Be Mine Read online

  Caleb snapped his cell phone shut, smiling. Jacqueline had finally called and agreed to go with him. The rush of pleasure he got from hearing her voice had intensified when she told him she would go to the B&B. He sat back in his chair and twirled the phone absently in his hand. He had to make plans. He wanted the weekend to be great. He had to get wine for her, since she liked the stuff, beer for himself, maybe some snacking kind of foods, and flowers. Definitely had to get her some flowers. It was Valentine’s Day after all, and a beautiful woman like Jacqueline deserved them. Roses, maybe, but not in a vase. Something more, something special.

  “What’s going on?” Jason, his partner and friend, cut into his thoughts.

  “That was Jacqueline. She said she’d go with me next weekend.”

  Jason eyed him from across the office they shared. “Cal, do you know what you’re doing? She’s your ex-fiancée’s best friend and you’re inviting her to go away for the weekend with you. Buddy, you need to get over Claire and move on. Look, I know this girl named Debbie, I think you’ll flip over her. Blonde, hot, built like a brick shithouse and a total freak in bed.”

  Caleb shook his head. “No thanks. I’m not interested.”

  “Not interested? In sex? With a totally hot babe? Come on, let me tell you she can suck your lungs right out your dick and you won’t mind it a bit.”

  Cal gave a small laugh. “Jason, I’m interested in sex, but not with the blonde vacuum cleaner.”

  “Bud, Claire broke up with you. It’s over. You need to quit thinking about her and move on.”

  He shook his head. “None of this has anything to do with Claire. I’m over her. Hell, I was probably over her before she broke the engagement.”

  “What’s the deal?”

  Caleb didn’t answer. What was the deal? Before he would have loved to go out with Jason’s blonde. Hell, he would have loved fucking the blonde, but now it didn’t even appeal. The only person he could think about was Jacqueline. Jacqueline with the thick brunette hair, long legs and fantastic tits. Jacqueline of the quirky sense of humor and gentle personality. God, he couldn’t stop thinking about her. Couldn’t stop wanting her. And none of it had to do with Claire and everything to do with Jacqueline.

  “Damn, you have it bad.” Jason broke through his thoughts. “Don’t you think getting involved with her is a bad idea?”

  Slowly, he shook his head. “No, it might be one of the best I’ve had. Either way I’m going to find out.”

  “Man, I hope you don’t regret it.”

  “I won’t,” Caleb said with certainty. “The only thing I’d regret is not going. And no matter what, Jacqueline and I are both going to be at the B&B at the end of the week. And I plan on us having a weekend neither one will forget.”

  Be Mine

  Chapter Four

  By Thursday, Jack felt as if she had been strung up and left to die. She had promptly called Caleb and accepted his invitation after her conversation with Claire. Now, she was having second thoughts. Screw second thoughts, tenth or fifteenth thoughts. At least four times a day she reached for the phone to call him and cancel. But something or someone always stopped her. She couldn’t back out now since he was coming to pick her up right after school. She had even tried leaving a message for him on his voice mail, but he had never called her back. Part of her was thankful, but the other half wanted to whimper and hide.

  “How are you doing?” Lisa stuck her head in as the last student left the room.

  “Can I say how quickly this week went?” Jack tried to smile, but failed miserably. “Am I out of my fucking mind? I must have been smoking crack when I told him I would go with him. I have a lot to do this weekend. I can’t go running off and play at some bed and breakfast.”

  “If you’re trying out the arguments you’re going to use on him, they’re crappy lame. In fact, they suck out loud.”

  “Really? I thought they sounded pretty good.” She slid lower in her chair.

  Lisa sat on her desk and smiled. “Look, nothing can happen unless you want it to. Jack, you’ve known him for about two years. If he was some crazed rapist I’m sure you would have figured it out by now. Since he’s not, whatever happens or doesn’t happen is totally up to you. Personally, girl, I’d grab that stallion and ride him.”

  Jack shook her head in wonder. “Where the hell do you get this shit?”

  “I don’t know. I make it up. I’m thinking of putting it on a bumper sticker, what do you think?”

  “I think you’re on crack too.”

  Lisa burst out laughing. “No, but I will be on chips and salsa as soon as the day is done. And you, my lucky friend, will be on her way to a wonderful place with a hunk. Don’t let him go to waste. Put him to work for you. He’ll never need batteries and you won’t have to charge him.”

  “Great, thanks for the shit advice. At least with the battery-operated deal you don’t have to have a conversation.”

  “Who said you had to have one with this guy? All you have to do is nod every so often. Boys don’t care, they mostly like to hear themselves talk.”

  Before Jacqueline could reply the phone in her classroom rang. She picked it up and was told she had a visitor in the office. As she hung up, she could feel her palms get sweaty and her stomach roll and pitch. She couldn’t do this. She would go down and tell him she couldn’t go. Something with a student had come up and she had to cancel.

  “If you think of skipping out on him, I will hound you till you die. Then I’ll tell him you’re a big fat lying head,” Lisa warned her. “Now get your shit together and get downstairs.”

  Jack nodded and slowly began to gather her things. Locking her classroom, she and Lisa went down the stairs. As they reached the bottom, she could see Caleb standing in the office. Damn, he looked way good. He was dressed casually in jeans and an old leather jacket, which had seen better days. He was talking on his cell phone and didn’t see their approach. She was able to watch without him noticing and, wow, was the view great. He stood with one hand in the pocket of his jeans, which pulled the material taut across his butt. And did he have a good one.

  “He is hot,” Lisa whispered. “You’d be a fool to even think of not going with him. And, girl, if he wants to get naked, get your clothes off. He looks like he would be well worth the effort.”

  He turned to face the girls, like he sensed he was being watched. A slow smile spread over his face and Jacqueline answered with a smile of her own. As if his smile fixed something, Jack was glad she had accepted his invitation. Here was Caleb, her friend. The friend who had laughed and talked with her and even brought her soup when she had been sick. He hadn’t been her friend only because of his engagement to Claire. They were friends because they got along and had fun together.

  “Have a good time.” Lisa nudged her. “Remember what I told you.”

  “I will.”

  Lisa hurried off to her classroom as Caleb came out of the office toward her. Wow, he looked even better close up. But he always had.

  Caleb walked out of the office toward Jacqueline. Damn, she looked good enough to eat. She was all dressed in her conservative teacher wear and he wondered what she had on under it. He knew she had a thing for pretty lingerie, since she and Claire were always going through catalogs and ordering online. Unlike Claire’s petite build, Jacqueline was lush and athletic. Even engaged, he had noticed how beautiful she was. Hell, he had been engaged not dead. And a guy would have to be dead to not notice Jacqueline. He always wondered why she didn’t have a boyfriend, but was glad now she didn’t. He’d hate to have to scare someone off, but now he didn’t have to. He would have her all to himself the whole weekend.

  “How are you doing?” He hugged her close. “Ready to go?”

  “I’m good. I need to sign out and get my things.”

  He kept a possessive hand on her waist as he followed her back to the office. Once he touched her, he didn’t want to stop. He knew she had called earlier and he had purposely ignored the call
since he was almost positive she was going to try and back out. No matter what, he wasn’t going to let it happen. He was getting her to go with him if he had to tie her up and carry her. The thought of Jacqueline tied naked to a bed made him instantly hard. He wanted her and he was going to do whatever was necessary to convince her of the same.

  Jacqueline disappeared into the back offices and reappeared in moments wearing her coat and carrying a small suitcase. Caleb stepped forward to relieve her of it and waited while she wished everyone a great weekend. Soon they were tucked into his SUV and headed out of the parking lot. She sat quietly beside him and he decided not to press her for conversation. He wanted her to get used to the two of them being alone together. The sooner they were comfortable, the better things would go. And he did want her to enjoy the weekend.

  He thought back to the conversation he had with Jason before he left the office. The whole idea of hanging out with Jack to be close to Claire had made him sick. Who would not want Jacqueline? She was a sexy, beautiful woman. Even if the men in her life before didn’t realize it. Better for him, they didn’t. He and Claire were long over. Fuck, they had been over before she had broken the engagement. He knew they had both realized it too. But for some reason they held on, probably because it was comfortable for both of them more than anything. He had been more than a bit relieved when she finally gave him the ring back and called it quits.

  “You called me today.” He finally broke the silence. “I’m sorry I didn’t get a chance to call you back. I was trying to get everything squared away before we left. I didn’t want Jason to have any reason to call me while we were gone.” He glanced over at her, wondering if she would tell the truth or fib. But Jack was honest to a fault, as she often reminded him. Don’t ask her opinion unless you want it.

  “I’m glad you didn’t. I was going to tell you I couldn’t go.”

  “Why?”

  She shrugged. “You and I have been friends for almost two years. But it was always a three-way relationship. Being alone with you… I don’t know. I guess I was worried we wouldn’t have anything to talk about. You know, like suddenly we’d have nothing in common.”

  He laughed. “Jacqueline, you and I have never lacked for conversation. Claire often said we sometimes didn’t even realize she had left the room we were so busy talking.”

  “Arguing?” she supplied with a smile.

  “That too, you and I differ on some of our opinions. I don’t think either of us will find ourselves sitting in silence for long.”

  Once the ice had been broken, conversation flowed easily. Caleb relaxed as he and Jacqueline settled back into a normal rhythm. They talked on topics as diverse as politics and religion. Eventually, the talk moved to her teaching and his company. As she spoke, Caleb found himself actually smiling for no reason other than they were together. He hoped the rest of the weekend went as well or better. Especially since he wanted to do a whole lot more with her than sit and talk. He wanted Jacqueline, and as the miles sped by, he found he could very easily picture her spread naked on the bed under him. He shoved those images aside for now. He didn’t need to get into a wreck because he couldn’t keep his mind on the road. For now, he would ease back and let things go at their own pace. They had plenty of time for other things later.

  Jack wondered for the twelfth time what she had been worrying about. Initially, the trip had been awkward, but once they started talking she forgot all about the worries. She and Caleb were on a trip. Two friends on a trip. Friends? Once again, the question came up—did she want her relationship with Caleb to be only friendly? And once again, she wasn’t sure of the answer. After the conversation with Claire, she knew she wanted him even more. Did Claire exaggerate about his size? Jack highly doubted it, since her friend was a real no nonsense type. And she knew as long as they had been friends they had never lied to one another. There wasn’t a reason. They were both no bullshit kind of people, honest to the point of extreme.

  Jack smiled thinking back to a night not too long ago when she and Claire were getting ready to go out. Claire had come out of her bedroom wearing jeans and a pair of boots. She had spun in front of Jacqueline and asked her what she thought. Jack, as always, did not hold back one bit.

  “Those pants make your ass look huge.”

  “You’re kidding.” Claire turned as if to see her own butt.

  “Nope, it looks about this big.” She held her hands up to show an impossibly large measure.

  “Well, fuck, I guess I’ll throw these pants out.” Back she had gone to change into a skirt, which Jack told her looked awesome.

  But if she tried her deadly honesty on Caleb would he appreciate it? Hell, she wasn’t even sure she wanted to. She almost laughed at her indecision. This had never happened to her before. She usually made up her mind quickly and jumped right in. Figuring out the situation was giving her a headache. She decided to let things go without any planning. If sex did somehow come up, which she doubted it would, she’d make the decision in the moment. It was ridiculous to try to plan for something that may or may not happen.

  Caleb pulled the vehicle into the small parking area of Willow Creek. It was later than he had planned on arriving, but he and Jack had been having so much fun at dinner the time had flown. He glanced at his watch—nearly eight. He hoped someone would be up to take care of them, since bed and breakfasts were nothing like the hotels he was used to staying in.

  “Don’t move,” he told her as he exited the vehicle. He came around to her side and opened the door. Normally, she moved so quickly he didn’t have a chance to give her the courtesy.

  “Thanks,” she smiled. “You didn’t have to get my door.”

  “Yes, I did.” He pulled their bags from the back. “I know you’re used to doing things on your own, but I want to at least attempt to be a gentleman.”

  She laughed. “Fair enough. And thank you.”

  He locked the car and ushered her to the well-lit front porch. The home was grand with a wrap-around porch large enough to hold chairs and tables in warmer weather. Maybe if they had a good time they could come back again. Caleb was going to do his best to convince her anyway. He still wasn’t sure what was going on, but ever since the broken engagement—shit, he had to admit, before it—he enjoyed spending time with Jacqueline. But since the engagement was over, he had spent more time thinking about her. Wanting her. He didn’t want to fuck up their friendship, but damn he had it bad. He not only wanted her naked; he wanted her subject to his every whim. He wanted her to scream while he ate her out. He wanted to watch her take his dick in her mouth and suck it like her favorite watermelon Popsicle.

  He kept her in front of him as his jeans got tighter. Shit, he had to get his mind out of the gutter, at least until they got to the room. Wouldn’t do for the whole world to see his hard on, especially the nice lady he talked to on the phone. He opened the door and allowed Jacqueline to enter first. The entry was spacious with a flight of stairs to the left and a modest desk to the right. A woman who looked to be in her early fifties waited for them with a smile on her face.

  “Welcome, welcome to Willow Creek. I’m Amanda Hayden. You must be the Sinclairs. I got worried when you weren’t here an hour ago.”

  “We stopped for dinner and lost track of time,” Cal told her as he placed the luggage at his feet.

  “As long as nothing bad happened. The weather this time of year is tricky. Oh heavens,” she fluttered about, “I’m sure you don’t want to stand here talking with me. Let me get your signature and I’ll show you to the cottage.”

  Cal quickly signed the guest book and took the key. “Why don’t you tell us where we need to go? I’d hate for you to have to come back here in the dark.”

  The woman hesitated. “Well, if you’re sure it would be okay?”

  Jacqueline spoke up. “Of course it’s okay. Who’d want to go out in the cold if you didn’t have to? We’ll be fine.”

  “You two are so sweet.” She led them through a large
dining room to a small side door. “This is your entrance since you’re staying in our cottage. Breakfast is served at nine-thirty and is quite good, if I do say so myself. Everything you need is in the cottage and if not, dial zero to ring me on the phone.

  “All you need to do is go down the side steps and follow the walkway around to the back. Go through a gate and it will lead you right to your front door. You two have a wonderful stay.”

  Caleb and Jacqueline thanked her as they went back out into the cold. He kept close to her as they walked a well-lit path through the trees. In the spring, he imagined, it was probably beautiful. Now it was dark and cold. Finally, they reached a small green garden gate, which Jack opened. Before them on the path was the cottage. It was already lit and looked warm and cozy. He couldn’t see much in the darkness, but thought it was probably what his mother always called quaint. He hoped like hell it was as warm as it looked. When the sun went, the tiny bit of warmth the day held did too. It was now bone-chillingly cold.

  Jacqueline’s teeth chattered as he opened the door and let her go in first. The warmth of a small living room greeted them and he heard her sigh. That one sound made his cock hard again. Damn, if he didn’t watch out, he’d end up coming in his pants, which hadn’t happened since he was twelve looking through his father’s Playboy magazines.

  The living room held a large couch he knew rolled out to a bed and two plush chairs. A television sat tucked into a rustic entertainment center, which also held a small stereo. Through a set of French doors was the only bedroom. A massive four-poster bed of rich dark wood dominated the room, set against a creamy yellow wall. A huge fireplace dominated the wall across from the bed, and he could tell right away it was gas. There would be no messing with wood and matches on this trip. The floor was hardwood, but had thick throw rugs to comfort feet on a cold morning. A large wardrobe and two nightstands completed the room. The only thing missing was the view from the floor to ceiling windows. He knew from talking to the owner they would have an unhampered view of the lake. Since it was February, heavy burgundy drapes were drawn tight against the cold.