Page 73 of Diving In

“Cal. I need you,” I begged, not caring how desperate I sounded.

The warmth of his tongue traced around my belly button and danced closer to the edge, but then my body came spiraling back down to earth with the absence of his mouth, the cool air filling the space again.

I used my hands to brace myself against the wall, gripping anything I could as I tried to get a better view of what might have stopped him from bringing me to the brink. What I found was an almost sinister grin plastered across his face, telling me he knew exactly what he was doing.

It seemed his self-control was immaculate. Mine not so much.

Cal crawled his way up my body until our faces were a mere breath away from each other, licking his lips and grinning at my yearning. His body laid heavy against mine, allowing me to feel every goddamn inch of him.

“Mother fuck Cal, do I have to beg?”

“I’d prefer it.”

Without skipping a beat, his hand slid down my body, his fingers breaking the barrier and instantly filling me to the brim with pleasure as his other hand wrapped gently around my neck as his lips took my mouth. I gripped the wall tighter, doing everything in my power not to lose myself too quickly… This was just the beginning, and I wanted to experience all of him again, not just his hands.

Teasing me, he nibbled my ear before whispering, “You’re mine, Georgia James. From now until forever.”

As if I needed any assistance getting there, those words were just about enough to send me careening over the edge.

He’d definitely gotten five stars in foreplay, but I didn’t want to play anymore. I wanted the real thing. I needed him, all of him.

Right fucking now.

“I think I’ve always been yours, Callahan Thomas. It just took me a little bit to figure it out.”

Our lips met again, all signs of game-playing officially gone. The lust had been replaced with something heavier, something stronger and overpowering for both of us.

Love.

Pulling away, I gracefully tugged at his swim trunks, and with his help, pushed them to the floor. His shirt came next, the thick fabric tossed to the side as my hands clung to his body, scouring every inch of him.

I wanted to discover everything that he’d kept hidden the first time we were together. His body, his warmth, his feelings. I wanted to feel all of him, not just the physical aspects but the emotional ones too.

We made our way to the living room, stealing kisses from each other every step of the way. Cal gradually guided me back onto the light blue velvet couch that was tucked up against the front window, hovering above me and tucking a piece of hair behind my ear.

“I love you, Georgia James,” he started.

I wanted to respond instantly, to let him know I felt the same, but instead I bit my lip and eagerly waited for him to finish.

“From the first moment I saw you all those years ago, I knew I’d never love anyone the way I loved you. I’ve held onto that feeling ever since, just blindly hoping that you’d come home one day. And now that you’re here I won’t ever make the mistake of letting you go again. I’ve waited fourteen years to get the chance to tell you I love you and I promise there won’t be another day that goes by when I don’t say it.”

His words were confident, as though everything he was saying he’d practiced before. The way he looked directly into my eyes without faltering once told me all that I needed to know. He loved me. The me that I’d never fully shared with anyone else, the me that struggled to believe she could be loved, and the me that not so long ago would’ve shuddered at the thought of this kind of commitment.

“I’ve spent my whole life believing I didn’t need anyone else,” I admitted. “But then you stumbled into my life—again—and opened my eyes to everything I was missing and everything I really do want in my life. You showed me that I wasn’t broken, but that I’d just misplaced some pieces. You showed me that love can endure hard things. You showed me that facing your fears can be terrifying but equally beautiful. But most importantly, you showed me that I was worthy of being loved.” Feeling safe and confident in what we had, I told him, “I love you so much, Callahan Thomas.”

I was grateful for this moment, for all the growth I had committed to since arriving on Sullivan’s Island again. It made me realize that not everything good falls apart and not everyone you love disappears. Finding someone like Cal who wasn’t afraid of the scary shit and didn’t run when things got messy… That was what love was all about.

In just three days, I’d begun to heal and repair myself. I’d begun to put my once-broken-self back together, piece by piece. I finally understood all the things that used to make no sense. I’d learned to let go of all the bad shit that no longer served me, the shit that I’d been holding onto for so long. I’d realized life was too short and love was too strong to carry anything that didn’t bring me happiness. Life was messy and not everything was as it appeared, and that was okay.

Not only had I begun to heal, but I was free. I was so fucking free that I wanted Cal to feel what I felt. I wanted him to know that I was here, that I was his, and that I was never leaving. Not now, not tomorrow, not ever.

Redirecting my attention to Cal, I saw the need rising up as he grabbed both my hands and secured them above my head.

“There can be no more hair pulling,” he said with a smirk.

I grinned. “You love when I pull your hair.”

“I plead the fifth.” He winked. “Now, can I finally have my wicked way with you, or shall we continue discussing our emotions?”

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