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“Does that mean you don’t want me to hold you?”
“No.” She shook her head. “No, I like this. But I was thinking we could maybe have the dinner you promised and not talk about shoving dicks down anyone’s throat for the rest of the evening.”
“I was gonna chop it up and sauté it. No shovin’.”
She snorted a laugh, and this time I was actually joking, so I laughed with her. And I agreed it was time to dial down the intensity for a few minutes, so I led her into the kitchen where we made plates of Thai food. We sat beside each other on stools at the island, eating and talking about The Seasons Change. Wren had a lot of questions about touring and what it was like to be well known. I enjoyed answering her. It reminded me of her early letters, and knowing she was, at least partly, who she’d always said she was, filled me with a deep satisfaction.
It was near midnight when I buttoned her up in her coat at my front door, hating to let her go, but knowing I had to. For now.
Her fingers curled around my wrists when I got to the button beneath her chin.
“Thank you, Callum. For dinner, for forgiving me, for everything you said.”
My fingers slid into the back of her hair, cupping her crown in my palm. “I need to know when I’ll see you next.”
Her lips flattened. “Well, I don’t know, but—”
“Tomorrow.”
“I have things I have to do.” My fingers curled in her hair, tugging gently, but with firmness that couldn’t be ignored. “Are you going to be murder-fighting again? I might be free to watch you spill some blood.”
“For you, I’d murder-fight any time you want me to.”
Her eyes landed on mine, so wide and open, like twin planets floating side by side, naked for all to see. The next second, her arms were wrapped around my middle and her face was pressed against my chest as she sighed. My arms responded without a clear thought from me, holding her against me, and my head dipped to bury my nose in her hair.
“This is what I wanted to do that day. I wanted to hug you so tight.” Her voice was muffled, but I heard her loud and clear.
“I would have really fuckin’ liked that, Wren.”
Her head tipped back. Her lips spread into a tremulous smile. “I want to see you tomorrow, but it can’t be for long.”
“I guess I’ll have to take what I can get then.” I touched her lips with my fingertip. “If I kiss you right now, I won’t let you go.”
“Then you better not.” Her tongue peaked out to lick where my finger had been. “We’re supposed to be going slow anyway. This is hello, not goodbye. We have time.”
“I like that.” I touched my lips to the top of her head, then stepped back. Not because I wanted to, but out of necessity. “Let’s go. The car’s waitin’.”
Downstairs, I helped Wren into the SUV then climbed in after her. She started, but quickly scooted over to give me room to sit.
“You’re coming too?”
“Why not? It gives me a couple more minutes with you.”
With a smile, she slid over so her thigh was aligned with mine and rested her head on my shoulder. I took her hand and stacked our palms on top of each other. We sat that way in silence for the short ride, then I walked Wren to her door.
She shoved me away as soon as she got it unlocked. “Go, before you freeze.”
Chuckling, I kissed the top of her head again. “All right. Go to bed, I’ll go warm up in the car.”
With a wave, she stepped inside, and I waited until I heard the door lock, then I headed back to the SUV.
“Home, Mr. Rose?” the driver asked.
“In a minute.” We were double parked, but it was late enough, it didn’t really matter. “Just sit here unless we have to move.”
I looked at the townhouse Wren had lived in with her great-aunt Jenny for a little over three and a half years. She’d moved in a month or two after she’d stopped emailing me.
Her absence had taken me to a dark place. One of despondence and self-hatred. I never blamed Wren for leaving me, even though I’d been angry at her for the way she’d done it. I told myself it had been my neediness that drove her away. I had pushed her too hard. I’d misread the situation and her feelings didn’t actually reflect mine. I told myself a lot. It took me six months to shake myself out of my stupor and into action.
