In Her Sleep

Driving Me Crazy

"I'm sorry."

Layla's guilty and embarrassed face is kind of cute in Caleb's eyes. If the situation wasn't so serious he would have let out a chuckle or teased her about it. He instead draws closer to her on the bed. As close as he can anyway without combusting or doing something he shouldn't do.
It's taken everything in him to not pick up from where they left their relationship off before Layla was taken. Even though bringing her back to the cabin hasn't helped that cause much.
Between those hot memories from their last camping trip here and having her here all alone, he is barely hanging on to his control. It was a terrible idea, but the cabin is the only place near enough and with the much needed peaceful atmosphere he knows she needs.

"Whatever for?" Caleb reaches for those loose locks framing her face messily. He wants to do more than touch her face, but he stops at cupping her cheeks.

"For thinking you are just like him." Layla mumbles, leaning into his touch slightly. Her eyes are still puffy from all the crying she did after her aunt's unpleasant history reveal the day before. Lone tears have been escaping every now and then too since she woke up and Caleb has been more than a gentleman about it. Letting her know it's okay to cry.

"I don't blame you for that baby."

"I know you don't, but it doesn't make it any less unfair of me to think of you being the same as that bastard."

Caleb notes the hurt, the bitterness and rage in her voice. It's also the first time she has referred to Simon in a manner he deserves, making Caleb study her face. Her sweet innocent face is no longer as innocent. Whatever rage is simmering beneath is clear for him to see. Just what he needs from her. For a moment he is even tempted to manipulate how much she should hate the guy, but her apology reminds him to hold his horses. He is not Simon after all. He is probably worse than Simon when it comes down to it, but with Layla, he'll do everything to protect her. Even from himself.
He is going to get her her revenge and to do that, he'll have to trust her too. Trust that she'll stand her ground when the time comes.

"I can think of a couple of ways you can make it up to me if you like."

A blush creeps up on her face, but she also tenses along with it, making Caleb decide to clear away from the path his body wants to tread so badly.

"You can have breakfast with me." He buries his face in the crook of her neck, her scent filling all the longing he had while she was held captive. Well, most of it anyway.

"Okay." She says, untangling herself from his hold. "I'll just shower first."

"Can I join you?" Caleb bites his lips when the sight of those beautiful legs assault his eyes while Layla walks towards the shower.
Clad only in his T-shirt, he applauds himself for not bothering with getting her feminine pajamas. Though, he doesn't know for how long that excuse will last so that he can enjoy such views.
The confidence in her walk is also surprising and somehow hot. For once, she doesn't seem so embarrassed as to want to disappear from his view in a flash.

"Thank you for coming for me."

"What?" Caleb gulps, his mouth suddenly. Did he hear her correctly or do his ears need some flushing of some sort? The way she is paused by the shower door matches the invitation he thinks he heard from her lips, but he needs to make sure.

"I said thank you for coming for me. And don't say I shouldn't, because we both know my life would be over if you hadn't."

"Yep, definitely needs flushing."

"What?"

"I mean, you are welcome." His answer is as awkward as he is being right now. "I'll just go set up downstairs." He walks out of the room before Layla can say anymore and his ears get something else out of her words.
"Get a grip man." Caleb leans on the now closed bedroom door, wishing he could walk right back in. And hearing the shower running doesn't help the fantasies he is hesitantly wishing away.

His phone rings and he thanks Darren for the perfect distraction.
"You are a lifesaver."

"Did the world end or something? Since when have you ever been happy to be disturbed when a girl is in the cards?" Darren's amused tone makes Caleb laugh out loud, defeated.

"She's driving me crazy or I'm driving me crazy."

"That bad huh?"

Caleb can hear Darren's struggle from bursting out in laughter, hell, even he wants to laugh at himself for behaving like an inexperienced teenager around Layla again. "Hit me."
Having been successfully distracted, Caleb heads down stairs while listening to Darren's report of the more recent affairs concerning Jones Industries and how Simon managed to pull a few strings to sink his claws in Layla's fortune even without fulfilling the one condition the old man had laid down for him.

"The bastard!" Caleb sneers as he brings out two plates and starts filling them up with food. While Layla slept, he cooked up a storm. Partly to make sure she would be properly fed when she woke up and partly because he needed a distraction to keep him from rejoining her in bed and doing everything that he had done to her in his dreams.
"Is there a way to get around that?" Caleb asks, his hands skillfully chopping up the fruits for a salad.

"Not if you still don't want her to know just yet."

Caleb pauses momentarily, considering his options. From Layla's attitude earlier, he has no doubt she would be happy to bring Simon down, but he needs her to accept Jones Industries first. He has a feeling she will want to have nothing to do with it, which leaves him with the difficult task of getting her family on her good side, her grandfather especially. The man has made terrible mistakes in the past, but in Caleb's world, realizing one's mistake and seeking to make things right counts for something. And the old man's decision to give up everything for her on top of wanting to make amends, counts for a whole lot of something. One thing he could never say of his own father.
"Keep everything as it is for now then. And Darren, not a word about this to Janice."

"A word about this very sweet revenge you are planning for your worst enemy, or the other thing?"

"The other thing, obviously." Caleb rolls his eyes.

"Scouts honor, mate" Darren bursts out laughing. No doubt his best friend feels very entertained by Caleb's unfortunate hot situation that he can't do anything about yet.

But Darren laughing is nothing compared to Janice's attempts to make sure he gets to where he needs to be. Knowing her, she would cook up a whole conspiracy that will unknowingly have Layla miraculously end up in his laps. It wouldn't be a bad thing entirely, but as thirsty as he is, he still wants their first time together to be special.

"So I probably should focus on getting her fed instead." Caleb makes his resolve as he bounces around the cabin's kitchen, filling his head with ideas aimed at impressing his girl with this breakfast. Knowing how much she appreciates his culinary skills, he is determined to make this one hell of a welcome back home meal.