“You’re so beautiful, Emma. And you’re all mine.”
Panic rises in me, but I damp it down. This is Caleb. He’s not going to hurt me. He’s going to treat me like his equal and not the way I was for my whole marriage. He’s going to love me, and he wants to make me happy.
If I ask him to stop he will.
But I stroke his arm and urge him on.
His fingers speed up, and tension pools in my stomach.
My brain is screaming at me to stop—to not let this go too far. It’s so intense, and every synapse fires as I lose control and wave after wave of pleasure hits me.
Caleb slows, his gaze locked onto my face.
“You’re so beautiful when you come. Spread your legs for me, babe.”
I do it without thinking—just like I have a million times before.
It’s Caleb. He loves me. He wants a future with me.
This isn’t the same.
He hovers over me, and my gaze fixes on his cock. He’s already rolled the condom on.
Wait.
Numbness spreads over me, and he guides himself inside me.
“Caleb. Stop,” I croak.
He pulls, the colour draining from his face. “Emma?”
“I can’t do this.”
“Baby, I would never hurt?—”
“I know.” Tears stream down my face. “It’s a cliché, but it’s not you, it’s me. I can’t do this right now.”
He sighs softly, and nods. “It’s okay. You know that, right? It’s going to take time to heal, and I understand that. We moved too fast.”
“I’m sorry.”
Caleb shakes his head and moves closer, flicking away the tears with his thumbs. I close my eyes as he presses a long kiss to my forehead.
“There’s nothing to be sorry about,” he murmurs. “I’ll give you the space you need, but I want you to know that I’m in love with you. I’ll wait. However long it takes.”
“It’s already been twenty-seven years.” I hiccup through the tears.
He smiles. “And when you’re ready, we can spend the rest of our lives together. But you need more time, and I understand that.”
“I’m so messed up.”
Caleb’s arms wrap around me. “No, you just have some things you have to work through in your head. This is something you need to talk to your counsellor about.”
I nod.
He places a soft kiss in my hair. “You and those kids need to be healthy, and you’ve all been through a lot.”
“I’m so sorry.”
