Haunted by Cheryl Douglas Read Free Book Online

seeing him all day. Plus Donny could be volatile when
provoked, and she knew he would love nothing more than for her or Caleb to
start something with him so he could splash it across the front page of his
magazine. “He’s a reporter for some gossip rag.”
    Caleb glared at Donny. “Sounds like you
don’t have much use for him. Has he given you reason?”
    “He’s pushy, arrogant, and aggressive,”
Elle said, touching Caleb’s face to turn his attention back to her. “But enough
about him. I’d much rather talk about you… and me.”
    “Hmm, I like the sound of that.” He leaned
in, brushing his mouth against her cheek. “I fell asleep thinking about you
last night.”
    Elle felt butterflies flitting around her
stomach, a feeling she hadn’t had since her crush on the pitcher of her high
school baseball team. She tried to remain cool and detached with men to keep
her heart from being broken, but something about Caleb made her want to lower
her defenses. “I’ve been thinking about you too. In fact, you kind of inspired
a song today.” She hadn’t planned to tell him about “One More Kiss.”“I
think it’s better than anything I’ve written in a long time.”
    He smiled. “Tell me about it.”
    She didn’t like to talk about her music.
She preferred to let it speak for itself. “Maybe I’ll play it for you sometime.
In the meantime, I think I’d rather keep you guessing.”
    He edged his chair closer until their knees
were touching. “See, I’m kind of the opposite. When I’m into a woman, I prefer
laying it all out there, letting her know how I feel. That way, if she’s not
into me, I won’t have to waste my time.”
    “I’m into you,” Elle said quietly, looking
him in the eye.
    “Oh yeah?”
    He was clearly taunting her, but she loved
it. “Yeah.”
    “So when can we go on a real date? Not that
I mind watching your back…” He leered at her chest, making her roll her eyes as
she tried not to smile. “Or your front. But I’d love to take you out and spend
some quiet time just getting to know you better.”
    “Isn’t that what we did last night at my
place?” She would love to go out with him, but she feared dinner at a
restaurant would result in him trying to run interference between her and
autograph seekers.
    “Your schedule is clear this weekend,
right?”
    “I’d planned on holing up at home and
working on the album. Not that I couldn’t be talked into a break. What did you
have in mind?”
    “Why don’t we spend the weekend at my condo
in Islamorada?” He grinned like a little boy who was convinced he’d made an
impressive discovery. “Come on, it’s perfect this time of year, and you’d have
all the privacy you need. Nothing gets the creative juices flowing like a walk
on the beach, am I right?”
    Elle thought about how great it would feel
to lie on a towel on warm white sand, reveling in the warmth of the sun and the
solitude as they listened to the roar of the ocean. “It sounds amazing, but…”
It seemed too early in their relationship to contemplate an overnight date.
    He held up both hands. “Just so we’re
clear, I’m not pushing for anything. There are two guest bedrooms, and you’re
welcome to use one of them.”
    She winced. “Am I that transparent?”
    “It’s no secret that I’m attracted to you,
but I can understand why you would want to take this slow. Women in your
position have to be careful and discreet. I get that.”
    And because he was so patient and
understanding, Elle leaned in to plant a soft kiss on his lips. She didn’t care
about the flash of cameras or the circle of photographers who had formed around
the security guards. The only thing that mattered was letting Caleb know he’d
said exactly what she needed to hear. “I’d love to go away with you. Thank
you.”
    “It’s going to be amazing,” he said,
touching his forehead to hers. “You’ll see.”
     
    ***
     
    Caleb was leaning against the bar making
small talk