Page 54 of Love at a 7-Eleven

"Sure," he said.

We walked a few feet back to the door and went outside rather than walking through the whole crowded bar and restaurant. It felt nice to go that way and get some fresh air.

"Eric's a good friend of ours," I said to him, explaining. "My dad sort of mentored him a few years ago when he was just starting out."

"Drake loves hockey. I'm going to tell my brother he was in here."

"You know Eric?"

"Yeah, I recognize him. Drake's going to be pumped."

It was dark out, and Caleb looked handsome out here on the city streets.

"I started to get jealous, but then I realized that I'm going to have to get used to you knowing everyone."

I laughed nervously and pushed at him. "You're not jealous," I said.

He defended himself when I pushed, and I grabbed his hand and held onto it as we walked into the tattoo studio.

The same guy was walking outside with a trash bag.

"Hey, did you find them?" he asked looking confused. "They're in the back, and it's packed, so we were going to go through this way."

"Yeah, you guys go ahead. I'm taking the trash around back and then dropping this off at the bank on the corner. I'll be back in a few. Just walk to the back of the shop. You can't miss it. We share a courtyard with The Anchor. They're probably sitting outside."

"Thank you," Caleb said as we headed into the house. He held onto my hand as we walked inside. The music was playing. It was something different now, but it was the same style and equally loud. Caleb began to make his way through the first room, but I held him back from walking so quickly. He looked back at me when I tugged at his hand.

"Slow down, please."

He stopped and I looked around the room. "It's cool in here. I like it. I wanted to look around for a second." I leaned onto his shoulder. "And I just wanted to stop and talk to you for a minute. I'm sorry I didn't introduce you back there."

All of a sudden, Caleb was pulling me along, taking me by the hand, and leading me down the hallway. He pulled me into room. Before I knew what was happening, the door was closed behind me and I was thoroughly pinned against it. Caleb's hard body had me against the door, and I was gloriously breathless. I gave him a delighted smile as I touched the side of his face with my fingertips.

He took a deep breath. "Your dad said a bunch of very kind things to me about my character and we agreed that my intentions are good, Lila. And they are. They are good. But I'm also a man. I’m a gentleman, but I'm also a man-man."

"The gentle part is going out the window?" I asked, whispering to him. He lessened the pressure that he had on me, but I didn't want that, so I pulled him closer. "I wasn't saying you need to be gentle." I pulled him closer again. The music was blaring, and it was dark in there. I was staring at him and daring him to kiss me. He obliged in the most wonderful way, kissing me deeply from the moment our mouths met. He kissed me so hard that my body felt like it melted. I don't know how long we stayed in there. A few minutes? My body was in some sort of tingly-bliss state, and I had no concept of time. Caleb kissed me like a man kisses a woman—like a man kisses his woman.

There was the interaction with my parents and then Eric… and then the music was playing and it was dark, and it was just too much. We had to take a minute to finally connect. We were both breathing heavily when he finally pulled away. I had been thoroughly pinned against the door, and I didn't even realize it until he let me down.

"He's going to be coming back," Caleb whispered. "I'll go out first in case he's out there. You can wait a few seconds and then follow me."

I nodded and took a step back. But the guy wasn't in the hallway, and we walked outside together. I was vulnerable after such a kiss, and I held onto his arm as we moved through the back half of the tattoo studio. I let go of him and just held his hand once we made it onto the patio where we saw his brother.

Eric Soren was at the same table as Drake and three others were there as well. All of them looked at us, and Eric stared at me with newfound curiosity. I needed to say something.

"Are you here with Drake?" I asked, looking straight at Eric even though the others were taking in the scene.

"I just spent the last eight hours with Drake," Eric said, making an amazed face. He lifted his leg and gestured to his shin, which was wrapped in some sort of black bandage. "We did the whole outside of my leg, from the knee down," Eric said proudly.

"Yeah, Eric's my dog. He just sat like a rock. How do you know him?" Drake asked me the question as he stood and came toward me. I couldn’t tell if he was coming in for a handshake or hug, but I went forward and hugged him.

"Hello, Drake," I said, taking a second to look at him.

"Hello, Lila," he said, staring straight at me.

He was different than he was in pictures. I could see some of his brother in his eyes. The wooden deck beneath our feet extended to the furniture of the courtyard area, and some of the booths were built-in like sturdy picnic tables. It was rustic, but it was dressed up with bright artwork, plants, and string lights, and it was utterly charming.

The crew of five guys was sitting at a large round booth. The booth was fairly full when we arrived, and they started to squeeze in from both sides as if we would each take an end. "We'll both sit on this side, thanks, though." Caleb was talking to Eric who nodded and stopped scooting over. Caleb pulled me onto his lap once they made room near Drake. The table was already full, and it was set up for the lap-sitting to happen naturally and comfortably. I adjusted, supporting some of my weight on my feet. I was comfortable on the edge of his lap, and it seemed to be natural enough that no one skipped a beat—not even Drake who was sitting right next to us.

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