“Which reminds me, I didn’t put up the barrier at the top of the stairs,” she said, “and I’ve gotta do that. So the dogs don’t go up there before it dries.”
“We can do that on our way back in,” he said, calling the dogs as they headed inside.
She replaced the doggie gate, quickly washed up for the night, wishing that she’d had access to the upstairs bathroom tonight. She would get a shower in the morning hopefully. “I feel sticky,” she murmured.
“I hear you,” he said, yawning, sleeping beside her on her temporary bed set up in the living room.
“Go to sleep,” she whispered. “We’ll talk in the morning.”
He closed his eyes, and she just waited, as he slipped into a deep sleep. With the dogs arrayed all around him on the bed and on the floor, she slowly drifted in and out of sleep herself. When she thought she heard a sound, she opened her eyes and slowly sat up. She looked at Graynor, but he was relaxed and calm, and, with that, she trusted that he would keep her safe, and she rolled over and went to sleep.
Caleb woke early in the morning, rested. Although a little sore, he felt decent. He rolled over to check out what was happening and saw all three small dogs were on the bed beside Laysha. Graynor was stretched out and sound asleep between the two of them. Graynor was completely undisturbed by anything, and that was a good sign. Caleb looked at his watch to find it was seven in the morning. He smiled, reached over, gently pulled the hair off her face, dropped a kiss on her cheek, and went to put on coffee.
Still just in his boxers, he stepped outside the back door. It was a beautiful morning, the air fresh, and he propped open the door. Graynor, now at his side, headed out, lifted a leg. The other small dogs joined Graynor as well; nobody seemed to be too bothered by anything outside.
Inside, the coffee still dripping, he headed back to check on her. She was sound asleep, and he leaned over and gave her a gentle kiss, unable to keep from touching her. When she murmured something, he leaned over and asked, “What was that?”
“I missed you,” she said, snuggling against his cheek.
“I wasn’t gone for long,” he murmured.
She opened her eyes, raised her arms, snagged him around his neck, and pulled him down beside her.
He chuckled.
“You were gone,” she said. “You were gone a lifetime.”
He chuckled. “Only about fifteen minutes.”
“Before that.”
“No, still not a lifetime,” he said, “but over five years and, for that, I’m so damn sorry.”
She nodded and nuzzled his neck gently.
He could feel his body instantly responding. “You’re playing with fire.”
“Any reason not to?” she asked. “I think we’re both consenting adults, and we gave a final send-off to your past yesterday.”
“You make a good argument,” he said, settling in lower. He’d hoped to get to this point but hadn’t wanted to push her. They’d been so crazy busy, and he didn’t want their first time to be amid—or brought on by—some case of panic either. He nuzzled and gently kissed her lips and then her neck and on down.
“I should have a shower,” she said, stretching beneath him.
“Well, I’d say we could both have one together, but you know we really haven’t had enough activity to justify one,” he said. “Yet.”
She chuckled. “Well, I’m sure we can fix that.” She wiggled beneath him.
He groaned gently. “You know it’s been a long time for me,” he murmured.
“No, it hasn’t,” she said.
“Oh, definitely since before my accident,” he said.
“Well, it’s been a long time for me too,” she said, squeezing him gently. “After the divorce, I just couldn’t even begin to go there.”
“In that case, it sounds like perfect timing for both of us.” And he dropped his lips to hers and kissed her gently, almost an exploratory mission. But she was having nothing to do with that—that could wait for later. She pulled him down, hugging him harder and tighter against her.
“We don’t have to rush,” he murmured.
“Yeah, we do,” she said.
He gently kissed her back.
She continued, “The fact that we might have a little bit longer to play later will just make it that much nicer afterward.”
“Well, I’m not going anywhere,” he said, “not for a long time.”
She smiled, opened her eyes, and said, “Promise?”
“Absolutely,” he said. “I figured I’d stay here with you until I could find a place of my own.”
“Or you could just stay here with me,” she said.
He looked at her and asked, “Are you sure you’re ready for that?”
“You mean, a live-in guest? Why not?” she asked. “We’re heading that way now.”
“But I don’t want to push it,” he said, protesting.
“I do,” she said in all seriousness. “I feel like we’ve lost so much time already.”
He nodded, slowly kissed her gently, and said, “In that case, we’ll keep the idea on the table and discuss the pros and cons as we go.”
“Sounds good to me,” she said. And then she wiggled yet again beneath him. “Not that I meant to distract you, but where were we?”
He gave a burst of laughter and kissed her deeply, feeling their passion rise between them. It had always been there, had always simmered beneath the surface. For whatever damn reason he’d been so blind to what was always in front of him. It was incredibly upsetting now to see what could have been, and, at the same time, he was just grateful that finally they had come to the awareness of where they really belong.
When she slipped a hand inside his boxers, he shuddered in her palm. “Oh, my God,” he whispered, trying to control his breathing. His forehead rested against hers, his eyes closed, as she gently explored him.
“Yeah, that’s how I feel,” she said.
“It’s just been …” And he froze.
“I know. I know. I know,” she said, and she kissed him passionately, and he felt everything inside him firing way quicker than he wanted to.
He whispered, “I can’t slow this down.”
“Don’t,” she said. “I have no intention of it.” And she opened her thighs wide, and he wrapped them up high around his hips. He groaned and said, “We’re wearing too many clothes for this.”
“Well then, you haven’t really been paying attention,” she murmured on a giggle, and he realized his boxers were around his ankles. He looked at her aghast. And then he chuckled. “You’re good at that.”
“No,” she said. “I just distracted you at the same time.”
And she sat up ever-so-slightly and pulled her T-shirt over her head.
He took care of the tiny cotton panties with his big hands, only to rip them. He looked at her and said, “Oops.”
“Not a problem,” she said, sliding beneath him, wrapping her legs around him again. “I’ve got lots more.”
He grinned, and it wasn’t anything he could control when she reached up and pulled him to her again, kissing him passionately. Their tongues gently wound together, as he held her tight against him, not wanting the moment to end, but knowing that he had no choice but to ride the cascade of emotions as they drove them forward, faster and faster. When he finally entered her, it was almost like a homecoming. He stopped for a moment to breathe.