The Marine's Red Hot Homecoming (10 page)

Because he wasn’t only the father of her child. He was the one man she had always wanted and had been drawn to for years. His confident, beguiling hold on her made her feel as if she was the only woman for him. She’d love to get used to this feeling. The feeling of being connected, of belonging to him.

A fantasy. An indulgence. And an illusion.

But for once, tonight, she would park her Reality Queen in the back corner of her brain and let herself be in the moment regardless of where it took her. Sure, Caleb wasn’t future, permanent husband material. But he did care. Though she had imposed strict rules about the parameters of what would happen during this date—talking and getting to know each other as two adults. Changing her mind was always an option.

###

Thirty minutes after saying goodbye to Jason, Caleb turned off the main highway onto the drive leading to
Azaleas
. Though he could have taken the Land Rover, she hadn’t hesitated when he’d suggested that they ride the V-rod to the restaurant.

He’d suggested it because the weather was perfect for taking out the bike. Not because he wanted to feel her pressed against him as he maneuvered the Harley through the highway’s S curves and climbed to the top of the mountain road at exhilarating speeds.

Yeah right. He loved every minute of her hot little body melding against his back, the way her thighs tightened next to his. The sweet sensation of her hands holding his waist, then slipping over his abdomen when the road’s curves felt just this side of dangerous.

Very dangerous in all the right ways.

By the time he’d parked the Harley at
Azaleas
every muscle he owned was tense with anticipation, ready to pounce. His blood was hot in his veins. Lust heated his groin to the point where the pressure created an intense combination of pleasure and pain.

Hannah released her hold on him, scooted off the bike, then began working the strap of her helmet. Her fingers trembled and desire blazed bright in her hazel eyes.

His ears thundered with a rush of adrenaline and a feral, predatory instinct kicked his heart into overdrive. Looked like he wasn’t the only one affected by their oh too close for comfort ride.

Caleb climbed off the bike and moved closer. “Here let me,” he said, then stilled her fingers.

Her breath hitched, and awareness painted pink across her cheeks. She shifted her gaze from his. “The views from this vantage point are breathtaking,” she said, with a tremor in her voice.

“They are,” he said, taking in her profile. “I hear they’re even better from the restaurant’s overlook room.” The only view Caleb cared about stood in front of him in a sexy, flirty dress that accentuated the perfect curve of her full hips. The brown leather jacket he’d insisted that she wear while riding behind him subtly added a hint of the naughty side he had remembered and fantasized about for the better part of two years.

Her eyes widened. “Oh. But that’s impossible to...”

The exclusive room boasted a private sitting area with floor to ceiling panoramic windows that people reserved at least a year in advance. “I pulled some strings.” Expensive ones, but worth every favor he’d promised the owners by the pleased look crossing Hannah’s pretty face.

“It wasn’t necessary.”

Hell yeah it was necessary. Not only had he never taken her out on a real date before, but the last time he’d been with her, he’d gone from a do-not-dare-touch policy to let’s-get-naked-to-dull-their-pain sex-capade in record time. Now he’d have to move the entire Smoky Mountain range to make up for walking out on her two years ago.

Caleb hooked their helmets onto the bike’s handlebars. “You deserve it,’ he said, then placed his hand in the small of her back.

As he guided her along the winding river stone walkway that lead to the wide, knotty pine doors at the entrance, Caleb inhaled her unique scent of lavender mingling with the rich leather wrapped around her shoulders. Then and now the combination of sassy and sweet, bad babe versus good girl next door blew his mind, intrigued the hell out of him, and aroused him in ways he had never experienced before.

He’d promised to keep this date platonic, but right now he wanted to punt that vow off the edge of the mountain. And, based on the electricity sparking between them, she also had second thoughts about the terms of their agreement. A few weeks ago, he might have used that knowledge to his advantage.

Tonight he didn’t dare go back on his word because Hannah wasn’t like all the other women he’d seduced. Over the course of the past several days his eyes had been opened wide by her quiet determination to overcome any and all obstacles that had been placed in her way. She was more than a sexy package that he wanted to unwrap.

She was a woman of quality and strength who warranted the best. Though he wanted to give everything he had into romancing Hannah, he had no idea how to do that without raising expectations about their future. Not when he still planned to leave for another tour of duty.

Chapter Eight

Thirty minutes after they had been seated at their table, Hannah tasted her second succulent dish and sighed with appreciation. “So delicious,” she said. Outside, the sun slipped behind the mountains and a layer of soft mauve smoky mist bathed the valley below.

Across from her Caleb poked at his Portabella steak as if hoping to find a rib-eye underneath the artfully arranged zucchini-potato cake and wild mushroom risotto covered in cashew cream. “There’s not much to it, but it’s good,” he said, then took a bite.

Her lips quirked and she swallowed the urge to laugh. Honestly, he looked so adorable as he gainfully tucked into the austere dish with feigned enthusiasm. “That’s why we’re having five courses, not one,” she said. “A little goes a long way.” Though with Caleb, over the top described him best.

From the moment they had entered
Azaleas
, everything had been like a fairy tale come true. No attention to detail had been left unfulfilled. After an ebullient greeting, the maître de led them to their table, which already had a chilled bottle of organic chardonnay in a pewter bucket next to it and a first course plated on the cream linen cloth covering a small romantic, just the right size table for two.

The vegetable Nori Rolls with pickled ginger, chipotle aioli and tamari-ginger sauce made her mouth water. As did the man holding her chair for her while she sat.

“How did you manage to arrange all this in less than a few days?” she asked.

“Bought the place.”

He’d shocked her with his answer. Sure. His family had boat loads of money, but she didn’t think Caleb would ever be interested in investing in something of this magnitude to please her. “You bought a vegetarian restaurant? Just to impress me?” Quite possibly the last place she’d ever think he’d consider owning giving his all-out carnivore habits.

He shrugged. “I had the capital. I knew how much you wanted to come here. Found out they needed a cash infusion and decided to be their financial angel.”

In other words, she was worth it because the only reason he’d gone to such lengths had been to secure this reservation for their date. Crazy. Insane. Incredible. That he put her needs before his own endeared him to her. Yes. He had tough military man stamped all over him with his commitment to the Marines, but a kind, generous person existed beneath the uniform. But then, Brandon had been a good man before PTSD had robbed him of his ability to act rationally.

Still, he wasn’t Brandon. Hannah had known Caleb for years. If she were honest with herself, she’d chosen Brandon because she’d given up on attracting Caleb’s attention
that way.
Had that been why she couldn’t reach Brandon? Did she fail because her love hadn’t been big enough?

Whereas with Caleb, she’d always harbored a deep affection.

The sky filled with hues of pinks, purples, and glints of golden warmth matching her own inner glow. She imagined more nights like this one. For the first time since Caleb had arrived home, she wanted to believe they were a possibility.

Why else would he go to such trouble? After all, he could have taken her anywhere, but instead he had moved heaven and earth to give her a dream date. He’d focused primarily on her, asking about the restoration and her business plans along with offering suggestions. Totally different from what she had experienced when dealing with her ex-boyfriend in Los Angeles.

But then Brandon had always been about one-upping everyone. He used fear tactics, manipulation, and bullying to hurt the people around him. That she’d once admired him—loved him—shot an arrow of massive regret through her sternum. Even now, the memories of his self-destructive spiral that had annihilated her from the inside out dropped a slab of granite into the pit of her stomach.

“Hey.” Caleb reached for her hand. “You okay?” Concern clouded his eyes.

She shook off the intrusive, ugly thoughts, welcoming the steady assurance of his strong palm covering hers. “Yes. Everything is wonderful.” As was the oh so delicious man dining with her. The one night they’d shared swept through her mind, chasing her other thoughts out with a vengeance and replacing them with an aching need to once again reclaim the powerful, excitement of Caleb’s fierce possession.

She lifted her wine glass, then sipped. The liquid was a cool counterpoint to the heat slowly building inside her.
Get a grip. Focus on having a conversation, not on how right his touch feels on my skin.

“Have you sorted out the mess your dad created?” she asked.

He stroked the underside of her wrist with his index finger. “We had a couple of close calls, but now everything’s under control. Dad tried to tell me how to fix his mess, but then old habits die hard.”

Tingles zipped along her veins. “Maybe he’s trying to make peace with you the only way he knows how. I’m sure he didn’t realize he was making such huge errors in judgment. He’d want to protect the company. After all, Gibson Technologies has been in the family for three generations. There’s no way he would allow anyone to take that away from him.” Not only that, but she knew that Steven had spent the better part of his life married to his work and the company at the expense of spending time with his family.

“My dad’s cagey. But you’re right. He’s a proud man. Didn’t want anyone to know his weakness. His stroke came after a series of smaller TIAs,” Caleb said. “He wasn’t thinking clearly, and didn’t reason through every decision. Because he always was a control freak no one, not even our lawyer, had a clue.”

“So what did you do to fix things?” she asked. Would the challenge of controlling an empire and protecting it from future competitor attacks be strong enough to stop him from taking that fourth tour of duty? But she didn’t voice the question. She had no right to push him into choosing a life he didn’t want anymore than he had the right to ask her to bend her rules about being with military men. Not to mention she was too busy trying to slow down her racing heartbeat, cool the heat flowing through her veins as her body responded to Caleb’s touch.

“Stocks are shored up, I’ve got a diversification plan in place, and I’ve promoted three people into key positions to open up communication channels and increase production.”

“Impressive.”

“Necessary.” He held her gaze. “Not just for the thousands of employees we have working for us, but for the future of our family.”

“Your brothers will be grateful that you stepped in, for sure.”

“I didn’t just do this for them,” he said quietly, holding her gaze and tightening his hold. “I did it for us. This is Jason’s legacy as much as it’s mine. I won’t let anyone rob him of his birthright.”

A smidgeon of hope mingled with the flurry of physical sensations pinging through her. Could it be possible that he’d turned a corner? That he might actually want to permanently trade in his Marine uniform for business suits for his family? For her? “What happens when your dad recovers?” she asked, needing to know the answer more than she had ever thought possible.

“I won’t lie,” Caleb said. “A lot depends upon his ability to resume control, but if the government contracts I’ve got in the pipeline come through, I’m committed to guaranteeing their success.”

So there was a chance, albeit small, that he’d stay. For his company. For his family. But he hadn’t outwardly included her in the reasons. However, by the way he looked at her and had opened up about his ambitions, maybe she was already part of the equation.

For now, that glimmer of possibility painted a different picture than she had hoped would happen. Not a fantasy based on schoolgirl wishes and late night dreams. But a reality she could count on.

###

“They sound important,” Hannah said.

Something flickered in her expressive hazel eyes as she contemplated Caleb’s admission. Interest along with a silent beat of unspoken hope. Also a silent question hung between them on a fragile cord. One that would snap if he brought up the new orders he had received this morning from his command post. He wasn’t ready to bring them up now. Not when everything was going so well between them. He’d find a way to make her understand his commitment to the Marines another time. Right now, he only had to prove he wasn’t anything like her ex, and that all military men didn’t end up fucking up their lives after they returned home. He was questioning his next call to duty now that he’d become part of Hannah and Jason’s circle. He loved being with them. They were his family as much as the Marines had become like one to him.