Page 48 of Billionaire Unexplained: Kaleb

It got harder every single day for me to push aside my physical attraction to him, even though I valued the friendship we had, too.

He’d left the ball in my court, and I wasn’t quite sure why I didn’t just tell him that I was ready to take that next step.

He certainly wasn’t going to push me to make that decision.

He hadn’t kissed me since the river, and when he did touch me, there was always a line for him that he wouldn’t cross. I knew there always would be until I told him that I felt like I had my head on straight again.

Lord knew I wanted him more than I’d ever wanted any other man. I was ready, but the words I needed to say just hadn’t come out of my mouth yet.

I was fairly certain that once Kaleb had changed our relationship, that it was going to be hell to walk away.

On the other hand, I was probably going to regret it if I never got the chance to find out what it would be like to be intimate with someone like Kaleb Remington.

“I think…” I started hesitantly. “I think I’m nervous.”

My relationship with Kaleb meant everything to me, and I wasn’t sure what would happen if we ended up having sex.

It would change the whole dynamic of our relationship, a relationship that meant a lot to me.

Kim cleared her throat. “Nervous?” she said in a surprised voice. “You’re Annelise. What single man wouldn’t want to sleep with you?”

Oh, Kaleb wanted me. I could see that raw desire every time he looked at me, but he hadn’t tried to rush me into anything I didn’t want to happen.

“I didn’t say that he didn’t want me,” I explained. “But you know how much he means to me, Kim. I guess I’m afraid that it will change the two of us somehow.”

“Yeah, you’ll both be a lot less frustrated,” she answered with a sigh. “Is there some reason why this relationship can’t just continue in the future so you can see what happens? You always talk like the two of you have an expiration date.”

“Honestly, we do,” I said wistfully. “We’ve never talked about any kind of future relationship. Kaleb’s life is here. Mine is in California. I can’t stay here forever. You know what my life is like. I’d never expose him to that kind of public speculation and bullshit. His company has an excellent reputation, and he’s not a public kind of guy. If he was constantly dating A-listers and supermodels, I probably would have recognized his face. He and his brothers keep a low profile because they like it that way. They like to keep their private life…private.”

“If you care about someone, you make exceptions and compromises, baby girl,” she said in her usual, no-nonsense tone. “Has it ever occurred to you that Kaleb Remington might be your perfect match, and that you might be his, too?”

Kim was Kaleb’s age, a mother of two, and the owner of a very successful business that she’d built from the ground up.

Generally, she was pretty direct, and she didn’t tell me what I wanted to hear all the time.

That was probably why we’d gotten so close over the years.

“Yeah,” I admitted. “I’ve never felt the way I feel when I’m with Kaleb. Not even close. But we’ve gotten to be best friends, too. There’s almost nothing we don’t talk about.”

“Best friends don’t usually want to tear each other’s clothes off,” she answered drily. “Look, being best friends with the guy you’re also sleeping with is the best kind of relationship. It’s what keeps a couple together when things get tough. If all you have is lust, your relationship is doomed. It won’t last. Trust me. I went through a lot of dramatic, hormone driven relationships before I met the right guy. It’s normal to be worried that things will change once your relationship is altered, but you might regret it if you don’t find out.”

I smiled. Kim and her husband were adorable. They bickered like kids sometimes, but it was always obvious that they were meant to be together.

I’d always desperately wished I could find that kind of relationship myself, but it had never happened.

“I know I’d regret it,” I said with a huge sigh. “I highly doubt I’ll even feel this connected to someone again. I’m thirty-five years old, and I’ve never felt this way before.”

“You’ve spent your entire life trying to make other people happy,” Kim said gently. “Your parents. Your agent. Other artists. The press. All of your fans. For once in your life, do exactly what you want to do. You’ve lived your life for other people long enough. It doesn’t sound like Kaleb wants anything from you but to be with you. That has to feel almost abnormal.”

I had to admit, it did feel strange to have someone who probably gave as much or more than I did. He’d even parted with one of his mother’s paintings for me just because I’d coveted it.

“He’s different than any man I’ve ever known,” I confessed. “But I’m not sure he wants a future with me. Not that way. I think he realizes that we’re going to part ways, eventually. I have to be back to perform at the awards ceremony in a few weeks. I’m committed to it. I’m going to have to be in California.”

God, I dreaded the day I had to leave, and I’d thought about it as little as possible.

I was happy here in Crystal Fork. Besides the obvious reason, which was Kaleb, I’d also fallen in love with his family and the people here.

I roamed the town, even when Kaleb wasn’t with me, and there were friendly faces and conversations everywhere I went.

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