Caleb ~
Lainey wasn't exaggerating about her leg cramps. Her tiny toned calf muscles fought against her numerous times, spasming and contorting beneath Caleb's hands. Luckily he'd been able to catch them early, being able to feel the initial tightening of her muscles and he only had to wake her up once to take her medication, which Rosa graciously brought over to him so he didn't have to get up and disturb Lainey.
Lainey's tiny body drank up the sleep it was finally able to receive, laying unmoved with deep steady breaths for nearly five hours. Resting his hands on her legs as she slept, Caleb stayed with her on the couch with her legs draped across his lap, using his hands to detect any impending spasms of her tired muscles. He didn't mind the task at all and was quite frankly surprised that she had agreed to it, which only spoke to how exhausted she must have truly been.
Luckily, Pierce and James had joined him in the living room around hour three. Pierce gave him a knowing smile as he surveyed Lainey's sleeping body stretched across Caleb's lap. And to his surprise, he received a big grin from James as well, who seemed to understand fully what an accomplishment it was for Lainey to sleep peacefully.
The three men fired up a game of Call of Duty on the large tv screens in the living room and whispered to each other as to not wake Lainey. Caleb rested his forearms on Lainey's legs as he held the controller, giving her legs equal attention and secretly loving the skin to skin contact and grateful that she was getting some much needed rest.
When her eyes fluttered open, she stretched and yawned before she remembered that she was practically in Caleb's lap.
"Rise and shine, Bug." James said, glancing over at her briefly as he manipulated the controller in his hands.
Finally registering the placement of her legs, Lainey pulled them away from Caleb's lap and into her chest, giving him a slightly embarrassed smile as she tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear.
"How long was I asleep?"
"Almost five hours." Caleb said, stretching out his own arms and back.
"What?" she shrieked with a horrified expression as she grabbed Caleb's wrist and cocked her head to the side so she could see the face of his watch.
"Oh my God I have to go start getting ready."
"You looked awfully cozy." James said, raising his eyebrows at his sister, trying to get a rise out of her.
"I um...I mean...Caleb...who is a medical professional...was uh...he was providing a medical service...so I could...well for my medical condition..." She stuttered and stammered trying to convince James that she hadn't enjoyed Caleb's hands on her, even though the blush on her cheeks said the opposite.
"Lainey..." Caleb said with a wide grin.
"Hmm?" she said, stopping the flow of ridiculous words that had been tumbling from her mouth.
"I don't think I've ever heard anyone use the word medical so many times in one breath." he joked.
"And that's me speaking as a medical professional." He shot her a wink and watched the blush in her cheeks turn a deeper shade of red.
"I'm just going to go get ready." she finally relented with an irritated sigh, walking away and giving herself a quick slap on the forehead.
Sleepy Lainey is my favorite so far, but flustered Lainey is pretty damn cute too.
*****
Two hours later Bravo team stood in the kitchen with Ricardo and James as they waited on Lainey and Camila to emerge.
"Caleb tell you he convinced Bug to take a five hour nap today?" James said to Ricardo with pride, tipping his glass toward Caleb as a salute.
Ricardo whipped his head around and eyed Caleb in amazement.
"Really? She didn't fight you on it?" Ricardo asked.
"Oh she fought me, I just won." Caleb said with a smile.
"Your man is every bit as good as you promised." Ricardo said to Declan, giving him a nudge with his elbow.
The men stood in the kitchen swapping funny stories and getting to know one another, when Lainey appeared in the doorway, tilting her head and fidgeting with one of her earrings.
Caleb felt his pupils dilate as his eyes scanned over every inch of her, taking every ounce of his self control to keep his jaw from slacking open.
Holy. Shit.
Her olive skin looked even more perfect and flawless against the red silk fabric of her strapless gown that hugged every curve over her body as if it was a second skin and flared at the bottom where it nearly touched the ground.
Caleb nearly swallowed his own tongue trying to conceal his reaction to Lainey, but her eyes met his before he could school his expression. Her perfectly painted lips tipped into a knowing smile and she held his gaze for a second or two as if to say "Caughtcha lookin."
"We hear you've got a hot date tonight - Oscar from accounting huh?" James teased.
Lainey's eyes narrowed at Caleb, but thankfully her smile still remained as she playfully glared at him.
"Traitor." she sassed at Caleb, passing by him to reach into the fridge and grab an electrolyte drink.
"It was too funny not to share." Caleb said with a laugh.
"Why didn't you just say Caleb was your date?" Pierce chuckled.
"I would have if I had thought of that before we left to get in the elevator. I'm terrible at fabricating stories, okay. I was so mad, my brain quit working."
"Obviously." James joked.
Ricardo finished the rest of his drink as soon as he heard Camila call to him from the front foyer, indicating she was ready to leave.
The group started filing out of the kitchen, leaving Caleb and Lainey behind. He stood and watched as Lainey downed the rest of her electrolyte drink, which meant she was probably planning on drinking alcohol at the fundraiser. He had already discussed her tolerance of alcohol with James who explained that she took an extra dose of her medication and drank an electrolyte drink before and after if she was planning on consuming alcohol.
"Ready?" he asked as she finished it off.
"Ready, but I need to fix your tie first." she said, eyeing the bow tie at his neck.
Leaning in close to him, she reached her small hands up and grabbed the edges of his tie, tilting it until it was level and straightened to her satisfaction. Her eyes were focused on his tie, but his eyes were focused on her mouth. Her perfect full lips were calling to him, begging to be kissed. The tip of her tongue slid along her bottom lip as she focused on his tie, but the sight nearly unhinged Caleb who was hanging on to his self control by a thread.
"There." she said confidently, resting her hands on the lapels of his tux.
Bringing her eyes to his, she quickly picked up on his intense stare and he watched her breath catch, hearing her quick intake of air as their eyes met.
"You look good." Her voice was low and sultry and her eyes burned into his for a second or two before she forcefully pulled her gaze.
"I mean straight...Your tie looks straight...not you...well I mean of course you look straight..."
She cringed at her own words and scrunched her face in disbelief at what she'd just said.
Between the blush on her face and her hilarious facial expressions, Caleb couldn't help but smile at how cute and flustered she was.
"Let's just go." she said, rolling her eyes at herself and shaking her head.
"Lead the way Darlin'," he chuckled.
*****
The ballroom of the fundraiser was packed with people, all looking and acting as wealthy and important as Ricardo and Camila.
With events of that caliber, the guest lists are vetted and controlled meaning the team felt comfortable keeping a 10 to 12 foot distance from them in order to let the Flores family socialize and make their rounds throughout the venue, but Caleb found it difficult to be that far from Lainey.
He watched her like a hawk, analyzing every person she stopped to talk to with unyielding focus and intensity, while keeping a particularly close eye on her hands in case she signaled him.
A waiter approached her right side with a tray of champagne glasses, offering one to her which she gladly accepted with a genuine smile.
That's not happening.
Approaching Lainey from her left, Caleb gently took the glass from her hand before she could bring it to her lips.
Lainey's head whipped up at him and her mouth gaped as he took the glass from her hand.
"Excuse me," she said with a sassy smile.
"I'd rather you get your drinks directly from the bar, not from an uncovered tray that has just traveled across the entire room." He said as he leaned closer to her ear.
She narrowed her eyes at him with the corner of her mouth still tipped upward. He gave her a smile in return, but refused to give the glass back to her.
"You know, you are so..." she searched for the right word to describe her irritation with him, but he finished her sentence before she had the chance.
"Charming? Handsome? Highly sophisticated?"
"Scratch that last one Dr. Suess." she scoffed as she turned and headed toward the bar, just as he'd asked.
As soon as Lainey had a fresh glass of champagne in her hand, she turned to Caleb and held it out to him before taking a sip.
"Better?" she asked with a smile.
"Yes ma'am."
Lainey took a small sip, but chose to stay at the bar with Caleb instead of joining the guests in the ballroom.
"So where did you get that southern drawl from if you don't mind me asking."
He smiled at her question mostly because he was ecstatic that she was making an effort to get to know him.
"I grew up in Tennessee." he said with a smile.
"Really? That explains all that twang in your voice." she said with a smile.
"Have you ever used that Tennessee pick up line?"
Of course I have.
Caleb drew his brows together and shrugged, shaking his head as if he had no idea what she was talking about.
"What Tennessee pick up line?"
"Oh come on, you know." she sassed.
He arched a brow at her, giving her a blank stare, hoping like hell she'd say it to him.
"Are you from Tennessee? Because you're the only Ten - I - See." she said in a sexy voice that made his half smile spread across his entire face.
"I'm just messin with you, I've used the line before, I just wanted to hear you hit on me."
Lainey playfully slapped him on the arm and gave him a smile that went so high it wrinkled her nose. He was thoroughly enjoying the playful, flirty side of Lainey that was giving him her full attention.
James approached with Pierce close behind and ordered an insanely expensive glass of scotch before he leaned back onto the bar with his elbows.
"Are you as bored as I am?" he asked Lainey with a sigh.
"Caleb's keeping me pretty entertained," she said with a smile.
The group stood at the bar, wishing they were all somewhere else, somewhere more relaxed and fun when a man caught Caleb's attention.
The man had his eyes laser focused on Lainey and was slowly making his way over. Caleb and Pierce both picked up on the man's body language and maneuvered their bodies in front of Lainey who hadn't noticed him yet.
"Miss Flores." he said as he approached, pulling Lainey's attention toward him.
Lainey eyed the man for a second, then pressed her palm into Caleb's bicep, giving him the all clear signal. Caleb felt comfortable stepping to the side, because even he had to admit the man didn't look very threatening. The short man was about as round as he was tall with thick glasses that made his eyes look massive.
Stepping forward with a genuine smile, Lainey greeted the man and waited to hear what he had to say. He seemed disgruntled and nervous, but Lainey was calm and unfazed, completely poised and elegant.
"Miss Flores, do you recognize me?" he asked in a nasaly voice.
"No, I'm sorry, I don't believe I do. Remind me of your name again." she said politely.
"Oscar Reyes, I work in accounting."
Holy fuck it's Oscar from accounting.
Lainey brought one hand up and slapped it over her mouth as she made the same connection followed by James who spit his drink back into his glass and let out a loud laugh into the back of his hand.
"It's been brought to my attention that there have been some...rumors about you and I." Oscar said dryly.
Oh this is too fucking good.
The three men behind Lainey tried desperately to conceal their laughter, but their shoulders were bouncing and shaking as they eavesdropped on the awkward conversation that was playing out in front of them. Lainey was mortified and looked over her shoulder to shoot daggers at her brother before addressing Oscars accusations.
"Mr. Reyes... I'm afraid there's been a misunderstanding. Oscar is a very common name and..."
Oscar cut her off before she could finish.
"I looked at the company directory, Miss Flores. I am the only Oscar that works in the accounting department." Oscar stated.
"Of...course you did. Well you see...I can explain..."
She turned over her shoulder desperately wanting one of the men behind her to give her some help or speak on her behalf, but they were too busy laughing and shrugged her off, enjoying the show too much to put an end to it.
Not wanting to hear her bogus explanation, Oscar waved his hand in front of her, dismissing any excuse that she had planned on delivering.
"I'm not interested, Miss Flores, I am only here to tell you that whatever feelings that you may have for me need to end now. I am a married man and I would appreciate it if you could control your sexual appetite around me."
Caleb clutched Lainey's arm trying to hold in his fit of laughter at Oscar's words.
"Yes, of course...I will try to control my...sexual...appetite for you." Lainey said awkwardly.
"Thank you, that's all I ask." Oscar said smugly. "Good evening."
"Good evening." Lainey repeated as Oscar walked away.
She turned slowly with her eyes as wide as saucers and an embarrassed blush across her face that he wasn't sure would ever go away. She threw her head back and mouthed Oh-my-God, before burying her face into Caleb's chest as all three men erupted in a fit of laughter.
"Make sure you keep that sexual appetite under control, Bug." James cackled as he clutched his abdomen and leaned an elbow onto Pierce who was just as out of breath from laughing so hard.
Caleb cupped the sides of her face and lifted it to meet his gaze. Her cheeks felt hot beneath his hands and he smiled down at her humiliated expression.
"This is why you've got to get better at lying sweetheart." Caleb chuckled.
"Teach me." she pleaded, giving into her own laughter.
As their laughter died down, Caleb saw Nick standing on the other end of the bar, smirking at Lainey. She saw him at about the same time and glared at him as he tipped the mouth of his beer toward her in a cheers motion.
"Fucking asshole." Lainey muttered, understanding that Nick was behind her embarrassing encounter.
"Want to take a lap?" Caleb offered down into her ear, wanting to get her as far away from Nick as possible, especially if he was in a spiteful mood.
"Sure." she said with a smile, walking beside him as they started to make one lap around the ballroom together.
They walked and talked, getting to know each other one question at a time, learning more and more about one another with every step they took. Caleb knew he should probably let her speak to the guests of the party instead of keeping her full attention, but he was enjoying her company too much and quite frankly she showed little to no interest in talking to anyone else.
As they reached the far side of the ballroom next to the large glass doors that led out to the balcony, a loud voice boomed over the low hum of conversation in the room, which made the hairs on the back of Caleb's neck stand on end.
"Elaina!" the man yelled, taking loud heavy steps toward her.
Caleb instinctively swept her behind him with one arm and stood between her and the angry man who was approaching quickly.
"It's okay Caleb, I can handle him." she said softly over his shoulder.
I don't like this.
"You sure?" he asked, hoping she'd change her mind
He recognized the man from the intel that Axel had given him. The man that was approaching was Santiago Moreno and he was one of the mob bosses that Alpha team needed information on which meant he was dangerous - real fucking dangerous.
"I'm sure. He's mad about a business deal. I can handle him." she said, trying to sound confident, but he picked up on the shakiness of her voice.
Caleb reluctantly took a step back, letting Lainey stand in front of him, with her palm pressed against his leg in case she changed her mind.
Santiago was fuming as he approached Elaina and stopped a few feet short when he saw Caleb standing behind her.
"Where is Ricardo?" Santiago hissed.
"I believe he's left for the evening, but I have a feeling I know what this is about." she said calmly.
"You think you have the right to just kill the deal without so much as a phone call?"
Lainey took a step back with her shoulder blades touching Caleb's chest. At first he moved with her thinking she needed space between herself and the man in front of her, but instead she moved again pressing her back completely flush against Caleb's chest.
She doesn't want me to move, she wants me to stand still. She's pressing herself into me for comfort.
Caleb took a slight step forward, pushing his chest into her back and letting her make complete contact with him. He could feel her taking fast heavy breaths, obviously intimidated by the man standing in front of her, but she never signaled.
Before she answered the man's question, Lainey squared her shoulders and pushed them back while simultaneously lifting her chin, trying to make herself seem bigger.
"First of all, you will lower your voice when you speak to me or this conversation is over."
Hell yes Lainey, put that fucker in his place.
Caleb gave her arm a light squeeze of encouragement.
"My apologies." the man said through gritted teeth.
Lainey clutched Caleb's arm, not signalling him for help, but just grabbing on to him for comfort.
Go ahead sweetheart, take what you need from me. I'm right here.
"Santiago, I killed the deal because it was no good. Your quarterly profits were...questionable to say the least and had no interest in moving forward. I'd be happy to discuss this with you in the office, but I refuse to talk business at a social event."
"Fine. Expect a call from my office first thing in the morning." Santiago ground out before turning to leave with an irritated huff.
Caleb and Lainey stood stock still watching Santiago disappear out of sight, but once Santiago was lost in the sea of people, Caleb felt Lainey let out a shuttered breath and she placed a hand at her chest as if she were trying to get her breathing under control.
"Let's get some air." Caleb whispered into her ear, eliciting a nod of approval from Lainey.
He wrapped his arm around her waist and walked beside her until they were far enough onto the balcony to be out of sight from the guests in the ballroom.
"Can anyone see me?" She asked.
Turning over his shoulder, Caleb eyed the crowd of people and the large drapes that were concealing them.
"No ma'am." Caleb confirmed.
The second the words left his mouth, he watched Lainey brace her weight with her arms on the balcony railing and let out a long shaky breath, allowing her controlled, elegant posture to sag in relief. Her breathing was still fast and erratic and she desperately tried to get her emotions under control, but was obviously failing.
"That asshole really rattled you." Caleb said as he ran a hand up and down her back, trying to sooth her.
"Yeah..." was the only response she gave him.
"If you were that scared, why didn't you signal me Darlin?"
"Because...because I can't afford to be scared, Caleb. If I had signaled you, it would have shown Santiago that I was afraid of him and if any of those men in there sense fear in me, I'm done. They'll smell blood in the water and they will try and use fear to intimidate me from here on out. I have to be brave because... I don't have a choice."
"You always have a choice Lainey, and you don't have to be scared of anyone when I'm around. You hear me?"
"I wish it were that simple Caleb. I wasn't scared that Santiago was going to harm me in there. He'd never act out physically at a public function. What scares me is the conversations he'll be having about me and my family tonight. It's the conversations that happen in the shadows that scare me, Caleb. The never knowing what horrendous things have been set into motion behind my back. I have to put on a brave face because the second I don't, men like Santiago will try to rule me by fear and intimidation."
"I know you think you always have to be brave Lainey. I get it. But it's okay for you to ask for help. You don't have to fight every battle by yourself sweetheart."
Lainey was staring off into the distance over the edge of the balcony, still trying to get her emotions and breathing under control, but gave him a slight nod of her head to acknowledge his words.
"Come here, you're shakin." Caleb said as he gently pulled her toward him.
He pulled her slightly, but let her come the rest of the way, being careful not to force physical contact on her. Thankfully she closed the space between them immediately, burying her face into his chest and allowing him to wrap her up completely with his muscular arms.
"I got you Lainey." he soothed, squeezing her tight, feeling her take in fist fulls of the back of his jacket.
After standing there for a minute or two, she pulled her face from his chest and let out a hard breath.
"I'm okay." she finally said, looking up at him, with a tiny smile of gratitude.
"You sure? Because I could stand like this forever."
She left her chin resting on his chest, but scrunched her nose and shook her head side to side at his suggestion with disapproval.
"It's too cold out here to stand like this forever." she said playfully.
Her words prompted Caleb to shrug off his jacket and wrap it around her shoulders before wrapping his arms around her again.
"Better?" he asked.
"Much."
"Caleb?...Thank you for taking care of me." she said looking up at him with a genuine smile that spread warmth from his chest throughout his entire body.
"It's my job to take care of you Darlin." he returned.
Expecting her to melt further against his chest, he braced himself for another sweet smile, but it never came. The smile that was there before dissolved along with most of the light in her eyes and she pushed herself back from his chest breaking contact with him and sliding his jacket off of her shoulders.
"What happened? Where'd you go?" he asked, confused.
"Nowhere." she chuckled to herself as she shook her head and muttered something inaudible under her breath.
"Lainey wait, what the hell just happened?"
"Nothing Caleb...you're very good at what you do. I'll be sure to tell my dad that you are taking excellent care of me. Can we go inside now?"
She gave him a smile, but it only traveled half way up her face and was forced. Deciding not to push the issue, Caleb reluctantly followed her inside but had no clue what had just happened on the balcony and what caused Lainey's complete 180 degree change in emotion.
What the hell did I do wrong?
************************************
Thoughts and opinions on this chapter? Let me know what you think! I love to hear from you and live for your comments!