Page 69 of Sunshine
“I’d say it was a hell of a lot better than nice, Sunshine. But I’m not the author.”
“I mean it was for me…” I let my words trail off and he turns his head to lock eyes with me. His intense look of care has me breathless again suddenly. I want to look away, but his eyes hold mine.
“Honey, it was for me too.” Case runs his fingers down my cheek to cup my chin and places another sweet kiss onto my mouth. “If you think otherwise, you’re mistaken.” His lips pluck at mine bossily and he slowly deepens the kiss before releasing me, resting his head against my pillow, and pulling me closer.
“You should probably eat before going back to work,” I say, breaking the silence a few minutes later.
He sighs and I interpret it as agreement while berating myself for the statement. I don’t want him to leave. Being in his arms is like being in a blanket fort. It’s a safe and cozy place where I can dream. An image forms in my head of him and I in the home he’s built, a child playing in the playhouse.
The scene both warms me and terrifies. Case rises from the bed, leaning over to peck a kiss on my head. Panic starts to build. I’m not meant for that life—for a family. I’m too selfish and self-absorbed to have that. I’ll be even worse than my parents. Case will leave as soon as he sees that. He’ll see me for who I am and run.
And all of those thoughts suddenly have me questioning why he built the playhouse in the first place.
I sit up, cold and dismissive words sitting on the end of my tongue. They’re lies, meant to deflect and protect me, so I swallow them. I won’t push him away. Not anymore. We’ll talkthrough my fears when we get to that place in our relationship. We’re not there yet.
“Sunshine, I’d really like to take you out to dinner tonight. A date. Not just sex and games, but a real date. What do you think?” Stark naked and beautifully unashamed of his body, Case smiles at me. It’s naturally crooked—perfectly imperfect, and there are scars on his body, big ones, but he isn’t self-conscious. I wear my scars on the inside, but maybe I don’t have to be ashamed of them either. Not with Case.
Those caring and trusting eyes and his words pierce the bubble of panic inside me—it pops out of existence. I’ve changed, or rather, I’m in the process of a metamorphosis. I’m opening up, exploring myself, learning to trust, and for the first time in my life I think I’m falling in love.
“What time?”
“Eight pm. We have something important to talk about—something you should know before we get further entwined.”
I swallow. The word entwined is weird. I’m not sure exactly what he means by it. But it’s a safer word thanrelationshiporserious—especially when linked together.Serious relationship. But does that mean he doesn’t want to be in a serious relationship with me? And what do I want? Or maybe it has nothing to do with that—maybe he has a disease. Could he be dying? Oh my god.
Case clears his throat. I blink up at him. My thoughts halt instantly.
“Sunshine? You’re drifting again. Come on back to me, baby.”
I bite my lip.
“Don’t overthink this, sweetheart.”
He’s right, I shouldn’t think at all. I need to learn to just go with the flow. “What should I wear?”
“Whatever you want, as long as you’re on my arm.” He winks and it’s not cheesy at all, it’s… God, it makes my breath hitch, and my insides zing. He heads into my bathroom and shuts the door. Listening to the sound of the shower and his cell which is suddenly ringing again, I blow out a sigh and flop back onto the pillows.
Holy shit. I’m falling in love.
When the phone stops and starts ringing again, I reach for it. It’s probably Mack… except it’s not. The picture on the screen is of a blonde woman, a child, and Case. I swallow. Was he married before? A notification pops up as soon as the phone goes silent.
Lulah:
We need you home. I’m in pre-term labor.
Chapter Nineteen
Case
Tessa’s busy writing when I get out of the shower, so I kiss her head and tell her I’ll see her later. I chuckle at the thought of her so distracted by her writing that she barely acknowledges me. What a woman. A marvelous, unpredictable, beautiful woman.
I head across the field toward the house, and I feel like I’m floating. Fucking floating! I’ve never floated over a woman in my life. In fact, I would have bet my life men didn’t get all floaty—that it’s a girl thing. But Christ, here I am practically skipping though the grass. Ridiculous! A few months of challenging flirty fun, a few smokin’ hot sessions between the sheets, and somehow I’ve turned into a thirteen-year-old girl.
I shake my head, but I can’t stop grinning like an idiot. My cell rings but I don’t answer it, because as I walk onto the job site, Mack’s brow is cocked and he’s staring at me like I’m a fucking mythical creature.
“Freshly showered and smiling like a tween girl.” He cocks his head. “You got way more than lunch, didn’t you?”
I don’t answer, so he shrugs. “I don’t know what you see in her. She’s a goddamn menace, a spoiled brat who needs her assspanked and the attitude fucked out of her.” His mouth hitches slightly on one side. It’s as close to a smile as I’ve seen on him. “A woman who’s been properly fucked should be limp and silent for at least a few days.”
