He stepped away from her, and she felt the loss of his touch. Caleb scrubbed his hand over his head from front to back. He nodded and waved in the direction of the door. “Lead the way.”
Rose paused a moment in front of him. Regret for putting a pause on their reunion almost shattered her resolve, but she was determined to ignore it. Words were easy to say. He said he loved her. She thought maybe he did. But how could she ask him to leave his brother, his job, and his whole world, just for her? “I—I’ll—um—get my keys.”
“Okay.”
She hurried through the living room and out onto the covered terrace where she’d left her Kindle and her purse earlier. Away from his overwhelming presence, she blew out a slow breath, struggling for composure.
Caleb is here.
Here.
Now, what do I do?
Everything she knew she’d ever wanted was just at her fingertips. So close to being her in grasp, it tantalized and tempted. But how could she live with herself if Janek found them and hurt him or worse? Life knowing Caleb died because of her was something she couldn’t fathom. She never wanted to know what that was like.
The views of Mount Vesuvius, which had captivated her every single day since Gunnar from the Four X’s Group and his wife, Jorja, had driven her here under a cloak of darkness just over a month ago, no longer held any allure, because the man standing in her kitchen was more powerful than any volcano, iconic or not.
“Rose?”
She snatched up her purse and whirled toward his voice. “Coming.” She checked to make sure her keys were in it before walking toward him and lied through her teeth. “Sorry, I keep getting distracted by the view.”
“It’s stunning.”
There was an undercurrent between them now—one she should have expected but hadn’t. One she should keep firmly in place, but she didn’t want to. She made sure the terrace door was locked and let him out of the house to the street. “It’s this one here.”
“Where?”
“This one.” She pointed to the tiny two-seater electric car and pointed the remote at it, unlocking the doors, then glanced at him and changed her mind about driving to the store. “Um, maybe we should walk, because I don’t think you’re going to fit in it.” She snickered at the incredulous look that flickered across his face when he realized she didn’t have a monster truck like he was used to driving. “It’s not far...”
“I’ll fit.” Caleb opened the passenger door. “I forgot about the tiny streets over here for a second. I’ll drive.”
It didn’t bother her which one of them drove, so she nodded and sat in to the car. He closed the door and went around to the driver’s side. Rose watched in amusement as he shifted the seat back as far as it would go before he almost folded himself in half to fit his long legs into the seat and his body behind the steering wheel. “Maybe I should drive?—”
“I won’t breathe until we get there,” he grumbled. “It will be fine.” He started the engine and glanced at her. His knees hit the steering wheel when he lifted his foot off the gas. “You need to belt up.”
So enthralled by his efforts to get comfortable in the tiny car, she’d forgotten all about it. “I was busy figuring out where I’m going to get a crane to pull you out of the car when we get to the store.” She tugged on the seatbelt and threw it a dirty look when it got stuck and refused to come out. “Seriously?—”
“Let me.” He awkwardly used the hand closest to her. It skimmed across her chest as he reached for the seatbelt. “Sometimes a gentle touch is better than brute force.” Her breathing hitched as he freed the belt and drew it across her body, clipping it closed. “Comfy?”
“Y—yes.” She had to learn to ignore his answering smile. If she didn’t, then she’d fall under his spell again, and before she knew it, they’d be back where they were a month ago, with nothing settled between them.
A month ago was hot.
A month ago was fun.
A month ago was…
Mind-blowing…
Eye-opening…
Shut up.
She didn’t need her internal voice to tell her how much the time spent in Montana with Caleb had been everything she craved, needed, and wanted her life to be. Because a month ago in Montana, she’d had the chance to learn what it meant to be worshipped and, yes, no matter how much she didn’t want to admit it to herself, to be both loved and to love with an intensity which made her soul sing.
As Caleb took the turn into the grocery store parking lot, she gave herself a brief moment to pretend this could be her life forever.
“I can run in and grab it.” Rose could already tell parking was going to be a problem. “It’s only coffee, so I’ll be five minutes tops as long as the queue at the checkout isn’t ten miles long.”
