Stolen Course (Wrecked and Ruined #2)

“And now I have to go!” I stand up off the couch. I don’t know where I think I’m going to escape when the phone is still securely anchored to my ear, but I know I need to stop this conversation.

“Okay. Go to bed,” she says with a small laugh that proves that she knows exactly how much she’s affecting me. “Oh, and Caleb?” She catches me before I can say goodbye. “I didn’t mean nude the color.”

I have to bite my lip to keep a groan from escaping. What the fuck happened here tonight? I went from being an absolute dick to having a date and all-too-vivid image of Emma’s lack of undergarments. Fuck. Me.

“Goodnight, sweetheart.” I quickly pull the phone away, ending the call.

I fall back on the couch, shaking my head at myself. I just opened a door, and Emma all too willingly walked right through it. Let the shit show begin.





AFTER CALEB and I got off the phone last night, I struggled to fall back asleep. I went to the living room and had a long talk with Hunter and Alex. I love those guys. They were half drunk, but that only made the conversation more interesting.

Hunter has been moping around since I told him I was moving out. He was pissed at first, but after a little chat, he understood why I needed to go. He just didn’t understand why I was making it a permanent move instead of just an extended stay. I love that boy, but damn he is so hardheaded when he wants to be. I know he’s going to miss me. Hell, I’m going to miss the shit of out of him too. He and I have been through a lot together. He leaned on me about his girl and his best friend. And over the last few years, I’ve really leaned on him about Sarah. He swears he is going to come visit once a month, and I don’t doubt that for one second.

Alex is much more laid back about my up and leaving. I know he loves me. It’s nothing personal. He’s just a big tough guy, and even if my leaving devastated him, he’d never tell me. He and I just have a very different relationship than Hunter and I do. While Hunter is my overprotective best friend, Alex is my overprotective big brother. I’ve known him since elementary school. He lived next door for most of our lives. Truth be told, he actually made out with Sarah on more than one drunken occasion growing up. He’s always been a part of my life.

When Alex graduated, he went off to the University of Georgia on a football scholarship. The following year, when I graduated, I followed him up there. He took me under his wing, and when I say that, I mean he ran off any guy who tried to look at me. I was off-limits to the entire football team, yet I still managed to date two of them behind his back. He’s a big teddy bear. I know he means well, but we still butt heads a good bit.

I’ve spent most of the day editing photos for clients, trying to wrap up my jobs before I take off. Most of this can be done remotely, but when I first get to Chicago, the last thing I want is deadlines looming over my head. I’ve watched the clock all day, waiting for a time I could call Caleb. I barely make it to eight p.m. my time—seven p.m. his—before I give in and dial his number. However, the call goes unanswered. I open my laptop back up and settle in with a glass of wine. It’s probably for the best that he didn’t answer. I have a lot of work to be done if I’m ever going to be able to move to Chicago.

Two glasses of wine later, my phone starts ringing. I glance at my phone and bite my lip when I see Caleb’s name light the screen.

“Hey, you.” I try to hide my giddiness.

“Hey, sweetheart. What’s going on?” Caleb purrs over the line.

“Not much. Just hanging out in bed, trying to finish up some work. What are you up to?”

“I’m on my way home from the gym. Sorry I didn’t answer earlier. I was in the ring when you called.”

“The ring?” I teasingly let out breathy sigh. It causes him to laugh too.

“Yeah, I box three nights a week. I hate running, so it helps with my cardio.”

“You hate to run?”

“The only time I run is when I have something serious on my mind. I can usually forget whatever it is with loathing when I run.”

I laugh at his logic. “I guess that’s one way to do it.” He doesn’t immediately respond, so an awkward silence falls over the phone. “So have you heard anything about Sarah?” I ask. I know he would have called me if he had, but it seems like an acceptable question to ask.

“She’s still at the hospital,” he answers shortly.

“You okay?”

“Yeah, I’m a little tired. Listen, can I call you when I get home?”

“Oh, yeah. Sure,” I answer, suddenly feeling awkward to have called him. “You can just call me tomorrow. I’m probably heading to bed pretty soon.”

“Yeah, okay.”

“I’ll talk to you later.”

“Bye, sweetheart.”