Unhinge Me (8 page)

“Don’t stop,” Alex whispered as she started to ride him to the beat of his words, letting the sound of his voice guide her into a slow and deep orgasm. Starting to pant and moan, Alex quickened her pace as Caleb tried to hold on and continue reading until she finished. He grasped the book hard as he held back his pleasure for her. Finally, just as she was about to go, he threw down the book and finished the words by memory as he grabbed her and held her through her climax, quickly having one of his own.

Shaking his head as Alex giggled, he flopped down on the couch and sighed.

“I’d like to say I may have to stop reading poetry to you if this is what happens every time I do
.
But the truth is, I may never stop reading it to you if this is the result!” He leaned over to wrap himself around her and playfully nibbled her ear.

“Don’t you ever stop!” Alex laughed. “Don’t even joke!” she said, still out of breath.

Later that night, Caleb cooked for their last meal together before they went back to the real world. Alex sat unabashedly on his kitchen counter, covered in just a sheet while she watched him cook. He was also naked except for an old apron they found that was left over from the last tenant. He thought it was gross and didn’t want to wear it, but when she told him it was to keep flying grease from hitting any valuable parts, he figured she had a point. She couldn’t take her eyes off his ass, which was sticking out the back of the faded apron.

She threw out another random question to distract herself. “If you could talk to anyone, dead or alive, who would it be?”

“Probably Winston Churchill,” he answered quickly for once. “He was one of the last politicians to really stand for anything, you know? He didn’t care what the rules were. He just did what he knew was right for him and I really respect that.” Alex noticed Caleb’s eye light up when he talked about it. It was obvious this was something he had thought about before.

“Well?” he asked her. She realized she had been thinking and didn’t hear him ask. It must be her turn.

“My mother,” she answered simply and jumped down from the counter. “I’m gonna go set the table,” she said quietly, changing the subject. It wasn’t the first time Caleb observed her unwillingness to talk about her family. He didn’t want to pry but he couldn’t help being curious. He hoped she would open up to him soon.

The next morning, they both quietly got up and got ready for work and school. They didn’t say a word as they moved around each other easily in the small apartment. When Alex was blow-drying her hair, Caleb smoothly slid under the cord without decapitating himself or burning her. When they made breakfast, they both moved swiftly around the small kitchen like a well-oiled machine. Caleb made an egg dish that was new to Alex but was really delicious. While he was cooking, she made the coffee. She didn’t know how, but she already knew where everything was in his kitchen. She just looked where she would put those things and there they were.

When they were done eating and had cleaned up, they got their jackets on and lingered by the door. Finally, Caleb spoke.

“The past few days have felt so natural.” He put his hand on her cheek and leaned in. “I hate to go back to life. I want to see you again… and soon.”

Alex closed her eyes and sighed at the thought of another encounter with him.

“Yes.”

They got through the day quickly and no sooner was Caleb home than Alex had come over and they were in bed again. Alex wasn’t used to so much sex but something about Caleb made her want to never stop. He seemed to agree.

“Was it ever like this for you with anyone else?” he asked curiously as they lay there.

He tried to make it sound like just another random question, but this was one conversation they hadn’t had yet and he knew it was dangerous ground. However, he couldn’t help but wonder.

Alex side-glanced at him. “Well, I can count the number of guys I have been with on one hand,” she started slowly. “And I never felt anything close to what we are doing. To be honest, I was about to swear off sex for a while.”

Caleb didn’t want to admit it, but he loved hearing that.

Alex saw him smile slightly and smirked at him. “Ok then, your turn. Am I going to be as happy as you are?”

Caleb tensed and froze. Cursing himself, he wondered what the hell he was thinking. Of course she was going to want to know his history now too. It was only fair.

He sat up in bed and turned to get up, but Alex reached out for his shoulder to stop him. He sighed a long and sad sigh. He knew he was going to have to tell her eventually. He was just hoping to put it off a bit longer.

Alex could sense something was coming and suddenly got really nervous. She tried to be patient and let him talk when he was ready, but with every silent second she was starting to freak out. She slid over to sit up next to him on the bed, turned to face him, and crossed her legs. She inconspicuously slipped her hands under her legs and gripped the sheets, preparing for the worst.

Caleb took a deep breath. “When I was younger I was a bit wild, not too bad… Then there was just Lilith.”

Alex’s heart skipped a beat. “Who is Lilith?”

Caleb turned and looked at her. Afraid to lose his little doe, he hoped if he held her eyes she wouldn’t run.

“My wife.”

Alex couldn’t breathe. It felt like something heavy was sitting on her chest. Trying not to panic, she managed to choke out the words, “Your what?”

“My wife… my late wife… She died almost four years ago.” He watched her face carefully to see how she was taking it, terrified to lose her now.

Instead of being angry though, Alex looked sad. “I’m sorry,” she said quietly. She felt his pain and could see how much he cared for the woman. She wanted to say more but she couldn’t find the words.

Caleb wanted to take some of the sting away, to wipe the hurt off her face. He should have told her sooner…

“I’m so sorry I didn’t tell you earlier. I just didn’t know how. I don’t like to talk about her. But you need to understand.” He tried to find the right words. “It was an arranged marriage, Alex. I didn’t love her, at least not as a man should love his wife. I cared for her deeply and might have grown to love her more if we’d had the chance. We were only married two months before she… was gone.” The words stuck in his throat.

“How?” Alex asked, studying his face. He looked so lost and sad. She really wished she hadn’t asked. She wished she could just rewind to a few minutes ago and stay lying together in silence and blissful ignorance, but it was too late now.

Caleb took another long breath and Alex put her hand on his arm, trying to be strong.

“It was a fire. Our whole house went down. No one knows how it started. She was the only one in the house at the time. By the time the fire services arrived it was too late to save any of it. It was… pretty bad…” He stopped. He wanted her to understand, but it was still hard to talk about.

“Oh Caleb… how horrible… I’m so sorry…” She wanted to make it all go away, but she didn’t know how, so she just pulled him to her and hugged him close. He buried his head into her chest and wrapped his arms around her.

“It was a long time ago. I didn’t handle it well. Eventually, I ran away to America to try to forget it all. I just wanted to escape. I blame myself for not being there that day… maybe I could have done something,” he mumbled into her chest.

Alex sat back and shook her head. “Don’t. It’s not your fault and you can’t live with that kind of guilt.” Even as she spoke the words, she knew from experience that a person could not be talked out of feeling guilt. It had to be done from within. So she just hugged him again, harder, trying to pull the pain right out of him. He squeezed back and looked up at her.

“I didn’t think I would ever feel alive again, Alexandria… until I met you.” He closed his eyes and brought her face down to his own, which was pinched in pain and emotion. He kissed her sweetly, then again with more intent. He kissed her over and over again, pouring the pain out of himself through each kiss. She kissed him back with strength, determined to help ease his pain.

They made love slowly this time. When they were finished, Alex snuggled into his chest and closed her eyes. Sleepily, she wondered aloud, “So, before her then… were there many others?”

Half asleep, Caleb kept his eyes closed but smiled a little. “Enough, which is why my father wanted to marry me off. He felt the need to rein me in from my ‘crazy ways’. Don’t worry though, you can count them on two hands.”

Alex moaned drowsily and decided that was okay. It wasn’t that many more than her and, with his looks, she was surprised it wasn’t even more. A lingering thought in the back of her mind was bugging her though, and as she lay there falling asleep she tried to figure out what it was. When she finally remembered, she asked it as an afterthought, feeling so tired she figured she would probably not even hear the answer.

“So, arranged marriages… That’s not very common now-a-days…”

Caleb was almost asleep when she said it and was too tired to go into detail.

“Oh yeah,” he said quietly. “That’s the other part I didn’t tell you… I’m an Earl.”

Alex’s eyes shot open.

“Wait, what?” she exclaimed, now wide awake. Caleb moaned and turned over to sleep, but Alex sat up and pulled him back.

“Come on. You can’t go to sleep after saying something like that?” She shook at him.

Caleb opened one eye and looked at her. “Look, it’s really not as big of a deal here as it is in England,” he tried to assure her and placate her so she would let him sleep. When she didn’t answer, he opened his eye again to see her sitting up and staring at him, waiting. He sighed. “If I promise to tell you more in the morning, will you let me sleep?”

Alex thought about it. On the one hand, she wanted to know more, but on the other, it looked like daylight was just around the corner and she needed sleep too. Flopping down next to him, she snuggled back into his chest and sighed.

“Fine,” she said sleepily, “but I will expect a full explanation in the morning.”

“Mmhmm,” Caleb sighed, and in seconds they were both asleep.

When morning came, they accidentally slept in. There was no time for questions as they rushed to get to school, and the rest of the week kept them busy, so it was a while before Alex was able to bring it up again.

That Friday, Alex hurried to meet Caleb after class. She was anxious to talk to him about his new revelation. It wasn’t something Alex was about to let go of and she had tons of questions. If she thought about it, part of her wasn’t really surprised. Caleb had always had an air of eloquence about him, like he had been raised to be proper but just didn’t bother to act that way all the time. His good taste in almost anything, not to mention his car, definitely pointed to a nicer upbringing too. She wondered why he didn’t tell anyone about his title and why he was teaching poetry instead of doing something more fit for an Earl, whatever Earls did.

The wind picked up and blew her skirt up. Panicking, she quickly pushed it down, hoping to avoid a Marilyn Monroe moment, and ran up the old steps to the building. She was wearing her favorite black and white polka-dot skirt and a plain white tank top. A red belt and red flats completed the outfit and her long, red, spring trench coat concealed it all and blocked out the breeze. Alex loved black and white with red touches and it made her feel sexy wearing it. She was even bold enough to wear red lipstick, something she never did.

Caleb was talking to another student when she walked in and the girl gave an annoyed look at the interruption. Alex instantly raised an eyebrow, ready to put her bitch face on, when she realized she probably shouldn’t be staking claim on him on campus. It wouldn’t be the smartest thing for their secret.

Annoyed, Alex lost the glare and lowered her head, acting shy. She turned and walked away toward the class bulletin board and pretended to inspect it, all the while making nasty faces no one could see.

The girl was clearly flirting with Caleb as she asked him about extra credit in a sing-song voice. Caleb tried to be polite but firm and told her there was no need. He could imagine Alex was not happy listening to their exchange.