LOOKING INTO CALE’S blazing, blue eyes, I knew he was turned on by my clothing choice. I could have chosen something not so revealing, but for some reason, I wanted to look sexy for him. He truly was becoming my safe haven. We played our parts well. Mine, the damsel in distress, and his, my knight in shining armor.
After we finished our dinner, we cozied up to each other on the couch with another glass of wine. While relaxing, I couldn’t help but let my mind wonder to the fact that he was such a comforting force in my world after only barely knowing him. Conversation flowed easily as we started off talking about our days before my exciting evening. It was interesting to listen to him speak about his upcoming projects. Cale was so passionate about what he did. It was refreshing to hear it in his voice.
We laughed about Anj and her crazy, romantic notions. Boy, did I have stories to tell on that girl. Cale and I were both hysterically laughing after a while. By the time we finished the bottle of wine, I was feeling a good buzz and finally starting to really relax. I situated myself, turning to face him, and draped my legs across his lap.
“Tell me about your family,” I said, hoping to learn more about him.
He cringed at my words but began speaking. “Well, I’m an only child. I grew up with a dad that liked to control every aspect of my life. He ended up running my mom straight into the arms of another man. Once she left us both, he focused his need to control all on me. Every single part of my life was rehearsed by my dad. He had a standard of what he expected me to be and an image to uphold. I lived every day trying to meet his impossible expectations. We’re estranged now,” he said, patting my thigh.
“I’m so sorry,” I consoled, snuggling closer to him. “My mom and I are really close. I couldn’t imagine how lonely you must have felt growing up. My dad died when I was pretty young, but a few years ago, she married Rich and he’s about as awesome as they come. He really takes care of her and loves me too. I’m sorry you never had that.”
“Lia, don’t worry about me. I had a really good friend, Madison, in high school who helped me through a lot of that pain. Unfortunately, she had her own pain that was too much for her to deal with. She killed herself my freshman year of college. Even though I was completely devastated, I still feel comforted by her wise words all those years ago. You would have loved her kick-ass attitude,” he smiled at her memory.
I frowned, tears filling my eyes as I thought of how hard the loss of her must have been for him.
“What are you so afraid of, Lia?” he asked out of the blue, now gently rubbing my thigh as if to coax it out of me.
I felt my entire body tense up, not at all ready to answer his question. “Want more wine?” I questioned breezily, avoiding the question altogether.
When he nodded, I hopped up and quickly escaped into the kitchen. I wanted to tell him about the abduction three years ago. I hadn’t told anyone, and it would probably feel good to share it with someone, especially Cale, but I wasn’t quite ready to go there yet.
After digging through my cabinet, all I could come up with was an old, half-empty bottle of Crown. I grabbed the bottle and a shot glass before heading back to the living room. Cale watched me as I sat back down beside him.
“I guess you’re out of wine?” he inquired, cocking a sexy eyebrow.
“Yep, so this will have to do,” I answered, filling the glass.
I tossed it down my throat, wincing at the burn as it went down. I’m not much of a heavy drinker but desperate times call for desperate measures. I poured another and handed it to him. His eyes lingered on mine before he drank his shot down in one gulp, handing me the glass back. I filled it again and we repeated the process a couple of times. My body started to heat up as the alcohol began taking effect.
“Where are you taking me on our date tomorrow?” I somewhat slurred, definitely feeling the alcohol now.
“It’s a surprise,” he teased back.
“Ugh, no fair. Please tell me,” I begged, giving him my best puppy-dog face.
He laughed at me, shaking his head no. Feeling brave from the alcohol, I hiked a leg over and straddled him. His laughter died down as I felt him tense beneath my touch.
Leaning forward, I brought my lips to his ear and breathily said, “Please.” I could feel his hardness underneath me through my pajama pants, so I ground against him a little to coax out an answer.
He groaned as he quickly grabbed my hips, urging the movement further. “I’ll tell you if you tell me what you’re so afraid of, Lia,” he murmured, licking his lips.
The question caught me off guard and I jumped off of him to my feet, wanting to avoid it altogether. The sudden movement coupled with my alcohol-induced fog sent me careening onto the floor. Then a pair of strong arms scooped me up.
“Time for bed, little lady,” he whispered as he carried me towards the bedroom.
When we reached my bed, he used one hand to pull back the covers before he set me down. I snuggled into my pillow as he drew the covers over me. His kiss on my cheek was the last thing I remembered before slipping into peaceful oblivion.
The Saturday morning sun streaming in through the window caused me to wake up and notice my pounding head. When I rolled over to check the time, my eyes landed on a note, some ibuprofen, and a bottle of water on my bedside table. I smiled at Cale’s thoughtfulness. After swallowing the pills down, I eagerly opened his letter.
Even his handwriting was sexy. Lord, I had it bad for this guy already. I grinned all the way to the shower, thinking about this completely adorable guy I had somehow snagged up all for myself.