Restored (6 page)

A vehicle screeched in front of the bar, and its tires squealed. “Lexi!” shouted a concerned voice.

At the sound of the voice, Miles pulled away from Lexi, which only left her swaying.

Lexi turned her head to see the source of the voice and was shocked to see Caleb running toward them. His face was flushed as he scowled in Miles’s direction.

Miles shrunk away and looked afraid as he stood up and began backing away from Caleb.

“I’ve got her,” Caleb said. It was clear that Miles was being dismissed. When Caleb touched Lexi, her entire body relaxed. He firmly gripped her as though she would slip through his hands like grains of sand.

The notion crossed her mind that she was actually being handed over as if she were goods. Miles headed toward the bar’s entrance, looking weasellike as he crept back though the door.

Caleb looked down at Lexi’s bare feet and grimaced. He scooped her up in his arms and carried her to the passenger side of his Lincoln MKC and helped her inside. She reached for the seat belt, but Caleb beat her to it and buckled her in as if she were a child.

“I’ve got a cab coming. It should be here any minute,” she said, confused by the assumption that she was going with him.

“No, you called me,” Caleb said calmly.

“What? I don’t understand…” Lexi rubbed her temples in confusion.

“Check your call history if you have to, but yes, you called me,” Caleb said, a hint of a smile in his matter-of-fact tone.

At least she was safer with Caleb than she’d been with Miles, not that she wanted Caleb to chauffeur her at ridiculous hours, but his presence reassured her in a way she couldn’t explain or even voice out loud. It made no sense. Lexi conjured up the image of the elusive Corrine, or at least the image she’d created in her head, given she hadn’t seen her yet. Lexi looked out the window, dazed.

“So you and that guy? Was I interrupting something?” Caleb asked, his tone unreadable. He turned to face her for a moment and then started the car.

Why should she have to explain anything when he was the one who hadn’t been around in days? This was how a teenage daughter must feel when her dad found her making out with a boy, Lexi mused. Not that she’d ever known that feeling, since she’d lost her own father when she was only two years old. There was nothing to defend with Miles though. Whatever Miles felt was one sided.

“Are you kidding me? He was just very insistent to walk me out of the bar and stay with me. There was no deterring him.” She lowered her voice and then said, “The kissing wasn’t something I wanted. He wouldn’t stop.” Lexi reclined her seat to ease the pressure building in her head.

“He wants you, Lexi. You can’t tell me you didn’t see that. God only knows what he would have tried if I hadn’t gotten there when I did,” Caleb muttered. His hand resting on the steering wheel tightened.

Even though it was summer, Lexi’s exposed arms and feet made her shiver. Caleb turned the heat up.

Lexi began picking at her fingernails and pulled off a small pinkie hangnail. “Well, I didn’t want to hurt his feelings, and I couldn’t exactly mange myself on my own either.” Her cheeks flushed. She wasn’t used to being so dependent on anyone. Nor was she accustomed to explaining herself. If this was what drinking shots did to her, she was done…

“So would you sleep with him to just to avoid hurting his feelings?” Caleb’s face remained unchanged, like a mask.

“What? No!” Lexi’s voice quavered. What Caleb said stung, and it was insulting.

“I’m sorry, but really, Lexi.” Irritation, maybe even a tad of amusement, laced his tone.

Lexi’s head still throbbed, but the adrenaline rush that had surged through her body dimmed the headache’s intensity. She said nothing as she tried to rally a defense. Caleb put the SUV in park. Lexi looked out the window and realized she was home already.

“Why are you saying this stuff? It’s as if what I do has an effect on you,” Lexi said. Her head wasn’t quite clear from the alcohol. Maybe honesty could disarm him?

Caleb unbuckled himself and turned to Lexi. She’d already unbuckled, preparing to go inside.

“I just don’t want you to do something that you’re not ready to do. I know this sounds parental, but you just seem so innocent, and I don’t want you to be taken advantage of,” Caleb said, once again sounding composed—and concerned.

His words had an edge to them, as if he knew what was best for her. “Caleb, you don’t know me. I’ve been through more than I even want to talk about.”

“I know you have…I know about your parents, Lexi…”

A chill prickled her spine. Of course he would find out about her—his brother knew her story. “I see.”

“Lexi, I can’t explain it. I just feel like I need to keep you safe. When you called tonight, I knew that you really needed me. And when I saw you being taken advantage of, I couldn’t help myself. I had to make sure you were okay.” He looked younger than his age. His brown eyes intensified as he tried to make her to understand.

“Where have you been all week? I mean, I saw you at work on Monday, and then you were nowhere to be found.”

“I was out…I had somethings to take care of,” Caleb said, expertly deflecting her question.

“What about Corrine?” Lexi asked with a defensive edge.

“I’m technically not with Corrine anymore, and how do you know about her anyway?”

Lexi smiled. Had he not caught on yet? “From your brother, Mike. And then I heard you talking to her on the phone before you changed my dressing on Monday,” Lexi admitted.

Caleb shifted, looking uncomfortable. “I dated Corrine for two years. It ended not long ago, and it was a bad breakup.”

Lexi crossed her arms in front of herself for warmth, despite the blaring heat from the vents. “What did you mean when you said it was a bad breakup?”

Caleb’s eyes looked pained. He sighed. “After I broke it off with her, she didn’t take it well. There were a lot of loose ends to tie up.” He drummed his fingers on the steering wheel.

“When exactly did it end?” There was more to this, and she had to know what he was hiding.

“The first day I saw you and helped you at the Bureau of Motor Vehicles. I felt so drawn to you…I can’t explain it really. I never looked at Corrine like I did you. I knew if I stayed I’d be sacrificing what could be… If not with you, then just in general. How would that be fair to her or to me? I realize that it all sounds very selfish on my part.”

Lexi shifted and looked Caleb in his eyes. Words escaped her. If only she weren’t so muddle headed right now! She almost felt guilty. Lexi knew what he described and had the same desire for something more. “I’m sorry,” she said.

“If anyone’s to blame, it’s me. I should have ended things a long time ago. I just didn’t have the will to do it. It would have been kinder if I had though.”

“I can’t see how you could have predicted this. It’s true that ending something that doesn’t work is the smart thing to do, but you couldn’t have known how it would have affected her,” Lexi said.

He reached out and, with the back of his hand, glazed the side of her cheek. She leaned in and closed her eyes, absorbing his unguarded affection. He slowly pushed his hands into her hair and angled his face so that their lips touched. His lips were soft, his facial hair prickly. He deepened the kiss, and the taste of him…indescribable. Her hands ran down his chest, and the need for him overwhelmed her. The more she tasted of him, the more she desired. Her heart pounded against her chest as she realized what she wanted. He smelled clean, like soap, but there was also a scent she couldn’t make out, almost like a pheromone that seemed to make her need him more. She hadn’t wanted anyone like she wanted him, not that she had ever given in before.

This time though, it would be unthinkable to deny Caleb… He broke away. His cheeks were red, his breathing was ragged, and he looked anxious. She unintentionally sobbed, as if he’d been snatched away and that separation was painful.

“Lexi,” Caleb gasped. “This thing we have won’t last if we burn up all at once. We have to get to know each other better. Trust me. Please just trust me,” he pleaded.

Her pelvis cramped again, punishing her for her unfulfilled tryst. She lay back into her seat, breathless. From just a kiss. Her chest heaved as she tried to control her breathing. “I do trust you, Caleb. More than I have ever trusted a man before. I want you Caleb…” She sounded desperate, even to her own ears.

Caleb put his palm on his forehead. “Lexi, I don’t want to ask you this, but I feel like I have to.” He breathed out heavily. “Lexi, you seem so innocent. I’m sorry to ask this, but are you a virgin?”

Lexi squirmed in her seat. She didn’t want to answer. She couldn’t look him in the eye, so she looked out her side window. Minutes passed, though the time seemed as if it stretched on for hours. In a nearly inaudible voice she answered, “Yes…”

“More the reason to take things slow then. I want you to enjoy yourself, and that can’t happen unless we take things a little slower.” He reached to stroke her face. He seemed unable to be near her without touching her.

3

Come Over

L
exi slowly crept up the stairs toward her room as if she were sneaking in after curfew. Since it was already after two in the morning, she didn’t want to wake anyone. She’d noticed Mike’s Cadillac in the driveway, which wasn’t unusual for a weekend night.

She grabbed her pajamas and slipped into the en suite bathroom connected to her bedroom, to freshen up after being at the bar. The smell of old nicotine and fruit-laden cocktails wafted from her hair, which meant if left unwashed, she’d regret it in the morning. She submerged herself into the steamy bath water, keeping only her face above the surface. She couldn’t believe herself and what she would have done had Caleb not stopped her. Had he saved her twice in one night? Once from Miles, and the second time from herself? The latter was more concerning, and weren’t most men opportunistic? He could have had her, but he was different than most men, or had he wanted her at all? Self-control and physical desire were not on the same side. As much as she’d liked to analyze all that had happened, her eyes drooped. With wet hair and a labyrinth of thoughts, Lexi slept dreamlessly.

The next morning she finally dressed and wandered downstairs with the knowledge that she’d have to be functional at some point today, and she’d put it off long enough. Ashley was in the kitchen, fixing herself a sandwich for lunch. Her was hair pulled up, the shorter hair underneath the ponytail bobby pinned to keep the hair off her neck. Wearing sleek black capri leggings and a coordinating tank top, she looked like she had just been for a run.

“Hungry?” Ashley asked as she cut through her sandwich with a large bread knife. The yeasty smell of stone-ground bread, the saltiness of the ham, and the subtle scent of the cheese hung in the air.

“No, I’m not really that hungry yet. Where’s Mike?” Lexi asked. Her stomach clenched from the night before, and the smell of food didn’t help.

“He’s at the restaurant, helping prepare food for a catering job this afternoon,” Ashley said as she bit into her sandwich. “So how was your night? I didn’t hear you come in.”

“Well, I drank too much, thanks to my new coworkers. I don’t know if they have crazy tolerances to alcohol or if they were just buying me drinks to see how intoxicated I could get,” Lexi said, her face grimacing at the memory.

Ashley went to the refrigerator and pulled out a sports drink. “Here, this will help. Drink it all. You’re dehydrated.”

Lexi slowly drained the bottle. Surprisingly, it wasn’t as offensive as she’d expected. “Thanks.”

“How did you get home last night? I didn’t see your SUV in the driveway?”

“Well, actually it was Mike’s brother, Caleb,” Lexi said, trying to sound casual.

Ashley chewed her food quickly. “He went out with you all?” Her eyes widened with curiosity.

“Well…no…I accidentally called him instead of dialing that cabby’s number that was in my phone,” Lexi said sheepishly.

“And he came to get you?”

“Yes, but in my defense I thought I was waiting for a cab. I mistook his number for the number of the cab. I wouldn’t have just called him hoping for him to drive me around.” Every word Lexi muttered sounded sincere, or at least she hoped so.

“I know that, but you know he likes you. He wouldn’t chauffeur you around if he didn’t,” Ashley said with a sly grin.

Lexi kept her face blank. Ashley had hit on what she’d wanted to hear, but giving into that would be painful if Caleb didn’t reciprocate those feelings. In some ways she believed her affections had to be one sided, but what if he felt the same way about her?

“When I’m with him, I feel out of control. I’ve never felt like that before, and I don’t want to ruin it.”

Ashley pushed her empty plate to the middle of the table and rested her arms where the plate had been. “Lexi, I think he feels the same way about you. Before you came into the picture, everyone thought he and Corrine were going to get married. They were just that kind of couple, and they had been together for a couple of years. It just seemed inevitable. I’m not sure how they were together as a couple though. Mike and I invited them out a couple of times, but our schedules never seemed to line up. I’m sure you already know how Mike felt about her too. Corrine wasn’t a kind person.”