Page 61 of Free to Dream
He squeezes me tight. “What’s your day like?”
I lean back in his arms to focus on his face more clearly. “Actually, fairly light until Saturday morning. Why?”
“Come be with me, Cassidy.” He takes a deep breath. “Your pace all the way. I just want to have as much time as I can with you.” His eyes probe mine, worried he’s pressuring me too hard, too fast.
I think back to the conversation I had last night with my siblings. We might have only been on a few official dates, but they certainly weren’t the “So, you don’t like wearing blue? Why?” kind of a date.
He’s shown me his darkness, his laughter, and his light. We’ve spent hours upon hours talking about the most hidden parts of our souls, the areas we allow only those closest to us to access.
While I’m reminiscing, our eyes meet. A million words are said and yet not a word is spoken. I know if I go with him, I won’t be coming back the same.
I reach up and brush my lips against his. “Yes.”
Suddenly, I’m airborne and being swung in a tight circle against his body. Our faces are so close, our breath is being exchanged for one another's. It must be the reason I’m getting so heady, so dizzy.
“Seriously?” he whispers, disbelievingly.
“Do you want me to say no?” I tease.
Caleb puts me down and places his hands around my face, cupping my chin. “If you aren’t ready, yes, I do. There’s no rush. I’d wait as long as you need because I’m not going anywhere.” He leans forward and kisses my forehead, the tip of my nose, and then my lips. His eyes probe mine, waiting.
God, did he just say that?
The bonds beginning to wrap around my heart start to tangle, making my chest feel tight. What I feel is messy, complicated, and scary as shit. It’s a leap of faith the likes I haven’t taken since I grabbed Phil’s hand and he carried me through my own blood to escape hell into the streets of Jacksonville, to the dark unknown. It’s causing my heart to beat faster, my cheeks to flush, and my body to mold into his. I reach up, covering his hands on my face. Sliding my hands down, over his forearms, I feel the sprinkle of hair covering the thickly veined muscles. My hands make their way to his biceps, running over the curve of his shoulder before cupping his face in return.
His eyes are burning into mine over such a simple touch. When I reach up, pulling his head toward me and return the same caress by brushing my lips against his forehead, his nose and his lips, he understands how moved I am without words.
Keeping his face close to mine, I whisper, “Pick me up in two hours at my house. I just need to throw a few things into a bag.”
He nods a few times, our faces still touching, before slowly detangling us. It’s as if he can’t bear to let our bodies not touch. With a kiss on the tips of my fingers and an expression on his face that requires me to remind myself to breathe, he’s out the door.
Two hours before my life changes.
19
Caleb
Ican’t believe she’s here. On my rooftop deck, gazing out over Tribeca with joy, and a little bit of awe on her face.
Once again, I give a mental high five to my brother for his amazing job of fixing up our home in the historic Powell Building. Despite the high loft ceilings, white walls, and modern features in the kitchen and bath, Ry managed to soften the other surfaces with hardwood, Persian rugs, and artwork. As I was giving Cassidy a tour earlier, I gave Ry total credit, explaining that after living in tents for the better part of eight years, a mattress on the floor would probably have been perfect. When she pressed me on my favorite parts of the condo, I said it was easily the electronics system. God, it’s total man porn. That got me a completely feminine eye roll. Oh, and the fact that we have the private rooftop deck where you can just sit back and watch all of Tribeca go by.
She completely understands the rooftop deck. In the middle of crazy New York City, it’s the equivalent of her lake.
The condo is a showplace, but the view makes it a masterpiece. Particularly now that Cassidy Freeman is standing in the middle of it.
I sit back, slouching with my hands crossed behind my head in the lounger, as she snaps photo after photo on her cell phone and texts them to her sister Holly. I can’t honestly think of a single place in the world I would want to be right now but here.
How did she come to mean so much to me so fast?
She’s smart, dedicated, and quietly determined. She gives back to her community out of the goodness of her heart—not because it looks good on the society pages. She wears a tattoo as a badge of familial honor stronger than most people have for their blood families. Her caution isn’t a coy game; it was beat into her, almost costing her life. She has no idea who she is, and instead of giving up, she transformed herself into a devastating force.
I’m falling in love with this amazing woman who has told me so much about herself. Because of an unfailing sense of right and wrong. Because of wanting to be fair to me.
Her strength brings me to my knees.
Her honor is like a sword to my gut, slowly bleeding me.
I never thought I would say Keene was right.
