Page 139 of Fame & Chaos

The concern in her voice instantly wipes away any sting I initially felt. I understand exactly where she’s coming from. The last thing I want is her being forced to relive all that trauma publicly. “Okay,” I say gently. “I’m fine keeping this between us for now. I get it.”

“Thank you.” She hesitates briefly before speaking again, “Um… can we not tell your family either?”

That one catches me off guard.

I scratch the back of my neck and study her carefully. “Can I ask why?”

She swallows hard before finally meeting my eyes. “I didn’t want to say this because it sounds awful, but honesty is probably the best thing for us right now.”

I nod slowly, bracing myself.

“Hux and Macy are basically second parents to me. And I still feel horrible about the way I left without saying goodbye. Sure, I saw Hux a couple of times afterward, but I still feel guilty about how everything ended with them.”

“Okay…” I say slowly, still unsure where this is heading.

“I love them, and I love you. But I can’t have them fully back in my life yet. Not until I know this is real and s-stable.” Her voice cracks slightly. “Because if something happens between us and I lose you again, then I lose them too. I don’t think I could survive that twice.”

The tension instantly drains from my body.

Now I understand.

“Yeah,” I say quietly. “That makes sense.” I reach up and cup her cheek gently. “I know we’re taking things slowly and keeping this quiet for now, but Indi… I need you to know I’m going to make this worth fighting for. For both of us. I’m not losing you again.”

A soft smile spreads across her lips before she leans down and kisses me. I slide my hand into her hair and deepen the kiss instantly, opening my mouth to hers. She tastes sweet and addictive, and I already know I’ll spend the rest of my life wanting more of her.

She slowly pulls back, looking down at me with uncertainty lingering in her eyes. “Are you sure you’re okay with this?”

“Baby, I want you to be comfortable in this relationship. If keeping things on the down low helps you feel safe, then I’m okay with it.”

She bursts out laughing and flops onto her back beside me. “Did you seriously just say ‘on the down low’?”

I grin and roll onto my side to face her. “Yeah.”

She laughs harder. “I might need to rethink this relationship. You sounded like a forty-year-old dad trying to be cool.”

“Oh, you think you’re funny?”

Rolling on top of her, I pin her gently into the mattress while she keeps laughing beneath me.

“You know, laughing at a man can give him a complex.”

Her laughter softens as she stares up at me, her eyes bright with happiness and love, and fuck! I don’t think I’ve ever seen her look this alive.

“Well, maybe he shouldn’t be such a dork then.”

“That’s it.” I dip my head and bite gently at her earlobe, tugging on it as I growl against her skin.

“Caleb!” she squeals, smacking my back while laughing uncontrollably.

I release her ear and crash my mouth down onto hers instead, all the teasing dissolving into heat almost instantly. My body settles against hers, skin sliding against skin as we kiss harder, deeper. My cock thickens against her stomach, and I feel her smirk against my lips.

“Ready to go again, rock star?” she murmurs.

I pull back just enough to look down into her eyes, then raise my brows suggestively. “Always ready for you, my sweet little pixie.”

Then I kiss her again like I’ll never get enough.

Indi and I stay tangled up in bed until mid-afternoon, only finally surrendering when our stomachs growl loud enough to ruin the moment entirely. After a quick shower together, I decide I’m taking her somewhere special. She deserves to see exactly how I intend to treat her now that she’s finally mine again.