Talking Dirty With the Player(51)
“Wow,” he said as she brought up the picture of Luke. It had taken her ages to get the right shot, since he hated having his photo taken and hadn’t been all that pleased with her suggestion that he take his tie off. “You are good. You almost got a smile out of him.”
Judith grinned, absurdly pleased with the compliment. “I asked if he could explain to me what a hedge fund was.”
Caleb laughed. “Ah, definitely the way to his heart.” His mouth brushed over her skin. “Your pictures are amazing. Wish I was having the same luck with the auction venue.”
“Oh, dear. Problems?”
“Yeah, a few difficulties. I’m having to get the event manager to scout out some alternative venues. It’s hard finding something on short notice. I really wanted it to be somewhere different but really cool.”
Judith pushed away the laptop and settled back into his arms. His body was hot against her spine and she loved the strength of him. Something in her soul had quieted. That restless ache gone. “Hmmm….different but cool.”
His fingers moved gently on her arm, stroking. “Got a brainwave for me, babycakes?”
“Actually, as it happens I do.” She twisted in his arms, grinning up at him. “What about the Civic Theatre on Queen Street? With all the lovely Art Deco?”
His brow creased. “An old cinema?”
“Yeah. I went to an art thing there once. It was amazing. So much atmosphere. You’ve been there, haven’t you?”
“I have, although it was years ago. The ceiling with all the lights.”
“Like a night sky. It’s incredible, right?”
Caleb grinned back at her, a spark glowing in his dark eyes. “It is. And so are you. In fact, you’re a certified genius.”
“It’s a cross I have to bear.”
He laughed, his arms tightening around her. “I don’t know whether to call the event manager now or give you the orgasm of your life.”
“You seriously have to think about it?”
He brushed a kissed against the side of her neck. “I like this. Being friends with you again.”
She sighed. “It is good isn’t it? I’m sorry I’ve been so angry with you. I was protecting myself I guess. You make me feel…too much sometimes.”
“I broke your heart, that’s what you told me.”
She closed her eyes, tension creeping through her. Yes, that’s what she’d told him in her studio. When she’d been hazy with yearning and desire. And it was true, wasn’t it? He had.
“You did. I was young and it’s been a long time, though. It mended in time.”
“You were in love with me.”
The tension wound a little bit tighter. She ignored it. “Puppy love. I got over it.”
His arms gathered her closer so she was pressed right up against him. “I’m sorry, Jude. For the way I treated you back then.” He let out a short, sharp breath against her nape. “I know I handled it badly and I’ve always regretted it. You were too young and my career was just taking off. I didn’t want a relationship and I didn’t want you to be in love with me. I wanted to push you away. And because I was young and stupid, I thought that was the best way to do it.”
His honesty tore a hole right through her armor, exposing the vulnerable eighteen-year-old she’d once been. The one who’d fallen in love for the first and only time in her life.
“It hurt, Caleb.” Her voice sounded scratchy. “It hurt a lot. After Mum left, you were the only one who seemed to care about me. So then when you ignored what had happened between us, at the time it just felt like yet another betrayal.”
“I wasn’t the only one to care about you, darling. You had Joe and you had your dad.”
“I know. But Dad was always working and Joe… Well, he just wasn’t able to look after me. I mean, he did try and I know he worried about me. And I had to keep it together for him. I had to be strong and steady because that’s what he needed.”
Warmth brushed her shoulder—Caleb’s mouth on her skin. “You had no one to lean on? No one to be strong and steady for you?”
Judith shut her eyes, the softness in his voice making her throat close up. “I had one person. I had you. And after you’d gone, I missed you so much.”
“Oh, Jude…” He stopped, holding her tightly, not saying anything more. Because what else could he say? It had happened so long ago. There was nothing either of them could do about it now except acknowledge the truth of it. Acknowledge it and move on. The past was the past and it should stay that way. Right now, they had more important things to do.