Chapter Twenty-Four
Callie
“It feels like it’s been way, way longer than it has,” I mutter, tossing my stress ball from hand to hand.
Katerina stands at my full-length mirror, adjusting her hair. She’s got long, dark hair, her pale features contrasting the darkness. She smiles at me in the reflection, but there’s a hint of sadness in it. “He said he loved you.”
“Well—sort of. It was framed as a what-if question. Hypothetical. It’s not like he just came out and said he was in love with me or anything.”
“Hmm,” she murmurs. “That seems like a, how do you say, distinction without a difference. He said he loved you, Callie-kin. And from that look in your eye, you don’t find the notion as silly as you should.”
“We’ve had some good times,” I reply. “But, really, it’s not been very long at all. And I should be wary about an older man coming at me so intensely. It should make me wary, you know, because of my life before…”
“Should, should, should, Callie,” she says, turning to me. “Life is not made of should , though, is it? Life is made of want . Of desire . Of lust . There’s a reason you spend so much time reading those hot-and-heavy books of yours. Not just for fun, not just for the story. Let’s be honest, Callie. You want that for yourself. You just never planned on your Prince Charming being a daddy who is also your boss.”
“And whose kid we could royally mess up if the relationship ends badly.”
“Then don’t let it end badly,” she says. “ Fight for it.”
Her words hit me like a challenge. I stand up and begin pacing the room. I’m flooding with a dangerous amount of energy. And there’s something else, too. Purpose. An idea.
“Kat,” I murmur. “Do you think we could use your car tonight? I’ve got a crazy idea.”
Her face lights up. “Now you have, how do you say, beaked my interest.”
I giggle. “I think it’s piqued .”
“Come on—let’s get beaking.” She winks, making both of us laugh.
Am I really going to do this? I don’t give myself time to think about it. Maybe it makes me crazy. Perhaps it makes me a hypocrite. But if this is how I feel just after a few hours without seeing Gray, what will a full day, a week, or a month be like? If this hunger deep inside isn’t a sign, then what is it?
***
“This is so romantic,” Kat says as we surge across the city, heading toward the suburbs where Gray lives. “You’re like Juliet, hmm? Valiantly fighting for your love.”
“Let’s hope the story ends differently, though,” I mutter.
But there’s a big chance that it ends the same, if not exactly, but at least in spirit. It’s not like the obstacles have disappeared. If I were being less selfish, I’d probably use my logical brain to talk myself down from this romantic ledge. But there’s nothing logical about this all-too-natural yearning deep within.
The closer we get to his house, the more certain I feel.
“We should park around the corner,” I tell Katerina. “I don’t want Emery to see us before we’ve sorted some things out. Heck, I’m sure Emery’s asleep, but it’s better to be on the safe side.”
“You’re so kind, Cat-kin. Good idea. Are you going to call him?”
When Katerina parks the car, nerves swirl through me. I probably should’ve called him before we drove all this way in the middle of the night. But that would’ve given me time to lose my nerve. When I take out my phone to make the call, Dad’s name appears.
“Wait a sec. My dad is calling me.”
“Maybe wondering where you are?”
“Maybe. I’m a jerk. I should’ve told him.” I answer. “Hey, Dad.”
“Hey, Callie,” Dad replies. “Sorry—where are you?”
“It’s hard to explain,” I reply, then quickly realize this cryptic approach could cause serious problems considering our history. “Well, I drove out to see my ex-boss, Gray. I know how it sounds, but—”
“Wow, that’s funny,” Dad mutters.
“What’s funny about that?”
“Gray is here.”
“What?”
“He swung by the apartment. He was very apologetic about calling so late, but he said he had to see you. He said he had some things to tell you. Callie. This polite young man isn’t just your boss , is he?”
I smile at the way Dad phrases it. Of course, Gray is far older than me. But to Dad, he’s a polite young man . “No, Dad. He’s much more than that.”
Dad speaks to somebody in the room with him, presumably Gray. “She’s driven to see you . Yes, she’s there now—Whoa, okay.” Dad speaks to me again. “He said he’s coming to see you right now. He said to stay where you are. He said he’ll be there in around forty minutes since the traffic is light.”
“Oh, wow.” My heart begins to thunder, a warm glow flowing over me. “Thanks, Dad. I love you.”
“Speaking of love…”
I laugh. “What are you hinting at?”
“Gray had a loved-up look in his eyes, Callie. It’s my job as your father to tell you to be careful, but I also know how mature you are compared to other women your age and how capable you are of making your own decisions. Ever since you were a girl, you’ve chosen your own fate. So if my instinct is right, I’m happy for you.”
Tears make my vision blurry; my heart speeds up even more. It’s difficult to imagine that, not too long ago, I was walking nervously up to this castle-like house, wondering if Gray would like me. My defenses were high, my past creeping darkly around the edges of my thoughts. But not anymore.
“Thanks, Dad. Talk to you later.”
I hang up. Katerina is staring at me expectantly.
“Gray drove into the city to see me,” I see with a note of wonder in my voice. “Just think, Kat. We could’ve passed each other on the way here.”
“Star-crossed lovers,” she says warmly. “You and Gray, oh, you’re like a fairytale.”
I almost roll my eyes, but I can’t force myself to be cynical about this. I can’t make myself cold or dismissive. I can’t compel myself not to care. There is something special happening here. I felt it at the start, even if I wanted to deny it. And now, it’s stronger than ever.
“I’ll wait with you,” Katerina says. “And then, I think I’ll be leaving you here?”
I swallow. “I don’t know. We still have to worry about Emery. And his ex-wife.”
“You don’t have to worry about anything. I can see it, Callie. You care about each other too much to let anything get in the way.”
I clasp my hands together, hoping she’s right. Katerina tells me funny stories from her most recent client as we wait, but I’m pretty sure she can tell that my mind is elsewhere. It’s simply unbelievable that we chose the same moment to surge toward each other, driven by the intense, deep need, the desire that won’t ever quit.
Soon, headlights flash in the rearview mirror.
“Go, go,” Katerina whispers excitedly. “Don’t leave your Romeo waiting.”
“You seriously need to read that play,” I joke. “It ends in tragedy.”
“You are choosing your own ending,” she says firmly.
I climb from the car, butterflies batting their anxious wings in my chest. Gray jumps out, looking wild, the starlight bouncing off his hair. He rushes toward me with wide, frantic eyes. His voice trembles when he speaks. “Callie—I can’t do this. Push you away. Forget about you. I’ll go insane, more insane than I already feel.”
“If you’re crazy, I am too,” I whisper.
He smiles, then pulls me into his arms. When he sweeps me into his arms, I feel like I’m in a movie, like this should be the end of our story. The credits should roll, with happy music playing. But in the back of my mind, I know it’s not that simple. I know that when the sun rises, our problems will still be there.
But none of that seems to matter as he holds me firmly against him. His hard, muscled body sends heat through me. I wrap my arms around him, giving myself completely to our deep, passionate kiss, my tongue finding his in a fusion of lust.
“I need you,” he growls between kisses. “I need you now. Badly.”
I just about managed to stop. “Wait. I need to tell my friend…” I smile when I see that she’s already driving down the street. She sticks her hand out the window, wiggling her fingers at me as she waves.
“I think she knows I’m not letting you go anywhere.” Gray loops his arm around my waist and pulls me close again.
I throw myself at him. He catches me as I wrap my legs around him, holding me as though I weigh nothing, his hands greedily sinking into my ass. I’m sure I can feel his hunger pressing hard through his pants, the urgency of his desire making my core warm and wet.
In the back of my head, the problems howl, the specter of this having to end, the fear that has been trying to hold me back ever since I was a kid.
“What?” he says huskily, ending the kiss and stroking my hair from my face.
Anxiety tries to coil around my neck. “Take me inside,” I whisper, deciding I won’t let the nerves win, not tonight, at least. “But… we have to be careful, quiet.”
For a moment, he looks almost angry, as if he doesn’t want me to address the very real importance of us not disturbing Emery. But then his hands find my hips again. It makes me feel so freaking hot when he sinks his touch into me, greedily grasping me as if he’s the luckiest man in the world that I’m so curvy.
“Let’s go,” he grunts. “I’ve been waiting for you, Callie.”
“Waiting for me… you drove all the way into the city to find me.”
“No—not just tonight. Without knowing it, I’ve been waiting for you for a long, long time.”
He coils his arm around my waist, leading me to his house. The nighttime darkness combined with the castle-like look of his home makes me feel that, finally, I’m inside one of my romance novels.