Beside Hunter, Deke burst out laughing. Tyler followed. Hunter just swore.
“You told me to stop ogling her ass, so I did.”
Hunter held up a hand. “I don’t want to know what else you did or might do to her ass. Just…stop there.”
“I wasn’t in the mood to share. Trust me.” Caleb sighed.
“What is she doing here?”
“She’s decorating. I’ll fix shit, but color palettes and throw pillows…not my thing. Since you’ve ruined the getting busy I had in mind, why don’t you three go unload the truck. We’ve already been by the store and picked up most of the stuff we need to get started.”
He tossed Deke the keys to his truck, and the big man caught them in one fist, then grinned. Tyler headed for the door with a chuckle.
His son-in-law slapped Hunter on the back. “Look on the bright side, man. Happy mother-in-law can equal some serious peace in your house. She won’t be trying to run your show.”
“She doesn’t anyway.”
Deke shrugged. “If Carlotta is happy, Kata will be happy. That can only be good for you, dude.”
Hunter hesitated. “True. It’s just a little weird. My dad and my mother-in-law…”
“Get used to it,” Caleb growled.
Rearing back, Hunter blinked at him. “Are you fucking serious?”
“Back down, man.” Deke tried to soothe Hunter.
“What? We don’t get to be as happy as you and Kata?”
Hunter smiled wide. “It’s not that. I just never thought you or Carlotta would get serious about anyone ever again. I’m just shocked. But it’s a good shock.”
Caleb let out the breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding. “Good. But if you didn’t like it, that was going to be tough shit for you.”
Tyler laughed out loud from the door. “This is every bit as entertaining as watching a toddler put his toy trucks down the toilet.”
Deke marched over to Tyler and punched him in the shoulder. “Damn it. Last time Seth came for a playdate with my boy, he taught little Cal to shove his toys down the john, too.”
That only made Tyler laugh more. “Just spreading the love one crapper at a time.”
“Lord, what am I getting myself into with this whole parenthood idea?” Hunter asked.
“Your children will have lots of stellar influences.” Caleb gestured to Deke and Tyler.
Suddenly, he sensed someone behind him and turned to find Carlotta in a soft pair of jeans and a red V-neck shirt that revealed enough hint of cleavage to fire his blood again.
“Hello, everyone.”
Deke looked down, repressing a smile. “Hi, ma’am.”
Tyler wasn’t much more graceful, just more brazen as he waved. “Good day so far?”
Caleb wanted to elbow the troublemaker.
Hunter drew in a deep breath, then approached Carlotta with a gentle hug. “Thanks for your help with the house. I want to surprise Kata for Christmas.” Then his son gestured toward him. “Don’t let the big guy give you a hard time.”
Carlotta just flushed. “What is first on our agenda?”
Two evenings later, Carlotta sighed with a smile. The entire house was looking largely transformed. With Tyler’s and Deke’s help, they had torn out the half wall in the foyer, removed all the old carpet, and peeled back the linoleum. Hunter had lent a hand until he had been forced to return to active duty, and Carlotta had seen the worry on her daughter’s face as she’d watched her husband walk out the door, not knowing if he would return again. But Kata was strong—and she’d buried herself in work since Hunter’s departure.
Carlotta looked around the kids’ new house with a keen eye. Drywall had been repaired and the cracked window replaced. She had scrubbed the fireplace until the brick looked fresh. New paint had gone on every wall of the house under her watchful eye. The new carpet had gone in with the help of installers. The guys had laid the new hardwood floors and they gleamed in the space, adding new life and vibrancy. The cabinets were stacked in the kitchen and waiting for Deke and Tyler to return tomorrow to help. The fabricators would come measure for the countertops as soon as the cabinets were in place and had promised a quick turnaround. She had shopped earlier for new hardware for the kitchen cabinets, as well as the bathroom fixtures. Time had not been kind to the plastic faucets, and she had replaced them with something sturdier. Somewhere in the middle of everything, Caleb had found the time to mow the lawn, front and back.
He was an amazing man, and she could not deny that she liked him more with every moment they spent together. They had not, however, had another moment alone since that breath-stealing moment he had nearly seduced her on the living room floor.
Carlotta wished very much that Hunter and his friends had come just a bit later.
Across the kitchen, Caleb had removed his shirt and opened the windows. The dusk was surprisingly warm. Sweat sheened across his body as he lifted the cabinets across the new floor and set them in their place, rearranging them until they fit in the space.
“You okay, Lottie?” he asked.
Now that they were finally alone again, she wondered what might happen.
“Fine. I wish I did not have to go back to work tomorrow.”
He snorted. “You’ll get more sleep at home than you’ve been getting with Mari and her two kids.”
As much as Carlotta loved her older daughter and her family, she couldn’t deny that truth. She nodded. “Before I go, I would like to pick out the light fixtures so you can hang them. Oh, and the curtain rods.”
He picked up a hammer from the floor and tossed it back in his toolbox. She gawked at every ripple of his body as he moved. So strong and male and… She sighed.
Caleb turned to her with a very knowing, very sexy grin. “Something on your mind?”
She hesitated. As much as she wanted to talk about what had nearly happened—or if she was honest, find out what the real deal would feel like—she merely smiled. No way would she let Caleb near her before she had showered. She smelled like paint and sweat and dirt. Not sexy.
“Dinner?”
With a nod, he stretched, reaching his big arms over his head. Carlotta nearly swallowed her tongue. She really did not want to go back to East Texas alone, without knowing what Caleb felt like against her, deep inside her. But ladies never brought up sex. She bit her lip.
He just grinned at her. “Why don’t you shower here? You brought a change of clothes, right?” When she nodded, he smoothed a hand over her hair, tucking a strand behind her ear. “Good. Get ready. I’ll finish the prep here and shower. We’ll grab some dinner and light fixtures, then come back and…talk.”
Did he genuinely want to merely discuss things or was that code for sex? She had not dated in so long, and Caleb kept her tied up in so many knots, she was uncertain what to think.
But she merely nodded and got herself beneath a hot spray of water. An hour later, she walked out of the master bathroom all put together again with some minimal makeup and her clean hair flowing free. She had splurged on a bit of perfume and hoped that it made him want to be near her.
He stepped out of the bathroom down the hall, and a cloud of steam followed him. He looked beyond fine in a pair of jeans, a black T-shirt, some boots, and a sly grin.
“You look good enough to eat,” he said in that low voice that seduced her.
Carlotta felt heat climbing up her cheeks. “You do, too.”
“Hmm, how fast can we find dinner and shop? I can think of something else I’d rather turn on besides light fixtures.”
The blood rushed up her face faster, but she edged closer to him. “Very quickly, I hope.”
He tipped her chin up so she met his gaze. “I’ve tried to go slow and give you space and time to think. I need you to tell me if you’re feeling afraid or worried.”
“I am,” she admitted. “But not enough to stay away from you.”
Caleb wrapped strong, hot hands around her face and looked like he wanted to take possession of her lips. Then he gritted his teeth and stepped back. “Nope. If I kiss you now, we’ll never make it out the door. We both need food.” He took her hand. “Let’s go.”
She directed him to a small Italian place she had always loved. The wait was about an hour, so they put their name in and drove to the lighting store across the street. Keeping the tight budget in mind, she picked out new lighting for the kitchen, bathrooms, and dining room on sale. Caleb told the store owner he’d pick them up in the morning, then they headed back to the restaurant.
The hostess seated them right away, and Caleb ordered a nice bottle of wine. The lighting was low, the booths tall, the ambiance intimate.
He reached an arm around her and drew her closer. His very touch warmed her through and through—but his stare blistered her with need. She had not thought of intimacy with a man in years. Now, she could hardly think of anything else—or anyone but him.
The wine arrived, and the waiter poured them each a glass. She sipped hers with a little moan, then smiled at Caleb when his grip tightened around her. They quickly ordered before the waiter scampered off.
“What do you see happening between us?” he asked suddenly in a low voice.
Carlotta nearly choked. “Here is not the place to discuss that.”
“That?” He raised a brow at her.
“You know…” She had been unable to drag her stare from his rugged face just moments ago. Now she could not meet his gaze at all. “Sex.”
“So the sex we haven’t had yet. That’s all you see happening between us?”
“No. You may have guessed that I am not the sort of woman to sleep with a man without being serious or invested, and I know we have not discussed—”
“I love you.”
His declaration knocked the air out of her lungs. Carlotta gaped at him.
He cursed under his breath. “I know blurting it isn’t the most romantic thing, and I should probably move more slowly and let you think about this more. But I’ve been thinking about you since the night Hunter first took you from your ex-husband and brought you to me. I’ve watched over you since. I’ve wanted you since. And with every time I saw you, I got to know the tender-hearted woman under your scars. Don’t tell me this is abrupt. I know how I feel.”
Caleb wasn’t the sort of man to fall in love a great deal; that went without saying. And she had not loved a man since Eduardo. She was very fond of Caleb, wanted him desperately, respected and liked him… “I am afraid of love. It sounds silly, I know. I never loved Gordon, and yet he still hurt me very much. But loving someone gives them power.”
He brushed a knuckle down her cheek. “Trusting someone and giving yourself to them can also free you from that fear.”
Her thoughts scrambled. He was right. “I never considered it that way.”
“I think it’s time you did, Lottie. I want to make you happy. But you have to let me try.”
Her breath seized. She probably did love him, and that terrified part of her did not wish to admit it. But when her car had broken down in August, had she called the roadside assistance company she paid each year? No, she had called Caleb. Had she called an electrician when she had experienced problems with her circuit breaker? Or called a coworker to help her home after some outpatient surgery to help her ankle just before Halloween? In every case, she had leaned on Caleb, knowing full well that he would be there for her each and every time.
She licked her lips nervously, then sipped her wine. “You are right. I have been a coward.”
Caleb cupped her face in his hand. “Not a coward, baby. Cautious. Understandably so. But you know I would never hurt you like Gordon did. I’m not married to my job anymore. I’ve learned a lot since my marriage. No matter what, I would never stop listening to you.”
“I believe you.” She met his deep blue stare and felt something in her chest give way, as if opening herself to the possibility of love with this man. She fell a bit more.
For a long while, she had wished she could have a do-over with her love life for the past twenty years. She had never imagined that her do-over would not be a rehashing of her past, but a brand-new future.
He pressed a lingering kiss to her lips. She heard him growl under his breath, then pull away. “You are dangerous to my restraint, baby. If I wasn’t starving and didn’t have a long drive back to Tyler to take you home, I’d suggest we skip dinner and…”
His long, slow smile made that little ache Caleb always incited between her legs grow to something more urgent and needy.
Before she could take him up on his wonderfully inappropriate offer, the waiter returned with their food. She dug into her lasagna, and he moaned into a plate of spaghetti. A bushy Christmas tree took up one corner of the room, its lights twinkling. Carols sung by Italian tenors hummed in the background. The holidays were supposed to be a time of peace, of being close to loved ones and celebrating all the joys in life. For the first time in years, Carlotta had a reason to celebrate that didn’t have anything to do with her children.