Page 25 of Ruthless Love

MARISSA

"Doyou want me to follow you to the house?" I question Cain as we get done with the inventory. "I'm going to close early. It's been a long week."

"That it has." He yawns, stretching his arms up. "Why don't you grab clothes and spend the night? We'll sleep. Lord knows I need it."

So do I, although we've been acting like teenagers, we are most definitely not any longer. My body is screaming at the abused muscles. "If I spend the night, does that mean I get to use our big tub?"

"If that's what you want. I'll even draw you a bath."

He's never offered to do that before. As far as I know, it's not ever been a thought in his mind. "Okay, let me go grab my stuff. I'll follow you since I have to open the store tomorrow."

The look on his face says he wants to be the one to take me. He wants to be the reason I stay there with him. "I'm gonna head out. I'll see you when you get home." He leans down, kissing me on the cheek.

Home. That word has once meant the house we shared, but then that place felt as if it were a prison. A place that the two of us could use against each other. We'd argue about who wassupposed to be doing the chores, or I'd purposely not make dinner because I was irritated with him. I'm not proud of it. What I've learned since then is home is what you make of it. Right now, the apartment above the shop is my home, but I miss him. That's the only part that's keeping it from being exactly what I need. "I'll see you there."

I lock up the shop and go up the stairs. Once there, I throw my bag on the bed and start packing it. I don't want to be away from him any longer than I have to. After I get everything I'm going to need, because there should still be some of my stuff there, I shoulder the bag and take the stairs two at a time.

"Cain? Where are you?"I yell as I walk in the backdoor of our house.

Even from here, I can smell the scent of his body wash. It's always given me a sense of comfort. He's used the same one since we were in high school. Cuddling up next to him, and smelling that scent? It takes me back to cold nights next to a bonfire in the middle of a field.

"Shower," he yells. "About to be done."

Going back to the bedroom, I have a seat and look around. While we were here not long ago, I didn't let myself see if he's made any kind of changes. I close my eyes and take a deep breath, before opening them back up and gazing around the room. There have been a few slight changes here and there. Gone are the quilts I had hanging beside the closet. Those have been replaced with what appears to be a high-tech bike. There are a bit more of his touches around the room, his wallet on the nightstand, which he used to leave next to the door. A couple oft-shirts are draped over the chair I used to sit in when I would read.

He comes out of the shower, towel-drying his hair, a pair of sweatpants slung low on his hips. "How was the drive over?"

"Uneventful."

When he's done with his hair, he pulls the towel down and looks over at me. "Where's your stuff?"

"Put it next to the door."

He nods, a smile spread across his face. "Good. You wanna take a bath, and then we watch some TV?"

"Yeah, I'd like that. I have a question for you first, though."

"You can ask me anything." He comes over, wrapping his arms around my waist, hauling me over to him.

"Is my stuff still here?" I whisper, scared of the answer. If it had been me, and he'd left, I'd more than likely throw it all out.

He pulls back, a look of astonishment on his face. "Yes, why wouldn't it be? I'm not throwing your shit away, no matter how mad I was at you. Actually mad is the wrong word. I was hurt that you could walk away so easily."

"It wasn't easy," I argue. "Nothing about me choosing to leave was easy, but it felt necessary."

His hand moves from my waist to my chin, cupping around to my neck, and then traveling up into my hair. "You're right, it was necessary. If you hadn't made that move, who knows where we'd be. We'd probably still be unhappy and trying to figure out how to continue to live life while we were miserable. I'm thankful you did it. It proved how much you mean to me, and I've missed the hell out of you." He drops his forehead to mine. "I love you, Ris."

I close my eyes, not wanting the tears that are pooling to fall. "I love you too, Cain. Please don't break my heart again. There won't be another chance."

"I hear you. You needed things from me that I wasn't giving you."

"And you needed the same from me. If I slip up, I want you to call me on my shit. Same with you." Reaching my hand in between us, I hold up my pinky. "Do you promise?"

He hooks his pinky with mine. "Promise. Now come on, let me draw that bath for you.

Stretchingout in the bathtub is everything I remember it being. In fact, there's one memory I have that tingles at the back of my neck. One night, Cain and I'd had too much to drink. We'd spread out in the tub, and he'd taken me roughly. The only other time he's done it, besides the past few times we've been together. That night I'd gotten a glimpse of the man he can be, and I'd love that taste. It was honestly the catalyst to where we've been the past few days.

I missed this tub. It was one of the reasons I pushed to buy this house. In my apartment, there's only a shower. Tilting my head back against the edge, I close my eyes.

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