Chapter Two
Caleb
I get to her apartment in record time and text, I’m outside.
As much as I’d like to be a gentleman and ring her doorbell, the risk of her answering the door and allowing me inside would be dangerous to both of us.
After months of painful torture, the enclosed space would be too much for me.
I’d crack, pin her to the nearest surface, and forget all the reasons she hates me and why this is so wrong.
This is going to be a fucking nightmare.
I don’t know how many times I can beat off before my dick or hand falls off.
I feel like the number has to be close. My wrist actually throbs to the point that I have to wrap it at night and soak it with ice.
It’s going to be a long road trip. Two plus hours with her by my side from Miami to the Keys, barring any major backup with traffic. This is going to be a long day.
She steps out onto her front stoop and I’m floored, grateful that I’m leaning on the car door.
She’s wearing a cute pair of pale-yellow shorts with a white capped-sleeve top with daisies on it.
Fuck me. She’s the picture of innocence that hides a body and voice of pure sin.
She starts to roll her suitcase and carries two garment bags over her shoulder.
“Let me take that.” I grab her suitcase and pop it into the trunk. “Do you have everything you need?”
“I hope so.” She flashes me a nervous, playful smile that only amplifies my attraction.
I nod, barely choking out my next words. “Okay. Let’s head out, then.” She slides into the passenger seat before I can hold the door open for her, but I make sure to close it. I have to learn how to act like a real boyfriend and lover. Goodness, this is going to take a lot of skill.
As soon as I get in the driver’s seat, I turn to her and say, “You got my message about matching, I see.”
“Actually, I didn’t, but it seems we have this thing down pat.
Here you go.” Her hand slaps me dead center in the chest—it burns as soon as her hand lands on my body.
I want to hold onto it, keeping her close to me, but she pulls it back with sass, sending my credit card onto my lap.
“Pale yellow isn’t your color, though. Blue would suit your eyes much better.
Now come on, Dr. Hall, we can’t be late to meet your mother.
” Damn it, even when she’s being a snotty brat, she’s hot.
“She’s not going to be there until the day of the wedding,” I inform her.
“What? You left out that little fact. I can wait and drive up there the night before.” She opens the car door and steps out.
I jump out as well, leaning over the roof as I stared her down.
“No, you can’t. My family is going to be expecting you.
If you’re not there, she’ll learn about it,” I insist. It’s really not that big of a lie, but I refuse to give up this opportunity to spend a week with the most beautiful woman in the world.
“So you couldn’t say I had to work?” she challenges, raising those perfectly arched, shaped and styled brows.
That’s new. She went and got them done professionally.
They’re cute, but I liked the old Vivien just the way she was.
Adorably normal. She comes to the office without any makeup on, and I mean no makeup.
We’re on the water a lot, so the most the women wear is great sunscreen.
I’ve seen her barefaced so many times, and I’ve dreamed about waking up beside her almost as many.
“No. Now, get your ass back in the car.”
“You’re not my boss on this trip.” She crosses her arms under her tits, making them stand out even more.
All blood vacates my brain, and I forget all the rules to this fake girlfriend business.
I want to bend her over like I’ve imagined since she first walked into the lab.
Months of lust has turned me into the biggest asshole of a supervisor.
“No, I’m your boyfriend, and I’m telling you to get your sexy little ass in the car before I spank it,” I warn her, stepping around to the passenger side, stalking toward her closely.
She gasps, those pretty lips parting. “You said that you wouldn’t be touching me.”
“Only when necessary.” I feel like a fucking dirty fucker, but she started it, intentionally touching me like that, putting her tiny hand on my chest with intended force and looking me in the eyes like she was trying to prove something.
I want to bite her pretty, pouty lips. She’s asking for trouble. I know I am.
“That doesn’t seem necessary.” I stand directly behind her as her voice grows weak, her breathing shallow.
“Then don’t make it necessary,” I grunt against her ear.
“Jerk,” she huffs.
“Yeah, I love you too, my pretty mermaid,” I huff under my breath, holding the door open for her. She gets in and buckles up. Shutting the door again, I quickly run around and hop into my seat again.
Once inside, I lock the doors and start the engine, pulling out onto the road while letting out a chuckle. She’s going to drive me fucking insane, and I let her know it. She giggles; the sound goes straight to my cock, which thankfully is positioned down my leg and not bent up while I drive.
For the first few minutes, we enjoy the silence until we hit the highway.
She’s the first to speak, and the sound turns me on so damn much. “So, Dr. Hall, tell me more about yourself. I’m sure your family is going to throw out questions and stuff, especially your mother.” The mention of my mother definitely calms that lust down.
“First, you should drop the whole Dr. Hall. It’s Caleb. Second, I’m twenty-nine, I grew up in Florida, and I got my degree when I was twenty-one because I’m hyper-focused and borderline obsessive.”
“Borderline,” she scoffs softly under her breath. It makes me laugh for a change. She gives me a smile that makes me want to touch her, so I reach out and caress her forearm. Immediately she startles, and that’s not going to work in the least.
“Um…yeah, that’s not going to pass for a couple,” I inform her.
“Sorry, I was just caught off guard.”
“Sorry, I was just testing to see how you’d react.” Total fucking lie, but she doesn’t need to know that every stolen moment is real for me.
“Always the scientist.” She sighs.
“I suppose.” Or a man wanting to know if she wants me too, but it doesn’t appear to be the case.
Not that I’ve given her any real reason to like me.
I’ve been an asshole for months on end, whether she’s earned my ire or not.
From time to time, she surely has jeopardized some of the work we’ve done.
In fact, sometimes it’s my growing obsession with her that keeps her on the project instead of letting her go.
“So you haven’t told me your cousin’s name or the woman he’s marrying. Are you guys close? Things like that.” Maybe I should have given her a cheat sheet.
“My cousin Sam is marrying Piper. She actually worked for him, if you can believe that.” I wink at her.
“Strangely, it’s such an odd thing.” She rolls her eyes and smiles again.
This time when I reach out and touch her, she doesn’t flinch.
With a light squeeze, I pull back because it’s too much and we don’t have an audience, so I don’t want to give her the wrong impression.
As much as I desire her, I have to remember I’m her superior and this could damage both of our careers.
We’re halfway there when there’s an accident on the road. “Son of a bitch.” My dick is already painfully throbbing so hard and needs relief, so much I’m getting an actual headache.
“Are we going to lose our reservation?” she questions.
“No. Let me call them.” I dial the hotel, and the matter is quickly squared away. I smile at her as she slowly relaxes in her seat. I expected to be there by six, but it looks like we’re not going to get there before eight.
“So tell me more about you, Viv.”
“Viv?”
“Yes, I figured if we’re going to be a couple, we should be a little friendlier.”
“I just didn’t expect that from you, but this does matter. When it comes to my family, I have one brother, and I moved here after I got my degree to pursue my masters in marine biology with my focus in ichthyology, which you already know.”
“Yes, I observed your preference for sharks. After your degree is finished, are you going to pursue shark research?”
“I’d like to.”
“Maybe you should be a little more careful.”
“Listen…”
“I’m just teasing. So according to your records, you’re from Indiana?”
“Yes. My parents are agricultural farmers. They grow corn, soy, and wheat.”
“So you live in the middle of dry land—why did you want to become a marine biologist? I could see maybe a vet, or even a scientist over there.”
“I’ve always wanted to go into the water.
It’s kind of like living in the desert, and someone finally offers you a tall glass of ice-cold water.
It’s refreshing, but I’d never made it to the sea.
So, as soon as I got my chance, that’s where I went to school.
I fell more in love with it, and now it’s my passion.
I don’t know what I’ll do with my degree, but I’ll find a place for myself, even if it’s at the National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium or the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago, which isn’t too far from home. ”
“You’re planning to go back home after you get your degree?” I know she’s only weeks away from it. The project ends at the end of the summer, and she’ll have all she needs to get her master’s degree.
“I don’t have a real reason to stay.” Her phone buzzes, and she sends it to voicemail.
“You can take calls, you know.”
“It was a spam call.” She’s lying to me, but I ignore it. We’re almost to the hotel, and my chest feels heavy. I need a damn drink.
We finally pull up to the valet at a quarter to eight, and our luggage is loaded onto a cart. I head to the front desk and check in. As we arrive at the elevator, Vivien plays with her fingers, rubbing them together with her chin tucked toward her chest.
“What’s wrong? Did you forget something?”
“Oh my goodness. I forgot we’re sharing a room.”
“It’s okay. I’ll sleep on the sofa,” I offer.
“We’ll take turns. I’m smaller than you.”
I appreciate her counteroffer, but I have to decline it. “No, that’s fine. I’ll take the sofa for the week. You’re the one doing me a favor.”
“I’m like a foot shorter than you. I promise the sofa will be more than big enough for me.”
“What kind of gentleman would I be if I kept the big bed?”
“You think you’re a gentleman? You’ve been an ass from the moment I met you. A brilliant, hardworking marine biologist, but a gentleman I have yet to see, so don’t worry about me. The sofa’s fine.”
“Well, then it will be. Just make sure it’s cleaned up before we go. Can’t have anyone thinking we sleep apart every night.”
“Fine with me. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to hunt down some food. I’m starving.”
“We’ll go together. First, I’m hungry, and second, just in case I run into any of my family down there, I want to make sure that I can field any questions.”
She nods. “Give me a minute to freshen up, then.”
“Good.” I send a message to my cousin, letting him know I’m in town.
Hey Sam, just checked in with my woman at the hotel.
Can’t wait to meet her. Your mom is going to lose her mind.
I groan, because she is, and this is all a fucking lie. It sucks so damn hard because her heart’s going to shatter when she learns that I faked the relationship.
“I’m ready.” She steps into the room looking as beautiful as earlier if not a little more refreshed. Her long red hair is braided and hanging over her left shoulder. It’s full and lush. I want to wrap my fist around it and drag her mouth to mine.
“That’s a great look.”
“Thanks. My hair caught too much wind when we had the windows down.” She brushes the loose strands from around her face and tucks them behind both her ears.
“Well, let’s get going. I know I can eat, and I’d be a terrible boyfriend if I let you starve—fake or otherwise.”
She blushes and then nods. “Sounds good to me.”
We head down to find dinner. “This restaurant is perfect,” she says.
“Good. Let’s go inside and eat before you bite me.”
“There is a likely possibility,” she teases.
“Table for two?” the host asks.
“Yes.” We follow the gentleman, who leads us to a booth away from prying eyes. Thankfully, we haven’t encountered my family yet. As much as I want to get introductions over, I don’t want to share her with anyone.
“So about the project…how are the tests coming along?” I ask her.
“Heather and I set up the labs, and the reports should be in by the time we return. Since we tagged several species of sharks while we gathered samples from their diet as well as from the local flora, I’m hoping we’ll be able to see a lot of connections.”
We spend the rest of the night talking about the project.
It’s easier to focus on work than to delve deeper into how much I want to lean in to kiss her every time she opens her mouth to speak, take a bite, or even when she closes it to listen or chew.
She’s been getting more and more under my skin as the weeks have passed, and this trip is only just beginning.
I don’t know how I’m going to make it through without breaking all the rules.