“Only you,” I told her softly, holding her face in my hands.
My thumb caressed her cheek, marveling at the softness of her skin. Her dark cat eyes were wide as they took in my face, revealing an innocence that I wanted to grab and hold on to…and keep.
Beatrice-Rose was going to be here in less than an hour, but I couldn’t stop myself from pulling Red close and kissing her lips. I hadn’t kissed her since this morning.
She was like an addiction. A drug pumping through my bloodstream.
I kissed her hungrily, my hands roaming all over her body. The dip on her back just above her ass drove me insane.
Her taste was turning me on. Her breathing was turning me on.
Her lashes fluttered as she closed her eyes, and she sighed as my tongue glided over her skin, down the long line of her neck to that sensitive spot just below her ear. When I placed my lips there, she shivered.
Damn, we had to stop.
Just a few more minutes, I told myself. But when she plastered her body against me, her breasts pressing against my chest, I lost all reason.
I plundered her mouth, exploring it with my tongue. When her tongue touched mine, I exploded. My hands claimed her body, her full breasts fitting perfectly in my palms. I wanted to see her bare breasts, to suck on them until she cried out again.
I held her close, backing her up until she hit the wall. I grabbed her leg and hooked it around my hip, grinding myself against her heat. Her hands wrapped around the nape of my neck, her fingers tightening in my hair, pulling hard enough for it to hurt. I loved it. And then she moaned. Drove me fucking wild.
“Jesus,” I said breathlessly.
I’d only wanted a taste, a sip. But now I wanted to drink. Swallow her breathy sighs. Savor her creamy skin. I was lost in her…lost in my Red.
When she bit my lip and sucked, I growled. She nibbled my lips for a few moments before biting. So fucking sexy.
“Want you so fucking bad,” I whispered in her ear.
I scooped her up in my arms, my lips never leaving hers.
The bedroom, I thought, struggling to think. Too far. I spotted the couch a few feet away and hurriedly carried her there without breaking our kiss. I roughly laid her on the cushions.
I straddled her, pulling my shirt off, and then I froze and looked at her.
Fuck me.
Her lips were red and swollen, her pupils dilated. She was half lying, half sitting up with her elbows supporting her weight as she stared up at me.
So fucking beautiful.
My eyes widened as she sat up, shyly placing her hands on my thighs.
My muscles tensed. I swallowed nervously, watching her raptly as I waited for her next move. Waiting…waiting…
I thought I’d died when she reached for her shirt, took it off.
Holy Jesus…
So lost. I was so lost in her spell… I watched as she reached for my hand. I leaned down to accommodate her as she slowly placed my hand on her cheek. She stared at me with those dark mysterious eyes, kissed the palm of my hand.
There were very few moments in my life that I knew would stick with me forever—lasting only a few seconds but irrevocably staying with me, finding a spot in my heart and burrowing in there, changing me for the rest of my life.
This. This was one of them.
I was always surrounded by people, always thought I belonged with them. I was never lonely, but I was never really happy either. I didn’t realize until now, as we stared into each other’s eyes, that I had never really belonged with anyone.
Until Red. Until she came into my life.
She was home. My home.
“Caleb.” Her voice was whisper soft, a siren’s call to my senses.
My mouth opened in surprise as she placed her hand on my chest and pushed me onto my back. When she climbed on top of me, my brain stopped functioning.
She kissed my neck softly, her lips drifting down to my chest, to my stomach. When I felt her tongue flick against my skin, I nearly came in my pants.
I knew lust, had acted upon it more times than I cared to count. But this…this was something else. It was painful, almost unbearable. But it was the good kind of pain. The best kind of pain. I wanted to possess her just as she possessed me.
She was fire, and I wanted her to burn me…consume me.
Like a moth to a flame, I could not resist.
I took over, kissing her with an abandon and a wild hunger that shook me.
“Bed,” I murmured, my voice gruff and heavy. When she nodded, I stood and scooped her up in my arms, still kissing her while heading to my bedroom.
When the buzzer sounded, I nearly snarled.
“Caleb, wait. Stop.”
She was telling me to stop, but we were both still kissing each other.
The buzzer sounded again.
“Fuck.”
When she tucked her head under my chin, I closed my eyes. My body was on fire, but my heart was melting.
With that small gesture she destroyed me.
I love you.
My heart was beating like it was going to explode in my chest. I’d never said that to anyone before. Never felt it before her.
I waited for panic, fear, denial to come—but none of those did. It just felt…right. As if I had loved her from the very beginning without realizing it.
I wanted to tell her, but I kissed the top of her head instead, smelled the sweet strawberry scent of her hair. Her heart was beating fast, her breathing shallow. Her hands came up to my shoulders, shaking me slightly.
“Put me down, Caleb. Answer the intercom.”
I blew out a breath. “Damn.”
I put her down, made sure her body slid tantalizingly against mine. Her head was down, avoiding my eyes. She was embarrassed again.
It was one of the many reasons I couldn’t get enough of her. She was passion and fire one minute, shy and sweet the next.
“Hey,” I said softly, lifting her chin with my finger. Her eyes met mine, and for the second time in less than half an hour, she took my breath away.
She slays me, I thought, with just one look. One goddamn look.
She smiled at me, and then gave me a quick kiss on the mouth. “Answer the intercom. I’ll just…fix myself a little bit.”
When she turned away, I reached for her arm, pulling her to my chest and wrapping her in my arms. I heard her gasp, her body tensing, then relaxing as she settled comfortably—and with sweet familiarity—in my embrace. As if we’d been doing this for a long time.
“You’re my home, Red.”
She didn’t respond with words. But her arms gently but firmly wrapped around my back. She rested her cheek on my chest, her ear perfectly aligned with my heartbeat. As if she was listening to it and found the sound beautiful, she let out a contented sigh and held me tighter.
Yeah, I realized, I’m home.
