He turned and walked out. He knew he had to have the goofiest grin on his face, but he didn’t give a fuck.
Five minutes later, he walked in to see the distress on Bella’s face as her mother grabbed the necklace from her hand.
“Stop,” he bellowed. “Get your fucking hands off her and the necklace right now.”
Helen screamed in surprise and jerked back. “I … I was just looking at it.”
He glanced at Bella and knew her mother was lying. “What did she say, Bella?”
Bella looked back and forth. “She said she’d keep it safe for me and that I shouldn’t wear anything that expensive.”
He narrowed his eyes on the older woman. “Let me warn you now, Helen. If I see you so much as touch Bella or that necklace again, I will break your fucking fingers.”
Helen gasped. “You can’t threaten me like that,” she screamed.
He took a menacing step toward her. “Try me. I don’t care if I got busted for assault as long as your hand is fucked up for the rest of your life.”
Helen looked at Bella, likely for support, and the young woman looked down and away from her.
Caleb was proud of her. He knew it was hard for her to go against her mother because she’d been the power behind her whole life. Now, she had him.
Helen growled and started to walk out of the room. She stopped suddenly by Caleb and gave him a look filled with hatred. It was almost scary.
“You will pay for every time you’ve gotten in my way or defied me.”
“Lady, I can guarantee you’ll be the one who pays,” he whispered to her. “I think you’ll look great in orange.”
She looked confused and then sniffed in disdain. “I’ve no idea what you’re talking about. I hate the color orange.”
He threw back his head and laughed. “I guarantee you’ll get used to it.”
“Bastard,” she hissed and walked off.
Caleb glanced at Bella and saw the distress on her face. He sat down beside her and cupped her chin.
“Hey now, you can’t be sad on your birthday. It’s a law.”
She relaxed and giggled. “It is not.”
He tried to look serious. “I think it is, and I recommend we don’t break the law and get thrown in the poky.”
She laughed hard. “You’re such a silly man.”
He bent forward and kissed her forehead. “I’m your silly man.”
“I’m glad.” She held out the necklace. “Can you help me put this on, please?”
“Of course. Turn a bit and lift your hair.”
He fumbled a few times. One, because the mechanism was so damn tiny, and two, her scent was driving him crazy. His cock had never been this hard before, and it fucking hurt.
“There,” he murmured. “Let’s see how it fits.”
Bella straightened it out. The star dipped between her cleavage, making sweat pop out on his forehead.
He’d been trying not to focus on what she was wearing, but now it was inevitable. Her skimpy white nightgown kept slipping off her shoulder, showing the upper part of her breasts. If that weren’t enough, he could plainly see her nipples through the thin fabric.
Fortunately, the blanket covered the bottom part of her because he was afraid he wouldn’t be able to stop when he started pulling her down to lay on her back, push her gown up and her panties down, and feast on the little pussy he could smell.
His fiery gaze clashed with hers. He was stunned by how much he wanted her.
Caleb rose and took a few steps toward the door. “I … I’m going to go while you finish breakfast. Just leave the tray. I’ll get it later.”
“Wait,” she yelled. “Can I hug and kiss you? I just want to thank you.”
He almost groaned. He knew she didn’t understand how hard this was for him, but he wasn’t about to deny her.
Caleb sat by her hip, facing her. He cupped her chin and bent forward, lightly pressing their lips together.