Her dad obviously favored the color green. I went into the walk-in closet and grabbed one of his belts from the row of hooks. Jeez, the man had dozens of ties alone.
Back at Gianna’s door, I inserted the pointy part of the belt buckle into the tiny hole in the doorknob, pushing away the dirty metaphor which came to mind.
As I rattled it, waiting for a click, Gianna yelled from the other side, “Don’t you dare, Caleb!” The eventual clicking sound coincided with my name.
Her room was decorated in yellows and blues. It was obviously the room of the princess of the house with the fancy-ass furniture, a canopy bed and set of ornate dressers and night stands. She sat cross-legged in the middle of her enormous bed, her expression supremely unhappy.
“Where’s Chance’s room?” I asked.
Her face relaxed marginally at the mention of her brother. “Down the opposite hallway.”
My eyebrows shot up. “Your dad makes good money cutting up peoples’ bodies, huh?”
Blue eyes narrowed. “He has a trust fund.”
Wow, no wonder Julie got knocked up in high school. She’d made bank out of the divorce from my dad, also. A thought struck me. “Do you have one?”
“A trust fund?” she asked warily.
“Yeah.”
“Yes, a smaller one, but I don’t get it until I’m twenty-eight. Too bad, it could’ve come in handy when I move to Australia next year.”
I sat on the bed, causing her to edge away. “We’re moving to Australia?”
“You’re staying her and moving on!”
“But you love me,” I said calmly, reaching out to play with a strand of her hair. “Soft. Take out the ponytail.”
She jerked away, scooting off the bed. “I can’t do this with you, Caleb.”
“Do what?”
“You know,” she said stubbornly.
“You’ll have to explain it to me. So far you’ve confused the shit out of me with your lying and games. You look beautiful, by the way.”
“Shut up!” She made for the door, probably to find a room with a better lock.
“Are you my girl, Gianna?”
Her feet stopped walking away, her head turned to the side so I could see her profile. “Not anymore.”
“Don’t listen to your head, listen to your heart. Are you my girl?”
She faced me, her expression tortured. “I can’t be your girlfriend, Caleb.”
“Sure you can. Come here and be my girlfriend.”
Her head shook in panic, blue eyes pleading. “I can’t be with you.”
“You’re with me right now.”
“No, Caleb, I can’t be with you.”
After a moment, understanding hit me. “You’re talking about sex.”
“Yeah,” she choked out.
I’d had enough. I went to get my girl. Leading her to the bed with no resistance, I sat her on the end of it next to me, the least threatening spot. Tentatively, I brought my palms up to hold the prettiest face I’d ever seen. “I’ll take you any way I can get you, princess.”
Amusement entered her eyes and I guessed why.
“You didn’t tell me your dad called you that.” Waving a hand at the ridiculously majestic room, I continued, “You’ll have to tell him you’re no longer his princess. You belong to me now.”
“He’ll kick your ass.”
“He can try.” I rubbed a thumb over pink lips. “You shouldn’t have lied to me.”
Salty tears welled, changing the blue into an ocean of pain. She covered my hand with one of hers. “I can’t be what you need, Caleb.”
Her lips hesitantly meeting mine was a personal miracle. “Sex or blue balls, you’re still my girl.”
“Caleb!” Her cheeks blushed, making her skin go redder combined the previous crying. “Do you have to be such a pervert?”
“That probably won’t ever change.”
She rubbed her cheek against my palm, seeking a deeper touch. “Caleb, I’m scared of it. I think I’d freak out.”
It made sense. I’d read about it in a couple of psychology texts and discussed it with Dr. Adler during our sessions. She’d reiterated what the books had, that women could become averse to being intimate after a sexual assault.
“Are you still attracted to me?” I asked her.
Her eyes widened before she made a face. “It’d be hard not to be. You’re hot, Caleb.”
I laughed, bringing her head against my chest. “Good to hear. I’ve been celibate for eight and a half months, Gianna. I can wait a while longer.”
“How much longer?” she asked, tilting her head back to look up at me. “Wait! You’ve been celibate? I thought you had sex with that chick at the party.”