Chapter 44 | Caleb
Caleb
Despite being up late, Rae and I were both up early, cleaning the barn. Jenny had to work a few extra hours this week at the office, so since I was home, I told her I would do what needed to be done.
I couldn’t help but watch Rae from across the barn while she was sweeping up old hay. Doing daily tasks with her made the normal things more fun. When she looked in my direction, I smiled at her and tipped my hat. “Just admiring the scenery.”
Rae blushed and giggled “You're not so bad to look at either.”
Duke was lying in the sunshine at the edge of the barn, and he let out a huge sigh. It seemed almost too perfectly timed, like he was tired of our flirting, so it made Rae and me laugh.
I grabbed my water bottle and took a long drink of water.
Rae watched me for a moment while finishing sweeping, her eyes not leaving me as I moved throughout the barn.
I needed to stack the hay bales before it got too hot, so I decided now was probably the best time.
Plus, if I wanted to flirt with Rae some more, I should probably get this done first, so I wouldn’t have to take a break later.
When I was out of sight, I heard her start talking to one of the horses while sweeping.
I loved listening to her talk to them, like they were her best friends.
Several minutes passed by, and I had finished moving around the stacks of hay.
It was really hot, so I took my shirt off and walked to get my water bottle.
I heard Rae sweeping in one of the last stalls, the last two horses still in the middle of the barn.
She was humming a song, and the sound made me smile.
I began walking toward where she was working.
When I got just outside the stall door, the humming and sweeping sounds stopped.
I leaned against the door frame as she turned to look at me, a wild look behind her stunning green eyes.
“You know, I've been watching you all afternoon, but now that I'm this close, I don't know if I'll be able to keep my hands to myself,” I said as I gave her a small smile.
“What ever could you mean, Ranger?” she teased, her voice probably a little breathier than she meant it to be.
I didn’t answer with words, but instead I stepped into the stall slowly, pulling the door closed behind me.
Rae bit her lip as she smiled and looked down at her feet.
I didn’t move yet, but just took in the sight of her.
Her hair was slightly tussled after working around the barn, and there was a bit of hay sticking out of the bun.
It had been cooler today than the last few days, so we sat outside, and small traces of the dirt from the ground were still on her jeans.
I’d seen Rae in pretty much every setting now—dressed up with makeup on, just waking up, standing in the rain soaking wet, even with nothing on, as she let her guard down and trusted me.
Every single moment, she always looked beautiful, but there was something about this look that did me in.
She was effortlessly beautiful, and she wasn’t even trying to be.
“I mean,” I said, stepping closer until she had to look up at me, “that watching you all flirty and gorgeous all morning...it’s been driving me crazy.” Somehow, even after working most of the day, she still smelled like peaches and flowers.
Rae stepped back until her back met the wooden wall behind her, her breath catching as I moved in.
She looked at my chest and then down towards my boots before giving me a small, flirty smile.
I returned the smile with a wink. “And what are you gonna do about it?” she asked, trying to sound sassy, but a tremble in her voice betrayed her.
I smirked, one hand bracing the wall beside her head while the other trailed gently down her arm. “Depends,” I murmured. “You gonna tell me to stop?”
She shook her head slowly, eyes locked on mine. “No.”
That was all I needed.
I cupped her cheek, brushing my thumb along her skin, then leaned down and kissed her, slow at first, deepening after just a moment. The kiss turned hungry fast, all heat and years of tension crashing into that one breath.
My hands found her waist. I started to pull back when she stilled, but her hand came up, fingers wrapping around my wrist, keeping me there. “What are you thinking, baby?” I asked softly.
She took a slow, steady breath. “I’m reminding myself that I’m not broken. You’re a safe place. My safe place.”
Something in my chest tightened. I smiled, brushing my thumb along her jaw. “Always and forever, baby.”
“Sorry, I’m still...”
I stopped her with a gentle kiss, barely a whisper of one. “Don’t apologize for anything. Just let me love you.”
She guided my hand beneath her shirt, letting me feel her skin. The warmth of her made my pulse stumble. “Just not...”
“Don’t worry, baby.” My voice came out rougher than I meant it to. “You lead the way, I’ll follow.”
That was all she needed. She kissed me again, deeper this time, her nails lightly digging into my skin. She gasped softly against my mouth, her body arching instinctively into mine.
“You always smell like peaches,” I murmured against her throat, “but right now you also smell like hay, and it shouldn’t drive me as wild as it does.”
Her hands slid across my chest, fingers tracing along the edge of my muscles. “You’re one to talk,” she said, breathless. “You walk around here all shirtless and sweaty like it’s not a problem.”
I laughed quietly, the sound low against her skin. “Guess I’ll have to start wearing a shirt then.”
She laughed, then wrapped her arms around my shoulders, pulling me closer until there wasn’t an inch of space left between us. “Don’t you even think about it.”
Our lips met again, messier this time, more desperate, and when my hand slid under her shirt again, she didn’t stop me.
She trusted me, and being trusted by her was an honor I didn’t take lightly.
I moved slowly, tracing her skin like I was learning her all over again, every inch of her soft and warm beneath my hand.
She reached down and lifted her shirt over her head, tossing it aside, then reached behind her to unhook her bra.
When it came loose, I just stared at her face first, then all of her.
“Gosh, Rae.” The words came out rough, barely a whisper. “You have no idea what you do to me.”
I gathered her against me, wrapping my arms around her and feeling the warmth of her skin against mine. For a moment, everything slowed—the air, our breathing, the space between heartbeats. She was soft and real in my arms, and it stole the breath right out of me.
Her breath caught when my thumb brushed over the soft peak of her breast, teasing until her quiet gasp filled the space between us. I kissed a slow trail from her lips down her neck, across her shoulder while my hands moved again, gentle, steady, giving her time to breathe, to feel.
Her hands gripped my back, nails digging lightly into my skin as her body reacted to every touch. Heat built low in my stomach, steady and insistent, and when my hand slid to the button of her jeans, she didn’t hesitate. She helped me, her fingers moving with mine, wanting it as much as I did.
I slipped my hand beneath the waistband of her jeans and beneath the soft fabric below, touching her, slow, careful, deliberate.
Her moan came fast, her hips moving to meet my touch, and when my fingers circled her again, she gasped, pushing into my hand like she needed more.
I found the pace that made her breath hitch, the sound that left her lips somewhere between a sigh and a moan.
I kept it slow, steady, giving her time to climb higher with every touch.
My mouth stayed near her neck, my breath warm against her skin as she trembled against the wall.
Her breathing grew uneven, a quiet sound leaving her throat before she gasped my name.
Her whole body tightened, then shook as she came apart, her face pressed to my shoulder, her hands gripping at me like she needed something to hold on to.
I held her through it, whispering quiet words she probably didn’t even hear.
“I got you,” I murmured against her skin, my arms still wrapped around her. “Always.”
“What do you want for dinner?” I asked as I looked in the refrigerator for something to make.
Rae stared at me from across the room while rubbing her shoulder and wincing at the tightness in her muscles. “If I wasn't so sore, I'd say something flirty like ‘how about you,’ but this tension—” She groaned and laughed. “The hot water from the shower didn’t do anything for this either.”
I chuckled at the face she made as she stretched. “Let's eat dinner and get some painkillers in you. Then I'll work on those tense muscles if you want.”
“Deal.” Rae chuckled as she stood and stretched. “How can I help?” she asked, joining me at the refrigerator.
“By going and lying down on the couch.” I kissed her cheek as I passed by her with my hands full of items from the refrigerator.
“No, Cal—” I held up my hand with a playful look on my face. “But I want—” I shook my head.
I set the skillet I had pulled from the cabinet on the counter and then walked to her, pulling her into a hug.
“Rae, baby. When will you understand that I love to spoil you, and take care of you? I didn’t even get to see you for several years, and now you’re here and I get to love you, and you love me back.
..This is all I’ve wanted. Spoiling you and taking care of you, in every way, is all I want to do.
” She looked at me, our faces so close to each other's.
“So will you please go sit down on the couch and snuggle our pup so I can spoil you, like you deserve?” I had kept my voice sweet but serious, but I changed it to a silly tone to continue what I was saying, and it got her to belly laugh.