Page 152 of Always Red (Chasing Red 2)

“Kar would kill us,” I said breathlessly. “She’s planning everything.”

My mind wandered as I watched his teeth catch his bottom lip.

“Yeah,” he agreed. He was smiling. And it was a knowing smile.

The bad boy knew what he was doing to me.

“What else do married couples do?” he continued. His voice low now, deeper. His fingertips leisurely skimmed along my arm.

I swallowed. “We should wash these dishes.”

His pink tongue peeked out to quickly lick his bottom lip. “No. Something fun.”

I squealed as he grabbed my waist and pulled me on top of him.

“Something really, really fun, Red.”

“Caleb!” I placed my palms on either side of his body and pulled myself up. “It’s…it’s daylight!”

“Yeah. I noticed.” His green eyes danced with a naughty glint. “Know what else I noticed?”

His chest was warm, his scent intoxicating. His touch drove me insane as his palm stroked the exposed skin on my back, then moved down to my ass and squeezed before his fingertips slowly, slowly made circles along my inner thigh.

“Caleb…”

“I noticed,” he began, not stopping his pleasurable touch, “that even in my dreams, I know what you feel like. How you smell, how your eyes light up when you see me. I know you.”

His hands gripped my waist, moving me so that I was the one under him now.

“I know that face so well. More than my own. Your moods, what you like and don’t like. I’m drawn to you, and I can’t stop myself. I don’t want to. I want to keep knowing everything about you for the rest of my life, Red.”

“Oh, Caleb.”

“Now I want to show you something. Take a walk with me?”

Choked up, I could only nod. He rose and then helped me up.

Caleb was silent as he held my hand while we walked. I didn’t know where he was taking me, but I knew I would go anywhere with him.

The sound of water met my ears even before we reached the lake. I knew this place, this forest. I played here all the time when I was a kid and wanted to escape.

How did Caleb know about this place? It was hidden, a secret oasis that only the locals knew about.

I looked at him curiously. Releasing my hand, he walked ahead of me. A wooden bridge stood a few feet above the lake, and Caleb took his time crossing it. When he reached the middle, he stopped. A slow, tender smile appeared on his face as he looked down at a certain spot.

I had no clue why my heart started to pound, except that it all looked so familiar.

He crouched, removing his shoes and folding his long, lean body so he sat on the edge of the bridge, dangling his legs down. His feet disappeared into the water. He looked into the distance and seemed to be lost in a memory.

Butterflies fluttered in my stomach as I sat beside him. And then he turned to look at me. The sun was shining so brightly behind him that for a moment, I couldn’t see his face, but I knew.

“Do you remember, Red?”

I did.

I knew him.

Oh God.

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