Carry You Home (Carry Your Heart #2) (55 page)

"This'll help," Saul nodded to the papers. "From what I can tell, the gallery sponsors, what, at least one show a week?"

"Sometimes two on the weekend," I clarified.

"So," he nodded. "Caleb'll get a little commission from every show the gallery sponsors, just like you do, and from the looks of it, that will probably keep us afloat for now until that insurance check comes in."

"It won't make up for all the business you've already lost," I told them softly.

Saul glanced at Caleb out of the corner of his eye and shrugged. "Maybe this is just the old accountant in me talking, but I think you gotta take help anywhere you can get it right now. Sign the papers, boss."

I was still waiting for Caleb to refuse, to tear up the paperwork and tell me he wouldn't take my money or my contribution because he needed to earn his money on his own. Instead, he was still staring at me with such awe, such surprise, such
love.
While it was exactly the reaction I'd wanted, now that I had it, I didn't know what to do with it. And so I backpedalled.

"I don't want you to feel like you have to do this," I told him carefully and swallowed tight when he shifted on the desk to frown at me. "I mean, it's okay if you want to look into other options. I sort of sprung this on you and..."

I trailed off, unable to figure out what I really wanted to say or why I wanted to say it in the first place. Underneath everything else, I just didn't want to make him feel like less than because he was taking my help.

Saul's eyebrows shot up into his forehead and promptly shoved the papers back at Caleb as he turned to head back to the door. "I think I'll, uh, just give you two some time to talk this over."

When Saul shut the door behind him, a few long moments of silence passed between us before Caleb's quiet voice called out to me.

"Iz, I don't think you have any idea what this means to me. And I know it won't make up for everything I lost last night, probably not even close, but this, from
you
...Iz, I can't even begin to tell you, but is this really okay? I mean, are you gonna be okay money-wise if you just give this to me right now?"

"I wouldn't have offered it if I couldn't afford it. And think of it this way, whenever I have to sell the house," my throat tightened a little at the thought, "and when you sign your part of the house over to me, you can just think of it as paying me back."

He draped an arm around my shoulders to tuck me into his side and huffed out a laugh. "I guess I should've known you'd figure out how to pay me back for the house somehow."

"It's not about that. I wanted to help you and I guess the house is just an added bonus," I smiled up at him and lifted a shoulder. "I got you."

His lips twisted into that grin that made me forget my own name. "I really love you, you know that?"

The way he was looking at me, the feel of his fingertips curling around my shoulder, the way his body seemed to fit perfectly with mine...I almost gave in. I almost let those words slip right from my lips.

Instead, my eyes dropped to our feet and I shifted uncomfortably on the desk. It was hard to reconcile that we were here right now, just like this, with those words hanging in the air like they were the most natural things for him to say. Maybe they were, in a different time, in a different life, but now, I didn't know what to do with them.

"So, uh," Caleb coughed lightly into his fist to clear his throat. "How 'bout I sign those papers, huh?"

The second I nodded, Caleb didn't hesitate. As soon as those papers were back in his hand, he scribbled his name on the dotted line in those familiar chicken scratches before grinning down at me and pressing a quick kiss into my lips. It all happened so fast and once it was done, my head was still spinning.

When the pen was safely resting on top of the desk, Caleb thrust his hand out for me to shake.
 

"Hello, partner," he nodded to me, that grin still beaming back at me.
 

I just laughed and shook his hand. "Hi."

Caleb pushed off the desk and pulled me up with him. "C'mon, Iz. Let me take you back to your dad's, okay?"

Wait. That wasn't what I wanted. At least not yet. And I had a feeling he didn't exactly plan on staying there with me either. Tonight, I just didn't want to be anywhere he wasn't. Whatever that meant, I could sort it out later. I just needed to be with him.

"Where will you stay?"

He just lifted a shoulder. "I'll probably just crash at Saul's again. Trent said he's good staying at your dad's tonight to keep an eye on things."

"But—"

"Iz, we're not going there again. Maybe Wallace won't come after me again tonight, but I'm not going to put it past him and I'm not going to take the risk."

I stood up so we were standing toe to toe and rested both palms on his chest. "I'm pretty sure the only person I feel safest with is you. Nothing is going to happen to me as long as I'm with you, Caleb. And let's face it, if Wallace really wants to come after me
,
he will. Wouldn't you rather be close if that ever happens?"

His lips parted to respond and then immediately snapped shut just as quickly. He knew I was right; he just wasn't ready to admit it yet.

I was so tired of fighting it, so tired of denying what I knew was true. Maybe it was time to finally acknowledge that white flag and surrender. It's not like I ever really stood much of a chance anyway.

"Wherever you're staying tonight, Caleb, that's where I want to be, too. We could stay at Saul's, my dad's, or a freaking hotel for all I care. I just want to be with you."

The true implication of my words hit us both at the same time and the myriad of reactions that flickered across his face almost made me laugh out loud. First came the genuine confusion and then disbelief mixed with shock. Now a sly, wolfish grin curved his lips and it was clear any confusion between us was long gone.

"Let's get the hell outta here then," he murmured in my ear.

Suddenly, his hands were on my waist, playfully pushing me toward the door.

"Where are we going?" I laughed, letting myself get swept away by the butterflies floating down my body at his featherlight touch.

"I don't know," he leaned his forehead into my shoulder. "We can't stay here, Iz. I'd feel kinda weird about taking you to Saul's and I don't want to make your dad uncomfortable either."

Right, because if he was coming to my dad's with me, he was sleeping in my room. We both knew that was exactly how it would be. That really only left us with one option.

"Hotel?" I lifted a shoulder.

He chewed on the inside of his cheek, contemplating the pros and cons of actually doing something like that and at this point, I was too far gone to over-analyze.

"That's the only place we'll really be alone if we don't stay here," I reminded him.

That, apparently, was all the convincing he needed.

.
     
.
     
.

He really didn't waste any time.

We stood in front of a hotel room door after Caleb hustled us through the length of the hallway and he reached around my waist, fumbling with the keycard because he was moving too quickly and muffled his frustrated laughter in my shoulder. When he finally got the stupid keycard in and pushed the door open, he almost, literally, knocked me right off my feet he was moving so fast.

Biting down on my bottom lip to get myself under control, I shifted on my heel to face him and rested my hands on the tops of his shoulders to get
him
under control a little more too. He seemed to sense we needed to slow things down, that there was no need for the hurry anymore, and reached up to gently brush his thumb across my cheek. That was all I needed to send myself flying off the cliff.

I just hoped he would be there to catch me.

Letting go had never been easier and as I leaned forward to brush my lips against his, there was no hesitation. No second-guessing. All that was left was just this moment, the fact that we were here, surrendering to something we'd never really been able to fight off in the first place. This wasn't about need right now. This was just about the emotional connection we'd always had manifesting itself physically.

With that last thought propelling me forward, my fingertips slid up underneath his white T-shirt, relishing in each inch of taut skin under my touch, and slipped the shirt over his head, sending it drifting down to the carpet. Caleb remained motionless, allowing me to take control and letting me set the pace.

My gaze lingered hungrily on the sinewy display in front of me until my eyes locked on my name, inked directly over his heart. I reached out to trace the letters, flitting my eyes shut when his hands slid around my waist to pull me against his bare chest.

"Do you..." he murmured, trailing off to grasp hold of the words. "Do you still have it?"

He didn't need to elaborate. Of course it was still there. Just like my name was forever marked on him, his name was still written on me, a permanent reminder of what we'd had, of what we still had. Wanting to put him out of his misery, I obliged him by lifting my tank top over my head, standing before him now in just my bra and jeans, and turned so he could finally see what he'd been waiting for.

When his fingers brushed against the pair of angel wings on my lower back, he blew out the breath he must have been holding and then placed a gentle kiss on the top of my shoulder. Putting just enough pressure on my hips to tell me what he wanted me to do, we walked toward the bed with his lips working their up my shoulder until they stopped at my neck, sucking and moving on my skin until I thought I might crumble right under his hands just from that touch alone.

Desperate for a little more control, I whirled around to face him and playfully tugged on his belt to pull him closer so I could rid him of all these clothes he was still wearing. A roguish smirk played on his lips as I made quick work of unbuckling his belt and yanking his jeans down to his ankles. He did the rest of the work and kicked himself free of his jeans before reaching out to return the favor.

His entire body followed in the direction of his hands, lowering himself inch by inch as he lazily dragged my jeans down my legs, and pausing every few moments to kiss the newly exposed skin. My hands tangled themselves in his hair when his lips moved over my panties and I sucked in a haggard breath when he kissed me through the material.

Moments later, Caleb's rough fingertips slipped inside my panties, making me jump from the light, familiar touch, and then my hands were on the tops of his shoulders to somehow steady myself as he helped me step out of them.

Now I was almost completely exposed in front of him and he was kneeling in front of me, as if he was worshipping me at my feet. My eyes just about rolled back into my head at the heady sensation of feeling him so close and I nearly fell right out of my skin.

While I could've easily stood there, basking in his adulation for the next hour or so, this wasn't what I wanted right now. We could do this some other time when I didn't have this sudden sense of urgency attacking me.

"Caleb," I murmured desperately. I didn't want to wait anymore. We'd already been waiting for so long, even a few more minutes felt excruciating.

Luckily, he seemed to read my request in between everything I was too worked up to say and pivoted on his knees until he bounced back on the bed, spread out in all his glory. God, how had I survived so long without this? Without his touch? I'd been completely insane for thinking I could somehow live a full life without having him this way, without letting him love me this way.

He was already sprawled out on the bed with his hands folded behind him on the pillow, grinning back at me as I crawled up the length of him before finally settling myself down.

There was no going back now and I didn't want to.

Caleb met me the rest of the way and his mouth closed over mine before I even had a second to react. There was really only one way we could possibly get any closer. He sat up, pulling me with him, so that I was straddling his lap and I wrapped my arms around his neck. When I angled my hips down, pushing him inside me, tears sprung into my eyes at the sensation.

Finally.

Now that we were finally connected the way we needed to be, there was no reason to hurry. There was no reason to rush the feel of his chest pressing into mine, or the sweet, torturous pressure building between us, or the way he couldn't seem to get enough of me, or the way his teeth nipped at my bottom lip, or the way his eyes seemed to sear right through me, or the way we both clung to each other, holding on for dear life.

This was what I'd been missing.

Everything else just fell by the wayside. Wave after wave of ecstasy washed over me and then I was clinging to the back of his head to try to somehow bring him closer. My head fell back as my breath grew rougher as I struggled to keep up with the rest of my body, and the precipice was right there, beckoning to let myself go. Then, with one more rock of my hips down into that sweet spot, I came apart on top of him completely.

My entire body shivered against his chest and I cried out with relief, desperately clinging to the tremors and pricks of pleasure that coursed all the way down to my toes. A moment later, Caleb groaned into my ear, tightening his forearms around my back as he tensed underneath me and buried his face into my chest.