Once Upon a Love Story

by Beth D. Carter

“So, you never told me about Mississippi,” Caleb said after he pushed his empty plate away.

  “I think I did,” she countered. “I told you it was humid.”

  “I’ve never been to the south, but I believe it does contain more than just humidity. What city did you grow up in?”

  “Biloxi. All that it’s got going for itself is Keesler Air Force Base and a few casinos.”

  “Did you leave because of Katrina?”

  She shook her head. “I left sometime before she visited.”

  “Any family still there?”

  She bit her lip, not looking at him. How could she answer that without giving too much away? “My mother is still there.”

  “I take it talking of your mother is a touchy subject?”

  Her head snapped up, her eyes narrowing as they landed on his handsome face. “Why do you say that?”

  “Because you won’t make eye contact, your sentences are clipped and you have a pinched look around your mouth, as if you’re grinding your teeth together. I’m not a psychologist but I can add one plus one. Did she really tell you to get pregnant by the richest drug dealer?”

  Delilah gave up eating. She sat her fork down and pushed her plate away. “You know, you’re right. This is a touchy subject for me so why don’t I say my mother is still alive and she’s still in Biloxi. Now, what other asinine thing can we talk about?”

  “We can talk about whatever asinine thing you want to talk about. How about why you came to LA? Did you want to be an actress?”

  She sighed. “No and now, I think its best if I go.”

  She scooted out of the booth and stood.

  “Wait,” he said pleadingly, grabbing her hand. “I’m sorry. Please don’t walk away mad.”

  Against her better judgment, she nodded.

  Caleb wiped his mouth and followed her lead, standing and pulling out his wallet. He flung a few bills down onto the table.

  “What are you doing?” she asked.

  “I’m paying for our dinner.”

  “No, I meant why are you standing?”

  “I’m going to escort you to your car.”

  “I’m not driving you home,” she said, lifting her chin a little and staring him down.

  “All right,” he agreed quickly. “I’ll either call Jake or catch a cab.”

  “Jake was your friend that you came with?”

  “Yeah. He lives down the street from me.”

  “In Malibu,” she clarified.

  He nodded and then took her arm and escorted her out the door. As they walked in silence to her car, Delilah was acutely aware of the heat of his body, especially where his fingers curled around her upper arm. His fingers were long and callused, marking him a man who worked a lot with his hands. They looked nice against her dark skin.

  She yanked her thoughts away from that just as she yanked her arm away. She didn’t want to think of him in any romantic capacity.

  “I’m not driving you all the way to Malibu,” she stated firmly.

  “All right.”

  “It’s too far out of my way.”

  “I understand.”

  “I live in the complete other direction,” she continued.

  “Got it.”

  “So don’t bother begging me.”

  “I won’t.”

  She unlocked her car door and slid in. He took a step back and waved at her. Delilah backed up, gave him a wave and drove off, turning onto Sunset Boulevard. She glanced in her rear-view mirror to see him still standing there, staring after her. It occurred to her that she didn’t get his number or a way to contact him. Hell, she didn’t even know where he lived, except it was in Malibu. What was she supposed to do, troll the beaches until she found him again?

  Wait. Why did she want to find him again? He was so very much not the type of guy she usually went for. Then again, the guys she usually went for were assholes with a capital ASS. Caleb Tasker from Alaska seemed like a very nice man, and perhaps that’s why she felt so unsteady around him. She wasn’t used to nice men.

  Realizing she’d made up her mind long before she actually came to the conclusion, she made a U-turn at the next intersection, ignoring the no U-turn sign, and headed back to the Denny’s. He still stood outside trying to hail a taxi. When he saw her pull back into the parking lot, he turned, his head cocked inquisitively.

  She rolled down her window. “Get in.”

  “I thought Malibu was out of your way.”

  “Shut up before I change my mind.”

  He grinned and hurried to the passenger side, opening the door and sliding into the bucket seat. God, he was big. He made the small car feel like a casket. His knees were almost poking himself in the chest again, but he didn’t say a word of complaint. He simply watched her with those sky-blue eyes of his, and she instantly saw the smoldering sensuality lurking in their depths. Something deep inside her answered, flaring to life at the mating call that beckoned. She’d never slept with a white man, hadn’t even been attracted to one. But something about Caleb Tasker made every man in her past disappear from memory. Her heart hammered, her skin became clammy, and she could smell her own arousal. She just hoped like hell that he couldn’t.

  “Why did you come back?” he asked softly.

  “I, ah, felt sorry for you.”

  “Oh. Well, thank you. I couldn’t get Jake on the phone, so I was contemplating calling for a cab.”

  “He probably couldn’t hear at the party.”

  “You think that’s still going on?”

  She nodded. “Oh ya. Even though the official party might be over the after party will go until two or three in the morning.”

  “You didn’t want to stay for the after party?”

  “I wasn’t going to be paid so there wasn’t a reason to stay.”

  “You work at parties often?”

  “I try. It’s really good money for only a few hours standing around in a bathing suit. But a lot of girls are vying for these types of jobs.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Most of the time girls do these gigs to get noticed by someone, like a producer or a casting director.”

  “But not you? You said you didn’t want to be an actress.”

  “I said that’s not why I came to Los Angeles.”

  “So you do want to be an actress.”

  “No,” she insisted but then hesitated. She glanced at him before slowly shaking her head. “I like…I like to plan events.”

  “Like a wedding planner?”

  “Yeah, something like that. Or parties. Nothing too elaborate or outrageous but small, intimate events. I’d like to do that one day.”

  “You should come to River Ice. There isn’t any type of event planner there, you’d have a monopoly.”

  “I’ll tell you what. The next time you have a shindig let me know and I’ll come up there and put it together.”

  “It’s a deal,” he said with a huge grin.

  She rolled her eyes, but a smile played at the corners of her mouth. She was aware that she was indulging in a little flirtation but couldn’t summon the strength to care. What harm would it come to if she spent a little more time with the handsome Alaskan forest ranger? It wasn’t like she was going to sleep with him or develop feelings for him. And who would ever know that she spent the evening talking and chatting with him?

  The drive to Malibu went quickly. Their conversation involved a lot of drivel about the weather and what it was like living in Los Angeles versus River Ice. The banter was kept light-hearted, for which she was thankful. She didn’t need any deep, philosophical debates about, well, anything. He directed her to the house he was staying in and her mouth fell open at the very large home.

  “Wow,” she said as she pulled through the gate. “I bet you can see the ocean.”

  “Yeah, actually, it’s great. Why don’t you come in? I’ll make us some coffee before you head back.”

  She hesitated. Her plan had been to drop him off, not to come for a s
ocial call. She was being all kinds of stupid tonight. First having dinner with him and then driving him home. Plus, there was the attraction, as well. The more time she spent with him, the deeper that grew. Christ, that topped the list of dumbest things ever.

  He must have seen her hesitation because he held up his hands. “No strings. I swear it. Just coffee and company.”

  “I’m sitting here calling myself stupid for being alone with a man I just met, and that house looks mighty dark.”

  “That’s because I only have one lamp.”

  She raised her eyebrows at him in disbelief.

  “No, seriously,” he said. “My friend Thea let me use the house, but it’s not furnished. I got one lamp and a beach chair in the living room.”

  The mental picture made her smile. She couldn’t help it. There’d never been a man who had made her smile before and that sealed her decision. “Okay. One cup of coffee.”

  He gave her a heart-stopping sexy grin that made her belly clench. Good lord! She’d been on dates, men of her own kind who understood the score, but none had ever turned her on with just one look. Yet here she was, unable to tear herself from this white man’s side.

  She put her car in park and shut off the engine. He got out of his side and practically ran around to open her door, taking hold of her hand to help her out of the car. His roughed skin were the hands of a working man, but the fingers were long and tapered and warmed her palm. Damn it, his smile made her insides flutter and now his touch made her knees weak. This was bad.

  He pulled her up and his close proximity brought her flush against his own. Her breasts grazed his chest causing her nipples to instantly harden. She looked into his eyes and an awareness arced between them. Her attraction instantly turned into something more, something…electric. Christ, she wanted badly to squeeze her thighs together to try to control the lust rising up. Caleb reached up to run a finger down her cheek and the touch snapped her back to reality. She took a step back, putting the needed distance between them to break the hypnotic hold.

  Caleb gave her a warm, understanding smile before turning to walk toward the house, keeping hold of her hand. His thumb ran over the sensitive patch inside her wrist, and that one little caress kept the slow burn alive.

  At the door, he fished his keys out of his pocket and opened the door, finally letting go of her so he could go in and turn on his one lamp. She glanced at her fingers, glad to have a quick second to compose herself. Delilah took a deep breath of the salty night air and mentally multiplied by fours to calm down her libido. Four, eight, twelve, sixteen, twenty…

  “You can come on in,” Caleb deep voice rumbled over her.

  Delilah startled a little, flashed a smile and sashayed her way into the house. She was putting as much confidence in her step as she could, hoping it would actually take root and grow. Being around Caleb had her walking on quicksand.

  When he’d said that the house wasn’t furnished, he hadn’t been lying. The door led to a mud room which opened to the kitchen. Everything was white and stainless steel, very modern and very sterile. Her nose wrinkled as she turned in a circle. She stopped as her eyes fell upon the ceiling to floor windows that gave the breathtaking view of the ocean. The water shimmered with a thousand twinkling crystals.

  “Oh wow.”

  “I know,” he mused beside her. “The first night I was here all I did was sit and stare at that view.”

  “It feels as if I’m a princess in a castle.”

  He moved in behind her, close enough so she could feel his heat but without actually touching her. Her heart pounded.

  “Which Disney princess would you be?” he asked. His breath tickled right behind her ear.

  “Um,” she cleared her throat. All she had to do was turn her head and her mouth would press against his. “I-I’m not a child.”

  “No, you’re not.”

  His fingertips brushed her arm, traveling from her elbow down to her wrist. She shivered, but not from being cold. His mouth came down and lightly brushed against her shoulder. For a brief second, her eyes closed against the pleasure that coursed over her skin. Why did his lips feel so good against her? Why him?

  She took a few steps away from him. “Didn’t you, um, promise coffee?”

  “Oh. Yeah,” he replied and shook his head a little, as if clearing it. He turned and walked into the kitchen where he prepared the coffee pot. A second later, they were both staring at the machine as it began to percolate.

  “I’m sorry,” he said softly.

  “What?”

  He brought his blue gaze up to pin her. “I’m sorry for the kiss. It was wrong of me to do that without your permission.”

  “It’s okay,” she told him. “In the history of every kiss ever given the majority were taken without allowance.”

  “Edmund Vance Cooke wrote Kisses kept are wasted; Love is to be tasted.”

  She thought her heart would beat out of her chest. He stared at her with blue fire, so intense she almost melted in a puddle. She was just about ready to say to hell with her moral list and ethical code and jump his bones.

  “Babe, you’ve gotta stop looking at me like that,” he told her in a strangulated tone.

  She licked her lips, unable to break eye contact.

  He groaned and left the kitchen, walking toward her with determined strides. He looked like a man on a mission, a hunter who found his prey, and excitement flooded through her.

  As soon as he drew close enough, he reached for her. His grip firm but not bruising, and she stared up at him with wide eyes. His rigid cock pressed hot and heavy against her.

  “You’ve got to step away,” Caleb said with a ragged breath.

  “Why?”

  “Because I want to kiss you.”

  “Is that so bad?”

  “That’s not why I invited you here.”

  “I know.”

  “I don’t want you to feel pressured.”

  “I don’t.”

  “Delilah?”

  “Yeah?”

  “If I don’t kiss you right now, I think I might self-combust.”

  “Yes, Caleb,” she moaned just as his head swooped down and his lips claimed hers.

  She melted. He took a small nip on her upper lip before trailing smaller kisses across her bottom, licking each corner to coax her mouth open. As soon as she granted him access, Caleb slipped his tongue inside. Her knees went weak. Her mind went blank. The kiss was wild, raw, and completely unfiltered. Caleb’s hands slipped down to grab her around her waist and settle her more firmly between his thighs. She could feel his need for her. Slowly, his hands began to slide up, pushing her shirt up to reveal her flat tummy. His thumb brushed over her smooth skin, and she shivered. She broke the kiss to moan allowing Caleb to rain small kisses over her cheek and down her neck.

  “Caleb,” she managed to gasp.

  “Beautiful Delilah,” he murmured against her skin.

  “Caleb, stop,” she whispered. “Please. We need to stop.”

  Her words stopped him instantly. He stiffened and then the next second he walked away, back toward the kitchen, hunched like a wounded bear. She was left panting, disoriented, and strangely bereft.

  “I, ah, I need to go,” she told him, walking toward the door that led to the mud room.

  As she passed by him, he held out his hand.

  “Don’t go,” he murmured.

  All she had to do was take his hand, and the scary part was that it tempted her. Like the apple presented to Eve in the garden, and because of that, she needed to get away now.

  “I have to go.”

  He lowered his hand. “I want to see you again.”

  “Caleb-”

  “Please, Delilah. I have to see you again.”

  She caved. She wanted to see him again, too. “Give me your phone.”

  He slipped it out of his pocket and handed it to her. She quickly programmed her phone number into it before setting it back upon the island countertop.
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  She wanted to kiss him again. So very badly.

  But instead, she hurried out, closing the door behind her.

  ****

  He half listened as her car fled down the driveway, taking her from him. A very large part of him wanted to chase after and bring her back so he could claim her like a damn Neanderthal. Fortunately, the rational part of his brain won the battle to let her go in peace.

  Christ, what the hell had happened to him? His logic had completely fled, and his dick had taken over command of his body. All he’d wanted, no, all he craved, was to sink inside her warmth and fuck her until they both lost consciousness.

  That had never happened to him before! Even when teenage hormones had struck and all he could think about was getting Claire’s bra off, his body had never betrayed him quite so strongly.

  The passion scared him. With Claire everything had been, well, easy. It’d been simple and safe. They’d grown up together, they’d fallen in love with each other, and they’d promised themselves forever. He’d never had to worry about the pesky details like flirtation and seduction because Claire had always been there. Friendship had led to love which eventually had led to sex. And it’d been great. Life with Claire had been great. His sex life with Claire had been great.

  But Delilah and Claire were about as opposite as two people could be, and it wasn’t just skin color. Claire had been soft spoken, even tempered, and all her emotions had been on display with expressive eyes and an easy grin. Just being around her had been soothing. But there was hardly anything soothing about being around Delilah. She made him burn in a way he’d never burned before. When he’d first seen Delilah, he’d seen something sad in her eyes, a woman wrapped in a mystery, and he’d wanted to unwrap that prickly coat she wore like a cloak. But the more he’d talked to her, the more he wanted to talk to her. It’d been a long time since he’d really talked to a woman and something inside himself craved that attention.

  It was logical that he’d find another woman attractive, but he’d been unprepared for the force of lust that had slammed into him. If he wanted Delilah so badly what did that mean of the life he’d shared with Claire?

  Caleb was tired of thinking about it. His dick was still rock hard because every thought of Delilah sent his body back into throbbing mode. Pushing away from the kitchen island he stalked to the kitchen, disrobing down the hall and letting the garments fall where they may. He stepped into the shower attached to his bedroom and turned on the heat, letting the warmth cascade over his back. He didn’t want cold. He wanted to feel. To not be numb to everything.