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“You are very busy,” I said, trying not to let her hear my disappointment at knowing she wouldn’t be sleeping in my bed tonight. She wouldn’t even be back to Boston at all before I left on my trip.
“Yes but busy doing things I love. It sounds as if you’ll be booked up as well, considering you have an international trip in a few days. Where are you going?”
“Abu Dhabi. It’s the World Sustainability Summit. I go every year.” I suddenly hated the idea of going this year.
“Well, I don’t know what commitments you have at work before you leave for Abu Dhabi on Wednesday night, but if you are free to take some time off, you could come and stay with me at the cottage . . . and experience south-end island life for a few days.” She paused in the silence. “If the idea is to your liking, of course.” God, I fucking love you.
“Yes, the idea is to my liking. Yes, I’m free to take the time.” No wasted words there. My heart was about to explode out of my chest, but I was answering her in coherent sentences at least.
“Will you come on the five-thirty ferry with me, or are you getting there on your own at a later time?” she asked softly.
“Oh . . . most definitely on the five-thirty ferry with you, beautiful,” I answered.
Brooke
Caleb emerged from the backseat of the Mercedes with a leather bag in his left hand and an autumn bouquet of flowers in his right. A supremely hot man boarding the ferry whilst carrying flowers got more than a few heads turning—and even some smirks, as he walked right over and greeted me with a kiss that stole my breath. Lucky me.
“Have you ever taken this ferry before?” I asked, after he ended the kiss.
“When I was a kid with the Boy Scouts I did,” he said, looking over the side with a frown. “Why do you ask?”
“Oh, no reason other than you don’t really have the vibe of a BIF annual pass holder going on, is all.” I shaped my hands around the outline of his body for emphasis. Caleb still wore the navy blue suit he’d put on this morning, but he’d replaced the shirt and tie for a jumper in a mustard color that popped against the blue. It would be hard to miss him in a crowd. Even when dressing down, he still looked expensive. “But hot. Incredibly hot.”
I forced myself to tamp down the images of us together last night still playing in my head and making me ache for more of the same. I had to suppress them, or I might do something utterly indecent in front of our audience on this very public ferry boat.
Caleb Blackstone had infected me with the desire to belong to him, to be more than just sexual partners in some really superb shagging. He made me feel like I mattered, like I was important to him and he needed me. It was the most wonderful feeling, experiencing that with him last night.
And absolutely fucking terrifying at the same time.
I could tell he liked my comment about being incredibly hot because his eyes flared. “No? And here I thought I was doing a good job of fitting right in.” He handed me the mixed bouquet of flowers. “For you.”
“They’re gorgeous. Thank you for being so thoughtful, Caleb, as always.”
“You are gorgeous. Thank you for inviting me, Brooke. I—I really wanted more time with you before I leave. There’s so much I want to know about you . . . and experience with you,” he said.
I loved how Caleb’s eyes looked right now. The blue of them was intensified by his choice of clothing, and even the gold ringing th
e blue iris matched the color of the sweater he’d chosen. Beautiful eyes that penetrated right into my heart. Somehow Caleb had gotten inside my heart.
And that meant my heart was now in very grave danger of being hurt—which was the fucking terrifying part.
I led him inside to a bench seat where I was pulled in to rest my back against his chest as soon as we sat down and settled our things. He placed his chin on top of my head and took one of my hands in his. All of his gestures very sweet as he went about the business of touching me. Caleb seemed to need the touching as much as I did.
I felt warm and could smell the delicious scent unique to him enveloping me. I was being held by someone whose arms I wanted around me. All new experiences.
The hour-long commute would make me happy tonight.
Because Caleb would be holding me.
WATCHFUL is how I would describe Caleb as we left the boat. He carried both bags as I led him to where the car was parked. It reminded me of shopping at Target with him actually. He didn’t use public transportation, and I’d only seen Isaac driving him around the city, so I imagined he was “learning” his way through this experience, too.
When I stopped at Woody and stuck my key in the lock to open up the back hatch, he paused—surprised—I was sure of it, before catching himself and stowing our bags inside. I doubted Caleb had ever been driven around in a car older than him before, but he didn’t say anything. He merely followed me to the driver’s side and opened the door for me after I’d unlocked it. Even though he was the passenger, Caleb did not forget his lovely manners. I had to pinch myself in the brief space of time it took for him to walk around to the other side and get in with me. Caleb was coming home with me. Caleb. Was. Coming. Home. With. Me.
Once we were both in, he turned toward me and said, “I need to do something first.”
“What’s that?”
He leaned over the console and took my face in his hands—a gesture I adored from him—and whispered, “This.”
