All Good Things (16 page)

I forced thoughts of Jace from my mind as I peeled my clothing from my body before throwing them into the laundry hamper. I turned on the shower and climbed into the steamy stream of water. I tried to ignore the memory of Jace washing me down with his delicious hands as I scrubbed his scent from my body.

I had to move on from the world of Jace and there was nothing like an early morning shower to start a new day.

Chapter 10

I looked up from the screen of my laptop as Caleb waltzed into my office. He grinned at me as he planted himself comfortably in one of the two black leather chairs I had facing my desk. Moments later, he had his ankles crossed and his feet rested on the corner of my desk. Sometimes I wondered what went through his mind. Caleb was both refreshing and infuriating. There was no one in the world who dared to speak to me like Caleb...as though he didn't give a shit about ticking me off. I liked that, and hated it at the same time. As a matter of fact, Olivia was starting to act remarkably similar to Caleb. Maybe that was why I couldn't seem to get enough of her. She tested me.

"What do you want, Caleb?"

"You're here early." He cocked a brow. "Does this mean you took my advice?"

I closed my laptop and gave him the attention he was obviously begging for. "What advice would that be?"

"You fucked the girl, right?"

I bristled. I didn't like him talking about Olivia like that, but I knew Caleb wouldn't understand. I had never shown an ounce of annoyance over his vulgar comments of the girls who found themselves at my mercy in the past. I didn't know why I was bothered now...but I was.

"Do you have a reason for coming here?" I asked as I leaned back in my chair, looking coolly over at him.

Caleb chuckled. "You definitely had her because you haven't ripped me to shreds yet, so what's the problem? She didn't satisfy you?"

I scowled. "I'm not discussing this."

Caleb's mouth dropped open. "Since when do you keep your excursions from me? Man, you know I live vicariously through you."

I shifted. "We both know you live an abundant life of your own. You don't need my sexual encounters laid out on a platter for your indulgence."

"That's true, but it doesn't mean I don't enjoy hearing about them." He winked. "So, what did you do to this one?"

I eyed him coolly. I didn't know if I should tell him. Caleb was just as fucked up as me. We tended to swap stories and, often, women. We had a good arrangement...but, I didn't want to share anything regarding Olivia with Caleb. "I took her home, Caleb."

His brows rose. "You what?"

I didn't let my eyes waver from his. "I took her home and I had her in my bed."

"You took her to your condo?" Caleb sputtered and his eyes bulged. He was obviously shocked.

"Yes. I did." I nodded.

"You went vanilla? And, you took her to the one place you keep for yourself?"

I scowled. "You've gone vanilla plenty of times."

Caleb dropped his feet from the desk. "I am not you, Jace."

I narrowed my eyes. "I'm not going to pretend I know what you're talking about."

Caleb scoffed. "You use women, Jace. As a matter of fact, you don't even treat them like they have feelings. You are not gentle and, you are most fucking, certainly, not vanilla!" He stood and planted both hands on my desk. "Who the hell is this girl and what did she do you to?"

"She didn't do anything to me, Caleb." I growled. He was testing me. "She's just...different."

Caleb eyed me as though I was a fucking math problem and I glared up at him. "You care about her, don't you?"

"No." I replied coldly. I didn't let myself care about any woman. There was no point. They were all cold and heartless. Just like Lexie.

Caleb nodded. "Don't forget about Paris. We leave on Monday."

I watched in silence as Caleb walked out of my office, leaving me frustrated and pissed off.

***

I grabbed the list of coffee the men had ordered before flinging my purse over my shoulder. I stepped out on the bustling street and a man caught my elbow. My chest tightened and I looked around wildly, ready to scream. I was jumpy after receiving the letter. Someone had obviously been watching me...and Jace.

"Olivia LeRoux?" The man asked. His dancing, green eyes stared straight into mine. He was beautiful. Anyone would say that his beauty rivaled Jace, but not me. Nope, Jace had me hooked! Jeez, if someone this stunning couldn't even spark a flame of desire within me, then I was hopeless. Jace had ruined me. I would be good for no one.

"Miss LeRoux?" The man asked again, raising his brows with a look of crafted amusement on his sculpted face.

I flushed, swallowing my earlier panic. "Yes, that's me." I held out my hand for the man to shake. "And, you are?"

"My name is Caleb Cage."

I frowned. He sounded just as dangerous as Jace. "It's nice to meet you...but, may I ask how you knew my name?"

"You seem to have sparked the interest of a friend of mine and I just had to meet you for myself." He grinned. I suddenly felt as though I was standing in the line-of-sight of the world's most dangerous predator. If this man had been the one to write the letter...then, I was in so much more danger than I first suspected. A female, I thought I could handle...but, this man...oh, hell no.

"A friend of yours?" I tried to play it coolly. The last thing I wanted him thinking was Jace had been the first 'friend' I had thought of.

"Yes." His smirk never faltered. He was not going to tell me who this elusive friend was.

"All right, then." I smiled politely. "I should be on my way. I'm expected to bring coffee."

He cocked his head to the side. "Do they not work for you?"

I paused. "Pardon me?"

"Do the men inside not work for you?" He gestured to the door. "This is your project, is it not?"

"I have contracted them, yes." Where the hell was he going with this? And how in the world did he know this was my...project?

"Then, should they not be getting you your coffee?" His eyes were trained on my face as they waited for a reaction. I was torn between wanting to kick him in the shin and turning to walk away.

What was it with these godly gorgeous men popping up out of the woodwork with their cockier than cocky attitudes, expensive suits and shiver inducing names. In all my life, I had never met someone like Jace, and now, Caleb. Was this for real?

I plastered a smile on my face. "It was nice to meet you Mr. Cage, but I should be on my way."

Caleb moved into step beside me. He was powerful, obviously privileged, confident and determined. Oh, he was definitely dangerous. Probably just as dangerous as Jace. Damn it! Why couldn't I stop thinking about Jace?

"I assure you, Miss. LeRoux, it was all my pleasure." His voice was deep and close to my ear. I could almost feel the heat of his breath against my ear. It made me shiver and that made me angry.

He was definitely pissing me off. "You're probably right."

Beside me, I heard him gasp and I had to fight the urge to look up at him. "And, you're just as fiery as you are beautiful. I see what my friend likes."

Who was this friend of his? "You don't know me well enough to make such an assumption."

He chuckled. "You do not think I have seen enough to know what another man might be intrigued by?"

I felt a blush creeping into my cheeks. "So, this friend of yours is a man?"

"You are perceptive, too." I could hear the grin in his tone and I chomped down on my bottom lip to keep from spitting out a threat. "Yes, I most definitely see what he likes. Although, I must admit you are not his usual...victim."

I looked up at him. I was unable to stop myself. I didn't understand this man and I most certainly did not understand my desire to knock him upside the head. He was stunning and clearly hitting on me. Well, at least, I thought he was hitting on me. But, in the back of my mind, there was a nagging need for Jace. No other man would do. Again, I couldn't help but admit to myself I was ruined. And what the hell did he mean...victim? Who uses that word? I must be so off base, because I really didn't understand.

"Is there something you want from me, Mr. Cage?" I asked shakily. I didn't know if I could control my anxiety if he continued with this charade of his. It had already been a stressful morning and he was only making it worse. Who was he? I decided then, as soon as I had a moment alone, I would Google him. Oh, my good friend, Google.

"Yes, actually there is."

I felt as though I had been slapped, but I quickly regained control of myself as I pulled open the door of the Starbucks. "And, what might that be?"

"Well, since you obviously do not trust me, I think I will show you I'm not the evil villain you assume me to be." I scowled at him and he grinned. "I only want to help you carry the coffee back."

"Oh," Shoot. I hadn't even thought of how I was going to get the coffee back to the shop. I guess I could have stacked the trays on top of one another and hoped I didn't trip. But, knowing me, I could have a clear pathway and I would still fall face first into the ground. It is just who I was, and it was, definitely, not genetic. My mother was the epitome of control and grace. It was probably why she couldn't stand to have me as a daughter.

As a child, I would often come home with mud under my fingernails, twigs in my hair and tears in my dress. I had adored playing with the boys at the parks. It was fun, but I learned early on, it was not appropriate for a lady. Not one born by my mother, anyway.

Caleb reached out and swiped his thumb over my lower lip. The contact made me jump back as though he'd burned me. I felt silly under his concentrated frown.

"Are you all right?" Caleb asked. He looked mildly uncomfortable as he shoved his hands in his pockets. It was not a look that suited him. He was too confident. "You looked upset."

I forced a smile, as I shrugged off his concern. "I'm fine. Let's get the coffee's ordered. The boys are bound to wonder where I am."

"That's true." Caleb agreed as he watched me walk to the counter. It was not long until I felt him close behind me.

I read my list off to the woman behind the till before looking back at Caleb. "What do you want? It's on me for the help."

Caleb's eyes twinkled as he smiled. He ordered a black coffee. Gross. Could he get any more boring? "What do you want?"

"I'll get a white hot chocolate, please." I said as I started to fish through my purse for my wallet.

When I looked up, Caleb was pressing his pin into the machine. I punched him in the arm before thinking the action through. He turned to look at me with raised brows and wide astonished eyes. I blushed. "I was going to pay for that." I squeaked.

The woman behind the till smirked, but continued to watch us with interest.

"You just punched me." Caleb stated.

Jeez, I hit him in the arm not the head. Why was he acting like I had damaged his brain? I didn't even hit him hard.

I planted my hands against my hips and nodded curtly. An action straight out of my mothers books. "You weren't supposed to pay. It was my treat to you for being willing to help me transport them back to the shop."

Caleb shook his head. "You actually just punched me."

I scoffed. "Get over it. You're a big boy." I turned and walked to the other side of the counter to wait for the order.

"You really are a perfect match for my friend. He needs someone who can throw him around a few times." He chuckled under his breath. "I cannot believe you punched me."

I looked directly into his eyes as though I could find the answer there, but nothing jumped out at me. "Who is your friend?"

"I'm sure you will find out soon enough?"

"Have I already met this person?" I asked.

He looked at me funny before rubbing his forehead. "Yeah, I believe you might have."

"Hum, well..." I crossed my arms over my chest. "No one I've met has really made that much of an impression on me. I'm sorry, but this friend of yours has no place in my life aside from the past."

Caleb cocked his head. Amusement flickered in his eyes. "Really?"

"Really."

"We will see about that."

The coffees were placed in front of us in their trays. Caleb took two and I took one. A kind customer held the door open for us as we walked out onto the street.

When we had walked half the distance in silence, I couldn't take it any longer and decided I had to know what he had been talking about. "What do you mean that we will see about this friend of yours having more than just a past place in my life?"

"My friend is determined and it's very rare he is denied something he wants." Caleb answered, after a moment of thought.

I blushed and quickly blamed it on the heat. "And, this friend of yours wants me?"

"I didn't say that."

"Oh." I blushed again and wished I had some way of controlling my humiliation. Normally, I didn't care about what a guy thought of me, but I had a feeling this friend was none other than Jace Rush...and, I wanted him to want me. There was no doubt in my mind I would do almost anything to be with him again. But, I knew it was for the best we go our separate ways. I would just have to forget him. It was better this way. So long as his beautiful, mysterious friends stayed out of my life...surely, I would be able to forget him.

"Well, this is me," I said as I came to a stop outside the door of my shop. "Thank you for your help and for the coffees."

His green eyes sparkled and I found myself wishing they were blue. "It was all my pleasure, Olivia."

The door opened beside us and Trey stepped out onto the sidewalk. His eyes narrowed on Caleb and his jaw tightened. "Olivia, what's going on?"

I looked between Caleb and Trey. "Trey, this is Mr. Cage. Mr. Cage, this is Mr. Boyd."

Caleb grinned easily, but behind his friendly demeanor there was something that made me feel as though Trey was a bug that was about to get squashed. I shivered.

"Well, we should be getting back to work." I breathed and Caleb passed the trays to Trey. He slid his coffee from the corner and nodded to me.

"I'll see you around, Olivia." Caleb promised.