One More Time Read online

  “Now you know his truth,” Alicia said, setting her now-cold cup of tea down. “I just wanted you to know so you could evaluate him in the context of everything. It wasn’t fair to either of you, you not knowing.”

  “Thanks, sis,” I said, rising when she did and hugging her as she reached for her purse. “For everything.”

  “Anything for you,” she replied, returning my hug with a tight one of her own. “I know the knowledge doesn’t give you a miracle map of what to do, but I hope it sheds some light. Good luck. Let me know if you need anything.”

  “Will do,” I told her, walking her to the door. “Say thanks to Jared for me.”

  “Will do,” she repeated in a sing-song voice, and then she was gone. The bomb she’d dropped followed me around for the rest of the day. My heart and soul ached for Caleb’s sake when I thought of it all, while I also tried to figure out where that left me in the picture that was Caleb’s life and belief system.

  The truth that I was loathe to admit to myself was that I didn’t know if I could live in the shadow of a woman from the past. I didn’t know how he would react when I told him about Elizabeth, and I didn’t know if and how I’d be able to be with him if he was still hung up on her.

  What I did know was that I was in love with him. Head-over-heels, reach-for-the-starts in love with him. The only thing was that he was a star and that I’d already reached him once. I didn’t know if I’d be allowed or able to do it again.

  Chapter 19

  Caleb

  Home sweet home, I thought sarcastically. It was ironic how, despite San Diego being our hometown, we were all staying in a hotel all the same. Just another hotel room among the hundreds that would be our home on this tour.

  Standing at the bank of windows in my suite, I looked out over the city I’d grown up in. The streets of downtown were bustling, and the bay was sparkling, the beaches already starting to fill up.

  We’d played our first show here last night, sold out since San Diegans still saw us as theirs, and we had another one next week. Then, because that show was scheduled for two days before Christmas and this was supposedly our home, we had a couple of weeks off before the tour carried on.

  An unexpected knock sounded at my door, pulling me from my thoughts. I hadn’t ordered breakfast, but maybe Alicia had them bringing up fruit and all that shit she liked for breakfast. I got ready to snarl at anyone bringing me rabbit food, yanking the door open with a scowl.

  Standing at my door wasn’t a room service cart or a friendly hotel employee, though. It was Kelly.

  Surprise caused my heart to hammer in my chest. Well, surprise and the short shorts she was wearing. She’d paired the barely there denim shorts with a white button-up shirt that was loosely tucked in, dark sunglasses hanging on the top button.

  Her golden hair shone as it cascaded over her shoulders, anything but tame. Those green eyes that I hadn’t looked into for weeks had nothing but a dab of eyeliner underneath them, and her lips were pink and glossy, but she didn’t seem to be wearing any other makeup.

  She lifted a brow, planting one hand on her curvy hip. “Well? Are you gonna stand there staring at me, or can I come in?”

  I moved out of the doorway and motioned her inside, dragging a hand through my hair. I’d showered shortly after waking up, but since I didn’t have any immediate plans, I’d put on a pair of drawstring pajama pants and stayed shirtless.

  “Come on in. And I wasn’t staring. It’s called being surprised.” My eyes tracked Kelly as she walked to the living area of the suite and turned in a slow circle.

  “You don’t say,” she mused. Once she’d completed her quick sweep of my living area, she turned her back on me, crossed her arms, and stared out the windows I’d been looking out of just before she arrived.

  Tension knotted her shoulders, and I could feel it radiating from her, straight into me. Kelly and I hadn’t spoken much since that incident at the first show. In fact, we hadn’t said anything more to each other than the occasional polite greeting, and even that was strained.

  She’d been traveling with the tour as I’d known she would be, but she was pretty good at avoiding me. And it wasn’t like I’d gone to seek her out. She was focusing on other aspects of the band and the tour thus far, but I was sure she was here to talk about the next installation of the series of articles I was front and center in.

  Whether either of us liked it or not, we both still had jobs to do, and part of those jobs was occasionally working together for these articles. Kelly didn’t say a word as she took in the view of the clear day beyond the windows, her spine straight as a rod and her posture still.

  “Coffee?” I offered.

  Kelly shook her head, still not looking back at me. “I’m not staying, but thanks.”

  I shrugged, though I knew she couldn’t see it, poured myself some coffee, and flopped into one of the black couches as I waited for her to gather the courage to say whatever it was she’d come here to say. I knew there was a whole minefield full of shit littering the space between us, but Kelly had the floor.

  Besides, one of the perks of not being in a relationship with her was that we didn’t have to talk through all that shit. Kelly’s shoulders raised on a deep sigh before she turned around, taking away the stellar view of her ass that I’d been trying not to stare at.

  “You been okay?” she started, her eyes darting around nervously. “I heard the show last night was another massive success.”

  “You weren’t there?” Strange, I’d thought she was coming to all our shows.

  She lifted one of her shoulders in a shrug. “No, I had some stuff I had to finish for work.”

  “Get it all done?”

  Fidgeting with a narrow silver ring on her index finger, her gaze finally settled on mine. “Sort of.”

  “Sort of?” Wrapping my hands around my mug, I took a sip of my bitter coffee and prayed that it kicked in before the reality of this painful conversation did. “Okay, good to know. Why are you here, Kelly?”

  I set my mug down on the wooden table next to the couch I was sitting on and stood to join her on the other side of room. She seemed to be wanting to keep her distance from me, but she’d come here. She’d just have to deal with having me in her space for whatever it was she wanted to say. I strode all the way up to her, leaning my ass down on the armrest of the couch closest to her.

  Kelly’s bright greens followed my every move, tracking me across the room and raking over my body when I settled so close to her. My dick twitched at her appraisal, and I nearly got hard when her lips parted just slightly and a familiar look crept into her eyes.

  Both of us ignored the sexual tension suddenly crackling in the air between us, and I saw Kelly push her desire down, so I did the same thing. She shifted back on her feet, clearly trying to add some distance between us, and then lifted her eyes to mine.

  Determination burned in them, though I didn’t know what for yet. “I wanted to talk to you.”

  “We’re talking,” I pointed out, waving my finger between my chest and hers. Her eyes rolled skyward as her arms crossed her chest.

  “Clearly. Okay look. I thought you should know that I’m planning on being honest with my boss about sleeping with you.”

  My head snapped back as her words sank in. “You’re what now?”

  “I’m going to tell my boss about us,” she repeated confidently, a challenge in her eyes.

  “Really?” Both my eyebrows raised, and my arms went across my own chest. “You’re going to tell your boss that we’re sleeping together after we’ve stopped?”

  I didn’t know if we’d stopped permanently. God knew, all I wanted was to throw her over my shoulder, carry her to my bed, and keep her there until it was time for our show on Saturday, but that wasn’t what she was here for.

  She squared her shoulders and looked right into my eyes as she answered. “Yes, I am. You got a problem with that?”

  “Why tell them now? Is it because their excit
ement about your exclusive interview is wearing off? Or maybe you just want your fifteen minutes of fame?” I spoke in a mocking tone. I couldn’t help myself. “The reporter who fucked Caleb Larsen, is that what you want your claim to fame to be?”

  Kelly took a step toward me, raised her hand, and sent it flying to connect with my cheek before I could make sense of what she was doing. Her palm stung my cheek as she slapped me, surprising the ever-loving shit out of me.

  My eyes flew to hers, and I saw renewed determination there, but also exasperation and hurt. She’d slapped me. Where the fuck did she get off being hurt by it? “What the hell was that for?”

  “You were being an ass,” she told me calmly, tucking a wave of hair behind her ear. “You know that I’m not like that. I’m not planning on telling them for my ‘fifteen minutes’. Contrary to what you might believe, if I ever get famous, I want it to be for something worthwhile I’ve done. Landing on my back with my legs spread for a rock star is hardly an achievement. Get over yourself, Caleb.”

  “Why then? Why now?” It didn’t make sense, though I did know deep down that Kelly wasn’t like that. She was a professional, and she was damn proud of her work. She wouldn’t really exploit her relationship with me for that.

  Which begged the question, what was her motive? Kelly sensed my uncertainty and sighed heavily.

  “I want to tell them I want to be with you, but I need to be honest and to stop sneaking around. I might end up losing my job over the whole thing, but I can’t keep lying. This is a huge opportunity for me, and I’m not going to blow it. Well, not any more than I already might have. I’m not sure what it’s going to mean for my job.”

  “Then why do it?”

  “I told you, because I want to be with you,” Kelly admitted, vulnerability replacing the determination in her eyes for a second. Then it was gone, and a gleam stole into them that I hadn’t seen before. “But Caleb, I’m not going to take your crap because of Elizabeth.”

  Hearing Kelly say Liz’s name made my spine snap straight and my head spin. “What did you say?”

  “You heard me. Alicia told me all about her. I’m not putting up with all that crap. Not anymore.” Kelly stuck her chin out. She meant business.

  It felt like she’d ripped a rug right out from under me as I reeled, trying to put together the fact that Kelly knew about Elizabeth. I didn’t know how much Jared had told Alicia, or how much of that Alicia had told Kelly, but then I remembered Jared’s promise to me that day when he’d come to my place, and I just knew that Kelly knew everything.

  “I’m going to kick the shit out of Jared for spilling all that,” I vowed, a chill creeping into my bones. “That’s none of his business, and it ain’t any of yours either.”

  “It’s not?” Kelly deadpanned, both hands on her hips. There was fire in her eyes and fight in her stance. It was the single sexiest thing I’d seen in long fucking time. “Because the way I see it, the ghosts of those issues with her are making you say and do stupid shit now, with me. That makes it my business.”

  “Nothing is making me do or say stupid shit now. I was being serious. It’s one thing to say you’ll stand by me. It’s another thing to do it.” My voice was rough, firm. But Kelly pursed her lips as if she were frustrated and ran her hands through her hair, practically yelling now.

  “And I’m doing it. I’m telling my boss about us, even if it means losing my job. Did you miss that part? And isn’t that exactly what you asked me if I’d do?”

  I blew out a breath and turned to the windows before facing her again. “Is that why you want to tell them? To prove to me that you’d give up your job for me?”

  “Oh my god!” she exploded. “Stop being an ass. I don’t have any hidden agendas. I’ve told you exactly why I’m telling them now. I don’t have anything to prove to you, Caleb. I’m here, and I want to be with you. That’s all there is to it. If you don’t want me, then just say so, and I’ll be gone, but don’t do this. Don’t hide behind bullshit façades and old fears.”

  There weren’t any signs that she was lying to me or trying to manipulate me, no defeat in her voice when she told me that she’d leave if I wanted her to. Kelly was as genuine as they came, and she was making her stand for me.

  I stalked right up to her, wrapped an arm around her waist, and tugged her forward so she slammed into my chest. She didn’t make a sound, looking up at me with that fire still burning in her eyes.

  “I’m not hiding behind shit,” I bit out. I couldn’t take it anymore. I wanted Kelly, and I’d been trying to push her away because I was afraid of getting hurt again, of having my heart dragged over the coals that Elizabeth had stoked again.

  But Kelly wasn’t Elizabeth. The fact that she’d come to me, that she’d come to say what she had, was just more evidence on top of a mountain of it that she was nothing like my ex.

  Both of us were breathing hard, our eyes locked when I brought my mouth down on hers. Hard. Forcefully. Kelly’s hands gripped my back, and her nails dug into my skin as she opened for me, kissing me back with as much force and possession as I was pouring into her.

  Chapter 20

  Kelly

  Caleb’s kisses were hard and fast, his hands gripping at me like he was never letting go. I’d been with him when he was tender, gentle, needy, horny as fuck, or feeling playful. But this was different.

  Anger and frustration were coming from him in waves, yet it only seemed to spur him on. His hands dropped to my ass and he lifted me roughly against him. I wound my legs around his narrow hips and rolled my own against them.

  Caleb responded immediately, growing hard against my center as he walked us toward a wall. My back crashed into it, but Caleb shielded me from getting hurt with his hands. He pinned me to the wall with his hips and reached for my shirt, fisting the material on either side of the delicate row of buttons, and the next thing I knew, they went flying, and the shirt was falling from my shoulders.

  Two can play that game.

  He wasn’t wearing a shirt, his bare chest hot and hard against mine. I dug my heels into the waistband of his pants and kicked them down, sending them pooling at his ankles. Repeating the move, I tucked my toes into the elastic of his briefs and sent them following the pants.

  Caleb effortlessly stepped out of both, completely naked and wonderfully erect, though I wasn’t in a position to enjoy the view. His lips crashed to mine over and over again before he broke our feverish kisses to suck a hardened nipple into his mouth through the lace of my bra. My frustration over his earlier horrible comments and my anger over his stubbornness met with the pleasure he was giving me now and culminated in a feral scream as I tugged on his hair.

  His hips were still anchoring me as his one hand pinched my nipple and the other clutched my ass. He’d reached underneath my shorts, not an impossible feat whatsoever in the particular pair I’d chosen, and was gripping my butt hard.

  Then his hand disappeared briefly, only to come back with a smack. He spanked me! I’d never been into that kind of thing before, but as with everything with Caleb, I couldn’t get enough. I wiggled my butt into his hold and moaned out loud when he did it again.

  Stepping back from the wall suddenly, Caleb fell to his knees in front of me and tugged my shorts down without loosening the button or the zipper. I was wearing a white lace set of underwear with little green bows that I loved.

  Apparently, so did Caleb. He groaned and licked up my thighs, kneading them until I was shivering with need. His eyes were darkened when he peered up at me, his lids heavy.

  “Please, Caleb,” I mumbled, arching my head against the wall. He ran his fingers all the way to the line of my panties and down to my knees, setting every nerve ending in my body on fire. I couldn’t bite back my moan, and it came out loud and desperate.

  Caleb dipped his head forward and kissed my inner thigh, his lips soft as his fingers curled into my underwear, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. He pressed his thumb to my clit, and my knees near
ly buckled from pleasure.

  “Yes,” I gasped.

  He pulled back to give me a wicked smile, shoved my panties out of the way, spread me apart with his fingers, and licked through my core.

  I’d forgotten how good he was at this. “Holy crap.”

  His tongue swirled around my clit, and one of his fingers slid inside me. A whirlwind of exquisite pleasure swept through me. Sparks flew behind my eyes as he licked me in another long stroke of his tongue. My chest heaved. The tension in me was already so tight I could barely breathe.

  Caleb picked up his pace, the strokes of his tongue steady and sure. It was driving me wild. My hands flew to his hair, tugging at the thick strands as pure sensation overtook me.

  His tongue thrust into me as my hips bucked against him, writhing under his mouth as I tried to get closer to him. The tension in me was winding so tight, I felt like I was about to snap.

  My thighs started shaking, and another loud moan escaped. One more stroke of his fingers and the tension unwound in waves of euphoria as I came.

  “Caleb. Oh, fuck. Caleb.” His name fell from my lips again and again as he licked me through my orgasm. He didn’t give me time to recover as he jerked me down to the floor so I was facing him on my knees. Then his hands were on my hips, and he turned me around, bent me forward, and got rid of the panties.

  “I’m going to fuck you now. Tell me right now if you don’t want that.” Every line of his hard body was tense, his muscles locked. His breathing was rapid, and his voice was harsh, rough. I could tell he was still angry, but I didn’t care.

  I needed him. I felt achingly empty without him inside me, and this was the only way I knew of to make him realize that I was really here. That I meant what I said and that I wasn’t going anywhere.

  “Fuck me,” I breathed, reaching around to unhook my bra and then bracing myself on my elbows.

  Caleb scooted up behind me, his cock nudging at my entrance. He took a deep breath, gripped my hips, and slammed in me, a deep growl ripping from his chest as he thrust home. I moved my hips against his, and he began to move. Each stroke hit me exactly where I needed it, filling me in the most perfect way.