I pull out a chair at the little table and she sits in my lap. “Caleb,” she says, stroking her hand across my jaw. “I’ve been thinking.”
“Yeah? You’ve decided to hire me as your personal chef and lover?”
“Ooh, that is a good idea. But not quite. Do you remember what you said to me, back in my hotel room in Ohio?”
“I think I said a lot of things. Most of them about your ass.”
“True,” she nods, taking a sip of my coffee. “But do you remember the part where you kissed me and said ‘we’re doing this?’”
“I do remember that part.”
“Well,” she takes a deep breath. “At the risk of plagiarism—”
“A sin for which Ty would never forgive you,” I interrupt.
She smiles at me. “We’re doing this.”
I’m a dumbass, I know, but it takes me a minute. “We’re doing this?”
“Yes.” She wraps her arms around my neck and kisses me soundly, but still, I need to be sure.
“Just for the sake of, you know, my sanity, do you mind clarifying that a little?”
“You and me? We’re an us. I’m not pretending any more, Caleb. I’m not ignoring what’s between us. I’m not going to act like you don’t affect me when the truth is that you make my body feel like it’s on fire.”
“Fuck, Lucy. My ride will be here in like, five minutes.” My cock is hard and I’m pretty sure you can die from that.
“I’ll just have to visit you soon to see what I can do about that. And you’ll have to call me when you get in, just so I know you’re safe.”
“Done. You’re serious about this?”
“I am. My dad will likely lose his mind, but—”
I take her chin in my hand. “Let him, Lucy. I’m not ashamed. And I’m not afraid. Hell, if anything, your dad needs to take a seat. I called dibs seven and a half fucking years ago. Our parents didn’t even know each other back then. I fell in love with your ass—and the rest of you—that summer. So, if anyone has the prior claim, we do.”
She looks a little nervous suddenly, but I go full steam ahead.
“Or we could wait until I knock you up?”
“Hold your goddamn horses, Caleb Whitman. I have an IUD, and you always wrap your shit up. There will be no babies. Not for a long damn time, anyway.”
She’s serious, so I nod, though I have to admit the idea of knocking her up has its appeal. I get it now—why Knox walks around like he’s hot shit, and Ty drops hints about getting Phoebe pregnant. Is it some crazy caveman instinct I should be ashamed of? Probably. But damn, the idea of Lucy carrying my kid? It’s fucking hot.
“Fine,” I concede. “We’ll wait a year or two to start a family. But I’m not waiting to show you affection, Lucy. I’m gonna hold your hand, kiss you. And when we go home, you’re sure as hell sleeping in my bed. They’re smart people. They’ll figure it out.”
We kiss for another minute or two, but then the alarm on my phone goes off, and I realize my ride’s here (and that Lucy’s rubbing off on me because I’m setting alarms and shit).
We linger outside her door for a minute, and I wave to the Ryde driver to let him know I’ll be right there. I can't resist, so I dip her in grand fashion and then kiss the shit out of her. It’ll be a few weeks until we see each other in person, so I’m savoring the taste of her while I can.
We’d probably keep going, but a series of catcalls from across the way halts us.
“I love you, Lucy,” I tell her. “I always have.” And five minutes later, in the back of some stranger’s car, I can still feel her lips on mine.
Chapter 24
Lucy
It’sfunny how fast a day can go to absolute shit. One minute I was prancing around my apartment in my boyfriend’s shirt, high on sex and ready to kick this day’s ass. The next minute, my world came crashing down.
