46. Lex
Chapter forty-six
“Are you sure this is okay?” Claire runs a hand down the skirt of her pale pink dress.
“Why are you so nervous? You’ve been together for two months now.” I’m applying my red lipstick while Claire paces behind me.
“Yeah, but this is my first Valentine’s date. My first relationship. It means something.” She turns on her gold heels, her blonde waves drifting over her shoulder with the motion.
“Not true. You’ve been in a long-term relationship with me for ten years.”
That stops her. With a hand on her heart, she pouts at me. “It’ll always be you, babe.”
“Baby, you ready?” Lee calls from down the hallway.
His footsteps draw closer to my open bedroom door. I turn to pick my purse up off the bed just in time to see him poke his head through the doorway.
His eyes widen once he takes in Claire, and his mouth drops in awe. “Bombshell,” he whispers.
Claire fidgets with her dress straps, then pulls on the hem. “Do I look okay?”
He walks into my bedroom, takes her hands in his, and lays them on his chest. “How did I get so lucky? ”
“To be fair, he says that even before you’ve had your morning coffee. I don’t know why you were worried,” I say, walking over to my wardrobe to slip on my black heels.
Lee wraps his arms behind Claire’s back. “This is just such a serious date,” Claire says.
“Ah, Bombshell? We’re in quite a serious relationship, remember?”
“Yes, of course, I just mean—” She looks to me as if I can help explain her nerves. “Valentine’s Day,” she whispers.
“So?” he whispers back.
“It’s lovers’ day.”
“Yeah. And you’re my love.”
“But like,” she sputters and stumbles over her train of thought, “am I meant to be doing anything different today?”
“No, baby.” Lee laughs. “It’s just a fancier dinner than what we might normally do, and I buy you presents.”
“Oh.” Claire raises her eyebrows. “Well, let’s go then, Lover Boy. You can wine me, dine me, then later, you can sixty-nine me.”
“That’s all I’m asking for.” He smirks, then kisses her and starts tugging her out of my room.
I follow them out into the kitchen. Caleb messaged me before to say he was on his way, so he should be here in a few minutes, and then we’ll be going on our own fancy date. I have no idea where, but Caleb was confident I would love it.
“Will you be coming back here or going to Caleb’s later?” Claire asks.
“Caleb’s.”
“Cool, so we can be as loud as we want.” My best friend smiles.
“You’re loud whether I’m here or not.” I chuckle, and Claire holds up her palm to Lee.
“I’m not high-fiving you,” he says.
She gapes at me. “But it’s a good dick. ”
“That is the rule, Lee,” I say. “A good dick gets a high five.” He looks at me, looks back at Claire, who’s still holding her palm up, then looks at me again as he slaps his palm against hers, then walks out the door.
Claire and I laugh while we watch Lee walk to his truck, shaking his head.
“Have fun tonight,” I say, kissing her cheek.
My overnight bag is resting on the floor beside the front hall table. I swing it over my shoulder and drop it onto one of the porch chairs just as Caleb’s Lamborghini pulls up the driveway.
“You too, babe.” She smiles and skips down the porch steps, greeting Caleb as she passes him.
He’s wearing black dress pants, crisp white sneakers, and a white button-up shirt with the top few buttons undone, showing off the silver chain that looks so confusingly sexy against his tanned skin.
My billionaire is slowly losing his suit and ties persona, but he still makes casual look so put together.
“Hi.” I smile as he makes his way up the stairs while I lock the front door.
His hands are in his pockets as he stares at me. “You look so beautiful, Lex.”
“Thank you.” I pick up my bag, which he takes from me and slings over his shoulder, then uses his free hand to pull me in and kiss me, humming against my lips.
“You look really nice,” I say.
“Thank you, baby. Are you excited to see where we’re going?” he asks as he walks us to his car.
“Yeah!” The grin on my face is uncontainable as I look up at him. “I’m happy no matter what we do, though.”
He opens the passenger-side door, drops my bag in the back, then turns around to pull me against him.
“That’s why you’re so perfect,” he says as he tucks my hair behind my ear. “You just want to spend time together. I don’t think you know what it means to me that you’re here for me and nothing else.”
“Of course I’m here for you.” I smile.
“I’m so used to being seen as Caleb Heart . Not Caleb .”
My heart hammers as understanding takes over.
I run my hands over his chest, clutching onto his neck and running my thumbs along his stubbled jawline.
I couldn’t care less about his money. His heart’s intentions are what matter most to me.
Yes, he had a reputation that played on my doubt, but not for doubting the incredible person he is.
It was me, doubting that I was enough to make him stay.
“Since the first night we met, it was your heart that had me falling,” I whisper.
He picks me up and presses his lips against mine, hungry to claim the words I offer. He pulls back far too soon, resting his head against mine. “Let me take you to dinner before I change my mind and take you inside instead.”
***
After driving along the coast, watching the sun as it set over the Indian Ocean, Caleb pulls into the parking lot of the aquarium.
“I didn’t know the aquarium was open this late.”
I’ve only been here a few times, mostly as a kid for school excursions. But I do know there’s been extensive renovations happening here over the last few months.
“For the right price, anything is open, Siren.” Caleb smirks as he parks the car and steps out, rushing around the hood to open my door.
I place my hand in his outstretched one, and together we walk up to the entrance. It looks dark inside, and I can barely see anything through the glass doors .
Caleb wears a cheeky smile as he pulls on the handle. There’s no one sitting at the ticketing booth, but there is a faint glow of light stretching just past the wall beyond it.
“Are you sure this is okay?” I feel like we shouldn’t be here right now. There’s no one else around.
“Hi guys,” a familiar soft voice calls.
Around the corner, Tenley Callahan appears. She’s dressed in a grey sheath dress, and her strawberry blonde hair sits in a tidy bun on top of her head. “Tenley.” I smile, delighted by the surprise of seeing her.
“I was just making sure everything was ready for you two. We’ve only been reopened for the last three weeks, but I think you’ll be impressed.” She clasps her hands in front of her, looking all business.
“Thank you, Tenley. I appreciate your help in organising this,” Caleb says, with a firm hand on the small of my back.
She nods once. “I’ll let them know you’re here. Have fun.”
I watch as Tenley walks over to the ticketing booth and picks up a walkie-talkie.
“Mr Heart, welcome.” An older man in a black dinner suit stands over where Tenley came from. “If you’d like to follow me.” He holds a hand out, gesturing for us to follow, and Caleb encourages me along.
As we come around the corner, candles flicker along either side of the hallway. The only other light comes from the tanks built into the walls. It feels as though we’re walking through a cavern. The water, as it moves behind the glass, reflects all over the walls as we pass a myriad of sea life.
I try to take in as much as I can as Caleb continues guiding me along, following the usher. We come to a set of stairs that lead downward, with more candles lined up on every step.
“There’s no one else here,” I whisper.
“Perks of being a billionaire,” Caleb whispers back. “I can pay for privacy, amongst other things. ”
“What other things?” I ask just as we reach the bottom of the stairs, and I see a table for two set up in the shark tunnel. More candles flicker as a huge stingray glides across the viewing window behind it.
“Oh my god.”
The usher walks over and pulls out both chairs.
“Can I start you both with a glass of champagne?” he asks as he pulls out a bottle from the ice bucket beside the table.
“Thank you, Marcus.” Caleb nods as he walks us over and tucks me into my chair with a kiss to the top of my head before he sits down in front of me.
I’m still grinning in disbelief when a grey nurse shark stalks past the window. “This is so cool,” I gush.
This is probably a normal level of cool for a billionaire, but for regular folk like me, dining in the middle of an aquarium tunnel is seriously cool.
“Your entrees will be along in a minute.” Marcus smiles and then walks off further into the tunnel.
Caleb raises his glass, and I pick up mine to follow. “Happy Valentine’s Day, Lex. The first of many,” he says with such hope, and we clink our glasses together.
I can feel my cheeks blush at how giddy he makes me, not only with his words but his actions, too.
“Caleb, this is such a special date. I can’t believe how thoughtful this is.”
“I’m glad you like it,” he says as the floor begins to move, and our table slowly travels deeper into the tunnel.
We move into the mouth, and now it’s not just one wall of water, but over our heads and to our other side, marine life gently swims around us. The biggest stingray I’ve ever seen slides over the arch of the tunnel, his giant belly slipping over the glass from one side to the other.
I follow his trail right as a mermaid swims into view.
“Wha-What?” I look at Caleb. “It’s a mermaid!”
“Yes, apparently, they’re a real thing,” he says with amusement.
The woman comes right up to the glass, smiling and waving at us. She’s wearing a royal blue tail, covered in shimmering scales and pearls. She does a few flips and turns before swimming off, only for another woman to swim by, this time in a green tail.
We spend hours moving through the underwater tunnel, enjoying plates of delicious food while mermaids dance around us. We talk about anything and everything, and with every second that passes, I fall more in love with Caleb Heart to the point where there’s no turning back.