Page 65 of Make Your Shot
“For what?”
My fingers tighten on her hips. “That you’re mine.”
She slowly tilts her head to the side, her fingersthreading through the hair along the nape of my neck. Her lips part as if she’s going to say something, but the words dissolve on her tongue as Tella’s voice severs the moment.
“Mia! Am I allowed to try and clean his hooves?”
A slow smile pulls on her lips as she stares up at me. “Grab the hoof pick from the grooming box,” she tells my daughter as she drops her arms away from the back of my neck. “I’ll come help you.”
My fingers linger on her hips, pulling her back to me once more. “This isn’t over,” I murmur, my mouth claiming hers in a hasty kiss. “This is far from over,” I assure her, letting my hand fall away from her hip.
“I’ll reassure you later tonight,” she says with a wink before spinning around to head back into the wash stall.
My chest constricts as I watch her walk back over to my daughter, Tella greeting her with excitement. I walk to the wash stall and lean against the wall as I cross my ankles, pushing my hands into the front pockets of my pants. I savor the moment, my heart stumbling over itself as I watch the two of them together.
And as swiftly as a soft and gentle exhale, I let the realization wash over me, settling deep beneath my rib cage. Mia Landry has a hold on me. It tugs on my heart strings as I watch the tenderness she has with my daughter. My daughter, who looks at her as if she hung the sun and the moon and all the stars in the sky.
And perhaps she did . . .
Because I know my skies shine a little bit brighter with her in it.
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
MIA
Stripping down to nothing, I slowly slide open the glass shower door to stick my hand into the water to check the temperature. Caleb is getting Tella into bed and anticipation has been building in the pit of my stomach all evening after we were at the farm.
I hadn’t originally planned on spending the night, but since Caleb has an early morning skate tomorrow, it makes more sense to just stay here. Not to mention the promise Caleb made to finish whatever it was that we started at the farm earlier this afternoon.
As much as I want to initiate things and go to him, I know I can’t. I know that he needs to be the one who decides this is what he wants. Caleb’s still fighting something inside of himself and I won’t be the one who pushes him too far. I need him to be the one to tell me what it is that he wants or he needs.
He’s not fragile by any means, but I know he doesn’t trust anyone with his heart. And I’m not asking for it, even if he’s been slowly creeping into mine. My heartcrawls into my throat at the thought as I take a slow step into the shower and pull the glass door shut behind me.
Falling for Caleb Ford was not part of my plan. Hell, not falling for him was part of my plan. An emotionally unavailable man is the last thing I want. But falling for him was beyond my control. There was nothing I could do to stop it from happening and now here I am, hanging onto every single word he says to me like it’s a promise or a prayer.
The water pelts my body and I tilt my head back, letting the hot water rush down the length of my hair. I know I can’t get hung up on anything that happens between Caleb and me. It’s a recipe for disaster and I need to remind myself that to him, this is just sex.
There’s no way it could possibly be more to him.
Grabbing some shampoo, I work a lather into my hair, pushing the negative thoughts from my mind as I scrub my scalp and rinse it out. Whatever this is with Caleb, I knew what I signed up for the moment we kissed. I don’t regret that at all, even if I know my heart will be the one to suffer in the end.
I finish washing my hair, applying conditioner next before I grab my washcloth and work a lather into it with some body wash. I start to scrub myself, my mind drifting back to earlier in the day. The way Caleb looked at me, the way he pulled me aside and kissed me in the barn.
He’s been driving me insane and dare I say, I’m loving every minute of it. No one has touched me theway he does—with such a tenderness coupled with an intensity that has my toes curling.
Warmth spreads through me and as I run my washcloth between my legs, a tingling sensation breaks out through my body. A shiver trails down my spine, my nipples instantly hardening as I let my eyes fall shut, imaging Caleb when he was between my legs in the kitchen.
I slowly circle my fingers as the memory washes over me. He touched me like he was a skilled musician, like he was trying to figure out the exact keys he needed to hit to make my body play his melody. Like he wanted my pleasure to be his and only his.
There’s a soft knock on the bathroom door and for a moment, I think I’m hearing things. My body stills, my hand still between my legs as I look over at the door. My breath catches in my throat. I’m silent, waiting to see if I hear it again.
And then the knock sounds again, a little louder than the first time.
My heart stumbles over itself, knowing damn well that he can hear the shower running. Curiosity washes over me, my stomach doing a somersault. “Come in,” I call out to him, my voice hitching a touch higher than normal.
The door quietly opens and Caleb steps in. The fog that’s built in the shower creates a film on the glass, making it impossible to fully see him on the other side.
Tension hangs heavily in the air, so thick that it wraps itself around my body. A shiver trails down myspine as the outline of his body turns to face the shower and leans back against the counter.
