But as quickly as I get a glimpse of her, it’s all too soon taken away as she flicks off the light and walks out of the kitchen. It doesn’t matter though, because the image is seared into my brain and as I settle back onto the couch and close my eyes, I replay it over and over and over again in my head, knowing this is the perfect antidote to my nightmares.
Holy. Shit.
She’s fucking gorgeous.
Chapter One
Ruby
Caleb has been here for about a week now and I still can’t stop thinking about our middle of the night encounter in the kitchen. I knew he was a former football player, but I guess I didn’t expect him to still look like it with his shirt off. I can only compare him to Reid and his football buddies that have been all over our house lately. Caleb’s thinner than Reid, but every part of him is defined with lean muscle, solid and sexy as hell.
I need to slap myself across the face because I know better than this. He’s my best friend’s brother, he’s living in our house and sleeping on our couch, which means we’re together almost every single day. Nothing good can come of hooking up with him.
I whip my hair into a bun on the top of my head and pull in a hard breath. I have to do something to distract myself from thoughts of Caleb and going out for a run is my best option. But when I step out of my bedroom, he’s standing there in the kitchen…again. At least he has a shirt on this time and I’m not so obviously gaping at him either. At least I think I’m not, but I’ve never had a very good poker face.
“Hey Ruby,” he says, as I stand here awkwardly, looking like an idiot. I have no idea why he turns me into a fool. “What are you up to?” He’s so casually cool and every word that comes out of his mouth is effortless.
If I wasn’t living with him, I’d think he has his shit completely together…the perfect guy. But I know he’s struggling after everything that happened back in Providence. The bruises on his ribs have faded, but after everything I’ve learned in my psych classes, the trauma of the event will remain long after the physical appearance has healed.
“I was just going to go for a run. What are you up to?” I ask, leaning against the counter as I try to look as cool as him, but I feel like I’m failing miserably.
“Still looking for a job. Got a couple of interviews lined up this week though.”
“That’s good. Anything close by?”
“Yeah. Most are within walking distance since I don’t have a car just yet, but hoping to get that taken care of soon, too.”
I nod my head, trying to figure out how to keep the conversation going without feeling intrusive, but we both fall silent.
“Do you want to go with me?” I ask, seemingly out of nowhere and Caleb shoots me a confused look. “Do you want to go for a run with me?” I clarify. He must be bored sitting here all day with Sienna, Reid and me in and out of classes. It’s rare for all of us to be together during the week.
“Yeah, sure,” Caleb responds, a tinge of excitement slipping out and a smile now on his face. “It’s been a while since I’ve had someone to work out with.”
“Okay cool. I can show you around campus too. I tend to run along the outside of the main part.”
Ten minutes later the two of us are jogging side by side and while it’s not the best way to have a conversation, at least Caleb isn’t stuck in the house by himself.
We come to a narrow sidewalk and he dips behind me, letting me take the lead until it widens out again. After a few minutes, I look back to make sure he’s still keeping up and what I get is an eye-full of his bare chest. He has his shirt off, his body glistening with sweat as he jogs up alongside me. I’m off pace and my rhythm is a mess and as we near where the sidewalk meets the road, I stumble like a complete idiot. Caleb grabs for me, catching my wrist before I crash face first into the street.
“Gotta watch those uneven pieces of concrete,” he says, like I didn’t just make a fool out of myself, like I wasn’t totally distracted by his amazing body. But in addition to his perfectly flat stomach and his well-defined arms, he has the most striking blue eyes and the small bump on his cheekbone makes him look ruggedly hot.
“Yeah,” I respond, my eyes falling to where Caleb is still holding onto me, and he drops his hand instantly as if he’s embarrassed by his actions.
We pick up the pace again, heading down the street and into the quad of the main campus where things will get a little busier. We’ll have hit three miles by then and it will be a good time for a little break. We can walk through the quad and I can show him some of the buildings.
Hawthorn is an old campus so some of the buildings are pretty historical and honestly really cool looking.
“You doing okay?” I ask as we begin to slow down. While it’s obvious Caleb is an athlete, it’s also obvious he hasn’t worked out hard in a while. He’s a little winded and he’s trying not to show he’s tired by continuing to push himself to keep up with me.
“Yeah,” he breathes out, stopping now to catch his breath. “It been a while since…” He puts his hands on his knees, taking a few breaths, trying to slow his breathing down. “Been a while since I’ve run like this.”
“We could make it a regular thing if you want?” I offer and ask at the same time, trying to keep it casual.
“Yeah, for sure. I need to get my ass back in shape.”
Looks damn good to me.
“I try to run every day, so if you’re around feel free to join me. I’m not one of those weirdos who gets up at the crack of dawn to run though, so if you’re one of them, you’re gonna have to find yourself a different girl.” I’m rambling but Caleb is smiling and there’s something about it that feels natural, like we’re already comfortable with each other.
“I used to own a bar. Do you really think I get up at the crack of dawn?” he asks, shooting me a cheeky smile.
“You wanna take a break and walk through the quad?” I ask, starting to walk in that direction with Caleb walking next to me.
“Yeah sure. I guess I gotta work up to that six mile loop, huh?”
“You weren’t that bad,” I say, trying not to bruise his ego.
“Oh, I was that bad. Trust me, my body is going to be screaming at me tomorrow morning.”
I laugh a little at his self-deprecating humor. As much as he’s like Sienna, he’s also totally different and it’s really cool. It’s like getting the best of Sienna with a few extras added in.
“Reid has a hot tub down at his place. I’m sure a soak would do you some good,” I tell him, but he scrunches up his face in response to my words.
“I’m not getting in that thing. Can you imagine the number of times he and Sienna have had sex in it?”
“They do it everywhere so if you’re going with that theory nothing in our house is safe,” I joke back making Caleb chuckle. “I hold out hope that they haven’t done it in my bathroom, but I’m sure that’s wishful thinking.”
“I’m sorry to break it to you…” Caleb says, his nose wrinkled up and his teeth clenched.
“Oh my god, no. Seriously?” I say, my voice a little whiny as I push out my bottom lip pouting.