Kaleb snapped the light on, and through the blinking of her eyes in reaction Sasha saw him glaring at her as though she had just uttered the most awful blasphemy."No!" he roared.Sasha pretended surprise. "You don’t want to keep having sex?" "Yes!" "Kaleb, if you’re going to yell like a hooligan then I suggest you go back to sleep!""If you weren’t pregnant I’d put you over my knee!" he retorted."If I weren’t pregnant, then you wouldn’t be here, buddy!" "Says who?" "Says me!" "Oh, yes, I would!" he said fervently.There was a pause. "You would?" Sasha gulped."Of course I would! Because sooner or later I would have come to my senses and realized just how much I love you. And I do, Sasha. I love you very much." She gazed back at him, too scared to hope for what had always seemed like an unattainable dream. He’d said the words, and she believed that he meant them— but was there substance behind them? Enough to withstand all the tests that life threw in the path of love?She thou
She lifted up Sasha's gown and her face underwent a startling transformation. "Oh, good heavens!" she exclaimed. "You’re fully dilated!" "Is that bad?" demanded Kaleb."No, it’s wonderful," answered the midwife." It means we’re going to have a baby! And sooner, rather than later!""Kaleb!" Sasha's voice cracked as she gripped onto his hand, her body tensing up to face the next contraction. "Please don’t leave me." "I’m not going anywhere, sugar!" Kaleb had never known an experience as powerful as seeing his child being born—but along with the pride came panic. He tried telling himself that women had been giving birth for centuries, in conditions far more threatening than the clean and antiseptic surroundings of this hospital delivery room.But nothing seemed to take the edge off his fears for Sasha and their baby.Nothing, that was, until Sasha gave one last shuddering groan—and a long, skinny object with a shock of dark hair emerged, shouting, into the world."It’s a boy!" beamed t
Eighteen years ago….. Kaleb Luthor hurried on. He was on an errand for his father, walking down the gravel path that cut from his house when his eyes caught something. He stopped and stared for a moment. It was his sister's friend, Sasha. Sasha Sullivan.She was hanging upside down from an old tree, her skinned knees hooked over a low thick branch. She was swinging back and forth, so her long braids dangled like ropes. The whole time she hummed while she blew the biggest pink bubble he had ever seen. He didn't know you could hum and blow bubble gum at the same time. As he walked past her, there was a loud pop."Where are you going?" she asked as she swung up so she was straddling the branch with one leg, while the other dangled down. Her palms propped up by her body and she stared down at him.Dust fell all over him and scowling, he wiped off his face and head. He frowned. On the same level as his nose was a pair of blue canvas shoes. He slowly looked upward along her legs and knees
Sasha swam towards him and he stretched out his hand to her. She stared at it for a few seconds, as if contemplating her decision before she finally put her hand in his and he straightened, pulling her up with him. Sasha slid her hand from his grip and turned away, immediately grabbing the towel and using it to cover herself while awkwardly pretending to dry off…. Taking her time."What are you doing here?"she asked him as soon as she could bring herself to meet his gaze again. "That's a pretty weird question to ask me, don't you think? This is my house too, remember? I should be the one asking you that question." Kaleb replied.Sasha frowned at the grin on his face, and raised her chin a little, challenging him, "Excuse me, but I was under the impression that no one was home." she said."I can see that," he replied, and continued to smile at her so she looked away, embarrassed by the attraction she realized she still felt towards him after all these years. Neither of them made any e
She wondered why she never told Tilly about the way she felt for her brother. It was weird, because she and Tilly told each other everything. They kept nothing from each other. Tilly parents had even invested in her food truck business when she started it to show their support, but she'd kept her crush on Kaleb a secret. Maybe she was just scared of the way Tilly would react. What if Tilly didn't like the idea of her dating her brother? Would it leave a mark on their relationship? She didn't want that because she valued their friendship so much. But again, what was the point of talking about it when Kaleb wasn't even slightly interested in her. He'd completely friendzoned her, and she hadn't even seen him for years…. Well, until that afternoon. "Urmmm… helllooo" Tilly said on the other end of the line, bringing Sasha back to reality. "No, " Sasha said finally, answering Tilly's question, "I wasn't going to throw him a party. I was just surprised to see him, that's all." Feeling unc
Sasha still couldn’t quite grasp that Kaleb Luthor was there in the cramped quarters of a food truck, cooking Thai entrées like a professional.She tried to imagine other guys she'd met jumping in and helping out and couldn’t. The image refused to solidify, because they would never have done it. Not many men of her acquaintance would’ve bothered getting their hands dirty. But then again, two hours ago she wouldn’t have been able to picture Kaleb getting his hands dirty, either. And especially not for her.As Sasha closed the serving window and hung the Closed sign, questions crowded into her head. But before she could ask them, he turned, tugging down his sleeves and rebuttoning the cuffs.“I actually came to invite you to my party,” he said, thrusting his arms into his jacket, then his coat. "Your party?" Sasha repeated. "Yes. I've decided to stay here. I mean, move back here…. Permanently. I've bought a house too, and I'm throwing a small house warming party… with a few close frie
Sasha gave her an apologetic look. "I'm sorry" she said, "Lots of customers at the truck… And I had a little problem choosing my outfit. Now, speaking of outfits, yours is just…. You know… wow. Why aren't you dressed? Or are you?" Tilly rolled her eyes. "Good question! I'm dressed like this because like an idiot, I offered to help plan Kaleb's stupid party, and he put me in charge of everything. Trust me, if I'm not there to monitor everyone, nothing gets done."Sasha smiled. She wasn't surprised one bit. Tilly was a control freak, and she liked to do things and way and when she wanted it done. "I'm sure it's all in your head," she said, "Maybe you should let them do the rest and you should get dressed. You deserve to enjoy the party you put together. It's amazing by the way. You did great." "Of course I did, duh" said Tilly with a proud smirk, "What would Kaleb do without me? But of course, he won't admit that he can't do anything without my help" Sasha laughed, "I'm very sure he
"I'm glad you came" he said to her, "I almost thought that you wouldn't honor my invitation" "Now why would you say that?" she asked, and he had to concentrate hard to remember what he’d said."I—I guess because you didn't look very thrilled about it when I invited you." he essayed at last, congratulating himself on his memory. "I'm glad you came Sasha" Her lips were pressed together when she turned to give him a doubtful look, and Kaleb guessed she didn't really believe him. Long lashes, several shades darker than her hair, shaded her expression, however, and Kaleb found himself imagining how they would feel against his lips. He wanted to kiss her, he realized. He wanted to press that slim luscious body against his own and ease his aching need between her legs… "I don’t think that’s very fair, Kaleb" she said, and his arousal abruptly deflated. "You invited me in the weirdest way possible." An eyebrow lifted. He did? "Walking into my truck…" she continued, "Helping Tilly and I,