Page 35 of Wreck Me

My face didn’t reflect the sentiment, though, because my mouth felt like it was about to split open from how wide my smile was.

CHAPTERNINETEEN

Eight long classes, and we were finally on break. The weekend felt like it sped by, racing alarmingly fast to when I’d have to see my parents. I was dreading it, but the time spent with Caleb helped to calm my nerves.

It had only been a week since the night Caleb walked to my house in the rain, and our relationship had only become stronger. He stayed at my apartment every night and parted ways only when it was absolutely necessary to get to work. Everything was perfect between us and, for the time being, I buried the little voice in my head still insisting he was keeping something from me.

Warm sunshine engulfed my bed, making it harder to find the will to get up and start my day. I was so cozy when I cracked my eyes open, finding Caleb propped up on his elbow and watching me sleep.

“Morning,” I croaked with a yawn, stretching my arms out in front of me. “Watching me sleep, like a creeper again?”

“How could I resist? You look so peaceful when you’re asleep. It’s a beautiful thing to watch.”

“You know what’s even more beautiful? Sleeping in. You should try it sometime.”

He laughed and tugged at my hips, rolling me on top of him. Coming to my knees, I leaned over him and kissed the tip of his nose, my dark hair blanketing around us.

“I want to ask you something, but it’s probably going to sound a little juvenile.” Caleb pushed a piece of my hair behind my ear and cradled my cheek against his palm. “I know I was hesitant to start anything in the beginning, but I’m all in now and the thought of you with anyone else makes me want to slam my fist against glass and welcome the pain of it cutting my skin. I want to lock you down, Starlight. Can we agree to be exclusive?”

The cheesiest smile painted across my face and I nodded a little too eagerly, watching as his smile matched mine. “Are you asking me to be your girlfriend, Caleb?”

“Yeah, Starlight, I am.” He bucked his hips upward, rocking against my core.

It was so sweet, and so unexpected. Never did I imagine I’d hear Caleb ask me to be his girlfriend; I just assumed we would continue down the path we were and our relationship status would fall into place–becoming mutually exclusive but never discussing it. My heart was already his. A new link added to the chain connecting it to him with every kiss, smile, and silent expression of his feelings he gave me. I knew I was knocking down his walls without even trying; he showed me a bigger piece of himself every day, and I could feel his hesitancy lessening. This was unfamiliar territory for both of us. But there was no one else I would rather explore it with.

As I lost myself in thought, Caleb trailed his fingers against my bare thighs, traveling upward and grazing the fabric of my panties. His knuckles stroked my center, building me up while I bit my lip and acted as though I was debating his offer.

Pushing my panties to the side, Caleb traced his finger against my pussy, finding me already wet for him. He pulled the wetness to my clit, orbiting his touch. “What's it going to be, Starlight? Will you be mine?”

The head of his cock nudged at my entrance, and I reached down, taking the base of him in my hand and lining him up perfectly.

“What if I fall?” I asked, barely above a whisper. I knew I couldn’t protect my heart much further, my love for him already spiraling and burning brighter with each passing day. If I fell in love with him–fullyfell in love with him–and he changed his mind about us and walked away, I’d be devastated. More than devastated.

Caleb pushed up, supporting himself with his palms against the bed, pulling me into a breathtakingly deep kiss. My heart flatlined. With Caleb, anytime his lips were on mine, my mind stopped working and my heart took over all thoughts, decisions, and logic.

Without breaking the kiss, I sank down, taking his cock inch by inch until I reached the hilt, fully seated around him. Wrapping my arms around his neck, I held him close as we kissed—making out with a feverish passion while we connected our bodies in every way possible.

Our lips parted, pausing only so we could catch a breath.

“You’re all that matters to me, Isla. I’m already falling, so if you fall too, I’ll catch you. No matter what.”

* * *

Pullingup to the front of my parents' elaborate home on Thanksgiving made a lump form in my throat. Nestled in a lavish mountainside suburb on the edge of Ridgewood, the neighborhood was gated with an electric fence and around the clock security who sat in the guard stand, constantly looking bored out of their minds. Houses sat an acre or more apart, and had long, extravagant driveways serving as a paved version of a red carpet, introducing guests to the ostentatious homes at the end of them.

The termhomeloosely described my parents’ house, which was emptier than a crumpled can of Coke at a barbecue, both in love and occupants. Despite the full staff that maintained the appearance of the property and thecomfortsof their lifestyle, it was the loneliest place I had ever stepped foot into. If walls could talk, they’d have some stories. The tragic tales of three people sharing a roof: the villain who hated his own child because of what was—or wasn’t, rather—between her legs, the clueless not-so-step mother who stuck her head in the sand and pretended like everything was just perfect so she could maintain her glamorous lifestyle, and the heroine who dreamed of breaking free, determined to write her own story one day. Preferably one with a happy ending.

Parking my Mercedes next to my father’s red Bugatti—because why wouldn’t he have a car that screamedgiant asshole—I killed the engine and sat for a moment to calm my nerves. I had desperately wanted to bring Caleb home for Thanksgiving just to spite my family and my father’s request to ‘dress to impress’ a guy he intended to set me up with, no doubt for the sake of a business deal, but bringing him would have been a disaster I wasn’t ready for. I already had news to break to my father, and I didn’t need to add more fuel to the fire. My father wasn’t exactly the type to filter his thoughts, and there was not a shred of doubt in my mind he was going to hate Caleb simply because of his socio-economic background.

The sudden rap of fingers against my window made me jump. My hand flew up to my chest, and I craned my neck to see who had made me almost pee my pants. Unsurprisingly, Bernard, my parents’ eyes and ears of the property, stood by the driver’s side door. His head dipped down to look at me through the window.

Bernard was in his mid-sixties and had been working for my parents since my father formed his company, acting as my father’s private security detail, though it wasn’t a position that was necessary. As Bernard entered his fifties, he requested a change in job location—no longer interested in following my father around like a puppy—and became stationary to the house, providing security on the property.

In short, Bernard was a glorified butler, though the grumpy ass would never admit it.

Luckily for me, grumpy ol’ Bernard always had a soft spot for the ignored little girl who floated around the house like a ghost, unseen by her parents. I caught glimpses of his gooey interior when he felt obligated to act as a father figure, stepping into the role whenever necessary. Though now as an adult, I realized it was probably less out of the goodness of his heart and more because he was getting paid to be there.

Nevertheless, Bernard was the one who patched up my scraped knees when I'd fallen off my bike, which he taught me how to ride when my father was stuck in board meetings and my mother was shopping or at the spa. He also taught me how to drive a car, and the basics of self-defense. It was apparent Bernard cared about me, even if he actively tried not to show it.

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