Playing for Keeps (Heartbreaker Bay #7)(60)

“It’s my black heart.”

“So nothing gets it pumping?” she asked.

“You know exactly what gets my black heart pumping.”

She felt her face heat, which really got to her and she closed her eyes. Because yes, she did know exactly. When he’d been buried deep inside her so that she could feel nothing but him, his heart had pounded hard against hers and it’d been thrilling. She opened her eyes and found him standing right in front of her.

Smart, sexy, and he moved like smoke.

“FYI, I’m not even close to perfect,” he said. “I’m bossy, demanding, I don’t seem to know when to give up, and . . .”

“And . . . ?” she prodded when he trailed off.

“I’m not exactly proud of this.” He ran a finger along her temple, tucking a stray strand of her hair behind her ear. “But I’m also emotionally detached.”

“From . . . ?”

“Just about everyone,” he said.

“Except your family.”

“Sometimes even them. I don’t do vulnerable very well. Had too much of it growing up. So I hold back, specifically with women.” His finger stroked over her earlobe now, his eyes on the movement. “My last girlfriend dumped me for it. And the one before that too. I think ‘coldhearted bastard’ was a common theme.”

She took that in, watching him watch her from those still hooded eyes. She wasn’t the only one of them who was messed up. The realization should’ve scared her, but instead it comforted. She glanced around at his huge house that she was pretty sure he’d not brought any of their common friends to . . . but he’d brought her. “You’re testing me,” she realized.

He just looked at her.

“You are,” she said slowly. “You’re throwing everything you’ve got at me so I’ll realize you’re just as screwed up as me and dump your ass.”

He gave a slow shake of his head. “When I think about us being in a relationship, I don’t picture the dumping-my-ass part.”

This shut her up for a beat. “You think about being in a relationship?” she asked. “With me? Because let’s be honest. Your heart isn’t even close to black. But mine is.”

“I like your black heart,” he said. “And yes, I think about being in a relationship with you. Why does that surprise you?”

“Because I’m a hot mess!”

He smiled. “You’re hot,” he said, “but you’re not a mess. You’re strong, determined, resourceful, unpredictable—” He smiled when she grimaced at the truth of that.

But it was truly shocking to her that he remembered everything about her. He knew her, like really knew her. After living her life surrounded by people who’d barely noticed her, being around Caleb was revolutionary.

“—And,” he added quietly, “apparently you haven’t figured out that I like all of that, a lot.”

“And yet you’re still testing me. Did I pass or fail?”

“Depends,” he said, “on what you do next.”

She stared at him for a beat, at war with herself. Don’t do it , she thought. Don’t . But she set down her now empty bag of fries, licked the salt off her thumb, and strode across the expanse of the kitchen straight for him.

He didn’t move an inch, just watched her come at him, eyes hooded, body on the wrong side of tense.

He wanted not to care about her.

But he did.

And she knew exactly what that felt like. Not stopping until they were toe-to-toe, she slid her hands up his chest and let her fingers curl into his hair. Holding his gaze, she tugged his head down to hers and took his mouth.

For a beat, he didn’t budge, just let her nibble at first one corner of his mouth and then the other. It wasn’t until she gave his full lower lip a nip with her teeth that he groaned and yanked her into him, hard.

“I thought you’d have run screaming into the night by now,” he murmured.

She gave a rough laugh. “Look at me, Caleb. If anyone should be running scared, it’s you.”

“You don’t scare me either, Sadie Lane.”

“Well, I damn well should.”

This got her another slow shake of his head. “I like you,” he said. “Just the way you are.”

“Now you’re just trying to get into my pants.”

“You’re wearing a dress, a damn sexy one at that.”

“My panties then,” she said.

“If I was trying to get into your panties, I’d do this.” He backed her to the counter and pressed his warm sexy body into hers. Cupping her face, he kissed her senseless, until she was clinging to him and trying to climb him like a tree. She drowned in the kiss, letting all the pent-up passion flood over her and take control. His hands on her body felt right, so very right as he touched her exactly how she wanted to be touched. She had no idea how he already knew her so well, but he did.

Finally, when they were both breathing crazily, he pulled back just far enough to look into her eyes. He’d tugged her dress straps to her elbows, baring her breasts, and had her hem bunched up over his forearms. His fingers were playing with the edge of her lacy thong, making it hard to pull in air.

“I can’t remember what we were talking about,” she managed.