Total pages in book: 80
Estimated words: 77941 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 390(@200wpm)___ 312(@250wpm)___ 260(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 77941 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 390(@200wpm)___ 312(@250wpm)___ 260(@300wpm)
Rhys froze as soon as the words were out, already regretting his decision, but Caleb was smiling.
“I love you too. I’ve known for a while.”
“So did I, but then I fucked it up.”
“You could have, but you didn’t. You took the time you needed to be sure.”
“I guess I did.”
He sat up fully and moved off Caleb. “I don’t really want to get up, but I’m hungry, and, like I said before, we have all night.”
Rhys showered quickly, then headed to the kitchen to begin preparing dinner.
Caleb joined him after his own shower. He came up behind Rhys, set his hands on Rhys’s waist, and kissed his neck. Rhys groaned, leaning into the kiss, loving the way Caleb’s warm breath tickled him and how solid he felt pressed against Rhys.
“That smells so good,” he said.
“I didn’t make it.” Rhys needed to make that confession immediately.
“That’s fine. I didn’t expect you to make me dinner.”
“I just didn’t want you to think I did. I wanted to be honest. I’m hoping I can do a better job of being honest with you.”
“I’m so glad I’m here. I’m so glad you came to talk to me yesterday.” Caleb placed a light kiss on Rhys’s temple. “I love you. I know things are happening fast with us, and it’s a lot.”
“No.” Rhys turned in Caleb’s arms and met his gaze. “This is real. It’s really fucking real.”
Caleb smiled. “Yes, it is.” He glanced at the pots on the stove. “I’m guessing maybe Tessa’s asking me about my favorite meal was part of the planning for tonight.”
“It was.”
“I didn’t think much of it, because I didn’t think you wanted to see me.”
“I did. I wanted to see you so much. I was just scared, but I’m really going to try hard to talk to you when I’m scared and not run away. I can’t promise I’ll be perfect, though.”
“I don’t expect you to be perfect. I’m not perfect. Maybe I should’ve come after you. I don’t know. Maybe I should’ve told you how I felt earlier, and then you would’ve known, but we’re here now together. And you’re making me my favorite dinner.”
“I got the sauce and meatballs from a restaurant in Portsmouth. They’re supposed to have the best Italian food along the coast.”
“You drove over there just to get me spaghetti sauce?”
“I wanted the best for you. I even thought about driving to Boston.”
“That would really have been too much, but we should go to Boston for a day or two soon.”
Caleb wanting to show Rhys his home city made Rhys feel warm all over. “I’d love that.”
“Would you also love for me to tie you up in a barn?”
Rhys sputtered and nearly knocked the container of sauce off the counter. “What?”
“I saw the book you picked up from Jonah, Roping the Cowboy. I couldn’t resist flipping through it. There’s a lot of inspiration there.”
“Oh my God. I should have hidden it.”
“No. I’m going to read it too, and we can compare notes.”
Rhys’s cheeks were bright pink, and Caleb was thrilled with his reaction.
“I… I need to focus on dinner.”
“Okay. We can have reading time later.”
He finished cooking the pasta, made their plates, and poured them each a glass of wine he had been told would go perfectly with the sauce.
When they sat down to dinner together, the atmosphere felt as intimate as their charcuterie dinner at Cloud Nine, which was the time he’d felt closest to Caleb, more so even than when they were in bed together. “I like having dinner with you like this. I want to do this more often.”
Caleb laid a hand over his. “Me too.”
Mallow chose that moment to wake up from her nap, stretch, and come racing into the kitchen. She wove in and out of Caleb’s legs, then Rhys’s, making it clear she wanted dinner too.
Rhys smiled down at her. “She is really the cutest. Tell me about finding her.”
“I’d seen or heard her in the alley a few times, but I hadn’t caught more than a glimpse as she’d run. The night of Jonah’s party, she was right by the back door. It took some time, but I managed to catch her and bring her in.”
“And you knew right then you were keeping her?”
“Yes. This time, I was going to have a cat.”
“I hope I never meet your ex.”
Caleb smiled. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you look as angry as when I told you about what he did.”
“I hate him. No one should ever treat you or a sweet animal like that.”
“I’m just so glad you love Mallow and don’t mind having her here.”
“I’m honored to have her here.”
“Good. I’d eventually like to get a dog too.”
Rhys smiled. “We could get a dog.” He clasped his hand over his mouth. He was taking things way too far. “I mean, you can get a dog, or—”