Page 43 of Backed By You
I push the door open wider and step into the living room. “Beau?”
He turns, a slow grin lifting at the corner of his devilishly talented mouth. There’s more stubble darkening his jaw than he usually has. It looks good on him. Too good.
“Morning.”
I gesture to the massive package. “What is that?”
“This?” He pats the top of the box, his grin widening. “This is your new stove.”
“My new—” I break off, stunned. “You bought me astove?”
He laughs. “Yeah, well. Turns out, drunk me is surprisingly generous. I ordered it yesterday. Paid some ungodly amount for overnight shipping.”
I walk closer, examining the box. Sure enough, it’s a stainless-steel stove—the exact model I was eyeing online to match the fridge and microwave before my grumpy landlord told meno.
“But you said the replacement parts were coming,” I say, running my hand along the box.
He shrugs, appearing sheepish all of a sudden. “I was being stubborn and cheap. The old one was beyond saving. And someone told me recently it was pretty fuckin’ ugly.”
Joy bubbles up inside me, and without thinking, I launch myself at him, throwing my arms around his neck and pressing my lips to his. For a brief, wonderful moment, his hands find my waist, but then he tenses beneath me.
I pull back, uncertainty flooding through me.He doesn’t remember. I step back, putting a bit of space between us. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have—”
His brows knit, gaze searching mine. “What’s wrong?”
“Thank you for the stove. It’s perfect, really. But I—I don’t deserve it.” I need to get this out in the open or it’ll eat me alive. The words tumble out in a rush, “You were drunk and I kissed you and things went further than they should have and I-I took advantage of you when you weren’t in a position to…you know…and I’m so, so sorry.”
He stares at me for a long, silent moment, his expression unreadable. Then, to my complete surprise, he bursts out laughing. Not just a chuckle, either, but full-bodied laughter that has him bending over, hands on his knees, tears forming at the corners of his eyes.
“What’s so funny?” I frown, feeling a bit defensive.
He tries to speak, but another wave of laughter takes him. Hulk looks between us, tail wagging uncertainly.
“Beau, if you don’t stop laughing right this second…”
He finally straightens, wiping his eyes. “Sorry, sorry,” he gasps, still fighting chuckles. “You thinkyoutook advantage ofme?”
“Well, yes! You were drunk, and I was sober, and—”
He closes the distance between us, cupping my face in his hands. All humor is gone from his expression now, replaced by an intensity that makes my breath catch. “Callie,” he says, his voice low and serious. “I wasn’t that drunk. I knew exactly what I was doing last night. Every single moment of it.”
“But you never—” I swallow hard. “You didn’t let me touch you. You didn’t want to—”
“Oh, trust me, I want to.” His thumbs stroke over my cheekbones.
“Then why?” The question comes out as barely more than a whisper, my self-consciousness shining through.
His gaze softens. “It’s been a while for me,” he says. “And if it ever leads to that again, I don’t want there to be any regrets.”
I stare at him, speechless. This isn’t the gruff, emotionally unavailable Beau I’ve come to know. This is someone else entirely. Someone vulnerable and honest and so much more than I ever expected.
“So, we’re okay?” I ask, needing to be sure.
In answer, he leans down and kisses me, soft and sweet and full of promise. When he pulls back, there’s a smile playing on his lips. “You can take advantage of me anytime, sweetheart.”
I scoff, slapping him playfully on the arm. He laughs, pulling me against his chest. I can’t help the smile that spreads across my face. “I’ll remember that for next time,” I quip, then glance at the massive box beside us. “I suppose if we want breakfast, we should install this thing.”
His gaze darkens and he grips my ass as he kisses me. His lips are sure and firm against mine. He kneads my ass in his rough hands as his tongue delves into my mouth. Greedy and yearning. I melt into him.
