Chapter 24 Caleb #2
“That’s a good thing, Caleb,” she says flatly. Her eyes well.
Fuck. I can’t make her cry. I reach for her hands and this time she doesn’t stop me.
Hope rolls through me. “When I saw you at the party…the exact place I’d fucked it all up.
God, Brooke, I almost melted onto the floor when you bumped into me.
I don’t know if it was because you looked fucking amazing in that leather skirt or just the pissed-off look on your face.
I already knew about the Quincy wedding.
Even though you were furious with me, and I committed to acting like a jerk, I couldn’t wait to work with you all summer.
Even if you were going to hate me the whole time. ”
“I don’t hate you, Caleb.” She squeezes my hands. “I could never hate you. Though, I am a little mad at you right now.”
“I can handle mad,” I smile. All I want to do right now is finally kiss her, but I need her to understand.
“For so long, I let my insecurities dictate my choices. My whole life, I felt like less than. I let how other people saw me get in the way of being with you. I’m so sorry, Brooke.
For all of it. I’m dying to make it up to you, if it’s not too late. ”
I pull our hands to my mouth and kiss her knuckles. She draws in a breath, and I force myself to keep my feet planted. She’s rarely at a loss for words.
I take a step and close the space between us, unlacing our hands and leaving barely an inch between our bodies. She’s glowing under the soft light of that pathetic bulb.
I gently cup her cheeks like she cupped mine in the closet. “Is it too late?”
She shakes her head and grabs my wrists. “No, it’s not too late.”
Relief pours through me.
“I’m going to kiss you now…is that okay?” I ask, my finger hooking her chin. I need my mouth on hers more than I need air, but only if she wants this too.
She nods.
I want to devour her and savor her all at once. I brush my lips gently against hers. She parts her lips ever so slightly for me, slowly deepening the kiss. She tastes sweeter than I ever could have imagined. Like buttercream frosting.
Brooke reaches a hand to my neck, pulling our bodies closer, my hips pinning her against the van.
I coax her mouth open more and stroke my tongue against hers.
I kiss her softly, carefully. She lets out a soft moan that’s nearly my undoing.
God, I want to make her do that again. Need to make her do that again.
Her arms wrap around my neck with no sign of letting go.
I pull back, biting her bottom lip. When she moans softly again, I pull away completely, breaking the kiss.
Her flushed face. I did that. This time for all the right reasons.
Before I can fully take in the sight of her, she pulls me back to her, crushing her lips to mine hungrily.
I laugh against her mouth at her eagerness.
It’s everything I was trying to keep in control.
I can’t believe I ever thought this was a bad idea.
I pull away again. Her hands drop from my neck, but I catch them before they fall.
“I thought you wanted to kiss me.” She frowns, pulling our entwined hands back so I stumble closer to her.
“All I want to do is kiss you, Brooke. You have no fucking idea.”
She pushes her lower half against mine. “That’s all?” She smirks.
“No, that’s not all.” I can’t deny it when she can feel every inch of what I want to do. No more lying to Brooke.
I press my body against her again and before she can draw our lips together, I cup her ass and lift her, pinning her against the van.
I don’t think I’ve ever held anything that feels as good as Brooke’s ass in my hands.
She wraps her legs around me, locking her ankles at my back.
She makes that fucking sound again as the friction of my jeans rubs against her, her black work dress riding up her thighs.
Christ. She rests her elbows on my shoulders and digs her hands into my hair. I could die here.
“Caleb?”
I breathe into her neck. “Yes?”
“Let’s go inside,” she says.
Fuck. So much for savoring.
Brooke giggles against my lips as I carry her to the front door. That sound and the warmth of her body against mine make it hard to control myself. I need to let her down so she can unlock the door. But first I push her against it and bury my face in her neck.
“Caleb,” she scolds. “Mr. Edwards has a direct line of sight to my door. Sometimes he checks to make sure I’m home safely if he knows I had to work.”
I suck her neck before putting her down. “I don’t give a shit who sees us, Brooke.”
She unlocks the door and pulls me through the house, looking back at me as we approach her bedroom.
She laughs at the sheepish and probably downright goofy expression on my face.
Before she can turn away, I pull her into my chest and wrap my arm around her waist. I get completely lost in her.
Her freckled face, her wavy hair falling, her soft curves. All of it.
“What?”
I tuck a loose tendril behind her ear, tangling my hands in her hair and caressing her cheek with my thumb. So many freckles. I need to kiss every last one.
“Just…you,” I say, my smile growing wider.
She looks away, embarrassed. “What about me?”
“I…” I rest my forehead on hers. “…really like you.” I step forward, pushing her backwards until her legs hit the bed. “And I’d like to kiss you more.”
She hooks her hands around my neck and pulls, tumbling us onto the bed. “So…kiss me.”
Say no more, babe.
I don’t hold back this time. I crash into her, coaxing her lips apart with my tongue.
Her knees move apart, and I settle into her.
Her hands move into my hair, pulling me impossibly close.
It’s frantic and frenzied. It’s perfect.
She rocks her hips against me while our mouths crash against each other, barely breaking for breath.
God, she wants me as much as I want her.
I run a hand up her soft thigh—her dress already bunched at her waist—and under her lace underwear. My fingers brush inward. When I feel the texture of coarse, short curls, I let out a low groan of want I’ve never made before.
At the sound, Brooke stiffens beneath me. Shit. Too fast, too aggressive. Immediately, I stop and push myself off of her.
“Shit, I’m sorry,” I say, sitting back on my heels. “I should have asked before going any further.”
“No, it’s okay.” She hides her face under her hands. “I mean, verbal consent is always a good idea, but I was definitely showing you consent. It’s just…is it okay if we slow down a little bit?” She pulls her dress back down.
Relief rushes through me. I lie on my side next to her, propping myself on my elbow.
“Brooke,” I say, pulling her hands away from her face. “Of course, it’s okay. You don’t have to ask if it’s okay. I always want you to tell me what you want even if…especially if it’s to slow down or stop.”
“Thank you. I’m sorry. It’s been a long day, and I want to, but…”
“Hey, you don’t need to give me a reason,” I say, playing with her hair.
“Okay,” she smiles, face still flush.
“Do you want me to leave?” Please say no.
“What? No!”
“Thank god,” I put a hand to my chest and roll onto my back. “I mean, I would have, but it would have been devastating.”
She smiles. “I’d like you to stay, Caleb.”
“I’d like to stay, Brooke.”
She has a sweetly devilish smile on her face.
“What?!”
“I have a whole post-wedding routine that I won’t scare you with tonight, but there’s one thing I can’t miss.”
“Okay…”
She jumps from the bed. “I’ll be right back.”
I stare at the ceiling. Brooke’s soft, feminine room. Brooke’s bed. Finally.
Minutes later, she’s back with a paper plate covered in tinfoil and one plastic fork. “How do you feel about wedding cake?”
That’s why she tastes like buttercream.