Chapter Five

 

 

 

It had been a long time since Caleb had spent an entire day with a woman he barely knew…without copious amounts of sex being involved. He’d only known Sydney for about twenty-four hours, but it seemed as if he’d known her for years. They just connected.

There was a definite sexual tension there, too—it was there in her eyes, on her lips when he kissed her and in the way her body responded to his touch.

A light tap on the passenger-side window startled him out of his thoughts. Syd stood outside, waiting for him to unlock the doors, smiling brightly. He hit the button and grinned as she got in beside him.

He glanced at the dashboard clock. “Hmm. Eleven minutes. Not bad for a chick.”

“The boy think he’s a comedian.” She laughed, shaking her head. “Now feed me. I’m starving. Someone thought it’d be a good idea to go skiing for hours and hours and hours,” she said, feigning annoyance and rolling her eyes.

He wanted to kiss her again.

Instead he waited till she buckled up then pulled out of the hotel lot. They rode in comfortable silence to his rental chalet, neither needing idle chit-chat. He took a chance and moved his right hand from the steering wheel, placing it gently on her knee. She jerked at the contact at first, but then relaxed beneath his hand. She didn’t push him away and instead placed hers atop his.

Booyah.

As they approached the chalet, Syd burst out laughing. “Wow. Don’t you think this place is a bit small, CJ?” He chuckled as she continued. “How could you live in something this puny, even for a day? I mean, it’s a micro-house! It looks like it’d be a tight fit to get all your stuff in here.”

“What can I say, I like it tight,” he quipped.

She raised her eyebrows and turned to him as he put the SUV in park. “Is that so?”

He twisted to look at her. His gaze wandered over her face, down her body and back up again. He whispered, “It sure is,” and leaned in to kiss her.

 

Syd was shocked once again when Caleb kissed her, but the shock rapidly gave way to intense desire. His mouth felt amazing and she didn’t want him to stop.

When he pulled away Syd took a deep breath and announced, “Well, this is shaping up to be an interesting evening, Mr. Jones.”

He gave a little smile and shrugged, winking at her.

She grinned back at him, enjoying how he was naughty and funny at the same time. It was refreshing, especially compared to Brett’s uptight nature. That was one guy who had no idea how to have a stitch of fun.

He used to, though…

She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. She refused to let her mind wander into dangerous territory. She was blessed to have a few more hours of freedom and she intended to enjoy every minute.

Syd got out of the car and headed toward the front door, taking in her surroundings. The two-story chalet was set amidst snow-covered pines, the big trees flanking the house and creating a breathtaking backdrop. The rustic-stone facing was complemented by wooden accents—it looked like the quintessential chalet. In the distance one could even see the ski hills and the Rockies. Syd understood why Caleb had chosen this place to rent, even though it was much bigger than he needed. The place exuded peace.

He unlocked the dark wooden door and opened it, standing aside to let her in first. She stepped over the threshold and smiled. “Very nice,” she said, kicking off her boots and making her way into the big family room. She ran her fingertips along the back of the tan leather couches as she passed.

Caleb moved ahead of her and flicked a switch, turning on the gas fireplace. “Let me grab your coat.”

He reached for her collar and pulled off the coat, fingers grazing the bare skin of her shoulder. A sizzle immediately coursed through her and she momentarily daydreamed about the feel of his fingers on other parts of her body. She quickly shook out of her reverie and worked on calming her thumping heart.

Caleb came back into the family room, moved one of the couches out, and pushed the coffee table to the side, making a place for her to sit on the floor in front of the fire. “Have a seat and get toasty,” he offered. “I’ll grab us some wine.”

She sat, enjoying the warmth of the fire, and a moment later he reappeared, bottle of Shiraz and wine glasses in hand. He poured each of them a glass and settled beside her.

“To new acquaintances,” Caleb said, beaming.

Instead of clinking her glass to his, she snorted. “I think I’m offended,” she joked. “Is that all I am to you? An acquaintance? Even after you grabbed my ass?”

He furrowed his brow. “Hmm, that would add a twist on the whole acquaintance thing, wouldn’t it?”

“And don’t forget, you were, at one point, both my pillow and my mattress.” Syd swirled the ruby liquid in her glass. “I don’t go around sleeping on every guy I meet, you know?”

“Still, I’m not too sure what I should call us?” He rubbed his chin, trying his best to appear serious.

“And what about that kiss, Mr. Jones, hmm? Actually, what about both of them? Do you kiss all your acquaintances?”

“Most of them, yeah,” he answered, chuckling.

“On the mouth? Like this?” Syd asked, leaning forward and kissing him softly. She let her lips linger a moment before pulling back.

Caleb smiled at her. “No, darlin’. None quite like that.”

She leaned her back against the sofa. “Good. I was starting to wonder about you.”

“Oh, no. You don’t have to wonder about me at all.” He cocked his head to the left. “So, to new…”—he hesitated—“friends?” He raised his glass in the air.

“Friends could work,” she said, touching her glass to his.

They both sipped their wine for a few minutes without saying a word, simply studying each other in the flickering light. A heat spread throughout her that had nothing at all do with the flames. Caleb Jones was one incredibly handsome man–chiseled features, a jaw line to die for, bright blue eyes that twinkled in the firelight, capped off with a head of blond hair she wanted to thread her fingers into and grab while he…

Whoa there!

“All right,” Caleb said, breaking the silence. He let out a puff of air and shook a lock of sunny hair from his eyes. “I’m going to run upstairs and change before I start on dinner.”

As he walked away, Syd called out. “Call me if you need any help.”

“With getting changed or with dinner, darlin’?”

Not bothering to face him, she answered, “Either. Or both.”