Page 14 of All in December
The honesty in that confession cuts deep. It’s quiet and raw and so real it makes my chest ache.
“I see you. And I like what I see.”
His breath catches, and I hope I didn’t just reveal too much, but from what I’ve gathered from Caleb today, it’s that he wants someone else to take the lead sometimes. And I want to do that for him.
“There’s absolutely no pressure from me, but if you want to be closer—if it would feel good to you—I wouldn’t mind that. At all. Actually, I’d really like it.”
There’s a moment of complete stillness that’s loaded with indecision. But then, slowly, he shifts toward me; so tentatively, so cautiously, like he’s working up the courage to take me up on my offer.
“Uh, do you mind setting my glasses on the table?” he asks.
“Not at all,” I say, gesturing for him to hand them to me. When I lean over, I turn off the lamp on the table as well, then settle back into bed.
“Would it be weird…?” He gestures vaguely toward me.
“Not at all.”
In this moment, he seems like he needs me to show him how okay I am with this. I shift onto my back, and reach for him, pulling him into me. He closes the last bit of space, curling into me as he tucks into my side. His head finds my shoulder as his hand lands softly on my chest, and I lay my free hand on top of his.
“This okay?” I murmur.
“Yeah,” he whispers. “It’s perfect.”
I hold him a little tighter in response as we lie there together and our legs tangle.
His body is warm against mine, and I feel the tension ease out of his shoulders as he settles into me. I don’t know everything about Caleb—hell, I hardly knowanythingabout Caleb—but I know this means something to him. I can feel how careful he’s being, and I want to make it easy for him to stay, to breathe, to feel safe in my arms.
I rest my chin lightly against his hair, breathing him in. It’s underrated how good it feels to hold someone like this, with no pressure for intimacy or more. It’s just comfort and connection, and it’s enough.
While I definitely didn’t expect today to turn out like it did, something in my chest tells me that maybe, just maybe, this is the beginning of something more.
And for the first time in a long time… I’m not scared to see where this goes, and I have no desire to teleport anywhere.
I’m exactly where I want to be.
CHAPTER 7
Caleb
Iwake up slowly, warm and sleepy, and not in any rush to move. For a second, I forget where I am until I shift slightly and realize there’s a big arm wrapped around me, holding me tight.
Nash.
I’m in bed with Nash.
He’s curled up behind me, his chest against my back, with his hand resting low on my stomach under the blanket. Our legs are tangled with his knee tucked behind mine—we’re full-on spooning, and I’m the little spoon.
My body tenses a little as last night comes back to hit me in full force. How I awkwardly gave myself a pep talk in the bathroom about how this would all be fine. I couldn’t stop fidgeting because I was sure I’d do something else embarrassing or mess up what’s growing between us somehow.
Nash made me feel comfortable, though. He has since the moment we met. And when he offered to hold me, there was nothing in the world I wanted more than to be wrapped up in someone who made me feel that safe.
And now, I’m half hard because of it.
It’s been a long time since I woke up with an erection, and as much as I want things to escalate, now is so not the time. Instead, I focus on steadying my breathing so I don’t risk waking him and losing this connection.
The feeling of him—a man—wrapped around me, making me feel small, allowing me to be tucked into him, feels right in all the ways I’d always hoped it would. There’s a deeper sense of comfort being in his arms, and somehow it feels far more natural than anything ever did with my ex-wife.
Nash shifts slightly, and I brace myself for him to wake up and let me out of his grip. But if he does wake up, he doesn’t move away. If anything, he tightens his arm around me, pulling me in closer, even nuzzling into my hair.
