Chapter Thirteen
Kayden
Ichange my outfit for the umpteenth time, then send Emily another selfie.
How about this?
Em: I can’t tell anymore! Just wear something already!
I stare at my reflection, trying to imagine what Caleb will think when he sees me.
I don’t want to look too young, but then again, I am.
Younger, at least. By eighteen years. And Caleb knows that I am.
I don’t want to look like I’m trying too hard either.
I bury my face in my hands and groan. Ugh, why is this so fucking hard?
My phone pings again, and I pick it up from the dresser.
Em: Just wear the lavender shirt. It’ll make your eyes pop, and Caleb will blow in his pants within seconds
I snort, my fingers shaking as I type.
Fuck off, you ho
Em: Do it and leave me the fuck alone! My lab partners are getting impatient. We have an assignment due
You probably have a hot date yourself. How’s Derek?
Derek is Emily’s latest fling. They met at a lacrosse game and have been hooking up for the past few weeks.
Em: Still hot as sin but boring in bed. I keep waiting for him to have a sexual epiphany
I can hear the groan.
A sexual epiphany? Are you for real?
Em: Okay, enough about me. Back to you. Wear the lavender shirt and roll up the sleeves to your elbows
Why?
Em: Because you have nice arms
Shouldn’t I just wear short-sleeves then?
Em: Okay, you’re officially getting on my nerves. No, you shouldn’t. Rolled-up sleeves are hot; short-sleeved button-ups make you look like Jeffrey Dahmer
Wow, you really thought this through, didn’t you? Is that what your assignment is about? How to not dress like a sexual sadist?
Em: Fuck off. Just do as I say, and you’ll get laid. I guarantee it
Her words make my nerves go crazy. Emily doesn’t know I haven’t had sex yet. I’ve never felt the need to tell her, and she’s never asked. I inhale deeply. I refuse to let my nerves get the better of me.
I’m sure I will if I don’t find any pants
Em: Wear your gray shorts. And the gold hoop I gave you for Christmas, and your gray New Balance. You’re gonna look fucking hot. And not at all like a sexual sadist
I smile at her tirade, and my chest tightens with how much I miss Emily. Then another text appears.
Em: And don’t overthink it!
Right. That’s easier said than done.
Thanks, Em. Love you
Em: Love you too, babe. And I want details later
No chance in hell
Em: Okay, I take it back. I hate you
No, you don’t. Go do your assignment and then have boring, non-epiphanic sex with lacrosse guy
She sends me a fuck off emoji. Thank God for Emily, best friend extraordinaire.
I follow her instructions, and when I’m done, I take myself in via the full-length mirror.
I have to admit, Emily was right. The lavender does make my eyes pop.
And with the gray shorts that show off my tanned, toned legs, it looks casual but still smart.
The white tennis socks and the New Balance make me look young, but let’s be real here, I am young.
I can change my age just as much as Caleb can change his.
It’s not like I’m dropping it on him. Oh, by the way, I’m twenty-two.
He’s seen me in diapers, for fuck’s sake.
Okay, abort that thought. Abort it right now.
Do not think of the fact that Caleb has seen you in diapers. That’s weird.
In the bathroom, I quickly run some scented oil through my hair to tame my curls a little. I close my eyes and focus on my breathing. I can do this. It’s Caleb. It’s just Caleb. Oh, shit, it’s Caleb.
I stand outside Caleb’s front door for what feels like minutes before I finally gather up the courage to knock.
My hands are shaking, my mouth dry, and briefly, I contemplate just running back down the porch steps and getting the hell out of here.
I know I teased Caleb that he doesn’t date, but the truth is, I don’t really either.
I can count the dates I’ve been on in my life on one hand, and none of them ever led to anything more. I guess my heart wasn’t in it.
I hear soft padding on the other side of the door before it swings open. Caleb smiles from ear to ear the minute he sees me.
“You’re here,” he says, his cheeks ablaze, his hair all wild and so fucking sexy. His gray eyes search my face, and it feels like he’s seeing right through me, all my nerves and anxiousness.
I look away, Caleb’s socked feet suddenly the most fascinating thing ever. “I am. Hi.”
“Hi.” His voice is breathy, yet soft. When I look back up, I find his eyes trailing up and down my body, and he swallows audibly. “Fuck, you look good, K. That color…” He reaches out and brushes his fingers along the collar of my shirt. “Damn.”
I sway against him and close my eyes, breathing him in. His familiar scent wraps around me, and I harden behind my packer. Shit, I can’t start a date with Caleb half-hard. He’ll notice how flustered I am.
Caleb leans in, a low groan spilling from his lips. “Fuck, what’s that scent?” His fingers dip underneath the collar and graze my skin. Goosebumps spread across my chest and down my arms with anticipation. Shit, I’m so fucking hard just from Caleb smelling me, barely touching me.
“It’s…” I swallow, focusing on my breath. “It’s argan oil. With rosewater.”
“Rosewater, huh?” The huh is puffy and hot as it connects with my skin.
“Yes.” I need to focus, but it’s really hard when Caleb is panting against my neck.
Because he is panting as his fingers whisper along my skin.
I swallow back the saliva pooling in my mouth.
I really want to kiss him again. I’ve been dying to, actually.
To feel his lips against mine, his tongue teasing the outline of my mouth, begging for entrance, then tangling with mine.
I push back the building desire and force myself to focus on something else.
“What are you cooking?” Fuck, I hope he can’t hear the neediness.
Caleb purses his lips, his voice husky. “Uhm. Oven-baked haddock with fennel, lemon, and dill. Baby potatoes.”
“Wow. That sounds amazing, actually.”
“Surprised?” He raises a brow at me, smiling knowingly.
“Kinda.” I smile back, then take a steadying breath. “It smells… I don’t know.”
Caleb stares at my lips, and they tingle with the phantom feel of how it felt when he kissed me. “What?”
“It smells like…” I wiggle my nose, a sharp, distinct smell invading my nostrils. “Like something’s burning.” Caleb freezes. Yes, something definitely smells burnt.
“Oh, shit.” He turns on his heel and disappears inside the house, a string of curses in his wake.
I follow, and once inside, the harsh odor intensifies, and my eyes sting.
I quickly toe off my shoes, then head toward the kitchen.
Smoke billows from the now open oven while Caleb struggles to get the tray out.
“Fuck! Turn on the water, K.” I sprint toward the kitchen sink and turn on the water, just as Caleb dumps the entire tray into the sink. The burnt fish and fennel hiss when the water splashes all over our dinner. “Shit,” he groans, running his hands through his hair, tugging at the strands.
I look between the ruined fish and Caleb’s crestfallen face. “It’s okay. Maybe we can salvage some of it. Maybe it’s just the skin that’s burned.”
Caleb sighs next to me, letting go of his hair. He reaches for a wooden spoon on the counter and pokes at the haddock. “Nah, I don’t think so, K, unless you have a preference for charcoal.”
I do, I want to say, because Caleb’s eyes are charcoal, and it’s kind of my favorite color. But I can’t say that, so instead I just say, “I’m sorry. It sounded really good.”
“Yeah, well, perhaps too good to be true.” He shrugs, then drops the wooden spoon into the sink. He sounds and looks genuinely upset, which is a rare thing with Caleb. I reach out and squeeze his shoulder.
“Don’t say that. I mean, how many times have you cooked haddock before?”
“Exactly zero times before.”
I nod, smiling. “See? You can’t judge your haddock cooking skills on your first attempt. Besides, I think you got a little distracted out there.”
Heat pools in Caleb’s eyes. “I kinda did, didn’t I?”
“You did. We both did.” I get flustered all over again, and my dick suddenly takes notice, too, of how close Caleb is. I shift on my feet, and I think Caleb realizes what’s happening, because he smiles at me knowingly.
“So actually, this is your fault,” he rasps, closing the little space between us.
I shake my head, laughing. “No way you’re pinning this on me. I’d say it was a fifty-fifty responsibility.”
“Is that so?” He lifts an eyebrow at me, his voice nothing but a low drawl at this point.
“Uh-huh.”
“Okay.” He leans in, his lips hovering in front of mine, and I feel him against me.
He’s hard too, the outline of his length now rubbing against my hip.
Caleb’s hard for me. It feels unreal and yet more real than anything I’ve ever felt before.
I rest my palms against his solid chest to steady myself, then close my eyes.
“Nuh-uh,” he tsks. “Open your eyes, K. Look at me.”
I blink my eyes open and find him staring right at me. There’s something in his eyes besides heat. Something I can’t decipher. Longing, perhaps.
“I really wanna kiss you again,” he says.
“I really want that too.”
“Yeah?”
“Uh-huh.” The truth is, I’ve been thinking about little else since last Tuesday on the beach. I wanted him to kiss me so badly then, but I didn’t know how to ask for it.
Caleb makes a humming sound, then presses his lips against mine, ever so gently.
I close my eyes again, now fisting his shirt across his pecs.
His chest rises and falls at a steady rhythm.
His lips are warm against mine, just a barely there pressure, and before I know it, I whine more low in my throat.
Caleb chuckles against me, but kisses me deeper.
His tongue dips out and draws a line along my bottom lip, and I gasp into his mouth.