Please, I prayed, don’t let this turn into another nightmare.
I awoke sometime later to find that Kale’s bedroom was still filled with light from the outside, indicating not much of the day had passed, which felt weird to me, because I felt as if I’d slept for a day, that was how rested I was. I was careful not to wake Kale as I adjusted my body against his.
I lay watching him sleep for an hour or more, memorising every inch of him. I could have stayed and watched him forever, but when my stomach rumbled, I silently slipped out of Kale’s bed and pulled on his plain white T-shirt, smiling when it fell to my mid-thigh.
I tiptoed out of his room, down the hall and made a stop into a room I discovered to be the bathroom. I cleaned myself up and went into the kitchen and put the kettle on, helping myself to the contents of his fridge. I set out making us sandwiches. I knew he would be hungry when he woke up, and I wanted to do something nice for him, so feeding him was my chosen deed.
“Lane!”
I jumped at Kale’s roar and dropped the knife I’d used to cut our sandwiches in half. Then I automatically ran for his room when I heard a loud bang. I bolted into the hallway and ran for his bedroom door, reaching for the handle, but the door was pulled open before I got a chance to open it, and I ran straight into Kale’s bare chest.
“What?” I asked, panicked. “What is it?”
Kale sucked in a breath and placed his hands on either side of my face, pressing his forehead to mine. “You were gone,” he said, panicked. “I woke up and you were gone. I thought . . . I thought—”
“Shhh, sweetheart,” I soothed, and wrapped my arms around his body.
I knew exactly what he thought; he thought I’d run away from him again.
“I’m here, Kale,” I breathed, and kissed his chest. “I’m never going to leave you, I promise.”
He hugged me so tightly I thought I might pass out. He released me after a minute, then held me out and his eyes scanned my body, before pulling me back into him, moulding my body against his.
“I feel like there is a monster in me, muttering in my ear that this isn’t real.”
I rubbed my hands up and down his back. “We all have monsters telling us lies that we can’t have what’s right in front of us. Mine told me the same thing about you, but for now, our monsters seem to get along.”
He kissed the crown of my head. “It appears so.”
I hugged him. “I was hungry, and I figured you would be too when you woke up, so I was making us sandwiches.”
He exhaled. “I’m sorry, darling. I just reacted when I didn’t find you next to me.”
My stomach burst with butterflies.
I leaned back and smiled up at him. “I’ll get right back into your bed next to you as soon as we eat.”
“Sounds good to me,” he said, lips curved upwards.
He kissed my nose, turned my body away from him, then slapped my behind, forcing me into a walk. I yelped, and Kale laughed.
“My clothes look good on you,” he murmured as I walked in front of him and took the turn into the kitchen.
I chuckled. “You’re just saying that because I’ve nothing underneath it.”
Arms came around my waist as I continued to prepare our sandwiches, and through the material of Kale’s T-shirt, he palmed my breasts, causing me to moan as my nipples hardened.
“You won’t wear anything else when you’re here,” he murmured in my ear. “That’s my condition.”
I snorted. “Does everyone have a condition for me to abide by around here?”
Kale laughed and kissed the back of my head, lowering his hands to my hips. “It looks that way.”
I leaned my head back against his chest and smiled. “Luckily, these conditions are something I can tolerate.”
Kale’s chuckle was a low rumble that caused his chest to vibrate. A comfortable silence fell between us as we ate our sandwiches and leaned against the kitchen counter, Kale holding me with one arm and his sandwich with the other.
“Do you feel like we’ve said everything that needs to be said?” I questioned when we finished eating.
Kale shook his head as he sat at the kitchen table. “You explained to me why you did what you did, and while I’m not happy over it, I understand it. I know you need me to explain my part in all this, but first I want you to hear something that I truly mean from the bottom of my heart.”
I licked my lips. “Okay.”
“Laney Baby,” he whispered as I sat on his lap and put my arms around his neck, “I’ve never said this to you while sober, but I am in love with you. I have been for a very long time, and I’m sorry for not telling you sooner.”