Page 38 of Finding Home

I hate myself for it, but my body is having a tingling, physical reaction to that revelation. I’m never attracted to bad boys. Loose cannons. Men with anger management issues. But, damn, I’m finding it difficult not to be attracted tothisone.

I bite my lower lip, trying to stifle my satisfied smile. “What’d you say to Trent, right before you slapped him?”

Caleb chuckles at the memory. “I said, ‘Hey,Trent.’ And he goes, ‘C-Bomb? Whoa!’”

Caleb mimics Trent’s starstruck facial expression, and there’s no doubt in my mind Trent’s brain melted into a puddle of goo in that moment.

With a snicker, Caleb continues, “When he put out hishand to shake mine, I said, ‘This is for Aubrey Capshaw, you little bitch.’ And then, I bitch-slapped him.”

I burst out laughing, along with Caleb. What must Trent have been thinking in that shockingly outrageous moment? I’m sure he felt thoroughly disoriented and confused.

“Man, I wish you could have seen the look on his face when I slapped him,” Caleb says with a chuckle. “It was . . .” He makes a classic “chef’s kiss” gesture.

On a personal level, I’m feeling nothing but delighted by this unexpected gift of sweet revenge. But in the context of the impending custody hearing, his behavior was totally unacceptable. “Sorry to seem ungrateful,” I say. “But with Ralph coming after Raine, you can’t do that kind of thing. In a month, you have to convince the judge you’re a fit father, remember?”

“Don’t you think a fit father would defend his daughter, if some guy smacked the shit out of her?”

“In the moment? Yes. But two years later, that’s cold-hearted revenge, Caleb.”

“Justified, though.”

“I’m not your daughter. You don’t even know me.”

He’s not persuaded by my logic. Clearly, he thinks what he did was totally in the right. But after a bit, when I maintain stern eye contact and don’t back down, his gleeful smile slowly fades. “He won’t come after me. But your point is well taken. I’ll be much more careful next time, in light of the hearing.”

“There can’t be a next time! That’s my entire point!”

Caleb shakes his head. “Sorry not sorry, Aubrey. If I find out a guy has laid hands on one of mine, then there’s gonna be anext time.”

One of mine.Not gonna lie, his word choice makes my ovaries vibrate with lust. Nevertheless, I still manage a stern facial expression when I say, “That’s all well and good under normal circumstances. But not when you’re in the middle of a custody dispute for Raine. Prioritize and channel your anger, for her sake.Please. You’re not some random guy. You’re a celebrity with deep pockets. You attract attention, Caleb.”

“No need to beat a fucking dead horse, Aubrey. I heard you. I get it.”

“Do you?” My amusement vanishes. “We won’t get a second chance to convince the judge you’re worthy of Raine, and I can’t beat Ralph on my own. I can’t let you fuck this up for me. Fuck it up for yourself, all you want, since that’s yourbrand. But don’t fuck it up for me.”

We stare at each other, both of our chests heaving.

“I won’t fuck this up,” Caleb grits out, his green eyes flashing. “Like I said, Trent won’t come after me, ‘cause he won’t want to admit he slapped the shit out of you. Why would he ever want to admit he assaulted the sweetest, hottest girl in the entire fucking world? It’s not gonna happen, Aubrey. I’d bet my life on it. So, give it a fucking rest.”

My heart stops. Sweetest?Hottest?Entire world?

I should be pissed about his certainty. His grouchiness. His loose-cannon behavior. But I’m suddenly feeling nothing but electrified.

“You saw the way he skittered away like a cockroach, rather than staying to fight back?” Caleb says, apparently unaware he’s unleashed a torrent of energy coursing through my veins. “In my vast experience with this sort of thing, that’s a dead giveaway he knew he had it coming.”

I feel the urge to exit the car, bridge the gap betweenour bodies, and smash my mouth and body against Caleb’s—and then drag him to the closest hotel and get him to groan out my name again, this time with that big dick of his inside me. Somehow, however, through sheer force of will, and also because I’ve never done anything that wild and crazy in my life, I keep my butt in my seat and calmly say, “I appreciate you wanting to avenge me when the opportunity fell into your lap. But, please, promise me, it won’t happen again, at least not before the custody hearing.”

“I can’t promise you that, because I don’t know what the next dickhead might do to deserve whatever I’m going to do.” Smiling wickedly, he leans farther into the doorway, bringing his face, and his lips, mere inches from mine. I could be wrong, since I’ve only ever dated Trent. But it sure feels like he’s non-verbally asking for permission to kiss me.

Goddammit. My body wants to give him the green light, but my brain knows it’s a terrible idea. And so, I lean back, abruptly, causing Caleb to straighten up and clear his throat.

“So, uh, which do we want to do first,” he asks. “Order the lumber for the deck or buy a drum kit?” It’s an unnecessary question. We’ve already talked about ordering the lumber first, and then crossing the street to go to the music store.

“Lumber.”

He opens the car door wide for me, inviting me to step out. “Did you get that list of materials from your dad?”

“I did.”I already told him that. I pile out of the truck, averting my eyes, in case I’m visibly blushing. “I also made a list of all the errands we talked about, so we won’t forget anything.”

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