“You never had to beg for my touch, Rosie,” he whispers, placing a kiss to my forehead that is achingly sweet, his hands in my hair, and then coasting soft fingers down my spine.
“I thought you liked it when I begged?” I tease, pressing a soft kiss to his warm chest, feeling my body relax into his as he holds me tightly.
He huffs a gentle laugh, silent only a moment before he speaks. “I like hearing your pretty begging when we’re playing around, Rosebud. But when you really need me, when you just want my touch, or you want to be held, youneverhave to beg.” His voice sounds rougher than his usual sweetness, and he firms his hold on me, making me feel that same wholesome peace I’ve come to bask in when he’s in my space. “You don’t even need to ask. My affections are always yours to take, and I will give them gladly.”
I settle against him, not knowing what else I’m to say to that, other than a whispered “Thank you.”
“Don’t thank me.” He grumbles and I let go of a little laugh. I’m not sure how long we lie there before my grumbling stomach ruins the moment.
“You’re starving!” He sounds incredulous. “Why didn’t you say anything?” He rolls us so he hovers above me, pressing a kiss softly to my lips, and I melt at just how sweet this man is. Then he nibbles my lip a little, and when I gasp, he chuckles, jumping from the bed. “I’m making breakfast,” he states, pulling on a pair of gray sweats then heading for his bedroom door. I sit up on my elbows, pouting because I hate that we can’t just laze around all day. But he turns back to me as he opens the door, and then his head falls back to the ceiling, muttering a curse. In a blink, he’s jogging back to the bed and jumping onto me. I gasp and giggle as he works his arms around me.
“What the hell are you doing?” I ask between breaths as he lets his lips trail my body.
“You just look so fucking edible,” he says between kisses. “Your hair all messy and your skin blushed, you look so soft and rumpled and sated, and twisted in my silk sheet?” he groansand then trails his teeth along my neck. “I literally couldn’t stop myself. I needed to touch you again.”
I don’t know how long it is when we finally manage to untangle our limbs from each other.
I manage a quick shower while he heads into the kitchen, and once I’m done, the incredible scent of bacon and pancakes leads me into the kitchen. Caleb stands at the stove in nothing but his gray sweats, his lean, broad shoulders on full display, the muscles moving in his back with each movement of his arm at the frying pan. I let my eyes have their fill of him, loving the way his body moves, his perfectly messed hair and those fucking back dimples that sit above a perky ass that I love to dig my nails into.
“I can feel your pervy eyes on me, Rosebud.” His sweet, smooth voice pulls me from my appreciative looks, and I sigh happily as I fall into the seat at the counter.
“I regret nothing.”
He laughs softly, serving up our plates, placing one in front of me before rounding the corner to sit beside me. We eat together for a few comfortably silent mouthfuls before he rubs a hand down his bare chest, sitting straighter. His eyes on me a moment before he says, “So…”
I go stiff, giving him side eye and suddenly apprehensive about what’s coming.
“My idea…from yesterday?” Oh yeah…I forgot about that. I put my fork down and twist to look at him, remembering his words and how nervous he was to tell me. I feel my skin begin to itch.
“I’d like to be the silent investor.”
Woah.Was not expecting that.
He must sense my shock because he raises a hand. “Before you decline, just hear me out. As much as you have me wrapped around your little finger, and could practically ask anything of me and it’d be yours, I don’t play around with my investments.” He gives me a slight smile before it fades into a stoic expression, his eyes searing into mine, and the fact he isn’t reaching out to touch me makes me think he’s actually serious right now. “It’ll be set up as a loan, I’ve had my lawyer draft the documents, which has protections for both of us, given our unique…situation.” He drags his bottom lip between his teeth as his eyes roam over my body. I clear my throat and he shakes his head, as if to clear whatever thoughts he had running through his mind. His easy switch from heated to serious has a pouty smile rising to my lips. “Anyway, I’ve made sure that all the security is in place so if this…ended—which it won’t—we will both be protected.” He seems to spit out a few of those words with gritted teeth, but my mind is struggling to keep up with what he is offering.
“Protected?”
“Right, so I can’t force an early repayment or renege on the deal. I can’t pull the funding or increase the repayment rate either. All I’d take is a two percent interest with each repayment. Once the loan is fully repaid, the agreement and contract is dissolved. This way, the company remains completely and utterly yours. You won’t have to consult me on any decisions or provide any financial reports. There will be no requirements laid out by me in terms of your business, how you run it, or any decisions that impact it. You will never have to seek permission for anything, the company will be completely yours.”
I’m stunned into silence, unable to piece it all together, not understanding what he gets out of doing this. But I don’t have a second to ask any questions just yet, because he keeps going. “I haven’t put a deadline on it, because I know you, and I knowyou’ll knock it over in no time. But if you’d prefer we put a time frame on it, we can have that adjusted. And if you have your own lawyer, I can have mine send over the documents and you can get your own advice instead of just talking to me about it. I know how important this is to you, and I don’t want you to feel backed into a corner, but I also don’t want to see your dream fade over something like funding when I have the ability to help you.”
His eyes search mine and he must see the complete awe and confusion swimming in them. He leans forward to take my hand in his, his other framing my cheek and dusting a thumb over my cheekbone and over the freckles that sit under my eye. “I don’t want to interrupt what we have, I also don’t want to take away your autonomy and independence, or smother your career. I believe in you, Rosebud. I want to support you and I have the means to do it. It would mean a lot if you let me do this for you.” His words quieten to a whisper as he continues to search my eyes. The ability to keep a hold on my mask completely slips my grasp as that ache in my chest squeezes. I can feel my eyes sting, but I don’t think I have the strength to hold back the tears. Before I can let one drop, I lunge forward, operating only on instinct as I wrap my arms around him, burying my face in his neck and breathing him in. Silent, soft tears leak from my eyes, and he freezes for only a moment before he’s hauling me into his lap.
“Is that a yes, pretty girl?” he whispers into my hair, and I have to take a few steadying breaths, my mind running a mile a minute, and every possible thing that could go wrong comes to the front of my mind. The idea…it isn’t bad, but as the daughter of a manipulator, all I can think is that there is a catch. But this is Caleb, and Iknowhim. I feel like I’ve never known anyone how I know him, and though I want to kiss him, jump and shout with joy, the logical part of my brain is telling me to be sensible, that I’m wearing rose-colored glasses from the orgasms.
“Can I think about it?” I whisper, pulling back to look into his eyes.
“Of course.” He doesn’t hesitate and he smiles at me, tucking a few loose curls behind my ears. “And for the record, I won’t be offended if you say no. I know it can be weird. Money and friends, or…” He pauses, a little blush hitting his cheeks as he trips on his words. “People like us,” he says, and because I still refuse to address the whole “what are we” topic, I don’t correct him on anything. “It can be weird and messy, and I get it. I promise the last thing I want to do is control you, or hold it over your head. You never have to tell a soul, no one needs to know our business. I just really want to help.” And that’s exactly who he is at his core. Caleb cares, his heart is huge, and he isgoodin ways I’ve never been.
My eyes sting again, because every time I bury my secrets further down, he goes and throws his goodness in my face like a red, flashing, neon sign that says I’m not good enough for him—I’m a horrible person, and I don’t deserve any of his kindness. But once again, I ignore it and let Caleb pull me against him, kissing his soft lips and feeling like my heart has grown another size, making room for someone who never should have wormed his way in.
I let him tuck me against his chest again, his chin resting on my head as small tears leak from my eyes. Wrapped in his embrace and feeling like I’m floating on a cloud of peace, I mutter against his chest, “Me haces feliz.” I feel his smile against my forehead as he presses a kiss there, his words so quiet I almost miss them.
“Niña bonita, tú también me haces feliz.” I gasp, sitting up to find a smug-looking Caleb, his eyes lit with both mischief and a touch of shyness.
“What did you just say?” I whisper.
“I said?—”
