Chapter Five
CHAPTER FIVE
Caleb
I stood in the kitchen, beating half a dozen eggs for the breakfast I’d promised Stevie while she finished taking a shower. After our night together, and how much energy and calories we’d undoubtedly burned, I was ravenous for food and I was sure she was as well.
I was also in a great mood and knew Stevie was the reason, and the fantastic sex was only a small contribution to my cheerful disposition. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d enjoyed a woman’s company so much, our natural, effortless connection making it so easy for me to relax and forget about my troubles, if only for a little while.
It was as though Stevie was the hit of dopamine I needed to chase away the stress of the things in my life that felt unsettled and had kept me so uptight and serious since my divorce. Her lack of pretense was so appealing when I lived in a world where genuine connections seemed rare, buried under layers of expectations and superficial facades. Her playful personality lightened me up, and I was drawn to her upbeat attitude despite the hard things she’d endured in her own life.
For the first time in what seemed like forever, I felt like I was turning a corner in my personal life. That after last night with Stevie, between our connection and our chemistry, I was ready to open myself up to the possibility of dating seriously again. And not just anyone, but Stevie. Because Raven was right. I’d spent the past two years focusing on everything else to the exclusion of my own wants and needs, and maybe it was time to do something that made me happy for a change.
Stevie, I realized, made me very happy. Even now, just thinking of her and how well we’d clicked on so many different levels, how much she’d made me laugh and feel more than just mundane emotions, I had a goofy grin on my face. I could feel a few of my walls crumbling, that guard I was so used to maintaining falling to the wayside to let her in. I never thought I’d be able to get to a place in my life where I’d feel optimistic about the future again, but Stevie had changed my mindset.
Dating Stevie would certainly be a balancing act, considering the upcoming custody hearing for Owen, and Alyssa looking for any reason to create conflict. But I wasn’t ready to let Stevie walk away without exploring the possibilities, or to let our one night together be nothing more than that.
Those thoughts tumbled through my mind as I continued prepping everything for our breakfast, using the fresh mushrooms and chopped ham Marcel had left in the refrigerator. I sauteed them together, and just as they were done Stevie padded into the kitchen.
I turned off the stove and set the pan on a back burner, taking a moment to appreciate the way she filled out one of my T-shirts I’d given her to wear so she didn’t have to put her dress back on until she was ready to head home. It hung to mid-thigh, lightly skimming her curves and her full, unbound breasts. Her perky nipples poked against the fabric and made my dick twitch in my sweatpants.
The ends of her wavy blonde hair were damp and she’d washed the last of her makeup off in the shower, leaving her fresh-faced, which I found incredibly appealing because I could see the genuine flush of color on her cheeks.
She was a natural beauty, and even stripped down to basics I liked that she seemed comfortable in her own skin. It was a rare kind of confidence I found attractive and sexy. She wasn’t worried about trying to impress me or attempting to hide behind external trappings. Then again, after all the ways I’d fucked her during the course of the night, seeing and touching every inch of her, there was nothing left to hide from me.
“What?” she asked, looking around the kitchen wide-eyed and disappointed. “No personal chef this morning?”
I saw the teasing glimmer in her eyes and smiled at her. “Just because I employ a chef doesn’t mean I can’t cook. In fact, it’s something I enjoy but with my hours at the office, it’s easier to have well-balanced meals prepped for Owen.”
She glanced over at the stove, seeing the mushrooms and ham I’d already sauteed. “I’m impressed.”
Then, she sauntered over to me barefoot. Stopping in front of where I was standing, she lifted up on her tiptoes and brushed her lips softly across mine, no morning-after awkwardness for her. “Thank you for last night, and earlier this morning, and all the amazing orgasms,” she said, grinning playfully. “You’ve made my kitty very happy.”
I chuckled at her euphemism, and just as she attempted to step away, I wrapped an arm around her waist and brought her body flush to mine. “How about I make your kitty purr one more time before breakfast?”
I only had a few more hours before Alyssa dropped Owen off, and I wanted to enjoy every last moment with Stevie before reality intruded. Backing her against the granite island in the middle of the kitchen, I grabbed her waist and lifted her so she was sitting on the surface.
“Seriously, how do you have any stamina left?” she asked, already sounding breathless as I moved to stand in between her parted knees, her pussy perfectly aligned with my stiffening dick as soon as I removed her panties and shoved my sweatpants down.
“All I have to do is look at you, at the nipples poking against my shirt and those red marks I left on your neck from my morning stubble, and I get hard.” I gave her a wicked grin. “I like the thought of leaving those same abrasions between your thighs so you’ll think of me later, every time you walk and feel that slight chafe and burn.”
Her lashes fell half-mast, desire infusing her expression. “You just want to leave your mark everywhere .”
“Damn right I do,” I growled, not questioning the surge of possessiveness I felt when it came to her. I wanted her to leave here today looking well and truly fucked by me, with the memorable marks to prove it.
She rolled her eyes playfully, her hand lifting up and sliding along my prickly, unshaven jaw. “You’re such a typical man.”
But she wasn’t complaining, nor did she protest when I pushed my fingers into her hair and crushed my mouth to hers. With a soft moan, her lips automatically parted beneath the onslaught of mine and I slid my tongue inside, tasting the minty toothpaste I’d left out for her on the bathroom counter, along with a new toothbrush.
I dropped a palm to her knee, sliding it upward, and she made a soft, mewling sound of need as her hands stroked down my chest, along my stomach, and reached the waistband of my sweatpants.
In the back of my mind, an odd noise in the foyer barely registered through the lust fogging my brain…until I heard the sound of running feet. Confused, I jerked back, ending the kiss with Stevie as I tried to make sense of what was happening while watching Owen zoom past the other side of the kitchen island, heading toward the hallway with his backpack slung over his shoulder.
“Hey, Dad!” he said, raising a hand up in a quick wave.
Owen didn’t stop, didn’t even glance my way, his focus on getting to his bedroom so he could play on his Xbox, which was how every drop-off went. A six-year-old whose only care in the world was immersing himself in his favorite video game that Alyssa didn’t allow him to play when he was with her.
Normally, I would have called out to Owen to not run in the house, or even ordered him to come back and give me a hug after being gone for the week, but today I let him go, grateful that he’d remain oblivious to the awkward situation I’d found myself in with Stevie.
“Seriously, Caleb,” Alyssa said, her tone dripping with disgust as she walked into the kitchen and stopped on the other side of the island. “You openly fuck a woman in your kitchen on the day that your son is expected back home? I guess Cece was right about seeing you with a two-bit whore in the lobby last night,” she said of one of her friends who also lived in the building.
I flinched at her crass words and heard Stevie suck in a quick breath. Fury was right on the heels of that vulgar remark. I couldn’t even deal with or acknowledge my ex right now, though I had plenty to say in response. My only concern was for Stevie, who was still sitting on the counter in front of me in a very compromising position. I looked down at her, her eyes wide with distress as I watched the play of emotions flit across her face.
Her initial shock gave way to panic and mortification as she stared up at me. “I…uh, should leave you two to…talk.”
“Yes, you should,” Alyssa said in a haughty tone. “Caleb and I clearly have a lot to discuss.”
I wanted to tell Alyssa to shut the fuck up, that I didn’t need her unsolicited comments, but I wasn’t going to engage with her in front of Stevie. That was the last thing I wanted her to witness when I knew how vicious Alyssa could be. The best thing to do was to put Stevie in a safe place until I dealt with my ex.
I helped Stevie off of the counter, hating how tense her entire body was, along with that flush on her cheeks that had nothing to do with desire and everything to do with embarrassment.
I glanced at Alyssa, the smug look on her face pissing me off even more. “I’ll be back,” I said tersely.
She flashed me an almost triumphant smile. “I’ll be waiting.”
“Come on,” I said to Stevie, and with a hand at her back, I guided her down the hall until we were in my bedroom.
Once we were there, I turned her around to face me and curved my hands around the side of her neck. She wouldn’t look at me, so I used my thumbs to tip her chin back, forcing her gaze to meet mine. The vulnerability I saw there felt like a kick to my stomach because I knew how strong and resilient Stevie was. This situation had clearly rattled her.
“I’m so damn sorry,” I said, my voice gruff with frustration. “I had no idea she was dropping Owen off early. I never would have knowingly put you in that position.”
“I know it’s not your fault, and it’s fine. I’m fine,” she lied, giving me a tremulous smile that didn’t reach her eyes. “I should go…but my dress, bra, and shoes are still in the living room from last night.”
Shit. More ammunition for Alyssa. “No, I want you to stay,” I insisted, because the last thing I wanted was Stevie leaving with my ex’s offensive remark swirling in her head and ruining our night together, which told me just how much I already cared about her. “Let me handle this situation with Alyssa first, and then we can talk. Please.”
Her lips pursed, and I could see her internal debate, but much to my relief, she finally relented with a soft, “Okay.”
Satisfied with that, I grabbed a T-shirt and shrugged it on, then stopped by Owen’s bedroom and yeah, he was already on his Xbox, immersed in the world of Minecraft. He was still blissfully oblivious to the tension between adults, and for once I was grateful for the game’s distraction.
I ruffled his hair to get his attention. “Hey, bud. I need you to wear your headphones for a while.” The last thing I wanted was for him to hear what was undoubtedly going to be a heated conversation between his mother and me.
“Okay,” he said, and without question he reached for the headset and covered up his ears.
I headed back out to the living room, where Alyssa had already made herself comfortable on the couch and was texting someone on her phone. It struck me, not for the first time, that for someone who was so outwardly beautiful, she was ugly on the inside. Selfish, mean, and manipulative. And bitter. She hadn’t always been that way, but since the divorce those unattractive characteristics had magnified to the point that she was just toxic.
The fact that she could sit there so casually, as if she hadn’t just belittled Stevie and called her a whore, made my blood pressure rise. “What the fuck, Alyssa?” I hissed furiously, not even knowing where to start when I had so many things to address. “What are you doing here? Owen has a drop-off time of two this afternoon, not ten this morning.”
She set her phone aside and glanced at me, where I was standing on the other side of the coffee table that separated us. “He was whining and complaining and driving me nuts about getting home so he could play Minecraft.”
And she’d clearly had ulterior motives and wanted to know if what Cece had told her about me bringing a woman up to my place last night was accurate. I had no doubts about that. “Regardless, you should have given me a heads-up that you were dropping him off early.”
She smirked and arched a condescending brow. “And what, spoil the surprise?”
I jammed my hands on my hips, beyond enraged at her gall. “So, you admit that you did it deliberately.”
Her shrug was pure arrogance. “I’ll admit, I was curious to see if what Cece said was true.”
My jaw clenched hard. “It’s none of your fucking business what I do, and who I bring up to my place, when I don’t have Owen.” I stretched my hand out toward her. “Give me your key card to the penthouse.”
She stiffened against the couch cushions, clearly not expecting that demand. “Why? You gave it to me so I’d have it in case of emergencies.”
“Exactly.” Which had never been a problem until now. “And considering you abused that power, and I’m not obligated to give you a key card to my place, I want it back. From now on, when you’re bringing Owen home or picking him up, you can call or text me and I will allow Frank to send you up,” I said of the doorman who vetted guests in the lobby. “Or I will meet you in the lobby. The choice will be mine, not yours.”
Anger flashed in her eyes, but knowing I held the power in this situation, she dug into her purse and removed the key card from her wallet. Instead of handing it to me like any rational person would, she tossed it at my chest like a petulant child. Before I could grab it, the key card fell to the floor at my feet, and I picked it up, slipping it into my sweatpants’ pocket.
Her gaze landed on the articles of clothing on the living room floor that wouldn’t have been there had she arrived that afternoon at the designated time. “Jesus, when did you become so fucking tacky?” she asked, waving a hand at Stevie’s discarded dress, bra, and shoes that made it very obvious what had transpired in front of the windows last night.
When did you become such a fucking bitch? Oh, wait, you’ve been that way for the past few years. I swallowed back the retort, refusing to engage with her.
I was right on the verge of telling her to leave when she asked, “So, who is the woman you brought home for the night?”
“None of your goddamn business.”
“Oh, I think it is,” she refuted.
“Jealousy doesn’t look good on you, Lyss,” I countered, knowing that was part of her issue.
She leaned back against the sofa, a devious look in her eyes. “I have every right to know who you’re bringing around Owen. Surely you haven’t forgotten that morality clause you insisted on adding to our divorce settlement?”
My stomach clenched. Of course I remembered. I’d been the one who’d demanded the morality clause based on her actions that led to our divorce. It had been my only way to try to regulate her behavior around Owen, which excluded allowing random men into her home and barring the use of alcohol and drugs when Owen was with her. It was ironic that she was now turning the tables on me, though I should have seen it coming.
“Those stipulations go both ways,” she went on, glancing at her manicured nails as if she were discussing the weather and not issuing a threat. “If I remember correctly, it prohibits either of us from bringing around casual sex partners. You being in violation of the morality clause is not going to reflect well on you for the custody case. Hell, it might even cost you custody of Owen.”
Her words made my blood run cold, because I had no doubt that she’d twist this situation to her advantage, regardless of the fact that she’d brought him home early. Not because she wanted custody of Owen, but hurting me was her goal and the only way to do that was through our son. She’d backed me into a corner and I only saw one way out. I had no choice and I’d deal with the repercussions of what I was about to do later. Right now, it was all about self-preservation and making sure my custody of Owen wasn’t jeopardized in any way.
“Stevie isn’t random or casual,” I said, looking Alyssa dead in the eye and knowing that Stevie could likely hear this entire conversation. “She’s a serious girlfriend and we’re in a committed relationship. I am not in violation of the morality clause.”
Alyssa’s gaze narrowed skeptically. “Owen would have told me if you were seeing someone.”
Why? Did she actually grill our son and try to pump Owen for information when she had him? Of course she did .
“ Because of the morality clause, I was waiting to tell Owen about Stevie until I knew it was serious, and it is. And she isn’t a stranger to Owen. He’s met her many times in various public settings. He knows who she is.”
“Where did you meet her?” Alyssa demanded to know. “Because clearly, she is not someone in our social circle. Trust me. No woman that I know would be caught dead wearing that cheap dress and those budget-friendly shoes.”
“Yeah, well, some of us don’t give a shit about those kinds of things,” I said, which held true for me. Alyssa, on the other hand, had grown up surrounded by wealth and sadly, she measured a person’s worth by those material possessions.
Alyssa stared me down. “Where did you meet her?” she asked again.
I knew she wouldn’t hesitate to hire a PI to find out the answer to her question, and the last thing I wanted was anyone digging around in what I knew of Stevie’s painful past and handing that information over to Alyssa to use as leverage. “I met her through Raven,” I replied truthfully. “She works at The Back Door.”
Alyssa gaped at me in shock, then she burst out laughing, the sound harsh and cruel. “Wait, she’s a waitress? Isn’t that a bit like slumming it for you? Or are you just thinking with your dick and not your head?”
My jaw clenched so hard I thought I’d break a molar. My protective instincts flared to life, and I glared at her, no compromise in my expression. “I’m only going to tell you this once, Alyssa. Unless you want to be slapped with a defamation of character suit, watch your mouth and what you say about Stevie. She’s my girlfriend and a part of my life. She will also be in Owen’s life and spending time with him, and I will not tolerate another inflammatory word against her, do you understand?” Considering the words that just came out of my mouth were unrehearsed and improvised, Stevie being my girlfriend sounded convincing even to my own ears.
Alyssa’s lips pursed, her expression filled with spite after the way I’d just put her in her place for being disrespectful. She stood up, chin jutting out. “Sure, I’ll watch what I say about her, but you’d better be careful, too. I’d really hate for you to lose custody of Owen if this ends up being a bunch of lies to cover your ass.”
“Get out,” I snapped, done with her bullshit. “I may have to deal with you because you’re Owen’s mother, but I do not have to put up with your condescending attitude in my home. Leave. Now .”
The corner of her mouth lifted in a sneer, but clearly realizing how pissed I was, she wisely didn’t say anything more. She headed toward the elevator, not even bothering to say goodbye to Owen, as most mothers would considering she wouldn’t see him for another week. But then again, as much as it pained me, I knew that Owen was nothing more than a pawn for her to use against me.
Once she was gone, I sank down into a chair, scrubbing my hands over my face and feeling emotionally drained. Fuck , now what was I going to do? The only thing I could, I realized, because I didn’t have a choice.
I was going to make Stevie an offer she hopefully wouldn’t be able to refuse.