Be Mine

  Be Mine

  In a heated Valentine weekend, Caleb and Jacqueline explore just how far their friendship can go.

  Be Mine

  Copyright © 2006 Gwendolyn Cease

  Caleb and Jacqueline have been friends for nearly two years since he was engaged to her best friend. But now the engagement is over and Jack wonders where they stand. Jacqueline wants to maintain their friendship, but would prefer so much more.

  Caleb invites her to spend Valentine weekend with him at a bed & breakfast since he had made the reservations long before he and Claire broke up. Though the breakup with Claire was only a month ago, the relationship between them had been over long before that. Caleb wants Jacqueline and is prepared to do anything to get her.

  And he doesn’t just want her for the weekend, he wants her forever. Caleb uses every strategy in his erotic arsenal to convince her she is more than just his friend—she is the woman he loves.

  Warning, this title contains explicit sex and graphic language.

  eBooks are not transferable. They cannot be sold, shared or given away as it is an infringement on the copyright of this work.

  This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locale or organizations is entirely coincidental.

  Samhain Publishing, Ltd.

  2932 Ross Clark Circle, #384

  Dothan, AL 36301

  Be Mine

  Caught by Cupid Anthology

  Copyright © 2007 by Gwendolyn Cease

  Cover by Anne Cain

  ISBN: 1-59998-313-3

  www.samhainpublishing.com

  All Rights Are Reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

  First Samhain Publishing, Ltd. electronic publication: January 2007

  Be Mine

  Gwendolyn Cease

  Dedication

  To Jess who had enormous faith in me when she called asking me if I wanted to be part of a Valentine anthology. It must be my incredibly fluffy hair and the way I assist in entertaining a whole plane full of people!

  To Bianca and Maya—it’s been a blast being part of this project with you two. And I’m sure, after everything, Jess still “lurves” us best!

  To Sturman, you know why.

  Be Mine

  Chapter One

  Jacqueline Monroe stared out her classroom window at the falling snow. God, she hated February. The holidays were over and the only thing ahead was the huge stretch until April and spring break. She glanced around at her empty room and sighed. She truly should be getting something done while her students were in P.E., but she didn’t feel like it. Too many thoughts whirled through her head and none of them school-related.

  She absently shoveled through the papers on her desk, stacking and restacking. Who would have known teaching fifth grade meant mountains of paper work? Of course, her students insisted if she gave them less work, she would have less to grade. Yeah, go try that on someone who would listen. She had high expectations for her students and demanded they meet them.

  Expectations…she pondered the word. Did she have expectations? She shook her head at the question. Damn, the whole situation with Caleb and Claire had shaken her world. Who would have thought her best friend getting un-engaged would affect her so much? Of course, their pairing had been odd to begin with but things had worked. Or at least they had seemed to. Now who knew what the hell was going on?

  Lisa, friend and fellow teacher, stuck her head in the door. “Yo, Jack, what are you doing after school?”

  “Is there such a thing as after school?” she replied. “I thought we lived here.”

  Lisa rolled her eyes. “Yeah, dude, you and me both. I thought since it’s Friday we could do chips and salsa.”

  “I’m there. Regular place at four?”

  “You know it. Now I gotta go and express to a snot nose why he must do the work I assigned.”

  “Good luck,” Jacqueline yelled after her.

  She and Lisa had become friends the first time they met. Teachers had to stick together and all that, Lisa told her. In actuality, they were the only single women on the faculty and actually had a minute’s worth of time. They often spent Friday nights having chips and salsa, code words for drinking lots of margaritas. Right now, she felt like she could use one, two, or maybe ten.

  The rest of the day flashed by in a whirl of tests, spelling and math, social studies presentations, and finally end of the day clean-up. By the time her students left, Jack was tired and in deep need of salsa therapy. She looked around at the stack of papers she needed to grade and slowly began to pack it all up. It was either grade here or at home, since not grading was never an option. She found out very quickly, if she missed even one day she was forever trying to play catch-up.

  Soon she was sitting in her favorite Mexican restaurant taking the first sip of a mango margarita. She and Lisa munched and drank in silence. Each of them enjoying the knowledge they had two whole days before they had to get back to school. Jack loved to teach. She felt as if she was born to the job, but sometimes she needed a break. And today was one of those times.

  “So what’s going on?” Lisa asked between sips of her drink.

  “Same old shit. The same kid who failed the spelling test on Wednesday failed the make-up today. I keep expressing to him the need to study, but after six months he still isn’t getting it.”

  Lisa laughed. “I didn’t mean with school. I was talking about the whole mess with Claire?”

  Jack nodded. “She broke her engagement to Caleb about a month ago. Now she’s dating a professor she team-teaches with at the university. It looks and sounds serious. I truly think they were kind of looking at each other before she broke it off with Cal. She looks a whole lot happier. I’ve met him and he’s a nice guy. Smart, funny, the whole package.”

  “How are you and Caleb getting along?”

  “We talk about twice a week and have gone out to dinner two or three times. It’s awkward at best and weird at worst. Hell, Lisa, she and I met him at the same time. We’ve known each other for going on two years. The three of us were always doing things together. We went to the movies, dinner, dancing at clubs, and hung out together at Claire’s house.”

  “Yeah, so what’s the problem? You two should be getting along fine.”

  “It’s hard to take a relationship with a three person dynamic and all of a sudden cope when there’re only two of you. I don’t think we quite know where we stand with each other.”

  “We?” Lisa prompted, popping a chip in her mouth.

  “Okay, I don’t know where we stand. He’s hard to read, you know.”

  “He’s a marine. What do you expect?”

  “Ex-marine.”

  “Yeah, whatever, once a marine always a marine. They may leave the military, but the military doesn’t leave them.” Lisa took a sip of her drink and grabbed another chip. “So have you tried talking to him?”

  “And say what? He was my best friend’s fiancé. I don’t know what to say to him.”

  “Hell, he’s your friend too. You two need to figure out a relationship alone. You’ve always told me as we get older we rarely make new friends. We are the exceptions, of course, but then again we are in hell so we must cling together for safety.”

  Jack laughed. “In hell? You’re full of it. You love to teach.”

  “Yeah, but it would be much better if those kids would leave us alone. We’d get a lot more done.”

  “That’s what I told mine today. Crud on a cracker, peopl
e, don’t you have somewhere to be? They just laughed.”

  “The nerve,” Lisa finished her drink and waved to the waitress. “Look, call him. Ask him over for dinner. You don’t want to lose his friendship.”

  “You want me to cook him dinner? Ummm, I thought the object was for the two of us to remain friends. Cooking for him would probably chase him away.”

  Lisa laughed. “There’s always take-out.”

  The two of them moved to other topics as they consumed more chips, salsa and drinks. Jacqueline kept what Lisa had suggested in the back of her mind. Why couldn’t she invite him over for dinner? They were friends after all. But the few times they had gone out to dinner she felt odd, like she was somehow cheating on her best friend. She knew this wasn’t the case. Claire had already told her time and again she wanted Jack and Caleb to remain friends since they had such a good relationship. Just because Claire and Caleb were no longer engaged didn’t mean Jack and Caleb broke up too. Hell, they weren’t in grade school. But still the oddness clung. Maybe if she could fully understand why they had broken up it would help. All Claire said was he was too intense and overwhelming for her. She needed someone more laid back.

  Soon, Lisa and Jacqueline were paying the bills and heading out to the parking lot. A swift, cold, snowy wind whipped around them, forcing their steps to move more quickly. Jack hugged her coat closer as they hurried to where the cars were parked.

  “Call me,” Lisa yelled to her. “After you call him, of course, and let me know what he says. Don’t wait till Monday.”

  “Yes, ma’am.” Jack smiled and climbed into the freezing interior of her car. She had to get an automatic car starter, she promised herself again. It would be nice to actually walk out to a warm car for a change. She started the car and cranked the heat to its highest setting. The headlights came on for her, a major plus in her book since she frequently forgot to turn them off in her last car. She turned out of the parking lot and headed for home.

  The drive was slow going due to the darkness and the snow, but soon she turned into the driveway of her small home. She hurried up the steps and into the warmth. She closed and locked the door behind her, making a mental note to set the alarm before she went to bed. Though the neighborhood was a nice one, she was alone and didn’t take chances. She hung her coat up in the closet and headed to her bedroom to change into something more comfortable. Once she was in her favorite pair of sweatpants, she grabbed the heavy shawl her sister had given her for Christmas. She also carried the bags she had brought from school. Might as well try to get something done tonight.

  She settled on the living room floor and pushed a button on the small remote sitting on the table. The fireplace instantly erupted into a cheerful blaze. There was nothing like a fire on a cold night, especially one she didn’t have to do anything to other than push a button. She settled back against the couch and watched the flames. The quiet of the house surrounded her, but for once, it didn’t comfort the way it normally did. She rubbed a hand tiredly over her face. It was the weather, she thought, but knew it was a lie. The fact was spending another night alone in her house bothered her.

  Instead of pursuing the thought, she grabbed her stereo remote and turned the system on. Sarah McLachlan filled the room with her smooth tone. But still the thoughts wouldn’t stop. Here she was, in her early thirties with a wonderful career and great friends. She should be satisfied, but she wasn’t. In the deepest part of her heart, she wanted a man to share her life with. Not necessarily marriage, since she had never seen a good one, but someone to love and who loved her in return. People always said she was pretty with her thick dark hair and brown eyes. Her body was tall and lean due to visiting the gym four times a week. On top of all that, she was fun to be around, at least that’s what her friends told her. So, what was the deal?

  Maybe she was too picky? Her sister said she was, but she should be. Right? Why would she want to spend time with someone because he happened to have a penis? It didn’t make sense. She was an educated woman and wanted someone who could carry on an intelligent conversation. Okay, she also wanted a man yummy to look at and awesome in the sex department. But once again, why shouldn’t she? Why should sex be a one-way thing? She wanted satisfaction, deep constant satisfaction. It also wouldn’t hurt if he had a nice, big—

  The chime of the doorbell interrupted her wayward thoughts. Who the hell could be at her door at eight-thirty at night? She jumped up and hurried to the door, pulling her shawl closer around her shoulders. Flipping on the front light, she looked out the window to find Caleb Sinclair standing on her front porch. What the hell? It was as if thinking about him all day had conjured him up.

  Slowly, she unlocked the door and opened it. He watched her closely with deep whiskey-colored eyes. They looked at one another until Jack blinked and broke whatever weirdness had a hold of her.

  “Caleb, what’s going on?” Her voice sounded husky and a bit uncertain even to her own ears. “Are you okay?”

  “Can I come in?”

  She moved aside to allow him to enter her house, feeling the whole time things were changing. She wasn’t sure if she was quite ready for whatever was heading her way.

  Be Mine

  Chapter Two

  Caleb Sinclair was a big man, not only in height, but in breadth too. He topped nearly six-two with shoulders so broad a friend had once remarked she bet he could put a house on his shoulder and move it. Dark brown hair shot with sunlight was still cut military short to tame the curls, which made an appearance if he let it get too long. His face was angular and chiseled, more arresting than handsome. He would never be a pretty boy, but he always stood out in a crowd.

  Jacqueline followed him into her living room. He had been to her house plenty of times with Claire, but never on his own. She watched as he paced about, his energy barely leashed. This was a man used to action. Since leaving the military, he had put his talents into starting a security company with a friend. Thankfully, Jason was much better suited to sit behind a desk taking care of the daily running of the office. If Caleb had been forced to take over the role, he would have quickly gone insane.

  “Do you want something to drink?” Jack asked as she headed to the kitchen. Her home wasn’t large, but the fireplace and the spacious kitchen more than made up for it. Unfortunately, Jack didn’t take as much advantage of the kitchen as she should, but it was home and warm on a cold winter evening.

  He followed her, still not speaking, and leaned against the counter, watching her move about. His jeans and boots told her he had gotten off work early, since he wore dress clothes to visit clients. But nothing explained why he was standing in her home late on a Friday evening. She knew he had begun to date since the breakup so it had to be something important to drive him to her small home.

  She looked up to find him watching her intently. “What?”

  He shook his head. “You look tired. Are you okay?”

  She laughed. “Wow, a man comes into my home and tells me I look bad after I offered him hospitality. With skills like that, Sinclair, I bet the women are falling all over you.”

  He burst out laughing. “I didn’t mean for it to come out as an insult, Jacqueline. You know that.”

  “I know, but someone has to give you a hard time. What’s up?”

  “I wanted to stop by and see how you’re doing.” He accepted the cup of coffee she handed him.

  “I’m okay. Tired—as you kindly pointed out. School is going well, but I hate this time of year.”

  “I know what you mean. The holidays were great, but now nothing.”

  “At least I have spring break to look forward to,” she replied, leading him back into the living room where the fire created a cozy tableau. She took a seat on the couch, still not certain why he had come over. Caleb never did anything on the spur of the moment. Everything was always well thought out and planned. His small security company was a sure success because of this trait.

  He sat close beside her on the couc
h and placed his cup on the small table. She watched him and wondered what was going on. She hated to be off kilter in situations. But without some kind of clue, she was walking blind.

  “I did have a reason for stopping by without calling.” He turned to look at her. “What are you doing next weekend for Valentine’s Day?”

  “Well, Hugh Jackman called me and wants me to fly to New York to be with him,” Jack joked. “I told him I would have to get back with him because I might have something important to do like get my nails done or wash my hair.” At his look, she smiled. “Not a damn thing. I’m off on Friday because it’s a professional development day. Thankfully, since I’ve already been developed professionally this year, I have the day off. I’ll probably spend the weekend getting caught up on grading and complete my lesson plans for the following week. Why? What are you doing?”

  “I was hoping you would go with me.”

  “Go with you? Where?”

  “There’s this bed and breakfast Claire went on and on about. It has this small cottage behind the main house, and she was all excited. I made reservation at the end of the summer, you know, as a surprise. Now, I have the place reserved from Thursday evening to Sunday…” He trailed off.

  “And what?” Jacqueline asked, unsure of where the conversation was headed. “I don’t understand.”

  “Yeah, I’m not making myself real clear.” He leaned forward to place his hand on her knee. “I want you to go with me.”

  “Me?” She was stunned. What the hell? Why would he ask her?

  “Yeah, you. Jacqueline, you and I have been friends for going on two years now. Just because Claire and I broke up doesn’t mean we need to do the same. I think this might be a nice way to build our own relationship. We can spend some time together without the day-to-day shit.” He reached in his pocket and pulled out a brochure. “Why don’t you look this over and let me know. The town it’s in is small, but the place sits right on a lake. They even serve tea, which I know you’re into. Think about it. If you agree, we can leave as soon as you get out of school on Thursday. It only takes a couple hours so we should be there around six.”