Page 114 of Be My Compass

“They go great in bubble baths,” I say. My eyes catch on an object next to the chewing gums. I pull it off the hook and slap the box face-down.

She grasps it. Pops her gum. “You really love… latex?”

I force a smile.

She gets the drift and stops asking me questions.

While I wait for her to give me the total, I pull out my phone and read Kastle’s message again.

A smile breaks out over my face.

KASTLE: Glory pulled through.

ME: That’s great.

KASTLE: I’m flying back in a few hours.

ME: I’ll light the candles.

Kastle doesn’t respond, but I can picture his eyes narrowing to slits. Can imagine his mouth curling up in that ghost of a smile I love so much.

I cannot wait to feel his arms around me.

I’m desperate for it.

What happened in his office proved that taking things to the next level won’t be awkward. Kastle is someone who knows me. Someone who’s gone out of his way to show me that he cares. Over and over again. Without fail. To the rhythm of the most exciting predictability.

There’s intimacy already.

This is just taking it a little farther.

A memory of him flashes through my head and I choke.

Okay, so a lot farther.

A lot.

The cashier clears her throat. “Ma’am?”

“Oh. Sorry.” I glance at the total and offer my card.

She does the transaction with plenty of curious looks but no further comments.

Gripping everything in my hands, I stow the groceries in my car and drive to Kastle’s place. He lives in a gated community with a shared swimming pool and fancy cafes.

I park in the space he pays yearly to reserve for me and climb out, lugging everything out of my car and struggling up the stairs. The security guard at the front door helps me out and I manage to get everything inside Kastle’s sprawling condo without any trouble.

The moment I walk in, I inhale a deep breath.

Mmm.

It smells like Kastle in here. Like mint. Like spicy cologne. Like home.

I remember all the nights we spent cooking together. Cutting vegetables on the counters. Seasoning chicken with my special spices. Dancing to the Mulan soundtrack while we worked. I’ll make a man out of you!

He would tease me. Feed me. Make me taste the sauce off the spoon when all I wanted was to lick it off his finger.

We’ll do that.

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