Page 24 of Insatiable

“Do we have somewhere to stay until the Detective calls us?” She turns and looks at us, her eyes raised in question when we don’t answer right away. I think we are all just speechless at how she’s responding to all of this. I can see that she’s hurting but she is bottling it up and walking away with her head held high.

“I’ve taken care of it, Tatter-tot.” I finally move my feet to her, and she reaches out her hand to me again. I lace her fingers with mine and squeeze her hand.

“We will make this right, Tatum,” Sean says behind us. Cace remains quiet as we walk back out of the house. Suddenly, Tate stops. She lets go of my hand and steps into the living room. Stepping over ripped throw pillows and decaying plants she grabs a picture off the way. The glass is cracked but she cradles it to her chest despite that. I assume it is a picture of her parents or her grandmother but when I take her hand again, I can see the picture is of us.

“I have the same photo on my desk at work,” Cace says as he looks over my shoulder. Four happy college kids dressed as zombies smile up at the camera. Well, except Sean, he was smirking. He was not happy with Tate’s costume choice for him, but he went with it because he always wanted to please her.

“I was a pain in the ass that night,” Sean says with a smile as we all walk out of the front door of Tate’s house. Tate turns to lock the door and Cace takes the keys out of her hands and she lets them go easily.

“Thank you,” she says to him. The two words hold so much more meaning than just a simple pleasantry.

“Always, Tay.” He winks.

“I think we need a hotdog, don’t you?” Tate looks up at me and smiles wide. I can’t help but laugh as she allows her mood to shift and in that moment the sun shines a little brighter.

“I can eat one,” Sean says unlocking the doors to the SUV.

“Great, I know the best place.” Tate drags me into the backseat with her, as Cace takes the front seat.

Tate still holds the broken photo in her arms as we begin to drive away from her house and the car goes silent again. I watch out of the corner of my eye as she studies the picture for long moment before she speaks all of a sudden.

“I want you all to know that I love you. I know it must sound crazy considering what I’ve been through, but I don’t think I ever stopped. If everything that I’ve been through lead me to this moment with the three of you by my side again, then it was worth it. I would go through it again without question. I regret nothing and I hope you regret nothing either. We needed to grow so that we’d be willing to receive our true blessings: each other.” She leans over the seat, and she kisses Sean on the cheek, then, Cace. If they were surprised by her confession of love, they don’t show it but they both have the biggest grins on their faces. I am sure they were both internally doing a little happy dance. She turns to me and sits on my lap, taking my face in her hands she kisses me softly, when our lip's part she sighs and slides off my lap. Leaning her head onto my shoulder she closes her eyes, her breathing evens out in such a way I’m not sure if she has gone to sleep.

I can only imagine what’s going on in that head of hers.

My eyes spring open. I hadn’t intended to fall asleep in the car. Someone had put me in bed, I guess they figured I needed sleep. After my breakdown in my house earlier, I was mentally and physically drained. I don’t want to think about my house, the thoughts and images are too painful, and honestly, I have had my moment to be mad about it. Before we arrived, I knew that I didn’t want to live there anymore. The memory of my own blood staining the floor makes bile rise in my throat. I will salvage any items that belonged to my parents and my grandmother but that is it.

I sit up slowly in an unfamiliar room wondering where I am. The sun is still out but long curtains keep most of the sunlight at bay. Looking around I can tell this is not a place someone lives in all the time and think it looks more like a hotel room. Maybe that’s where we are.

I know for a fact Cace will ask if I want to call Dr. Schaffer after what happened earlier. But I don’t think I need to. What I need is complete closure. In fact, as much as I love Los Angeles, I think it is time to move on from here too. I am sure some people will say I am running. I guess in a way I am. I am running towards my future.

Pulling back the black comforter, I stand and stretch out my body. Walking over to the windows I throw open the long curtains to find one hell of a view. We are high up in the hills. Los Angeles sprawled out wide beneath us. The backyard opens up to a massive infinity pool surrounded by lounge chairs and two large bars where bartenders rush to serve drinks to lines of people eagerly waiting their turn. People are enjoying the fall sunshine sitting by the pool. Waiters move around with trays in hand passing out drinks, some people are dancing on a raised platform, I can hear the music all the way up here, while others swim laps in the water. This place is a hive of activity, definitely a hotel then.

The sound of a television playing from somewhere nearby has me turning towards the noise and seeking out my guys. Following the sound, I pass by two other large bedrooms before I reach a huge open-plan sitting room with a massive flat screen tv mounted on the wall. To the right is a relatively large kitchen, fully kitted out with stainless steel appliances, and beyond that is a dining table that could easily sit up to twenty people. This is the kind of place the rich come and set up shop in. It is modern and sleek with abstract paintings on the walls and sculptures intricately placed around the room. Not my taste but it’s beautiful in a sterile kind of way.

Cace sits with his back to me, when Sean or Jay don’t walk out to greet me, I assume it’s just us.

“How did you sleep?” Cace turns in his seat to greet me before I can say anything. He smiles and beckons me over with his finger and damn if doesn’t set off butterflies in my stomach.

“Where are Jay and Sean?” I survey the room, noticing there is a set of sliding glass doors that lead out onto a huge balcony, and I make a note to go out and watch the sunset later.

“You wanted hotdogs. You fell asleep, Jay wanted you to be comfortable, so he got this place for us, tucked you into bed, then dragged Sean out with him to that hot dog place on La Brea.” My stomach growls just thinking about food, but I’m patient, as long as they hurry back.

“Cace, where are we?” I ask stretching my stiff body and thinking maybe I need to start doing my yoga again. Cace lifts and eyebrow and smirks when I don’t walk over to him right away and pats the seat next to him. “Come to me, Tay.” He gives me a command and need pools in my belly. I want to come alright.

“I would have preferred something not so flashy, but Jay was having none of it. We are in some swanky high-rise hotel in the Hollywood Hills.” His lips and face crunch up apologetically as he shrugs.

“Well, from what I could see in passing it’s beautiful up here. It’s going to look even better at night.” I make my way around the long black sectional sofa and stand in front of him. Cace spreads his legs, wrapping his hands around my thighs as he pulls me in closer.

“How are you feeling? I know that was tough back there. Do you need—”

“You don’t need to call Dr. Schaffer, Cace, I promise you I am fine.” I cut him off before he even makes the suggestion. I know him too well. I smirk and roll my eyes playfully at his predictability.

I reach forward and stroke his face with the back of my hand. “Thank you for checking though. I appreciate what you’ve done for me. It’s been a whirlwind since I was discharged from the hospital, and you’ve been there every step of the way. I know it hasn’t been easy Cace, especially when I was in a coma and you had no idea if I would come out of it or not. You stayed by my side. Then I woke up and you were there. God has given me a second chance at life again in so many ways. I would be a fool to squander my blessings by being stubborn and denying myself the wonderful gift I’ve been given. You, Jay, Sean, and my beating heart is all that matters. If I have to take a step back from my career for a while, then I will do it willingly if I get a chance to live every day with the three of you.” Cace pulls me onto his lap. My knees land on either side of his hips and I sit on his knees. He studies me for a moment, like he’s weighing my words and my heart. I feel exposed and vulnerable in a way I’ve never been before. I cast my eyes down and look away from him.

“Don’t do that. Don’t you look away from me, Tay. Do you know how long I’ve waited to tell you I love you? How many times I’ve dreamed about holding you in my arms like this? Countless times. I’m staring at you, wordless, because I want to remember this for the rest of my life. Tate Charles, I want to ask you to marry me because I’ve dreamed of that too.” He smiles confidently. I raise my eyebrows in surprise and lean away from him as he holds up his hands in surrender. “Well, it maybe it’s a little too soon. Besides, Jay and Sean would kill me, but I want everything with you. Wherever you go, I will follow you. If you want to leave California, it won’t take much for me to find a new hospital. There is a world of possibilities now that we are together. I say this because I don’t ever want you to think I don’t want you, that I don’t fucking desire you with every fiber of my being.” Cace grabs my chin between his fingers and pulls my lips down to me his and he kisses me like I am his last meal, like he is drowning, and I am the very last dregs of oxygen. I can barely catch my breath as he consumes me, with his words and now with his tongue down my throat. I grind my hips down on his rock-hard cock and I swallow his groans of pleasure.

“Do you know how good you taste, Tate? he asks as our lip’s part. My chest is heaving as I take in as much air as I can. Cace removes his glasses and tosses them on the table before leaving open mouth kisses down my neck, trailing his tongue along my collarbone. I moan and toss my head back, enjoying his lips on my body.