12. Lex
Chapter twelve
My heart thumps wildly, cheeks tingling as my soul returns to my body after Caleb just made me see stars.
“Fuck.” His words are like a whispered plea. “What are you doing to me?”
It’s like he’s begging me to stop, but I don’t know what I’m doing. If I knew, I would give in. I’d do anything he asked. That’s a scary thought to face, but I can’t bring myself to care right now.
With an unhurried pace, he pulls his fingers out of my thoroughly fucked pussy. I can feel my arousal gather and drip down my leg as Caleb unleashes a moan.
“We need to leave.” His words are desperate. I let my hands drop from where they were locked on his biceps like a vice.
He snatches my hand in his, and I can feel the wet glaze of my arousal as he laces our fingers together.
With his eyes locked on mine, he brings our hands up to his mouth, sucking my fingers and his that are coated in me. His warm tongue runs the length of our fingers, and I feel him hum against my skin. He releases them with a pop and a devious glint in his eyes.
Bringing his lips against my ear, he growls. “Now, Lex. We’re leaving so I can taste you properly and then I need you to come all over my cock, just like you did on my fingers. ”
I fix my skirt where it had ridden up and turn to look for Claire in the bar when a tiny brunette enters my field of vision.
“You’re here.” Her mouth parts with surprised delight, but she’s not anyone I recognise.
“Beth.” My eyebrows knit together, hearing Caleb say the girl’s name.
He clearly knows her, but his tone suggests he’s not happy to see her.
Is this someone he’s hooked up with before? My chest starts to tighten, my eyes dart with more urgency, searching for Claire.
“I thought you’d avoid the honky tonk like Grams’s inquisition.” I pause my searching and instead take in the girl with more curiosity.
Her stance is relaxed. She’s not giving off a vibe that screams jealous ex. My head tilts as I take in her familiar green eyes.
“Turns out this was more fun than I expected,” Caleb says.
I look at him, trying to understand their connection. His gaze is soft as he stares back at me and mouths, my sister .
My chest deflates with relief. Not that I have any claim over Caleb. We’ve hooked up twice. I don’t have his number. I literally don’t know anything about him other than his ability and willingness to give me orgasms.
“Who’s your friend?” Beth sing-songs, and I pause, not knowing how Caleb would want me to answer that question.
“She’s—”
“Lex!” We’re interrupted by Claire rushing over with wide eyes, panic on her face. She clamps a hand around mine. “My salon. It’s flooded.” She’s near tears as she forces out the words.
“What? What happened?” I pull my hand from Caleb so I can hold both of Claire’s hands in mine, devoting my attention to her.
“The office above me had a pipe burst. It came through my ceiling and flooded the floor. Trevor just called me. I have to go there. ”
I nod. “Okay, babe. Let’s go. Have you called an Uber?” She shakes her head. I turn back to Caleb. “I’m sorry, I need to go.”
He steps into me, a hand landing below my elbow. “Can I help with anything?”
I shake my head. “I just need to get my friend to her salon. Let her assess the damage.”
“I can drive you. I brought my car.”
My eyebrows rise at the gesture he so readily gives. “I don’t want to put you out. I don’t know how long we’ll need to be there.”
“You’re not putting me out. Please.” There is such sincerity in his words. “Let me help.”
I look at Claire, and when I see the desperation in her eyes, I find myself nodding.
He bends down to whisper in my ear. “I just need to clean up quickly.” He pulls back with a wink, and heat blooms on my cheeks.
***
It’s bad. There’s a gaping hole in the ceiling where water has crashed through from the office above, right in the middle of the salon. Thankfully, it seems the walls are okay, but her timber floorboards are completely destroyed.
I helped Claire put together her business and renovation plan, so I made sure she had proper insurance and a slush fund for unexpected emergencies. Between that and the building insurance, I’m sure all the costs will be covered, but it’s the further delay in time that really has her hurting.
I rub my hand gently up and down her back as she talks to Trevor, the upstairs owner, before letting my eyes wander over to Caleb.
I expected him to drop us off and go, but he came in, looking over the space with an assessing eye. Sensing Claire’s okay, I join Caleb over by the front window where he stares out into the night.
“She picked a good location. Lots of foot traffic in this spot,” he says.
“She waited eighteen months for a vacant space on this street.” He looks down at me with one brow arched.
“And it’s going to be a hair salon?”
“More beauty.” I nod. “Makeup, tanning, facials, that sort of thing.”
“Lots of boutique fashion stores and nice cafes. She did well to wait for the right space.”
“That’s what I told her, too,” I agree with a smug grin, earning one back from him.
He turns his body into mine, hands in both pockets as he leans a shoulder against the window.
“And what would you know about it, Siren?” He’s genuinely curious with his question, but I’m more focused on the way my heart stutters over the nickname.
Every time he uses it, I feel an excited flip in my stomach. I wish I could ask him why he sees it fitting for me. I match his stance. “I created her business plan. Used it for a project during my degree.”
“What did you study?”
“Business admin and marketing.” It’s not what I imagined for myself, but I knew it was the best way to help my brother.
I don’t know what to make of the rapid-fire flutter of Caleb’s lashes, he’s gaping like a goldfish, making me laugh. “What?” I ask.
“Business, Lex?” He groans, a hand landing on my waist and pulling me closer. “A girl after my own heart.”
I want to bask in his adoration and question it all at once.
Whenever I’ve been with a man, it was on purpose.
I always had one foot out the door, making it easier to pull back when I needed to.
Careful not to get too attached. Too dependent.
I didn’t want it to hurt too much when they eventually left me.
It was a way to feel in control of my heart.
I don’t know anything when it comes to Caleb. He changes all the rules.
“I’d love to spread you on my sheets.” His playful words catch me off guard, causing a cackle to burst free. I smack my palm against his chest, which he catches, holding it there against his warm chest.
“Was that a spreadsheet joke?” I ask, slapping my free hand under my nose so I don’t snort. “That was so cheesy.” I smile up at him, and he stares back at me with a lopsided grin. He opens his mouth as if to say something when Claire bounds over.
“Well, there’s nothing we can do now. The plumber has stopped the water, and they’ll finish removing the excess. Trevor’s going to stay until they’re done, and I’ve reached out to my contractor to meet me here on Monday.”
“Sorry, babe. This entire project has been a real test of love on your part.”
She nods. “Yeah, but I know it’ll be worth it. So I’ll keep pushing through.” She shrugs and turns to Caleb. “Thanks for driving us here, suit and tie.”
He chuckles. “My pleasure, Claire. Do you need a ride home now?”
I look at Claire to see what she wants to do, but she’s wearing the most confused face. Her head tilts, gaze bouncing all over Caleb’s face before her eyes widen like saucers.
“Oh my god!” she shrieks
“What?”
“You’re Caleb Heart?” It feels more like an accusation than a question as her eyes flit between me and Caleb. How the hell does she know his last name?
“Ummm.” Am I missing something? My skin feels clammy as she looks at me as if waiting for an answer I don’t know how to give. “He’s just Caleb to me,” I manage to say with my eyes fixed on the floor .
I feel a thumb run over the back of my hand, soothing back and forth.
I didn’t realise Caleb was still holding my hand to his chest. I can feel his heart beating, pounding against my palm, as he searches my eyes.
I only manage to look at him for the briefest of moments before my gaze darts straight back to the floor.
“The car makes much more sense now, Ritchie Rich,” Claire says, picking up my other hand with hers and giving it a squeeze. “I think we can be done with this night now. You ready?”
I nod and pull my hand slowly from Caleb’s grasp, still avoiding his eyes.
“We can get an Uber. It’s late, I’m sure you want to get home,” I say as I put some distance between us.
“I would prefer to drive you myself.” He leans down, trying to catch my eyes. I quickly flick them to him with a thin-lipped smile and a nod, then I head toward Claire, where she’s waiting at the back door.
“You okay?” she whispers.
I nod. She knows I’m lying, but she lets it go. I’m desperate to get home and grill her for information or look up his name. I feel like there’s something I’m not seeing.
When we make it to the car park, I take in the sleek, glittering charcoal body of his sports car.
The black and gold Lamborghini badge sparkles under the streetlights.
Both times I’ve seen Caleb, he’s been sporting his tidy vests and ties, always carrying himself with a sense of status and confidence.
That doesn’t falter when he flirts and touches me.
Paired with Claire’s words, I’m hit with a sense of wounding clarity.
Caleb Heart. As in the Heart family of Heart City?
He’s like a gajillionaire. I’ve seen photos here and there of his family, and they’re all stunning.
Heat washes over my body, and my gut sours as I realise the same thing Claire must have.
I remember what I’ve seen now, in fleeting moments when I’ve flipped through magazines and social media.
His brother, who owns the bar, he’s the quiet one.
No one knows much about him. But Caleb, he’s the popular one.
He’s at every high-profile event with people constantly vying for his attention, especially women.
But, if I remember correctly, they don’t last. He’s a playboy, which makes me just another notch on a very crowded bedpost. That feeling of not being enough starts weighing down on me.
Oh my god, he must do this kind of thing all the time with women he meets.
It’s okay, Lex. We haven’t spent that much time together. We were a blip, really. Yes, he felt different, but it’s not too late to back away. To protect myself.