Chapter 86 An unwanted guest : Reunion
Caleb’s bungalow was only a few doors down from hers, but the short walk felt endless.
The night air was thick with jasmine and salt, the path lit by low lanterns that cast golden pools on the sand.
Neither of them spoke; the only sounds were waves rolling in and the soft brush of their footsteps.
He slid the keycard into the lock and held the door open.
Lila stepped inside first. The room was similar to hers, open and airy, ceiling fan turning lazily but unmistakably his, a camera on the teak desk, a stack of photography books, the faint scent of developer chemicals lingering under the ocean breeze.
Caleb closed the door behind them with a quiet click.
For a moment they stood there, inches apart, the weight of six months pressing in.
Then he reached for her, hands framing her face, and kissed her like he’d been starving for it.
This was nothing like the tentative kiss in the water that afternoon.
This was deep and desperate, tongues sliding together, breaths mingling.
Lila’s fingers curled into his T-shirt, pulling him closer until she felt the hard lines of his body against hers.
He tasted like rosé and salt, and she couldn’t get enough.
He walked her backward until her thighs hit the edge of the bed.
Only then did he break the kiss, breathing hard against her lips.
“Tell me if you want to stop,” he said, voice rough. “At any time. I mean it.”
Lila answered by tugging his shirt over his head and letting it fall to the floor.
Her palms skimmed over warm skin, tracing the lean muscle she’d once known by heart. He shuddered under her touch.
“Don’t stop,” she whispered.
That was all he needed.
Caleb’s hands went to the hem of her sundress, lifting it slowly, giving her every chance to change her mind.
She raised her arms to help him, and the fabric whispered away, leaving her in just the red bikini.
His eyes darkened as he took her in, reverent and hungry all at once.
“God, Lila,” he breathed. “You’re so beautiful.”
He kissed her again, neck, collarbone, the swell of her breast above the bikini top while his fingers worked the ties loose.
The top fell away, and his mouth closed over one nipple, hot and wet.
She gasped, arching into him, fingers threading through his hair.
He lavished attention on her breasts until she was trembling, then trailed lower, lips brushing her stomach as he sank to his knees.
The bikini bottoms followed the same slow path as the top, and suddenly she was bare before him.
Caleb looked up at her, eyes blazing. “I’ve dreamed about this,” he said hoarsely. “Every night.”
He guided her to sit on the edge of the bed, then parted her thighs and lowered his mouth to her.
The first slow lick made her cry out. He took his time, teasing circles around her clit, long strokes that had her hips rocking, then sliding two fingers inside her when she started to beg.
He knew exactly how she liked it, pressure and rhythm and the perfect curl of his fingers and he used every bit of that knowledge until she was clutching the sheets, thighs shaking around his shoulders.
Her orgasm hit hard and sudden, rolling through her in waves that left her gasping his name.
“Fuck caleb…Caleb…I'm about to come” she cried out desperately.
Caleb didn’t stop until the last tremor passed, then kissed his way back up her body, gathering her close.
Lila’s hands went to his linen pants, fumbling with the drawstring until they loosened.
She pushed them down along with his boxer briefs, wrapping her fingers around his length.
He was hot and hard in her hand, and the groan he let out when she stroked him was the most satisfying sound she had heard in months.
He kicked the rest of his clothes away and joined her on the bed, settling between her thighs.
They paused there, foreheads touching, breathing each other in.
“I missed you,” he said against her lips. “So much.”
“I missed you too,” she admitted.
He reached for the nightstand drawer, pulled out a condom, and rolled it on with hands that trembled just slightly.
Then he was back over her, nudging her entrance.
“Look at me,” he whispered.
Their eyes locked as he pushed inside, slow, steady, letting her feel every inch until he was buried deep.
They both exhaled shakily at the exquisite fullness.
For a moment neither moved, savoring the connection.
Then he started to thrust, long, deep strokes that hit every sensitive spot.
Lila wrapped her legs around his waist, meeting him thrust for thrust, nails digging into his back.
The rhythm built, urgent and perfect. Sweat slicked their skin; the only sounds were their mingled moans and the distant crash of waves.
Caleb slipped a hand between them, thumb circling her clit in time with his thrusts, and she felt herself climbing again impossibly fast.
“Come with me,” he rasped.
She shattered first, clenching around him, crying out as pleasure crashed over her.
Caleb followed seconds later, burying himself deep with a guttural groan, hips jerking through his release.
They stayed locked together afterward, hearts hammering in tandem.
Slowly, he eased out and disposed of the condom, then pulled her into his arms under the cool sheets.
She curled against his chest, listening to the steady thump of his heart.
Outside, the moon hung low over the water, silver light spilling through the open doors.
Caleb pressed a kiss to her temple. “Stay,” he murmured. “The whole night. The whole week. As long as you’ll have me.”
Lila traced idle patterns on his skin, feeling the last pieces of her guarded heart click into place.
“I’m not going anywhere,” she said softly.
He tightened his arms around her, and for the first time in six months, everything felt right.
The tide rolled in, steady and endless, carrying away old hurts.
What remained was just them, skin to skin, hearts open, finally home.