“We both have regrets, wrote words we wished we could take back, but we were also kids, trying hard to play at being adults. We made mistakes. Maybe it’s time you forgave yourself.”

Silence. Only Caleb’s harsh breathing filled the space. Tension racketed.

“Please, Caleb. I’ve been waiting for this moment for a very long time.” She bit her bottom lip. “It’s only been you.”

Those words seemed to break the ice. Caleb eliminated the distance between them, shoving a muscled arm on the side of her head. Sweat glistened on his massive chest, and feeling more daring, she pressed a hand to his left pectoral, tentatively fingering the old bullet wound there. She imagined the strong heart beating underneath flesh and bone. She badly wanted it to belong to her, the same way she yearned to become his, in every sense of the word.

He clasped his big, callused fingers over hers, put them to his lips, and kissed them. A tingle shot up her arm. Caleb ran his fingers over the goosebumps that appeared on her forearm, his touch gentle, curious. She didn’t expect him to be that, especially after his earlier confession. She shuddered, not protesting when he lifted her arms above her head, the motion making her breasts thrust upwards.

Her nipples tightened to points when he spread his palms over her, holding her. She groaned when his chest rubbed against her tits. Moisture flooded between her legs.

“I want to see if you’re as sweet as I remembered.” Caleb didn’t ask. He took, but it didn’t matter because she wanted to give him everything.

Caleb sucked on her bottom lip, nipping at it playfully. Liliana parted her mouth, only for him to thrust his tongue down her throat. Every shred of doubt and self-consciousness that he would find her disappointing vanished.

Need moved inside her like a storm. He shifted his hands lower, sliding up the hem of her shirt to touch skin. Caleb ran them over her curves, tightening his grip as if he wanted to memorize every inch of her. She locked her arms around his neck as he pulled his mouth away.

“What’s your verdict?” she whispered, proud of herself for still being able to speak after that mind-numbing, insides-melting kiss.

“Better than I imagined.” He unclasped her bra. She raised her arms so he could tug the sweater off her. Her bra followed soon after. Caleb groaned, putting his mouth on her left nipple and licking at it in a circle.

Her back thudded against the wood. She didn’t care who might hear them outside the door. All that mattered was Caleb, looking at her with those hungry eyes.

“I fucking love these, always fantasized about them in my bunk,” he said, scraping his teeth across the sensitive bud.

“God,” she whispered, then cried out as he bit down.

He pulled his mouth away. “Tell me, baby. If I slip my hand into your panties, will I find you soaking wet?”

“Come and find out.” Liliana had never been confident when it came to sex, but with Caleb, she felt sexy, wanted. He made her feel incredibly alive, like he saw nothing else save her.