SASSY IN STILETTOS ARe version (20 page)

Instead, she cleared her throat and went to open
the door.

His hand snapped out to reach for her and hold her
in place. He shook his head. “No.”

She thought he was going to kiss her, and her
heart ticked up in anticipation. But he didn’t. Instead, he let himself out and
came around to her door. Helping her out he said, “Remember, let me meet the
crazy person first.”

She nodded mutely.

Once they arrived at his apartment, she hesitated
on the threshold. It wasn’t like her to be afraid of anything. Hell, it wasn’t
like her to take anything slow. Usually she bull-dozed her way into things. It
was faster, but with Caleb she felt a little unsure. Almost...shy.

She gave a little snort of laughter at herself. No
one, and she meant no one, would call her shy, not ever.

The living room was as she’d seen it, but what she’d
missed was the gorgeous oak hardwood floor and the plush rug he’d put down
under the coffee table. The unit was exactly like hers, so open concept. The
kitchen set-up was a little different from hers though.  But it had been newly
renovated. His furnishings were masculine, but stylish. Like he spent money on
the place but didn’t want to be too flashy.

“Your place is beautiful. It’s a little different
than I pictured.”

Caleb tossed his keys onto the fireplace mantle
and frowned. “Haven’t you been over here before?”

She shook her head. “Remember, I was in France covering the Cannes film festival when you had the renovations done.” She shrugged. “Besides,
I don’t do manual labor.”

He grinned. “Right.”

“Then the couple of times you’ve asked me over
here I’ve had to work.”

“So this is long overdue.”

Micha smiled sheepishly. “Yeah, only two years.”

Caleb put in a quick order for dinner. Unsure for
the first time in her life, Micha surveyed her apartment from across the way. Yikes.
He had as clear a view as she did. Good thing she had those opaque window
coverings. The moment he’d moved in and she’d had her own private peep show,
she’d purchased the blinds. Problem was, she liked to open them half the time to
let in the light. And that was why she now had her own private sex tape.
Perfect
.

Unsure of where to sit or what to do with herself,
she sat on the arm of his couch. “Any luck following up with the ghosts of my
past?”

He studied her for a minute before speaking. “Trisha
Jax is dead. Two years ago, she was transferred to a lower security center. Three
months after that they let her go. Apparently the quacks thought she was well
enough to be reintegrated.”

Micha sat perfectly still and didn’t say a thing.

“She killed herself, Micha. Jumped off a bridge
six months after her release.”

A shudder ripped through her body as icicles
formed in her stomach. “Are they sure she’s dead? Unless she jumped over an
interstate I’m not buying it.”

He winced. “She jumped over the Hudson. They
trolled the water, but didn’t find a body.”

She understood what Caleb was telling her. She
heard the words, but she didn’t believe them. Trisha Jax might be crazy, but
she wasn’t dumb, and she was patient. But Micha wasn’t going to let that woman
stop her from living her life. If that woman came near her this time, Micha
would shoot to kill.

“That news really isn’t going to help me sleep
tonight.”

“Don’t worry. I have something planned for that. You
won’t be thinking about Trisha Jax tonight.”

She raised a brow. “Is that so? Maybe you want to
give me a sneak preview.”

The smile he bestowed on her was slow and
deliberate and devastatingly sexy. He knew his effect on women and her in
particular. “Patience is a virtue.”

Micha chuckled. “In case you haven’t noticed, I
don’t really have much of it.”

His grin was easy. “That had completely escaped
me. You hide it well.” He sobered and leveled a gaze at her. “There was one
more thing I came across when I was looking into your past.”

Her breath caught. He knew. It shouldn’t matter to
her that he knew, but somehow it did. The knowledge that she hadn’t been the
one to tell him stung. She folded her arms across her chest. “About me being
adopted?”

He nodded. “Yeah. I’m guessing it’s not something
you really talk about.”

Feeling too exposed, she wrapped her arms around
her waist. “It’s fine. Ricca and Jaya know. It’s not like it’s a secret. My
adopted folks died when I was sixteen. I lived with family friends until I went
to college.”

Caleb lowered his voice to the same level he’d
used in the elevator. Soft and soothing like he was crooning to a baby. “Is
there any chance that someone from your adoptive family has an axe to grind? Did
your parents have siblings or anything?”

“They had siblings, but none of them cared enough
about me to take me in when they died. I doubt they’d go to the trouble of
harassing me now.”

“What about your birth parents? Is it possible
that they found you and…”

A harsh laugh bubbled out. “Considering that all
my attempts to get the records unsealed so I can find them are thwarted, I
doubt one of them has located me. From what my parents told me, my father was
unknown, so that would only leave my birth mother.”

He approached her with an easy grace and unwrapped
her arms from her body, taking both hands into his. “I have a few resources. Do
you want me to do some digging for you?”

Hope was a dangerous thing. It leapt inside her
chest and rattled around, begging to be let free. “It’s impossible, Caleb. I’ve
been trying for years.”

“Then let me try. If I can find her, then you can
take it from there. If I can’t find her, then you’re no worse off for me
looking.”

“Why would you do that?”

“Because it would make you happy.” He shrugged. “And
like I told you earlier, I just want to give you what you want.”

 Caleb started unbuttoning his shirt sleeves, and
Micha gawped. Was he really going to go into his usual stripping routine? Not
that there was anything wrong with that. Not like she’d mind in the least. But
really? That was hardly fighting fair.

“Seriously, who are you?”

He ignored her question. “You know, Micha, I think
I know what our problem has been for the last two years.”

Besides not taking the opportunity to screw like
bunnies when they first met? “Our problem? I wasn’t aware we had one.”

He raised an eyebrow as he crossed his arms. “Allow
me to clarify.”

“Yeah, please do.” She couldn’t wait to hear what
he had to say. Shit, she couldn’t wait to hear him speak period. His voice made
her tingle in all kinds of unexpected places. And if he had a solution for a
way to cure their chemistry and tension then she was all ears. She’d like to
stop living on edge every time she was near him.

“You want to be in charge.”

She shook her head, and her ringlets bounced
around her face. “That’s no revelation.”

“You also want to be in charge with sex. You want
to initiate, you want to stay in control.”

Goosebumps rose on her flesh at the mention of
sex. There was no way she’d be able to sleep under his roof and not have sex
with him. The sooner she came to that realization, the better for her. Now that
she’d had it once, her body wanted to do it again and again. She’d gone and
broken the damn seal.

“Again, I’m waiting for the newsflash, Caleb.”

“I don’t think it makes you happy.”

“Say what?” When had he started smoking crack? “I’m
happy.”

“Then why are you fighting me all the time? Shit,
why are you fighting yourself? You want me. But you keep telling yourself you
don’t want a relationship. You have this idea that if you’re not strong and not
in charge it makes you vulnerable and weak.” He shrugged. “Until the other
night, I was comfortable enough to take it slow. I know you want me. I figured
it was only a matter of you figuring it out.”

“You’re cocky. You know that?”

“You want to deny it?”

Micha sniffed and crossed her arms repositioning
herself on the couch. Hoping for an air of nonchalance. “Look, it’s no secret
we have chemistry. I don’t thi—”

“Yeah, see, there you go again, trying to control
the situation.” He shook his head. “I’m not going to let that happen anymore.”

“Oh really? How are you going to stop me?”

“For starters, I’m not going to touch you again
until you actually ask me to.”

Micha scowled. “I tried that once, remember?”

Caleb’s voice pitched lower. “You weren’t asking
me. You were trying to shake away some demons and demanding that I screw you so
you wouldn’t have to deal. The other night at your place, it was the same
thing. You simply came over and took what you wanted. You fuck the way you
dance, Micha. It’s beautiful and raw, but goddamn, I think you’re going be
happier when you let me lead for once.” He snagged a bottle of red wine from
the counter and poured two glasses, then handed her one.

“Back to that, Caleb? Let it go already. I’m not
used to anyone telling me what to do.”

“Why don’t you try it sometime? It’ll be less of a
fight.”

Micha drew her head back to stare at him. “So
what, you’re into bondage and domination or something? ‘Cause I have to tell
you there is no way I’m letting you tie me up.”

He barked a laugh. “Not exactly what I meant, but
the thought of seeing you in handcuffs gives me all kinds of ideas.”

Micha didn’t like where the conversation was
heading. She stood to face him. She wasn’t
ever
going to let anyone restrain her. “No to handcuffs, unless they’re on you. And
if you’re not into BDSM, then what are you talking about?”

Even now, as she watched his broad shoulders bunch
and relax with each breath, he made her skin tingle. She wanted him. Again. But
she’d be damned if she asked for it.

“What I mean is how about letting yourself be
chased for a minute? Letting yourself be seduced?” He narrowed his dark eyes
and studied every inch of her exposed skin, leaving it scorched and tight. “I’m
saying, for once, give a little.”

Give a little, her ass. “This is me, Caleb. You’re
not going to change me. Trust me. You wouldn’t be the first to try.”

He stepped into her space and traced a thumb over
her cheekbone. “I don’t want to change a thing about you. To me you’re perfect.
I only want you to give me a little...” His voice drifted off as he seemingly
searched for the right word. “...latitude. Can you do that, Micha?”

His warm breath intoxicated her, and the spicy
scent of him made her want to lean in and nuzzle him. He smelled that good. So
damn good. She swayed, and her knees wobbled.
He wants you
to give in, Micha.
She blinked rapidly. She wasn’t built to give. Just
not in her nature. Hadn’t Simon already pointed that out once?

But he could make you feel so
good.

He could also hurt her worse than anyone ever had
if she was fool enough to let him in.

The practical and foolhardy sides of her nature
warred it out. And he continued to softly stroke her skin. She wanted to yell
that she didn’t need tender. Didn’t want it. Didn’t want soft words. Didn’t
want the connection. But who the hell was she kidding? While insanely happy for
her friends, she was also prone to moments of being bitten by the envy bug. Crafty
little creature. Only bit her when she was home, alone, when she knew her friends
were being treated well and loved. She’d never been lonely. Not until recently.
But she couldn’t give Caleb what he wanted. He’d hurt her. And when things went
bad with them as they were bound to, she’d have to give up the only family she
had. Ricca and Jaya would still love her, but they’d be forced to side with
their men from time to time, and she’d be looking for a new place and new
friends. And that would plain suck.

Caleb tipped her chin up, and his gaze pierced
hers. His eyes were so dark she could barely see the green in his irises, and
she wondered what he was thinking to rile him up like this. There was more than
lust in that dark gaze of his. Oh, there was plenty of that. But something else
too. Something needy. Something dark, and there was something achingly gentle.

“What’s the matter, Micha? What are you afraid of?”

Caleb’s voice lulled her into a trance, while his
soft touch seduced her, forcing her to forget her name, where she was, who she
was with. “Her brain struggled for the right words. “I-I-I’m not afraid.”

“Then what’s the worst that could happen?”

His head dipped, and Micha held her breath. Ready
for the electric shock that was Caleb to course through her body, igniting it
from the inside. But his lips hovered just over her lips. As if waiting for her
to expose herself, and bare all. Show everything she had to lose. Stand naked.

She swallowed hard. Her shoulders rigid with
tension, she forced herself to breathe. Deliberately she rolled her shoulders,
like the shedding of her protective shell was a physical barrier she had to
unstrap, unbuckle, and unlace to step out of.

Daring herself like he dared her, the little voice
inside told her to let go. For once let go. She didn’t have to be strong. She
didn’t have to protect herself. She could simply be.

Meeting his gaze, she held it. She wouldn’t back
away, she couldn’t run away. For tonight, she could let herself be seduced. Let
him take over. Let someone else be strong.

The breath she exhaled felt like freedom. It felt
like bliss.

Caleb studied Micha. She clutched onto her wine
glass like it was a beacon for hope. “You good?”

“Peachy.”

He stalked over to her and lifted the wine glass
out of her hands. “Let me take that.”

“Wait, I’m not finished ye—”

“Don’t worry. You can sip it off of me later.”