Page 59 of Make Your Shot
“I hate to ruin your fun, but I need to get back to your house. I overslept and should have left like two hours ago.”
“We’ll be right out.” Finding my dress in a pile on the floor, I pull it on in a haste. When I look at Caleb, he’s still lying on the bed, his body stretched out, hands tucked beneath his head as he watches me. He’s clearly not in a rush. “Get up. You’re our ride home.”
A lazy grin pulls across his lips as he rolls out of bed and stands up. “I should probably change,” he chuckles, glancing down at the glaringly obvious wet spot on his pants.
“Yeah, probably,” I say, trying to hold in my laugh, a smile cracking across my face.
Caleb walks over to his dresser to grab a new pair of underwear and shorts. He looks back at me, his eyes shimmering from the sunlight coming through the window. I like seeing him like this—like he’s actually happy.
“I’ll meet you downstairs?”
“I’ll be right behind you, pup,” he says with a wink before disappearing into the bathroom. I linger for a moment, taking a deep breath. We really just did that. I smile at the bathroom door, imagining him half naked behind it, then force myself to leave his room.
And already, I know, it’s far too late for my heart.
Because somehow, it belongs to him now.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
MIA
The water bubbles around me, pushing up over my shoulders as I sink deeper into my seat. The jets hit all the right spots in my back and it feels amazing. Tilting my head back, my eyelids fall shut as I soak up the heat. Tella went to bed earlier this evening and now I’m just waiting for Caleb to get home from his game.
It’s my first time using the hot tub and now I’m wondering why the hell I haven’t used it sooner. This is the only option now that he closed his pool last week since the weather is getting cooler.
Lifting my arms, I extend them along the outside of the hot tub and let my head fall back as I let the water sooth my muscles. Soft music plays from my phone that I left sitting on the table nearby. I slowly open my eyes and look up at the stars sparkling in the sky above.
It’s a cool fall night and there isn’t a single cloud in the sky. The visibility is great and if I wait long enough, I might get the chance to see a star falling.
“There you are."
His hoarse voice sends a shiver down my spine. Removing my arms from the sides of the tub, I turn in my seat to watch Caleb walk over to the hot tub. He stops when he reaches the side, his gaze crashing into mine.
“I was looking for you.”
“I hope you don’t mind,” I say, staring up at him through my lashes.
His throat bobs and his nostrils widen as his gaze travels down across my chest. The water dances just above the top of my bikini. “I don’t mind at all.”
“Are you going to come in?”
His eyes drift back to my face, slowly searching my eyes as he reaches for the bottom hem of his shirt. He lifts his sweatshirt and T-shirt over his head and tosses them onto the chair behind him. “I already planned on it when I saw you from the window.” He runs his fingers along the waistband of his black swim shorts that I didn’t notice he was wearing until now.
He walks up the steps and reaches the edge of the hot tub. I can’t help myself as my eyes begin to wander, traveling over the flexing muscles in his torso. As he bends his knee, his swim shorts hike up farther and I see the black ink etched into his thigh.
I lift up, trying to get a better look to study the art he has tattooed on his skin. It’s Tella’s birthday.
“I’ve been wondering what your tattoo was after I first caught a glimpse of it,” I admit, my voice hoarse as I watch him lower himself beneath the surface of the water.
He settles back into the seat next to me, his thigh brushing against mine under the water. My breath catches in my throat and his eyes find mine, the corners of his mouth twitching. “You saw it before?”
“I noticed it when you were jumping into the pool,” I say, my voice sounding breathless as his body shifts, his thigh pressing harder against mine.
“Hmm,” he murmurs softly as his fingers dance through the water, dipping them below the surface before poking them back through. He slowly turns to face me, resting his right arm against the edge of the tub as he leans forward to tuck my hair behind my ear. “Do you have any tattoos?”
I suck in a sharp breath at the contact, a shiver trailing down my spine again. “I don’t.”
“That’s okay.” He trails his fingers along my jawline and down the side of my neck. “I like you with or without tattoos.”
