Six
OLIVIA
My eyes blink open against the sun filtering in through the shades.
For the second time in as many days, I wake up confused as to where I am.
But this time, it only takes about half a second to realize who’s bed I’m in.
And this time I’m not alone.
The heavy arm wrapped around my waist and the solid warmth behind me brings back memories of the night—and early morning—in vivid color.
Not to mention the one-eyed snake that never seems to sleep is pressed up against my ass, flooding my body with heat.
Damn, what the man can do with his cock. And his hands. And his mouth.
I want to stretch against him, wake him up by taking him into my mouth and sucking him off while he grabs my hair again.
Who knew that having my hair pulled was a turn-on for me?
I have a sneaking suspicion I only like it when Caleb does it.
I close my eyes and let my mind go back over the last few hours.
Without a doubt, I’m ruined for all other men.
From here on out, I will forever compare my future lovers to my one night with Caleb.
But it was more than just the sex. It was the way he looked at me, and the fact that while it was intense, it was also fun. It was comfortable like we’ve done it for years and yet exciting like the first time that it was.
It was…everything.
And that means I am in deep shit.
My eyes pop open, and with my heart pounding in my ears, I ease out of Caleb’s grasp, my naked ass sliding down to the floor into a heap.
On my hands and knees, I shove my hair out of my eyes and peer over the edge of the bed.
His naked chest rises and falls in a steady rhythm. I watch his face for any indication he’s awake.
And I just stare.
The dark stubble over his strong jaw makes him look wild and mysterious even in his sleep.
He’s dangerous as hell to my heart.
And my vagina.
I grab my overnight bag and scurry to the living room. After a quick search, I find my underwear, bra, and shirt, dressing quickly.
Where the hell are my pants?
“They’re behind the loveseat.”
I bite back a gasp and spin around to find Caleb standing behind me, his jeans slung low on his hips. His mouth is curved into a half smile, but his eyes are wary.
“Oh, thanks.”
Finding my jeans, I hold them against my chest, unsure of my next move.
I do my best not to look, but damn it, I can’t help but let my gaze travel down to the sex lines that point to the part of Caleb I’m now intimately familiar with and that would be saluting me if it wasn’t zipped up in denim.
“Eyes up here, Livvie.”
My gaze snaps to his. “Sorry.”
His half smile is now a full-blown grin as he walks toward me and stops in front of me, placing his hands on my hips. “Oh babe, don’t be sorry. I’m up for another round if you are.”
With a sigh, I run a trembling hand through my hair that I’m sure closely resembles a bird’s nest. Every cell in my body below the neck is saying to go another round with him.
Stay with him. See how it goes.
But my brain cells are telling me that I already know how this will go if we don’t get back to the friend zone soon. Eventually he’d tire of the long distance and we’d break up.
Caleb being Caleb would go back to his manwhore ways, and our friendship would be ruined.
Last night was amazing, but I need to get my head back to the safety zone. I can’t lose my best friend.
“I need to go.”
He narrows those beautiful brown eyes at me. “What are you doing?”
“What am I doing? I’m going to my parents’ house. That was my plan all along.”
He takes a step back, his hands sliding off my hips. My stomach dips at the loss of contact from him.
His gaze falls to my bag sitting on the floor as if noticing it for the first time. His lips flatten into a hard line.
“Yeah. I guess it was.”
He turns away from me and stalks into the kitchen. The cabinet door slams and the coffee maker starts.
I finish dressing and head into the kitchen.
Caleb’s back is to me, his shoulders hunched, and that stupid organ in my chest clenches. “Hey.”
He lifts his head and turns around. Crossing his arms in front of him, he leans back against the counter. “Hey.”
“Are you mad at me?”
He shakes his head and looks at the floor. “No, I’m not mad at you.”
“Come on, Caleb. I know when you’re mad. If it isn’t me, what is it?”
“I’m mad at myself.” He lifts his head and looks at the ceiling. “Fuck me, I should have known better.”
I stand across from him in the narrow galley kitchen. “What are you talking about?”
He lowers his head and pins me with a stare that I don’t recognize on him. I can’t decipher the emotions swirling in those chocolate-colored depths.
“I—” He stops and shakes his head. “No, I can’t do this.”
He shoulders past me and heads to his bedroom. I follow behind him, unsure of what to do.
Panic claws at my throat. What was he going to say?
When I enter the bedroom, he’s shoving his feet into sneakers and pulling a hoodie over his head, his face lined with pain at the movement. “Caleb, where are you going?”
He ignores me, shoving his wallet in his back pocket and grabbing his keys.
When he tries to get by me again, I close the bedroom door and lean against it. “Stop. What were you going to say? You can’t leave until you tell me what you were going to say. Besides, I’m the one who’s leaving.”
“Fine, but I’m leaving first.”
“Not before you tell me what’s going on.”
His eyes flare, his jaw set. “Move, Olivia.”
I lift my chin. “Not until you tell me why you’re so angry.”
“No, because I’ve never lied to you and I’m not going to start now.”
“So don’t. Tell me anyway.”
He stares down into my eyes, a muscle in his cheek spasming. After a few moments, he looks away and blows out a breath. He rubs the back of his neck and finally looks at me.
His eyes are pained, and his voice is hoarse like he’s been screaming, emotions right at the surface.
“Olivia, I’m crazy about you. I’ve been crazy about you since I met you.
I can’t count the times I’ve almost told you how stupid in love with you I am.
I’ve written you letters, hoping I’d have the balls to mail them, but I just couldn’t.
And last night…last night was the best night of my life.
But I can see now that it was a mistake.
I never should have agreed to this one-night bullshit, but I’ve never been able to say no to you.
I thought I would be able to go back to how things were before, but when I look at you now… ”
He trails off, shaking his head slightly. “Well, you’ll have to bear with me. It’s going to take me a little longer to get back in the friend zone with you.”
My eyes are wide, and I have to swallow hard before I can speak. I rub my sternum, trying to soothe the pain that’s set up camp there. “Did you say you’re in love with me?”
“Yeah.”
My mind boggles. “Since…”
“Since we were fifteen.”
I shake my head, my heart ready to beat out of my chest. “No, that can’t be true. You had all those girlfriends. So many girlfriends…”
He cups my face in his hands so that I have to look into his eyes. “I gave my heart to you a long time ago. They never stood a chance because they weren’t you.”
And then he brushes past me and leaves.
I stand there, staring into space, swaying, before my knees give out and I sink down to the bed.
The bed where my best friend made love to me, where he worshipped my body with his for hours.
Where he made me feel like I was the only woman in the world and special in a way no man has ever done.
My eyes fill with tears.
The town playboy, Caleb Wright, has been in love with me for almost twenty years.
And I never knew.