His breath is hot against my ear. “But we do this right, K. We go slow. We take our time.”
I nod, pressing kisses against his neck. “Slow,” I agree.
“I mean it.” I hear the earnestness in his voice, and it unlocks something inside of me, this deep-seated need to let Caleb be in charge, to let him set the pace.
“Okay.” I smile against his neck, and he relaxes.
We lie down on my rumpled bed, wrapped around each other, our legs tangled. Caleb sweeps his fingers through my hair in soothing movements, and I tuck my face against his shoulder. Eventually, his breathing slows, and the movement of his fingers in my hair stills. I don’t know what time it is, but Dad will probably come by soon to check on me. I look up at Caleb. His face looks relaxed, serene, almost. I brush my fingers along his cheek, tracing the outline of his cheekbone. He stirs in his sleep but doesn’t wake. Sleep pulls at me, but I force myself to stay awake. I don’t want to miss a single second with him.
I jump at the sound of the intercom, and it takes a few seconds for my brain to remember where I am. Something heavy is slung across my stomach. I lift my head and take in Caleb, still sleeping next to me. The intercom sounds again, and I realize it must be Dad. I push at Caleb’sshoulder. “Hey, wake up.” He stirs slightly but doesn’t open his eyes. I push him harder. “Caleb, my dad’s here. Get up.” He groans, tugging me closer against his side, until his brain seems to register what I just said.
He sits up with a start, blinking his eyes open, rubbing his hands along his face. “Shit!” He smiles at me carefully, and my heart does a weird flip at his mussed-up hair and puffy lips. “I was out like a light. Did you sleep?”
I’m about to say something when my phone goes off, andDadflashes across the screen. “I’d better go let him in,” I say, while Caleb jumps from the bed, smoothing his shirt and adjusting himself. I chuckle under my breath because Caleb, with a morning hard-on in the middle of the afternoon, is so fucking sexy and something I never in a million years thought I’d experience.
“What?” He eyes me through hooded lids.
I bite back a goofy smile, then get out of bed too. “Nothing.”
“Brat,” he digs, but there’s nothing but heat and fondness in his sexy-as-fuck voice. It’s all raspy from sleep, and within seconds I’m hard too. Or again.
I stick out my tongue, then hurry from my bedroom and bolt down the hallway before Dad alerts the police or the fire department or something. “Coming!” I yell, then cringe as I smooth down my messy hair. When I swing the door open, I’m met by Dad’s worried frown.
“You okay?” he asks, then enters when I move to the side.
“Yeah, yeah, I was just in the bathroom.”
Dad eyes me, but seems satisfied with my little white lie. As soon as I close the door behind him, he pulls me in and hugs me as if his life depends on it. “How are you feeling?”
“I’m better,” I murmur against his shoulder. Dad’s a few inches taller than me and a lot broader, and I disappear into his embrace.
“Good.” He pauses, then says quietly, “I gave them a piece of my mind down at the Department of Revenue. They assured me it was a system error, which has now been corrected.”
I nod. I really don’t feel like talking about it. “Thanks, Dad.”
“Where’s Caleb? Didn’t he stay?” Dad eases me away from him and squeezes my shoulders affectionately. Just when I’m about to say something, Caleb comes trailing down the hallway, then stands next to me.
He gives Dad a quick nod. “Hey man. Just adjusted a few loose cords in Kayden’s bedroom.” Caleb’s face is all stoic, not giving away that he was just in my bed, wrapped around me, after kissing me senseless a few hours ago.
“Good, good. Thanks again.” Something passes between them, then Dad turns back tome. “Did you eat, honey?”
I shake my head. “Not yet, but Caleb brought some soup we can heat up.”
“Sounds good. I could eat.” Dad pats his stomach, and I can’t help laughing.
We heat the soup and eat around the kitchen island. Dad and Caleb discuss the renovation of the warehouse and the proposal they got from the contractor. I feel Caleb’s eyes on me from time to time, his heated gaze lingering just a few seconds at a time. My skin tingles where his eyes rest, and it feels like I have a fever as I burn up from the inside. I can’t believe Caleb is attracted to me, too, and that he kissed me. I can’t believe I told him about the tattoo.
“I’ll see you tomorrow.” Caleb lingers in the doorway, smiling at me, something flashing in his eyes that I haven’t seen before. Something new and exciting, like a promise, perhaps.
I smile back. “I’ll see you tomorrow. Thanks for coming over.”
“Of course, K.” A thousand butterflies take flight in my stomach all at once.K. Everything has changed in the course of a few hours, and yet, I’m still his K. It feels familiar and safe, like no matter what happens between us, we’ll be okay.
“You sure you don’t want to come home with me?” Dad eyes me, a worried frown between his eyebrows.
“Thanks, Dad, but I’m really okay. I promised Em we’d talk tonight. We have a lot of catching up to do.”
“Right, right.” Dad ruffles my hair, then pulls me into a side hug. “I love you, kid.”