Page 42 of Just a Little Crush

I rolled my eyes at him. “Seriously, though, this is a piece that would draw everyone’s attention and start a conversation,” I said, before I decided to tease him a bit. “This artwork would look amazing in your living room. All those splashes of color would break up that monotonous, manly, navy décor and make things more interesting.”

The way he grimaced spoke for him. No way was he trading in his clean, streamlined aesthetic for something so quirky and fun.

We left the silent auction and returned to the main ballroom. We continued to visit with people he knew, and a few I was acquainted with, as well, while others enjoyed the upbeat music and danced. When a slow tune came on and the lights dimmed, it was Caleb who surprised me by leading me out onto the dance floor and pulling me into his arms.

I was keenly aware that Alyssa was also there with her date, far enough away that we wouldn’t run into them, but close enough for me to feel her eyes on me, which I’d noticed throughout most of the evening.

Ignoring her, I smiled up at Caleb, focusing my attention solely on him. “Look at you, taking the initiative to dance. I didn’t even have to twist your arm to get you out here.”

“I’ll admit, I had ulterior motives,” he said, tucking the hand he was holding against his chest, making our connection look and feel even more intimate. “I’ve hit my limit of socializing andthisis the view I’ve been really wanting all night long.”

He made his point by letting his eyes flicker down to my lips, then lowering to my breasts, which had been plumped up, the upper swells spilling over the top of my gown since they were pressed against his chest.

I laughed lightly. “You’re such a predictable man.”

A wicked grin tipped up the corners of his mouth. “If lusting after you makes me predictable, so be it.”

We continued to sway to the slow, romantic song, and I laid my cheek against his shoulder, relaxing against him. Closing my eyes, I inhaled his arousing cologne, now mingled with the scent of his warm skin. I didn’t care who was watching as I basked in Caleb’s attention. It was a magical night I wouldn’t forget anytime soon.

As the last notes indicated the end to the song, I glanced back up at his face, recognizing the heat and hunger in his eyes. The way he held me so close, the press of his hard, strong body along the length of mine, narrowed everything down to just him and me in that moment.

“You ready to head home?” he asked in a low, husky voice.

That tone made me shiver, because I knew it was every indication of what awaited me once we arrived back at his place. His hands and mouth on my body, the kind of orgasms that were bone-deep satisfying, and him filling me up in ways that went beyond sex.

“I am,” I said, and nodded, already anticipating the second part of the night. “I just need to use the ladies’ room, and I’ll be good to go.”

Taking my hand, he walked me there, then released his hold. “I’ll be waiting over there for you,” he said, nodding to a spot a short distance away.

I walked into the lounge area, startled to see Alyssa there by herself, standing at one of the vanities, her back to me. I came to an abrupt stop. I’d had no idea she’d be in here or else I never would have put myself in a position of being alone with her.

But it was too late, and hearing me enter, she glanced up into the mirror in front of her, seeing me behind her in the reflection. Clearly just as startled by my appearance, her hands flinched, and the pills she’d been pouring into her palm from a prescription bottle scattered across the counter.

“Fuck,” she whispered in a panic, then more angrily, “fuck.”

I watched her scramble to retrieve the white oval-shaped pills, her movements clumsy and her fingers not quite able to grasp the tablets. “Are you okay?” I asked, unable to ignore the situation.

“Oh, yeah, I’m fucking fine,” she snapped, her words a bit slurred as she managed to get the rest of the pills back into the bottle but struggled with putting the cap back on. “And do you really give a shit?”

It was obvious that she was either intoxicated by alcohol or high from pills, or both. And the thing was, if she was struggling with her sobriety, Ididcare, for Owen’s sake. But it wasn’t my place to express my concern, or question her, or anything else. However, it was something I knew I’d have to tell Caleb so he was aware of the situation.

Not wanting to engage with her, I started to walk past her to the restrooms, but she whirled around, stepping just enough into my path to make me abruptly stop or crash into her.

Her gaze flicked down the length of me, and not in a complimentary way. “I have to say, Caleb’s money went a long way in making you look like you belong in our world, but let’s be honest. Trailer park trash like you will never fit in,” she said, her words spoken slowly because of her intoxication, but they were no less cruel. “You can make yourself look pretty on the outside, but you can never erase how ugly your past is, and where you come from.”

Everything inside of me went stone cold at her insinuation, but before I could formulate a response, she continued.

“Does Caleb know that you were raised in a trailer park?” she asked, her lips curling up in an unflattering sneer. “That your father murdered your mother and is rotting in prison because of it?”

My stomach churned, because I realized that Caleb had been completely serious when he’d told me that Alyssa would probably hire a PI to check me out. It was something I hadn’t thought about since our initial discussion, but here she was, gloating over what she’d discovered.

A spark of glee lit her glassy eyes. “He doesn’t know, does he?”

The dread I’d been feeling must have shown on my face and I did my best to school my expression and remain cool under pressure. I’d never felt the need to tell Caleb about my painful past with my father because, honestly, the truth was mortifying and it had never factored into ourtemporaryrelationship. And if Alyssa thought something like this gave her leverage in the custody of Owen, her idea was flawed.

“Why does it matter?” I asked her, keeping my voice steady. “Caleb’s own brother is sitting in prison, which meansmypast certainly isn’t going to hurt Caleb’s chances when it comes to the custody case.”

“Oh, it doesn’t matter in terms of the custody case,” she said, looking pleased with what she’d discovered. “But once word gets out about where you come from, it’s going to make you look desperate to everyone else in our circle. Like a fucking gold digger who was looking for a better life and decided a man like Caleb could give that to you.”

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