Page 37 of Keeping You
“Do we?” Her gaze meets mine, challenging. “Because I'm not sure I do. This started as a pretend relationship to make Harper and Kirk jealous. To help your family's business. And now...”
“And now it feels real,” I finish for her.
She nods slowly. “Yes.”
I reach over and take her hand, lacing our fingers together. “Would that be so terrible?”
“It would be terrifying,” she admits. “I've been hurt before, Luke. By Kirk, by Harper, by you.”
The last two words land like a punch to the gut, but I can't deny their truth. “I know. And I'm sorry for my part in that. I can't change the past, Callie. But I'd like to think we could have a future.” Did I really say that? And so easily, when that voice in the back of my mind constantly whispers I don't deserve any future or happiness. Not when Stu will never get to go home to his wife. Not when I should have been there to save him. I try to ignore those thoughts, but they leave a bitter aftertaste.
Her eyes widen slightly, and I realize I might be moving too fast. Hell, we've only been back in each other's lives for a few weeks. In each other’s arms for hours. But there's something about her that makes me want to lay all my cards on the table.
“A future,” she echoes, her expression unreadable.
“Or at least a present,” I amend, not wanting to scare her off. “Let's just see where this goes. No pressure, no expectations.”
She seems to consider this, taking another sip of her coffee before popping a sweet strawberry into her mouth, chewing slowly, thoughtfully. “And what about Harper? Remember, the whole town is watching our every move.”
“Let them watch,” I say with a shrug. “That’s what you wanted after all. As for Harper, I think she'll be happy for us. She's been pushing me to reconnect with you since I got back.”
Callie's brow furrows. “She has?”
“Yeah. She keeps talking about second chances and how good we'd be together.”
“That doesn't make any sense,” Callie says, shaking her head. “If she wanted us together, why did she make me choose between you and her all those years ago?”
I blink, confused. “What are you talking about?”
Callie sets her coffee down, her expression serious. “After you and I... after that night, Harper found out somehow. I didn’t tell her. She figured it out, though I never confirmed or denied. She confronted me at school a few days after you left and told me I had to choose between being her friend and being with you. Said she couldn't handle her best friend dating her brother.”
This is news to me. “She never told me that.”
“Why would she? You were gone.” There's no accusation in her tone, just a statement of fact, but it still stings.
“I'm sorry, Callie. If I had known...” I trail off, not sure what I would have done differently. I was a mess, and my father's ultimatum left little room for negotiation.
“It doesn't matter now,” she says with a small smile. “We can't change the past, right?”
We sit in silence for a moment, sipping our coffee and stealing glances at each other. It feels domestic, intimate in a way that has nothing to do with the physical connection we shared last night. I could get used to mornings like this.
“I should probably get going.” It’s the last thing I want to do. “I'm supposed to be at the station by ten.”
“What time is it now?”
“After eight.”
She smiles, setting her empty mug on the tray. “So, we have time.”
The fire in her gaze is like an arrow straight to my groin. “Time for what, exactly?”
Instead of answering, she takes the tray and places it on the nightstand, then moves toward me with a very sultry gleam in her eyes.
My body responds immediately, hardening in anticipation as she straddles my lap.
“Callie.” My hands find her hips.
“Shh,” she whispers, leaning in to kiss me. Her lips are soft and taste like coffee, and I'm lost in her all over again.
