Keller and Callahan

Chapter 18

Sam glanced at Olivia from across his truck’s cab as they made their way through the winding roads leading back to Keller Campground. She’d rolled down her window to let the warm breeze in and blow her blonde hair around her face. As she reached up to tuck a free strand behind her ear, Sam noticed her hand shaking ever so slightly.

They hadn’t spoken since leaving the restaurant, but their hands were interlocked on the center console between them. She hadn’t let go of him since he shared where he had been the last ten years. Sam clutched her hand like a lifeline, that without it, he felt she might slip away and disappear.

She had accepted him wholeheartedly. Without any anger of how his choice had kept them apart, and he hadn’t even told her the real reason yet. He knew that vanishing without a trace had devastated her. He knew exactly what it felt like to be abandoned, and it killed him to know he had done the same to her. But it didn’t surprise him that upon hearing the difference he was trying to make in other’s lives, she had been the bigger person and put her pain aside.

He had been prepared to beg, to grovel, to do anything to ask her forgiveness. But it hadn’t been necessary. Olivia accepted him and supported him with zero questions asked, just as she always had. He could be at his absolute lowest point, and Olivia’s confidence in him could pull him up and make him feel as if he were on top of the world. She made him feel as if he was enough.

Olivia turned toward him now, her beautiful face relaxed and her eyes sparkling. Her lips spread into a shy smile, which caused Sam’s heart to do a flip flop in his chest.

Even though he had known her since they were ten years old, he had loved her then. Now, seeing the woman she had become, he was falling in love with her all over again. How have I lived ten years of my life without this woman? It feels as if her happiness is the key piece that is holding me together. A life without her in it is not possible.

Sam knew what it felt like to be without love or family, he’d spent the first decade of his life fighting the reality of loneliness, worthlessness. If his childhood had taught him anything, it was that he had to protect himself from the monsters that could cause you pain, and do anything to fight against it. And that is exactly what he was determined to do.

Positive she could read every thought across his face, Sam turned away. He was overwhelmed by the emotions that were crashing over him - his plan to only stay for a few weeks was quickly becoming an impossibility. Now that Olivia had accepted him back into her life, there was absolutely no way he could walk away from her. All he had to do was figure out how to keep her safe from the monster that was still lurking in the shadows, and figure out how the hell he wasn’t going to break her heart. Unsure of how she was going to react once she knew the whole truth, he knew with every fiber of his being that if she walked away after he told her everything, it would absolutely crush him.

Noticing his furrowed brows, and the way he gripped the steering wheel so hard his knuckles were white, she squeezed his hand. “What’s on your mind, Callahan?”

God, if she only knew. “I abandoned you, and was radio silent for a decade. I definitely don’t deserve the grace you are giving me by letting me back in. So why are you?”

When Olivia stayed silent for a couple moments, he turned to meet her eyes.

“Because it’s you,” she said simply.

He pulled his truck into the campground and said a silent prayer that he would have the strength to speak around the knot that was wedged in his throat. He came around the side of the truck to open her door, and took her hand to lead her up the steps to her cottage. But she pulled him the opposite way and led him around the side of the house and down to the private cove that was tucked behind her house.

Walking beneath the stars, in the solitude of the quiet night, Sam could feel the energy shift to electric intensity - in the way she was leading him with such purpose. She stopped near the edge of the water and looked out over the calmness of the lake. The sound of the wind gently blowing the water against the shore made a comforting rhythm in the otherwise still night. Faint lights glowed in the distance, the guests tucked cozily in their cabins for the night, reminding them that they were far removed from the lodge tonight and were completely alone.

“It’s my favorite view,” she whispered, as she looked out into the darkness toward the campground she had called home her entire life.

“Mine too,” Sam replied.

Although he wasn’t looking at the lake, he couldn’t take his eyes off Olivia, completely mesmerized by her beauty. The moonlight casted a muted glow around her and touched her face in a way that softly illuminated her eyes as they danced across Sam’s face. The light breeze in the air caused her loose hair to swell around her face, framing her lips as she bit down on her lower one that made Sam want to attack her with his mouth.

Touching her couldn’t wait any longer, he burrowed his hands into her hair and plunged his tongue to meet hers. Her head fell back, and her lips parted to invite him in and she savored the taste of him on her tongue. But before he could take the kiss deeper, she broke away and placed her hand on his chest in pause.

Without saying a word, she slipped her jacket off her shoulders so that it dropped to the ground behind her. Before Sam could realize what was happening, she pulled her tank top over her head in a flourish, leaving her standing in front of him in the most gorgeous black lace bra he had ever seen. Stepping toward him, she slipped her fingers underneath the bottom of his shirt and started to inch it upward while taking a peek at his eyes, asking for his approval. In a wordless response, he pulled his shirt over his head in one fluid motion, revealing tight and taut abs, muscled to perfection.

As if in silent communication, they both kicked out of their shoes and reached for the button of their jeans. Sam watched intently as Olivia slid her fingers into the waistband and began to slowly slip the jeans below her waist. Not breaking eye contact with him once, she kept her eyes locked onto him as she gracefully pulled one leg out of them, and then the other. There she stood in nothing but her lace bra and matching panties, and Sam thought he might spontaneously combust with lust.

The way she kept her gaze on his and seductively freed her body from the clutches of her tight jeans was one of the most sensual moments of his life. He followed her lead and stepped out of his own pants in two swift movements. Olivia sucked in a gasp as she saw Sam’s stiffness protrude from his boxer briefs and was amazed she had that effect on him.

Without saying anything, she took his hand and pulled him to the lake. The shock of the cold as they waded into the water was a welcome feeling to douse the fire and heat they were both feeling in their bodies.

Unable to be patient any longer, Sam pulled Olivia to him and plastered her against his body. In one fluid motion, she wrapped her legs around his waist and felt weightless as he held her in the water. Her soft curves fit perfectly against him as she clung tightly to his contrasting hardness and strength. He ran his hands down her back and stopped to cup her glorious ass. He groaned as she hitched herself higher on him as she deepened the kiss they were sharing.

Bewitchingly removing her lips from his, she began to slowly, seductively trace feather-light kisses down his jaw making her way up his neck to his ear, where she lightly bit down, making Sam’s insides tighten. Groaning, he kneaded her cheeks aggressively as he pushed his body harder against hers, readjusting and settling her directly atop his erection. He lost himself in the feeling of her against his skin, his heart pounding in his ears. But before he let it go any further, he couldn’t let another moment go until he told her how he felt.

“Liv.”

The words came out hoarse in the quiet of the night. He laid his forehead against hers and slid free one of his arms that held her and brought it up to her cheek to frame her face. “It has always been you. And it will always be you.”

Seeing the look of pure adoration gleaming from her eyes, Sam didn’t need any words from her. Her face said it all. Softly brushing his dark hair back from his face, Olivia gently pulled him to her and gave him the most chaste and loving kiss he’d ever had in his entire life. Pulling back, breathing raggedly against him, she wrapped her arms around his neck and nodded her head in the direction of her house.

“Come with me.”

Sam carried her all the way back up to the house, Olivia felt as if she were floating. Taking her keys into his hand, he swiftly unlocked the door and kicked it shut with his bare foot.

“Bedroom?” he growled as he pulled himself away from her lips to get the word out.

“Down the hall, on the left,” she breathed hungrily. Crashing his mouth down to hers, he hitched her higher on his hips and strode purposefully toward the bedroom.

Reaching the foot of the bed, he laid her down on her back as he pressed himself on top of her. “I need you naked underneath me. Now. I need to feel your skin against mine.”

Feeling as if he was never going to ask, she sat up and unsnapped her bra in a quick flick and tossed it aside. Sam’s eyes opened as wide as they could go when he saw her perfect, pink-tipped breasts. Not being able to control himself, he pushed her back down on the bed and took one of her peaks into his mouth and sucked. Hearing her sigh in contentment, he made his way over to the other one and gave it the same treatment.

Needing to savor every part of her body, he began to trace kisses down her stomach and with firm hands, parted her knees wide as he gently pulled her panties down her body. Sam dipped his head between her legs and gently kissed the inside of her thighs. Olivia moaned in anticipation as he slowly kissed his way from her thighs to her inside. His hands whispered up her belly to her breasts where he teased the nipples that he had just taken with his mouth. He continued to rub her peaks with his thumbs in slow circles until he felt all the tension melt from her body completely. Taking this as an invitation for more, he confidently laid her legs over his shoulders and hooked his arms beneath her knees.

“Sam,” she moaned, as she plunged her hands into his hair.

“Baby, I’ve wondered what you’ve tasted like for years. And now I’m going to feast on you. Get ready,” his voice husky.

At the very first touch of his tongue, she threw her head back with a moan. She felt Sam’s laugh tremble throatily as his tongue ran downward in an unhurried sweep. Her hips arched involuntarily as she desperately tried to get closer to him. Every single one of her nerve endings were on fire and she felt as if she were going to explode. The vibration in her thighs started to make her shake with need, and she let go an involuntary whimper. The muscles in her stomach clenched with tightness as the spasm took over her entire body, and she let go a scream with Sam’s name on her lips.

With a groan, Sam slid up her body and covered her mouth with his. Not able to get enough of him, she kissed him back longingly. Desperate for him to be inside her, she shifted her hips to him in invitation. He adjusted himself as he hovered over her, and teased her with the thick head of his erection as he moved lightly above her.

“Callahan, if you wait any longer, I’m going to make you sorry,” she panted as she clawed her fingers down his back to cup his ass.

“Maybe that’s what I’m hoping for,” he said mischievously as he looked down at her.

“I’ve waited way too long for this. Sam. Please.”

Her pleading unraveled him and he plunged inside of her and let out an audible groan. Her hands pulled herself closer to him as he rocked back and pulled out just enough until only the tip lingered in her body. Hearing her sigh of pleasure was the final breaking point for him as he drove into her so hard she shouted an ecstatic “Yes!”

She wrapped her thighs around his waist in an effort to get as close to him as possible. She had always felt their hearts had been entwined, but now that their bodies were too, she had never felt more connected to anyone in her entire life, and it rocked her to her core.

“God dammit, Liv. You feel so good. So fucking good. I can’t stop. I never want to stop,” he breathed.

“Callahan, if you stop now, I will never put my hands on you again,” Olivia snapped as she squeezed her muscles tighter around his erection.

“Never going to happen. Those hands and your body belong to me. Mine,” he growled as he drove so deep into her, pushing her toward the headboard.

“My heart too. My heart belongs to you. It’s yours. It’s always been yours.”

Her admission completely shattered him as he began pumping his hips harder into her. Dropping his head to her neck, he growled her name over and over into her ear as he drove them both over the edge to their release, their bodies shuttering simultaneously.

As they both began to catch their breath, Sam lifted his head and tenderly brushed away the pieces of her hair that were stuck to her forehead in a glistening sweat. Placing a soft kiss on her lips, her nose, and finally her forehead, he leaned down to rest his brow against hers, breathing heavily.

“Olivia Keller. I have been in love with you since I was ten years old. I’ve never stopped.”

Squeezing her eyes shut, she was overwhelmed by the rush of emotions coursing through her body. “I’m in love with you too, Sam Callahan. I always have been.”

He pulled her to him, shifting his weight so he could cradle the girl of his dreams against his body, while they both fell into a dreamless sleep.