Part 12 (1/2)

”I'm okay with you being selfish if it leads you back to my bed.”

She snickers and bites down on her lip. ”That depends on how good you can cook a steak.”

Chapter 16.

Callie There's one thing I can't stand. It's when people make decisions for me, because they think they know what's best.

Cob made the same mistake, but I was quick to correct him.

After showing up at his house just to rea.s.sure myself that he wasn't lying, I've discovered a bigger problem. Cob's current a.s.signment threatens the Mitch.e.l.l ranch, and I'm not sure he can do anything to prevent the inevitable from happening. My uncle is a popular man in his town. He donates to community organizations, has friends within the government, and shares his faith at his local church. He's a powerful man, though I doubt he's ever had to deal with something this threatening to his family.

In a lot of ways Cob is right. He has thousands of acres of land, some he's only acquired in recent years, but that doesn't change the fact that he's worked his a.s.s off to ensure his family is taken care of for years to come. The fact that people are coming in and threatening to take some of that away has to be difficult.

I now understand what he and Noah had been arguing about when I first arrived. It's better if I stay out of it and go about my life. Cob is the first guy to make me feel wanted. I'm not about to give that up because of his occupation.

We sit at his small kitchen table eating steaks and corn. After we've finished we remain and spend several hours talking about life and our past. I learn more about his family, and even some interesting facts about how to run a hotel. He tells me about college experiences, some of which I'm shocked he admits to. We laugh a lot, and when we start to tire he insists on leaving the dishes until morning.

I suspect Cob wants to take me to bed like the previous night, but instead leads me into the living room where we cuddle up together and watch a movie. He holds my hand and keeps me close, every once in a while taking a break from the screen to kiss me. I can feel my eyes getting heavy, but fight to remain awake. It's been a rough evening, and stress has left me undeniably exhausted, not to mention the night before where we stayed up half the night having s.e.x.

Before I know it I awake in the arms of Cob. He's carrying me to his bed and placing me gently down on his soft mattress. He brings his lips down and presses them over mine. ”Get some rest.”

”I'm sorry,” I offer.

”Don't be. I'm about to join you. Wake me up later if you get an itch that you can't scratch alone. I'll be sure to take care of it for you.”

I manage a smile before everything goes black.

It's still dark when I open my eyes and realize where I am and who is next to me. Instead of dwelling on our little disagreement, I choose to nestle my body over his and appreciate that we're becoming closer.

I suppose some would say I'm doing this because I'm desperate to have even a hint of what my sister does. Maybe they're right. I do envy her life, but my interest in Cob has changed. Two days ago I would have said he was an a.s.shole I hoped I'd never see again. Now I'm fighting to keep dating him, because he makes me forget that I've left home. I'm comfortable with him, and it scares me, because I know I'll let my guard down and fall victim to my inability to move slow.

I have a terrible track record with men, albeit Cob has the same with women. Maybe we're doomed to fail. Maybe this is just a temporary fix we both need to get through a tough part of our life. He can be my anchor, while I provide him with the company he longs to have. Whatever the case, I feel I'm where I want to be.

I make the decision to pretend I don't know about the proposed road. It's better if I keep my distance from my uncle's business and focus on my new life, including a blooming relations.h.i.+p with Cob.

We have s.e.x in the middle of the night. Cob takes his time, as if he isn't tired at all. He makes it a point to use protection, and falls back asleep soon after we've finished. Since I'm not used to spending the night with a man, I find it soothing to hear his light snoring. For a while I lay and listen, wondering if my mother finds the same comfort. Does she miss it when he's not in bed with her? Is it something she's gotten used to with time?

Thinking about her makes me feel guilty. She's worried about me, and it's not fair. She doesn't deserve to hurt. I know most children are expected to leave once they turn adults, but I've never felt like they wanted me to. Even my dad seemed distant after I announced I'd be moving away.

Silent tears begin to fall down my cheeks. It's been a couple of days and I'm already homesick. I'm afraid I'm not making good choices already.

My sniffling awakens Cob. He sits up and turns on the lamp next to his bed. ”Callie, you all right?”

I wipe my eyes to prevent him from seeing the tears I really won't be able to hide. ”Yeah, just having a moment.”

”Of regret?”

”No. It's not about you.”

”Earlier when you told me about your sister and how you made the decision to leave, I gathered you were still upset. Are you homesick?”

I nod. ”It's crazy. I used to come here to Kentucky in the summers for weeks at a time and never thought about going home. What's wrong with me?”

”You know this isn't a visit. Before you knew you could go home, that you would eventually go there. It's different now. You've made a decision to move here permanently. Those feelings could pa.s.s with time. I know I hated when I first moved away. I wanted to be strong, but it sucked. I started partying, just so I wouldn't miss them. I slept with random chicks, because the idea of being alone was terrifying. Don't get me wrong. I enjoyed every minute of it, but it wasn't a wise choice.”

I appreciate that he's trying to comfort me, so I manage a smile. ”I didn't mean to wake you.”

He strokes my hair. ”It's fine. It's nice to be reminded that you showed up on my door tonight demanding an explanation, that led us back to this bed.”

I rest my head against his chest and cry like a baby, and not once does he try to push me away. We're still unfamiliar, yet I feel close to him. Our undeniable connection allows me to open up to him; to feel comfortable confessing my worries. He's giving me more reason to want to be near him, and I wonder if it's some kind of desperate plea for me to reevaluate my current predicament.

Cob rubs my back until I'm able to calm down. He places soft kisses on my forehead and waits until I'm collected to speak to me. ”You're going to be okay.”

”I hope you're right.”

”Date me.”

I giggle. ”What?”

”Date me. Be my girlfriend. Spend time with me.”

”Isn't that what we're doing?”

He smiles. ”Yeah, but let's do this the right way instead of a.s.sbackwards. It's been a while since I asked this of anyone. I don't even know if this is what the cool kids are calling it these days, but I'd like to date you.”

”You understand that would require us to go places other than your house. We'd have to be seen in public together, and you'd be taking the chance of my family discovering who I'm involved with.”

He rubs the leftover tears from my cheeks. ”I don't want to see you cry anymore, Callie.”

”If I agree to date you, what will it entail?”

”We'll be exclusive for starters. I know that's important to you.”

”Well, yeah. I'm not into multiple partners.”

He clicks his fingers. ”d.a.m.n, I was hoping for an orgy or at the least a threesome.”

I shove him playfully. ”Shut up. You were not.”

”Okay, I wasn't. Been there, done that. It was fun.”

”Let me make this perfectly clear. There are certain things about your past that I may never want to know.”

He's cackling. ”Good point.”