33. Dakota
33
DAKOTA
Holy cheese balls. I’m fighting to contain the thrill of what just happened. Not only did I get up close and personal with the cock of my legitimate dreams, but I completed my first round of photos for Sports Illustrated .
Sports. Freaking. Illustrated. Somebody pinch me.
God, if my parents were here to see this, I know they’d be so proud. Tears fill my eyes. The SI team is currently reviewing the photos to make sure we got enough shots of each player to use, while the guys head back to the changing tents to dress and wait for the boating captain to return with a new set of players. Taking advantage of my little break, I make my way over to my backpack set aside on the production chair. Feeling the depths of my hunger consume me, I grab a mini pack of golden vanilla Oreos and quickly stuff my face .
I’m not sure what came over Callaway in the water. Usually, I’d find that side of his possessiveness attractive; however, it pissed me off that he felt the need to call me out on something incredibly inappropriate in front of Blair.
He had no right. Especially, seeing as how I managed to keep my mouth shut at the sight of him more exposed than I was.
I expected him to say something about Devin’s flirting, but he never brought it up.
He doesn’t know I talked to Navy. I’m not hesitant about moving forward with him anymore, but I want to make sure I pick the best time to tell him.
The sight of Devin at my side takes my focus from my pondering. I peer up at him in question. He looks like he wants to ask me something.
Please don’t ask me out. I don’t want to have to say no.
“You did amazing out there, Dakota.” What a nice guy. Why can’t he be a jerk?
“Thanks, Devin. And thank you for all your help.”
I’m being formal, hoping he picks up on the friendzone I’m placing him in. There’s no room for anyone else in my heart. It’s already taken.
The owner doesn’t know it yet.
His steps move closer as I busy myself with my things. Here it comes.
“So, listen, I was thinking —”
“Angel.” All eyes fall on the man calling out my name.
He must be at least twenty feet away, but I hear him so clearly.
My attention leaves my things as I look up to see Callaway fully dressed and seated outside the changing tent; his arms are braced against his knees, chin down, eyes up, and he gazes at me with what looks like immense pain.
Sorrow.
Hurt.
My sweet man . Pain is the last thing I ever want him to feel. If only he knew my heart has only ever beat deeply for him. Devin could never stand a chance. He’s always been respectful and protective of my worth.
He needs to know.
Without thinking twice, my feet lead me to stand directly in front of Callaway without so much as a see you later to Devin. His blue eyes have yet to stray from mine. I’ve never seen him look so beaten down and broken.
“Cal.” I never call him Cal. He’s always been Callaway to me. I hope he can hear the concern laced in my voice.
My right hand lifts slightly to rest on his shoulder; I rub my thumb back and forth gently. His eyes raise to meet mine, and I swear I can feel the love in them. At this moment, a secure sense of intimacy comes between us, an unspoken connection letting us know we’re on the same wavelength.
His voice drags out in sharp blows of misery, “I can’t handle it.”
I draw in a sharp breath, lost in the meaning of his words while struggling to find my voice.
“I can’t handle his eyes on you, Dakota. I want to break every bone in his goddamn body.”
I can’t help myself; I move my hand from his shoulder and reach to run my fingers through his thick black locks, lifting his head towards me with the motion. His eyes close in pleasure at the feel of my hands on him. I want to make sure he hears me clearly when I say this.
“He never stood a chance against you. It was worthless for him even to try.”
He gazes at me with such passion I could fall over from the weight of it. “I’ve never felt like this before. This jealousy that consumes me over the thought of you ever being intimate with another man makes me feral, Dakota. And I can’t do anything about it. You have no idea how many times I’ve almost started a war with my sister. But I’d never do that to you.”
He thinks his thoughts are chaotic and have no value, but he couldn’t be wrong. Maybe this is where I tell him.
“You can’t lose your shit the way you did out there, Cal. This is my job.”
He finds a spot in the sand to train his eyes on before shooting them my way again. I’ve pulled back slightly, drawing my hands idly to my sides, fiddling with my bikini strings.
“You think I don’t know that? How can you not see it?”
There’s that question again. “See what?”
He laughs dryly to himself. “I don’t do this, Dakota. I never have. But being around you makes me go insane with the need to fucking claim you. It’s like if you aren’t near me, I can’t think until my eyes find yours. Maybe it’s not healthy and maybe this is entirely one-sided, but I’m so close to saying fuck everyone and ask you to run away with me.”
“Cal.”
“Yeah, exactly.” He looks so beaten down.
“You have too much to lose. That would never be fair to you. You mean too much to me.”
His stare is deadly. I’ve never seen him this worked up. It’s thrilling and terrifying all at the same time.
“Don’t you get it? I’m risking it all for you. Everything I have and have ever loved I’m putting on the line for you. But fuck, Dakota, I need you to accept it.”
Yep. It’s time.
“Navy knows.” His eyes retract, only to revert forcefully with the whip of his head.
“What are you talking about?” Here it goes.
“I’m saying Navy and I talked. I told her I feel something for you. I’m pretty sure she was as surprised as I was. She was also shocked we’ve fought it this long. But more than anything, she was sorry. She gave me her blessing.”
You’d think he discovered who hung the moon. Hope and life flash in his eyes before they find mine again. I step forward, reaching for his neatly shaved stubble and run my thumb past his lips.
Callaway’s eyes close at the gesture while his head rolls back, Adam's apple protruding, and a groan escapes his lips.
He’s so sexy.
“What are you saying, Dakota?” The rage has quickly vanished and been replaced with tangible heat.
“I’m saying…we can see where things go. If we want.”
He’s so serious I’m borderline shaking. “We want. And what about work?”
“As long as Jack knows and he’s fine with it, so am I.”
He still seems to need answers. “One more question. Did you give him your number?”
Wait, what? Oh, he saw me with Devin’s phone.
“No, Callaway. He asked me what camera I use, so I pulled it up. Nothing more.” That seems to satisfy him.
“I shouldn’t have even asked you that. I feel like a savage.”
I should roll my eyes or something that makes me seem annoyed by his possessiveness, but I won’t. I'm not upset in the slightest. If anything, his protectiveness over me makes me yearn for him more.
“Question solved. Is that it?”
The faintest laugh escapes him, throwing off my composure. His eyes are darkening with domination.
“That’s it. Now what are you gonna do about it, angel?”
The forwardness he shows me won’t ever not affect me.
It makes me weak.
Feelings I never knew existed parade through my heart, leaving me no choice but to show Callaway how I feel. He’s not looking at me anymore, almost like his declaration was exhausting enough that the idea of looking at me is too much for him to handle.
My turn.
It's time for me to be the one who shows the fragments of my heart to him.
I waste no time in reaching to grab both of his hands, linking them with mine. I hastily lift his massive body in an urgent motion, dragging him behind me into the sheeted tent. It takes little effort to get him to oblige—it looks like we’re both thinking the same thing. The closing sheet is hardly settled before I’m on him. Full-body hunger and passion leave my body, giving him no time to catch up.
The moment my lips find his, I know I’m a goner. Signed, sealed, and delivered to Callaway Hayes. He feels like coming home. This moment between us being something we’ve longed for the last few months, and to finally have it, to be able to feel it, and enjoy it, makes my heart feel so full.
Both of my hands graze the side of his face, caging him in with no room to escape. The feel of the see-through tent behind me reminds my starving body of its presence and the chance we are indeed putting on a show.
And I don’t even care. The rumbling from his mouth tells me he doesn’t either. This moment is about us. We deserve to have it.
I can sense when Callaway catches up to my impulse because I’m no longer in control of this kiss. A heated moan escapes his lips, still locked on mine, as he sucks my bottom lip into his mouth, my tongue reaching to explore his.
I’m lifted from the ground swiftly, my feet automatically wrapping around Cal. His feet move while his hands explore every inch of me. Callaway lowers his body to sit in the nearest chair, my legs still enveloping his hips. At this very moment, I realize he is fully clothed while I’m still in my tiny red bikini. No wonder the sensations of his calloused hands on me send me into overdrive.
“Nice to see you’ve finally caught up.”
His hands are everywhere, leaving no place untouched. My body hums as they dive beneath the backside of my thong bikini line, gripping a large handful of my ass.
“I’m there.” My breathing is heavy.
I have been there for a long time.
I’m sorry for the wait.
I don’t think I could ever correctly articulate this feeling. I’ve spent too long fighting him and thinking about how our being together would make everyone else feel, yet never once thinking about us . It feels right.
It feels like our wavelengths are finally aligned.
His lips are nipping my neck, dragging his tongue along my most sensitive part. I could come from his touch alone. The growling and moaning coming from his mouth riles me up more than I’m prepared. And I’ve anticipated this moment for a long time.
“Thank fuck. I can’t get you close enough. These curves. I’m a dead man. You are so beautiful.” His dirty mouth will be my fortunate undoing. I never want to stop kissing him.
I’m so turned on my body feels like an explosive ready to erupt. The throbbing intensifies with every stroke of his tongue, my hips seeking friction on his lap.
“That’s it. Grind that sweet pussy. Make a mess of me. Show everyone who you belong to.”
Not an exhibitionist, my ass . Knowing the possibility of us being watched makes me turned on even more. I need him inside of me, and I don't even care where we’re at.
My moaning is more than likely echoing through the sheets, but I can’t seem to stop. “Mhm, Callaway. Please. I need you to fuck me.”
My grinding on him picks up speed as I chase my high.
Callaway is still kissing me, making his way from my lips and leading towards the underside of my ear. “Did you really think I’d give in that easily?”
Motherfucker.
His chaste kiss ends our frenzy as I’m carefully lifted from his lap. Callaway places my feet on the ground and reaches for my bikini bottom strings. He wiggles the tiny strings back into place from the rawness of his hands and lets go with a pop . He pulls back, clearly to register my reaction, and shoots me a wicked grin; his eyes search mine to hold a stare.
“You seem to have forgotten. You deserve more than a quick fuck, especially in a tent for all to see. When I take you for the first time, you can expect a bed and a night stuffed full of my cock. Trust me when I say this, Dakota, the wait will be worth it.”
How can I even argue with that? The promise of being locked in a room filled full of his beautiful cock all night sounds too good to be true.
Cal reaches for my hand, holding it in a gentle gesture.
I’m about to respond when he cuts me off, determination in his stare. “So, how about that date, sweetheart?”
I’d be a fool to say no. A date sounds pretty damn great.
My expression must amuse him, nonetheless, seeing how he lets go and turns towards the exit, expecting me to turn down the offer once again.
He strolls to the opening of the sheeted door and pulls it back to look at me before walking through it; his brows pitch, waiting for my answer.
“Fine. Now go away. ”
“We’re doing this, Dakota. Time to make room for me in that pretty little heart of yours.”
I wish I had my camera on me because the beam emanating from his smile is contagious, bringing my own grin forward.
It’s a date.
I'm unsure how I got here, but I’m glad to be here.
I’ve got a date with Callaway Hayes—my ocean eyes.