Dirty Little Secrets (Dirty Little #1)(49)

Caleb covers the space between us in two long strides, and gathers me up in his arms, crushing me against his chest.

“What the hell were you thinking?” he asks loudly, breathlessly. He sounds like he’s on the verge of completely losing it, like he’s hanging on by the thinnest string.

The adrenaline I was feeling earlier is gone, and exhaustion along with the full weight of what just happened to me hits all at the same time. All I can do is cling to Caleb, and finally let all the tears and the fear that I had been holding in just…come out. I’m crying almost hysterically, my breath hitching in my chest, and the more I try to calm down, the worse it gets.

When I finally get to the point where I can manage to speak, I say, “I didn’t want him to hurt you, that’s all I was thinking. I didn’t want you to get involved, and I didn’t want to lose you.”

“And how do you think I would’ve dealt with losing you like that? What do you think that would’ve done to me?”


“I’m sorry,” I reply. “I’m so sorry.”

He tilts my head up, and kisses me. There’s a desperate, needy edge to it that surprises me, because we’re not alone. Usually, in front of other people, Caleb keeps it chaste.

Not today. Not after everything that’s happened.

When he finally pulls away, he runs his hands up and down my arms. He takes a step back and gives me a once-over, maintaining contact all the while. It’s like he’s scared to let go, like if he lets go, he thinks I’ll disappear again.

“Shit,” he says, gently skimming the backs of his fingers along my aching cheek. It’s swollen again, I know it. I can feel my heartbeat pounding beneath the skin there. “Are you okay? We need to get you to a doctor.”

“Can we just…” I take my hand and place it over his. “Can we not right now?”

Caleb wraps me in his arms again, and rocks me a little. His lips press against the crown of my head. “Sure,” he replies. “I understand. I just want you to know that no one can hurt you, okay? Not now, not ever.”

I lift my head back, and look into his eyes. “What did you do?”

“I got involved,” he replies, and he’s almost defiant about it. “And I’m still here.”

There’s a commotion behind me, with Sam and some other guys. Caleb turns my head against his chest, and I wonder if Privya’s dead body is back there somewhere. Trying to preoccupy myself, I catch sight of Caleb’s busted-up knuckles and bruised hand.

“What happened?” I ask.

“Come on,” he says, leading me toward the SUV. “We can talk about it at home.”

Home.

That sounds really good right about now, and I’m beginning to realize that it means something different to me now than it used to.





* * * * *





In the warmth of Caleb’s apartment, he and I are cuddled up together on the couch. I’m in a pair of yoga pants and a t-shirt, my hair still damp from the long shower that we shared not too long ago. Caleb took his time washing my hair, and washing my body, making me feel treasured, and loved, and safe. Two half-empty cups of hot chocolate are sitting on the coffee table. Caleb made a batch after I made an offhanded comment that my mother used to make it for me when I wasn’t feeling well as a child.

My arms are wrapped around Caleb’s middle, my ear pressed against his chest, where I can feel the steady thrumming of his heartbeat. He’s holding a bag of ice against my cheek, and I’m holding one across his swollen, busted-up knuckles.

“I’m so angry with you, I almost can’t see straight,” he says, pulling me closer to him, as he plants a kiss on the top of my head. “That you would take off after I explicitly asked you not to-”

“Caleb,” I say sharply. I push myself up, ready to argue with him, because haven’t we already had this conversation once? The one where I let him know that he doesn’t get to tell me what to do?

“It’s not about me telling you what to do, Mia. It’s about the two of us being a team, figuring things out together. I know you were scared, but-”

“I was worried that if Kemp or Privya knew how much you meant to me, that one or both of them would use you to get to me. I didn’t want you getting wrapped up in it, or doing something stupid to get me out of that mess.”

“I’m going to ignore the fact that you think I’m stupid,” he says, but there’s a teasing undertone to it that makes me smile.

“I don’t think you’re stupid, but as I think I’ve demonstrated fairly well today, love can make you do really stupid things. And I knew that once Kemp looked into you, that he’d go after your wealth, or your company in order to get you to make a deal to get me off the hook. He’s just that kind of sleaze bag.”

“Yes,” Caleb says, sighing. “He’s exactly that kind of sleaze bag.”

Oh no. No. “Caleb,” I sigh. “You can’t.”

I look up at him, and he’s actually giving me a cocky little grin.

“Lucky for you, I’m an amazing negotiator. And I don’t go into negotiations unprepared.”

“That’s what you did while you were out?” While I was sitting here, nervously following my tracking program, Caleb was one step ahead of me.