He was lying on his back, but he turned his face toward me. Before he could say anything, I reached out to touch his face.
He watched me, waiting patiently.
I traced his nose with my finger, sliding down to the almost feminine shape of his lips and swirling it to the angles of his cheekbones. He closed his eyes as I slowly touched his eyebrows, a small smile flirting on his lips. When I stopped, he opened his eyes and stared at me with emotion that choked me up. I moved closer and gently kissed him.
When I pulled away, his arm snaked around me. Curling his hand around my nape, he pulled me close again.
He kissed me wildly, as if he had been craving it all day. When our lips met, relief and longing bloomed in my chest.
He moved on top of me, pressing the line of his hard body against mine, his full weight on his forearms. “Red,” he whispered, sucking on my bottom lip. “My Red.”
My mind emptied of everything except the feelings that Caleb’s kisses elicited. I’d never thought a kiss could make me feel like I was burning and needy at the same time.
When he released my lips, he was panting. He rested his forehead against mine for a moment before rolling away and lying on the grass beside me, placing his arm over his eyes.
“Caleb?” I asked uncertainly. Did I do something wrong?
“I’m sorry.” He blew out a breath. “I need…a minute.” His arm dropped to his side, and he stared up at the sky, his jaw tense. “Unless you changed your mind and you’re ready to make love with me, let’s just stay where we are and not move for a minute, please.”
My head was still spinning from his kisses, my skin tingly, but when I heard him say “make love with me,” I froze.
He reached for my hand. “Don’t worry,” he said. “I told you I’ll wait. It’s just sometimes…sometimes I want you so bad that I can taste it in my mouth.” He gazed at me. “Do you understand what I’m saying?”
I nodded, unable to say anything. Nobody had wanted me like this before. Not like Caleb. I watched him control his breathing until it eventually calmed down.
“Wanna come back here again sometime…with me?” he asked.
“Yes, Caleb,” I answered.
“You said yes.” He laughed. “Look at that. You’re already falling for me.”
I looked at him in shock.
He shrugged. “What? I didn’t say the L word, so don’t run screaming for the hills.”
My eyes just got wider. He chuckled, pulling me tight to his side so my body was flush against his, my head resting on his chest as he rubbed my back.
“I’ll wait for you, Red. We have all the time in the world.” He grazed my lips with his thumb. “But when you say yes, it’s going to be amazing. You’re going to love it. You’ll see,” he promised and kissed me under the moonlight.
Chapter Twenty-two
Veronica
It was past midnight by the time we headed home. Tonight, something had changed between us; something had changed in me.
I wasn’t exactly sure where our relationship stood now. All I knew was that I wanted to explore it more. For the first time in my life, I was willing to risk my heart.
The drive back was comfortably silent as Caleb drove one-handed, his other hand wrapped around mine. On the poorly lit country road, darkness surrounded us. It was so black that I couldn’t see more than a few feet ahead of us. The clouds now covered the moon and stars we’d gazed at earlier.
Thank God for headlights.
I turned to look behind us, looking for cars or any signs of life. There were none. It was only us on the road. The trees that we passed were just a blur of shadows, the yellow lines reflecting the light back as the car lights hit them.
“This reminds me of that scene in Jeepers Creepers,” I said, shivering from the memory.
Caleb threw me an amused glance. “You like scary movies?”
I shook my head. “No. But I keep watching them anyway.”