When Delilah finally got home, she flopped onto her bed as thoughts about Caleb exploded through her head. She’d deliberately held back on trying to analyze what had happened this evening and Caleb’s revelation. She’d never met a man who thought like him. In her opinion, men were slaves to their passions. They thought with their dicks and rarely gave a fuck about the pussy they were sticking it in. Her mama had always told her that a way to a man’s heart was how well she could suck cock.
Thoughts of her mother depressed her, and she steered away from that self-destructive path. And even though she tried hard to banish the memories of her past, she couldn’t help but compare Caleb to the blackness that had once held her soul.
He was light and goodness, a man who not only believed in love but abided by moral vows. What the hell was she doing with him? He was too good for the likes of her. She came from a life so fucked up and broken that one touch from her would taint him forever. She couldn’t let him fall so far.
Tears spiked her eyes, but she took a deep breath and pulled them back. It was utter ridiculousness that she would shed a tear over a man she’d just met. He was a man who would be leaving in a week, so clearly, there’s not enough time for any feelings to develop.
So why did her heart ache?
If she was smart, she’d call Caleb and cancel their exercising date. If she was smart, she’d tell him to fuck off. It’d be for his own good.
But then again, she wasn’t really that smart and Caleb was going home in a few days. A battle waged between her conscience and her desires, between what’s good for Caleb and her want of him. Her hand hovered over her phone as she debated whether or not to text him and cancel tomorrow. Or later today, actually, since it was close to four in the morning.
Whatever.
Almost without thought she pulled her hand back, turned over and closed her eyes. Yes, Caleb might be better off without her but she wasn’t so sure she wasn’t better without him. He was going to be gone and she just wanted, for once in her life, to be with someone who didn’t treat her as if she were a piece of meat, or as if she were garbage under their feet.
Was that so terrible to want?
****
The exercise classes started at eleven, which wouldn’t have been so bad if he’d gotten to bed at a decent time. But after he’d dropped Delilah home and then returned Jake’s car, he’d had to walk home. Even the cool air blowing over his skin hadn’t been enough to stomp down his libido and he’d ended up jacking off again in the shower. He’d fisted himself and recalled Delilah’s taste, her scent and the little noises she made as he’d pleasured her. It hadn’t taken him long at all to climax.
When he’d finally fallen asleep his clock told him it was close to six. The sun was playing peak-a-boo through the clouds on the horizon. And he had to do a three-hour exercise marathon five hours later.
But he’d dragged his tired ass out of bed at ten and then scrambled to get ready. The Uber he’d called pulled up right on time and he got in, his sunglasses perched firmly on his nose and travel mug of coffee clutched in his hand.
He made it to the gym with five minutes to spare. Delilah waited for him at the entrance with her hands planted on her hips. Even as tired as he was, his heart jumped with joy at seeing her.
“You’re late,” she told him needlessly.
“’S okay,” he replied. “Setting eyes on you just woke me up.”
She raised an eyebrow but didn’t respond. Instead, she turned to walk back inside and to the girl at the front desk.
“This is my guest, Lacy.”
Lacy, wearing skimpy shorts and sports bra, smiled and eyed him up and down. “Oh yum,” she said. “If you need any help with this one, Del, let me know.”
Caleb frowned and grabbed Delilah’s hand, scooting closer to her.
She looked first at their joined hands and then smiled at him. “Ready for me to kick your butt?”
“You wish,” he joked back.
“Oh? You’ve done kickboxing?”
“Does kicking over dead trees count?”
“And spin class?”
“I’m a pro at spinning on the ice.”
He could see she was trying not to laugh. “And yoga?”
“Oh please. I’m a master at the game Twister.”
Delilah pulled him toward the stairs. “Come on, class is ready to start. Thanks, Lacy!”
Caleb didn’t look back, but he could feel Lacy’s gaze on his ass. “Wow,” he muttered. “Objectify much?”
“Awe. Did little ‘ole Lacy scare you?” Delilah teased.
“Didn’t you want to defend my honor?”
She smiled at him and then reached around to slap his ass. Caleb’s eyebrows rose. “I’d been staring at it too.”
He laughed and then followed her into the workout room. For the next hour he kept up but damned if his body wasn’t screaming at him by the end. He’d dipped, swayed and kicked in ways he never had before.
Working in the forest and trampling through snow was enough of a workout to give his body a good burn, but on days when he was forced to stay inside, he had gym equipment to keep him in shape. But when he was halfway through the spinning class he knew two things very clearly. One, men were not made to sit long periods on a bicycle seat without proper padding. And two, no wonder Delilah had perfect legs and a mouthwatering ass.
Caleb was sure he wasn’t going to make it, but he backed off the intensity and managed to finish the hour. As he got off the bike, he had to resist the urge to adjust his balls, which had flattened out during the vigorous ride.
He smiled at Delilah, noticing how sexy she looked even all mussed and sweaty. What he wouldn’t give to drag her to the nearest shower, get her naked and get her bent over as he rammed his cock into her snug channel.
God! He had to get those thoughts out of his head, otherwise yoga was going to be very interesting indeed. Expecting to be a class of stretching, Caleb had vastly underestimated how much stamina yoga required. It wasn’t just about poses but about holding the poses. Some of his muscles were quivering as he did poses like downward dog, sunbird and camel. By the time the hour was up, he collapsed and thought he was never going to move again.
Delilah stood over him, hands on hips, eyebrows raised in question. She didn’t even have to ask.
“I’m done for,” he said. “Just turn off the light and let me expire in peace.”
“I’m impressed,” she said. “I didn’t think you’d be able to last three hours.”
“I didn’t think I was going to last the first,” he admitted. “How often do you do this?”
“This workout? Once a week. On Wednesday and Thursday, I run.”
“I have a whole new respect for yoga,” he admitted.
“Come on,” she said, holding her hand down for him. “I’ll treat you to a healthy lunch.”
“I can’t move,” he muttered.
“It wasn’t that bad.”
“No, honestly, I can’t move. My muscles are screaming curse words at me and they’re sounding like sailors.”
She laughed, grabbed his hand, and helped him up. He hobbled beside her all the way to the locker rooms.
“Go stand under a hot shower and I’ll meet you out front in half an hour. Sound good?”
“If I don’t show up it’s probably because I collapsed in a heap and drowned in the shower drain.”
“That’s gross. You know what’s in that shower drain? Hundreds of peoples soap, hair and germs.”
He stuck his fist against his lips. “Ah, thanks for that visual. I think I just threw up in my mouth.”
She smacked his ass again. “Get in there, Ranger.”
She turned and sauntered over to the women’s locker room. He couldn’t help but stare at her curves and in the doorway, she turned her head and caught him staring. She gave a smirk and disappeared inside.
Thirty minutes later he was feeling better. The hot water had revived his muscles although he knew tomorrow he was going to pay for his act of trying to impress Delilah. He wondered if he’d be able to move enough to jog with her and decided he was going to do a lot of stretching in order for that to happen. He only had a week left and he wanted to spend as much time with her as possible.
She took him to the café attached to the gym and ordered them both an egg white omelet, hers with ham and cheese and his with spinach and mushrooms. Their talk centered around the workout, comparing hers with his.
After, she offered to drive him home. Once again, he folded into her small car and stared at her as she took the freeway back to the PCH. The day was bright and sunny and there was a nice breeze off the ocean as they headed toward Malibu. She turned onto his drive and wound her way up the road to his house.
“Wow,” she said. “It’s even more impressive during the day.”
“Please come inside,” he urged.
She nodded and shut off her engine.
He knew the windows were even more breathtaking during the day, offering a view of the sparkling ocean. Delilah walked up to them and looked out in awe.
“This is amazing,” she said with a touch of reverence in her voice.
“I know,” Caleb murmured, coming to stand next to her. “I can’t believe my friend grew up here.”
Delilah turned to look at him. “Where did you grow up?”
“In Alaska,” he answered. “I was born and raised in Fairbanks, went to college there to get my undergraduate degree in natural resource management. From there I got a postgraduate degree in forestry and agriculture then took some classes on Alaskan specific courses such as food and fisheries. I was lucky in that I got the post I wanted in the Far North at the Gates of the Arctic National Park and Reserve. River Ice borders it to the northwest.”
When he stopped speaking, she blinked at him, as if she was unsure of what he’d just said.
“My parents still live in Fairbanks,” he added, feeling the need to fill in the silence. When she didn’t say anything, he knew he had to change the subject. History seemed to be a touchy subject with her. “What time do you have to go to work?”
“I have to be there at nine.”
“Okay. That gives us…five hours.”
“Four. I have to have time to get ready for my first dance.”
“Right.”
He couldn’t stop staring at her. She smelt like vanilla with a hint of lavender. He took a step closer to her and her eyes immediately filled with desire. Slowly, he raised his hands to cup her face and she leaned into him. That was all the allowance he needed.
His head swooped down, and his lips landed on hers with an intensity that blew him away. Her mouth parted and his tongue swept in to meet and tangle with hers. He pulled her body into his, crushing all her curves into his hard angles. She wrapped her arms around him, holding him close. His dick hardened immediately, and she ground her pelvis into his, making him groan with pleasure.
He couldn’t seem to keep his hands off her. Every time he was near her all he wanted to do was sink into her heat. All he could envision was thrusting his cock into her over and over and until she screamed his name as she came. Even now the visions were driving him mad.
She pulled back to look into his eyes. “Where’s your bed?”
He closed his eyes. As much as he wanted to drag her there, he didn’t want her to feel as if she owed him anything. It took every ounce of decency and honor in him to say, “No. You don’t have to, Delilah.”
She pressed a finger against his lips. “Last night was about me. This time I want to pleasure you.”
He tried swallowing the lump in his throat, but his mouth was so dry it was like the Sahara on his tongue.
“Where’s your bedroom?” she asked again.
He pointed down the hall. She took his hand and led him in the direction where she said his bedroom was and once inside, she stopped to look. Like the rest of the house, it was almost barren. The bedsheets were bunched and tossed around. He’d never been one for making his bed. He’d always argued that they would be slept in again and guests weren’t likely to wander in, so why bother? Only now, he did have a guest and he realized the bed looked like it belonged in a college dorm room.
But Delilah didn’t seem to care. She turned and began stripping him. When he tried to help, she smacked his hand away and gave him a wicked little grin. She pulled his shirt up and he had to bend a little so she could yank it over his head.
“I was wondering when I was going to find this.”
He glanced down at the tattoo lying across his right pectoral muscle.
“I never thought you’d have stars,” she murmured.
“It’s the Alaskan flag,” he answered. “The bear, the dipper, and shining high the great North Star with its steady light. O’er land and sea, a beacon bright. Alaska’s flag to Alaskans dear. The simple flag of a last frontier.”
She grinned at him. “Cool poem.”
He shrugged. “Part of the state song.”
She leaned over and kissed each star, giving a flick over his nipple as she moved past it. The feel of her tongue against his sensitive skin had his belly tightening as he envisioned where else her tongue could tease.
She continued undressing him, her finger slowly sliding along the stretch of skin where his jeans hugged his waist. Delilah tugged and pulled until his pants fell into a heap on the floor, and when he was naked, she fell to her knees.
She stared at him in wonder, especially at the thick cock proudly standing at attention. She reached for it, rubbing the bulging vein that disappeared under the mushroom head where a drop of white fluid dripped from the hole.
Caleb moaned and reached for Delilah’s head, guiding her to the velvety shaft. She happily complied, slipping her mouth around the large head, tracing each curve with her tongue. Easing her mouth over then down, going slowly. She held onto Caleb’s hips as she started her momentum, allowing Caleb’s cock to go further, deeper as her throat muscles relaxed. Little by little, she increased the tempo, speeding up, her right hand moving to Caleb’s heavy sack and squeezing it, playing with it, rolling the balls through the thin skin. He gave a heavy gasp, his hips twitched under the restraint he was holding onto.
“Oh, good Lord,” he grunted. “I can’t hold on.”
He tried to move her off his cock, but she didn’t want to go. She looked up at him, catching his gaze. Her hand continued to pump his shaft.
“Come in my mouth,” she ordered.
“Are you sure?”
She nodded. “I want to drink you up.”
She returned her mouth and sucked him back in. Her tongue swirled up, French kissing the slit in his dick.
“Fuck! Fuck!”
With one more slide of her mouth, Caleb exploded, shouting out a set of unintelligible sounds. Delilah sucked him down, milking him with her tongue until he collapsed onto the bed, utterly sated.
He dragged her to his side and wrapped his arms around her.
They didn’t say a word.
Later, he watched her leave him, and he wondered if a summer fling had been a smart idea.