dizzy and disoriented. She had nearly vomited for real, right on Caleb’s shiny black shoes.
The headache that followed had almost leveled her.
So, she couldn’t have resisted much, even if she’d wanted to, when Caleb picked her up to carry her in his arms.
It was what she needed, what she’d been hoping for, but it was almost unbearable. To be totally dependent on someone—on Caleb Marshall—even for the short walk to his car. She’d learned a long time ago not to depend on anyone, even people she should be able to trust.
It might have been the worst part of the entire evening, being gently cradled in Caleb’s arms.
Except for the real concussion, however, everything was going according to plan. She’d needed a shortcut to get in closer proximity to Caleb and get beyond the superficial sexual attraction. No matter how much of an arrogant ass he was, he was also a man. And men like him wanted to be warriors, to feel like heroes.
So she’d given him a battle to rush into.
Shifting uncomfortably in the passenger seat, Kelly wanted to be proud of herself. Wanted to congratulate herself on a job well done. Caleb had played right into her hands. Not because he was an idiot or easily duped, but because she knew men well enough to plan effective tactics.
She wanted to be proud, but she couldn’t. Even being in the same car as Caleb was akin to torture. He still looked, felt, smelled like someone she wanted, no matter what her rational mind kept telling her. But she used her old mental strategy to push all of what she felt for him into a tight little knot in her heart, hiding it behind her walls along with her real self, keeping it safe and out of sight.
She shielded the parts of her soul that could still be hurt and made herself a weapon. The only weapon she had.
As she slumped beside Caleb in his car, she forced herself to focus on her pounding head and let her body become perfectly limp, noticing that her neckline was riding low and that her hair was slipping out of her braid.
All of that was good. All of that was necessary.
She was starting to rehearse her next steps when she felt her belly start to churn in a frightening way.
She straightened her back a little and took long, deep breaths—praying that she wouldn’t throw up in the lush interior of Caleb’s Mercedes. It might drive home the reality of her weakness, but it wasn’t exactly sexy.
“You okay?” he asked softly, his eyes darting over to her.
She’d had her eyes closed for most of the drive, but now she looked over at his handsome face in the dim light. “Yeah,” she breathed, hoping she was speaking the truth.
“You need me to pull over?”
“No,” she replied weakly, relieved when the wave of nausea passed. “I’m fine.”
He shook his head, as if he were annoyed by something.
She didn’t know what it was, but it angered her that anything so minor she might have done would have annoyed him.
Him.
As if he had a right to be annoyed with anyone else in the world.
When Caleb pulled up in front of a big house on sprawling grounds, she let him help her out of the car. He’d taken her to his palatial estate outside the city instead of to his downtown apartment, but she didn’t know why he’d made the choice.
She didn’t struggle when he swung her up once more in his arms. She even let her head loll against his shoulder, although the pleasant, male scent of him was as troubling as any blow to the head.
She heard him talking to someone, but by this time she was having trouble focusing on anything at all. Caleb said something about a doctor and she didn’t object.
The doctor would only verify that she had indeed been injured.
Caleb carried her into a guest room, laid her down on a bed, and pulled off her shoes.
But Kelly groggily rolled away from him when she felt his hands on her dress. “No.”
Her reluctance was not part of the plan, but there was no way she could let him undress her like this, not when she was so
The headache that followed had almost leveled her.
So, she couldn’t have resisted much, even if she’d wanted to, when Caleb picked her up to carry her in his arms.
It was what she needed, what she’d been hoping for, but it was almost unbearable. To be totally dependent on someone—on Caleb Marshall—even for the short walk to his car. She’d learned a long time ago not to depend on anyone, even people she should be able to trust.
It might have been the worst part of the entire evening, being gently cradled in Caleb’s arms.
Except for the real concussion, however, everything was going according to plan. She’d needed a shortcut to get in closer proximity to Caleb and get beyond the superficial sexual attraction. No matter how much of an arrogant ass he was, he was also a man. And men like him wanted to be warriors, to feel like heroes.
So she’d given him a battle to rush into.
Shifting uncomfortably in the passenger seat, Kelly wanted to be proud of herself. Wanted to congratulate herself on a job well done. Caleb had played right into her hands. Not because he was an idiot or easily duped, but because she knew men well enough to plan effective tactics.
She wanted to be proud, but she couldn’t. Even being in the same car as Caleb was akin to torture. He still looked, felt, smelled like someone she wanted, no matter what her rational mind kept telling her. But she used her old mental strategy to push all of what she felt for him into a tight little knot in her heart, hiding it behind her walls along with her real self, keeping it safe and out of sight.
She shielded the parts of her soul that could still be hurt and made herself a weapon. The only weapon she had.
As she slumped beside Caleb in his car, she forced herself to focus on her pounding head and let her body become perfectly limp, noticing that her neckline was riding low and that her hair was slipping out of her braid.
All of that was good. All of that was necessary.
She was starting to rehearse her next steps when she felt her belly start to churn in a frightening way.
She straightened her back a little and took long, deep breaths—praying that she wouldn’t throw up in the lush interior of Caleb’s Mercedes. It might drive home the reality of her weakness, but it wasn’t exactly sexy.
“You okay?” he asked softly, his eyes darting over to her.
She’d had her eyes closed for most of the drive, but now she looked over at his handsome face in the dim light. “Yeah,” she breathed, hoping she was speaking the truth.
“You need me to pull over?”
“No,” she replied weakly, relieved when the wave of nausea passed. “I’m fine.”
He shook his head, as if he were annoyed by something.
She didn’t know what it was, but it angered her that anything so minor she might have done would have annoyed him.
Him.
As if he had a right to be annoyed with anyone else in the world.
When Caleb pulled up in front of a big house on sprawling grounds, she let him help her out of the car. He’d taken her to his palatial estate outside the city instead of to his downtown apartment, but she didn’t know why he’d made the choice.
She didn’t struggle when he swung her up once more in his arms. She even let her head loll against his shoulder, although the pleasant, male scent of him was as troubling as any blow to the head.
She heard him talking to someone, but by this time she was having trouble focusing on anything at all. Caleb said something about a doctor and she didn’t object.
The doctor would only verify that she had indeed been injured.
Caleb carried her into a guest room, laid her down on a bed, and pulled off her shoes.
But Kelly groggily rolled away from him when she felt his hands on her dress. “No.”
Her reluctance was not part of the plan, but there was no way she could let him undress her like this, not when she was so
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