17. Chapter 17
Chapter seventeen
Rowan
Cal was quiet as we left Church, his hand rubbing gentle circles on the small of my back. It felt more comforting than therapeutic, but whatever he was doing helped relax my stiff muscles. I hadn’t realized how loud and hot the bar had become until we stepped into the cool night air.
“Where are you two headed?” Lauren asked, walking toward us in the parking lot.
“My back is getting tight. We’re walking home.”
She nodded. “I’ll make sure Poppy gets back ok.”
“Theo has her,” I said. “No sense in you walking all the way to Sullivan Street just to come right back here.”
“He’ll want to make sure you get home too,” Cal added. “Let him. Or he’ll worry.”
“No problem,” Lauren said.
“Did you catch up with Cammie?” I asked.
Lauren shook her head. “I’m texting her as soon as I get inside to tell her what a wonderful job she did. Call me tomorrow, Rowan.” She beamed at us and pushed open the door to the bar, spilling loud voices and laughter into the parking lot.
“You really had no idea Cammie could sing like that?” I asked Cal, hoping he’d missed Lauren’s not-so-subtle hint that she expected to hear how the night went.
Cal shook his head, his forehead scrunched.
“Hey,” I said, stopping and placing my hand on his chest. “Are you ok?”
“You left your sister with Theo,” he said quietly.
“Should I not have?” I asked, glancing back at Church. “She’s determined to stay, and I figured he would take better care of her than anyone else there. Lauren seemed pretty clear-headed, but she’s right with Poppy on the drink count.”
“No, he’ll make sure everyone is safe.”
“Ok,” I said.
Cal gripped the back of his neck. “He’s a convicted felon,” he said quietly. “He’s done time. Real time, Rowan. Not a week in the county jail. Most people are scared of him. I saw the way you looked at him when he walked over to Poppy. He scared you too.”
“No,” I said, my anger rising. “He surprised me. The last time I saw Theo he didn’t have any tattoos or dress the way he does now. But none of that means anything. You forget, Poppy is my sister. I know better than anyone that the people who try the hardest to push others away are often the kindest. The most vulnerable, even. I’m surprised you’d even bring it up. Isn’t he one of your best friends?”
“So, you’re honestly saying, you wouldn’t be concerned if Theo and Poppy started dating?” Cal asked.
“Why would I be? They’re both adults. They seem to have a lot in common. And it’d be clear to anyone who spent five minutes with Theo that he’s incredibly caring and thoughtful.”
“Most people in Peace Falls think he’s dangerous,” Cal said, an expression in his eyes I couldn’t quite read. Sadness. Fear. Guilt.
“Well, screw those people,” I said, really getting mad. “And shame on you for thinking I’m one of them.”
“How did you end up with someone like Brad then?” he asked, rubbing his forehead like he was trying to solve a complex calculus problem without a calculator. “If you understand Theo so well, in so little time, how did you marry a guy who would cheat on you? Not only that, but someone who had the balls to do it at work where you could catch him? How, Rowan?”
“Because,” I said, my voice shaking. “I saw what I wanted to see.”
A dog barked in a nearby yard, and I realized how loud we’d been talking. No doubt, the houses around Church had heard worse, but I wasn’t about to make a spectacle of myself on Saints and Sinners Street. I walked past Cal and set off toward Broad. Tears leaked from my eyes, and I swatted them away. I stumbled along the dark sidewalk past a couple houses before Cal ran up beside me.
“Please don’t fall,” he said quietly, taking my elbow. He gripped me, tight, and repeated it again, like he was giving himself the same warning.
We walked the rest of the way in silence, his hand steady on my arm. When we reached the corner of Sullivan and Broad, I stopped. Mom had left the porch light on for my sister and me, just like she’d done in high school. The living room lights were off, so at least she hadn’t waited up like she used to when we were younger.
“Good night, Cal,” I said. “I can make it from here on my own.”
He let go of my arm, and I walked toward the house. He waited until I reached Mr. Twillings’s yard to speak. “How did you do it?” he asked.
I turned and waited.
“How did you open up enough to fall in love after losing your dad?” he asked, walking toward me. He looked terrified, the raw fear carving his strong features into something fragile. I doubted Cal allowed many people to see him like this, and the fact he was allowing me made my chest ache.
“I guess I never thought of it that way,” I answered softly. “To be fair, it wasn’t an issue. At least not for a long time. My dad died before I was interested in boys. Then no one wanted to date me in high school or college. Well, maybe they did in college, but I spent most of my weekends at home. I went on a few first dates, but I was so awkward the guys moved on pretty fast. I didn’t meet Brad until I started at Pinnacle Group. For whatever reason, he took an interest in me despite how much I fumbled our first conversations. To answer your question from before, I guess I was excited to finally have someone’s attention, so I ignored the way he looked at other women or the lies I sometimes caught him telling.”
“Brad was your first boyfriend?” he asked, stepping so close I could feel the heat rolling off his body.
“First everything really,” I said with a shrug.
“Am I the second?” Cal asked.
“That depends,” I said. “You can’t be my second boyfriend if you don’t do relationships.”
“No,” he said, his eyes sad, “I can’t.”
“But,” I said, my heart racing, “You are the second man I’ve kissed, and the second to um, you know.”
Cal threw his head back and laughed. “You can’t even say it.”
“Not in the street, Caleb. My house is right there.”
“I love when you call me that,” he said. He leaned in and placed his mouth on the shell of my ear. “Say it again.”
“Caleb,” I breathed, and he sucked the delicate skin on my neck. My breath caught and my knees weakened. He wrapped his powerful arms around me and pressed me close, so I could feel his hard length.
“This is all I can give you,” he said, rocking into me. “But it’s yours if you want it.”
I moaned and he captured my mouth in a brutal kiss. Our tongues clashed for control. His hands tangled in my hair. I ran my hand down his body. His grip tightened to the point of pain and sent a throb of need between my legs. I took a step back.
He let out a slow breath, turned, and began walking toward his house.
“Don’t touch me,” I said, following him. “Until we’re inside.”
He stopped. After a moment, he started walking again, faster than he had before.
When we got to his house, he paused at the front door. “Wait here,” he said. “I need to get Skye settled.”
I nodded.
He pulled a key from his pocket and leaned his forehead against the door. “Promise me you won’t leave,” he said, his voice pained. “If I go inside now, promise me you’ll be here when I get back.”
“I promise,” I said. Without another word, he put the key in the lock and Skye started barking inside. He slipped through the door, closing it behind him. I could hear him greet her and walk toward the back of the house.
As soon as I was alone, the reality of what I was about to do slammed into me. Was I ready to be with someone else? Someone like Cal who could be nothing more than a good time. I gripped the railing to keep from running back to my house. I knew I could change my mind if I wanted, but I couldn’t leave before he returned, not after he’d made me promise. It’s like he’d known I’d second guess my decision the moment he was gone. I heard some shuffling inside the house and the door opened, casting Cal in silhouette.
He held the storm door open and waited. I might regret staying, but I knew I’d think back to this moment again and again if I walked away. I let go of the railing and followed him inside. As soon as the door closed behind me, Cal lifted me up and pressed me against it. His hands roamed every inch of my heated skin, his fingers sending electric sparks straight to my core. He pressed against me, and my back hit the door at an uncomfortable angle. I stiffened.
“Shit,” he said. “Are you ok?”
I nodded, but he spun and carried me to a room at the end of a long hallway. Light from the hall revealed a king-sized bed with a dark-colored comforter, the outline of a dresser, a chair. That’s all I had time to see before Cal placed me carefully on the bed.
“Please don’t treat me like I’m breakable,” I said, grabbing his shirt and attacking the buttons. His chest heaved as I pushed the shirt from his shoulders. I explored the ridges on his stomach with my fingers, the deep V at his waist. His breath became shallower with every touch.
He closed his eyes and threw his head back when I unbuttoned his shorts and eased my hand inside to touch him. I ran my fingers along the smooth skin of his crown and his eyes shot open.
He grabbed my hand and eased it from his skin before taking a step back. My cheeks heated. I must have done something wrong, something to make him change his mind. Why would Caleb Cardoso want to sleep with me? He placed a gentle hand on my chin and lifted it until our eyes locked.
“Whatever you’re thinking,” he said. “Stop.”
I nodded.
“I know you’re not breakable, but if you keep touching me like that, I’m afraid I’ll be too rough.”
I let out a frustrated breath. Cal was practically naked, the tip of his impressive manhood peeking out his open shorts, while I still had every piece of clothing in place. I reached for the hem of my shirt and pulled it over my head. Cal’s eyes darkened. I stood, unbuttoned my skirt, and let it drop to the floor, leaving me in nothing but my lacy black bra and matching thong.
Cal gripped my hip. “You’ll tell me if I’m hurting you.”
I nodded.
“Say it.”
“I’ll tell you if you’re hurting me.”
He closed his eyes and pressed his forehead to mine. “Take everything off and lay flat on the bed.”
I unclasped my bra, then slid my thong off. He hummed a sound of approval but waited until I was on the bed to push his shorts and boxers completely down, freeing himself. “Holy shit,” I said before I could stop myself. "Are you worried about hurting my back or something else?"
He laughed. “It’s your back I’m worried about.”
I nodded because anything I could think to say sounded awkward as hell, even to me. I seriously questioned how all of him could fit.
Cal walked to the edge of the bed and bent my leg, placing soft kisses on my ankle and the back of my knee. He did the same thing to my other leg, making space for him to crawl between my thighs. He’d barely touched me, but I was so turned on, I felt like I would come the moment he brushed my sensitive skin. He leaned over me and sucked my nipple into his mouth, hard. A bolt of pleasure sent me arching off the bed. Slowly, painfully so, he gave the other breast the same treatment.
I gritted my teeth and growled.
He kissed up and down my legs, avoiding the place I needed him most. When his tongue finally swirled against my clit, I let out a garbled sound, my orgasm ripping through me with embarrassing speed.
With a wicked grin, he opened the drawer of the nightstand by the bed. A rustle of foil as he ripped opened a condom, a pause while he took himself in his hand and rolled it down his hard length, and then he was easing into my slick depths.
“Fuck,” he whispered, propping himself up, so we were eye to eye. He went in another inch and moaned. The sound was so erotic, I clenched around him.
“Try to relax, baby,” he said. He reached between us and brushed his finger against my clit. I arched into him. He eased himself in with gentle thrusts, filling and stretching me in ways I’d never known.
“You feel so good,” he murmured in my ear, pulling nearly all the way out and then rocking back into me. He started a rhythm that made me lose all sense of time. There was only him and the feeling of our bodies sliding together. I called his name as I came a second time and he jerked inside me, finding his own release with a groan.
He pulled out gently and rolled beside me, brushing a strand of hair from my face.
“How’s your back?” he asked, his expression serious.
“You did not just ask me that,” I said swatting his chest. He captured my hand and kissed my fingertips.
“Just making sure you’re up for round two,” he said with a grin that left me worried he’d leave my heart far more damaged than my back.