The Ruthless Caleb Wilde

There was a few seconds of numbing silence.

“I said—”

“I heard you. What’d you do, hit your head? What the hell would I know about the theater? And why would you give a damn?”

“You’re dating that redhead. The actress. Did she ever say anything about, you know, acting jobs?”

“I was dating her. She’s not an actress, she’s a singer. And what in hell are you talking about?”

What, indeed?

Caleb turned his back to the kitchen door. The last thing he wanted was for Sage to catch him making plans. Or not making them. This was just what he’d called it: an exploratory conversation. He had exploratory conversations all the time….

Legal ones.

Never one that involved asking a woman he’d only just met to move to the town where he lived.

Hell.

What was he doing? Great sex and not enough sleep. A bad combination.

“Caleb?”

Travis sounded worried. Caleb snorted. Why wouldn’t he?

“Yeah. I’m here. Look, forget what I—”

He heard the sound of the toilet flushing through the thin walls. Sage was awake. Dammit, he had to end this call—

“Who the crap are you?”

Caleb swung around. A man was standing in the kitchen doorway, staring at him. The guy was a couple of years younger than he was, smaller, but trim.

“Caleb?” Travis said.

“Later,” Caleb said, and disconnected.

Great. Somebody had broken into Sage’s apartment while he’d been playing pie-in-the-sky, and now he was going to have to take him on half-dressed—and, apparently, with only half his brain functioning.

“Take it easy,” he said as calmly as he could. “Do the smart thing. Turn around, walk out the door—”

The intruder took a step forward.

“I asked you a question. Who are you? And what are you doing in my apartment?”

Caleb blinked. “What are you talking about? What do you mean, your apartment?”

“I mean exactly what I said, pal.” The man’s gaze swept over Caleb, taking in his naked chest and bare feet. “Where’s Sage? What have you done to her?”

“You know Sage? And you live—you live—”

“I’m calling the cops.”

“No. Wait a minute—”

“David?”

It was Sage. She stepped around the intruder, her eyes locked on Caleb.