He bent down low and kissed her once, twice; then they became entangled in the kiss again, and it took on a life of its own. His lips on hers transported her to a different world, where happiness abounded and no one would ever take her away from him.
Emily finally pulled back when she had no choice but to gasp for air and demand, “Why would you have to shut me up?”
“Because you were so cute and misguided thinking I am dating Eve or something.”
Oh, perfect. Even the woman’s name was gorgeous. “You said you loved her, and they both said they loved you.” Again she fought to leave the circle of his arms, and again Caleb held her fast and gave her a soft, lingering kiss that only made her crave more. Yet he shouldn’t be kissing her when he was with someone else.
“Eve is my sister. Paisley is my niece.”
Emily lost all fight and all ability to think straight. She leaned into him for support and muttered, “S-sister?”
He nodded solemnly. “Would you like to come back to my house with me and allow me to properly introduce you?”
“Y-yes,” she managed weakly. “But first … oh, Caleb!” She kissed him again.
Caleb chuckled against her mouth and kissed her in return. The chilly world and every worry around them disappeared as their lips connected. His strong body surrounded her, and she felt safe, loved, and happy. She never wanted to leave his side or face reality again. She fisted his shirt in her hands and let out a soft moan. Caleb drew in a breath and then proceeded to pull her in so tight she could feel the ridges of muscle in his chest and abdomen. He kissed her with reckless abandon, and she was filled with bubbly warmth like a hot tub.
When the beautiful kiss ended, he gave her a secretive smile before they turned and started walking back arm in arm. She looked down at Caleb’s stocking feet and realized he’d chased her down with no shoes on. “Are your feet okay?”
“I stepped on a rock,” he admitted, grinning down at her. “You might have to kiss it better.”
“I amnotkissing your feet,” she tossed back. Then a horrible thought chilled her more than the crisp morning air. “I shouldn’t be kissing you at all. This would definitely, definitely classify as dating.” And just like that, all the warm beauty of their kisses was sucked from her life as if by a commercial vacuum, never to be emptied and returned to her.
Caleb stopped in the middle of the street and said seriously, “I know. I’m sorry. I just couldn’t resist you any longer.”
“Truly? Have you been fighting to resist me?” Emily peered up at him through her eyelashes, anxious to hear his answer. She’d admitted that he was all she wanted and would love to hear that he felt the same—even though she knew they couldn’t be together right now.
“Fighting to resist you?” Caleb let out a low groan. “Oh, Em. It’s been the toughest battle of my life. You’re my dream woman, Em. I’ve never felt like this about anyone. I’d do anything for you.”
“Oh, Caleb.” She put a hand to her heart. “That’s the sweetest thing anyone’s ever said to me.”
He smiled, but then it slid away. “This is so hard, Em. Ihateyour ex and I don’t think you should be beholden to him, but at the same time, I admire you even more for trying to keep up your end of the bargain. But I just don’t know if he’s going to ever let you go.” His voice deepened. “I guess that’s the only thing I understand about him. I don’t want to ever let you go.”
“Oh my.” She wanted to kiss him all over again. Two more months of waiting to date him? Maybe her idea with Jeff would work. She wanted to try, but she was terrified of how he'd react.
She and Krew had only seen Jeff once since he’d followed her to the field back in November, and he’d been more upset and erratic than she’d ever seen him. He’d made her snap pictures of him pretending to interact with Krew, even throwing a football to him. She’d hated it, but she’d been terrified to tell him no. He hadn’t even made an effort at Christmas. It was a relief not having to deal with Jeff, not worrying about him trying to take Krew away and scaring her boy. Yet she wanted to date Caleb, and she was afraid he was right that Jeff was never going to stop trying to hang custody over her head. Maybe Jeff wouldn’t let her go because he thought that if she stayed out of the limelight and dated a famous lacrosse player, it would hurt his football career and image. Maybe he was just insane. She really didn’t know at this point.
They walked slowly back to his house. His sister and niece were waiting by the Cherokee, the little girl shivering.
“I’m sorry, sis. Sorry, Pais.”
His sister smiled, and her blue eyes that were so similar to Caleb’s were twinkling. Now that Emily was thinking reasonably and seeing Eve straight on, she easily recognized her as a Jewel. “It’s okay,” Eve said. “We’ll deal with a little cold to watch you chase down a beautiful woman.” She extended her hand. “Eve Jewel. It’s wonderful to meet you.”
“Emily Housley.” She shook Eve’s hand, then turned to the little girl. “Hi, Paisley. It’s nice to meet you.”
“Why was you a-running from my Uncle Caleb?” the little girl asked suspiciously.
“Um, I was being stupid and …” Emily trailed off as the little girl gave her a saucy look. Emily fell instantly in love with her; this was a kindred spirit who didn’t take guff and knew how to dish it. “The truth is, Paisley, I thought your mama and Uncle Caleb were dating.”
Paisley’s eyes widened, and then she hooted out a laugh. “You weirdo!”
“Pais,” Eve cautioned as Caleb and Emily chuckled.
“I know,” Emily said. “Crazy weird, right?”
“You talk funny,” Paisley said.
“I love the way she talks,” Caleb said, giving Emily a meaningful look. “It’s called a Southern accent.”