“Gosh, Rae.” The words came out rough, barely a whisper. “You have no idea what you do to me.”
I gathered her against me, wrapping my arms around her and feeling the warmth of her skin against mine. For a moment, everything slowed—the air, our breathing, the space between heartbeats. She was soft and real in my arms, and it stole the breath right out of me.
Her breath caught when my thumb brushed over the soft peak of her breast, teasing until her quiet gasp filled the space between us. I kissed a slow trail from her lips down her neck, across her shoulder while my hands moved again, gentle, steady, giving her time to breathe, to feel.
Her hands gripped my back, nails digging lightly into my skin as her body reacted to every touch. Heat built low in my stomach, steady and insistent, and when my hand slid to the button of her jeans, she didn’t hesitate. She helped me, her fingers moving with mine, wanting it as much as I did.
I slipped my hand beneath the waistband of her jeans and beneath the soft fabric below, touching her, slow, careful, deliberate. Her moan came fast, her hips moving to meet my touch, and when my fingers circled her again, she gasped, pushing into my hand like she needed more. I found the pace that made her breath hitch, the sound that left her lips somewhere between a sigh and a moan. I kept it slow, steady, giving her time to climb higher with every touch. My mouth stayed near her neck, my breath warm against her skin as she trembled against the wall.
Her breathing grew uneven, a quiet sound leaving her throat before she gasped my name. Her whole body tightened, then shook as she came apart, her face pressed to my shoulder, her hands gripping at me like she needed something to hold on to. I held her through it, whispering quiet words she probably didn’t even hear.
“I got you,” I murmured against her skin, my arms still wrapped around her. “Always.”
“What do you want fordinner?” I asked as I looked in the refrigerator for something to make.
Rae stared at me from across the room while rubbing her shoulder and wincing at the tightness in her muscles. “If I wasn't so sore, I'd say something flirty like ‘how about you,’ but this tension—” She groaned and laughed. “The hot water from the shower didn’t do anything for this either.”
I chuckled at the face she made as she stretched. “Let's eat dinner and get some painkillers in you. Then I'll work on those tense muscles if you want.”
“Deal.” Rae chuckled as she stood and stretched. “How can I help?” she asked, joining me at the refrigerator.
“By going and lying down on the couch.” I kissed her cheek as I passed by her with my hands full of items from the refrigerator.
“No, Cal—” I held up my hand with a playful look on my face. “But I want—” I shook my head.
I set the skillet I had pulled from the cabinet on the counter and then walked to her, pulling her into a hug. “Rae, baby. When will you understand that I love to spoil you, and take care of you? I didn’t even get to see you for several years, and now you’re here and I get to love you, and you love me back...This is all I’ve wanted. Spoiling you and taking care of you, in every way, is all I want to do.” She looked at me, our faces so close to each other's. “So will you please go sit down on the couch and snuggle our pup so I can spoil you, like you deserve?” I had kept my voice sweet but serious, but I changed it to a silly tone to continue what I was saying, and it got her to belly laugh.
I gave her a gentle squeeze before pointing at the couch with a big smile on my face. She rolled her eyes and laughed before turning and walking towards the couch, grabbing a blanket on the way. Duke jumped up next to her, and she covered both of them with the blanket. I chuckled at the sight.Duke’s got her under his spell.
“Can I ask you something?” I asked as I started to brown the meat. I decided to make pasta since it was simple and Rae could get painkillers in her system faster.
She nodded.
“I don’t want to bring up bad memories, so please don’t hate me, but I was curious about something. Is there anything you wanted to do, while you were...at college that you didn’t get to do?” I looked at her for a moment, hoping to not see the shadows covering the sunshine I’d seen in her eyes all day. She smiled at me and then turned thoughtful.
I continued cooking as she thought for a few moments.
“So, there’s only a couple of things I can think of, right this second. One of which isn’t necessarily something I wanted to do while...at college, but just in general. The other is something I thought I would get the chance to do, but never did, surprisingly.”
“Alright, let’s go with the first one.”
She pulled her legs up under her and got a bit more relaxed, which I took as a good sign.
“I wanted to travel some. Nowhere specific, not really out of the country, just...going somewhere. I would have even loved to go camping, but I would have needed a working toilet and a shower...” The face she made at the thought of going camping without those things was one that would live in my head for the rest of my life. A genuine moment. “...or go on a road trip somewhere. Anywhere.”
“With someone, or a solo trip?” I asked, hoping her answer would be with someone so I could take her somewhere. I turned to dump the pasta water out and heard her laughing behind me.
“Ranger, can you imagine me on a solo trip? I would get so lost or be bored by myself!” She giggled before turning thoughtful again, not serious, just like she was thinking of something before saying it. “I would want to go with...with you, if you’d want to go somewhere with me, at some point.”
I turned back towards the island just in time for her to see my smile as she said that. “I will take you anywhere you want to go, Sunshine.” A look of pure joy was on her face.Gosh, I love her.“Dinner is ready. Do you want to eat there or here?”
She groaned as she stood up and pointed at the table as she winced and laughed at the tension in her muscles. She covered Duke with the part of the blanket she’d been using and then walked over to where I was plating the food.
She pulled a couple of glasses from the cabinet and filled them with water. I loved that she felt at home here.
“Before I answer the next question, can I ask you something, but you promise you won’t hate me?” she asked timidly.
I nodded as I grabbed the last of what we needed for dinner.
