30
B ack at his house, Caleb heard the shower come on and crossed to the cupboard. He fished inside for the whiskey he rarely drank and filled himself a measure. He tossed it back before pouring a second.
How the hell am I supposed to just let her walk away?
He closed the bottle, left it on the counter, and went to sit in his favorite chair. From here, he could see straight down the hallway. He mulled over his options as he sipped his drink and kept an eye on the bathroom door.
Over the last few years, he’d watched his teammates find the loves of their lives, and they had a happiness that filled the darkness of the shadows that haunted them in the night. Caleb refused to be jealous. He loved that the guys had that. He just wanted it, too. It was just his luck to find the one woman in the world who made him consider forever, and for everyone’s safety, he had to let her go.
I must be cursed, or I pissed off a witch in a past life or something.
How the hell can I let her go?
Repeating the question, even in his mind, didn’t give him any answers. He owed his allegiance to Dalton. He had a contract; breaking it would mean breaking a vow, the promise he’d given to both Dalton and to the men he served with. Around and around his brain went, trying to figure out an angle, any way that meant he might be able to have both the woman who was coming to mean the world to him and his job.
It's not possible.
You made a deal. An unbreakable promise, and Rose needs to be safe.
Everyone needs to be safe.
He knew it wasn’t possible, but knowing it didn’t ease the ache in his heart. He squeezed his eyes shut and rubbed his hand over his chest. His eyelids flew up at the sound of the bathroom door opening. He held his breath as Rose walked out with a towel wrapped around her. As if she felt his gaze, she turned toward him.
It will kill me to let her leave.
As if Rose heard his internal thought, she offered him a sad smile, then straightened her shoulders and dropped her towel.
Holy shit.
He dropped the glass. Spilled drinks didn’t matter; nothing mattered anymore but her. He strode toward her. “Are you sure?” The question was more of a demand. His hands clenched into fists to keep from reaching for her.
Rose moved closer and stood on her tippy toes to reach his mouth. She brushed her lips over his. “Yes. I want this. Please, Caleb.”
He scooped her into his arms and headed for the one place he wanted to be—his bed with her. She squealed when he tossed her onto it, and sighed when he claimed her mouth.
In seconds, the kiss turned into a raging inferno as each of them desperately tried to get closer to the other. It burned, scorched, and sizzled until both were breathing hard, but neither wanted it to stop.
Rose tugged on his t-shirt, rolled him over his back, and straddled him. She held his gaze and cupped her hands outside his as he grasped her wonderful breasts. Her head fell back, and she rolled her hips with a sigh.
It would be so easy to let her lead, but Caleb didn’t want for this to be over too soon. He needed to savor every last second they had together. He flipped her over and stood, promising himself it would only take a moment before he was buried deep inside her.
Words were impossible as he unbuttoned his pants. Her smile as she watched him push them down his hips and step out of them felt like a caress over his skin, and his dick filled painfully full.
Control.
He had to figure out a way not to lose it too soon.
He grasped her ankles, and Rose let out a gasp as he tugged her, stopping when her butt reached the edge of the bed. Calen held her gaze and dropped down onto his knees. Rose’s smile faded, replaced by heat and desire. It wrapped around them, palpable and intense, making his breath hitch and his balls ache.
He lifted one slender ankle to his lips and kissed it. Nuzzling, nipping, and kissing, he made his way up her legs, until he reached her hip. Then, he gently placed that leg down and reached for the other. Her sighs fed his soul, and her moans made him shudder with need. He moved her legs apart so he could see her sex.
Rose was breathless, waiting for Caleb to lower his head. When he did, his tongue swiped a lick over her clit. She fisted her fingers in the covers and moaned. He feasted on her as if he were a starved man.
Pleasure swarmed him with warmth and need as Rose arched up to meet his mouth. Worries, cares, tomorrows, and what happened next all evaporated into nothing as his entire being was focused upon Rose. On her sighs, her moans, her—just her.
He licked, sucked, nibbled, and worshipped, every stroke and touch bringing her to climax quickly and effortlessly. He hummed in satisfaction as he both saw and felt it roll over her like a wave, and he coaxed it longer, giving her more until she sobbed his name.
“Ca—Caleb.”
He rose over her. She opened her eyes and cupped his cheek. How was he supposed to live without her and the way she made him feel?
“Don’t think,” she whispered. “No thinking. Just love me.”
I do.
God, forgive me. I do.
He gathered her in his arms and lay over her, her legs widening to make room for him before she lifted them and wrapped them around his waist. Her smile was soft as she clutched at his neck.
There was so much he wanted to say, but he couldn’t find the right words. Caleb kissed her, slow, deep, and soft as he flexed his hips, his cock pushing into her opening. Rose gasped as she stretched around him. The deeper he sank, the more he knew letting her leave was a mistake. “So damn tight,” he murmured while winding her hair around his hand. “I don’t think I can be gentle.”
She squeezed his waist with her thighs, lifting to take him deeper. “I don’t want gentle.”
Her words whispered against his lips ripped a growl from his chest. He pulled out of her and began to thrust, hard, fast, and deep. He reached for her hips, holding her to him as he filled her again and again. Caleb closed his eyes, savoring every moment and every touch as Rose sank her fingers into his hair. His lips found hers again, their tongues dancing in time with their bodies.
It was erotic, all-consuming, and devastating.
“I need you,” she begged.
He nuzzled her neck below her ear and then asked, “How?”
“Just please.”
He growled, then he shifted to catch her knees. He lifted them and moved them back and a little apart, opening her up more for him. Only then did he begin to thrust inside her again. This angle brought him deeper, and she cried out with every thrust as he sank balls deep.
Caleb knew tonight would never be enough. He didn’t just want tonight. He wanted forever. She felt amazing, her tight walls wrapped around him, clenching and squeezing as she built to another climax. He watched her; the ecstasy, heat, need, and desire on her face were reminders of what they could have if he could figure out a way to make her world a safe place again.
He gripped her legs tighter. He kissed her a little deeper. His own orgasm was racing toward his balls, pulling his sac up.
“Yes,” she moaned.
His hips slammed against her a little faster. His breath sawed in and out of his lungs as her moans grew louder. He wanted her quivering with pleasure, begging him for more, promising him that she’d stay. But now he knew, if he wasn’t careful, he’d be the one begging her to stay and never to leave him.
A strangled cry ripped from her lips as she peaked for the second time. The feel of her silky walls tightening around him was too much. Caleb drove into her twice more before he plunged deep and fell over her, catching himself with his hands as he filled her with all he had to give.
He would figure out a way to make her world safe, because there was no way he could rest until she was back in his arms. Forever.
Noon the following day.
“The guys will keep you safe.” He reached for the seatbelt and tugged it loose. Reaching across Rose, he clipped it into the holder. “Trust them.”
“I will,” Rose promised softly.
Please don’t go .
Don’t leave me.
Everything he should have said and wanted to say refused to form anywhere but inside his head. All the hours he’d spent loving her weren’t enough. He wanted more. He needed more.
“Sorry, man.” Wolf’s voice behind him made him swallow hard. “We’ve gotta hit the road.”
“I know.” He paused half in, half out of the truck, and gently cupped her face, stoking his thumbs over her cheek. “Be safe.” The need to promise that he’d see her soon rode him hard, and he fought it back.
“You too.” Her smile was watery as she wrapped her arms around him and squeezed him tightly. “Have a good life, Caleb. Find someone to love.”
You.
I love you.
He steeled himself against the pain, but it shattered his defenses anyway. “Be happy.” He would be forever grateful to whoever cleared their throat behind them, and he forced himself fully out of the car. Behind the shield of the door, he clenched his hands into fists before forcing them open again long enough to close it. “Keep her safe.”
“I swear it,” Wolf immediately replied. “Where she’s going is one of the safest places I know aside from here.”
Caleb nodded in thanks and stepped away, allowing Wolf Steel and his men to load up. He kept himself on his feet through sheer force of will until the car disappeared around the curve in the drive. Once he could no longer see it, he dropped onto the snow.
Come back.
I’ll go with you.
“You gotta say it.”
He kept his eyes on the road, hoping, waiting. “I don’t understand.”
“You have to say it,” Dalton repeated. “I can’t do a damn thing unless you say it out loud.”
He must be stupid, or maybe his brain had left with Rose, because he stared at his boss for way longer than he should have before understanding slammed into him. “I should have gone with her.”
“Yup.” Dalton gripped his elbow and hauled him to his feet. “You should have.”
“I owe you?—”
“You owe me nothing.” Dalton dragged him into HQ, bypassed the security, and went into the elevator. “Any debt you owed me is long paid. The only person you owe now is Rose.” He paused and tilted his head to one side. “And yourself.”
Once again he found himself without the words to convey his thoughts, and all Dalton did was freaking snort that sardonic laugh of his.
“Do you love her?”
He nodded. Saying the words to anyone but Rose seemed wrong somehow; she should hear them first.
“Then,” Dalton strode out of the elevator, “let’s get Tex on the phone and figure out how to get you your girl.” He paused outside the war-room door. “It may take a hot minute; we need to plan this carefully. Putting her in danger again is not the object here. It won’t hurt to have you seen around here for a few days at least. Just in case Nawrocki is watching the place.”
“I know.” He hated it, but he understood Dalton’s logic.
I’m coming, Rosey-Posey.
I’m coming for you.