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"Your parents sound lovely," I say, genuinely wishing I could meet them someday. He'd told me about his father, who passed away when he was a teenager. Before then, he split his time between the US and Ireland after his mother moved back. "I mostly lived with my Da during the school year and then went home to Aughrim on holiday breaks. Ezra came with me on a few shorter breaks. I remember Taryn was so mad about it, because she wanted to come too. Then, after Da died, I went back to live with Mum and Sean until it was time for college. I got lucky with a summer job, taking photos for a nature magazine, and then, well, everything just sort of fell into place and I never ended up finishing my degree. I've been blessed."
"Blessed with talent," I say. "You're amazing. And your story makes your accent make more sense. You can barely hear the Irish except for certain words, which makes sense if you grew up mostly in the states."
"It mostly comes out when I'm drunk, or angry…. or otherwise aroused." His eyebrow lifts suggestively.
My cheeks heat and I notice a bit of powdered sugar from the beignets we'd eaten on the corner of his mouth. I bite my lip, considering.
"Whatever you're thinking? The answer is yes," he rumbles.
Laughing, I push up on my tiptoes and lick the sugar off the corner of his mouth. Cal freezes momentarily before scooping me into his arms and taking my mouth in a passionate kiss.The sweet sugar swirls around our tongues, relighting the flickering heat that’s been present all night.
"Is it time to go home now?" I ask huskily.
Cal looks from me, to the boardwalk, to the path to the parking lot, and then back to me.
"Yes ma'am, I think it's about that time." Then he bends down and throws me over his shoulders like a fireman, running away from the pier with me shrieking in both horror and delight. He finally puts me down when I declare I have to pee. Which isn't a complete lie, but I really wanted him to put me down.
When I emerge from the restroom, I narrow my eyes at him. "Don't even think about it. I'd rather run, and I abhor running."
He chuckles and reaches over to swat my ass, but doesn't pick me up again. "I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable," he says after a few minutes of walking in silence.
"I'm not upset," I promise him, feeling bad that I ruined our lighthearted moment. It wasn’t my intention to let my self-consciousness ruin the fun. "I know you're big and strong, but I can only imagine what everyone is thinking when they see—"
"I don't give a goddamn what anyone thinks, except you. If you're not comfortable with me throwing you around, then I won't do it. But I don't give a flying fuck about a single other person." He grunts before adding, “For the record, you’re damn right that I’m big and strong. I could throw you around like a rag doll with barely any effort at all.”
My lips twist and I shake my head at his antics. "I have some body issues, and I'm working on it. I do Zumba and cardio, kickboxing, yoga. I like to go hiking…" Once we reach the car, Cal holds the door open for me, but blocks my path momentarily, so I'm forced to hear him out.
"Beth, your body doesn't have issues. You might have issues with your body, but I suspect that's more of a response to how your family treated you, and because stupid people like that bitch Cherith will go to any lengths to put someone down to build themselves up.” He leans in, boxing me between his arms. His nose runs up the column of my neck before he brings his lips to my ear, speaking in a low, rumbly whisper that makes my mouth go dry. “Your body is perfect and I can't wait to get you home, so I can taste every inch of it." Then he kisses me so deeply my knees go weak, groans, and gestures me into the car.
The drive home seems so much longer than the way back, despite Cal driving well over the speed limit. The longer the drive takes, the more anxious I feel. I tell myself that as soon as I'm in the moment, I won't feel so damn nervous, that Cal will take care of me. I know he will. The thought has me squirming in my seat a little.
"Penny for your thoughts?"
"Nothing important, just thinking that the ride home seems longer than it did to get there.” He chuckles his agreement and shifts in his seat a little.
“I really had fun tonight,” I tell him, because it’s true. It was easily the most fun I’ve had in a long time, and the best date I’ve ever been on. “Thank you for taking me out, even though you didn't have to. I'm obviously a sure thing," I joke awkwardly.
Cal reaches over and laces his fingers through mine, our hands resting in my lap. "Going on a date wasn’t about getting in yourpants. I… like you. And I want to get to know you, even if I might hate myself later."
"What do you mean by that?"
He sighs. "Well, I suppose we should talk about it sooner rather than later. It's not something I'm hiding. I just keep getting caught up in the moment with you, and to be honest, I don't want to talk about it."
"Then don't. Cal, if it makes you uncomfortable…"
I'm all about boundaries, but I'd be lying if I wasn't having a tiny panic attack, overthinking what he could possibly have to tell me. Shit, what if he has an STI? No, surely, he would have said something before I put his cock in my mouth. I hope. He just said he got caught up in the moment, and I embarrassingly didn't even think about starting that conversation.
"If it's about… um… I'm, you know, clean. And on birth control for a hormonal condition. I guess I should have said that before, but like you said, we got caught up in the moment and I don't really get around very much, so it honestly didn’t occur to me to—"
"Beth, slow down, it's not that," he chuckles. "It's been a while since I've been with anyone, but I get tested every time I have a physical, and I just had one last month. I have a cousin back in Ireland living with HIV, so it's something I take pretty seriously. Honestly, it goes to show how completely enamored I am with you that I didn't think to ask, but I promise that isn't common for me."
"Oh, okay," I say, completely embarrassed at my outburst. But I suppose it's good to bring up. I'd never normally consider just taking someone's word about their status, but I suppose at thispoint it's pretty much a done deal.God, I'm so stupid.
"Stop overthinking, Beth. It's nothing like that. I just… Well, you know about my job and how much I travel. I feel like I'm leading you on, or really, leading myself on, if I'm being honest. I keep wanting to forget that I'll be gone in a few weeks."
A few weeks?
“Oh.” It's not as if I didn't know he'd have to go back to work, eventually. I would never ask him to give up a job he so obviously loves, not that it would even be a topic of discussion. We've barely met. Hell, it's only been a day. I don't have the right to be upset. "I understand, though. Really. I kind of assumed you’d move on, eventually." I cringe at how pathetic that sounds. “Because of your job,” I’m quick to add, because I don’t want to remind him of my abysmal self-confidence. It seems to bother him and I don’t want to chase him away.
