“Where’s the sharpie?” I ask, looking around her room.
“Why?” She eyes me skeptically.
“Just give me the sharpie, Murph.”
She rolls her eyes and opens the drawer of her nightstand. Then she tosses me the black marker. I take my hat off and remove the cap of the sharpie with my mouth before I write today’s date inside my hat. Then I put all the hats back on her dresser, in chronological order with the new one at the end.
She still looks embarrassed which I find incredibly sexy. “I get it,” I tell her. “Some chicks save receipts and movie tickets. You save hats.” I crawl on top of her on the bed. “But you’d better get a bigger apartment. Because you’re going to have a shitload of hats.”
Her face lights up with a smile right before I lean down to kiss her.
This kiss is better than any of the others. It’s better because I can feel her entire body underneath me. I can feel her chest rise and fall with each heavy breath she takes. I can feel her writhe and squirm under my weight. I can feel her arch her back and press herself to me in all the right places.
We make out like teenagers in a basement. We kiss until our lips become raw. And when I’m about to die if I don’t touch her, I ask if I can.
“Murphy … God, I want you so much. I know we’re waiting. And that’s okay. I’ll wait as long as you want. But, sweetheart, can I see you? Can I touch you?”
She stares up at me, her hair tousled and sexy. She nods. “Only if I can do the same to you.”
Holy shit. If my dick weren’t already standing at full mast, that would have done it. I get off her and sit up, grabbing my shirt and pulling it over my head. I’m turned away slightly, so she is getting her first view of my back.
She reaches up to touch my #27 tattoo on my right shoulder blade. “This is why you reach around and grab your shoulder before you go to bat, isn’t it?”
I crane my neck around and study her. “You noticed that?” It’s the one thing I’ve always done when I go up to bat. But no other woman has ever caught on. Maybe they weren’t paying enough attention.
“At first, I thought you had a sore shoulder or something. But then the more I saw you do it, the more I knew it had to be some kind of ritual.”
“I got it when I was eighteen.”
She traces the number with her fingertip, sending shivers down my spine. “And you’ll never change it, not even though you are number eight now. Because being number twenty-seven got you where you are today.”
Jesus. This woman.
I turn around and pin her to the bed. “Do you have any tattoos I should know about?”
“I guess you’ll have to look to find out.”
I eye her top and then her jeans. Then I look into her eyes again. She nods. “It’s okay. Go ahead.”
I straddle her as I unbutton her blouse, being careful to keep my weight on the bed. The opening of each button reveals more flesh I can’t wait to explore. When I’m finished with the last one, I move the blouse aside and admire her beautiful chest.
Her black lacy bra is almost transparent and I can see her stiff nipples and the outline of her areola. My hands come up her body, brushing against the sides of her ribs before I cup her breasts. She arches her back, pushing her chest further into my hands as she moans under my touch.
I run my hand lower across her stomach and play with the button on her jeans. “I won’t …” I say, my eyes pleading with her. “I just want to see you.”
“It’s fine,” she says, with a shaky breath. She nods to my pants. “Yours too.”
I release her button and move my hands to mine, figuring I should go first. But she brushes my hand away, undoing my pants herself. She looks up at me as she lowers them as far as they will go without me getting up.
I shift off her and remove them the rest of the way. My erection is straining against my boxer briefs and Murphy’s eyes widen as she takes me in. Her jaw goes slack and she stares unabashedly. It’s fucking erotic. It makes me want to stand here all day just so she can look at me.
But I want to see her more than I want her to stare at me, so I kneel next to her and remove her shoes before I peel the jeans off her body to reveal her matching lace panties.
I want so badly to know if this is what she normally wears or if she wore them in anticipation of me seeing them. And in this moment, I’m not sure which would please me more.
“My God, Murphy. You’re beautiful. I’m never calling you ‘old man’ again.”
I can’t stop looking at each soft curve, each tantalizing inch of her creamy skin. She’s pure perfection.
“You’re beautiful, too,” she says.
I chuckle. “Nobody has ever called me that.”
“Then they weren’t looking hard enough,” she says, smiling.
I climb over her and lean down to capture her smile with my mouth. Our bodies mash together, flesh on flesh, separated only by thin scraps of fabric. She moans again when I press my erection into her. I know she can feel how much I want her. Her rising hips reveal how much she wants me.
My lips blaze a trail down her neck, and I lick and suck and kiss my way to her breasts. I pull one of the cups of her bra down and my breath catches at the beauty of her. I taste her creamy white skin and then take her stiff peak into my mouth, sucking on it while she undulates and moans beneath me.
The friction between our lower halves is almost unbearable. I grind into her and she meets me with every thrust. We mimic the act that we’ve only consummated in my dreams.
I return my lips to hers and kiss her with such fierceness, such emotion, that I almost have to stop. Because this is more intense than anything I’ve ever felt. I want to make love to her. Of course I do. But if this right here is all she ever gave me, in some strange way, it feels like it would be enough.
“Caden …”
Her head whips around on the bed beneath her. I realize what this friction is doing to her and I reach out and grab one of her breasts, pinching and tugging on a nipple to help push her over the edge.
“Oh, God!” she shouts as I make sure to keep rubbing myself on the exact same spot over and over while I watch her face in complete awe as she experiences wave after wave of pleasure.
Her head falls back against the bed, her body languid and sated as she catches her breath. Me—I’m still reeling over witnessing one of the world’s greatest wonders.
She finally looks up at me in surprise. In embarrassment. “Sorry,” she says.
“Sorry?” I say. “That was one of the best moments of my life, Murphy Brown. I might just take back my hat, because this sure as hell is a day I never want to forget.”
She laughs. “Not a chance, Kessler. The hat is mine.”
I laugh with her. But what I really want to do is tell her how I feel. Because the woman lying under me owns more than just my hat. She owns every goddamn piece of me.
But I don’t tell her. Because this is our third date. And I have to be sure.
I have to be sure that when I wake up tomorrow, she’s still the owner of my heart, not just a short-term renter.
Chapter Thirty-six
Murphy
I finish giving Mom the tour of the gym and we head back to the office to get her suitcase. She flew in this afternoon and is staying for Thanksgiving. I tried my best to ignore Corey on the treadmill, but my mom saw him staring and mentioned what a nice young man he looked like and asked if I was dating anyone.
I froze. I didn’t know what to say. I’m not sure if I have a boyfriend or not. It’s been two days since I’ve seen Caden, not that it’s unusual for us to go that long, but other than a few casual texts he’s sent me, it’s been radio silence.
Is he pulling away? Letting me down easy?
It’s taken every ounce of my willpower not to text him and ask him about it. It’s not like I expected a proposal or anything the morning after our third date, but I expected … something. A text maybe about how much fun he had. An invitation to go on a f
ourth date perhaps.
I guess I’m just confused. And too stubborn to call him.
When we reach the office, Jayden hands my mother a drink voucher. “Mrs. Cavenaugh, would you mind terribly if I stole your daughter for fifteen minutes? You are free to wait in the gym’s café and have a drink on me.”
“Take as much time as you need,” my mom says, grabbing her small suitcase and leaving the office.
Jayden closes the door behind her and motions for me to take a seat.
“What’s up?” I ask her.
“Murphy, you have really done well for yourself here in such a short time. You fit in with everyone. You are great with the members. I’ve talked with the owners and we all agree you should get a promotion.”
I want to jump out of the chair and hug her. But that wouldn’t be very professional of me. I knew this might be coming. A few weeks ago, the front desk supervisor left for another job. When they didn’t fill the position right away, I was hopeful that maybe they would offer it to me. They have, after all, been giving me more responsibilities.
Instead of hugging her, I simply smile and keep my cool. “Jayden, thank you so much. I promise I won’t let you down. I’ll be the best front desk supervisor you’ve ever had.”
“Front desk supervisor? No. We’re giving that job to Gregory. We want you to be our new membership coordinator.”
“What?” I look at her sideways. “What about Stephanie?”
“Stephanie told us a few days ago that she wasn’t returning from maternity leave. At the time, we were about to offer you the supervisor position. But you’ve done so well learning all the membership duties it made our decision easy.”
“But I don’t even have a bachelor’s degree,” I say.
“Sometimes on-the-job training is even better than formal education. Plus, you took some business courses at that community college you went to.” She laughs. “Are you trying to talk me out of this?”
“No. Oh, my gosh, Jayden, I absolutely want the job. Thank you for having confidence in me.”
“Don’t you want to know what it pays before you accept?”
I shake my head. “I don’t care what it pays.”
She chuckles, pushing a folder across the desk at me. I open it to see the compensation package. My chin all but falls into my lap. The salary for the position comes out to almost double what I make per hour now. And it includes benefits such as medical, dental, and life insurance. All of that and I get three weeks paid vacation.
“You must be kidding.” I look back at the salary, barely able to contain my excitement.
She hands me a pen. “Sign it and you’ll get your first paid holiday on Thursday.”
My hand shakes as I sign the employment contract. “Thank you.”
“You earned it, Murphy. Now don’t keep your mom waiting. Go. Celebrate.”
I leave the office, ecstatic about this amazing opportunity. I leave knowing that even if Caden and I don’t work out, I have this. Because I won’t be defined by any man. And I refuse to be wrecked if he never calls. If I never get to kiss him or touch him. If I never get to be loved by him.
I turn the corner and run smack into Caden. I look up at him and eat my own words. Because I know I would be wrecked. This man—he wormed his way into my life, into my dreams, into my very soul. He has changed me in the short time I’ve known him. He has given me the opportunity for a new career. And I know with one-hundred-percent certainty I will never find another man like him.
He cages me against the wall in the hallway. He leans down, smells my hair and then whispers in my ear, “Do you have any idea how much I’ve missed you?”
My heart skips a thousand beats at his declaration. He still wants this. Still wants me. And I wonder how this day could get any better.
“No,” I say. “I don’t. Because I haven’t heard from you much. So I wasn’t sure until just now.”
He pulls away, looking guilty. “God, Murph. I’m sorry. I should have called you. Of course I’ve missed you. But my dad and Scott showed up yesterday morning and we’ve been doing all kinds of things. I love showing Scott around the city. I spent the whole day with him today while my dad was meeting with someone from the city planning department. Did you know they might move here? Could you imagine if my brother lived here in the city? Anyway, I just dropped Scott off at Lexi’s and I’m meeting my dad here to show him the gym.”
I hear him ramble on and realize just how excited he is about spending time with his brother. His dad even. There is no way I can be mad at him for not contacting me when something so monumental is happening for him. He had the best reason for not calling me. His family. I can’t be anything but happy for him.
He leans in to kiss me. “And now I get to introduce him to my girlfriend.”
My eyes snap to his. “Are you sure you’re ready for that?” I ask, cautiously.
“I don’t know. Do you trust me?”
“Absolutely,” I say without a hint of doubt in my answer. I think I’ve trusted him since that very first day in the hospital. My heart knew it all along. I guess my head just needed more reassurance.
“Then I’m sure,” he says, taking my hand in his and bringing it up to his lips to kiss it.
I smile at him. He smiles at me. Then he reaches up and touches his head. “Shit, I wish I were wearing a hat. This moment definitely deserves a hat.”
“What does, your being off the market? Maybe they’ll make today a national holiday.”
He laughs with me and then leans close. “November 19th,” he says. “It will always be the day you officially became my girlfriend. I’m bringing you a hat later, Sweet Caroline. No arguing.”
“Okay, but just so you know, my mother came to town this afternoon and she’ll be staying with me for a few days.”
“Damn it, I forgot about that,” he says. Then he looks guilty. “I mean, I’m glad your mom is here, and I’d love to meet her, but now it looks like several more days of cold showers for me.”
I giggle. “It’s only been two days, Caden. I think you’ll survive.”
He shakes his head. “I’ve been taking cold showers longer than two days, Murph.” He eyes me seductively. “A hell of a lot longer.”
I want nothing more than to crawl into his arms and lose myself in him. But my mom is waiting. I haven’t seen her for almost eight months and we have a lot of catching up to do.
I grab his hand. Because I can. Because I’m his girlfriend now and that is what girlfriends do. “Come on, my mom has been waiting for me forever in the café. Now I can tell you both my good news.”
“She’s here? And what news could possibly be better than you and I becoming an official couple?” he jokes.
We walk to the entrance of the café. I point to the corner booth. “There she is. And she’s talking to some strange man. I’ll bet she’s trying to sell him a river cruise in Paris or something. I swear that woman never stops working.”
Caden turns to look at me. “That’s not some strange man, Murph. That’s my father.”
“Seriously?” I cover my laughter so they don’t hear us.
I watch them interacting for a beat and then I pull Caden backwards around the other side of the wall. “Oh, my God, Caden. My mom is flirting with your dad.”
He cranes his neck around the wall and stares. “How can you tell?”
“Didn’t you see the way she touched his arm when she laughed? She’s definitely flirting. I’ve never seen her flirt with a man, Caden. Not since my dad died.”
He looks at them again. “He’s smiling, Murph. I know I’ve only just begun to know him, but I haven’t seen him smile like that. He’s smiling at her the same way I smile at you.”
I look at my watch. “I was only gone for twenty minutes.”
He shrugs a provocative shoulder. “I guess when you know, you know.” His eyes burn into mine.
How can I argue with that?
“So, do we go over there or what?” I ask.
He sighs and rubs a hand down my arm. “Murphy, what would happen if someone wanted to date your mother? I know how close you were with your dad.”
I study him as his words sink in. I’d never even considered it because she’s never shown any interest in dating after my dad died. “Well, I don’t know. I guess it would be okay. I mean it has been eleven years. I can’t expect her to never be with another man.” I peek around the corner. “But what do we know about him? Is he a good man, Caden? You hated him.”
He laughs. “Wasn’t it you who told me that everyone deserves a second chance? From what Ethan was able to dig up, he’s been nothing but a perfect citizen since his release from prison twenty years ago. And we’ve been talking a lot. I think he’s … I think he’s a nice guy, Murph.”
“Okay. So introduce me.”
“I’m glad to hear you say that.” He grabs my hand and pulls me along. “Because Lexi told me earlier that you and your mom are invited for Thanksgiving dinner, so things are about to become very interesting.”
Chapter Thirty-seven
Caden
Watching my dad interact with Murphy’s mom is surreal. They are both in their fifties but they’re acting like a couple of love-sick teenagers. Nobody seems to care, however, and I think Lexi is encouraging it, because every time Irene asks to help with the cooking, Lexi claims she’s got it all under control.
Murphy takes a break from helping Lexi and sits on the armrest of my chair. She leans over and whispers in my ear. “Do you know that yesterday, she asked me to ask you if your dad said anything about her?”
I laugh and smile, looking over at them. “It makes sense, you know? They both lost someone.”
“Yeah, but why now?” Murphy asks. “My dad has been gone for eleven years, Caden.”
“I don’t know, babe. God works in mysterious ways.”
Her face breaks into a slow grin at my use of the endearment. I pull her down onto my lap and kiss her forehead.
“You two are adorable, you know that, don’t you?” Mallory says.
Catching Caden (The Perfect Game Series) Page 19
