He waited patiently for me to say something.
I didn’t know why, but it felt as if Caleb was protecting me. It felt nice, but I needed a bit of clarification from him. He’d hired me for a massive job and had paid an enormous sum of money in the form of a retainer fee. I needed to believe he wasn’t using his position over me to get sex. Was I supposed to just dance my way into his bed whenever he asked me to? Was he asking me to do that tonight? I didn’t think Jon or Carlisle would throw me into a situation like that with a client, but Caleb was infusing a great deal of money into Harris & Goode. I imagined they didn’t want to risk losing him by imposing restrictions—either moral or contractual.
“I don’t think I should stay, Caleb. I—I really don’t know what you want from me—what you are expecting . . .” Well, that sounded awkward. Did I just ask him that question? God. “But maybe I should get a hotel room—”
“I’m not expecting anything from you, Brooke. It’s just an invitation from me to you because it’s the right thing to do. I feel responsible for not delivering you in time to make your ferry. Now you’re stuck in Boston for the night.” He grinned at me in his cheeky way—the one he’d somehow perfected to look utterly devilish without the obnoxious and lewd. “I do have a big house and I’d like you to stay. And really, if you think about it this way, you should get a feel for the space you’re going to be renovating. It can be preliminary research for the project.”
I took a deep breath and considered his logic. He had a good point on getting to know the penthouse I’d been hired to design. I decided to be blunt and ask him the question I really wanted answered. I’d know better what to do after I’d heard from him. “But what is going on here with you and me?” I asked, flicking my fingers back and forth between us. “Is this you trying to get me into bed?”
“Literal answer or figurative?” he asked easily, as he reached for my hands and enfolded them in his to rest on his chest. “I won’t lie and deny wanting to be with you. You’ve totally captivated me from the moment I first spoke to you. You’re beautiful and funny and smart, Brooke. And I am a human male. Everything’s in working order just as it should be.” He tilted his head down toward his crotch and smirked. “Trust me.”
I couldn’t help cracking a smile at his announcement, but there was no way in hell I was going to get caught having a go at his cock, so I just focused on his blue-and-gold eyes instead. Why was this beautiful man so persistent with me? He could have any woman he wanted, and from the pictures on the Internet, he’d had many. Models, celebrities, heiresses: they were the women from his world, not someone like me. Caleb really didn’t have a clear picture of my past. He might think he wanted me right now, and surely wasn’t the first guy to think with the brain that lived in his trousers. But if he knew everything—he probably wouldn’t want me then. I didn’t know that answer yet.
I liked the feel of his hands around mine, but realized he’d conveniently trapped me by holding them together against his chest. He had me right where he wanted me. I stared at his lips and remembered how they’d felt against my cheek when he’d kissed me there: soft, determined, erotic even. I would wager Caleb Blackstone was spectacular in bed.
He drew even closer and whispered, “Let’s just say I won’t turn you away if you find yourself considering it.”
I tugged my hands out of his grip. “Well, thank you for the honesty, but I won’t fall into bed with you, Caleb. I don’t do that with men I’ve just met—”
He put two fingers gently on my mouth and stopped me. “That was my literal answer, Brooke. The figurative one goes something like this: Of course I don’t expect you to sleep with me. I’m not trying to take advantage of you, and this is not some orchestrated seduction on my part. I’m just letting you know I’m very interested. Nothing has to happen that you don’t want to happen. And nothing will happen unless you want it to. I will always respect your choices.”
Well, he said all the right things. I’d give him props on that. I supposed it was stupid to pretend I wasn’t feeling attracted to him. I totally was. I could tell he was attracted to me. Again, not a surprise, but I knew it was just biology at work.
“Better answer?” he asked, with a smile.
I nodded again. “Thank you again for being such a gentleman. It’s a very different experience for me.”
“Why does that bother me and please me at the same time?” he asked wryly.
“I said it was a different experience for me, not that I didn’t like it.”
“I know. I can work with it, beautiful Brooke Casterley with the sexy voice.”
Deep trouble. Did I mention I was in very deep trouble with this man? “All right, Caleb Blackstone with the beautiful eyes, I accept your invitation to stay over at your penthouse, but on one condition.”
“Name it,” he fired back confidently.
“You’re taking me to Target first so I can get a few things for this slumber party you’ve invited me to.”
He clearly did not expect me to demand a shopping trip to a discount store like Target—whose doors he’d probably never darkened—but maybe Caleb liked surprises, because he threw his head back and laughed.
Then he lowered the partition and said, “Isaac, Miss Casterley would like to go to Tar-zhay.”
CALEB appeared amused as he followed me around Target, gathering up the things I wanted. He pushed the cart for me but didn’t say a lot. Mostly he observed, and I had the strangest feeling he was taking notes in his head as if he was . . . learning. Had he never been inside a Target before? Did billionaires even shop for themselves, or did other people do it for them? I would never allow someone to shop for me. I loved shopping, and lucky for me it was a huge part of my job to search out the unique and artful accent pieces that made the room and showcased the individuality of the client. Flea markets were some of my favorite places to find treasures. I wondered if Caleb had ever been to anything like a flea market.
Nothing was more uncomfortable than being stranded without necessities in a strange place. If this was indeed going to be my first experience with the space I’d be transforming, then I wanted to enter into the process on my terms and feeling at ease. Which meant having my own toothbrush, some clean knickers, and something to wear to work tomorrow morning at the very minimum. I always carried a bit of makeup around in my bag, so I was covered on that end. I didn’t like going faceless, either. I loved my makeup and that was just my preference. Maybe it gave me some sort of perceived shield from the world, but I totally needed it.
I found a really soft sweaterdress in black that hit just above the knees. It would do nicely for work tomorrow and would pair well with my boots. A large-checked, fringed scarf in cream and black pulled it all together. In the lingerie section I grabbed a three-pack of lace boy-shorts knickers in pink, baby blue, and black polka dots. I watched for Caleb’s reaction when I tossed the package into the cart.
He was paying attention all right.
Because he picked up my new knickers and gave them a thorough inspection before bestowing another one of his signature cheeky grins. All men were such teenage boys at heart—apparently even a sophisticated billionaire couldn’t keep back the giggles when holding a pack of ladies’ panties in his hand.
“Are you enjoying yourself, Caleb?” I couldn’t help asking the question.
“Very much, Brooke,” he answered quickly. “Thank you for bringing us to Target. It’s quite a different experience for me.”
It was very close to what I’d said to him earlier about him being a gentleman. “I’m almost finished. I just need to find something warm for sleeping and a weekender bag.” I plucked the pack of knickers away from him and tossed it back into the cart.
Again with the cheeky smile.
I had the insane urge to bury my fingers in his purposely mussed hair just so I could feel it for myself. He smiled lazily at me and proceeded to make my hormones put on their slut show inside my head. Very. Deep. Trouble.
“N
o rush at all, Brooke. I said it was a different experience for me, not that I didn’t like it.”
And my same words used back on me a second time. Or was it the third? The man was a dedicated tease, but I had to admit he was also very adorable whilst doing it. An idea hit me that Caleb was paying attention to everything in Target as I shopped—for a reason. He was committing his new knowledge to memory and filing it away.
A flannel pajama set in black and very pale pink, and some soft thick gray socks took care of sleepwear for me. I also spied a black felt bolero and couldn’t resist taking it after trying it on in front of a mirror. It would look perfect with my new sweaterdress, I rationalized. “I have a slight hat fetish . . . er . . . problem,” I admitted.
“Good to know, Brooke. Please, feel free to keep on sharing your secrets. I’m taking notes.”
I was right. Caleb was taking notes in his head. He remembered everything. It was probably the secret to his success in business . . . which just reminded me, yet again, of my curiosity as to why he was interested in me. Why, when we came from such polar opposite worlds?
He left me to do some shopping in another part of the store when I went to the travel section to find a weekender bag. I just wanted something inexpensive, but capable of holding all my purchases. An orange-and-gray woven bag in an Aztec print fit the bill perfectly. I knew I would put the thing to good future use as well. In my line of work, I always needed bags to carry around the plethora of crap I discovered for decorating.
Lastly, I cruised through the trial sizes of toiletries and selected the necessities: toothbrush, toothpaste, shampoo and conditioner, a hairbrush, deodorant, body lotion, and some moisturizer for my face. A waterproof cosmetic bag to house everything and I was done.
My rather-filled shopping trolley was now ready for the checkout line. I texted Caleb from line as the attendant rang me up. I’m finished. Checking out now.
I headed for the Starbucks located inside the store as I looked over my receipt. All of my awesome loot had come to a grand total of 167 dollars. Not bad at all, I thought. I knew I’d get good use out of everything I’d bought, even if I hadn’t planned on shopping for any of it tonight. I stuffed the receipt into one of the bags and felt my phone vibrate with Caleb’s reply: Wait for me, please. In Electronics . . . almost done.
Ok. I’ve already paid. I’ll be in the Starbucks → front of the store. What would you like me to get for you?
He didn’t answer so I assumed he didn’t want anything.
“So I have a grande pumpkin-spice latte decaf for Brooke. That’ll be five twenty-five.”
I handed over my debit card to the barista, but he didn’t take it from me. His attention was focused on someone else behind me because he nodded and mouthed, “okay.”
Then I felt Caleb’s hand on my hip as he put an arm around me. “I’ve got this, and I’ll have a venti flat white,” he said, and handed over a solid black American Express card. I did a double take because I’d never seen one before. I don’t think the barista had, either, because he gave it a good stare as well. It dawned on me it must suck to have people speculating on how rich you were whenever you paid for something normal at a place like Starbucks with a black AmEx card. The problems of the rich . . .
I looked up at Caleb and smiled but he wouldn’t look at me. In fact, he’d lost the easygoing expression altogether and looked rather annoyed.
“Did you find what you went searching for?” I asked as we waited for our coffees.
“Yes,” he answered as he tapped out something on his phone. He put it in his pocket and then gave me his attention. “Why did you check out and pay without me?”
Huh? “I beg your pardon?” I wasn’t letting him pay for my knickers and toothpaste for Christ’s sake.
“It’s a simple question.” He didn’t look annoyed anymore but rather surprised if I had to put a name to it.
“Because I’d finished my shopping and it was time to pay for my things and leave the store. I didn’t think I needed permission to go through the checkout line, Caleb. In fact, I know I don’t.” His concern was confusing. “I texted so you would know where I was. You brought me here. I wasn’t planning on ditching you if you were worried.” I shook my head at him. “Why should you care that I’ve paid for my things?”
He laughed and smiled for me again, his earlier mood restored. “Forget it, beautiful. Let’s just say this is all a new experience for me and leave it at that, okay?”
“Shopping at Target not to your liking?” I asked, hoping he would tell me how he really felt.
He pulled me in closer and pressed his lips to my forehead. I felt his lips move across my skin and heard him whisper softly, “Everything about tonight has been to my liking.”
Thank God he was holding me up because I rather melted into a puddle of goo after that.
Deep. Fucking. Trouble.
Caleb
Isaac texted his reply in the form of a photo scan of her Target receipt because I’d told him to find it when he put our bags in the car. Only $167.44 for all of that shit she just bought? Unbelievable. In fact, just about everything about her was unbelievable. She was completely indifferent about what I could buy for her—she only seemed interested in me, the person. I made a screenshot of her text asking if she could get me something from Starbucks. It rarely happened that anyone offered to buy me anything, and the women I sometimes dated never offered. Not that I ever expected them to, but it was nice to be asked once every six months.
Brooke was so different, so guileless in everything she did. She’d weighed her decision on whether she could stay over with me and then named her condition to make it possible. Understandably she wanted to feel comfortable and have the things she needed with her. Target just got 167 dollars of her money, and she got some peace of mind in return. A good exchange. And the fact the goddamn place was open until midnight on a Monday night was a fucking bonus. I’d seen a sign in the store that said you could shop online and pick up in the store. I could send someone to go get it after I’d shopped from my phone. The place carried just about everything anyone could possibly want. I’d been suitably impressed with the electronics in particular. Lucas’s iInVidiosa was there on an end-cap display, front and center. Being impressed was something that rarely happened for me.
I’d make sure she was reimbursed the amount of the receipt as an out-of-pocket expense on the renovation, but I wasn’t telling her tonight. She would protest the reimbursement no doubt, ergo the reason to shelve the issue for a later time.
I didn’t want to hear protests from her right now.
Because right now I had Brooke close to me in the back of the car as we sipped our coffees and watched the rain still steadily pouring down over the city in a kind of cleansing baptism.
Kind of like how I felt, too.
She’s coming home with me.
“YOUR view is stunning, Caleb. City lights at night are my favorite.” When I brought Brooke into this room, she headed straight for the wall of windows and looked out at the city with the Charles River stretched out in a wide arc.
“I agree; it is stunning.” She was talking about the view. Brooke had no idea my stunning view was her looking out at the city lights reflecting over the river on a rainy night. Those long legs encased in tall sexy boots topped with a short green skirt, her wavy blonde hair spilling down the back of her black velvet jacket, the contrast of colors she chose against her skin and hair—all of it perfection. I needed to feel her hair in my hands. I needed my hands on her.
The moment she’d come into my house, I knew she belonged here. The whole experience was crazy and impulsive for me. Things were moving quickly with her—far too fast in fact, but there was no slowdown in progress on my end that I could tell. I just kept pushing and seeing where it would lead. I knew it was too soon for me to be feeling this way about Brooke, but that didn’t make my feelings go away. If anything, I wanted her even more. I would let her tell me when she was ready, and then the seco
nd that happened, I knew there would be no possibility for me to turn back.
I just knew.
My father was right on the money when he’d said I would know when the right girl came along. I was looking at her right now. I had found her.
“Caleb, I think I know just how to redesign this room to make the view stand out even more.”
Just stay here forever and that’ll do it. “That’s great you’re already getting some good concepts for designs. See, wasn’t this a great idea I had for you to get acquainted with the space?”
She turned her head back to smile at me. “Yes,” she said shyly. “I can’t believe I’ll be working with all of this.” She lifted both hands up. “The interior has marvelous bones, Caleb. I can’t wait to see the rest of it, especially the garden on the rooftop.”
Marvelous bones—marvelous everything. “Hopefully it won’t be raining tomorrow and you can stroll around up there.” I moved behind her where she stood at the window and breathed her in. She smelled like oranges to me. It was an intoxicating scent that drew me in like a moth to a flame, careless of the heat that would eventually incinerate its wings.
Is that what would happen to me? Would the heat of my desire for her incinerate me?
“Oh, I hope so,” she agreed. “I want to explore everything in the daylight.”
Me too. “Are you tired?” I asked.
“You know, not very. Must be the multiple cups of coffee I drank far too late in the day.”
“Well, would you like to watch a movie with me?”
“Which movie?”
“This girl I know recommended it. She is very passionate about certain things and this movie is one of them. I picked it up just tonight on her recommendation. Something to do with emotions and giving them each their rightful place.”
“Caleb? You bought Inside Out?” She spun around to face me, and I realized I couldn’t resist her anymore. Not one more second of time was going to pass before I got the chance to know what it felt like to kiss her.