by Shelly Crane
We went to get dressed to go to my dad’s, to tell him the good news and see him before we left for London in the morning. We passed Kyle and Lynne on the way in the kitchen as they stepped down from the stairs.
“Hey, guys,” Caleb said and smiled. “Did you sleep ok?” Lynne blushed and smiled into Kyle’s arm. Kyle laughed and that made Caleb laugh too, “I didn’t mean that,” he insisted.
“Yeah, we slept great,” Kyle told him. “In fact, it was the best sleep I think I’ve ever had in my long life. I didn’t wake up once.”
Caleb looked at me and smiled.
“I know.” He turned back to Kyle. “So…Maggie and I are getting married.”
Lynne gasped and her eyes immediately went to my ring finger and she frowned. Kyle’s eyes were huge but when he looked at me, there was only the love of family and friends. It was true. The significant replaced everything else before them. So they were telling the truth. If an Ace who was married imprinted with someone else, he wouldn’t be able to stop his feelings.
Kyle was elated and smiled. He moved forward to hug me and he kissed my cheek. I pulled back to see his face and he was smiling, then he sobered a bit.
I’m sorry about everything that happened in California. I was out of line. It’s kind of funny really, that the same day I confessed all that to you and told you I was going to let you be that we find the girl I was going to imprint with.
“I don’t think so. I think it all happened for a reason and purpose.”
He nodded and seemed to understand.
Destiny is a meddlesome wench isn’t she?
I laughed and nodded.
“I guess.”
“You can’t outrun destiny,” he chimed in a sarcastic rhythm.
“So I’ve heard,” I said dryly.
He laughed and went back to lace his fingers with Lynne. She looked at me and smiled.
“Congratulations.”
“You too. I told you, didn’t I?”
“You did,” she agreed with a grin that wouldn’t stop.
“Alright, well, we’re going to go tell Maggie’s father.” Kyle came forward to inspect Caleb’s face closely. “Dude, what are you doing?”
“Just memorizing your pretty face before it gets all mangled.”
Caleb laughed and shoved Kyle who laughed too.
“Shut up, man.”
“Hey, it’s not Jim I’m worried about. You think Bish is going to be thrilled about this?”
Caleb shrugged.
“I guess we’ll find out.”
He took me up the stairs and as we made our way we heard Kyle making a trumpet with his lips and playing Taps. Caleb shook his head and yelled down to him.
“Shut up, man!”
We heard Kyle laughing as we turned the corner to our room.
~ Twenty Seven ~
Where else could we go for breakfast but the 25 Hour Skillet? The memory of Caleb coming here the first time played again in my mind. I giggled on the back of the bike as Caleb took off my helmet.
“I hope your old boss keeps the cleaver to himself today,” he muttered.
I laughed again as I pulled him with me through the revolving door and heard it chime. It was so familiar and felt like I hadn’t been there in months. I saw Smarty come around the corner, her pencil on her ear, and she didn’t even look up.
“Two of ya, doll?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Ok, follow- Maggie!” she yelled and hugged me tightly. “Oh, honey,” she touched my hair, “your hair is to die for! So chic.”
“Thanks.” I pulled back some. “You remember Caleb?”
“Of course. You don’t forget a face like that easily.”
He thought she was going to shake his hand but instead she pulled him into a hug. Her mind reeled as she felt his arms and how lumpy and rugged his was. Big John was lumpy but for other reasons and she was remembering how he used to be. She leaned back and smiled just as I heard my name brusquely behind me.
I turned to see Big John wiping greasy hands on his already disgusting apron.
“Sweat Pea, you get your butt over here and give me a hug right this second.”
He slammed into me, making breathing a request instead of a given, squeezing the life out of me.
“Big John,” I rasped. “It’s ok.”
“It’s not ok. You were kidnapped. It was on the news! And then not a word from you and you just show up in the diner? What happened?” he yelled, causing some of the customers to look our way. “Is it him?” He looked at Caleb and then back to me. “Is he got you mixed up in something?”
“BJ,” I said softly. “No. I’m ok. It was all…that person that I told you about that was stalking me. He took me. But Caleb found me and brought me back. He’s been watching out for me.”
BJ looked at him but didn’t say anything. When he looked back to me, he sighed ruggedly.
“How’s your dad taking all this?”
“Better than I expected,” I said truthfully. “Bish came home. He moved back in. We’re fine, I promise. You don’t have to worry.”
“Ok. You still going to school?”
“Yep. Planning to.”
“You keep in touch,” he ordered. “And you do what you set out to do, you hear me? You be the person I know you can be and don’t let them ruin you with their crazy ideas and persuasion. You stay true to who you are and make sure you come back and see me now.”
I rolled my eyes good naturedly and smiled tolerantly at him.
“Of course. You’re worse than my dad.”
“Well, somebody has to look out for you.”
“Problem solved,” I said and pulled Caleb’s arm, as he was studiously giving Big John a wide berth, to stand beside me. “You remember Caleb?”
“Of course I remember,” he sang and crossed his arms. “Bike boy.”
“Nice to see you, sir, minus the cleaver, of course,” Caleb said with a smile and I smashed my lips together but couldn’t keep in the giggle.
Neither could Smarty as we both broke out into laughter. Caleb even chuckled but BJ remained stoic and eventually walked back to the grill with a smirk.
“Follow me, hunky,” Smarty said through a giggle. “I’ll get ya’ll a table.”
“Yes, ma’am,” he said, always the respectful gentleman.
He let me pull him as we followed her and sat across from each other. We told her to bring us both coffee and she ran off to get it.
“So, what are you getting?” I asked.
“Why don’t you order for me,” he suggested and leaned back in his seat relaxed. “You let me order barbeque for you.”
“Ok,” I said carefully. “What about-”
“Nuhuh,” he stopped me with a smile. The smile that turned my stomach to pudding. “Just order it. I’ll eat it, I promise. You know me well enough to order my breakfast.”
I hoped so, so when Smarty came back I ordered us both a bacon and cheese omelet- extra bacon. Caleb grinned and nodded as I ordered. Once she left I moved to his side of the table. We just got engaged for goodness sake and I didn’t want to be away from him, even across the table.
“I agree,” he said and sighed as we leaned back against the booth. He leaned his head back as his arm came around me. He seemed pretty happy and relaxed even though we were about to tell my dad that we were getting married. “I’m not worried,” he said in response to my thoughts. “Your dad likes me. He knows I’ll take care of you.”
“You’re awfully cocky,” I said playfully looking at him. “What makes you think he won’t freak? He is my father and I’m his only little girl.”
“Betcha five bucks.”
“Deal,” I said with a laugh. “He is gonna freak and I’ll take your money and buy a honey bun with a diet cream soda and I won’t share with you,” I sang.
“You’re going to be singing a different tune in a little while. I hope you’re not too full on omelet to eat crow.”
I laughed and leaned again
st him. I hoped he was right. I didn’t want to disappoint Dad or fight with him. I just wanted to be with Caleb and everyone be happy. Who cared if I was being a little fairy tale naïve about it. A girl could dream couldn’t she?
We ate our omelets and after hugging everyone and promising to come back soon, we took off and made the ridiculously short ride on Caleb’s bike to Dad’s house.
Caleb parked the bike in the garage because it looked like it might rain and we went in but Dad nor Bish was there. I decided to grab a few things from my room for the trip the next day. I was going through my closet, looking at dresses and clothes to take to London when I felt Caleb’s hands on my waist.
I turned to him and looked in his blue eyes. The dresses fell to the floor from my fingertips. He was sucking his lip in and out and thinking about what I’d look like in a red dress on our wedding day.
“Did you find what you were looking for?” he asked and looked at the dresses on the floor.
“Yes,” I whispered. I reached up and put my arms around his neck, bringing him down to kiss me.
He made a little surprised noise but my mind was wide open and he knew exactly what I was doing. I reached one arm to the side to my door and turned the lock. His eyes popped open and he stared at me, his breathing heavy and loud.
I want this, you know that. You’re not just doing this because of the engagement are you?
No, but who cares if I am?
I pushed his chest so he’d go backwards toward the bed.
I do. I want you to do it because you want to, not just because you know I do. I want you to want it as much as me.
I am and I do.
His legs stopped at the mattress side.
You have no idea how much I need to do this with you right now.
I have a pretty good idea. I thought and giggled.
I’m not just talking about that. My body is twitching on the inside. My blood is about to boil out of my skin with the demand to consume you. When you look at me like that…it’s like kerosene on a fire. You have no idea what you do to me.
I felt a pull in my chest, an ache so good, and I knew it was the exact match to Caleb’s. It was my body saying finish this, do this, be together, be consumed and do the consuming, feel everything there is to feel between each other, know everything, learn everything, take our time, create a frenzy and focus on nothing but our significant.
Caleb put his palm on the middle of my chest.
Your heart beat is my favorite thing to listen to. When you look at me and your heart rate jumps… He smiled. “It’s the best feeling in the world to know that I’m in the heart of the most important person to me and the proof of that is literally right under my fingertips.”
I licked my lips as I fought for breath, my chest rising and falling dramatically under his hand. He placed a warm palm on my cheek and I turned my face to kiss it. His heart beat made its way into my chest and it was just as erratic as mine, in a good way.
He continued to caress my jaw and cheek, letting the pad of his thumb swipe my lips. I closed my eyes and let it all wash over me. The way I felt, the way he felt and the way he was everything in every way. I was no longer one person; I was a half to make a whole. And my other half was making me feel scorched and jagged on the edges.
Don’t be scared of this. I won’t hurt you.
I know that without a doubt.
Jagged on the edges doesn’t sound so good.
Oh, it’s good.
I pushed him to sit on the bed and turned the light off with a flick of my fingers and my over stimulated mind. Even though we were mostly in the dark, it was like I could see him. I could sense him and knew exactly where to put my hands to touch his arms, his neck, his lips. Without any bumbling or error I found his mouth and pushed him down to the bed.
His breaths seethed between us and his hands found my waist in a second. He let me have control for a moment. He let me feel the rush of commanding and dictating someone who was utterly at your mercy. Someone who would do anything you wanted.
But I found myself under him without even realizing I’d been put there. He repeated his earlier actions and brought his hands down to grasp my wrists, placing them over my head and pressing them to the mattress. His mouth continued on mine with a sweetness that reassured and made me feel more than loved before he eventually settled his forehead to mine. I felt him press into my mind, no longer asking permission but taking what was rightfully his; all of me. I opened my mind as far as it would go. He didn’t have to press, I’d give it to him.
His protective barrier was ever strong and at attention. As I passed everything that made up him, his love, his adoration, his need for my happiness, I saw things I’d never seen before and began to feel the melding of our minds taking place as the energy ribbons came in full force.
I saw him with Vic at a party, just wanting to go home more than anything. I saw him and Kyle talking about me after we’d imprinted, Caleb asking all sorts of questions and Kyle rolling his eyes.
I felt Caleb’s skin as if it was my own just like before. It felt like I was looking down at myself and feeling the opposite touch and then I was me again, wading in a sea of everything Caleb.
He moved one of his hands in his mind to my leg and then back up my side. I moved mine in my mind to grasp in his hair.
Then I saw Caleb the day Maria was born, the look on his face of pure wonder as he looked at the baby in his hands. I wanted to see that look on his face again…one day. I felt a zing go through my entire body, a strange hot and cold that jolted from one side to the other before I even had a chance to realize it. I felt Caleb’s surprised breath on my face and knew he was feeling the same.
I saw us together, bits and pieces and jumbles of us kissing, him watching me when I wasn’t looking, him catching me watching him, him feeling my heart beat for no reason at all except that I loved him.
I made my leg move against his side in my mind and felt him retaliate with a hand in his mind to my cheek and jaw and it rubbed a caress that made me shiver.
I felt another zing and felt every inch of my skin burn and tingle. I gasped at the pleasure of it. It burned me in places I never thought about and even my eyelids felt super sensitive and super alive. Caleb leaned down to kiss each eyelid slowly, like each one was important, and then groaned into my skin when another zing came. Caleb’s skin was freezing cold but cooled me in a sensual way and then it was as if we traded places.
My skin and veins were ice but Caleb’s hot skin was the perfect match to mine and when he kissed me again, it was like imprinting. All those strong sensations of being jolted with electricity and tingles were a full force assault on our senses and minds. I heard my breathing take a turn for uncontrollable and then I held my breath as the fireworks stared, so to speak.
The energy ribbons were non-existent when I opened my eyes, as the entire room was aglow. Blue filled the air and then zings filled me, making me curl my fingers into my palms. Caleb coaxed my hands open to lace his fingers with mine as the cold and hot zings mingled in us and between us and built into something we could no longer stop nor control.
Caleb released my lips only to moan softly against my mouth as the end neared and the pleasurable zings became almost painful as they consumed us. Then the burst of fire in my veins made me shriek with the force of it and the blue around us turned blinding white as everything was drowned out but my significant. I could taste him, smell him, feel him, his every thought, his every want and every need from me was available for my taking. And I took it.
I had just experienced something no other human but a handful would ever know about. It was better than anything I’d ever felt and couldn’t see anything being better. It was better than chocolate! It was better than honey buns! It was better than kisses and touches and sweet words combined. I was enraptured.
When I finally settled back into myself, I realized I was still holding my breath but Caleb’s blasted fast and loud against my cheek. He lifted his face to
look at me and I saw his cheeks were flushed as if he’d exerted himself but we were still right where we had been the whole time.
He unlaced our hands and brought his to my face. I noticed they were shaking slightly.
“Breathe, Maggie.”
It was so much like that first day, the first time he said my name as his significant.
I took a deep shuddering and when I let it out it came as a moan of utter happiness and satisfaction.
He continued to look at me as we fought for breath and shared the little bit we had between us. In the minuscule light from my curtains I saw his face and it spelled satisfaction too and love. The corner of his mouth rose. Then the rest joined it in a genuine smile that told me everything. It was good for him too.
