Lead Me On by M.J. Schiller

Author:M.J. Schiller
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Kissmet Publishing
Published: 2023-08-25T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Caleb

The morning was great. We ate breakfast at a little café and ignored the fact that I’d be leaving the next day. As we walked back to her place, hand in hand, swinging our arms between us, my phone buzzed in my pocket and my heart dropped. I told myself it didn’t matter if I answered it or not.

She had become quiet.

I didn’t want to ask but I needed to. “Do you have to work today?” I’d already decided I would hang around the shop until her dad had me bodily removed.

She raised her head, peering down the sidewalk; the bookstore was half a block away. “No. I got someone to cover for me.”

“And how long do you think we have before your dad sends out someone to arrest me?”

She smiled at that. “I may have bought us some time. My mom texted as soon as the shop opened and D.J. showed up to work for me. I told her I was tired from everything that happened yesterday and wanted to take the day off.”

Our footsteps slowed, and I studied her for a moment. The sun made her hair glow like she was crowned with a halo, some celestial being sent to Earth. “Did that worry her?”

Her lips twitched. “Not after I assured her I didn’t have a headache, was not nauseous, could breathe well, had no pain...” She stopped abruptly. “Caleb, aren’t you going to answer that?”

“No.”

She looked away, then back. “What if it’s...something important?”

I lifted her knuckles to my mouth to kiss them, wondering for the zillionth time over the softness of her skin. “Nothing is more important than this right here.”

Instead of reassuring her, this seemed to aggravate her. She withdrew her hand, wrapping her arms around her middle. “You should answer it.”

I stared at her, not sure how to approach her and wondering what could be bothering her.

Like you don’t know.

The sharp buzzing continued. Like a fly caught between screen and window.

Who the hell is calling me? You’d think they would have given up by now.

I slid my phone out, read the screen, and hit the button to silence it.

“Wasn’t that Dakota?” She must have spied his name.

I brushed it off. “Yeah. It’s fine. He’ll leave a message.” We’d gotten to my Jeep. “Do you want to take a walk on the beach?”

She exhaled. “Sure. Yeah.”

I opened the door for her, and she climbed in wordlessly. As I walked around the vehicle, my phone buzzed again. I subtly tried to mute the ringer without removing it from my pocket.

“Did you tell anyone where you were going last night?”

“It’s none of their damned business.”

“But they might be worried for you, Caleb. Maybe they’re concerned something happened to you. You need to answer them or call them.”

The only one more persistent than Dakota Blackstone was the beautiful woman sitting next to me. I growled and fumbled to get the phone out. Dak was calling again. “What?” I barked into the receiver.

“Holy shit, man! You need to quit screwing and get back here and pack.

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