Falling for the Wingman (The Kelly Brothers, Book 3) (10 page)

She held her breath. Was he going to tell her that he’d forgotten all about her sister and wanted her instead? Or was he going to apologize and tell her that it was all one big mistake?

Unfortunately, Lisa chose that moment to emerge from the laundry room. “I see Bubba’s already pulling the pork,” she said. “Time for me to get these sides out.”

“We’ll help take some out,” Alex offered, her heart still beating irregularly from a few seconds before.

“Thanks, honey.” Lisa slipped out the back door, leaving her alone with Caleb again.

She waited for him to finish what he’d tried to say, but instead, he grabbed the pot of baked beans. “So, are you ready to keep up the show for Mindy?”

Her heart slammed to a stop. They were back to acting like a couple to make Kourtney jealous. She faked a smile and shrugged to cover up her disappointment. “Sure.”

She grabbed a bag of chips and followed him outside, wondering if she’d be better off spilling her guts and seeing where things went from there.

****

Caleb joined the others in on the chorus of “Sweet Home Alabama” and pulled Alex closer to him. A pile of empty bottles marked the progress of the night, and the campfire sent sparks dancing up into the clear, starry sky. After stuffing themselves full of the best BBQ he’d ever tasted, they’d lit the fire and passed around the ingredients for s’mores. J.T. had disappeared briefly to take Mindy home after she continued to complain about the “primitive conditions,” but when he returned, he brought his guitar and led them all in a drunken sing-along. All in all, it was the best night Caleb had had in years.

And part of it was due to the woman sitting next to him on the picnic bench. Even though Mindy had left hours ago, Alex hadn’t moved from her spot unless it was to get a soda. She’d stopped drinking when J.T. had returned, saying she needed to be sober to drive home, but she developed a delicious flush in her cheeks every time Caleb looked down at her.

Her fingers intertwined with his, pulling his arm tighter around her shoulders as she sang the last verse of the song with a huge grin on her face. An odd feeling of peace settled over him as he watched her. Here in her element, she burned as brightly as the fire in front of them, and it wasn’t very hard for him to picture spending more nights like this with her. He was warm and relaxed, and his current state of bliss had nothing to do with the half-dozen beers he’d drunk so far.

Alex fit very well beside him. It left him wondering how well she’d fit with him in other situations.

And on the flip side, he wondered how well he’d fit with her. He glanced around the fire at her closest friends, feeling an instant camaraderie that he’d never felt with Kourtney’s friends. These people were honest and easygoing, just like Alex. They accepted him for who he was and made him feel welcome. The night had been one of laughter and the occasional raunchy joke.

He liked Alex’s world. Hell, he liked her. And more time he spent with her, the more natural it became to think of her as his.

The thought rocked his very core. The whole time he’d dated Kourtney, he’d worked so hard to keep her happy, to read her moods and keep her satisfied. But being with Alex was as easy as breathing. No guesswork. No trying to decipher the meaning of a pout before scrambling to fix it. No constantly watching what he said and did. Alex didn’t put on airs like her sister. She was satisfied with her life in Jackson Grove, and it showed.

Now the only thing he feared was where he might fit in her life.

The strum of the guitar faded, and she lifted her head. “What time is it, Bubba?”

“Half-past drunk thirty with plenty more left to go in the evening.” To prove his point, he fished another bottle from the cooler and opened it.

“I was being serious. Some of us have to work in the morning.”

“Not me,” Lisa said with a grin before swiping the open beer from her husband. “I’m in the middle of my three days off.”

“And I’m calling in sick tomorrow.” Bubba grabbed another bottle and tossed it to J.T.

“And I don’t have to be on duty until noon.”

“Slackers,” Alex teased. She turned to him. “I think it’s time we head out.”

A twinge of regret dampened his spirits as Caleb rose from the bench. Then the beers hit him. He stumbled forward into Alex’s arms, making no effort to leave even after he regained his footing.

“Are you sure you’re safe to drive?” J.T. asked Alex.

“Do you want to administer a breathalyzer on me?”

“Nope, I’m off duty.” He strummed an Eagles tune on his guitar. “Just be careful driving back. Aaron’s on tonight.”

“I’m completely sober.”

Which was more than could be said for Caleb. The beer buzz was almost to the same level of intoxication as her kisses. He kept his hand around her waist, his mind flashing back to their misadventure in the lake. “Are you sure you want to leave? We can always borrow one of those tents.”

And indulge in the fantasies that kept running through his mind.

She pressed one cool palm against his cheeks. “I think we’d better leave before you wake up with the hangover from hell.”

At the rate he was going, he’d already be waking up in pain from a serious case of morning wood. He ran his hands down her back and along the curve of her ass. “But I’m having such a good time,” he whispered in her ear, hinting that they could have a better time if they stayed.

But instead of agreeing to his suggestion, she backed away. That same flicker of pain filled her eyes, and the ache in his chest returned with a vengeance. “I’ll go get our things from the dryer.”

The whole night up until that point, there hadn’t been an awkward moment with Alex’s friends. But when she disappeared into the house, it came crashing down around him with enough force to chase away the pleasant warmth from the beer. He felt like a deer in the headlights as all three of them stared at him. The sweat prickling along the base of his neck had nothing to do with the warm humid night.

Lisa finally broke the silence. “It was nice to finally meet you, Caleb.”

“Yeah, maybe we’ll see you again,” Bubba finished.

“Doubtful since I’m getting ready to PCS to Hill Air Force Base in Utah.”

“That’s too bad.” Lisa’s mouth curved down into a soft frown. “Does Alex know that?”

“I’m pretty sure she does.” But did she? And if she did, would she come visit him? Or was she too rooted in her hometown to even consider leaving it?

Alex reappeared from the house wearing the same cutoffs and plaid shirt she’d arrived in. She handed him his T-shirt. “Ready to head out?”

He nodded and pulled the shirt on, his mood already sobered by the questions that filled his mind. “Need help with the cooler?”

“Nope.” Bubba pounced on it. “This baby ain’t leaving until it’s empty.”

Alex chuckled. “Just bring it back before the wedding. We’ll probably need it for the reception.”

If there was going to be a wedding. After all, that was the purpose of her plan, wasn’t it? To get him back with Kourtney?

Yet the moment Alex took his hand to lead him back to the truck, he forgot all about her sister. He ran his thumb along the calluses of her palm and pulled her closer. The scent of the campfire lingered in her hair, mingling with the clean smell of fabric softener that rose from her still-warm clothes. It was everything that coming home should smell like, and he didn’t want to let her go.

“Caleb,” she murmured, “I can’t drive with you holding on to me this way.”

“Maybe because I’m trying to convince you to stay.”

She looked up at him with a crease between her eyebrows. “Why?”

“Because everything feels so right here.” He paused and added, “With you.”

“You must really be drunk,” she said, her soft laughter carrying a note of bitterness. “Let’s get you back before you say something you regret.”

He mulled over her words as they drove back into town. Was it just the alcohol talking? Or was he really entertaining the idea of a future with Alex instead of Kourtney? Perhaps it was time to start asking the hard questions. “This evening in the lake—was it all for show?”

She stared straight ahead at the road, but the way her hands gripped the steering wheel revealed her unease. “What do you think?”

“I’m still trying to figure that out. Did you know J.T. would catch us?”

“I knew he was coming, but I didn’t know when.”

The truck slowed as they came into town, and the familiar yellow Victorian came into view. He was running out of time. “Damn it, Alex, I need to know. Were you faking it out there in the lake or not?”

“What do you think?” she repeated before she pulled alongside the B&B and turned off the engine.

He was getting tired of this game. He needed answers, and he could only think of one way to get them. He unfastened her seatbelt and pulled her across the seat until she was practically in his lap. And when his lips covered hers, he got the answer he’d been searching for.

There was nothing fake about her kiss. It was the same raw, hungry, passionate eruption that rekindled his desire in a matter of seconds. Alex wanted him—of that he was certain. And God only knew how much he wanted her.

She straddled his thighs and continued to kiss him like she couldn’t get enough of him. Her hips rocked against his hardening cock while her fingers raked through his hair. Every whimper, every touch, every flick of her tongue intensified the growing need inside him. If this was any indication, she’d be one hell of a firecracker in bed, and he wouldn’t be content until he had her.

He found the buttons on her shirt and unfastened them enough to uncover one of her breasts. This time, he wanted to do more than just catch the taut peak between his fingers. He needed to taste every inch of her flesh.

Caleb cupped her ass and pulled her tighter against him, raising her up just high enough to where he could capture her nipple between his teeth. A sharp gasp came from her, followed by a moan that sent shivers through him and doubled the pounding in his balls. He drew the peak deeper into his mouth and was rewarded with another moan of pleasure, followed by a sexy whisper of his name.

Some long-buried part of his mind warned him to stop right there before things got out of hand, but he didn’t want to stop until he was buried deep inside Alex. He yanked her shirt down past her shoulders, exposing both of her lovely breasts so he could alternate his attention from one to the other.

Her breath quickened, and the movements of her hips grew more erratic. Every time she said his name, it came out like a plea for him to continue. But as much as she seemed to be enjoying him, she stopped him cold by pressing her palm to his chest and saying, “Wait. Please, Caleb, I…” Her voice trailed off as she struggled for air. “I need to know that this isn’t all for show, that you want me for me and not because you’re trying to keep the rumor mill alive.”

He guided her hand down to the erection that strained against his zipper. “Does this feel real to you?”

She ran her finger along the length of his cock, sending a series of tiny shocks through him with every inch. Uncertainty still lingered in her eyes. She bit her bottom lip and drew in a deep breath. “Say my name, then.”

“Alex.” Her name came out like a feral growl, and he buried his face in her hollows of her neck, pressing his lips over the point where her pulse throbbed. “I want you, Alex. I need you. Now.”

The last of her resistance faded, and her body melted against his. She was giving him permission to continue, to quench the raging desire welling up inside. He wanted to bury himself in her over and over again until they both went over the edge. He wanted to hear her scream his name as she came.

Her fingers found their way to the waist of his shorts, undoing the button and pulling down the zipper. His cock sprang free, only to be wrapped up in her hands. A haze of lust settled around him. She stroked the length of his erection while nibbling on his ear and pausing to occasionally say his name in a sexy voice that almost made him come each time she used it.

And if he didn’t get her naked soon, he was going to be coming much sooner than he would’ve liked. He almost had no restraint left.

It’s been so long, so very long…

Alex froze, then pulled away. “What was that?”

The shocking chill doused the fire in his veins and bought him crashing back to reality.

Dear God, what had slipped out?

****

Confusion followed by panic washed over Caleb’s face after Alex asked her question. Yes, she’d heard him correctly. She looked away and pulled her shirt back on.

He reached for her, but she retreated to the driver’s seat, adding some much-needed space between them. “Alex, what just happened?”

A sharp pain filled the hollows of her chest, chasing away the heated desire that had set her on fire just moments before. He’d said he wanted her, but then the real reason why had slipped out. Bitterness seeped into her soul and spilled out into her voice. “So, how long has it been since you got laid? A few months? A year?”

He said her name like a desperate apology, but she cut him off before she fell for his games again. “No, Caleb. If this is going to happen between us, then I need to know it’s because I’m something more to you than just a quick fuck.”