“This is Caleb? He looks so…”
Elena lifts her brow, taunting me to finish my sentence.
“Pure,” I force out. During my back-and-forth exchanges with Caleb, he never sounded innocent. But one look at him has my preconceived notions going up in flames.
It blows my mind that a skinny guy wearing a bowtie, pastel shorts, and boat shoes is supposedly one of my biggest fans. Caleb’s bald head shines as he says goodbye to his cab driver.
“Don’t judge a book by its cover,” Elena rasps.
“With the kind of porn books you read, I definitely do.”
“They’re called romance.” She throws her head back and laughs.
I wish I could kiss the curve of her exposed neck. Ever since our hookup yesterday in my room, I can’t get her out of my head. Kissing Elena is erotic as fuck. It’s something I want to repeat again, under different circumstances, preferably with little to no clothes on.
One taste wasn’t enough. I want to have her to myself, chanting my name as I thrust into her, solidifying the need I have to claim her in every way.
I shove my lust aside as Caleb walks up the steps to my house. “Welcome, Caleb. My parents can’t wait to meet you.”
“Fuckin’ mega. This house is amazing! And you! Bloody hell, Jax Kingston.” Caleb pushes the bridge of his horn-rimmed glasses up his nose.
“He looks innocent and then he drops the word fuck. Boys,” Elena whispers under her breath.
“Now that’s my kind of fan.” I wink at her before I grab Caleb’s weekend bag from him.
We walk inside and I introduce our new guest to my parents.
“Get out. They never told me I’d get to meet the King Cobra too!” Caleb’s voice bounces off the walls of our entryway.
My dad laughs as he offers his hand for Caleb to shake. “I can’t say I’ve heard that nickname in a while.”
“Please. You’re one of the sickest boxers to ever live. I’ve watched some of your old fights that my dad has on VHS.”
“Well, kid, you aged me about twenty years from that sentence alone.” My dad gives Mum some space to greet my little fan.
“We’re happy to have you in our home. When Elena told us about you wanting to spend time with Jax, we had to invite you over. Anything for Jax’s biggest fan.”
“Best bloody choice ever.” Caleb high-fives Elena.
The way her nose scrunches has me laughing. “Wait for tomorrow. Elena planned some cool activities for you.”
“Yes!” Caleb throws his fist in the air.
My parents spend the entire dinner getting to know Caleb. Turns out the guy is a bit of a rebel with a couple attempts of breaking out of his hospital room.
It seems like we will get along fine.
Caleb has many qualities I deem suitable.
He cracks jokes and he speaks fluent sarcasm. His pastimes include watching my races, scouring the web for new music, and flirting with hospital nurses. In other words, he’s my kind of mate.
The kid has endless energy. He still wants to do more after I let him sit by my side during a debriefing meeting and took him to a sponsor event.
Elena says he is energetic because he’s excited to spend time with his idol.
Me. An idol. God help us all.
“Here’s your helmet.” I pass the safety gear to Caleb as he stares slack-jawed at the older F1 car. The crew abandoned us on the grid, returning to the pit to give us directions through the team radio once we are ready to race.
“We’re actually going to be driving these? Oh my God.”
I chuckle. “That’s what Elena scheduled for us.”
“Bloody hell, I might have to kiss her.”
I raise a brow. “Want to amend that statement?”
His cheeks flush. Looks like my new mate has a crush. “So, what’s up with you two? Are you dating?”
“No.”
“Banging?”
“No.” I roll my eyes.
“Snogging?”
“Is there a reason for the round of twenty questions?” I tuck my hands in my race suit’s pockets and lean against my car.
Caleb grins. “Oh, yeah. Definitely snogging. Nice.” He offers me his fist to pound. I let him have his moment, hoping he leaves the conversation about Elena alone.
“So, when are you going to upgrade from kisses to more?”
And there goes my attempt to satisfy his curiosity. “You know, maybe we should head to the press room instead of the racetrack. With the questions you’re asking, I feel like you might enjoy that more.”
Caleb snorts as he shoves the helmet over his head. “No need to get your knickers in a twist. I’m only curious.”
“Less curiosity, more adrenaline, please.”
“Trust me, my heart is pounding in my chest at a rate my doctor would consider alarming.”
My smile drops. “Is that bad? Maybe we shouldn’t do this.”
Caleb waves me off with a gloved hand. “Oh, please. I’ve been waiting for this day for years!”
“You have?”
“For sure. Cancer sucks, but at least the Make-A-Wish Foundation makes it worth the journey.”
“I’m sorry, mate. I can tell you’re a good guy who doesn’t deserve this.”
The best ones usually don’t. It’s a lesson I’ve learned time and time again.
“Thanks. But I don’t exactly hate my life because I’m meeting you after all. Cancer can suck my pale arse.”
I shoot him a small smile. “What’s your secret to staying upbeat?”
“Tomorrow isn’t guaranteed so I might as well make today my bitch.”
I can’t help the obnoxious laugh that leaves me. It’s hard not to admire someone like Caleb who doesn’t let his illness define him. I want to learn all his secrets and apply them to my own life. Maybe if I had his kind of courage, I wouldn’t be such an anxious wreck who runs away from the unknown. “I admire people like my mum and you who keep a smile on your face despite everything.”
“Your mum? She has cancer too?” Caleb’s jaw drops open.
Shit. What a fuckup. “No. We better get going.” I point to Caleb’s car in a silent demand to get going.
He ignores me. “Is something wrong with your mum? You know you can trust me because I’d rather go through another round of chemo than reveal any of your secrets.”
“My hesitation isn’t because of trust.”
No. It’s about being judged for not getting tested by someone who has gone through his own medical hell and smiles anyway. I can’t look at Caleb without questioning my own cowardness.
“No, but I want you to know that either way. Is your mum okay, at least?”
I sigh. The way Caleb’s lips purse and his eyes narrow tell me he won’t drop this topic, no matter how much I wish it. “My mum has Huntington’s Disease. It’s not the same as cancer, but it has a terrible prognosis as well.”
“I’m sorry to hear that, mate.” Caleb places his thin hand on my shoulder. “It might not be cancer, but it’s your own hell. All terminal illnesses carry the same weight inside of us.”
If Caleb has any idea about the hereditary risk Mum’s illness poses for me, he doesn’t reveal it. And for that I’m grateful.
Sharing this small part of myself with Caleb feels like progress. Hell, spending a weekend with Caleb has challenged some of my own thoughts and beliefs about living with a terminal illness. The way he views life despite knowing he has cancer makes my anxiety seem unjustified. I want to be fearless like him. What if I was always meant to spend time with someone like Caleb and see life from a different perspective?
Maybe fate isn’t always a ruthless fucker after all.
“So, Elena. Tell me what it would take for you to go on a date with me?” Caleb sits down next to Elena on my living room couch.
A wave of possessiveness hits me out of nowhere. “Besides you needing to be the legal age limit?”
“Ouch, mate. Age is only a number.”
I cock a brow at him. “That’s what they all say before jail.”
Elena hides her laugh behind her palm.
“Come on, what do you say about dinner?” Caleb waggles his brows at her.
Elena shakes her head.
“We’ll both take you out to dinner,” I blurt out.
Caleb squints at me, clearly unhappy. “We?”
“We will invite Elena to dinner.”
“Dude, really? Way to steal my thunder.”
“Better than getting rejected.”
Caleb shrugs, giving in. “Okay, I’m sold. Elena, put on your nicest dress and jewelry.”
“Dates usually have to say yes first.” I look at Elena, daring her to say no.
Caleb kneels down in front of her. “Please, Elena Gonzalez of Mexico City, will you offer me the luxury of taking you out on a date. Preferably on Kingston’s dime because I’m capped out on my monthly allowance after buying a new pair of Yeezys.”
Elena laughs as Caleb clutches onto her hand and kisses it. “Sure. Anything for you.”
I wish Caleb could go screw off somewhere while I take Elena out by myself. Seeing as the likelihood of her saying yes to a date with me is zero to none, I push aside the desire.
I’m good at denying myself what I want. And with Elena, I want more. And fuck if that isn’t the most troubling thought of all.
Caleb wasn’t joking when he asked us to get dressed up. He shows up an hour later dressed in a suit and a bowtie.
I stare at him incredulously. “Did you seriously pack that in your bag?”
“Of course. A gentleman never knows when he needs a suit.”
“Are you sure you’re from this century?”
The clicking of heels draws our attention toward the top of the stairs.
Elena grabs onto the hem of her green dress. She makes her way down the stairs, material clinging to her curves in the best kind of way. The mouth-watering, dick-pulsing, I’d do anything to fuck her kind of way.
I cough and elbow Caleb. “Tell her how pretty she looks.”
He rolls his eyes at me. “Amateur. I’ll do you one better.” He steps behind the couch and pulls out a set of a dozen long-stemmed roses.
The little shit is trying to outdo me. Although slightly irritated at the way Elena’s eyes light up at the flowers, I’m impressed by Caleb’s thoughtfulness. Clearly, I need to step up my game.
“Aw, this is sweet.” Elena takes a deep breath of the bouquet before flashing Caleb a dazzling smile.
Okay, I’ll give the kid some points, he knows how to make a woman happy.
Her soft brown eyes find mine. Bright and beautiful, with a hint of mischief. My kind of girl.
Caleb pulls out a vintage pocket watch. “We better get going. The reservation is at eight.” He offers his elbow to Elena and she laughs to the ceiling.
Her happiness has my stomach clenching like a pussy. Bit by bit, Elena slips past my carefully placed barriers, and this time, I can’t say I’m sorry about it.
The rental car drops us off at an expensive restaurant that would make a grown man cry after seeing the bill. It’s nothing I’d expect Elena to like, but Caleb claimed he’d never had a fifty-dollar steak. I refused to let the wanker leave my care without the best of the best at least one time in his life.
A hostess sits us in a corner, offering us privacy. Caleb helps Elena into her seat before excusing himself to use the loo.
“This is a bit much, don’t you think?” Elena looks up at me from her menu.
Like a wanker, I focus on the way the candle makes her eyes glow. “I reckon so, but it’ll make him happy. Don’t rat us out to his mom, but I plan on slipping him some wine, too.”
She lets out a soft laugh. “You’re too much.”
“Says the girl who went above and beyond to plan the weekend of a lifetime for him. I’m trying to compete here.”
“You planned a prom for him and his friends in a couple of weeks since they can’t attend a real one. I’m the one who can’t compete.”
“Yet he’ll probably rank this date as his favorite thing. He totally milked you for it.”
Her cheeks flush the best shade of pink. “If it makes him happy, then I’m all for it.”
“Too damn selfless for your own good.”
Her head tilts in question, but Caleb interrupts us. “So, what does it take to get a drink around here?”
Elena laughs. We order our entrees and I keep true to my promise, asking for an extra wine glass for Caleb to sneak a few sips out of occasionally. Our food comes out soon after and we all dig in.
“Is the steak as good as you hoped?”
“I don’t know how I’ll ever eat hospital food again.” Caleb closes his eyes as he sticks another forkful of food into his mouth.
“And you?” I probe for Elena’s attention. I’m becoming a needy arsehole and I don’t know how to make it stop. Someone—anyone—please make it stop.
“I’m not one for fancy restaurants, but this definitely lives up to the hype.” Her lips wrap around her fork as her lashes flutter closed.
I imagine she would look the same with her lips wrapped around my cock. Reverent and seductive while she takes me to the point of gagging.
I force my eyes away and adjust my pants. “That’s what I like to hear. I can cook a mean steak on the grill though, so at least I have that going for me if racing doesn’t pan out.”
“You cook?” Caleb rears back in his seat.
“Of course. While growing up, I liked spending time with Jackie. She taught me to cook everything I know.”
“Wow.” Elena stares at me.
“What fine cuisines can you cook? Don’t let Jax show you up.” Caleb points at her with his fork.
“Mainly Mexican dishes you won’t know.”
“If you say guacamole, I might never let you go.”
Elena chuckles. “And homemade tortilla chips.”
“You’re the perfect girl. Marry me tonight. You cook, I’ll clean. Match made in heaven.” He smiles at her.
She shakes her head as a loud laugh erupts from her. “As sweet as you are, I’m not interested in a life behind bars. Sorry.”
“So, I have one last request before my time is over with you both.” Caleb fidgets with his bowtie.
I glance at him. “Strip clubs are off the table.”
Elena chokes on air. “Oh my God, Jax, stop it. You’re embarrassing him.”
Caleb holds his chin higher. “I want to get a tattoo.”
I eye him. “For real? But you’re only sixteen.”
“This is priceless coming from the guy who got his first tattoo at the same age.”
“That’s different. I had approval.”
Caleb rubs his bald head. “My mum will agree.”
My eyes land on Elena’s. “What do you say? Let’s grant his last wish from me?”
“I’d like nothing better.” The smile she shoots my way makes my heart constrict oddly in my chest.
Shit.
I don’t want to fall in love, but damn if her smile doesn’t make the crash landing worth it.
