Page 73 of Hot Response
“Poor guy. Do you want me to make you breakfast?”
“You’re not working?”
“No, we switched things up to accommodate a few sick days across the shifts, so I’m off today.”
“I was going to soak in the tub, too.”
She didn’t blame him. Soaking in that tub was heaven, and the only thing missing when she did it was Gavin. “Is that a refusal or an invitation?”
“Oh, it’s an invitation. Or more like a desperate plea worded badly.”
“I’ll be there in a little bit, then.”
“My day’s looking better already.”
She was smiling when she hung up. It had been a week since the fire, and Gavin was mostly himself again. She still caught glimpses every once in a while of his sadness and guilt, but she probably would for a while. At least he was laughing again and he’d sounded okay before his shift started yesterday. Going in Tuesday had been tough, and she’d had to resist the urge to call him periodically throughout the day.
But he was enjoying life again, and that’s all that mattered to her.
I love you, Cait.
She was very sure Gavin didn’t remember saying those words, or that he’d said them in his sleep. And he didn’t remember her whispering “I love you, too” back to him.
But Cait remembered, and everything had changed. Now when Gavin looked at her, she knew he loved her and she knew she loved him. There were no hypotheticals anymore. Unless it all went horribly wrong somehow, he was going to be the man she shared her life with.
But first they had to do theI love youthing while fully awake and lucid.
And two hours later, when they were naked and up to their shoulders in hot water and scented bubbles—because she liked them and he assured her he was man enough to handle smelling like fruit—she had to admit it was a very nice life. No matter how much time they spent together, even fully clothed, she never got tired of him.
“I love your tub,” she said. “I think it’s ruined regular bathtubs for me forever. I just settle for showers at home now.”
Gavin blew at the bubbles over her shoulder, which never failed to make her laugh. He always tried to blow the bubbles away from her breasts so he could see her nipples, even though it never worked.
“You know,” he said, and then paused to kiss the side of her neck. “This could beyourbathtub, too.”
She didn’t catch his meaning for a few seconds, but when the words sank in, she stilled. Or maybe she wasn’t catching his meaning. He couldn’t be asking her to move in with him already. It was too soon.
Sure, she spent as much time with him as she could. And she’d spent the night a few times. Rushing to get home in time to get ready for work was tough on the rare nights she fell asleep in his bed on a work night, and she’d been thinking about the possibility of leaving a few things at his place. Not a lot. Some toiletries, underwear and a uniform, probably.
But moving in with him? That was a big step.
“It makes me nervous when you don’t talk,” he said, and he tried to be teasing, but she could hear the nerves.
“I’m just trying to wrap my head around what you’re talking about.”
“I’m talking about you moving in with me.”
“It’s a big step.” She wished they weren’t having this conversation in the tub, with his naked body cradling hers and his breath tickling the wisps of hair that had escaped from the messy knot on top of her head.
She wanted to see his face. And she wanted to be able to move and think clearly. Her current state of languid relaxation wasn’t ideal for making a huge life decision.
“I know it’s a big step,” he agreed. “But I like waking up with you. I like sharing my day and making meals together and I want to come home to you instead of calling you. Not that I don’t like talking to you on the phone, but I like talking to you like this a whole lot better.”
She did, too, but there was so much to consider. And not only her mom and Carter, though Gavin would probably assume they were first and foremost in her thoughts.
Living together changed a relationship, and she liked what they had right now. Maybe it was selfish, but she liked her time with Gavin being free of things like bills and arguing over big purchases and a million tiny aggravations that added up. Other than a stroll through the mall on a rainy day, they hadn’t even shopped together.
You didn’t just move in with somebody you hadn’t even gone grocery shopping with.
