AllFreeNovel
Share Us
* * *
Gwendolyn
“Baby,” he calls me. “Gwen, I’ve got a call out. I have to go.”
I roll to find Caleb out of bed, tucking in his shirt and staring down at me. It’s taking me a second to process. I like to wake up slow and easy. I flip on the bedside lamp. “Call out?”
“Yeah. There’s been an incident. I need to go to the scene. I wouldn’t have woken you, but I’m not sure what time I’ll be back, and I didn’t want to leave without letting you know.”
This is what he does. He runs into dangerous situations to save people like me every day. I watch as he pulls on his boots.
“Can you call me when it’s over?” I ask. I don’t want to sound like a clingy girlfriend, but I’m worried about him.
He pulls on his jacket and leans down, hauling me up to my knees in my bed. A firm hand comes to the back of my head, and he kisses me hard and fast. “I didn’t want to wake you up, but if you want that, I’ll call.” He drops his mouth over mine once more, this time softer, our tongues tangle, and I moan when he ends our kiss.
“Call,” I beg. A strand of hair falls over his eyes, and I move it out of the way. “Be careful. Come home safe.”
Caleb gives me a grin. “You got it. I need you to lock up behind me, then try to get back to sleep.”
I follow him out to the kitchen and grab my spare key. I walk him to the door and place the key in his palm. It’s too soon. Maybe I’m crazy, but I know what I feel. Since the moment I saw Caleb sauntering up to the house next to mine, I was mesmerized by him. Even when he was shouting at me, I couldn’t help but hope that one day we could become friends. I wanted him to like me, really like me, but I would have settled for a friendship.
My life was turned upside down, but I would have gone through the whole hostage ordeal again as long as things ended just as they are right now.
“Are you sure?” he asks, glancing at the key in his hand.
“I am. I trust you,” I whisper.
“You humble me. Later, when I get back, I’m going to show you how much this means to me,” he says with a glint in his eye. Then he’s gone.
Sleep eludes me. I snuggle on the sofa, but after flipping through the channels a dozen times, I decide there’s nothing worth watching and pull out a novel I started last week but haven’t had the energy to pick up again after a busy week. The novel is about a murderous ex-wife who plots to kill the man who divorced her for a younger woman. A great read, but gruesome. When I start reading the same page over and over, I know it’s time to try to get some sleep and plod off back to bed.
* * *
A nagging knocking on my door pulls me out of a blissful slumber. After being awakened a little after two in the morning and not being able to get back to sleep until nearly four, I’m cranky and groggy. I reach over and look at the clock. It’s ten!
Well, hells bells! I can’t get mad at anyone considering half the morning’s gone. I grab my housecoat and pat down my wild morning hair as I traipse through the living room to the front door. Through the window, I see the silhouettes of three women. I can also hear them murmuring.
“Maybe she’s not home?” the tallest of the three says.
“She’s home,” says another.
“How do you know?” comes the response.
“Her car is in the drive.”
A new voice pipes up and says, “Caleb’s going to be mad.”
“About what?” asks the first woman. At the mention of Caleb’s name, I open the door.
“Is Caleb all right?” I demand. The three women, all very pretty, I might add, look at one another before the petite blonde speaks up.
“Oh God. We didn’t mean to scare you. Caleb’s fine. Really good,” she answers. “I’m Chloe. I’m Damian’s wife. Damian works with Caleb.” I nod, and she goes on. “This is Sabrina, Alex’s fiancée.” She indicates her friend to one side. Sabrina has darker chestnut hair and amazing green eyes and a wonderful smile.”
“Hi, Sabrina.”
“This is Jasmine. She’s Zeke’s girl.” Jasmine has lovely green eyes too, not quite the same depth of green as Sabrina’s, but they complement her auburn hair and svelte body. I’m totally jealous of her model physique.
“We don’t mean to disturb you, but can we come in for a minute?” Chloe asks. I open the door wider and let them through.
