Total pages in book: 20
Estimated words: 18159 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 91(@200wpm)___ 73(@250wpm)___ 61(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 18159 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 91(@200wpm)___ 73(@250wpm)___ 61(@300wpm)
I pull her back into my chest, forcing her to pause and keep her gaze on mine. Tears sluice down her cheeks, and her beautiful dark waves are wet and wild and perfect for my fingers.
“Don’t run away from me like that again.” I nuzzle into her neck, feeling the shivers that course through her body from my touch. “Especially not after you make romantic declarations like you did back there.”
She barks a laugh, wiping at her cheeks. “That’s not exactly my idea of romance.”
Our foreheads touch, and I whisper against her lips, “You said you choose me.”
Her smile turns sheepish, and crimson colors her cheeks sweetly. I wipe the tears from her cheeks, cherishing every inch of her and eager for more.
“I guess I did say that.” Her eyes flick away from my hungry gaze. “In the heat of the moment.”
I grin. “I like you all hot and bothered and singing declarations of love.”
“Love?” Her eyes shoot back to mine. “That might be a stretch—”
“Oh, it’s not a stretch at all, Ms. Everett.” I plant a tender kiss on her damp lips. “I don’t give a damn what anyone else thinks. My heart chose yours all those years ago. I refuse to hide my love for you a second longer.”
“Wait…” She shakes her head. “I’m still stuck on this love word you keep using.”
“Didn’t you feel my love earlier in the wine cellar?” I rock my hips into hers softly, reminding her of all the places we’ve been together.
“I felt something, that’s for sure.” She’s teasing me now. Her body relaxes into my touch as the world falls away, and we’re back to being us again.
“Maybe you need a reminder.”
“I may need a few reminders,” she whispers sweetly in my ear.
My cock jumps and throbs in my pants at her promising words. “I’m all about daily reminders, baby.”
We stand quietly, no more words left to say as I do my best to shield her from the snow, keep her warm, and show her how damn much she’s come to mean to me—not from one night but over the years. I just didn’t let myself believe it before now.
“Turns out I needed the reminder of how deeply you sank inside my soul. I was scared five years ago. You were a kid, and your choice could’ve been based on hormones and nothing else. Eighteen is just a kid, you know? I had a hard time believing someone so young could want me. I wanted you to live a little, see what was out there, even if it killed me to do it. But this time, I’m not walking away from you, Lexi.” I hold her cheeks in my palms, dotting kisses along her hairline and over her eyelids until I catch her mouth with mine.
Her arms fling around my waist, her fingers ducking under the hemline of my shirt as pleasure spikes in my veins. Everything about us is so in sync. I’ve never found this kind of connection with anyone in my forty-six years.
“Move in with me,” I say the second the thought pops into my mind.
“What?” She laughs and then pauses, realizing I mean every word.
“You can finish your masters. I’ll move to Boston. My business pretty much runs itself now.”
“I’m wild and crazy and chaotic. My organizational skills are nonexistent. Caleb, trust me, you pretty much just invited a hurricane into your house.”
“Bring me your beautiful, wild chaos, baby. I’m all in. Besides, with you there, it will be more than a house. It will be a home.”
She shakes her head, grinning, before she finally nods.
“Is that a yes, baby girl?”
She nods again, wiping away what appears to be a few happy tears. “Yes.”
That one tiny word cracks my heart wide.
“Thank you,” I whisper. “You could have walked out on this. You could have kept running through the snow and never looked back.” My voice lowers an octave. “The easiest thing was to avoid us, but it took me seeing you again to know that I’m not interested in easy at all.”
I kiss her softly, tenderly, with quiet reverence. “I'm only interested in doing what it takes to have you.”
“Caleb…”
“I mean every word, and I plan to remind you how much I mean it every day. I love you, Lexi.”
“But what about them?” She peeks over my shoulder.
“What about them? This is about us. We’ve waited long enough. They need to accept it.”
Lexi smiles, resting her head on my shoulder with a sigh. “I think they’ll get over it with some time.”
“They have to because I’ll never give you up.”
Chapter 8
Lexi
Storming out of a house during a snowstorm wearing next to nothing isn’t my best moment. I also realize how childish it looks, but I’m exhausted from denying what and who makes me happy.
“We need to get you inside before you get sick,” Caleb says, kissing the top of my head as we walk back into the house.