Our Now and Forever(47)

Seducing his wife hadn’t been on Caleb’s agenda for the evening. He’d agreed to her no sex condition, and defaulting now would strengthen her assertion that their relationship was based on sex alone. But how was he supposed to resist when she set him on fire and gave no signs of stopping?

Trailing kisses along her neck, Caleb breathed deep of honeysuckle and woman as he fought for control. If this kept up, he’d be a dead man before the month was up.

“I missed this,” Snow said, rewarding him with another hard-won admission. Trailing a delicate finger across his brow, she made no move to extricate herself from beneath him.

“Me too.” As much as his body demanded he take her right there, Caleb kept his tone casual. “I would have told you about the job if I’d known ahead of time. And I’m sorry you had to learn about it from Piper.” With a half grin, he added, “But I’m glad she got us to this.”

Pushing against his shoulder, Snow sat up. “This isn’t how I saw our evening going.”

Caleb handed over her plate, then picked up his own, but he remained pressed along Snow’s side on the couch. “You’re cute when you’re jealous,” he said.

That earned him an elbow to the ribs. “Can I ask you one thing?”

“Sure,” he answered, biting into his chicken breast, which didn’t taste nearly as good as his wife’s lips.

“If you wanted a job in the newspaper business, why didn’t you take one when your father offered?”

Setting down his fork, Caleb wiped his mouth before answering. “If I’d taken a job in McGraw Media, it would have been me cashing in on my name. The son getting a high-level position because his daddy runs the company. But here,” he said, “I got offered a job for no reason other than I knew a bit about the business and was willing to give it a try. Whatever I accomplish at the Ardent Advocate, for however long I’m there, will be my own. Not because Daddy gave it to me, but because I earned it.”

Caleb surprised even himself with his answer. He’d been running on the belief that refusing to work for his father stemmed from an aversion to being under the old man’s thumb. But maybe it had more to do with earning his own way. Being his own man. Selling ads for the Ardent Advocate wasn’t anything major, but Caleb had enjoyed the day. Other than the fog of smoke he’d had to endure.

“So you have a job,” she said, twirling a green bean on her fork. Not a flicker of excitement stirred in her tone.

He nodded. “I do.”

They continued to eat in silence until Caleb said, “We’re doing pretty good at this dating thing.” He watched for her reaction out of the corner of his eye.

Stabbing a green bean, she said, “Sure. We’re doing great.”





Chapter 14




“You’re never going to believe what she said!” Snow yelled as she burst into the apartment, throwing her purse and coat on the couch on her way to the kitchen.

By Thursday, she’d grown used to finding Caleb whipping up some delicious dinner for the both of them. Snow learned quickly that a mouthwatering meal could be a sensual experience, and watching her husband work around a stove was a complete turn-on. The combination of food and virile male was putting a dent in her determination to send her husband packing.

In truth, everything Caleb did turned Snow on. From the smile he gave her in the mornings, to the way his coin-bouncible cheeks looked in a pair of black boxer briefs.

“Who?” Caleb asked, wiping his hands on the new, manly gray apron she’d bought him. “Who said what?”

“The appraiser,” Snow answered, dragging her mind away from the image of her husband in nothing but the apron. An image that traipsed through her brain with unnerving frequency of late. “It’s real. And it’s valuable,” she said, resisting the urge to kiss the cook. “God bless William Norton and your good eye.”

When she thought about the things she could do with the amount of money this painting could bring, Snow wanted to dance a jig.

“I’ll take equal credit with Mr. Norton, sure. But how much are we talking?” he asked.

Snow contemplated her answer and with a smile said, “How about, make-Jackson-McGraw-jealous money.”

“Then it is worth more than Dad’s?”

“According to Ms. Bolliver, I shouldn’t take less than thirteen thousand for it, but she believes it would go even higher at auction.”

“Woo-hoo!” Caleb exclaimed, lifting Snow into a spin. Her laughter echoed off the black-and-white tile before he planted a hot kiss on her lips. Caught off guard, Snow held tight to Caleb’s shoulders as she kissed him back, ideas about how they should celebrate coming to mind.