“I have to fly out to Texas Monday morning.”
“Then, I’ll drive you there, and until then, we can be here.”
“Just you and me,” he murmured.
“Yeah,” I agreed. “You and me.”
I wasn’t sure if I needed to give Caleb the permission or if Caleb needed to offer it himself, but I saw how his face changed. Though he had masked it well, I watched as the need flashed across his eyes. He was a man who needed to be nurtured, to be touched, and to be reminded that he wasn’t so alone.
I could do that.
Closing the distance, I wrapped my hands gently over his cheeks. My thumb ran over his lower lip, and I smiled.
“Tell me what you need, Caleb,” I urged him softly. “Say it, and it’s yours.”
I brushed the hair from his eyes and waited for an answer.
“You, Millie,” he finally confessed. “I want you.”
With his hands curling around my hips, Caleb finally let our lips meet. His body leaned forward, pulling me as close as I could possibly get. His kiss, desperate and pining, tasted of cinnamon toothpaste. I let the curling hairs on his chin brush against my face, and underneath the veil of his gray sweatpants, the moment had Caleb’s body reacting.
I knew all at once that he wasn’t the only one who needed this. As we slowly shuffled our feet towards a short hall, I knew there would be no going back.