Chapter 12

 

Kate buried her head into Caleb’s side, her soft, warm arm draped over his waist as her finger traced circles against his chest. It was how he wanted to fall asleep every night and how he wanted to wake every morning. Thinking about spending the next fifty-seven years of his life like this didn’t scare him like it once did. But the fact that it didn’t, terrified him.

It also made him sad, because he didn’t think his brother ever got to experience anything like this, and knowing true happiness with another was something for every person’s bucket list.

He ran his hand up and down her back, loving the way it made her snuggle into him. She took his wrist in her hand, running the pad of her thumb across the tattooed bike and the words Keep Moving.

“Tell me about this,” Kate said.

“I got it the day Milo was diagnosed. We both did. We swore to each other that no matter what, we’d keep moving. I think back on it now and wonder if he knew, despite what he made me believe, that he wasn’t going to make it. That this tattoo was his way of reminding me after he was gone that I had to keep going. That I couldn’t stop my life. He’d want me to continue on the adventures that he no longer could take, rip up as many trails as I could.”

“Did you?”

“A week after he died, I packed a bag, tossed my bike on the rack of my car, and took off. I had no destination, no plan. All I knew was I had to get away.”

“Where’d you go?”

“Everywhere. Utah, Colorado, California, North Dakota, Canada, New Hampshire, Vermont, everywhere… It’s how I discovered Red Maple Falls. I can’t explain it, but there was something about this place when I came through that drew me in.”

“This town has that effect on people.”

He laughed before continuing. “Milo and I talked about opening a bike shop together as our retirement project in thirty years. When I came through here, I wondered why then and why not now? I had the money and no desire to go back to my old life. I wanted a complete change and figured this was it. I knew I could’ve opened a bike shop anywhere, a place with more than nine hundred people in the town.”

“Nine-hundred and twenty-two last count.”

“Right, half of which is your family.”

She tilted her head and laughed, and he kissed her forehead because he could. “Well, yeah.”

“This town just felt right, and as stupid as it may sound, it felt like Milo brought me here. Even though he was gone, he was still pointing me in the right direction.”

“I’m happy he pointed you here.”

“You kidding? You hated me.”

“You weren’t exactly the most pleasant person I had ever met, but your looks did give you some points.”

“Really?” he said, looking down at her with a smile.

“If you think I’m going to stroke that massive ego of yours, you can think again.”

“You can stroke something else,” he said with a wink that earned him a swat to his chest.

“Haven’t you had enough?”

“Of you? Never.” He hadn’t said a truer word in his life.

Kate slipped her hand beneath the navy-blue sheets and wrapped her fingers around his hardened length. She moved her hand up and down rotating between long calming strokes and fast heart-racing pumps. The pressure built, driving him toward the edge, but he didn’t want to fall over without her. Never without her.

He grabbed her sides and flipped her beneath him. She let out a squeak of surprise, and he covered her mouth with his, reaching beneath the covers and swiping a finger across her folds.

“I love how wet you are for me.”

Her teeth slid over her lip, and he bent down taking that lip between his own teeth and sucking on the plump flesh. She moaned against his mouth, and he slipped his finger into her wetness, eliciting a string of loud moans as he worked in and out of her.

He grabbed a condom off the nightstand, tearing open the foil with his teeth and sheathing himself. He positioned himself at her entrance and looked down at her, wanting to watch her as he slipped into her, joining their two bodies as one.

Desire and lust filled her eyes, turning them that vibrant aquamarine color. Slowly, he pushed into her. Her lips parted and her body arched as he moved inside her with long, sensual strokes until her muscles tightened and they both fell over the edge together.

He placed a kiss on Kate’s forehead then got up to dispose of the condom. When he came back, she was curled up in his sheets, a satiated smile resting on her lips. She looked beautiful, like a damn angel lying in his bed.

He had no idea what the future was going to bring, and right now, he was happy. But he knew happiness only lasted so long before the carpet was ripped out from underneath him. The only question was when.

***

Kate was starving. Any type of physical activity made her hungry, and the several rounds of sex she’d had with Caleb left her stomach feeling empty. She lay curled up his arms, but really, at the moment, all she could think about was a slice of pizza or a bag of chips.

Her stomach growled, and she heard Caleb snicker. “Hungry?” he asked and heat filled her cheeks.

“I guess you heard that?”

“How could I not? It sounded like an angry lion.”

She swatted at his chest, and he grabbed her hand bringing it to his lips and pressing a kiss to her knuckles. “Come on. I’m hungry, too.”

He took her by the hand and pulled her from bed, walking toward the door. “Shouldn’t we get dressed?” she asked, not used to walking around in the nude.

He tugged on her hand, bringing her flesh against him. His hand trailed down her sides then cupped her bottom before coming around her front and stopping on her nipples. “Why the hell would we want to do that?” he asked as he bent his head and took her nipple into his mouth.

She moaned at the pleasure coursing through her body, amazed at how easily he elicited such noises from her.

“I think clothes would just get in the way.” He pinched the tight bead with his fingers, making her cry out. His mouth came down on hers and he slipped his tongue between her lips.

Never in her life had she ever felt every nerve-ending in her body come to life. Never had she ever wanted to keep going after having an orgasm, yet here she was desperate for another after already having so many she had lost count. But Caleb did that to her. He made her shed her inhibitions, filled her with an insatiable need to feel his mouth on hers, his body sliding against hers, his hands roaming her body, discovering new ways to make her cry out in ecstasy.

Every touch from him was fuel to a fire that burned brighter and more intense with each second. He trailed his tongue down her neck to the crook, sucking and licking.

“Unless of course you want to put clothes on,” he said just before gently biting down on the sensitive skin. Chills ran up and down her spine, goose bumps rising on her skin. She shivered at the onslaught of desire consuming her.

“No,” she managed, though her voice was hoarse. Her stomach growled again, reminding her why they weren’t still in bed.

He ran a hand over her stomach and smiled down at her. “Let’s get you some food. You’re going to need your strength.”

He brought her to the kitchen, motioning to one of the stools. She sat down, and the cold leather pressing against her bare skin felt good. Caleb moved around the kitchen, naked and beautiful, opening cabinets. His body from chest to legs was cut and sculpted to athletic perfection, most likely from constant bike rides.

Kate licked her lips as she watched him gather together ingredients before lighting the stove and placing a frying pan on top.

She slid off the stool and came up behind him, wrapping her arms around his waist and kissing his back. He took her hand and pressed a kiss to her knuckles.

“What are you making?” she asked as he cracked an egg into a bowl.

“Omelets, if that’s okay with you?”

“Mmm perfect.”

“What do you want in it?”

“What are you putting in yours?”

“Spinach, mushrooms, feta, tomato.”

“I’ll take the same.”

“Is there any food you don’t like?”

She tilted her head, thinking it over. She always had a healthy appetite and always liked to try things at least once before she decided if she liked it or not. “Sushi.”

“I love sushi. It’s so good.”

“It’s the one thing I just can’t do. I tried. I just prefer my food cooked.”

“It’s not for everyone.”

Kate leaned against the counter taking one of the grape tomatoes and popping it into her mouth. “What about you? Is there any food you don’t like?”

“I’ll eat anything.”

“There has to be something that you don’t like.”

He poured the egg mixture into the pan and stared off. His eyebrows pinched together as he thought. Then after a minute he said, “Tapioca pudding.”

Kate laughed at his enthusiasm behind the words.

“Hate it with a passion.”

“That’s so random,” she said still laughing. “What do you have against it?”

“My mom used to pack it in my lunch when I was in elementary school and this one kid, Michael Stevenson, used to tell me the gelatin balls were fish eyes. That’s all I see now when I look at it. He ruined it for me.”

“Damn that Michael Stevenson.”

“Scarred for life. I’ll never eat tapioca pudding again. I don’t care how good it is.”

Kate noticed that he mentioned his mom, which only made her more curious about the boy she didn’t know. What happened to him? Why was he alone now? She was afraid to ask, to ruin the happy bubble that they were in, but if she was ever going to shed him of his many layers and get to his very core, she had to stop holding back out of fear.

“What happened to your mom?”

His body stiffened beside her, but it was only for a second before he grabbed the spatula and folded the omelet into a half moon. “She’s dead, too,” he said.

When Kate realized he wasn’t going to elaborate, she pushed. “How’d she die?”

“Car accident.”

“How old were you?”

“Twelve.”

Her heart broke for the little boy who’d lost his mother at such a young age. For the young man that grew up without her. For the man he was now who still carried the pain that was evident in his curt tone.

“What was she like?”

The tension in his body seemed to ease as a slight smile formed on his face. “Kind, loving, always on my case about washing behind my ears and cleaning up after myself.”

“She sounds great.”

“She was. The best.”

Kate leaned into him, resting her lips against his bicep. “I bet she’d be proud of you.”

“I hope so.”

“What about your dad?”

His body went rigid and tense. The hand that rested on the edge of the counter, tightened its grip until his knuckles were white. “That’s enough for one day,” he said, and even though Kate wanted to keep pushing, she knew that it was best to let it rest.

At least for tonight.