Falling for the Wingman (The Kelly Brothers, Book 3) (18 page)

He followed a good three feet behind her, never touching, never saying a word as he climbed into the truck. When they started driving, he stared out the window, his back to her.

Alex wrung her damp palms along the steering wheel. She waited until they were on the outskirts of town before tension became more than she could bear. “Damn it, Caleb, what the hell is wrong with you?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, you couldn’t keep your hands off of me this morning, and now you’re acting like you want nothing to do with me.”

He continued to stare out the window. His shoulders rose and fell with a heavy sigh. “I just had some time to think about things today, that’s all.”

“And?”

Several beats of silence hung in the air before he said, “This week has been fun and all, Alex, but do we really have a future together?”

His question slammed into her as though she’d just crashed her truck into a tree. Her vision blurred with stinging tears that she refused to let fall. So that was it, huh? A week of fun. A rebound romance—that’s all she was to him. And she should’ve seen it coming. Hell, she’d even told him she’d loved him, but he never returned to sentiment.

She swallowed her grief and let her pride take over. “Fine, but you agreed to be my date for the wedding, so don’t back out on me now.”

“I won’t.” He went back to staring out the window, oblivious to the agony his words had just caused.

She drove on, grateful to have those extra miles to pull herself together by the time they arrived at the McClures’ home. She should’ve known better than to give Caleb her heart, but she would keep her end of the bargain, too. She would let him go once the wedding was over and try to forget how close to perfect her life had almost been.

****

There had to be a special place in hell for assholes like him.

Caleb longed to hold Alex in his arms and apologize for being such a dick, but his mind held him back. He was doing this for her own good. For his own good, too. There was no need to continue this relationship any further when it would just hit the same dead end.

That still didn’t ease the pain in the center of his chest.

He cast a sideways glance at her. Her bottom lip jutted out ever so slightly, softening the hard lines of her clenched jaw. Her eyes glistened with unshed tears.

Shit!

He knew his behavior would hurt her, but he hated watching her try to be so brave when she was probably dying inside like he was. The sad part was, until J.T. had pointed out her ties to Jackson Grove, he’d actually thought there might be a chance for them. But the more he thought about it, the more he saw the truth for what it was. Alex could’ve gone anywhere with her degree, but she chose to return home and open up a garage. If that wasn’t the evidence he needed that she’d never leave this place to follow him, he didn’t know what was.

More important, he didn’t want to ask her to leave. He’d seen how much the town meant to her and how much she meant to the town. If he forced her to give it all up and move in with him, she’d probably just end up resenting him and leaving him just like Kourtney had done.

He stretched his legs out and pushed his doubts deeper into his gut. Yes, he was doing the right thing, no matter how much it killed him.

They pulled into the crowded horseshoe-shaped driveway of a plantation-style home that rivaled Alex’s mother’s. Alex found a place to park and hopped out of the truck as soon as she killed the engine. She was halfway to the house before he caught up to her.

“Alex, wait, I thought I was supposed to be your date.”

“You’re welcome to stay in the truck, if you want.”

“That’s not what I want.”

She spun around on those sexy heels and wobbled, falling into his outstretched arms. For a split second, everything seemed as it should be. He was holding her, the curves of her body pressing against him and reminding them how well they fit together. Then she reminded him that things weren’t perfect anymore by pushing him away. “Then what the hell do you want?”

You
.

But the answer never made it out of his mind. He forced his mouth closed, unable to tell her the truth without the risk of hurting her even more. “I want to keep my end of our bargain.”

She pinched the bridge of her nose. “Let’s just be quick about this, then. Make an appearance, maybe grab a bite, and then get the hell out of here.”

She walked ahead of him, giving him a nice view of how her ass wiggled in that tight silvery dress. His dick hardened as his vision swept down to take in her long legs and those heels that screamed sex. The idea of hauling her back to the truck and burying himself inside her crossed his mind.

He curled his hands into fists.
I need a drink before I completely lose it
.

Caleb closed the gap between them by the time she reached the front door so when it opened, they appeared to be a happy couple. Alex looped her arm through his and fixed a smile on her face, acting like nothing was wrong as she greeted the people she knew inside. She introduced him as her date for the wedding over and over again, never referring to him as her boyfriend or something more than just an escort for the weekend.

He was fine with it all until he caught the appreciative glances she was getting from the other men at the party. He wasn’t the only one admiring how well the strapless dress fit her or how those heels made her legs seem to go on forever. He edged closer to her, finally shifting his position until he stood behind her with a possessive arm around wrapped around her waist. Things might be over for them after tomorrow, but for tonight, she was his.

They worked their way back to the cooler in the kitchen and grabbed a couple of beers. Alex studied him over the rim of her longneck. “You know, you are probably the most frustrating and irritating man I know.”

“Thanks for the compliment.” He took a long sip, hoping it would ease his rattled nerves. He’d rather take on a combat mission than deal with the conflicting emotions warring inside him right now.

“Funny—I meant it as an insult.” She came closer and dropped her voice to a whisper. “I want to know the truth, Caleb. What happened between this morning and now? Did my sister call you?”

“No.”

“Did I suddenly turn into an old hag?”

He risked running his gaze over once again, desire heating his blood by the time he made it back to her face. “No.”

“Then what?”

A loud laugh by the pool drew his attention to J.T. Her friend’s warning about Alex never leaving this town steeled his commitment to ending things with Alex before they got too involved.

She followed his eyes and scowled. “Excuse me for a moment.”

Alex stormed out to the pool and yanked J.T. from the group. The windows buffered the heated conversation between them, but the flash in her eyes told him that she had put two and two together. When she came back in, her cheeks were flushed. She took Caleb’s hand in a tight hold that left no room for argument and led him away from the crowd to a side hallway.

“Where are we going?”

“This way.”

She led him through the house like they were two kids trying to sneak past their parents and stopped at a closed door at the end of a hall. She reached up to the top of the frame and felt around. “There should be a key up here.”

“How do you know that?”

“Because this is where the McClures keep their liquor, and Bonnie and I used to sneak in here all the time to steal a sip or two.” She paused and grinned as she showed him the key. “Here it is.”

“Who’s Bonnie?”

“Ryan’s little sister. She was part of my gang of friends back in high school, but she left town after we graduated.” She fit the key into the lock and opened the door to reveal a room with a pool table and a small bar. “Her parents didn’t approve of her ‘lifestyle.’”

He wanted to find out more about Alex’s friend since it seemed like a safer topic than imagining what they could do in a locked room, but once the door closed behind them, Alex wrapped her arms around his neck and guided his lips toward hers. “Here’s a piece of friendly advice—J.T. is full of shit.”

Even though it wasn’t the first time Alex had ambushed him with a kiss, it still managed to steal his breath away. This time, however, a hint of anger lashed out in the flicks of her tongue and the press of her fingertips. Alex didn’t argue with words, but she still let her mouth do all the talking.

And so far, she was winning the argument. The woman had an art of making him forget about everything but the fire burning between them. He pulled her closer, his hands roaming along the small of her back to the curve of her ass. His cock hardened, begging him to experience her tight warmth one more time. His mind warned him that he was in danger of crossing the line, but his body didn’t care. He needed Alex.

Alex ended the kiss, her quick breaths exhaling with a shiver, and held his cheeks in her hands. “Look me in the eye and tell me you don’t want me.”

Common sense told him to lie to her, but his mind refused to conjure up an excuse. “Alex…” he started, hoping one would come to him soon.

“The truth, Caleb.” Alex kissed him again, this time with more seduction and less anger, and he surrendered to the will of his body. He indulged in the sweetness of her mouth, the restrained passion she always offered him, the promise of pure bliss once he was inside her again.

When it seemed like she’d gotten the answer she sought, she ended the kiss. “I don’t know what J.T. said to you, but I know what we have is good.”

“It’s great now, but—”

She shushed him by pressing her finger to his lips. “The future will be there tomorrow, and it’s always changing, sometimes due to things beyond our control. All we can do is enjoy this moment that we have together.”

His breath caught, intensifying the pounding of his pulse. It was like the same, no-nonsense wisdom she’d given him in her letters. No matter how troubled he was, she’d always known what to say to put his mind at ease, even now. “You’re right, Alex. We just have this moment.”

She pulled his head down to whisper in his ear. “By the way, I’m not wearing any underwear.”

All the blood abandoned his brain and went straight for his crotch. “You shouldn’t have said that.”

She gave him a sexy laugh. “Care to do something about it?”

This was his chance to push her away and politely tell her that he felt guilty for taking advantage of her when he knew there was no hope of a future between them, but he couldn’t deny the hunger pulsating through his body. He couldn’t resist what she offered, what he needed, what he fully intended to savor as long as he could. He didn’t know what tomorrow or the next day held, but he would follow her advice and enjoy the present.

He backed her up to the pool table and sat her on the edge. This time, he initiated the kiss, letting her know in no uncertain terms how crazy she made him.

She didn’t shrink away or urge him to slow down. Instead, she devoured him in the same manner. She yanked his jacket off and tugged his shirt out, slowly undressing him while never breaking the rhythm of their kiss. She spread her legs apart and pulled him closer to where he could feel her heat through the thick denim of his jeans.

It was almost more than he could bear. His balls tightened. He needed to get inside her now. His hands traveled up her thighs, confirming what she’d teased him with earlier. He pressed his fingers inside the slick folds, finding that tiny nub that made her moan with pleasure every time he grazed it.

“Caleb.” She said his name like a dying plea and unzipped his jeans.

“There’s a condom in my wallet,” he managed to say, forcing himself to stay out of her until she retrieved it and put it on. Once he had protection in place, he plunged into her and almost came right there.

She wrapped her legs around his waist, the angle allowing him to go even deeper than before. “Damn, you feel so good.”

“The feeling is mutual.” He started moving inside her like a desperate man. Hard. Fast. Deep. Holding nothing back. This wasn’t the time and place for leisurely lovemaking. This was all about the release, about making her come as hard as he knew he would.

It didn’t take long. Her walls clenched around his cock, and her body stiffened. He managed to smother her cry of joy with a kiss and rammed into her one more time before his own rush of pleasure overcame him. The force of the orgasm whooshed the air from his lungs and blurred the edges of his consciousness. Black spots danced in front of his eyes. His heart beat wildly, practically singing her name with each throb. His body spasmed with each wave of bliss that rolled through him. She’d claimed him—body, heart, and soul—and he was willing to fight to keep her now.

When he came back down to earth, he was surprised he was standing. Alex’s legs were still around his waist, bracing him and keeping him from sliding into a puddle on the floor. He gulped in a few breaths and looked into her eyes. A sense of awe filled him. He was one lucky son of a bitch to have a woman like Alex, and he thankfully had two more days to be by her side.

She ran her fingers through his hair. “See? We are good together.”

He nodded, not trusting what would come out of his mouth. He was falling more and more in love with her, but the fresh wounds on his heart kept him from telling her that. Until he knew what would become of them after Sunday, he needed to guard his heart from any more damage.