Caspian (Carolina Reapers 8)

And right now? The thing making me most happy was Caspian. His support, his ease, his charm, his cockiness, his ability to make me laugh so much my sides hurt, and his passion. Because holy hell did the man have passion. I never knew a man like him existed, someone completely capable of captivating my mind, my heart, and my body all at once.

“What do you think I’m with you for then?” I teased, wanting to shake the serious mood gripping my heart. The same life-is-short motivation begged me to tell him the truth, tell him how I really felt. Because, again, it could all come crashing down tomorrow.

“My stunning good looks,” he said. “Obviously.”

“Don’t forget about your mouth,” I said, and he laughed. “I love what you can do with it.”

He tugged me closer, playfully nipping my neck as we walked. “Just wait until I get you home,” he said, and the promise in his words had my breath catching.

“Well, aren’t you two just the cutest thing,” my mom’s voice sounded behind us, and I shook my head as we turned around.

“Hi, Mom,” I said, then nodded and smiled to Caspian’s mom who stood next to her with just as big a smile on her face. Each of them had three bags of goodies draped over their arms and they looked like they had no intention of stopping the shop fest.

“You two want me to take those back to my car?” Caspian asked, eying the bags.

“Oh, would you, darling?” his mother asked, practically shoving the bags his way.

He laughed, taking their bags. “Absolutely,” he said. “Can’t have you two weighed down. There is a whole other block of vendors to hit over there,” he said, pointing to the street across from the one we stood on.

“You’re a doll,” my mom said, flashing me a not-so-subtle look as the pair of them headed across the street.

“You can keep looking if you want,” he said. “I’ll be right back.”

“I’ll walk with you,” I said. While I loved the vendors and supporting all the local businesses from our town and the one next to us, they were here every Fourth of July. Caspian on the other hand? He wasn’t. And since I knew our time was limited, I never wanted to waste a second of it.

“Someone is attached,” he teased as he headed back to where he’d parked his car in City Hall’s open lot.

“Nah,” I said, scrunching up my nose as he loaded the bags in the backseat. “I just like watching you walk. Your muscles do this flexy thing—”

“Oh, that’s all huh?” He cut me off, hauling me against his chest as he planted my neck with an array of kisses that had me giggling like a teenager. “You just want me for my muscles.” He held me tighter against him, and I gasped.

“Don’t forget the orgasms,” I teased, and he growled against me.

“That’s it,” he said, tossing me over his shoulder and smacking my ass. “I’m going to throw you in the park fountain,” he threatened, hauling us across the road to where the town’s lone fountain sparkled in the afternoon sun.

“You wouldn’t!” I squealed, playfully smacking his back as he stopped in front of the fountain.

He shifted, cradling me in his arms as he leaned over the water. Everyone was looking, but I couldn’t care less. “What will you give me to not throw you in there?” He smirked.

I wiggled, trying to break his grasp, laughing at how useless my attempts were. The man was pure muscle and a hell of a lot bigger than me. Fighting was pointless. “Anything,” I admitted on a breath. “I’ll give you whatever you want, Caz,” I said.

He straightened, his eyes churning with something I couldn’t place as the playful smirk fell off his lips. I swallowed hard, wondering if I’d said the wrong thing. But just as quickly, he grinned, maneuvering me with ease and sliding me down every inch of his body, making me tremble.

“Good,” he said, licking his lips. “I want…” He let the sentence hang there, and I raised my brows, anticipation flaring in my chest. “Tacos,” he blurted, and I laughed. “From that vendor we saw over there,” he hurried to add.

“Tacos,” I said, popping a hand on my hip. “I say I’ll give you anything for my freedom and you choose tacos.”

He shrugged, interlacing our fingers as we walked near the food truck. “When you already have everything you want, every other need becomes basic.”

My stomach did a little flip at his words, but I couldn’t tell if he was being serious or returning to his normal playful, teasing attitude. Either way, I bought the man some tacos.

After several more hours of shopping, talking, and eating, we finally gathered the blankets and cooler from his car and headed toward a secluded little spot to watch the fireworks. We’d scoped out the place earlier—a little cropping of trees next to the main open pavilion—and were quite pleased with ourselves to find no one else had tried to claim it.