The lower parts of the walls were covered in a gleaming oak wainscoting, and I’d painted the areas above a soft ivory to help warm and brighten the space.
“It took me forever to strip all the paint from the woodwork and remove the hideous wallpaper the previous owners put up, but it was totally worth it.”
Excitement coursed through my veins as I took his hand and pulled him into the parlor. “See all this awesome crown molding?” I waved my hand above me. “Can you believe someone would paint that? It’s ridiculous, right?” I was getting lost in describing all the work I’d done on the room so far. “And they laid down wall-to-wall carpet over these hardwood floors. A travesty! I ripped it all out and sanded it down. There were some boards here and there that needed replacing, but I was able to maintain the original flooring for the most part.”
Caleb’s hold on my hand tightened, forcing me to stay in place and calling my attention back to him.
“You’re saying you did all of this yourself?”
“Well, not all of it,” I answered. “I mean, I had to bring someone in to do the insulation, and I don’t know the first thing about wiring, so I had to hire an electrician—”
“But all of this, all the cosmetic stuff”—he waved his hand, encompassing the room—“you did all of this?”
The way he said it, the pride in his voice as he looked from the room to me, filled me with a warmth I’d never felt before. I couldn’t have stopped the smile that stretched across my face if I’d wanted to. “Well, I’m not done with the whole place yet. I have to take my time and work room by room, but yeah. I’m kind of a do-it-yourself nut. When I first saw this place, I knew it would be magnificent, and I wanted to be the one to bring it back to life.”
He turned me to face him completely and ran the backs of his fingers along my cheekbone in a gentle caress. “You’re pretty magnificent yourself, you know that?”
His words coupled with the sincerity in his voice made my stomach swoop in an all-too-familiar way. My body swayed closer, my face pressing into his touch. “You think so?” I asked on a breathless whisper.
“I know so. I already knew you were amazing, but what you’ve done with this place so far just proves I was right.”
My gaze traveled down to his lips, and I was instantly bombarded with the desire to feel them against my own. “Stop being sweet. It makes me want to kiss you.”
A seductive growl rumbled up his throat as he took a step closer. “Ask me to stay.”
“Huh?” I was so consumed by my need to feel every part of him against every part of me that I didn’t comprehend what he’d just said.
His fingers pressed beneath my chin, tilting my head up so I was looking into those fascinating blue eyes. “Ask me to stay the night and I promise I’ll spend hours kissing every single inch of you.”
Once again, my body and my brain went to war with each other. “I don’t know if that’s smart,” I said, letting my brain take control for a moment.
“Fuck being smart,” he ground out. “You want me just as much as I want you, so why fight it?”
“We drive each other crazy, Caleb. We argue constantly. Half the time we can’t even stand each other.”
“Admit it, that just makes the sex even better.”
He certainly wasn’t wrong about that. I was prepared to put up more of an argument when he closed the remaining few inches between us and pulled me against him. His hard cock pressed into my belly, instantly making me wet. “You can put up as much of a fight as you want, but I won’t give up until I have my fill. And gorgeous, with how hard you make me come every time I fuck you, I seriously doubt I’ll have my fill any time this century.”
My body officially won the battle with my brain.
“Caleb?”
“Yeah, sweetheart?”
“Stay the night with me.”
Chapter Twelve
Caleb
I wasn’t giving her a chance to change her mind. No fucking way. The second the invitation left her mouth, I slammed my lips against hers in a kiss that did nothing but fuel my need for Daphne.
She went completely pliant under my touch, letting me take the lead just like every other time we came together. “Bedroom,” I growled against her mouth while pawing at her ass through the silky material of her gown.
“Too far,” she panted, ripping at my bow tie. “Need you now.”
I was all too happy to accommodate, seeing as my cock was moments away from bursting through my pants. I fisted her dress in my hands and yanked it up to her hips, exposing my eyes to the sinful thigh-highs she was wearing beneath. Only thigh-highs and nothing else.
“Fuck me,” I groaned. “This is what you’ve been sporting under that dress all goddamn night?”
Her head fell into the crook of my neck where she planted a trail of fiery kisses. “I couldn’t wear panties with this dress. Now stop talking and fuck me.”
I moved until her back hit the wall just inside the parlor. Wrapping her hair around my fist, I pulled until her lips were at a perfect angle for me to feast on. It was just as hot, just as frenzied and demanding as it always was. Precum spilled from my dick at the thought of sinking inside her, but there was something else I just had to do first.
Dropping to my knees, I threw one of her legs over my shoulder and dove in, feasting on her like she was my last meal. I’d never tasted anything so fucking intoxicating in my whole life. Her head fell back against the wall with a loud thunk as her nails dug into my scalp on a sharp, keening cry. My cock got even harder at how responsive she was every time I touched her. It was the hottest thing I’d ever experienced.
“Oh god. Caleb!” she whimpered, thrusting her hips closer to my face. She was so close, I could tell just by the sounds she was making. But I needed her to get there now or I was likely to come in my pants.
I circled her clit with my tongue at the same time I shoved two fingers deep inside her heat. Curling them, I found that spot that would set her off. Daphne’s whimpers turned to moans for a second before becoming full-on cries of release as I rubbed and thrust and licked. I didn’t let up, prolonging her pleasure until her knee buckled.
I quickly slid her leg from my shoulder and shot up, gripping her waist to spin her until her chest hit the wall. “Tell me you’re protected,” I demanded, pulling her dress up over her ass before freeing my dick from my pants.
“What?”
“You on the pill?” I asked as I lined the head of my cock up with her slick entrance.
“I… yes, I’m on the pi—”
I drove into her bare before she had a chance to finish her sentence. Being skin to skin like that, feeling her clench around me without any barrier between us, was almost too much to bear.
“Ah, Christ!” I grunted, pulling almost all the way out. I slammed back in so hard Daphne shouted at the invasion.
“Don’t stop! Oh my god, Caleb. Harder!”
I fucked her as hard as I could. “Now try telling me this is a bad idea.” I gripped her wrists and lifted them above her head, caging them in place with one hand. With my free one, I brushed the hair off her shoulder and dropped my forehead there. Beads of sweat trailed down the back of my neck as I plowed in and out of her. Both of us were grunting and moaning with exertion.
“Let me touch you,” she pleaded, her pussy clenching me so tight I knew she was about to go off.
I lifted my head. “Next time, baby,” I breathed into her ear as I snaked my hand down her body until I could rub at her clit. “I’ve been dying to feel this ass pressed against me as I fucked you.”
She made a sound deep in her throat before throwing her head back against my shoulder and coming so violently she nearly screamed the house down.
There was no way I’d have been able to last, not when she clamped down around me like a vice. Two seconds after she came, I planted myself to the root and roared out my own release.
Starbursts exploded behind my eyelids, and I had to work to pull air into
my deflated lungs as we both trembled against each other. Her arms dropped limp to her sides when I finally released her hands, and I wrapped both of mine around her in an embrace, placing one of my palms flat against her chest right above her heart.
The beat of her heart eventually slowed to match mine. “Next time you try to talk yourself out of being with me just remember how that felt.”
Her back shook against my chest as a light giggle broke free. “I won’t be forgetting that any time soon. I don’t think I’m going to be able to walk after that.”
I pulled out, loving the thought of my cum still being inside her even though I no longer was. After tucking my dick back into my pants, I zipped up my fly and spun her around before scooping her up in my arms. She let out a startled yelp at the sudden motion and wrapped her arms around my neck. “What are you doing?”
“Carrying you to bed,” I answered as I moved toward the stairs. “It’s the least I could do after fucking you so good you aren’t able to walk.”
She smacked me on the chest with a laugh, and the sound did wonders in lifting the heavy weight of stress that had been resting on my shoulders since the run-in with my parents earlier that night. Being with her just did that for me; whether we were having sex or not, just her company was enough to beat the demons back.
“Such a gentleman,” she said in a fake deadpan.
I looked down at her and winked as I started to climb the stairs. “I’m nothing if not chivalrous, gorgeous. And to prove it, I’ll even let you have a short nap before I attack you again.”
Chapter Thirteen
Daphne
I woke with a jolt thanks to the clap of thunder outside that shook my entire house. A quick peek at my bedside clock showed it was barely after five in the morning. The sun wouldn’t be up for hours.
The rain beat against the windowpanes in my bedroom. I’d forgotten to draw the curtains the night before, so I had a front row seat to the storm raging just outside, but it wasn’t wind or the lightning that cut through the black sky that had me unsettled. It was the heavy arm wrapped around my waist.
Caleb had stayed the night. And despite knowing I probably should’ve woken him up and kicked him to the curb, I couldn’t bring myself to do it. The truth was I actually liked seeing him in my bed.
And that was the most frightening part about the whole thing. I could easily see myself falling for Caleb. And that was nothing more than a one-way ticket to another broken heart. He might not cheat on me like Stefan did, but he’d certainly hurt me in the long run. It was just in his nature. He wasn’t a guy who stuck around.
After meeting his parents the night before, I couldn’t very well blame him for that, seeing as he grew up like me, without a single person to show us what a healthy relationship looked like. But that didn’t change the fact that he was the type of guy who didn’t want to stick around. And I was the kind of girl who fell easily if I let myself get attached. That was the very reason I’d sworn off committed relationships after Stefan. I couldn’t go down that road again.
Been there, done that, and got the shitty T-shirt as a reminder of how bad it sucked.
Trying to fall back asleep—especially with Caleb’s temptingly warm body next to me—was going to be impossible, so instead of spending the next few hours tossing and turning, I decided to do something more meaningful with my time.
Climbing out of my cozy bed, I padded across the room to my dresser, pulling out a pair of underwear and a bra from the top drawer before digging through the one below it of old, tattered clothes I kept to wear when renovating. I grabbed a pair of paint-splattered overalls and a threadbare tank, then moved into the bathroom to get dressed.
I’d bought the house six months earlier and started fixing it up right away. Through a lot of sweat, a ton of tears, and the occasional bit of blood, I’d managed to get the entire downstairs completed, but with the exception of my own bedroom and bathroom—for practical purposes—the upstairs was still a construction zone. I treated it just like the downstairs, completing one room before starting the next, so when I left my bedroom I went straight to the one I’d designated as my office.
It was my second favorite room in the house, and for damn good reason. If it’d had an adjoining bathroom, I would’ve made it into my master suite. The entire back wall was nothing but built-in bookshelves that went from floor to ceiling. Across from that were huge, beautiful bay windows that gave me a stunning view of nothing but forest as far as I could see. I stuffed my earbuds in my ears, queued up my DIY playlist, and shoved my phone in the front pocket of my overalls. Then I got to work on sanding my kickass wall of shelves so I could stain them a beautiful cherry.
It was going to take me forever, but once I had them finished and could move on to the flooring, the room was going to be breathtaking.
I’d completely lost track of time, sanding while singing and dancing along to “Feel it Still” by Portugal, The Man, when two arms wrapped around me from behind, causing me to shriek and spin around, knocking the earbuds out in the process.
“Holy shit, Caleb!” I placed my hand on my chest to calm my racing heart, using the other one to smack his. “You almost gave me a heart attack, you jerk!”
He grinned down at me, pulling me even closer. His hair was rumpled, and his face was still adorably sleepy. Once I got over my fright, I was able to notice he was in nothing but his tuxedo pants from the night before. They were only zipped, left unbuttoned at the waist, so the tantalizing view of that deeply ridged V was peeking at me.
Beneath the arousal that came every time I looked at him, there was the discomfort thanks to that longing I’d woken up feeling. I needed space to clear my head and shake off the unsettled tension coiling in my gut.
“Sorry, sweetheart. I said your name, but I guess you didn’t hear me over the one-woman show you had going on in here.”
I flinched, suddenly embarrassed that he’d heard me sing. I was bad. Like the first few episodes of American Idol bad. You know, the ones where they show the worst of the worst before finally getting to the singers who would actually make it into the competition? Yeah, I was William Hung.
“Crap, I’m sorry. Was I too loud? I didn’t mean to wake you.”
“You didn’t. I woke on my own and came searching when I found you already gone. How long have you been up?”
“Uh, I’m not sure.” I took a step back and he thankfully let me go. I picked up the sanding block I’d been using and pretended to examine it. “I woke up a little after five.”
“You’ve been up for three hours already?”
My eyes got big. I looked back at the bay windows, but because of the storm rattling against the glass, the sun was nowhere to be seen. It still looked like it was nighttime outside. “Wow. It’s already after eight?”
“Yeah. You really get into this whole renovation thing, huh?”
I tucked the earbuds into the pocket with my phone and moved to the shelf I’d been working on before he showed up. I needed something to do with my hands, some way to keep my attention off his impeccable form, or I’d crumble. “Yeah, I guess. I get in the zone and lose track.”
I scrubbed furiously at one area on the wood until I’d stripped the spot of years of stains and paint.
His voice was directly behind me when he asked, “Why won’t you look at me?”
I blew out a breath and dropped the block before turning guilty eyes to Caleb. “I—” He made a face, the warning clear: Lie and pay the price. I amended what I was about to say. “What are we doing?”
His forehead wrinkled in bewilderment. “You mean right now?”
It was my turn to give him a look. It clearly stated, You know what I mean, asshole.
“I don’t know, Daph, we’re… having fun?” At the unhappy face I made, he quickly backpedaled. “I didn’t mean it like that. But do you really need a label on this? Why can’t we just enjoy it for however long it lasts without putting any pressure on ourselves? We like spending time wi
th each other.” His face went lazy with arousal, his eyelids going half-mast as he moved closer, placing his hands on my hips. “We really fucking like having sex with each other. Can’t that be enough, at least for right now?”
Could it? If we went into whatever this was with full disclosure and eyes wide open, with no strings attached, could it possibly work? It’s basically what I did with the other men I saw somewhat steadily. The only reason I hadn’t considered the same kind of arrangement with Caleb was because I felt things with him I hadn’t felt with any of those others. But if we made it clear from the very start….
Finally, after thinking, rethinking, and overthinking the situation, I answered, “Yeah. That can be enough.”
Caleb leaned back at the waist so he could get a better look at my face. “You sure?” he asked hesitantly, almost as if he was afraid I’d change my mind.
“I’m sure. If we both agree to just have fun and ride this out, then you’re right, there’s no pressure.”
He kept watching me, staying quiet for so long that I actually started to get concerned that he’d change his mind. “Are you for real?”
I tilted my head, not understanding the question. “How do you mean?”
“You’re hot as shit, you fuck like a dream, and you’re cool without any labels. You aren’t like any woman I’ve ever met before. So I have to ask, are you for real?”
I smiled seductively and rested my palms on his muscular chest, relishing the feel of the light smattering of chest hair beneath my fingers. “Oh, I assure you I’m very, very real. Pretty sure I proved that to you last night.”
He hummed appreciatively, sliding his hands down to the swell of my ass. “I wouldn’t be opposed to a little refresher.”
Enticing Daphne Page 8
