One Step Closer(3)

Caleb shook his head once and in one second had moved in front of Wren, to separate her from Dex. “She stays.” His tone insisted compliance.

“Caleb, this makes no sense, man. We were having a good time dancing.”

“Yeah, I saw,” Caleb hissed. The fingers on his right hand began curling into a fist at his side, and he had to mentally insist it didn’t fly and punch Dex right there. “I want to talk to you. Outside.”

Dex’s eyes widened. Suddenly he understood. Defiantly, he made a move in Wren’s direction, intending to kiss her full on the mouth just to piss Caleb off, but Wren, sensing it wouldn’t help the situation between the two men, backed up even further behind Caleb.

She’d danced with Dex and purposefully let him get a little too familiar with her because she felt hurt that Caleb was letting Michelle monopolize him on his last night in town. However, she didn’t intend for the two of them to out and out brawl, and she didn’t see it coming. She would have preferred spending the evening alone with Caleb; talking, driving around, or watching a movie together; but it hadn’t been her choice.

“Unless you want to die, I suggest you get the f*ck out! Now!” Caleb seethed.

Anger flooded through Dex, as well. His friend was overstepping. He didn’t do anything wrong, and he’d be damned if he’d cower to Caleb’s jealousy.

“Just go, Dex. Go on,” Wren implored, peering at him from behind Caleb’s solid form. Caleb was poised to strike, and Wren could feel his anger vibrate in the air around them like electricity.

Dex was built; lean and strong, but Caleb was a competitive boxer and formidable; he easily had thirty pounds of muscle on Dex. Wren didn’t want Dex getting pummeled or Caleb regretting his actions afterward, which she was certain he would. They’d been friends for as long as she’d known them both and the last thing she wanted was to see their friendship ruined.

She mentally kicked herself for leading Dex on. She was confused by Caleb’s sudden anger, but it made her heart trip around in her chest at the same time. She felt excitement at the prospect he might be jealous; making her own adrenalin flow.

Wren liked Dex and he’d taken great pains to fill Caleb’s shoes after he left, but no one could ever take Caleb’s place. Wren had been in love with Caleb for years, but he was older and not once had she imagined he’d reciprocate her feelings. Even now, habit made her push down that daydream.

He was just acting like the protective older brother, as he had since the day he found out about her mother’s treatment of her. He’d changed her life, and that was the beginning of her hero worship. Before she knew it, her schoolgirl crush had eventually matured and grown into full-blown love.

Dex turned and pulled on his leather jacket. He started to climb the stairs with Caleb following closely behind, leaving Wren standing in the middle of the big room, alone. “I’ll be back in a minute,” Caleb said over his shoulder as he left.

Dex’s motorcycle was the only one left in the wide driveway at the back of the house in front of the five-stall garage, signaling that everyone else had already gone.

Before Dex could say a word, Caleb used both of his hands to give Dex’s shoulders a forceful shove that sent him stumbling and falling backward into his bike. The machine fell over with the loud clang of metal bashing against the pavement, and leaving Dex sprawled face-up over it.

“What the f*ck were you doing touching her like that? Wren is off-limits! You were supposed to protect her, not try to get in her pants! Have you touched her before this?”

“Son of a bitch!” Dex shouted. “You just wrecked my bike! You’re gonna pay for that!”

“Answer me!” Caleb’s chest was heaving. “What’s going on between you two?”

Dex scrambled to sit up, pushed his weight up off the fallen motorcycle with his hands, and lunged at Caleb without answering; hitting him hard in the middle with his shoulder. Caleb grunted as the breath was forced from his lungs. He stumbled backward but didn’t fall. He pushed Dex back and soon the two were going at each other with fists swinging. Caleb took a hit on the jaw, pain exploding in his face, before he managed to land a hard right hook to Dex’s temple. He followed it with a solid left upper cut to his jaw.

Dex fell backward, hard onto the pavement, and landed with a guttural grunt.

“What the hell is your problem? For Christ’s sake, Caleb, we’re friends!”

Caleb looked down at Dex, his breathing heavy from the exertion of the fight, the conflict of his emotions getting the better of him. “Yeah, but friend or not, touch her again and I swear I’ll mother f*cking kill you!”

“Wren isn’t fifteen anymore, Caleb!” Dex returned, out of breath and moving to get to his feet. “She’s an adult and she doesn’t need big brother’s permission to dance with me.”

If anyone was painfully aware of Wren’s age and how she’d blossomed into a gorgeous and graceful young woman, it was Caleb.

“I saw what you were doing, and dancing was the last thing on your goddamned mind! I could deal with a random guy; but not you. Anyone but you, Dex!”

Their eyes met and Dex could see the pain on his friend’s face. He’d watched Caleb come to Wren’s defense at school, with her mother, or anyone who made fun of her or hurt her for years. He should have seen that Wren was more to Caleb than he’d ever admitted. It was clear that brotherly was not how his friend felt about Wren, and that it wouldn’t matter who was trying to get with her; Caleb wouldn’t take it well.