35. Lex
Chapter thirty-five
There’s a smile on my face and a limp in my walk as I pull my sunglasses on top of my head and step inside Sweet Escape.
I’m meeting Claire for coffee since I haven’t spoken to her properly in forty-eight hours.
I saw her briefly before my shift last night, but when I knocked off at two in the morning, Caleb was waiting for me.
He took me straight back to his penthouse, which I barely saw since he hijacked my lips the moment we walked through the door.
He got me in the shower, washed my body, made me come on his tongue, then carried me to his bed where he held me all night.
He’d promised his brother, Mason, that he’d look at a house with him this morning, which is the only reason he let me out of his sight. A fact he was most grumpy about since I’m working again tonight, but tomorrow he wants to take me out on our first official date.
I scan the line for a head of blonde hair, not finding Claire in the mix.
“Lex!”
My best friend sits in the back corner of the bakery, two coffees and a plate of treats in front of her. I kiss her cheek once I reach the table and plop down in the seat opposite her.
“What are we trying today?” I ask, surveying the plate between us .
Macarons, cannolis, and a pink sugared doughnut are placed around a plate, but Claire remains quiet. I look back up and find her mouth dropped open with amusement.
“What?”
“Why are you limping?”
I duck my head as I feel my cheeks heat with embarrassment. “Oh my god, is it that obvious?”
“Only for us nosy bitches. Spill.”
Claire’s arms are circled protectively around a mug of black coffee. I drag the tall glass of iced coffee toward me and take a sip before offering any details from the last two nights I’ve spent with Caleb.
“So, there’s been some developments on the Caleb front.”
She sits her chin in her palms and grins. “I feel like I’m going to approve of this story.”
I recap everything that’s happened since Thursday night when I found Caleb sitting on our beach. She already knew we had been chatting as friends, and since she’s happily shacked up with her contractor, she was all for it.
My coffee is almost gone by the time I get to the last of the details, which was leaving Caleb’s place this morning to come here.
She’s said nothing the whole time, just eagerly absorbed every sweet and filthy detail. Claire encourages oversharing, so there’s no point in glossing over facts. If she couldn’t get enough details from me, she’d ask Caleb without shame. I don’t think he’s ready for that level of Claire just yet.
I tear a piece of the doughnut away and pop it into my mouth while I wait for a reaction.
She extends her palm towards me, waiting with a dorky grin on her face.
“I’m not high-fiving you.”
“Oh, come on! It’s been two days, and you’re still walking funny. A good dicking deserves a high five. ”
“Then high-five your boyfriend.”
“Oh, I do. Lover Boy regularly receives my praise. Actually, it’s normally me being praised.
For a nice guy, he sure does have a filthy mouth.
” Her eyes gloss over, and I don’t want to know where they’ve wandered off to.
“Anyway, back to you. Are you guys a couple now? Are you crossing that line with your boss? Is he your boss?”
“I think it’s more of a partnership. We both have a vested interest in the tavern and distillery succeeding. I’m not sure if Dylan will see it that way.” I wince.
“Do we think big brother will approve?”
My foot shakes where it’s hanging over my knee as I contemplate the conversation I’ll eventually need to have with my brother.
“I’m not sure. Dylan’s not really the relationship type.
I don’t think I’ve ever introduced him to a boyfriend.
Not that he cares if I date or not, but for the moment, Caleb is tied to Legacy Malt.
That concerns Dylan a little more directly than just liking a boyfriend.
If this turns to shit, the blow back could hit him as well. ”
“I don’t think it’ll turn to shit.” Claire shakes her head.
“What makes you say that?”
She arches her eyebrows in a most unimpressed manner. “Seriously?”
“Yes. Any insight you have, please, lay it on me.”
“The guy looked obsessed with you the second you ran into him at The Wayside.”
“You mean when you pushed me?”
“You’re welcome.” She raises her coffee mug in cheers before taking a sip.
“Claire.” I laugh, but it’s half-hearted.
“Seriously. When I found out that he was Caleb Heart , I brought all this self-doubt on myself. He was someone I wanted to explore, but then I read about all the women he’d been with, and how important he was in the business world.
I felt so inadequate, I wrote off our connection as just one of those fleeting moments in life.
But then, when we saw each other again, and realised our ties ran deeper than just our romantic connection, I didn’t want a crush to jeopardise things for my brother. ”
“Dylan would never think that,” she says as she reaches over to squeeze my hand.
I shrug. “I think, for Dylan’s sake, maybe Caleb and I should lie low for a bit. Until we’re sure of what we are.”
“I can understand that. Talk to Caleb, though. If he’s anything like Leif, he’ll want you to be honest with what you’re feeling.”
“Are you a relationship expert now?”
“Well, when the dick is that good, one tries.”
“Liar. You try because you love him.”
Her eyes pivot out the window, no doubt spying her salon over the road. The thing that led her to meet Lee and face her fears around men and relationships.
With misty eyes, she looks back at me. “Yeah. I fucking love that man so hard.”