"Don't push me, Caleb."
He didn't flinch. His breath came slower now, his eyes locked on hers. "Is this what you do to everyone who tries to care?"
"Caring gets people killed," she whispered, a tremor in her voice. "You should've walked away the day we met."
Her hand trembled, just slightly. Caleb raised his own, not to grab the blade, but to rest gently on hers. "But I didn't."
A breath passed between them. Her eyes searched his, fierce but vulnerable. The anger blurred into confusion. Her breathing hitched, and she leaned in before either of them could process the shift.
Her lips met his, hard at first, like defiance, then slower. The knife slipped from her fingers, falling to the floor with a quiet clink. Caleb resisted, just for a moment, his hands hovering at her waist, as if unsure this was real.
But the heat between them had long since burned away doubt.
Kalisa pulled back for just a second, eyes flickering with a thousand silent questions. "You're in over your head, detective."
"Maybe," Caleb murmured, brushing a strand of hair from her cheek. "But I'm already here."
She kissed him again, slower this time, her hands resting against his chest. Caleb responded in kind, his touch gentle but sure, as if afraid that any wrong move would remind her of the pain. He guided her down carefully onto the bed, mindful of her wound, letting his hands trace the outline of her arms, her face—anchoring her, calming her.
"You don't have to do this," he whispered against her ear.
"I want to," Kalisa replied, voice husky. "But on my terms."
He nodded, understanding. "Always."
There was no rush. Every motion between them was deliberate, laced with mutual need and quiet understanding. It wasn't about possession or dominance, it was about grounding each other in a moment of raw, honest vulnerability neither had allowed themselves to feel before.
Caleb kissed her every part gently, leaving it wet with saliva. He gently licked one of her boobs as he played the nipple of the other like a guitar.
"Hmm, don't stop," Kalisa moaned.
Caleb did not know whether it was a plea or an order, but there was no way he was stopping now. He was going to obey her. He lifted her gently, adjusting her waist before bridging out his cock. He was not going to enter into her, instead he gently rubbed the head of his cock on the surface pussy, carefully caressing her clits.
At this point, Kalisa wanted him. "Stop playing around and get it in," Kalisa whispered.
"Yes ma'am, I was only trying to investigate the matter properly," Caleb said as he slid his hard cock into one of the softest pussy he had ever had.
It was slow, gentle, yet intense, each filled with a satisfying desire as if they had wanted this to happen for a long time.
They lay together afterward, her head resting on his shoulder, his fingers tracing idle patterns on her arm.
"I don't know what this means," Kalisa admitted softly, staring at the ceiling.
"Neither do I," Caleb said. "But it's real."
She closed her eyes for a moment, letting the silence stretch. For the first time in a long while, she allowed herself to feel safe.
But deep down, both of them knew this was just the calm before the next storm.
Caleb leaned back against the headboard, his arm loosely around Kalisa's shoulders. Her breathing had slowed, though her body still trembled with traces of pain and adrenaline. Every now and then, her hand twitched, as if grasping for control over everything unravelling around her.
"You should rest," Caleb murmured, brushing a damp strand of hair from her face.
Kalisa gave a soft, dry laugh, barely more than a breath. "You're always this gentle with criminals?"
He smiled faintly. "Only the ones who've been shot and are too stubborn to ask for help."
She turned her head toward him, eyes half-lidded with exhaustion, but sharp beneath. "You think I'm just some broken thing that needs fixing?"
"No," Caleb said calmly. "I think you're someone who's been through too much alone."
Kalisa smirked, but it was tinged with sadness. "Maybe I like it that way. Maybe people are safer when I keep them at arm's length."
Caleb watched her for a beat. "You sound like someone who's trying really hard to convince herself."
She looked away. "You talk like you know me."
"I want to," he said, his voice low, steady. "All of you."
Her eyes flicked back to his. "Even the parts you're not supposed to see? The lies, the games, the things that make me who I am?"
"Especially those," Caleb replied. "Because I think there's more underneath."
Kalisa fell silent, the weight of his words pressing on something buried deep. She could feel it, his belief in her, and it made her uneasy. No one had looked at her like that in a long time. Not like she mattered. Not like she was something worth fighting for.
"I told you," she whispered. "This life, it's all smoke and mirrors. Nothing is real. Not the threats, not the deals, not even the wedding."
Caleb looked at her carefully. "I figured. You used me."
She hesitated before nodding, a trace of guilt softening her expression. "You should hate me for that."
"I probably should," he said, his voice quiet. "But I don't."
Kalisa tilted her head to look at him fully now, as if trying to read the truth in his eyes. "Then why are you here, Caleb? Really."
There was a pause. Caleb's eyes dropped for a second, his mind tracing the dangerous road ahead. Then he looked at her again.
"Because I don't think your story ends here. And I want to see how it plays out."
Kalisa stared at him. "That's a dangerous thing to say."
He gave a small smile. "I've already crossed too many lines to turn back now."
She sighed, resting her head gently against his chest, the rise and fall of his breathing grounding her for the first time in what felt like days.
"You don't trust me," she said.
"No," he answered honestly. "But I believe in you. There's a difference."
For a long time, they just stayed like that, the silence not heavy, but grounding. Then, softly, Kalisa's voice broke through again.
"I didn't get the wallet back."
Caleb's jaw tightened. "Then where is it?"
She hesitated. "It's still out there… with someone who doesn't know how dangerous it is."
"You sure they don't know?" Caleb pressed gently.
"I'm not sure of anything anymore," she admitted. "Except that whatever's inside it… It can burn everything down."
Caleb nodded slowly, trying to piece the fragments. "Do you think it's already in the wrong hands?"
"Maybe," she murmured. "That's why I need you, Caleb. Not because I'm scared… but because I can't fight this alone anymore."
Caleb looked at her, his fingers brushing hers. "Then you won't have to."
Kalisa didn't speak after that. She closed her eyes, feeling the warmth of his presence beside her. For once, she didn't try to control the moment. She didn't lie or calculate or plan.
She just let herself breathe.