“Today was meant to be your engagement. What are you going to do?” I press softly.
She groans, her head landing against my shoulder, and I can’t help but chuckle. “Don’t remind me. I was hoping I could just not show up, but…he’ll just turn up somewhere else in my life. I should really just be an adult about it, tell him in person, and really, short of kidnapping me and holding me hostage, he can’t physically force me.” I frown at the dismissive way she throws out those accusations, because I really wouldn’t put it past them to try something as unsavory and terrifying as kidnapping her. But she’s right. He tries to control her with material things, and I just have to trust what she says, that she’s picked me.
“Let me come with you.” I press a soft kiss to her forehead, and she hums gently.
“No.”
“No?” I pull back and she smiles at my frown, her finger tracing a line between my brows.
“Don’t get all grumpy. I have to do this.”
“And I need to be there. Please, pretty girl. I’ll go out of my mind locked up in here.” I groan, my head hitting her collarbone. But then I’m near her skin and I can’t help myself; I press a soft kiss at the base of her neck. She arches into me, and so I continue, using the soft press of my lips and tease of my tongue against her skin.
“You can wait outside,” she breathes, and I nip playfully at her skin in triumph, groaning at the way she sighs and falls against me.
“We have clothes on again. We should take them off.” I don’t wait for her response, instead I lift the hem of her shirt over her head and nudge her gently back to the bed. She falls with a giggle.
“Okay, five more minutes, but we really should get going.”
I keep her tangled up in my bed for another fifteen minutes and three orgasms, before I let her drag me reluctantly to her father’s building.
CHAPTER 41
home is where you are
Rosie
Ifeel like our spell from last night and this morning broke far too soon. I hate that we’re now standing on the street opposite my father’s penthouse and that I’m about to light the final match on my life as I knew it. Granted, I’ve wanted to be free of the Garcia prison for as long as I can remember, I guess I just never actually saw this moment happening. And least of all, with who I have standing next to me.
“I hate this.” Caleb grumbles, tucking me under his arm and pulling me closer.
“I know you do. I do too.” I press up on my toes and leave a soft kiss on his cheek. “Just remember, no matter what happens up there, I love you. I think.” Another thing I never saw happening was me spilling all these grossly romantic words…but here we are.
“You think?” Caleb chuckles, rearing back to look down at me.
“Well, I’ve never done this before,” I mumble under my breath, not really sure how to navigate all of this. “But I knowthat the entire time I’m up there with them, I’ll be thinking about you and counting down the seconds until I can be next to you again.” The moment the last word leaves my mouth I gasp, brushing Caleb’s arm from my shoulders. Of course, he throws his head back in a howling laugh as I stand there frozen and in complete horror at the trash that just spewed from my mouth. “That wasdisgusting.I can’t believe I just said that.” I whisper. And I don’t care that the words were all true, that I meant them…it’s the principle of the fact…that I said them.
He laughs harder.
Groaning, I bury my mortification along with my face in my hands as Caleb pulls me back into his embrace. “All these emotions…they’re turning me into Casey! That was so hideous.”
“But true, obviously,” He teases, and I can’t help rolling my eyes over a reluctant smile.
“Whatever. But don’t get used to that shit. Because that was making me gag. Anyway, I should get up there.” I shake out my arms, readying myself for the war that is to come, but a final glance at Caleb shows his raised chin of impatience. Ugh, when did he get so needy? I close the distance between us, stepping up to press a kiss to his cheek.
“I love you,cariño.I’ll be right back.” I wink at him and land a smack to his ass before skipping toward the building entrance with every last bit of playfulness I had left.
When I’m almost at the doors, I take one last look behind me at the man I know will have my back when this is all over. I wish I didn’t have to continue. That I could run away and pretend like none of this needed to happen, that I could just live a pretend happy-ever-after.
Instead, I take a deep breath, trying to pull my shit together, remembering all the encouraging words Caleb has told me over the last year, and focusing only on what I need to do.
Cut off the final ties to my life.
Facing forward, I push through the door, find my way to the elevator, and press the button to the penthouse apartment. It feels almost like a millennium passes before the doors open, and when they do, the air completely rushes from my lungs.
“Mellow?” I sob without meaning to as I watch her brows pucker in concern, and then she’s reaching for me before I’m even out of the elevator.
“Oh,mija.” She wraps her arms around me, walking me out of the way of the elevator so the doors can close.
