Mr. Right Next Door (Camp Firefly Falls Book 6)

by Farrah Rochon

  Geoff chimed in again. “As for tonight, have fun. Eat marshmallows, drink wine, and get to know one another.”

  Caleb turned to Leah, who lifted her shoulders in a what do you do? shrug. “I guess we should mingle.”

  They meandered around the grounds, introducing themselves to several of the couples they had not met because of their late arrival to the introductory session earlier this afternoon. As they chatted with a couple who happened to be from the D.C. area, Caleb noticed a forlorn look on Leah’s face. When the couple left to get more wine, Caleb pulled Leah aside.

  “Is everything okay?” he asked.

  She nodded, then shrugged. “I’m good,” she said. “It’s just that as I see all these couples, I realize that I never had any of this with Der— Mr. Lexus.”

  “Never had what?”

  “This,” she said, gesturing to the crowd. “Affection. The genuine affection I see here.” She pointed toward the fire pit. “Look how Mark’s hand is resting at the small of Marcy’s back. And those two over there.” She pointed to a couple they had yet to meet. “I’ve been watching them for the past twenty minutes. He’s always running his fingers along his wife’s arm, or down her back, or over her hair. Those little insignificant displays of affection mean so much.” She turned to Caleb. “I didn’t realize until tonight that they had been missing from my relationship.”

  Caleb took her hand and brought it to his lips.

  “What are you doing?” Leah asked.

  He leaned over and whispered in her ear. “Playing the doting fiancé,” he said. “If that’s what you need tonight, I’m more than happy to provide it.”

  His pulse quickened as heat flared in Leah’s eyes.

  “I just have one question,” she said, her voice soft.

  Caleb’s brow arched.

  “Is this really all for show?” she asked.

  He stared at her for several long moments before answering, “That’s up to you to decide.”

  Just then the couple from D.C., Abigail and Joel, returned, carrying wine for the four of them. Caleb watched Leah as she sipped her wine. He tried to gauge her reaction to that last statement, but she was suddenly engrossed in the story Joel was telling about poison ivy he and Abigail had fallen into the last time they attended a couple’s retreat.

  Determined to play his role as the loving fiancé, Caleb wrapped one arm around her waist and rested his hand on her hip. He felt Leah stiffen just a bit before she relaxed and laughed again at something Joel said. Caleb was so tempted to take it a step further and kiss her. Not a full on kiss; a peck on her temple, or maybe the top of her head. He just wanted to feel that connection, just in case she decided later on that this really was all for show. He wanted, just for a moment, to pretend it was real.

  “So, how did he propose?” Abigail asked, gesturing her wine glass toward Caleb.

  Leah looked up at him, her eyes bright with what would look like affection to anyone who didn’t recognize it for what it actually was: pure panic. Her eyes practically screamed Shit! Why hadn’t we thought to cover this!

  “It was the most romantic proposal,” Leah started. “I, uh, came home one evening to find a trail of roses leading to the backyard, where Caleb had set up a romantic candlelight dinner underneath the stars.”

  What the hell? He’d never do something so cheesy.

  “Except, when she lifted the dome off of the serving tray, it was a cheese pizza,” Caleb interjected. “You see, I knew she would have found that proposal cliché. Like something from a sappy chick flick,” he said, looking at Leah.

  “I happen to like the occasional chick flick,” Leah replied.

  “Not as much as you love action movies,” Caleb said. “See, after I revealed the pizza, she realized it was all a set up for the real proposal. I brought her out to this place in the city that specializes in extreme skydiving. We did a nighttime tandem skydive, and I popped the question right before we pulled our parachutes.”

  “Oh, wow! That’s amazing,” Abigail said. She bumped her husband with her hip. “And you thought proposing in front of the Lincoln Memorial was the epitome of romance.”

  “The lighting is romantic,” Joel said with a shrug. He pointed at Caleb. “Thanks a lot. I doubt there’s anyone here who can compete with skydiving.”

  “I’m a bit of an adventure fanatic,” Caleb said. “I was lucky enough to find a woman who has the same adventurous streak.” He pulled Leah closer, until the entire length of his thigh pressed against hers. Heat radiated from where their bodies touched.

  “It sounds like the two of you were made for each other,” Abigail said with a wistful sigh.

  Caleb went for broke, pressing a kiss to the crown of Leah’s head. “I like to think so,” he said with a wink.

  “I look forward to hearing more stories about your adventures in the classes tomorrow. I do hope you two plan to attend.”

  “Absolutely,” Caleb said. “We’re going to attend as many as possible.”

  “Actually,” Leah hastily interjected. “We still have to go over the schedule.”

  “True, but you’ll catch us in a few,” Caleb said.

  “Great! We’ll see you tomorrow,” Abigail replied. “Enjoy the rest of the mixer. Have more wine. From what I see over there, there’s lots.”

  The moment they stepped away, Leah turned to him, but before she could speak, Caleb said, “Really? A trail of rose petals leading to a candlelight dinner? Do I really seem like the kind of guy who would do something that corny?”

  “Forget the fake proposal,” she said. “Why did you tell Abigail we’ll see her tomorrow?”

  “Because we will,” Caleb said. “You said you wanted to attend some of the workshops. So we’re attending some of the workshops.” He leaned over and whispered in her ear. “But if we’re going to pretend we’re in a relationship, it’s going to be the most kickass relationship to have ever existed.”

  Leah looked up at him. After several moments passed, a small smile tilted up the side of her lips. “Fine. Kickass it is.”

  The deafening chirp of crickets and other nighttime creatures accompanied them as they walked along the pebbled path leading to their cabin. Leah tried to recall the stories she’d heard from the various couples they’d met tonight, but her mind refused to focus on anything but the giant elephant that awaited them in the cabin upon their return. The moment Caleb opened the door, she could feel its oppressive weight.

  Sexual tension saturated the air. It was heavy with it. Potent.

  She should have expected this. Their lighthearted flirting over the course of the evening, combined with the subtle underlay of attraction that seemed to hover in the air whenever she was around Caleb, all but guaranteed this outcome on the first night the two of them shared a room. Every inch of her skin tingled with an odd, nervous energy.

  “Do you—”

  “Would you—”

  Caleb motioned for her to speak.

  “I was just going to ask if you wanted to use the bathroom first?” Leah said.

  “I was going to ask you the same thing.” He grinned. “You go first. It’ll give me time to make up the couch.”

  The weighty pause that followed his reminder about their sleeping arrangements hung in the air like a corpulent cloud.

  “Okay,” Leah said, cringing at her own awkwardness. “Thank you.”

  She pulled the diffuser out of her carry-on and plugged it up.

  “What’s that?” Caleb asked.

  “A diffuser,” Leah said. “I hope you don’t mind. Diffusing essential lavender oil into the air at night helps me to sleep.”

  He shrugged. “Not a problem.”

  After setting up the diffuser, she grabbed the mesh packing cube that contained her nightwear and headed for the bathroom. Closing the door behind her, she leaned against it and slap her hand to her chest. She could feel her heart pounding against her palm.

  “Get a grip,” Leah quietly admonished.

 
Fat chance of that happening. When she unzipped the packing cube, her heartbeat escalated.

  Shit!

  It looked like a Victoria’s Secret Semi-Annual Sale had exploded in her luggage. When she’d packed a couple of days ago, it was with the intention of spending a romantic weekend away with her fiancé, not her next-door neighbor. There was not a single appropriate piece of sleepwear in the bunch.

  Leah pulled out several pairs of panties and a couple of bras, along with the two sets of pajamas she’d packed. Her body started to heat from the inside out. How was she supposed to walk out of this bathroom wearing either of these?

  The smoke-gray pajama set with the pale-pink lace trimming was the more conservative of the two, but not by much. Unlike the black sheer nightgown, at least parts of her body would actually be covered up. Still, the set left very little to the imagination. The thin spaghetti straps held up a slinky camisole top with a plunging neckline created to display her cleavage to the utmost advantage. The shorts were cut ultra high, revealing an abundance of skin.

  However, that black nightgown revealed an abundance of everything. The scrap of sheer material was completely see-through. She balled up the nightgown and stuffed it back in the packing cube, where it would remain the entire weekend.

  As Leah settled in for an extra long shower, she told herself she was only enjoying a luxury she rarely indulged in, but her more sensible side knew exactly what this ten minute shower was about. Total stalling tactic.

  “You can’t spend all night in here,” Leah said as she turned off the water and climbed out of the shower. She removed the plastic shower cap from her head and brushed through her relaxed hair. When she was done, she lathered on her favorite lotion, relishing in the fact that she could use it without having to worry about Derrick and his damn allergies. There were so many things she could return to doing now that he was no longer in her life.

  Leah’s hand halted in the middle of rubbing lotion on her elbow. She looked in the mirror, her eyes widening as the realization slowly dawned on her.

  I’m free!

  She no longer had to hide all those things Derrick had made her ashamed of. She could fully embrace her love of outlandish reality TV shows and newsstand magazines filled with celebrity gossip. She could take up outdoor sports again, which she’d enjoyed for years before her ex slowly began to convince her that a stuffy gym was the better choice when it came to getting in her daily exercise. She’d even held back on her strength training regimen because Derrick thought her toned muscles weren’t feminine enough.

  Leah shook her head as she continued to stare at the woman in the mirror. How had she allowed things to get to this point? How had she allowed him to change her? She’d read countless think pieces on women who had lost their identities once they found themselves in a relationship. She never imagined she would become one of them.

  But she had.

  “Never again,” Leah whispered.

  She would never allow this to happen again.

  Leah turned for the door, but then stopped. She looked down at her attire and felt her skin flush with embarrassment. Nerves swarmed her stomach.

  She hadn’t bothered to pack a robe. Should she wrap a towel around herself?

  No. That would look ridiculous.

  Should she crack open the door, let Caleb know she was coming out, and ask him not to look?

  Leah released a groan. Just do it already.

  Sucking in a deep breath, she opened the door and headed straight for the bed, scampering as quickly as possible while trying not to look as if she was running to get under the covers. She felt Caleb’s eyes on her the entire time.

  Once on the bed, she pulled the plaid comforter over her and tucked it underneath her arms. “Bathroom’s all yours,” she said.

  God, did she have to sound so breathless?

  Caleb’s assessing gaze remained on her as several nerve-wracking moments ticked by. Finally, he said, “Thanks,” then walked into the bathroom.

  He walked out less than ten minutes later, wearing a pair of dark-blue pajama pants and nothing else.

  Good Lord. Good. Lord.

  Leah had never come so close to swallowing her own tongue before. This wasn’t the first time she’d seen his bare chest. During the summer months, he often jogged or did yard work without a shirt. But to see it so up-close and personal?

  His freshly scrubbed, sun-kissed chestnut-brown skin looked ridiculously soft, even as it stretched over his hard, taut muscles. He had the perfect build, all lean and sinewy, powerful and tight. Just being in the same space with this man induced the most inappropriate thoughts.

  “Leah?” Caleb called.

  She snapped to attention. “Uh, what?”

  Had he spoken to her?

  A faint grin played at corner of his lips as he gestured to the brochure on the coffee table. “I asked if you wanted to go over the list of activities on tap for tomorrow?”

  Great. He had spoken to her. But she’d been too busy openly ogling his magazine-worthy chest to realize it. If she was fated to be struck by lightening, now would be the perfect time.

  “So?” he asked.

  Leah clasped her hands on top of the comforter and released a deep breath.

  “Look, Caleb, despite what you said in front of Abigail and Joel tonight, you really don’t have to do this. I invited you here to enjoy the outdoors. Go fishing, or hiking, or whatever it is that you’d planned to do with your friends.”

  He came over to stand next to her bed. Leah had to pull in several breaths to calm her rapidly beating heart.

  “Forget what I’d planned to do with my friends,” he said.

  “But—”

  “I’ll have time to fish and hike and do all that other stuff this weekend. And if I don’t, so what?” He shrugged. “You had your heart set on participating in some of the activities this weekend. You should still be able to do them. I want to help. Let me.”

  Leah stared up at him in sheer amazement. Could he really be this sweet?

  Everything she knew about him indicated that he was. After all, this was the same man who routinely helped their elderly neighbor, Mrs. Miles, cart her groceries inside, and who changed the oil in Mr. Henderson’s decades old pickup truck every three months. Caleb’s heart seemed to be genuine. Why not allow him to “help” her get through the weekend?

  “So, no complaints when Geoff asks you to do a trust fall?” Leah asked.

  His eyes narrowed. “Maybe I should read over some of those activities first.”

  She burst out laughing. “No trust falls. I promise.”

  His grin revealed the faintest crow’s-feet at the corners of his eyes. How could they possibly look as sexy on him as they did? It was totally unfair.

  “Well, I guess we should get some sleep,” Caleb said after several moments passed. “It’s been a long day with the drive up from Jersey.”

  “It has been,” Leah agreed. “I can’t believe it was just this morning that I overheard you and your friend arguing.”

  His brow crinkled with his frown. “Wait? You heard that.”

  Her cheeks instantly heated.

  Busted.

  “I told you I was nosy,” Leah said. “I hid behind my open trunk for a while. I just wanted to make sure everything was okay.”

  “I’ll have to watch what I say around you.” Amusement danced in his brown eyes as he continued to linger at the foot of her bed.

  Leah’s gaze was drawn to his mouth. She couldn’t look away if she tried. The air crackled with the electricity racing between them.

  “Well, goodnight,” Caleb said.

  “Goodnight,” Leah returned.

  She slipped underneath the covers and listened as he made his way over to the sofa. There was rustling, then the lamp switched off, plunging the room into darkness.

  Did she really think it would be better once the lights were out? Ha ha. Silly her.

  The intimacy created by the pitch-black room was so appar
ent her body practically sizzled with it. She was afraid to even take a breath. Any movement—any sound—seemed as if it would throw off the delicate balance in the room.

  Several minutes passed before Caleb’s quiet voice pierced the darkness.

  “Leah?” he intoned in a hushed voice.

  “Yes?” she asked, not even pretending to be asleep.

  “Why haven’t you done any of the adventurous things we talked about for our fake dates?”

  His question threw her. It wasn’t what she’d been expecting. And she wasn’t sure how to answer.

  Actually, she did know the answer, but it made her uncomfortable to voice it out loud.

  What strong, independent woman would be okay with admitting that so much of what she’d done was dictated by others? That most of the life choices she’d made—about her career, her schooling, even the way she wore her hair—had been made with her family’s approval in mind, and not necessarily because it was what she wanted?

  Familial pressure was a son of a bitch.

  “It’s just not something a girl like me is supposed to do,” Leah finally answered.

  “A girl like you?”

  She released a sigh. She didn’t want to talk about this. She never talked about this. She’d quietly shouldered this burden for years. It was an uncomfortable aspect of her life that she’d always resented, but she had no idea how to change it.

  “You’d have to understand how I grew up,” Leah said.

  “I think I already know.”

  “Really?” She sat up in bed, turning on the bedside lamp. “What do you think you know?”

  Caleb levered himself up on an elbow. He dwarfed the small couch.

  He ticked the list off on his fingers. “Boarding school, old money, skiing trips up in the mountains for winter break.”

  “Wrong, wrong, and wrong. I happen to be a proud product of the Newark public school system,” Leah informed him, unable to conceal her smug grin at seeing how his eyes widened in shock. “And while my family does have money, it isn’t old. In fact, it stems from a hot comb in my mom’s kitchen.”