48. Forty-eight Freya
Forty-eight: Freya
“ T his is good, Freya,” Robert—my boss—said as he looked over my work. “Really good.” He pushed his glasses further up onto his face.
“Thank you.” My body heated slightly. I’d been so nervous about running my final design for my first solo client by him, and I hadn’t expected him to be so complimentary. He wasn’t a man of many words.
“I’ll get this sent over to the author straight away. They might have some minor tweaks they want to make, but overall, I’m very impressed.” He closed the tab on his computer. “You can pack up your things and head home. Good work today.”
Thanking Robert, I exited his office, clenching my fists with excitement and resisting the urge to yip with joy. I’d been enjoying work more, and I had a feeling it had something to do with the fact that Kaleb was back in my life.
When he was around, it was like there was a clear path to take. Nothing was blurred. A bright, white light shone above me, leading me in the right direction.
My phone buzzed.
Kaleb : I’m picking you up today. I’ll be outside in five minutes.
I smiled, heading over to my desk and packing my things away. Kaleb’s sparkling black Jeep was waiting for me.
“Cab for Freya?” He grinned as he flung the door open for me, and I rolled my eyes as he began to drive—in the opposite direction of my apartment.
“Where are we going?”
Kaleb shot me a grin. He’d just come from work, and I salivated at the sight of him in the bodyguard uniform. Tight black clothing that showed off his delicious muscles and tattoos. Including part of my tattoo.
“There’s a grand opening for a huge new late-night bookstore just outside of town. I thought we could go and take a look at some of the art. Give you some inspiration for your upcoming clients.”
“You hate art.” I laughed.
Kaleb hummed. “I like your art.”
He knew how stressed I’d been to receive my own clients, and although Robert had liked my first design, that didn’t mean I had an endless vault full of ideas. Artists needed to pluck inspiration from somewhere sometimes, and browsing book covers in all kinds of different genres was going to be a massive help.
The drive didn’t take long, and when we pulled up, the bookstore owner was outside, giving a short speech. The small crowd buzzed with excitement, and Kaleb clutched onto my hand tightly as he glanced at everyone suspiciously.Even though I was no longer in danger from Will and his employees, Kaleb still scrutinised everyone that came within ten feet of me, his eyes narrowing at them before he decided they weren’t a threat and he could move on to the next person.
“Let’s go,” I said excitedly after the owner stepped aside with a grin, the small crowd piling in.
Looking around the bookstore was useful, and I took some reference photos of a few book covers that followed a good colour story and had unique sketches on the front, hoping they'd inspire my next creation. We used our computers at work for the final design, but all covers started with a sketch—and that was my favourite part.
Kaleb and I ascended yet another set of stairs leading up to the top level. We were completely alone. So alone you could hear a pin drop.
“This one is nice,” I said as I picked up another horror novel, my fingers skating over the smooth cover.
Kaleb leaned back against a bookshelf, crossing his arms over his chest as he watched me, causing me to turn to him, raising an eyebrow.
“What?”
“Nothing.” He smirked. “Am I not allowed to admire my girl?”
My girl.
My feet were frozen to the ground as he stepped closer to me, gazing down with curious eyes. They flickered to my lips for a brief second before he dragged them back up, biting on the inside of his cheek. My palms became slick, and the book I was holding dropped to the ground, causing a small gasp to escape my lips. Bending down in front of me slowly, Kaleb picked it up, staying on one knee on the ground. Our eyes were locked in on each other. I couldn’t move them, and I didn’t want to either.My back was up against a bookshelf, and although it appeared as if I was trapped between it and Kaleb in the corner, he left a small space for me to squeeze out of if I needed to.
“Kaleb.” I inhaled deeply. “Kiss me.”
Searching my face for any sign of hesitancy, he rose to his feet, hooking his finger under my chin. I allowed my eyes to flutter shut, knocking my head back on the shelf behind me, and the feeling of his lips connecting with the skin of my neck made me seize up.
I’d been without this for months, and now that I was getting another taste, I couldn’t fathom how I had gone so long without him.
“You just tell me when to stop, baby,” Kaleb breathed onto my collarbone, and a small moan fell from my mouth.
My mind was numb but buzzing at the same time. I was feeling nothing and everything all at once, and before I knew it, Kaleb’s lips were on my own. I immediately responded, cupping his stubbly cheeks and grazing my hands upwards until they were tangled in his dark hair. They yanked on his strands, gaining me a pleasurable grunt from him.
I smiled into the kiss. But suddenly, the trajectory of my mind altered, and I found images of Kaleb clutching onto his gun and firing bullets into Will’s already blood-covered body flashing before my eyes.
Murderers—the both of you.
I pulled back, placing my hands on his chest and firmly pushing him away. My heart vibrated inside me, and I took a few deep breaths.
Fuck this.
I refused to allow Kaleb to be a trigger for me, and I attempted to pull him back down, but he tilted his head at me, swiping his thumb over my bottom lip.
“There’s no rush, baby. Don’t push yourself past what feels right. You know I’ll wait.”
“You won’t wait forever,” I muttered. If I couldn’t get my shit together, Kaleb was going to pack up and leave. He wasn’t going to admit it to himself, but unless I could move past what had happened, he wouldn’t have any other option. I wouldn’t allow him to derail alongside me.
He ran his tongue along the front of his teeth. Oops. “That’s where you’re fucking wrong, Freya. I will wait forever, and when forever ends, I’ll wait after that. If you aren’t ready in eighty years and we’re nothing but bones in the soil under people’s feet, it doesn’t matter because I’ll be patient well into the afterlife. One day, you’ll fully accept me again, whether in this lifetime or the next, and as long as I get to call you mine, it’ll be worth it.”