Breaker - A Fake Boyfriend Romance (Criminal Passions Book 3) Read online

  “You can tell?” I asked with a grin. “You know, you’re so good at reading people I almost feel like it’s unfair. It’s like I’m sitting here across from you totally naked.”

  It was a figure of speech, but the idea got me thinking about what it would actually be like to be naked with him. I could only imagine what he looked like under that suit, toned and lean…

  “You okay over there?” he asked. “Looked like you were a million miles away.”

  My face felt hot, and a glance at the mirror behind the bar revealed that my cheeks had gone a deep red. Shit. As hard to read as Caleb might have been, I felt like the opposite.

  “Just trying to figure out how to answer your question,” I said quickly. It was a lie, and there was a good chance Caleb knew.

  Mercifully, he humored me.

  “It’s not an easy one,” he said. “Most people go their whole lives without ever being true to what they really want.”

  “You think so?”

  “I do. People get wrapped up in avoiding all the things they’re afraid of—not being successful, having as much stuff as their neighbors, looking like a success in the eyes of other people. They make the safe choices, the choices that will satisfy basic needs but not much else. Then, by the time it’s too late to do anything, they realize that they’ve wasted so much of their life, never to get it back.”

  He was right. Caleb wasn’t much older than me, but the man was wise beyond his years.

  “Take you, for example. Imagine if you’d never thought about what you wanted. You’d have gone to med school, kicked ass, and ended up some successful doctor, probably married to some other successful doctor. The years would go by, and one day you’d look up and realize that you never wanted any of it. Everything that you’d been working so hard for was nothing more than what other people wanted for you.”

  “That’s what I was afraid of.”

  “But you don’t need to worry about that. You made the hard choice. You figured out what you didn’t want before you ended up years into a path that would’ve made you unhappy. In a way, you’re head-and-shoulders above the rest.”

  He seemed to know just what to say to flatter me, to make me feel special. I trusted him, and felt closer to him than I had any right to after such a short amount of time.

  He sipped his drink, then raised a finger with his free hand as he set the drink down. “But figuring out what you don’t want is only half the battle. Now you have to figure out what you want.”

  I sat back, my head slightly swimming from the drink. “I don’t even know where to begin with that. I’ve been spending so much time thinking about not getting my head bitten off by my dad that I hadn’t even considered it.”

  I shook my head, realizing what kind of situation I was in.

  “And what about you and me?” I asked.

  He cocked his head to the side. “There’s a you and me?”

  “Well, in pretend land, there is. What do I do when my dad wants to see you again? What do I do when he asks how the restaurant is coming along?”

  “That’s why it’s important that you figure out what you want. I’ve bought you some time—maybe a month or two. And if you’re on a path you’re happy with, you can tell your dad that things didn’t work out between us, but he still doesn’t need to worry about you.”

  “It all seems like a hell of a lot.”

  “It is. But you’ll be fine. I have total confidence that you’ll be a success.”

  Though I’d only known him for a short time, his words somehow meant a lot. I smiled, feeling at ease.

  Then he leaned forward and put his hand on my leg.

  We weren’t acting any longer—there was no reason for him to do it. But I didn’t move away. His touch felt good, felt right.

  His hand was big and just a little rough on my bare skin. A wave of something hot rushed through me as he touched me, those steely eyes on mine.

  “All you have to do is figure out what you want. Simple stuff, really. It’s only a matter of putting aside what other people want for you. Play by your own rules. Be daring.”

  In another life Caleb could’ve been a motivational speaker. That, or a consummate seducer.

  Was that what was happening to me? Was I getting wrapped up in his spell, rushed away by his charm?

  Or was what was happening something real?

  I sipped my drink, trying to collect my thoughts. As I did, I started to realize what I wanted. And he was sitting right across from me.

  “Tell me, Caleb,” I said. “How do you figure out what you want?”

  “I go with my instincts.”

  “And…what are your instincts saying right now?”

  He smiled. “Well, sometimes you think long-term. And sometimes you think short-term. My mind’s in a short-term kind of mood right now.”

  “What kind of ‘short-term’ desires do you happen to have?”

  He didn’t flinch. “They have to do a hell of a lot with the woman sitting across from me.”

  “Is that right?” My heart thudded in my chest. At that moment Caleb had a hold on me that no other man had before.

  “Maybe we’d be breaking the rules, sure. But like I said, sometimes you have to say ‘to hell with it’ and take what you want.”

  His hand moved further up my leg, the tips of his fingers disappearing underneath the hem of my dress. My chest heaved again, arousal coursing through me.

  “I think that’s what I want, too.”

  “You think?”

  “I know.”

  His hand traveled another few inches, right to the boundary of what might be appropriate in public. He was sending a message; one I was reading loud and clear.

  “Then,” he said, “we should take this to a more appropriate venue.”

  “I’m with you on that.”

  Caleb called for the check, slipped a pair of bills into the book, and the two of us were off. He took my hand as we made our way outside of the bar, and he flagged down the nearest cab.

  The moment we were alone in the back, it was on. Caleb and I turned to one another, and he didn’t waste a second before pouncing on me. His lips locked with mine, and as soon as they did, another rush of heat ran through my body.

  His kiss was intense, but in the best way possible. We opened our mouths at the same time, our tongues teasing one another’s as his hands moved over my body. This time, he made no effort to hold back how much he wanted me.

  The cab took us through the streets of Baltimore. I was totally intoxicated, but it wasn’t from the alcohol. Caleb had cast a spell on me, one that I couldn’t resist.

  I moaned through the kiss, opening my legs and letting him move between them. He was hard, his erection pressing against my inner thigh. Feeling it made me keenly aware of what was happening, the direction we both were moving.

  I’d never had a one-night stand before. Hell, I could count the number of men I’d been with on one hand and still have fingers left. What was it about Caleb that made him so irresistible? How had he gone from total stranger to the man I wanted inside of me so quickly?

  We continued kissing, the cab coming to a stop in front of a nondescript building. Caleb took another pair of bills out of his wallet and handed them over to the driver.

  “For the trouble,” he said with a grin. I knew exactly what kind of “trouble” he was talking about. And it was trouble I wanted to get in over and over again.

  He opened the door and got out, extending his hand to me and helping me out of the cab. We made our way to the building, Caleb opening the lock and then holding the door open.

  The building caught my attention. It was just as nondescript inside as out…almost run-down. But I didn’t have much time to take in the sights. Caleb led me up the stairs—there being no elevator also caught my attention. Not that I was such a princess that I didn’t want to go up some stairs, but more that I would’ve expected a successful businessman like him would’ve lived in a place that had one, maybe
even a doorman, too.

  No matter. We were soon at his apartment door. He opened it up and flicked on a light, bringing me into the place by my hand.

  The place was…simple. It was a small studio about the size of my apartment. Again, not that I was looking for luxury. It was just surprising.

  “Nice place,” I said. “Cozy.”

  He laughed. “Cozy is what people say about a place when they can’t think of anything nice to say.”

  I laughed too. He brought out what he knew was on my mind, defusing the tension.

  “Just not what I expected,” I said.

  “It’s a temporary place, so I got a cheap place quick. It’s only me, after all—no sense in spending a ton on an apartment that’s just going to be where I crash for the night.”

  It made some sense. Didn’t they say rich people got rich by knowing when to pinch pennies?

  The view was great, with the big window at the back of the studio looking out onto the city skyline. I stepped over to it, and Caleb joined me. He slipped his arm around my waist, pulling me close against his body. The feeling of him against me put any questions about his humble surroundings out of mind.

  He turned me toward me, looking down into my eyes.

  “This is all so strange,” he said. “I usually never do this.”

  “Same here. It’s…I don’t know how to describe it.”

  “Then let’s not worry about that. Let’s focus on what we’re feeling.”

  “I’m more than okay with that.”

  The city bright and brilliant behind us, Caleb leaned down and placed his lips on mine. Soon our tongues were interplaying again, his taste filling my mouth, overwhelming my senses.

  But now that we were in the privacy of his apartment, we didn’t need to worry about holding back.

  He slipped his fingers under the shoulder straps of my dress and gently tugged them down. I moved my hands from his broad, strong shoulders down, down, until I was at his waist, my hands resting on the cool metal of his belt buckle.

  I took off his suit jacket as he pulled my dress down, exposing my red, lacy bra, then my naked belly, and then the pair of matching thong panties I wore underneath. I was exposed, nearly naked. The dress fell to my heels, and I quickly kicked it away.

  One after another I opened the buttons of his shirt. Caleb and I kissed more and more, taking one bit of clothing off and then another. Once my bra was off, thrown in the same corner as the dress and his clothes, Caleb caressed my bare breasts, my nipples going hard with his touch. I moaned, tossing my hair back and sighing.

  His kiss traveled down, over my belly and to the waistband of my panties—the sole bit of clothing I still had on. Caleb put his fingers over the waistband and peeled my panties down, over my bare thighs and to my feet. I ran my hands through his thick, dark hair, tingles breaking out all across my body.

  When he rose, I didn’t waste any time getting him down to nothing but the black pair of boxer-briefs he wore under his slacks. His massive erection strained the fabric, and sexy little growls sounded from his throat as I teased him through his underwear.

  The moment he put his hands between my legs, I nearly went out of my mind.

  “You like when I touch you like that?” he growled into my ear, taking a brief respite from kissing me.

  “So, so much.” And I meant it.

  One hand still between my legs, Caleb put the other on the small of my back, gently laying me down on the mattress behind us. Then he positioned himself between my legs. I hurriedly pulled his boxer-briefs down, his member thick and stiff.

  Perfect. I wrapped my hands around it and guided him down between my legs. He moved his hand out of the way, and I was already wet and ready for him.

  “I’m clean,” he assured me.

  “Me too,” I said. “And I’m on the pill.”

  “Then you’re sure?”

  “I’m sure.”

  Nothing more to be said. His head still between my legs, Caleb pushed his hips down, entering me inch by inch.

  The feeling of him inside of me was like nothing else. Beyond words. It was almost like…he was meant to be inside of me, as crazy as it might’ve sounded.

  I moaned, wrapping my hips around him and guiding him deeper. Caleb was huge—easily the biggest I’d had, but I was so ready for him that he easily fit.

  Caleb locked eyes with me, gazing down in a heated, hungry fashion as he pulled back and drove deep again, then again.

  I dug my nails into the thick, muscular skin of his back. Just as I’d expected, Caleb was lean, yet toned and muscular all at the same time. His pecs were square and solid, his shoulders broad and brawny, and his stomach trim and cut.

  The pace of his thrusting built, and before too long I felt an orgasm draw closer. My eyes opened wide, my legs still wrapped around his body. My breasts shook with the impact of his body against mine, and every now and then I glanced down to watch the sight of him disappearing into me over and over again.

  “I’m…I’m gonna…” They were the only words I managed to get out before the orgasm exploded through my body. The pleasure was beyond compare, each bit of me lighting up with pure delight. I moaned, squirming underneath him.

  My full-body reaction must have tipped Caleb over the edge, because with a hard grunt and a series of forceful thrusts, he came, his member pulsing as he drained himself inside of me. The sensation of him coming at the same time pushed me to another level of pleasure.

  Soon the orgasms faded, Caleb thrusting one last time before letting his body settle on top of mine.

  I held him, and he held me. He rolled to my side and wrapped his arm around me, holding my body close against his. Then I closed my eyes and quickly was off into a deep, restful sleep.

  Chapter 8

  Caleb

  My eyes were bleary when I finally opened them, the sunlight pouring in through the massive back window of my apartment. For a moment, I forgot where I was, what I’d gotten up to last night. My sleep had been so deep and restful that it was almost like waking up from a coma.

  But the moment my vision cleared and I spotted Sierra at the counter of my small kitchen, a smile formed on my lips.

  I remembered.

  She wore nothing at all, her round hips swaying slightly from side to side as she did something I couldn’t make out. The woman was gorgeous, stunning. Her body was pure perfection, trim and slender yet shapely and curvy. I said nothing, simply watching her.

  She wasn’t totally nude, I realized. In her ears were a small pair of white headphones, tinny music playing as she worked. She sang softly to herself, her voice as lovely as the rest of her. The scent of coffee filled the air. It was about the best thing I could imagine waking up to.

  As much as I could’ve watched her all day, it felt a little unseemly to be ogling her like that. I yawned and stretched, catching her attention, and she turned around toward me. Sierra jumped in place a bit, her full breasts bouncing as she placed her hand on her chest. Then she plucked her earbuds out and placed them on the counter.

  “Morning!” I said, feeling energetic, even chipper.

  “Morning,” she said right back. Then she glanced down at her naked body. “Sorry—didn’t feel like putting anything on. I’m one of those weirdos who likes to hang around my place naked.”

  I stood up, just as nude as she was. My cock hung down low between my legs, stiffening by the second. I strode over to her, and by the time I was close I was fully erect.

  “If there’s one thing you don’t need to apologize for, it’s being naked.”

  She laughed. “Figured you might say something like that.”

  I placed my hands on her hips, her skin warm and soft.

  “Though if you’re feeling really apologetic about it, I can think of a way you might be able to make it up to me.”

  She grinned. “Is that right? What did you have in mind?”

  I pressed myself against her stomach. “I think you might know.”

&n
bsp; “Hmm. Sounds tempting. But aren’t you Mr. Important Businessman? Don’t you have a full day ahead of you?”

  Oh yeah—the little detail about how I’d spent the last night lying to her through my teeth. Her and her family, to be specific. But my attraction to her hadn’t been false in the slightest. More than that, it’d been about the most “real” thing I’d felt in a long time.

  “Nice thing about working for yourself is you make your own hours. Whatever I’ve got going on can wait. That is, unless you’ve got better things to do?”

  She wrapped her hand around me, sending a wave of pleasure running through my body.

  “You know, I can’t think of any other way I’d like to spend my time.” She began stroking me slowly. “Besides, I’m a med-school dropout now, remember? Got nothing but time on my hands.”

  I groaned. “Seems like time isn’t the only thing you’ve got on your hands.”

  She grinned. “Wow, witty even when you’ve got a girl touching you. Impressive.”

  “Thanks. But not sure how much longer I’ll be able to keep it up with you doing that.”

  “Then let’s find something better to do.”

  Sierra flashed me a smile before dropping down to her knees. She looked up at me as she continued to stroke me. Then she moved her head in, kissing the base of my erection and moving up, up along my length until she was at my end. Then she opened her mouth and took me inside of it, warm wetness surrounding me.

  I watched her pleasure me, inches of me vanishing into her mouth, my length glistening as she pulled her lips back. I’d gotten the impression she was inexperienced when it came to matters of love and sex, but she proved a natural at what she was doing.

  Her pace increased, the soft sounds of her lips against my skin floating up through the air. I knew if she kept that up, it wouldn’t be long before I’d lose control. But as much as the idea of her finishing me like that turned me on, I wanted more.

  I reached down, placing my hands underneath her arms and guiding her up to her feet.

  She smiled. “Feel good?”

  “You know it.”

  I placed my hands on her ass and lifted her body up, setting her down onto the countertop. I reached down to take hold of myself, but Sierra beat me to it.