When I opened the door Caelan stood there with damp hair and a pair of jeans hanging low on his hips. His hands were braced above the doorframe and it did amazing things to the muscles in his chest.
“You left me,” he whispered.
“I thought you needed to be alone,” I shrugged.
“No,” he reached out, gently cupping my cheek in his hand and looking at me seriously. “I need you, Sutton. You keep me grounded.”
I swallowed thickly and stepped aside to let him in.
“Coffee?” I asked him.
He smiled wryly and sat down on the couch. “No. I don’t really like the stuff.”
“Ah,” I nodded with a grin, “now I understand why you ordered that fancy iced coffee when you came in to Griffin’s.”
He let out a chuckle and bowed his head. Strands of blond hair fell forward to hide his face. “Yeah, those are actually good.”
“They have hardly any coffee in them.”
Pointing a finger at me, he grinned boyishly—I was surprised by how much it transformed his face. “And that’s why I like them.”
I finally made my way over to the couch and sat down beside him. He grabbed my legs and placed them in his lap. I smiled, letting myself relax. I couldn’t believe how far we’d come since August.
“So,” he started, “you want a tattoo?”
I nodded.
“Why?”
I rubbed a hand over my face, searching for the best words to explain myself. I finally settled on, “It’s time.”
He chuckled. “It’s time? That’s all you’ve got?”
“I’ve always wanted one, but I never thought of anything that I really wanted permanently on my body,” I explained.
“And,” he glided a finger over my foot where it rested on his lap—my foot twitched when he hit a ticklish spot, “what is it you’ve decided to get?”
“Freedom,” I whispered, leaning my head against the couch cushions. I prayed he didn’t think it was silly.
His smile was slow, almost forced, and I knew he was thinking about what happened to me. “It sounds perfect.”
His fingers slowly crawled up my legs and I let out a giggle. “Stop that! It tickles!”
“Oh, it does?” His touch was merciless as his fingers found my stomach and the spot on my side that was quite possibly the most ticklish spot on my body.
Our laughter filled the apartment as I tried to tickle him back. I failed—of course.
I sank down on his lap and wrapped my arms around his neck. His hands rested on the small of my back as we looked into each other’s eyes. So many things passed between us in that moment. Both our feelings were on full display once again and neither of us was running. I could see the fear in his eyes, and I was sure it was reflected in my own, but what we had was worth pursuing. He closed his eyes and tilted his head forward to kiss me, but feeling devilish, I pulled away.
His eyes popped open and he let out a chuckle. “Playing hard to get, Ms. Hale?”
“No,” I eased off his lap and pulled the band from my hair, releasing the braid. “But if I let you kiss me, things are likely to go too far, and then the whole day will have passed and nothing of importance will be accomplished.”
He smirked, clasping his hands together and leaning forward. “Sex is important.”
I rolled my eyes and crossed my arms over my chest. “I’m going to get a tattoo, maybe walk around town for a while, and then I’m going to work tonight.”
“So, no sex?” He pouted.