Chapter 6
Chapter Six
That following autumn morning danced with little drops of rain.
The birds sang in a myriad of sounds and calls while the trees rustled in the breeze.
Outside, the grass of her backyard needed to be mowed up to the tree line, and small pools of rainwater gathered within them like little water worlds.
The rabbits were still out eating their early breakfast in the yard, and they were accompanied by the bluejays that were also on the hunt for the early worm.
The mums that swept alongside the front stoop reflected the dewy offerings of the day.
Caleb’s warm breath brushed the back of her neck as her eyes opened. Normally, she would rush to the bathroom first thing in the morning, but this morning was different. His arm was still around her, and the stillness of his slumber made her feel snuggly and safe.
She’d hoped she hadn’t snored that night like a monster with a sinus infection, as her last roommate warned that she did.
What a wonderful thing it would be to serve him breakfast right as he woke, but she couldn’t risk waking him.
What would it be like to wake someone in the military?
Would he jump out of bed and begin doing pushups?
Would he randomly tell her how to make her bed?
Or perhaps he’d be in a bad mood? Her mind toyed with every outcome.
That stupid muffler roared as the Chevy truck blasted past her driveway with loud music rumbling in its bass.
Caleb groaned, “I hate that guy.”
She chuckled. “Do you know him?”
He rolled over onto his back. Damn. He broke the embrace and magical morning.
Caleb lazily rubbed his sleepy eyes. The gray light of that early morning washed his face, making his brown eyes appear more hazel than anything.
He seemed like he was staring off at the ceiling in deep contemplation, or recollection.
“Yeah. Alan Moffet. I went to school with him. He’s got a big case of the ‘look at me’s’ and a big fat burr up his ass.” The last part of his statement caught her off guard, and she laughed again. He smiled at her. “Well, he does!”
“Maybe he missed his flea bath.”
Laughter came again. Caleb loved her sense of humor, how she could crown his jokes with a similar taste of fun.
She asked, “Is it true that he yells at people when he drives? I heard that on the discussion page. That he flips people off and even tried to deliberately hit a pedestrian.”
“Yeah, he’s quite a peach.”
“Do you think maybe he’s like that because someone’s done him wrong? Maybe a bad home life? I mean, no one acts like that for no reason.”
He sat up and turned, rising from the bed. “Nah, some people are born assholes. There’s nothing wrong with his past. He’s a dick. He’s drunk all the time too.”
“Um, Caleb?” she asked. What she was about to say could ruin everything, but she had to be honest. He turned and looked at her.
Now she was able to see his whole physique, but that was no longer on her mind.
Evie sat up and rested back on her left hand and fixed her hair.
“You kind of joked about liking to drink a lot and how you needed to be drunk to play guitar for people. What’s it any different? ”
He held his chest and raised his brows. “Am I an asshole? Do I go around flipping people off and trying to hit people with my truck?”
She stuttered nervously, “Um, no. But maybe he deals with it that way. Whereas it seems like you hide things, maybe he acts out in stupid ways.”
“I never said I hide anything.”
She swallowed and looked down at the bed before meeting his gaze again. He seemed like he was getting angry. “You didn’t want to tell me about your job in the Navy last night. Doesn’t that kinda count?”
“Evie, look, I don’t talk about my job in the Navy because it’s difficult for me.
People don’t understand.” His voice grew in firmness and volume a little bit.
“Everyone wants to thank me when I wear my uniform. Ashley said she was proud of me. But then when I come home, it’s the same shit.
The same ol’ song and dance. People wanna act like they care, until it’s time to truly care. ”
She said softly, trying to calm him with gentleness, “And so you bottle it up and handle it with drinking?”
He pointed at her angrily. “Don’t act like you know me. And don’t patronize me.”
She got out of the bed quickly and tried to reassure him with a touch, but he pulled away. “Caleb, please.”
“Just,” he started as he held his hands up and turned from her, “please make breakfast if you still want to. I have places to be today. I’ve got a lot of work to do.”
She let go of him. His back was turned to her, and he rubbed his face. The delicacy of her voice was like silk over his calloused hands, fractured ears and washed-up heart, but he knew better than to trust people outright.
She sighed. “Caleb, please, I wasn’t trying to patronize you. I was actually genuinely asking. No, you’re not an asshole.”
He wasn’t so sure about that. That was all he had heard over the last five years of his life.
She continued, “I saw similarities in certain things. And if you say that Alan’s an asshole because he was born that way, and that you and he are nothing alike, then what is the reason for your drinking?”
He looked back at her and forced a smile. “Evie, some people drink to loosen up and have fun, you know? Just because I like to get drunk and lighten up doesn’t mean I come with a shitload of baggage and problems.”
The only way she could even stand a chance with him still was to respect…
These boundaries.
It all made sense now. Caleb’s boundaries weren’t so physical as they were emotional.
Or maybe they were. She wasn’t certain. Whatever the case was, Evie nodded to him to end the discussion.
It didn’t matter what walls he had up. She was going to tear them down brick by brick with her bare hands if need be.
It pained her how a man who was so kind to her numerous times could possibly be hurting in any way shape or form.
Hell, there was no way a recently separated man didn’t have some sort of grief he was dealing with, and especially one in the military who had been deployed several times.
And what about his children?
Evie had witnessed how horrible it was for Darren to try to juggle his own divorce while trying to still be the good guy in the eyes of his children.
It about wrecked her poor brother. And Caleb had posted about his children so often in such positive ways that she figured there had to be some sort of entanglement there.
She reached out and held his hand. Her lips curled in a smile as she softly looked up to him.
He was looking down, and so she lifted his chin a bit to try to redirect his gaze to her eyes.
How confident she was to touch him baffled him, but Evie didn’t know any better.
She didn’t know it could be considered rude to touch a service member who was struggling with a morning temper.
It was astonishing to him how she knew exactly how to touch him, what to touch, and at the perfect time.
“I’m sorry I pressed you.”
His fingers ran through her hair, and he watched her facial expression melt into bliss while she rested her cheek against his palm.
She smiled more than anyone else he ever knew other than his daughter, Olivia.
He paused his actions and thoughts to simply take her in.
The beautiful daylight haloed her completely, and once again he saw the sparkling natural blonde highlights her hair had.
She was angelic. His breath rose in his chest, and his stomach tightened.
With parted lips, he watched her nuzzle into his palm.
She held his hand to her face, then turned to kiss his palm.
If only she knew what she was doing to him.
His nipples began to feel blood rushing to them, making them more sensitive to the cool breeze coming in.
She adored his hand and kissed it a few more times.
No woman had ever done anything that sensual to him, and Caleb could not wrangle what had come over him.
He felt delirious, shaken, aroused and adored perfectly.
He looked down and saw her voluptuous breasts still snug in that lounge bra, and her tank top formed a lovely curve in her waist. From his perspective, being about six-foot-three, he had all the best visuals.
Then, she looked up into his eyes and kissed the tender skin on his wrist. Her lips were naturally full and lush, and the tender moment made him imagine how good she would feel all over his body. He was absolutely melting and coming undone.
Evie let go of his hand quietly. “I really want you to know that I only want to help as best as I can. You were like my own personal Robin Hood last night.” She broke into a giggle at her own statement, feeling stupid and foolish.
“Why the hell did I say that?” She threw her arms up and down, looked away from him, then shook her head while rubbing her forehead.
“I’m sorry. I can say some pretty dumb things when I—”
He stopped her by placing his hand to her cheek again, rubbing her lips with his thumb.
Those large fingers still smelled like warm shea butter, and they framed her face completely due to their size.
Evie’s head leaned back to look up into his eyes.
Anyone would say that Caleb was no fool, in that he could see the longing in her eyes.
But he had never seen such eyes before. No woman had ever looked at him that way.
Something stirred within his body and soul that he couldn’t pin.
She whimpered accidentally as he came closer to her lips.
His eyes focused on her lips and then back to her eyes again, as if deciphering every action she did. Little did she know, he was.
He spoke deeply, “You look like you need to be kissed by someone who knows how.”