Read Online Beach House Beginnings by Christie Ridgway - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Christie Ridgway
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give him pause.
Maybe, she thought with a stab of guilt as they cleaned up the dinner dishes on his last night at the cove, that was because she also didn’t hesitate to let him kiss her, touch her, hug her whenever he wanted. And she kissed, touched and hugged him whenever she wanted, too. They were in the small kitchen of his rental, and their hips kept bumping and their shoulders kept rubbing as they moved about, putting everything to rights.
His warm palms circled either side of her waist as she dried her hands on a towel. Drawing her back against his chest, he whispered in her ear. “Are you too sore for sex? I’ve been giving you quite the workout.”
Heat flared over her face and then spread down her body. Between her thighs, she was tender, but the minute he talked to her in that rough-soft voice, she felt herself going soft there, and wet. Turning her head, she pressed her lips to his. “I wouldn’t want to deny either one of us on our last night together.”
He stilled a moment, then smiled and swept her along to the bedroom. There, he undressed her with a staggering gentleness that would make a more emotional woman weep. Next, he slid her under the cool sheets and before they’d even warmed up, he was beside her, his body a furnace, his mouth scalding the side of her neck, the fragile skin inside her hipbone, the drenched tissues between her legs. Except there was no pain in the burn, only the deepest, farthest-reaching pleasure.
When they’d both climaxed, he held her against him, her head in the hollow of his shoulder. This is it , she thought, closing her eyes against the stinging ache behind them. Tonight is our last.
“What’s a good evening for you next week?” Caleb asked, his fingers sifting through her hair. “I leave the office at five o’clock these days, which means I could make it to you by…what? 5:45? 6:00?”
Instead of being alarmed by the question, Meg realized she was…was…tempted.
Oh, God.
How he tempted her.
The realization was enough to goad her into sitting up. Clutching the sheet to her throat, she glared at him. “Caleb, I told you. Really, I was clear. I’ve been very clear. There’s no future—”
“Of course there is,” he said, in that calm, certain manner of his.
“There’s no reason—”
“There’s no reason why not.”
“I don’t do this,” Meg protested. “A…a relationship is not what I want.”
Caleb reached over and turned on the bedside light. “Because you’re afraid.”
She blinked against the sudden brightness. “Because I don’t believe in happy endings…only endings.”
Sitting up, too, Caleb took her free hand in his. “Sweetheart. Believe me—”
“Why should I?” Meg said, tugging even as his hold tightened. “Why should I believe this thing we have would turn out any better than what I had with Peter?”
Caleb stared into her eyes for a long minute. “For the simple—or maybe not so simple—reason that I already died, Meg. Three months ago, on the operating table, they lost me.”
Her skin went cold. “No.”
“Yes.” He brought their joined hands together and kissed the back of hers. “And when that happened, I had what I’ve been calling a dream, though perhaps ‘out of body experience’ is a better description.”
Meg wanted to move, but her muscles wouldn’t obey her commands. “Caleb…”
“And while I had this whatever-we-want-to-call it, several scenes played out before my eyes. I saw you here, Meg. This you, not the younger you, and I knew I needed to come here to the cove and be by your side. I saw us in the future as well, happy, together, a couple. In love.”
“No.” She yanked at her hand and then slid away from him, toward the edge of the mattress. “You’re not with me just because of some odd dream.”
“No, not just because of some dream,” he agreed. “The fact is, I’ve thought of you over the years. You might not have noticed me that summer, but I definitely
Maybe, she thought with a stab of guilt as they cleaned up the dinner dishes on his last night at the cove, that was because she also didn’t hesitate to let him kiss her, touch her, hug her whenever he wanted. And she kissed, touched and hugged him whenever she wanted, too. They were in the small kitchen of his rental, and their hips kept bumping and their shoulders kept rubbing as they moved about, putting everything to rights.
His warm palms circled either side of her waist as she dried her hands on a towel. Drawing her back against his chest, he whispered in her ear. “Are you too sore for sex? I’ve been giving you quite the workout.”
Heat flared over her face and then spread down her body. Between her thighs, she was tender, but the minute he talked to her in that rough-soft voice, she felt herself going soft there, and wet. Turning her head, she pressed her lips to his. “I wouldn’t want to deny either one of us on our last night together.”
He stilled a moment, then smiled and swept her along to the bedroom. There, he undressed her with a staggering gentleness that would make a more emotional woman weep. Next, he slid her under the cool sheets and before they’d even warmed up, he was beside her, his body a furnace, his mouth scalding the side of her neck, the fragile skin inside her hipbone, the drenched tissues between her legs. Except there was no pain in the burn, only the deepest, farthest-reaching pleasure.
When they’d both climaxed, he held her against him, her head in the hollow of his shoulder. This is it , she thought, closing her eyes against the stinging ache behind them. Tonight is our last.
“What’s a good evening for you next week?” Caleb asked, his fingers sifting through her hair. “I leave the office at five o’clock these days, which means I could make it to you by…what? 5:45? 6:00?”
Instead of being alarmed by the question, Meg realized she was…was…tempted.
Oh, God.
How he tempted her.
The realization was enough to goad her into sitting up. Clutching the sheet to her throat, she glared at him. “Caleb, I told you. Really, I was clear. I’ve been very clear. There’s no future—”
“Of course there is,” he said, in that calm, certain manner of his.
“There’s no reason—”
“There’s no reason why not.”
“I don’t do this,” Meg protested. “A…a relationship is not what I want.”
Caleb reached over and turned on the bedside light. “Because you’re afraid.”
She blinked against the sudden brightness. “Because I don’t believe in happy endings…only endings.”
Sitting up, too, Caleb took her free hand in his. “Sweetheart. Believe me—”
“Why should I?” Meg said, tugging even as his hold tightened. “Why should I believe this thing we have would turn out any better than what I had with Peter?”
Caleb stared into her eyes for a long minute. “For the simple—or maybe not so simple—reason that I already died, Meg. Three months ago, on the operating table, they lost me.”
Her skin went cold. “No.”
“Yes.” He brought their joined hands together and kissed the back of hers. “And when that happened, I had what I’ve been calling a dream, though perhaps ‘out of body experience’ is a better description.”
Meg wanted to move, but her muscles wouldn’t obey her commands. “Caleb…”
“And while I had this whatever-we-want-to-call it, several scenes played out before my eyes. I saw you here, Meg. This you, not the younger you, and I knew I needed to come here to the cove and be by your side. I saw us in the future as well, happy, together, a couple. In love.”
“No.” She yanked at her hand and then slid away from him, toward the edge of the mattress. “You’re not with me just because of some odd dream.”
“No, not just because of some dream,” he agreed. “The fact is, I’ve thought of you over the years. You might not have noticed me that summer, but I definitely
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