Chapter 9
CHAPTER NINE
Mason
The storm viciously hurled itself against my apartment windows. Rain slashed in diagonal sheets, and wind howled around the corners of the building like something wounded. I paced the length of my living room, hands shaking as thunder cracked overhead.
Tides my throat was tight with emotion.
Caleb had always been a giving lover, considering my needs above his own.
I had no doubt he meant every word, and my heart swelled with a feeling I hadn’t allowed myself in eleven years.
With trembling fingers, I quickly redressed, then pulled my mother’s afghan over us both. I snuggled into his side with a contented sigh, feeling for the first time in years that I might be exactly where I belonged.
“Can you forgive me?” he asked, his voice barely audible above the TV.
The storm outside seemed distant now, unimportant. “I was hurt,” I admitted. I lifted my head to meet his gaze. “But yes, I forgive you. Just…when you leave again, promise you’ll stay in touch this time.”
A shadow crossed his face, but he nodded. “I promise.”
We settled back to watch the rest of the series, now fully entwined beneath my mother’s blanket. My heartbeat was steady, and his fingers absently stroked my arm. The storm continued, but it couldn’t touch me.
And if a small voice inside whispered that Caleb would take my heart with him when he left, even if we stayed in touch… Well, I chose not to listen. The warmth of him beside me, the afterglow of his passion, and the familiar afghan wrapped around us both were enough.
For the moment.