Abruptly, Judith turned in his arms, meeting his eyes. “So, where do you think ‘this’ is going to lead then?”
A certain tension left his face as he caught her emphasis on the word “this”. One corner of his beautiful mouth curved. He lifted a hand, pushed a lock of her hair back behind her ear. “Uh, maybe back into the shower?”
“I’d like to stay in bed this time.” She wiggled. “It’s more comfy.”
“Hmmmm, perhaps we could do a bit more exploring so to speak.” He paused, his finger stroking along the line of her jaw. “Could take time, though.”
She caught her breath. “How much time do you think?”
“Hours.” His finger trailed down her throat. “Possibly days.”
“In that case, I think we’d better start now.”
“Oh, babycakes. I think you just read my mind.”
…
The product launch for one of his sponsors wasn’t exactly high on Caleb’s list of fun things to do with an evening. A couple of weeks ago, yeah, it might have been. Now? Not so much.
Oh, there was lots of media, lots of exposure, and lots of women. All things he’d have enjoyed indulging in before. But not tonight. Tonight he felt restless. Tonight he wanted to be somewhere else. Like with Judith.
The past two weeks they’d spent mostly in bed, either making love or just talking. Filling each other in on the past eight years, the failures and the triumphs. Getting to know each other again. Finding their way back to the friendship they’d once had. It had been better than anything he could have hoped for. Better than anything he could have imagined.
Caleb took a sip of his champagne then put it down on a nearby table, unable to resist the urge to look at his watch. Was it time to get out of here yet? Could he leave without causing a fuss? He was the guest of honor, which was a bitch, but surely it wasn’t completely necessary he stay all night?
One of the promo girls, in a tight, white dress and white platforms designed to give off a naughty-nurse vibe—odd considering the product was supposed to be men’s underwear—sauntered by him, giving him the eye. And he had zero interest in her. Couldn’t even be bothered watching her walk away.
He reached for his phone instead, looking down at the screen. Just to see if Judith needed him for anything. She said she was going out to a bar with Christie and Marisa but hey, she could have lost her car keys and needed a lift there. Or a lift home. Or anything really.
But there was nothing on the screen. Shit.
“Hey, Caleb,” a sultry feminine voice murmured in his ear.
He lifted his head to see Lisa Vine, a TV star he’d once had a fling with, standing next to him. She wore a bright red sequined dress with a hemline that made the whole world her gynecologist.
“Oh, hey, Lisa.” He glanced back down at his screen. Again nothing. “Enjoying yourself?”
“Very much. Thought I’d just come say hi and let you know I’m saving my pennies.”
“What for?”
A finely arched brow rose. “The auction, darling-heart. That date you’re selling.”
“Good. The charity will need it.”
“Of course. It’s a great cause. Still….” She paused, let one long-nailed hand rest on his arm. “I’m hoping I’ll get my money’s worth.”
An uncomfortable feeling turned over in his gut. “It’s just a date, Lisa.”
“And it shall be a fabulous date, too.” Her fingers moved in an almost imperceptible stroke. “Perhaps afterward we could see what else it could be?”
No. Not now. Not afterward. Not in a million freaking years.
The thought was so immediate and so intense that for a minute Caleb just stared at her, stunned. He’d never had a reaction like that before, a denial so strong that he almost wanted to slap her hand away from him. This wasn’t just disinterest, this was outright distaste.
Three weeks ago he would have been into it. Loving the thought that this beautiful, famous woman wanted him. Just like all the other beautiful, famous women had. The women who wanted the hot rugby player. The bad boy bachelor. Rich and handsome, “Abs of Steele”.
But for a brief, intense second, Caleb hated the thought. Didn’t want to be “Abs of Steele”. Didn’t want to be wanted because of his fame or his money or his success. He wanted to be wanted for himself.
A cold shock went down his spine. He should be running for the hills right about now, because hadn’t he spent years trying to forget the person he’d been? The pathetic loser who’d poured out his heart trying to fix a drunken old bastard who hadn’t wanted to be fixed. The father who’d thrown every effort to help back in his face. Who’d told him to stop getting in the way. That he preferred the bottle to his own son.