THREE
OLIVIA
I roll over and inhale a noseful of Caleb’s scent.
Opening my eyes slowly, I scan the unfamiliar room.
Where am I?
All at once, it hits me. I’m in Caleb’s room.
Memories come back to me like a film in vivid colors.
Getting fired, getting dumped, getting the call from Derek. Being greeted by silicone girl.
I grimace and swing my legs over the edge of the bed.
I’m surprised to see darkness slant through the blinds.
“Did I sleep all freaking day?”
“You sure did, sleeping beauty.”
Caleb’s leaning against the doorframe, hands in the front pockets of his jeans. My lady bits are sad he decided to put on a shirt.
But the solid black T-shirt can’t make me forget the sculpted form that is Caleb Wright.
I run a hand through my tangled hair and groan. “What time is it?”
“About seven-thirty.”
I widen my eyes. “At night?”
He chuckles. “Yep.”
“Oh my God. I’m so sorry. I didn’t plan to drive here just to crash all day.”
He pushes off the door and shrugs. “Doesn’t bother me. I figure you needed the rest, so I left you alone.”
The bed dips with his weight when he sits down next to me. “Yeah, but you’re hurt. You need your bed more than I do.”
“I know you’re used to caring for others, Dr. Emerson, but sometimes the doctor needs caring for too.” He grins and bumps me with his shoulder. “So let me, stubborn woman.”
I return his grin. “Okay, fine. I’m starving. Got anything to eat in this bachelor pad?”
“Not a thing. Let’s head over to the Red Parrot. We can play some darts, sing some karaoke, and get a drink. Just like old times.”
A night out among people I know and love and who love me sounds just like the balm I need. “Yeah, let’s do it. Well, I’ll do the karaoke part. You should sit it out.”
He feigns a sad look and pouts. “You wound me, Livvie.”
I laugh. “You know I’m right. You don’t want to make the dogs howl around town again.”
His mouth drops open. “Oh, you’re going to pay for that, meanie. When you least expect it.”
An hour later, I’m showered and dressed. I found a cute top I’d tossed into my overnight bag, a small miracle given some of the random shit I packed in there.
When Caleb meets me in the living room, I swallow hard.
His dark hair is tousled in that sexy way guys like him can get away with, and the stubble on his jaw gives him an air of confidence that only adds to his appeal.
In his black leather jacket, jeans, and black boots, he’s the hot bad boy personified.
I need to get my hormones under control immediately.
Once we hit the main road into town from the outskirts where Caleb lives, I decide it’s time for him to spill it.
I need the distraction from something other than the cologne he’s wearing that makes my vagina want to celebrate.
“Tell me about this chase.”
He sighs and shifts his broad body in the passenger seat. “You’re not going to like it.”
“I already know that.”
“Jesus, Livvie. It’s Cape Sands, not Jacksonville. The worst that happens here is shoplifting or the Brewster brothers getting into it again.”
I take my eyes off the road long enough to toss him an incredulous look. “Oh really? And that’s why you’re sitting here bruised and banged up?”
With his face in shadows, he looks almost dangerous when he turns his head to me. “You can’t interrupt. Not a word until I’m done.”
I twist my lips.
“I mean it, Olivia.”
“Fine.”
With a heavy sigh, he finally starts talking.
“State patrol had a multicounty high-speed chase with a stolen car. Guy killed his wife and was on the run. He was headed in our direction and I was out on the highway, so I picked up. I caught up with him, started to execute a pit maneuver, and he accelerated before I could tap him. Then he started shooting, and before I could try another maneuver, he crashed into the side of my car and I lost control.”
He looks out the side window into the inky darkness beyond the glass.
“I spun out and ended up in the trees along the highway. I never lost consciousness, and the doctors said I was lucky I didn’t sustain a concussion.
But I was trapped for a while and they had to cut me out of the car.
They took me to the hospital and that’s it. ”
As he tells the story—a short, condensed version for my sake, no doubt—my blood runs cold at the thought he’d been shot at, and my heart lodges itself in my throat. I couldn’t interrupt him if I tried.
He expects me to lose my shit on him, but my gut tells me he doesn’t need me to lecture him this time. I figure the doctors and my cousins have given him any lectures they deemed necessary.
But is this why things feel…different between us this time?
The silence stretches between us as I find a parking spot in front of the Red Parrot. I shut off the car and shift in the seat to face him.
He turns his head to me, and in that moment, he’s so handsome it hurts to look at him. It’s like a bolt of lightning zapped my heart, and it beelined all the way down to my clit.
It’s been years since I had a crush on this man. He never returned the feelings so I let it go. And I had no desire to experience the unrequited feelings again.
It would ruin the most important relationship I have with anyone and Caleb collects girls like it’s his job.
I can’t—won’t—be part of all that.
I need to right this ship that’s bobbing in the sea of emotional hot messiness.
“You’re staring. You must really be getting wound up in there, Livvie. I expected an explosion by now.”
I clear my throat and close my eyes briefly. “I’m not going to lose my shit on you, Caleb. It isn’t fair for me to yell at you or give you a hard time about it. It’s your job. You love it. You’re smart and you know what you’re getting yourself into when you suit up every day.”
I wet my lips, my heart pounding in my ears. “Besides, I’m not your girlfriend or your wife. I’m just your friend and I care about you. You know that. But I’ve got no claim on you.”
He just stares at me, his jaw tight. His eyes look…angry.
It isn’t the reaction I expected from him. My brow furrows.
He nods once. “Got it.”
“Caleb, I—”
He holds up one hand, the other on the door handle. “Let’s go, Olivia. I need a drink.”
Shit. He only calls me Olivia when he’s serious.
I sit, confused as to what’s happening, while he gets out and heads inside. With a sigh, I get out and head in after him.
It’s crowded and loud inside, already busy for a Saturday night.
“Come on, I see some of your family in the back corner.” His mouth is at my ear, the deep voice and the heat of his breath sending shivers down my spine.
I nod and head in that direction. As I approach, Derek’s eyes widen and he nearly chokes on the beer he just drank. “Holy shit, Liv. What are you doing here?”
He comes around the table and gives me a bear hug that lifts my feet off the ground. It makes my heart melt. “Just thought I’d come for a short visit.”
When my feet find the ground again, his sister, Darcy, envelops me in a hug as well. They’re talking over each other, asking me rapid-fire questions.
I climb onto a stool. “I’ll answer all your questions after I get a beer and eat some of your nachos.”
Derek signals to the bar for another round.
We eat and chat for a few minutes when Derek lifts his chin toward the bar.
“I thought you came in with Caleb, but he looks preoccupied at the bar,” he says with a chuckle. “Then again, when isn’t Wright occupied at the bar?”
I whip my head around to find Caleb is indeed occupied.
He’s leaning against the bar, and that fucking silicone girl is draped over him on one side, with another blonde version on the other. His trademark panty-dropping smile is in full force for the two girls hanging on him.
When did that happen?
Caleb’s eyes meet mine across the crowd. They’re cold, not at all matching the body language he’s giving off. We’re just friends, right?
I narrow my eyes at him. Don’t be an asshole.
He smirks and takes a sip of his beer.
There’s a burning in my stomach as I watch him turn away and give his attention to Candy.
I take the shot of vodka that magically appeared in front of me, but it doesn’t extinguish the raging fire of jealousy in my gut.
“Wanna make him jealous? Start talking to me. He’ll lose his mind,” a deep voice whispers in my ear.
I turn my head to find my old friend Wyatt standing next to me. I give him a genuine smile because I’ve always liked him. He’s a couple of years older than I am, but since he was like an honorary Emerson family member, he was always around.
He’s a bartender at the Red Parrot, sexy as sin, and an even bigger player than Caleb. But he’s also kind and funny. It isn’t hard to see how he literally charms the pants off women.
If I were into one-night stands, I’d give Wyatt a go.
I smile and shake my head. “It’s not like that. Never has been.”
One side of his mouth quirks up. “I’ve watched the two of you for years. Say what you want, but you two have enough electricity between y’all to light up North America.”
I glance over at Caleb, who’s getting his hair finger combed by Candy’s look-alike.
As if aware I’m watching, Caleb glances over at me with another smirk I want to smack off his face and salutes me with his beer.
Game on, jerk.
I wrap an arm around Wyatt’s waist and lean in, lifting my chin as he brings his head down.
“Thatta girl,” Wyatt says with a grin.
I know how this looks. If either of us moved a little closer, his mouth would be on mine.
The loss of brain cells is the only reason I can think as to why being this close to a man like Wyatt, who exudes sex appeal in spades, does nothing for me. No quickening of my heartbeat, no flutter in my belly. No undercurrent of anticipation.
Wyatt murmurs in my ear. “Uh-oh, looks like your boy is pissed.” He chuckles and nuzzles my hair. “Told you he’d lose his mind.”
I look over and my gaze locks with Caleb’s. His lips are a flat line and his eyes burn. It’s a look so intense I can’t breathe.
Then the blonde takes Caleb’s chin and forces him to look at her. When she moves in on him, I blink and look away, my stomach a twisted mess.
“I’m going outside for a few minutes.”
Wyatt steps back from me, a concerned look on his face. “Are you okay?”
I nod and give him a weak smile. “Yeah, I’m fine. I just need some air.”
Grabbing my purse, I take off toward the hallway where the bathrooms are, weaving past a couple making out against the wall. I make a beeline for the emergency exit and push out the door into the back alley.
I lean against the brick wall of the building and take deep lungfuls of the cool, crisp, late fall air.
The muted sounds of happy patrons are a stark contrast to the despair and shock rocking my system.
There’s no doubt about it. I’m jealous as hell. I can’t stand to think about those girls touching him.
But confusion wings around in my brain. Where was this green-eyed monster coming from? I’d gotten rid of these feelings a long time ago.
Hadn’t I?
“What the hell is going on with me? It’s because I just got dumped, right?”
My voice echoes in the alley, but it doesn’t have any answers for me.
I drop my chin to my chest and blow out a breath just as the door opens, and the music and sounds get louder before the metal door slams shut.
Goose bumps break out across my skin, and I know it’s him before he says anything.
But when he does, it’s a single word, said softly. And it nearly breaks me.
“Olivia.”