Pretty in Ink (Voretti Family Book 3) (7 page)

The door swung open.
 

He froze mid-sentence. Right in time to watch Liv’s parents walk inside.

*

Liv’s stomach dropped to the carpet and quivered. She was inches from Caleb’s bare chest, wearing his half-way unbuttoned shirt. Her parents were going to jump to the obvious conclusion, the same way they had when they’d barged into her sister’s apartment four months ago and found Annabelle in bed with Ty. Their voices were already screaming through her head.

Olivia Marie Voretti!

I’m disappointed in you.

Is this the behavior of a mature businesswoman?

Caleb would probably jump in there with them.

She ignored the stab of hurt that thought generated. She didn’t care that Caleb saw her as an annoying little sister, forever frozen in time as an awkward thirteen-year-old. The only thing she was worried about was her loan, and how quickly her parents would take it away once Caleb filled them in on the tattoo.

Except, Caleb hadn’t said a word. Neither had her parents. Why weren’t they yelling? Was her dad actually
smiling
?

“This, uh, isn’t what it looks like,” she tried.

“Of course not,” Dad said. Yep—definitely a smile.

What the
hell
?

“We didn’t see a thing.” Mom winked at Caleb, who looked like he wanted to curl into a ball, stuff himself behind the row of peach dresses lined up in Ella’s closet, and die.

It was almost like her parents were
happy
to have caught her fooling around with a guy. But that didn’t make sense. The last time she’d made the mistake of telling her parents she was going on a date, they’d called her every hour to “check in.”

That’s because you were with CJ. If you’d been with Caleb…
The Annabelle voice in Liv’s head faded out, too circumspect to finish the sentence, but Liv already had the idea. She was lucky this wasn’t the seventeenth century, because if arranged marriage were still socially acceptable, her parents would be offering Captain Integrity all their goats in exchange for taking Liv off their hands. In their eyes, he was the perfect man—the solid, responsible, good citizen needed to counteract Liv’s flighty DNA. Even as Caleb tripped all over himself, trying to explain the shirt fiasco, they were probably imagining a pack of perfectly groomed grandchildren who would eat all of their vegetables, do extra credit homework for fun, and earn perfect scores on their SATs.

She could rip Caleb’s shirt off right now and show them the tattoo, and they’d congratulate her on her wise decision instead of revoking her loan. It was too bad she hadn’t really hooked up with Caleb.

Although…

Absolutely not
, said the Annabelle voice inside her head.
Don’t even think about dragging him into this mess.

“And then Liv’s shirt ripped.” Caleb was talking way too fast—Captain Integrity wasn’t used to being in this kind of a situation. “So I gave her mine.”

Imaginary Annabelle gave a sigh of relief, secure in the knowledge that Caleb would never consent to be Liv’s boyfriend, fake or not.

Liv wouldn’t be able to pull it off anyway. Pretending to be attracted to someone so vanilla for long enough to get the loan in place would be torture.

Caleb was still talking, explaining every detail of shirt-gate so her parents wouldn’t get the wrong idea, gesturing with his hands to emphasize key phrases. The movements caused a ripple effect in the rest of his body, muscles tensing and releasing, each minute shift on display thanks to his bare torso.
 

He might be vanilla, but he was seriously hot. And when he’d been so close to her right before her parents had barged in, emotion swirling dark in his eyes, he hadn’t looked like his cool, Captain Integrity self. He’d looked like he was thinking about taking her, hard, against the wall.

And, for a second, she’d wanted him to.

“You know how Liv and Ella get sometimes.” Caleb was
still
trying to explain away shirt-gate. “I don’t think Ella meant to tear her shirt, but…”

“Like hell she didn’t,” Liv muttered.

“What?” Mom asked.

“Uh…” She had to force the words out of her throat. “I’m sure Caleb is right. Ella got a little…overly excited. That’s all.”

Mom beamed. “I’m glad you can look at this from your cousin’s perspective. Caleb is a good influence. This is exactly the kind of healthy relationship your father and I always wanted for you.”

Captain Integrity’s eyes widened in alarm, and, maybe it proved Liv’s immaturity, but she couldn’t pass up the opportunity to mess with him.
 

“Caleb is a wonderful influence.” She added a demure smile, like modesty prevented her from continuing.

“I’m not…” Caleb cleared his throat. “Liv and I, we really don’t have a relationship. Well, we’re friends. Of course we’re friends. But it doesn’t go beyond that.”

“We understand, son.” Dad clapped Caleb on the back. “We’ll give the two of you some privacy. To continue your friendly discussion.”

“That’s okay,” Caleb said. “We don’t need—”

The click of the door shutting behind her parents echoed in the small room. She was alone with Caleb. Again.

Tension filled the small space like it was the last five minutes of a
Design Divas
timed challenge. Caleb was so determined not to look at her that he was studying Ella’s old Barbie collection on the top shelf of the bookcase.
 

Liv tried for a laugh, but it came out flat. “My parents couldn’t get out of here fast enough. It’s a good thing the door only locks on the inside, or they’d have us bolted in here until I was pregnant with twins.”

Caleb’s whispered curse was so vehement, it might as well have been a shout.

She shook off the twinge of hurt. He’d never thought she was good enough for him, and he never would.
Move along, Liv. Nothing new to see here.
“Relax, Captain Integrity. It was a joke. They’re not going to come after us with shotguns and force us to the altar.”

“That’s not the point.”

“Then what is the point?”

“These are people that I respect. That I’d like to respect me.”

“And a relationship with me puts that in jeopardy?” She’d meant her voice to come out breezy and unconcerned, but it wobbled at the end, and suddenly Caleb was tripping all over himself with justifications. That hadn’t been what he’d meant. She’d misunderstood. Any man would be lucky to be in a relationship with her. Only…you know. Not
him
.

Anger built, consuming the hurt like fuel. She wanted to hit something. No—some
one
.

She jerked Caleb’s shirt off. But she’d forgotten it was still partway fastened, and buttons scattered, diving for the bottom of the white shag carpet.
 

Good. She hoped they were lost forever, and Caleb had to buy a new shirt at
Boring And Overpriced Executive Clothes R Us
. The man was so repressed he’d probably never even come in contact with fabric that had a pinstripe.

She hurled the pinstripe-free shirt at his forehead. He caught it with one effortless swipe of his hand.
   

The air-conditioning kicked on, the cold air raising goose bumps on her bare skin. All her tantrum had accomplished was to get her half naked. Annabelle was right. Liv needed to think before she acted.

Caleb turned away, examining the rhinestone accents on Holiday Barbie’s green velvet gown, but the rigid set of his back made it clear he was pissed. He probably didn’t approve of hissy fits. Or semi-nudity.

She took a deep breath, but she couldn’t do it. She could not ask Caleb for his shirt back after she’d thrown it at him.

But she must have made some kind of noise while trying to force the words out, because he turned, as suddenly as if she’d fired her dad’s prized SIG Sauer Prelaz-Burnand rifle into the ceiling.

“I—” she started. That was as long as his gaze managed to stay on her face. It dipped to the middle of her chest, where her bra fastened.

His gaze went molten. Feral.

Blood rushed the wrong way—toward her lips, her breasts, between her legs—when it should have gone to her head. Her nipples hardened against the lace. She forgot to breathe, then had to gulp in air to catch up.
 

She couldn’t smell Ella’s perfume anymore. There was only soap and man. Caleb.

He moved toward her, gaze focused, mouth set in a determined slant.

Despite the cool air flowing from the ceiling vent, the heat in Caleb’s gaze burned her. The years fell away. She was sixteen, and so stupidly in love that she’d do anything to be with this boy.

Her body moved on its own, angling toward him, her lips so close that all he had to do was lean down to meet them.

He didn’t.

In the space of one breath, he went from smoking-hot lover to distant, self-possessed Captain Integrity. The desire was so completely gone from his gaze that she felt like a naive child for thinking he was going to kiss her.

Except, he was having trouble looking at her. His gaze flitted from her lips to her chest, then back up, finally settling on her upper arm.
 

The one on her left side. Exactly where the tattoo was.

“I
T
’
S
NOT
YOUR
name,” Liv blurted out.
 

Caleb didn’t say a word. He didn’t have to, because he was staring at his name in bold, cursive letters that would never come off her arm. His gaze singed her skin, which made everything worse, because, no doubt, Caleb could see that too.

“Well, okay. It is your name. But it’s not
your
name. I didn’t put it there because of you. I got it for my boyfriend.”
 

His brows jutted up dangerously.

“Ex-boyfriend.”
 

He didn’t look pacified.
 

“Actually, it was supposed to be a butterfly.”
Shut up, Liv
. “Or a flower. That’s what I was trying to point to. But I was shaking a little bit and I guess my hand must’ve slipped, and… You know.” Finally—
finally
—she got her stupid mouth closed.

“No.” The word came out flat, like Caleb had crushed it with the power of his anger. “I don’t know.”

“I’m not good with needles. So I was a little nervous when I went inside.” She really needed to stop there. Telling Caleb the whole story would only give him more ammunition to use against her. But his intense stare was completely focused on her. The muscles inside her throat bypassed her brain entirely, like he was controlling them through the power of his gaze, and the next thing she knew, she’d told him exactly what had happened.

“You were freaking out so bad you didn’t even know you’d pointed to my-boyfriend’s-name-here instead of a butterfly, and CJ didn’t say anything?”

“I don’t think he realized how badly I was freaking out.”

“Bullshit.” The word exploded from Caleb’s throat, so fast and hard it almost knocked her on her ass. “One thing you’re not is subtle. If he didn’t notice, it’s because he chose not to.”

“I—”

“I’m gonna have a little talk with CJ.” Caleb regarded her, all pulsing veins and clenched jaw, clearly in the mood to do way more than talk.

Her belly fluttered and her fingertips tingled.
 

“Where is he?” Caleb demanded.

“He’s gone.”

“What’s his address?”
 

“Come on. What are you going to do? Hunt him down and kick his ass?” The idea wasn’t as ridiculous as it should’ve been. With that fierce intensity in Caleb’s eyes, he wasn’t Captain Integrity anymore. He was a man and she was a woman and anything could happen.

“Where is he?” The words were soft. Level. But Caleb’s stare was brimming with intensity.
 

She tried for a laugh, but it came out flat. “Who are you, and what have you done with Captain Integrity?”

He ran a hand over his forehead. Cleared his throat. Just like that, the smooth, even expression she knew so well was back. “Sorry.”

“That’s, uh, okay.”

“I got a little carried away. I won’t touch CJ, but there has to be something I can do.” He spoke in his normal, even tone, but as if a curtain had been lifted, she saw the raw power and intensity beneath it. The single-minded focus that made him seem less like an overprotective brother and more like—

She cut the thought off there. “If you really want to help, there is one thing you could do. But you’re not going to like it.”

“Let me worry about that.”

She hesitated. Caleb clearly wasn’t himself right now. It would be wrong to take advantage of him in this vulnerable state.
 

Or, maybe he was himself. Maybe she’d met the real Caleb for the first time today.

It couldn’t be healthy for him to keep so much locked up inside. And if being around her helped him get in touch with his feelings, they’d be doing each other a favor.

Her mind made up, she slanted him a you-know-you-want-to smile. “The thing is, I kind of need a boyfriend.”
 

*

“A boyfriend?” Caleb asked. “Like, you want me to set you up with someone?” It wasn’t a bad idea. Liv definitely needed some help when it came to choosing a man.

He did a mental survey of his single friends. John couldn’t even take care of a dog, much less make time for a girlfriend. Aaron wasn’t looking to settle down. Ezra was a good guy. Stable job. Kept a cool head even when everyone around him had one too many drinks. Still, he couldn’t see Ezra and Liv together. Liv belonged with…
 

You?
goaded a sly voice in his head. He looked away, before Liv read the renegade thought off his face.
 

The two of them were never going to happen, so he forced himself to say, “I can probably find someone.”
 

“No! I mean, that’s nice of you to offer, but I need someone specific.”

Her voice was louder. Closer.

It would be a bad idea to look at her. It was a bad idea to engage her at all, but he needed to know which of his buddies she had in mind and why.