasagna, and he moaned into a plate of spaghetti. A bushy Christmas tree took
up one corner of the room, its lights twinkling. Carols sung by Italian tenors
hummed in the background. The holidays were supposed to be a time of peace, of
being close to loved ones and celebrating all the joys in life. For the first
time in years, Carlotta had a reason to celebrate that didn’t have anything to
do with her children.

Caleb made her feel alive again—young again. Needed…as a
woman. Desired…as a lover. And yes, wicked. He made her feel very, very wicked.

Until him, she had not known how badly she needed that.

Between bites, he took a sip of wine, then turned to murmur
in her ear. “I can’t wait to have you naked again. Under me. Baby, I want to
fill you up so deep. I can’t wait to hear you pant my name as you grip every
inch of my cock with your body.”

She swallowed a lump of lasagna. With those words, a totally
different hunger overtook her. Food could be reheated. The oven at the kids’
house worked. In some ways, she felt as if she had been waiting decades to
start living again. She didn’t want to wait another minute.

“Can we leave now?”

He froze. “What are you saying?”

Carlotta clenched her fists, not sure how or if she could
say this out loud. “We have known each other more than two years. We have
waited, and now it feels like forever.”

“And a day,” he groaned and clasped her thigh in a strong
grip, his hand edging up under her skirt, so close to her wetness that she
gasped.

“Damn panties.”

“You were not going to touch me here?” The idea shocked
her—and aroused her.

“Oh, yeah, I was.” He sighed. “But it’s probably better if I
don’t. I want you to understand this is more than sex. I don’t know exactly how
much more, but I want to figure everything out with you.”

“I want that, too.” She smiled at him. Happy tears made her
nose tingle and her eyes simmer.

“I wanted to make love to you for the first time on a bed,
some place you could be comfortable. But with me staying at Deke and Kimber’s,
and you over at Mari’s… Hotel?”

She wrinkled her nose. “Impersonal.”

“Come back to my house with me. It will be a long drive to
Tyler, but you don’t know how many times I’ve fantasized about having you in my
bed.” Caleb kissed her neck.

Carlotta very much liked the idea of being with the strong
man in his big bed, feeling like she belonged with him, beside him. To him. She
could handle him now. She was stronger, and he understood. Caleb would not run
over her and neglect her feelings as Gordon had.

“Yes,” she breathed.

He pressed a hard, breathless kiss to her lips, then slid
out of the booth. A moment later, he returned with two boxes and a receipt.