Seclusion (19 page)

Elsie and Connor were
cuddled up watching the sci-fi channel. I noticed that Connor was using his
power to tamper with the shows so they could watch whichever one they wanted.
Elsie said he was a big fan of the show
Starfence
… or gate or something.
And I thought I was a geek
. She was so sweet with him. I walked into the
center room and saw that Caleb had a sweater and shorts on.

“Hi!” He patted the couch
next to him. “Did I tell you how hot you looked in that bathing suit? Better
than I even imagined. There were a few times I thought your ex-boyfriend was
going to kidnap you and run off to some bedroom.” He laughed.

“If only he knew,”
I heard Damen say.

“I understand you’re
protecting me, but it’s a little creepy and embarrassing,”
I thought back.

“Sorry. I want you safe,
but this is nauseating. Watching some prick hit on my girl is not my idea of
fun.”

“That Steve guy has a crush
on you, too. How’d I get so lucky?” Caleb wondered out loud.

“What do you mean? Would I
even be here if you weren’t super cool?” I said and playfully jabbed him in the
arm.

Damen was groaning at our
dialogue.
“I don’t think I’m going to be able to sleep tonight if you two
continue to make me want to puke,”
Damen complained.

Caleb looked at me and
smiled. “That’s a nice necklace. It looks great on you. But here...” He handed
me another blue Tiffany box.

“It unfortunately does, but
I wish you were wearing it for me,”
Damen complained.

“What’s this?”

“I saw your necklace
earlier and I knew these went with the set. I assumed you didn’t have them yet
since you weren’t wearing them, so I had a friend run a little errand for me.”
He winked.

I opened the box and saw
diamond heart earrings that matched the heart within the key necklace.

“Thank you! I don’t think I
can accept these though,” I said, feeling a little overwhelmed.

“Sure you can. The cost was
nothing to me. I’ve been working with my dad since I was fifteen.” He winked.

“What the f… really?
Asshat!”
I
heard Damen’s furious voice in my head.

I sent him an image of me
kissing him.
“You are the only one I want, Damen!”
I didn’t hear a
response, so I hoped he was pacified for now.

Caleb reached over to cup
my face, gently kissed me, and then pulled away. I was nervous and a little
excited. The kiss was surprisingly sweet, which made me feel horribly guilty.
Damen was who I wanted, yet this other kiss wasn’t bad.
Maybe I am a slut
,
I thought behind my curtain. But regardless of the “chemistry” Caleb and I had,
Damen was my choice.

At that point, Damen began
throwing random books around his room and using some profanity that I’d never
heard before. So I pulled farther away. I smiled hesitantly at Caleb and sent
Damen a mental apology.

“I think I could really
like you, Zoey. I’d love to introduce you to my parents. Maybe we could fly
back home tomorrow for brunch,” Caleb said.

“I…it’s a little soon,
don’t you think? I mean, yes, definitely let’s do it, but are you sure?”

He was drawing hearts on my
palm. “Yes, I’m positive! We won’t miss any of your friends. They won’t be up
till we return,” he insisted.

I lightly laid his head on
my lap and began gently stroking his hair as I used my ability to help him fall
into a deep sleep. I headed to bed, leaving Caleb where he was. When I finally
snuggled under my covers, I was emotionally and physically exhausted.

A few seconds later, Damen
was opening the door to my bedroom. He turned on the lamp.

“What are you doing?” I
said groggily.

He pulled off the covers
and snuck underneath them. “I had to see the pjs Taylor picked out for you. She
obviously has great taste.”

“What?” I yanked the covers
back up. I was only in a cami and matching panties. He laughed.

“I think you should fake
being sick in the morning and skip out on brunch. I don’t want you going there
alone,” he whispered as he fit his body snugly against mine, sending heat and
tingles through my body. All the secret touching that had happened that night
had me reeling with feelings.

“I’ll be fine, Damen. It’s
only brunch.”

“But we might not be able
to communicate being so far apart…ask to bring me, and I’ll just stay at the
pool or in the jet even. Just say that you don’t feel safe flying off with
someone you don’t know well,” he said with a “no questions about it” attitude.

“Good night, Raegan. Don’t
forget who you’re really interested in.” He gave me a sweet kiss on the cheek.

“Sleep well, little one.”

Damen placed his warm hand
above my stomach and then moved it along my side and down my hip before it
landed on my thigh. Sleep was far from my mind.

*
* *

The next morning Damen,
Caleb and I climbed into Caleb’s jet. Chase couldn’t believe Damen talked his
way into going with us.

“How’d you get him to let
you come?”
I
thought.

 “I used the force.”

I laughed at his cockiness.
“
It wouldn’t surprise me.”

Fortunately, Damen was on
his best behavior during the flight. He brought his iPod and sat in the far
corner, leaving Caleb and I alone for now.

Caleb and I chatted about
school, and he told me that his father had been grooming him to take over the
family business one day. Caleb was a sweet boy, and his accent was very sexy,
although I tried to keep that thought to myself. It felt as if I was cheating
on Damen, even though he knew the reason I was here with Caleb. I was beginning
to feel frustrated with these circumstances.

I fell asleep on the jet,
and in my dream state, I was in my white bikini, lying out in the sun by
Caleb’s pool. I was expecting Damen at any moment. When I saw him walk by the
pool, I felt nervous again – he always had that effect on me.

Caleb was hot and sexy, but
Damen was perfect. If I had believed in those Greek gods, I would have said that
Damen was definitely one of them. I’m sure every girl felt this way about him.

Damen walked up to me as if
he didn’t have a care in the world and sat down on a chair. “I didn’t think
you’d ever go to sleep,” he said.

“I told you I’d be fine.
It’s not like we don’t have cells, and everyone knows where I’m going. You are
my boyfriend, not my bodyguard. I think you’re the one with the knight
complex.” I couldn’t believe what came out of my mouth. There wasn’t anyone I
wanted to be with besides Damen. I hadn’t even realized I was upset, but here I
was pushing him away.
Am I just scared?

“You don’t understand. I
feel protective of you is all. We are in a dangerous position here. Not to
mention we are just beginning our relationship. Over and over again I have to
watch you with other guys?” he said angrily.

“I don’t understand what
you want me to do about that,” I said.

“I want you to forgive me
for being protective, and understand that I just care about you.”

Damen looked
so
hot
sitting there shirtless, his tan skin shining in the sun. Not to mention those
muscles; I don’t think there was any question that he could protect me. It was
hard to continue arguing my point when I couldn’t even focus on a coherent
thought.

“Fine, I understand, but
you have to try to step back a little,” I said. “Caleb is a good guy and you
know it. I can’t imagine he knows anything about the smuggling operation.”

“Yeah, we’ll see” Damen
replied. “Now come here and show me some attention,” he said as he pulled me
back against his chest and wrapped his arms around me.

“Do you trust me, Damen?”

“I do trust you to do what
you think is right. Your thinking is just a little faulty sometimes. Plus, I
don’t trust the other guys. Don’t you remember what happened when you took your
cover-up off last night? I think Chase sucked in a bug.”

“Oh, that was him?” I said
with a smile. “I guess he didn’t know I had my belly button pierced.”

“Maybe if I told you what
those boys were thinking you wouldn’t be so quick to be angry with me,” he said.

“Oh, stop. You know I was
reading your mind at the time. I know what they were thinking,” I said.

Damen pulled me to face
him. “Raegan, I’ve been practicing my walls a lot longer than you, and I’m
pretty sure I can keep you out when I want to,” he said.

That hurt. He really
doesn’t trust me with his thoughts
. I thought back to when he had stopped talking to
me. I had felt nothing from him, and every time I had tried to read him through
our link, it was like a locked door. The thought of that happening again scared
me. I didn’t say much after that; I was too busy sulking.

Our dream was suddenly
interrupted.

“Zoey, Zoey, wake up.”

I felt Caleb’s hand
caressing my face. I woke up, smiled, and stretched.

“You were knocked out. I’ve
been trying to wake you up for at least five minutes,” Caleb said. “Even Ethan
was passed out!” he complained.

“Really, so we are here,
then?”

“Yep.”

I grabbed my purse, and
Caleb grabbed my hand. I saw Damen following us out.

“Don’t be mad at me,”
I heard in my head. I didn’t
reply. I felt like he’d see right through me and know how upset I was. But I
didn’t want him to know. He wasn’t trying to hurt me, after all.

“So are you ready to meet
my parents?” Caleb asked. “I think my sister and her husband are here, too.
Just be yourself. They’ll love you!” He kissed my cheek in reassurance.

I decided to just throw
myself into my character, like in drama class, so I could forget my feelings
for a moment. I made sure to make my walls as strong as possible, and then I
gave Caleb a quick hug. “Do I need to change real quick, or is this
appropriate?” I asked, gesturing to my outfit.

“You look great as always.
Plus, you’re wearing your earrings,” he said with a wink.

He was very handsome, and
if I didn’t love Damen, Caleb and I might have had a shot at a real
relationship. This thought made me feel even guiltier about leading Caleb on
and lying to him. As we walked up to the house, Caleb continued describing his
family to me.

*
* *

DAMEN

I am so confused. The
urgent phone call I got from Jay this morning is killing me. Raegan’s safety is
my utmost concern at the moment, but I can tell I just hurt her feelings. It
kills me, but I knew what I needed to do. This might be the perfect timing. Now
if I can just do it.

                                          *
* *

As the three of us entered
Caleb’s home through an eight-foot archway, I heard Damen’s thoughts:
“I
don’t appreciate being pushed out. Don’t you think you’re laying it on a bit
thick with Caleb? You’re going to end up hurting him like you did Chase.”

That stung even more than
him shutting me out of his thoughts, and I was pissed because Damen was right,
as usual.

“Maybe I’m not acting.
Maybe I like him.”
I tried to open the doors just enough so he’d see the little bit of truth to my
words.

“FINE!”

I watched in agony as the
outer walls went up. I could no longer see Damen at all. I had to fight the
tears back.
What did I just do?

“Zoey, what’s wrong?” Caleb
asked.

“Nothing. I’m just a little
choked up about your family being so close and you being so sweet and inviting
me here.”

Caleb beamed and pulled me
along into a huge room filled with a brunch buffet for twenty, even though
there were only six of us.

Damen separated himself. I
had no idea what he was doing, and although it hurt, I focused on my job.

“Your home is lovely, Mrs.
Travers,” I said.

Caleb’s mother was a strong
lady, but she seemed to melt around her family.

“Thank you my dear! Your
dress is stunning, by the way. Perfect for this little get together!”

I could feel through my
gift that Caleb was ecstatic that his mom approved of me. Or he believed she
did, anyway. I put my hand out to shake hers. She grabbed mine daintily, yet
gave a firm shake. She had no clue about her husband’s business. According to
her, he didn’t do anything that was even remotely close to being illegal.

As we all sat down at the
long table to eat our food, Caleb’s mother turned to me and said, “I’m so
sorry, Zoey. My husband is dealing with a work phone call. He’ll be joining us
soon, but please start without him.”