Page 53 of Our Now and Forever

But now, in the light of day, she was an emotional wreck.

Deep down, Snow had known that sex with Caleb would tangle her heart even more than it already was. They were playing house in this tiny town, pretending that reality wasn’t looming in the distance, waiting to smack them both. And what if, in the throes of passion, Caleb had said he loved her? What would she do then?

Would she admit that regardless of how the next few weeks went, they would still be signing divorce papers? Or would she continue the ruse, hoarding every touch and caress she could get? Worse yet, there was the option of saying to hell with Vivien McGraw and fighting to keep her husband. Was it worth letting Caleb be hurt to find out if he really was with her “no matter what,” as he’d put it?

Stirring her tea, Snow leaned against the counter, wearing nothing but Caleb’s shirt from the night before, and admitted the truth, at least to herself. There was no cure for Caleb McGraw. Even if he drove off tomorrow, she’d never get him out of her blood. Or her heart. But that didn’t mean she didn’t have to let him go. In fact, it made the sacrifice even more necessary.

“There you are,” the subject of her thoughts said, strolling into the kitchen in nothing but his underwear. By the looks of things, he was in search of more than a cup of tea. Caleb pinned her to the counter with an arm on each side and nuzzled into her neck. “I was hoping to give you a proper good morning.”

Snow leaned her head to the left, giving him better access. “I’m surprised you’re up,” she said. “It isn’t even nine o’clock.”

He leaned in, pressing their bodies close. “Oh, I’m up, darling. I’m up.” His lips returned to her neck and descended down the opening of her shirt. Or his shirt, rather. “You might want to put that mug down.”

Unable to resist, Snow did as he suggested, expecting him to tug her into the bedroom. Instead, he lifted her off the floor and dropped her bare bottom on the countertop.

“Hey now,” she said, surprise sending her voice up several octaves. “That’s cold.”

“Don’t worry,” he mumbled, nipping at her lips. “I’ll warm you up.”

True to his word, Caleb chased the chill away with his hands and his mouth. Snow nearly came undone when he licked her earlobe. He held her steady on the counter as he undid the buttons of her shirt with one hand. Seconds later, cool air rushed her skin when the cotton slid off her shoulders, but once again, Caleb’s heat warmed her. Sunlight streamed in through the window over the sink, highlighting the strips of chestnut in his thick hair. Snow ran her fingers over his scalp as Caleb suckled her breast, his hands kneading her hips.

Pulling her forward until she felt him pressed against her core, Caleb murmured, “I can’t get enough of you.” He took her mouth in a searing kiss that said all the words she needed to hear. Almost.

Snow reached to slide his underwear off his hips and was relieved to see he’d taken care of the condom issue before leaving the bedroom. His confidence should have been annoying, but knowing how badly he wanted her sent her temperature spiking. She wrapped her legs around his waist, angling to get closer. To feel him inside her.

“Now, Caleb. I need it now,” she said.

Without a word, he drove into her as she arched, driving her hips forward. He set up a pounding rhythm, and she met him thrust for thrust until they were both sweaty and panting and mumbling incoherent words in each other’s ears. He drove in hard, murmuring something about never letting her go, and Snow nearly shattered right there in his arms, her heart at his feet as her body took him in deeper.

Too far gone to speak, Snow rode the crest surging through her center and out her limbs. She wanted to stretch and curl into a ball at the same time. Let it go and hold it tight. When the peak hit, she gripped her legs tighter, her arms wrapped around Caleb’s neck like a dying woman clinging to life. He finished seconds later, and they returned to reality together, Caleb’s strong arms holding her upright as she dropped delicate kisses along his slick neck.

Their bodies still connected, Snow set her forehead on Caleb’s shoulder and rolled it back and forth. Desperate to break the mood, she said, “You’re going to clean this counter.”

Instead of the chuckle she’d hoped to evoke, Caleb sighed and lifted her against him. “The counter can wait,” he said, carrying her toward the bedroom. “I’m not done with you yet.”

Caleb whistled his way through the next several days, more content with his life than he’d been in a long time. Even when he and Snow were first together, he hadn’t been this happy. He had a job he liked, and was learning more about the business of selling every day. Even this tiny blip on the map was starting to grow on him. The people were nice, for the most part, even with the few typical small-town types who weren’t receptive to outsiders putting down stakes.

Baton Rouge was still his hometown, but the distance from his parents made Ardent Springs that much more attractive. Unlike his mother’s constant calls, Caleb’s father hadn’t bothered. He must have been informed by now that their son had found his runaway bride, but even that hadn’t garnered enough interest from the man to warrant a phone call.

Then again, his mother called often enough for both of them. She’d called twice on Monday alone while Caleb had been on a sales call and unable to answer. In her message, she apologized for their previous conversation and promised not to discuss his ill-conceived marriage again.

Conceding a point had never been Vivien McGraw’s strongest skill.

“You ready to see her?” Cooper asked, hauling Caleb from his maternal reverie.

“Yes, sir,” Caleb responded, following the excited mechanic out the door.

Snow was spending the evening with Lorelei and Carrie, and she’d encouraged Caleb to explore the area. After ten days of working for the paper, there wasn’t much left of Ardent Springs that he hadn’t already seen. Gerald’s clients stretched from the other side of Franklin Bridge to downtown and out past the fairgrounds. Which amounted to pretty much the entire town, plus a few miles outside the city limits.

So instead, he’d come to see the old Thunderbird he’d heard so much about. The owner had to finish up a quick oil change, which left Caleb waiting in the office, ruminating about the two women in his life. Parting with either of them wasn’t an option. He simply needed to convince the one to tolerate the other.

Cooper escorted him around the garage to the back of the lot, where two structures filled the landscape. One large enough to house several vehicles, and the other more like a toolshed. Both looked homemade and weather-worn, but stable. They crossed to the larger building, and Caleb found himself curious as to what he’d find inside. The Thunderbird, obviously, but this wasn’t the kind of building that housed a solitary vehicle. As soon as Cooper drew back the hangar-like door, his hunch was confirmed.

The space was packed with cars, old and somewhat newer models, most in the midst of a makeover or repair, and all surrounded by an assortment of parts large and small. Paradise.

“You’ve been holding out on me,” he said, easing into the dark interior as his eyes adjusted. “What all do you have in here?”

His tour guide’s attempt to look nonchalant failed miserably. “Dude, you wouldn’t believe it. Old Tanner collected this stuff for years, and I got it all when I bought him out about three years ago.”

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