by Alex Rosa
She shrugs, not necessarily fighting his words. I tilt my head to the right, peeking at her disposition, judging her tweaked hip and arms crossed over her chest in annoyance even though she hasn’t budged from Brandon’s side. I hate how CeeCee always has to play hard to get. It has me almost feeling bad for Brandon. Almost.
I roll my eyes at the whole scene. “I don’t know how you can stand there and lecture Caiden on relationship logistics when all of us are so fucked up.”
All four of us release a loud, pent-up burst of laughter I didn’t know my words would ignite. Maybe some things are truer than others, and this is proof. We’re all so out of our minds when it comes to love that it’s hilarious at this point.
Brandon lets his laughter trail off in an exhausted sigh. “Well, Cameron is still convinced Olivia is trying to get into his pants, so he’s inside still trying to get her to come home with him.”
Caiden comes up to stand beside me, rubbing at his swollen lips as he says, “Sounds like Olivia is the one that isn’t so convinced.”
“You got that right.”
“I’m going to take Hailey home, too.”
I look at him with wide eyes. This is news to me.
Brandon nods, waving a flippant hand at us. “Whatever.”
Both boys whisk off their reluctant dates, me included.
CeeCee keeps barking at Brandon when he tries to open the truck door for her, and I keep eyeing Caiden with a suspicious glare as I climb into his truck without his help.
Brandon and Caiden just laugh at their own private joke, while I try to hide how anxious I am now that I’ve taken down my shield when it comes to Caiden Anderson.
When Caiden’s truck comes to a stop in my driveway, I want to say something clever, or even funny, but I’m too rattled by the silence that filled our drive from the bar to here. He hasn’t even touched me, which feels odd because he pretty much devoured me like I was his last meal on death row approximately fifteen minutes ago.
“Why’d you do that?” I ask, wincing because I know he can’t read my mind and figure out what the hell I mean. Also, that wasn’t remotely clever.
He turns off his truck and turns toward me. I think he’s smirking.
“Do what?” he asks, and I come to the conclusion he’s most definitely smirking at me from that tone.
“Touch me?” I question.
There’s a longer pause than I expect. “Do you want me to touch you?”
“I meant during the drive. You didn’t even try to touch me, not even my hand.”
“Hailey, what do you want?” I hate the curious hum in his tone. This is all a game to him.
I huff. He will not make me into a plaything. Not when it comes to this. “You’re messing with me now, and I don’t appreciate it. But funny, since you’re asking, I think I want you to drive yourself back home now.”
I start climbing out of his truck, and I can hear his laughter.
He’s already coming up behind me as I approach the porch steps. “Hailey, I’m sorry. You make it too easy for me sometimes. I didn’t touch you because I thought you wanted some space. I’m trying to read this for what it is. I’m trying to pace myself.”
I turn around, nodding. “I understand that. That kiss was just—”
“—Tilted my world on its axis? Yeah. I’m actually trying to rationalize it at the moment. That’s why maybe even I need some space. You know what I mean? I want you, all of you, but in the right way, like we talked about.”
I sigh, laughing as I remember something, feeling like the ridiculous one. “This reminds me of when I was the one trying to convince you we should lose our virginity to each other.”
He takes a confident step forward, putting us nearly chest to chest. His presence overwhelms me when he gets this confidence that pulls the rug from underneath me. I lose my breath.
“Does this mean you’re trying to get me in your bed, Hailey Elwood?”
I’m thankful for the darkness as I turn crimson. I shake my head violently, totally embarrassed. “Get your head outta the gutter. No-no-no. What I meant by that was, I’m always the one in the end who has a hard time not rushing things. It’s just funny to realize that you’ve always been the person to rein me in, even though you’re generally crazier.”
“You think I’m crazy?”
“Err—kind of. You know what I mean? You were always the more adventurous one, and here I am trying my hardest to play this the right way but failing.”
“How can you not see that you’re the adventurous one out of the two of us? I’ll take that I’m crazy at times, and sometimes irrational, but damn Hailey, can’t you see you’re the most fearless person in this town?”
I release a happy sigh and close my eyes briefly, soaking in the moment. “Sometimes I forget how much faith you’ve always had in me, even if you didn’t follow me to Los Angeles.”
His arms come around to hug me close. I lean my cheek against his chest and breathe him in. I think what I’ve said must have struck a chord. We stand in silence after that. It lasts so long, I worry maybe I’ve said the wrong thing.
“Can I tuck you in?” erupts from Caiden, banishing the worry. I release a cathartic giggle at the question.
“Tuck me in?” I ask, pulling away, shaking my head. “You’re cute, but no. Maybe it’s best you kiss me goodnight and go on your way.”
I turn around, knowing that the moment isn’t over. If I could, I’d never want the night to end. I’ve challenged Caiden in my most favorite way, and he’s never been one to back down.
Sure enough, I can hear him behind me as I approach my front door.
His clunky boots hit my porch, and I’m waiting for his rebuttal as I pull my keys from my pocket. I want Caiden to tuck me in, but the battle is lost when out of nowhere a skirting meow rounds the corner of the porch as Soot comes into view. He runs up to Caiden, rubbing himself all over his leg.
I’m baffled at the animal who’s unceremoniously taking my moment away. “He never does that to me, and I feed him. Obviously, he loves you more.”
Caiden’s smug grin glows in the moonlight. He leans down to grab for the cat, the animal appearing miniature in his arms when he brings him up to his chest. My knees wobble.
As if knowing my kryptonite, he lifts the cat to his face, shamelessly rubbing the cute creature against his scruff, their eyes matching green. Good God, it’s body-liquefyingly adorable.
“Wanna let me in now?” Caiden asks, rubbing his face with equal affection against the feline.
“You’re kidding me right now?” I pant.
“Aren’t we cute?” he chides with a deep timbre to his voice that has a bizarre way of complimenting the scene before me.
I sigh, squinting at this guy and his cat. The tables have turned, and I’ve lost my footing.
My brain has lost its reason for its existence as I reply, “Fine.”
I open my door, and it isn’t until I see my suitcase sitting in the living room where I left it that I realize I was too caught up in my gooey moment with Caiden to remember one thing.
“You’re kidding me, right?” Caiden blurts as he walks in, noticing the same thing as me. “I thought we agreed you were sleeping in your bed?”
I shrug, feeling caught. “I couldn’t.”
His thick brows pull together as he shoots me a look of concerned disapproval. He places Soot onto the floor and closes the door behind him.
I pout when he turns around. “Don’t be mad at me.”
He growls with an exasperated sigh. “I’m not mad—well, maybe a little. Hailey, I just thought...” He pauses to scratch the back of his head as if to think of a way to approach this. “I thought we were past this. I thought we made progress. I want to believe you’re doing okay. This has me worried.”
I blink back the sudden water that appears at the edges of my eyes when I try to reply with, “We did make progress, and I am okay.”
He extends his hand out, and I know what he’s going to d
o. I shake my head.
“Hailey, take my hand.”
“I don’t want to sleep up there, Caiden. Don’t do this.”
“Trust me.”
I grit my teeth when he says that. “This isn’t about trust. Please don’t make this about me and you.”
“I know it’s not. Remember how you mentioned all that faith I have in you? Well, c’mon. I know you can do it.”
I blink more furiously to keep the tears at bay, trying to figure out how the night took such a turn. Before I can lift a hand to my eyes to wipe the overflow away, I’m suddenly being thrown over a shoulder. I yelp, not seeing it coming.
“Caiden! No!”
He doesn’t reply, but instead starts stomping upstairs with me slung over his shoulder.
“Caiden, I can’t!” I shout, trying to squirm out of his arms, but he’s a solid piece of man, unmoving and stubborn.
He bursts through my closed bedroom door, the stale sweet smell hitting me. He doesn’t turn the light on, but slowly puts me down on my feet in front of him.
Before I can get words out, his lips crash to mine, his hands fiercely grabbing for my face, anchoring my mouth to his, as if he fears I’ll pull away. I would never.
I don’t care about words when his lips are against mine. Not when I’ve lost so much valuable time when it comes to us. I hum a sweet moan as my tears subside and my body calms.
His tongue dips into my mouth for a taste, then dances over my bottom lip before he pulls away, leaving me out of breath.
“I’m going to tuck you in, Hails.”
My face still in his grasp, I try to shake my head in disagreement. “I don’t want to sleep here alone,” I reply more pathetically than I’d like.
“Who says I’m going anywhere?”
My breath catches in my throat. “We agreed on slow,” I gasp, even though my heart thumps with the need for him to be close.
He kisses the tip of my nose, then places a chaste kiss against my lips before replying with, “And who said you’re getting into my pants tonight?”
I laugh, but it comes out as a croak when clashing with my emotional state.
“I’m here for you. We’ll do this together, okay?”
With the wall I’ve built nearly obliterated now, I exhale the words, “Together sounds nice.”
The corners of his mouth lift under his thick scruff. He releases my face to trail his hands heavily down my body until reaching the button of my skirt.
I continue to hold my breath as I watch him. He releases the button with a half-smile, letting the fabric pool at my feet. His eyes stay pinned to mine, as if to say the moment isn’t about how badly he might want my body, but simply about me. I want to cry all over again, but for an entirely different reason now.
I lick my lips when I feel his hands come to the hem of my tank top, and he lets his fingers loiter against the skin above my panties before pulling the tight material up and over my head.
I’m in just my black lacy bra and black boy-short underwear. I’ve never been one for sexy, but I’d be lying if I didn’t admit I might have actually matched this pair of underwear just in case Caiden might see it.
This time he lets his eyes drop down, and his vision sizzles down the length of my body. I smile, glad for the darkness, because I’m sure I’m blushing everywhere.
“Your turn,” I whisper.
I lift my hand to his jeans, unbuttoning them and pushing them over his strong, narrow hips, trying to keep my limbs from shaking.
When his jeans pool at his feet, I don’t hesitate in grabbing for his shirt, but I make sure when I move to lift it over his head that my thumbs drag over the surface of his skin until it’s off.
Surprising him, I take his shirt and pull it over my body. It hangs baggily over me, but the warmth from it against my skin calms me.
I can hear his tight, short chuckle of appreciation once I have it on. It isn’t until then that he leans in, presses an adoring kiss against my lips, and says, “You’re beautiful.”
We climb into bed, tangle our arms and legs around each other, and fall asleep under the same covers we did five years ago.
Together never felt so good.
Chapter Fifteen
My eyes flicker open. I can’t figure out what’s woken me up, and I can’t remember where I am. I should be startled, but I’m more stunned, distracted by what’s directly above me as I’m lying on my back.
I squint, examining the chipped paint on the off-white ceiling, and its familiarity pings my well-being. The recognition sends a shiver through me when I connect the chipped paint to the many evenings I’d spent in my childhood bedroom throwing a softball at the ceiling as I waited for Caiden to come to my window.
My chin falls to the left, trying to put the pieces together.
Caiden. He’s here.
My eyes widen in disbelief. I have to admit, in the years I spent away from home, my nightmares usually started out like this. Normally, they’d be dreams, but the cruelty of the situation would hit hard when a much more baby-faced Caiden would evaporate from my imagination to reveal nothing but darkness; then I’d wake up in a cold sweat of homesickness. So I keep blinking at him, waiting for that moment, but his eyes flicker open and catch me staring.
The right corner of his mouth lifts. “Morning,” he whispers gruffly.
I’m too enthralled by the color of his eyes in the early sunshine to respond, and instead my hand rises of its own accord. My fingertips dance up and over the thick scruff of his jaw. His full smile forms as he watches me in awe.
My fingers trail into his bedhead of hair. I’m so stunned he’s here lying in bed with me and staring at me like I’m his world, when I thought I’d never get a moment like this ever again.
I’m still terrified I’m dreaming and that he’ll disappear, so I lean in, not wanting to wake up, wanting to savor what I have as much as possible, even if I made it all up in my head.
I press my lips to his, feeling their warmth and their gentle caress against mine as my eyes sink closed.
His hand curves over my hip, his grip tightening against my overheated skin under the blanket.
He pulls away with a delightful hum as he says, “Well, that’s a first.”
“What are you talking about?”
“You kissed me.” His hand gently squeezes at my hip again, sending a thrill to every neuron in my body.
I shake my head. “What? We’ve already kissed since I came back.”
“Yeah, but I’ve always kissed you. This time you kissed me first.”
He tweaks a brow, and I have a hard time containing my giggles. Leave it to him to keep track of that.
“I guess I never realized. Sorry.”
He nods, tutting as he licks his bottom lip. “You could make it up to me?”
“Clever you.” And I don’t hesitate. I don’t want to hesitate anymore. I close the distance between us to kiss him again, and this time I’m met with unrestrained fervor.