Chapter 45
CHAPTER 45
APRIL
I wake up with a heavy weight over my stomach and a rod of iron pressed up against my ass cheeks. Unable to prevent the smile that graces my lips, especially when lips tease my ear lobe, sending more shivers straight to my core. I groan, pressing back against the object of my desire. A hand disappears between my thighs, and a moan vibrates against my neck as he finds me wet and wanting.
“Morning, little dancer.” The words fall from his lips as his fingers slide into me.
It’s my turn to groan. I raise my top leg, my back still to Cal as he continues to nibble my neck, his fingers dancing between my entrance and my clit. I rest my foot on his calf, opening myself to him. When I can’t take anymore, I grip his cock and line it up with my entrance. What a way to wake up. Orgasms before breakfast. A new one for me. I press down on him, and he sinks into my depths.
“Morning, Cal,” I say a little more breathlessly than I intend .
I have already thanked him multiple times for last night. It’s an experience I will take with me to the grave.
He groans against my ear as my body swallows him whole.
We roll our hips, his fingers now teasing and pinching my clit as we dance towards yet more orgasmic bliss. Sex with this man is like nothing I’ve ever experienced before, but then again, my previous partners were little more than boys. Cal is very much a man and the most unselfish lover I’ve ever had.
I give myself up to the moment, our movements becoming more and more frantic until we’re once again flying over the precipice.
I extract myself and stand up. Needing to get ready for work.
Before I enter the bathroom, I turn towards the bed.
“Thank you for last night. I can’t tell you what it means to me.” I smile down at the god lying on his side, his head propped on his hand.
“I aim to please,” Cal says, his gaze raking over my naked body.
I’m not shy. I lost my inhibitions years ago. I didn’t have a choice.
“That’s not what I mean, and you know it. But you did—please, that is,” I say, laughing. I find myself laughing a lot these days. Cal seems to have that effect on me. He is also going to make me late. “But now I need to shower and get ready for work,” I say, letting my own eyes rake over his naked chest.
His eyes darken, but I hold up a hand to stop him. “Alone.”
He drops back on the bed with a dramatic sigh, making me chuckle, before sitting back up.
“Jaxson is arriving today. He’s over from the US to discuss the designs with the builders. One of those will be the dance studio.”
My heart rate picks up. This is all becoming so real. Cal took me to the site the morning, the demolition crew started work, and something snapped inside me. I could not stop the tears that had been threatening. Watching them tear down the building I had called home for two years, regardless of its state, had caused me pain. More than I expected. Caleb was amazing. He held me and promised me the new building would meet all my dreams and more. His kindness unlocked something inside me… something that was now free-running.
“I’d love to meet him,” I say. “What time? I have classes all afternoon. Scarlett’s got me shadowing the lady I’ll be covering for.”
Cal gets out of my bed, as naked as the day he was born and even less abashed. We are standing chatting in our birthday suits as if it’s the most normal thing. What surprises me is his next move. He makes the bed. Smoothing out the duvet, replacing the throw that landed on the floor at some point in the night, and repositions the scatter cushions.
“What?” he asks, clearly taking in my shocked expression.
I bite my lip and shake my head, unable to keep the smile from my lips.
He walks around and stands in front of me. “It’s okay. I’ve invited him to have dinner with us this evening.”
He grins as I look up at him. “I shall look forward to it,” I say, turning away with sass.
He swats my ass and laughs as he walks towards the door. Heading back towards his own room. Last night, mine was closest.
“I’ll see you later.”
Before I can think better of it, I blow him a kiss before high-tailing it into the bathroom. More laughter follows me.
Caleb and Jaxson are already home by the time I make my way into the apartment. Jaxson and Caleb get to their feet as soon as I enter. Their imposing maleness sucks the air out of the living area.
Caleb steps up to me, takes my arm, and drops a surprise kiss to my lips.
Not what I was expecting.
“April, I’d like to introduce you to Jaxson Lockwood.”
Jaxson steps forward, holding out his hand.
What is it with the Frazer men and their friends? Were they all born with the gorgeous, sexy gene, or is that what money does to someone?
I take Jaxson’s hand. He’s as tall as Caleb, although his dark hair is short on the sides and longer on top, his temples speckled grey. He has a perfectly groomed beard that adorns his strong jawline. His skin has a tan, but it is not the natural olive of Cal’s. Laughter lines deepen around his eyes as he smiles. Eyes that are an ocean blue, eyes a woman could drown in… if she wasn’t partial to dark ones.
He is older than Caleb, but it’s clear the two are close.
“Pleased to meet you,” I say. “If you don’t mind, I’ll grab a shower before I join you.”
I shoot Cal a look. I rushed home, not realising they’d already be here.
“No rush,” Jaxson says.
“I’m ordering takeout,” Caleb says as I move towards the stairs. “Your usual?”
I turn and smile, my gaze flipping to Jaxson, who is giving Caleb a look of interest.
“That would be perfect,” I say, making a hasty retreat.
As I reach the top of the stairs, I hear Jaxson’s amused tone saying, “Usual? ”
“Shut up,” Caleb says. “We live together. Of course, I know what she likes to eat.”
“And that, my friend, says it all.”
I make a hasty retreat, not needing or wanting to hear anymore. Nothing positive comes of eavesdropping.
I shower and change into jeans and a t-shirt, adding some makeup and making myself look a little more respectable.
“There you are,” Caleb says when I return. “We’ve laid the plans out on the table if you want to have a look.”
Jaxson is missing, although I spot him on the balcony, his phone pressed to his ear. His expression intense.
“Don’t worry, he’s on the phone to my sister, Kat,” Caleb says, his arm wrapping around my waist as he pulls me back into him. His show of possession should annoy me, but instead, I relax in his arms, moving my head to one side as he kisses my neck. I bite my lip to stifle the moan that threatens to escape. Our one night has turned into so many, but I can’t regret it.
“Sorry,” Jaxson says, coming in. Caleb and I jump apart like naughty school kids, caught behind the bike shed. “I’m sorry, Caleb, but your sister is…”
He looks up and sees me standing there, the words pausing in his mouth. “Never mind,” he says, putting his phone in his back pocket.
“Kat will come around,” Caleb says, slapping him on the shoulder. “She’s stubborn, but after all. You are the best, and Kat knows that.”
He grunts but says nothing else. Instead, he turns to me and motions towards the plans.
“What do you think?” he asks.
“Er…”
I stare down at the lines and numbers that decorate the page.
Smiling, he moves in and explains what each line and notation means. By the time he’s finished, I’m in awe. Yes, the dimensions for the dance floor are the same, but the changes he’s made will have this place running on a fraction of the previous overheads.
I turn to Caleb, my mouth open, only to have him grinning.
“He’s the best—it’s why I hire him.”
I ask some questions, pointing out additional features.
“This?” I say, pointing to an additional part of the plan, something that had not been in the original building.
“An apartment,” Jaxson says. “The ceiling height and additional windows have allowed for accommodation to be added above. A two-bedroom apartment, with kitchen and living space.”
My eyes widen.
Shit .
Music travels. The last thing I’ll need is complaints from an upstairs resident when classes go on late or start early in the morning.
“Um… how good will the soundproofing be? Only music from the studio is likely to travel,” I say, pointing to the room. “Some classes may run late into the evening.”
Jaxson gives me a confused look, which surprises me. An architect who hasn’t thought about that.
It’s Caleb who steps in. “Don’t worry. Soundproofing won’t be an issue. I promise. I don’t want any complaints any more than you do.”
My gaze moves to Caleb’s, and he smiles reassuringly. “I’m trusting you. If I get a series of complaints—” I add, raising my eyebrows to let him know I’m not joking.
“Don’t worry,” he says, taking my hand and raising it to his lips.
Jaxson coughs for dramatic effect, and I can’t hide my smile. Caleb is being attentive, and I like this side of him .
“This door is optional,” Jaxson says, pointing to a door that leads from my reception area into the space next door. “This will be the community cafe. From which the Frazer Foundation will set up its counselling centre and support groups. It’s up to you whether you want your students to be able to walk from your reception back and forth.”
I think of the success of Scarlett’s Cafe and all the parents who used to visit Betty and Don. Being able to go from one building to the other would make life easier, especially in the winter. Free up reception and allow parents and children to wait in a safe and welcoming environment.
“I like it,” I say. “It would have made life easier for many of my students if they had easy access to next door. Especially with the younger students. Parents can wait there, and the students can be released to them via the door.”
“We can add security to ensure people can’t just move between the two, maybe key cards for teachers. But it’s there as an option. As I said before. You have time to think about it.”
He pulls out another roll of plans.
“This is the community centre. The cafe is here, and the upstairs will have offices and rooms. Speaking to the team, Francesca and her foundation are assembling. They’re hoping to add family planning, a full-time counsellor, and career advisors.”
I stare at the plans. This is not what I imagined the first time we headed to Caleb’s office. Or when we protested outside, feeling a large corporate would run us out of our neighbourhood. I couldn’t have been more wrong.
“What do you think?” Caleb asks, coming to stand next to my shoulder.
I look up and lose myself in his dark gaze. I could not have been more wrong about a human being if I tried.
“I’m speechless if I’m honest. ”
Jaxson moves to the other side of the table. “Have you not taken April to the Copper Town Development?”
Caleb looks across the table.
“What’s Copper Town Development?” I ask.
The name sounds vaguely familiar, but it is not somewhere I can place.
“One of our first projects,” Jaxson says, his eyes moving to me. “It highlights all the things we like to put into our developments, although I have improved many of the eco features since. We will upgrade them as we go. It showcases how an old and new community can work together.” He looks at Caleb. “You need to take April. She’s your spokesperson. I can’t believe you haven’t shown her Copper Town.”
Caleb shrugs, and I know why. Maybe if I hadn’t been a porcupine when we first met, he might have. Or after he kissed me when I ran for the hills. Until we fell into bed, we were ships passing in the night.
“We’ve been busy getting the dance school up and running at an alternative venue,” I say, stepping in and defending Caleb. “But I’d like to see it,” I add, turning to Cal, who smiles.
“Your wish is my command.”
The doorbell goes. Our dinner has arrived. While Cal goes to the door to collect the food, Jaxson rolls up the diagrams. I make myself useful by grabbing plates and cutlery from the kitchen.
Dinner is a blast. Jaxson reveals that he’s a close friend of Elijah, Caleb’s older brother. He used to spend the summer holidays at the Frazer’s house in Hampshire. How the house was never empty. Francesca and Robert opened their doors to whomever wanted a place to stay, and how Robert helped Jaxson get his first internship.
My heart twinges. It sounds amazing. No wonder Cal was willing to open his home to me. His upbringing shaped him that way.
By the time Jaxson leaves, I’ve learned a lot about Caleb and his family. They are not what I expected. But Caleb and I have an undefined expiration date, but it’s still there. As we make our way to bed, he takes my hand in his, an unspoken question in his eyes.
I nod.
What the hell.
I follow him into his bedroom. I might as well make the most of my time with him. I’ll just have to protect my heart. Although I’m not sure anyone will ever replace this man.