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Her shoulder bumped against his. Had she done that on purpose? Did she have any idea the havoc her casual touches were wreaking on his heart rate, or the way his brain interpreted her signals? Go time!
“Monday is our day, Caleb. We can practice and record the song next Monday.”
She probably meant Monday was their collaboration day, but he preferred to interpret her words as meaning they owned a day together. Warmth spread from the center of his chest outward, and he had to shove his hands into the front pockets of his jeans to stop himself from reaching for her hand. “Great. I really liked the Mexican restaurant we went to tonight. I’ll find someplace new we can try out on Monday. How does that sound?”
“Sounds perfect.” She glanced at him, and the ocean breeze sent strands of hair across her face.
Aw, hell. He couldn’t help himself. He reached out and brushed the silky strands from her face. Gliding his knuckles across the softness of her cheek, he tucked her hair behind her ear. Her lips parted, and she let loose a tiny gasp. Her eyes met his and held. Time froze. Words were beyond him, and he lost himself in the depths of her riveting gaze.
“Mommy, Mommy,” Jeremy called. “Look what we found.” He held out a stick with a gelatinous blob at the end.
The spell broke, and Theresa stepped away from him. Caleb released a long, slow breath, bringing his lust back under control.
“Eww, gross, Jeremy,” Theresa said even as she laughed. “That’s a dead jellyfish.”
“Yeah, I know.” He beamed. “Isn’t it cool?”
Charlie joined his brother. “Elli says jellyfish make up forty percent of the ocean’s population.”
Elli joined them, holding Sully’s leash. “It’s true.” She nodded. “I learned that on a documentary I watched.”
“I don’t doubt it,” Caleb said, ruffling Charlie’s hair. “Should we head back? The sun is setting.”
“I don’t wanna go. I wanna find more stuff on the beach.” Jeremy looked from him to his mom.
“It’s past your bedtime, kiddo. We’ll do this again.” Theresa took the stick from him. “This is not coming with us in the car by the way.” She tossed the stick with the blob still attached to the end.
“You promise we’ll do this again?” Charlie asked, glancing toward the prize his mom had just thrown away.
“I promise.” Theresa grinned at Caleb before turning back to her sons.
He took that grin and her look to mean he’d be included, and his insides reacted accordingly. Elli seemed to be having difficulty preventing Sully from going after the stick and dead jellyfish. “I’ll take him,” Caleb said, holding his hand out.
“Thanks,” the au pair said, relinquishing the leash to him.
“How much does this guy weigh now, anyway?” he asked. “He seems to have doubled in size since you got him.”
“He has grown quite a bit.” Theresa walked along beside him, Jeremy’s hand in hers. Charlie picked up pieces of driftwood and threw them toward the ocean as he walked along beside them. “He’s over thirty pounds now, and the vet says he’ll likely weigh fifty to sixty by the time he’s fully grown,” she said.
“How’s the trainer working out?” he asked.
“Really well, but only when we use what she calls the alpha voice.” She snorted. “Which clearly isn’t often enough.”
“Sully, heel,” Caleb commanded, his tone firm. The puppy dropped back to Caleb’s side and kept pace with him. “Good boy. He’s smart.”
“Yep. Smart enough to behave only when commanded to.” Theresa laughed.
Caleb loved the sound of her laughter, which was almost as mesmerizing as her singing voice. He didn’t want this evening to end, and that realization rattled him. Dangerous things, these feelings.
He’d sworn never to risk his heart again, and here he was struggling against the pull Theresa exerted on that most vulnerable organ. It might be time to call his support group friends and request a meeting. In fact, he’d do that the minute he got home. He needed objective advice. Relying on his own angel and devil—clearly the devil had won this round—might lead to disaster, and another disaster would finish him.
* * *
Theresa studied Caleb as they strolled along the beach, heading back to the car. Something had shifted between them. He’d looked at her differently. His lingering glances seemed to hold more than friendly warmth. When he’d placed his hand at the small of her back, a thrill had tripped up her spine. And what about the way his knuckles had brushed her cheek? Her entire being had tingled with anticipation. Unexpected desire had coursed through her, leaving her wanting to be closer, wanting more.
That had never happened before. Sex with David had been fine but mostly obligatory. Sometimes it had even been satisfying if her husband had been in a generous mood. Still, she’d never felt a jolt with David like the one she’d just experienced with Caleb.
Was she imagining things that weren’t truly there? Were her hormones simply surging back to life now that some of the stress had abated? She had no way of knowing. Caleb was her first male friend. Maybe touching came easily to him, and it didn’t mean anything other than casual affection for a friend.
