Chapter 52

It felt like a long drive to get back home. Caleb was completely worn out by the time we reached his car in the parking lot, and although he said he was fine, I didn’t want him to drive after the ordeal he had gone through.

I turned the roof down to let the air clear my head, the cool wind whipping my hair across my face. Caleb had no response, and continued staring out the passenger’s side window.

“Was that really what happened?” I asked, glancing briefly at his expression.

“What?”

“What you said about the fake text message from Lucas, that I was in danger. Is that really why you ran out of the ballroom?”

He sighed, running a hand through his hair. “You’re my fiancee, Ruby.” He said. “The one thing that requires me to do is protect you. Especially from Lucas.”

I sank a little further into the seat, and pulled us into Caleb’s driveway. We sat in silence for a moment. I couldn’t think what to say.

I was conflicted. It was painful and terrible seeing him walk into the ballroom, beaten and bloody from a fight in the gardens. And knowing he had run into that danger to keep me safe…

But the fact still remained that even before he had received the message, he was distant and refused to speak honestly with me. I groaned, and leaned my head back.

“What was that about?” Caleb said, turning to look at me.

“Nothing,” I said, picking up my purse and sliding out the door.

“No, really, are you alright?” I was taken aback by the gentleness in his words, he reached out to grab my hand.

“It’s genuinely nothing, we both need to sleep. Good night, Caleb.”

He put a hand over my shoulder on the door, stopping me from pulling it open. “What is going on with you, Ruby? You’ve barely said anything to me the whole evening.”

“And whose fault is that,” I muttered under my breath. He flinched like I’d struck him.

“What?”

“You can’t possibly be confused about this. You spend the entire night angry with me for reasons I can’t begin to guess, and then you vanish on some quest to save me in the middle of the night?” I shake my hands wildly, “What am I supposed to think about any of that?”

I sigh, adjusting the shawl over my shoulders. “It was frustrating not having you to speak with. There were so many times I needed you to show up, and you didn’t. Even when I could see you across the room, you refused to work with me as your partner.”

“Ruby–”

“No! You always get the last word, but you have to listen to me this time.” I raised my chin to look him directly in his ocean-green eyes. “At this point, I don’t know what to believe. I want to trust you, I have to trust you if we are going to make this work as a team. But I can’t do that unless you stop putting up these walls around yourself!”

He rubbed his forehead, “You wouldn’t understand–”

“Just try!” I cried, not caring how loud my voice was echoing over the gardens. “We’ve been working through the politics of our marriage, we’ve dealt with the planning of the Alpha Ball, now please just talk to me about you. What is going on with you?”

“I’ve been afraid,” he started, quietly. His voice trailed off at the end, like his breath was too delicate to survive in the breezy air.

“Of what?” I pressed, staring into his face desperate for an answer.

“I thought you were going to turn back to Lucas.”

My jaw dropped, “You thought fucking what?”

He reached out to touch my arms, but I pulled them away, my back flush with the door.

“What is wrong with you?” I said, the temperature rising in my voice. The flashbacks of my past life shattered over my vision, my parents bloody, my unborn baby, my own soul leaving my body. “Haven’t you been listening this entire time? You know who he is, how could you ever think I would go back to him?”

“No, I–”

“Why can’t you just trust me?”

“Because I care about you!” He shouted, his fingers digging into my shoulders and leaving white marks around my neck.

I was stunned, frozen still as he lowered his head to rest on the straps of my gown. “Ruby, I was so scared of losing you tonight. To Lucas, to some criminal who wanted to steal you away from me.”

“Caleb, I’m right here.” I said, gently wrapping my fingers around the back of his head. “There’s no reason to be afraid.”

“Ruby…” He said, lifting his gaze to meet mine. Slowly and gently, he pressed his lips to my cheek, just to the left of my lips. Then he planted another soft kiss, on the right corner. Then one final, caressing kiss on my mouth.

I breathed him in, drawing in the dirty, floral scent into my lungs. “Caleb,” I murmured into his mouth, tugging him closer into me.

He reached behind me to twist the door handle, and I felt the hinges give way, but he grabbed my body before I could fall. With one arm he lifted me up and brought me into the main house. His hand pulled teasingly at my hair, revealing the sensitive part of my neck to his teeth.

I could barely tell we were moving up the stairs, I was completely dazed and hungry when he threw me onto his bed.

At first the kisses were sweet, but soon we began biting and nipping at each other, his hands running roughly over my skin and tearing at the fabric of my dress. It was forgotten on the floor.

I undid his shirt buttons clumsily, unwilling to break the kiss that so much had built up to. I clambered to my knees to reach his tie, but he pushed me back down on the bed, and pulled the final string out himself.

His cock sprung free of his pants, and I ran my fingertips over his pulsing length. “Please,” I said, wrapping my hand around the base of the shaft and guiding him into me. “Please, Caleb.”

His eyes darkened, and he positioned himself over me. I cried out in pleasure as he entered me, one hand gently circling my clit while the other held the back of my neck possessively.

There was a delicious burning the closer I got to finishing, something that grew more intense with every thrust. It felt hot and tight in the depths of my stomach, like the mark Caleb placed on me all those weeks ago.

I could barely think as the climax passed over me, his cock wringing electric pleasure out of every inch of my body.

Caleb collapsed into my chest, and wrapped his arms tightly around my torso, tickling my ear with warm puffs of breath.