Page 71 of Play for Power (Central Sparks #3)

all right…say when

Rosie

T here was something that felt distinctly like someone’s fingers touching my nose and my upper lip that made me snap my eyes open, suddenly very awake.

It’s…Caleb?

“What are you doing here?” I whisper, my throat husky with sleep, but I remain frozen, staring wide-eyed at the intruder. He only stares back at me with a mix of confusion and alertness.

“In my own bed?” He raises a brow.

His bed? What— Oh shit!

I slept over.

I sit up so fast blood rushes from my head and I feel lightheaded for a moment. That or I’m losing my mind because I finally broke another rule. I look around his room, my hand coming to my forehead and blinking a couple times to make sure I’m not dreaming. I need to handle one problem at a time.

“Why were your fingers on my nose?” I ask, looking to him again before scanning the room and realizing I am not, in fact, hallucinating. I am in Caleb’s bed.

“You sleep like the dead.” He sighs, sitting up straighter.

“I’m aware.” I huff at him, once again looking around the room. Trying to find my—is that a bag of my stuff?

“Well, I don’t much like the thought of you dead, so I was checking for signs of life.” His tone is light.

“Right,” I say halfheartedly, while I plan my escape route, inching slowly to the edge of the bed.

“Rosie.” His voice, that voice. The sweet sin of it, skating down my spine like a sexual promise, has me shivering despite being in the throes of summer.

“Hmm?” I half look at him, giving an innocent smile while also trying to edge closer to the bed.

“You wouldn’t be about to escape now, would you?

” There he goes again, his voice slightly deeper and holding so much promise.

I can’t believe I stayed. I slept over. Like, actually slept, no hanky-panky and passed out after.

I just went and napped right on through to morning.

I can’t even believe my body relaxed enough to do that with someone else around me. That never happens. Ever.

“Escaping would imply that I’m held captive, which, last time I checked, was a felony.

” I am breathing heavy, whether it is part panic at my current state of unease or the fact that Caleb is giving me a serious case of fuck-me eyes, and I’m trying to work out why him holding me captive is turning me on.

“Are you holding me against my will, carino ?” His smile splits at my words as I slowly ease out of the covers, feeling my feet plant to the ground. I watch him slowly rise to do the same.

“Not against your will, no. But if you think I won’t chase you”—his chin dips as he eyes me like prey—“you’re dead wrong.”

Spicy hot desire whips through me at his words and the mental image they come with. I realize I am squirming, feeling the warmth spiral in my stomach and head south. And I wonder for a really brief second if this is like the woman’s version of morning wood.

“Why did you let me stay asleep.” I change the subject, not wanting to get distracted as I stand at the edge of the bed. Caleb mirrors my motions and stands on the opposite side, like some kind of Mexican standoff.

“Yesterday was rough, you looked at peace. And selfishly, I liked having you stay. In my bed.” I don’t miss the gentle smile across his face, hiding the original look of bedroom eyes.

“I slept better than I have in weeks with you next to me.” And then his eyes find mine again, and the longing in their deep navy depths nearly has me climbing back into his bed.

“Plus, the no-sleepover rule was stupid. We’re no longer a secret or nonexclusive.

It just makes sense, instead of waking you up and sending you home.

There is nothing wrong with sleeping in my bed.

” Too right, that bed is a fucking cloud.

I bite my tongue before asking him where he got his mattress.

He didn’t need an ego boost this early in the morning.

When I move away from the bed, just slightly, in the direction of the door, his steps mirror mine and he eyes me like a skittish cat.

I tilt my head, catching the movement. “What are you going to do, chase me?” His lips tip up teasingly with a slow dip of his chin in confirmation. A thrill of anticipation goes up my spine, making me shiver, and I get an idea.

Without hesitating a moment longer, I spin and run out his bedroom door.

I can feel him hot on my heels, and I only make it to the living room when the force of his weight hits my body.

An ear-piercing squeal leaves my throat as he tackles me to the ground, spinning on the way down and landing on his back.

The weight of me landing on him should have taken the air out of him, but instead, he grips both my hands behind my back, locking his legs around mine and using his free hand to grip my curls and pull me into him, his lips latching onto mine in just a breath.

The kiss is passionate and heated enough that I relax against his body, kissing him back, letting my legs relax, and when he unwinds them, I settle over his lap, straddling him.

“Morning, pretty girl,” he whispers against my lips then lets go of my hands.

I waste no time in sitting up, grabbing the hem of my top, and lifting, ready to take it off.

I can feel Caleb sit up in a flash, his lips wrapping around my nipple, dragging his teeth across it, and flicking it with his tongue.

A cry of need leaves my throat and I continue with peeling my top off.

Except when it’s up around my arms, the sound of a knock at the door has me freezing.

“Yo, Caleb. You up?”

“ Fuck, ” I hiss, scrambling to pull my shirt back down and climbing off Caleb’s lap as he chuckles, calling back to Lucas. “Yeah, give me a second.”

“What are you doing?” I hiss at him, pulling my top down like it will hide my bare thighs from Lucas…even though he can’t see in the apartment.

Caleb just scratches the back of his head. “Uh…getting the door?”

“But then he’ll see us together!” I whisper-shout at him, frustrated and panicking slightly that our secret is about to be?—

Oh.

Right.

I straighten and Caleb narrows his eyes at me, taking a few steps until he’s right there, his palms warm on my cheeks. A few swipes of his thumbs across my skin has my shoulders dropping.

I forgot…we are officially exclusive, nonsecretive fuck buddies.

“We still on the same page, pretty girl?” he whispers across my lips.

If “the same page” is that he wants to put a label on us, and I said no but couldn’t tell him why, and I secretly actually kind of a little bit like that he wants to be my boyfriend, for me to be “his girl,” while also completely horrified that I am even considering it, while also turning into a sex puddle of need every time he looks at me like that, then sure.

“Same page.” I bobble my head, whispering back and hoping like hell the turmoil inside my brain is being well disguised by the new mask I need to learn to wear more often.

I call it, I am completely indifferent to Caleb Smith and not at all falling for him.

His eyes search mine for a short minute before pressing a firm but sweet kiss to my lips and then dropping his hands and heading for the door.

And I just stand there. In his living room, playing with the hem of the shirt, which barely covers my ass, and I have a horrified moment of realizing I’m not wearing pants. Fuck.

I’ve never been in this position before, I don’t know what to do.

This feels a lot like meeting a guy’s friend for the first time, except Lucas is also my friend…

and I’ve never met the friends of the person I’m sleeping with because it’s never gone past one night.

But I know Lucas, this won’t be weird, right?

Casey and Addy already kind of know. Sure, I’ve ignored all their messages, because I’m waiting until I have a moment to talk to them properly— oh my god, not important right now. Focus, Rosie.

This is fine, I’m so fine.

“Sup.” Caleb opens his front door in nothing but his boxers, and I can hear Lucas chuckle from the other side of the door before he starts to stroll inside.

“Long night?” He laughs, seeming to bypass me altogether from where I have migrated to the edge of the living room and almost out of sight. “Was it the girl you’ve been trying to convince to go steady, or the blonde from the other night?”

I hear the front door slam and Caleb clear his throat, and I swear my cheeks are fifty shades of fucking red right now.

He spoke to the guys about me?

And who the fuck is this blonde?

Lucas spins to Caleb’s direction, or almost does, but his attention lands on me for a split second before he does a double take. He looks at me for a long moment. And then his jaw drops, and his eyes find Caleb.

Caleb gives him a glowing, proud smile like he’s won some kind of award. “Coffee, anyone?” he asks, completely unperturbed about this horrible and awkward situation right now.

“So, you two?” Lucas’s face slowly morphs into one of humor as he waves his finger between the two of us.

“Uh…”

“Yep,” Caleb interrupts me, affirming Lucas’s words.

“You’re like together, together?” He tilts his head, almost like he can’t make sense of it.

“No—”

“It’s complicated,” Caleb interrupts me again, and this time I frown at him, crossing my arms and then uncrossing them when it raises the hem of the shirt. Lucas looks over at me with a mix of astonishment and confusion.

“Rosie… him? ” He gestures in Caleb’s direction, and it earns him a hand towel whip from Caleb and a chuckle from me. Easing slightly at the poking fun—that is something I can handle…banter—I take a few unsure steps toward the kitchen, where we both settle on a stool, waiting for our coffee.

“I think I suffered a head injury at some point.” I sigh dramatically enough that Lucas chuckles.

“The only plausible explanation.”

“That or I’ve been possessed by aliens and my decisions are no longer my own.” I shrug with a mocking sigh of defeat and Lucas throws his head back in a laugh.