15. Grace #2
Swirls of ink on his upper bicep and on his chest right over his heart caught my eye, but Caleb leaned forward on the bed before I could make out either tattoo.
He gave me a devilish smirk and reached for the button on my pants.
Caleb looked back to me and silently asked me permission as he stroked across my stomach, and I nodded eagerly.
My body hummed in anticipation, and I felt like a live wire. The air was filled with a passion and lust that I had never experienced.
And the way he looked at me … Everybody should be looked at the way Caleb was looking at me, at least once in their lifetime.
“God, Grace, you’re so fucking sexy.” He groaned as he slowly slid my pants down my legs, revealing my lace thong. “I’ve thought about this for so long.”
“How long?” I teased, batting my eyes at him.
“Since I ran after you,” Caleb admitted, looking at me as he hooked my underwear with his thumbs, and peeled them off quicker than he had my pants.
I laughed. “I win, then.”
He looked at me questioningly.
“I’ve wanted you since I spilled my drink on you.”
Caleb shook his head as he hovered over my body. His boxers were the only thing keeping us apart. “And here I was trying to be a gentleman,” he teased.
I could barely focus on what he was saying. My brain was turning to mush, seeing him practically naked and oh so sexy.
Caleb’s face became serious all of a sudden and his shoulders sagged.
“What is it?” I asked. I really fucking hoped he wasn’t changing his mind.
“I want you. You’re so gorgeous and you’re a good person. I don’t think you see that about yourself. But it’s because of those reasons I think we should wait a little longer. I’m not seeing anybody else. I don’t know?—”
I cut him off. “That’s okay. I mean I want you, but waiting is cool too,” I offered. “Even though it might kill me.”
“Well just because sex is off the table, it doesn’t mean we can’t do other fun things.” He waggled his eyebrows at me, lowering his head to kiss me once more.
I arched my back up to him, feeling the coarse hair on his chest rub against my nipples. When he pulled away too quickly for my liking, I asked breathlessly, “What other fun things?”
“Let me show you.” Caleb gave me a smile and a peck on the lips before making his way to my breasts. He took one nipple in his mouth, sucking lightly before moving to the other, using his tongue to swirl around the hardened peak.
I gasped for air, his actions overwhelming my senses in the very best way imaginable. By the time I’d caught my breath, his mouth had moved to my stomach, where he placed small kisses as he crept farther and farther south until he was nestled between my thighs.
Holy shit.
Expertly, he used his mouth and his tongue—his fingers rubbing all the spots his mouth didn’t—to take me to new heights. Fuck me.
I dug my heel into his shoulders as he sucked and nipped my needy flesh.
His tongue snaked around my clit, over and over. Then he scraped it lightly with his teeth before he sucked it between his lips. Needing something to anchor myself, I grabbed his biceps, digging my nails into him.
Every now and then, Caleb flattened his tongue, taking languid licks along my slit. It was this merry-go-round of pleasure. Like nothing I had ever experienced prior.
Nobody had ever done this for me. Not because I didn’t want them to. They just didn’t offer. UES boys couldn’t be bothered to get their hands dirty, let alone their mouths.
My walls clenched, and I moaned his name. Over and over again. I threw my head back onto the pillow, the scents from his sheets engulfing me and adding to my bliss. I was a goner.
“Caleb.” I panted my breathless plea as I let go.
So this was what everyone was talking about.
After a long night of restlessness, I finally sat up in bed, admitting defeat. I curled into the hoodie I stole from Caleb. It smelled like him and that brought me comfort.
My phone buzzed on the nightstand. Facetime: Cordelia.
I stared at the screen for a moment too long, debating whether to answer.
I struggled with choosing maturity over blaming bad service or conveniently missing the call.
I caught a glimpse of my reflection in the black screen: barefaced, hair in a messy bun, hoodie two sizes too big.
I was a far cry from the Grace she was used to, and she’d probably be judgmental. Screw it—I was happy. Let her see.
I answered and Cordelia’s perfectly contoured face filled the screen. She was glowing thanks to the finest skincare money could buy, not to mention that the lighting in her apartment cost her a fortune so it “hit the right spots.”
“Hello, Grace!” She smirked then paused, taking in my appearance. Cordelia frowned but held her tongue.
“Cordelia,” I remarked. I wasn’t going to let go of how she treated me as if I were so easily disposable. She was going to have to apologize for the first time in her life.
“Is that wood paneling?” She cringed, her face contorting as though she were in pain. “Are you wearing a hoodie?”
I waved her off and gave her a no-nonsense look.
Cordelia rolled her eyes, and we stared at each other for a moment.
We had been friends long enough that she knew I was pissed at her.
Even if people in our world would rather pretend things weren’t happening, she was perceptive enough to know what was going on.
A moment passed before she spoke. “I’m really sorry, okay?” Cordelia wrung her hands.
I looked at her, shocked that she actually apologized.
“Hello, Earth to G. Do you accept my apology or not?” Cordelia huffed, crossing her arms.
I rolled my eyes before speaking. “Forgive you for what exactly?” I took a deep breath, staring at her winged eyeliner.
“Forgive you for abandoning me this past year when I went through hell? Forgive you for treating me like a pariah? Forgive you for telling my mother where I was and judging me for it? While you might not agree with the location, I would say I’m doing really well here. ”
It was the truth. Caleb showed me a side of life I didn’t know existed. A life I wouldn’t have dreamed of because I was too busy turning my nose up at anything that wasn’t shiny enough.
Turns out, diamonds were forged through pressure. Not that I was comparing myself to a diamond, but Caleb was…the diamond in the rough that I’d been blind to in my previous life. Hell, even Grand Haven was turning out to be the hidden gem I had no idea I was missing.
I really liked my life here. And that thought made me both happy and devastated all at once. I knew nothing could stay this good forever.
My sister used to be my glimmer of hope when everything felt dull and gray.
I looked to her when things became unbearable.
When I felt suffocated and smothered. Julia used to let me be free.
Let me be me. But it wasn’t long before she too wanted control of me.
To put me in a box. When push came to shove, Julia pressured me into choosing one world.
Her world. While I wasn’t happy in my mother’s world, money did make things comfortable.
Julia made questionable decisions to survive, and while I liked to think I didn’t need consistency and security, I did.
So my mother won. Julia distanced herself after that.
Only popping in when it suited her. Oftentimes when she needed money.
As years passed, our relationship changed.
We changed. I changed. My mother and the life she desperately wanted for us took center stage.
I didn’t have anybody telling me how wrong everything was.
How what I was doing wasn’t me. Nobody even cared about what I thought.
I was just going through the motions. Go here.
Do this. Smile here. Place your hand here. Flirt with him. Talk to her.
I was drowning. I was in so deep, and the current was strong. So when Julia did finally pop back up, I’d already dived headfirst into the very world she hated.
And then I failed the one person in my life who didn’t just like me for the lie.
The lie of being effortlessly beautiful.
The lie of being happy to parade around in six-inch heels and never complain.
The one who pretended to use the correct fork at a dinner party.
Who faked liking caviar because it was being offered by an editor of a magazine.
I was sick of it all. I didn’t think I was capable of going back to how life was before everything went so horribly wrong.
Before Caleb. He showed me a world that I couldn’t imagine.
One that was colorful and bright. Sure, it was a little messy, but at least the mess was out in the open.
The mayhem in high society was often swept under the rug.
Your mind was the only place where real honesty happened, if you were lucky.
I would never be able to sit through a dinner party or even think about mingling with those people anymore and not see the lies for what they were.
The surface talk was bullshit. They spoke about summer homes and new handbags to cover up affairs and scandals much worse than my own. They were just better at hiding their dirty secrets.
But the thing was, I didn’t want to hide anymore. I wanted to live.
Maybe Cordelia deserved a second chance.
“I forgive you,” I said sincerely as I met her hazel eyes.
“Good, now tell me about the guy.”
I chose to ignore how dismissive she was being, and a smile spread across my face at the thought of Caleb.
I proceeded to tell her some of the juicy details about my relationship with him so far.
It felt nice to have a girlfriend to gush with again.
While Jena and I had gotten close during my time in Grand Haven, Caleb was like an older brother to her, so it felt awkward to share these things with her.
“You what?” Cordelia gasped through the screen and I couldn’t help but chuckle at her shocked expression.