Page 61 of The Captain

Why was this so damn hard?

NINETEEN

Lincoln

Five Months Ago

Cassie’s legs were draped over mine, my right hand was holding hers, and my left arm was lying on her legs, holding her to me. We were lounging on the couch, another night of my sister being at her boyfriend’s, and I couldn’t even care because I had Sunshine in my arms.

Ever since we were together a few nights before, I couldn’t seem to stop thinking about her. She was in every thought and plan I had over the last few weeks and had become my life without me even really trying.

It was seamless, flawless, and fucking perfect.

“What’s this one for?” I was discovering all of her tattoos, which I realized after my major exploration of her body, was how she expressed herself. My finger trailed over her thigh where a smattering of star tattoos were, looking like they were falling down her leg.

“From another favorite series, of course.” She grinned at me, and I relished in the fact that she was. She smiled with happiness shining out of every pore, giving it all to me without reservation, and I would kill to have that look pointed at me for the rest of my life.

“Is it one I should read?” I asked, my finger still tracing the tattoos.

“Oh absolutely.” She nodded, grabbing her phone and presumably sending me a link to the books.

This is what she’s been doing. Every time I ask about a tattoo, if it had meaning behind it, she would send me the link to the book.

I was dying to know every single book she’d ever read, and judging by the amount of books that filled her room and spread out to the living room, I would guess it may take me the rest of my life to do so.

I was okay with that.

Most men my age, twenty, almost twenty-one, wouldn’t be thinking long-term; they’d be still eager to party it up, to take advantage of everything they could while they were still in college.

But I knew a good thing when I saw it, and the moment I saw Cassie, I knew.

Too bad alcohol and my poor judgment ruined that for me before we could begin.

But we were here now, and I didn’t plan on going anywhere.

“Are you really going to read all of these books?” she asked, setting her phone back down and interlacing her fingers with mine lightly, twisting and playing with mine.

“Eventually.” I nodded. “It may take me a century or two, but I can make that work. As long as I have you pushing me to get through them, I’m sure I can do it.”

I felt her eyes on me, so I stopped running my gaze over her legs and torso and glanced up to see her watching me, her expression soft. “Centuries, huh? You plan on living that long?”

“Well, I’m not immortal,” I said, feigning sadness. “But if I could spend centuries with you, I would.”

She tilted her head to the side, pursing her lips. “That was a good line.”

I leaned down, arranging her legs beside me and pulling one over my hip. My arm went under her head so that she could rest comfortably, and I held her close to me while I looked into her eyes.

They were soft and welcoming, kind, and full of something that I doubted she was ready to admit just yet.

I would get her there.

“It wasn’t a line. Not with you,” I told her, pressing a kiss to her forehead.

“No?” she asked, sighing against me.

“Never with you,” I said, looking at her again. “I’ll never lie to you or use lines with you. I’ll always be honest and tell you the truth.”

“Always, huh? What if it hurts my feelings?” The vulnerability that shone through her eyes had me reaching my hand up and sweeping her hair off her face, cupping her cheek with my hand.

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