Chapter 31 – Valentine’s Day
CHAPTER 31
CALLUM
VALENTINE’S DAY
R ubbing my palms down the thighs of my jeans, I reached up and rang the doorbell to my own fucking apartment, thinking, You couldn’t make this shit up.
I had a key sitting in my pocket for my pad which I couldn’t use because my wife had well and truly left me out in the doghouse for the last two months.
I knew why. I also knew I deserved it, but I had to admit it was starting to get old.
Still, I also knew I was making headway, and a part of me even liked the chase and the work I had to put into getting Maeve back. It made everything seem more worthwhile, and we were getting to know each other in ways we never had the opportunity to do before.
Maeve was an incredible woman, and I was proud to call her my wife.
The door flew open to reveal Tristan standing there with pursed lips.
I would never have said Tris and I were great pals—he got along better with Donovan and Aislynn than he did me—but I’d always classed him as a friend and neighbor. He frequented the bar, and we’d had a drink together before and had some conversations.
He’d hardly spoken to me throughout my ‘in the doghouse’ era because he’d firmly been on Maeve’s side. It was okay with me because I would’ve much rather she had the support. Plus, the more ties she had to Hambleton in the form of people she loved, the less likely she’d be to take off.
“Maeve’s ready,” he muttered, blocking the door with his body. “She’s just getting her purse together.”
“Right,” I replied. “So, you gonna let me in while I wait?” Then I added, “You know, to my own apartment?”
“Hmm,” he answered. “I guess. But don’t you go using any of that Irish charm on me. If you’re anything like that brother of yours, you’ll get on my good side as quick as a flash, and I’ll forget I’m not talking to you, Callum ‘Irish love god’ O’Shea.”
With a smirk, I stepped toward him into my apartment, murmuring, “Thanks, Tris.”
“There!” he said accusingly.
“What?” I demanded.
He pointed to my face. “That right there, the sexy smirk and the deep drawl. That’s the charm I’m talking about.”
“But I didn’t do anything,” I exclaimed.
“You O’Shea boys don’t need to. Just a look at those twinkling blue eyes does it for me every time.” He jammed a hand to his hip and fanned his face with the other. “Okay. You’re forgiven.”
I widened my smirk. “That was easy.”
“I know,” he cried, fanning faster. “I’m awful, but I just can’t help it. I hate not talking to people, especially hot Irish men who send beautiful books and write even more beautiful notes to my BFF.” He sighed dreamily. “It’s just sooo romantic.”
“I agree,” Maeve’s voice declared.
Twisting my neck, my dick pulsed to life when my eyes fell on my beautiful wife standing in the doorway to the living room.
“Jesus,” I said huskily. “You’re stunning.”
She beamed at me, her cheeks flaming the same shade as the dark red dress she wore. The material was silky with a deep V at the neck and no sleeves. The soft, satiny cloth draped to her knees in swirly waves that skated her sexy, curvy hips. Her shoes were high heeled with a sliver of leather going across the top of her foot and thin straps tied at her ankles.
It hit me square in the cock that all I wanted in life was to eat my wife’s pussy like it was my last meal with that skirt draping over my head and those damned heels scraping my back. She was hot, sweet, and so sexy. I didn’t know how I’d managed to cope without touching her for so many weeks.
With a growl, I prowled toward her, crowding her into the door jamb. Then, I curled my fingers around the back of her neck and brushed her lips with mine. Her subtle flower scent infiltrated my senses, and my cock thickened until it was semi-hard.
“Wow,” she murmured, staring up at me, dazed.
“My thoughts exactly,” I rumbled, my eyes never leaving her face.
She blinked at me, her eyes still hazy.
I peered closer, and it dawned on me why her eyes were so glazed. “Can you see me, babe?”
Her smile fell. “I can’t see a fecking thing, Callum O’Shea. I keep forgetting to send off my new contact lens prescription.”
I busted out a laugh. “Go put your glasses on.”
“But it’ll destroy my sexy red woman from Game of Thrones aesthetic,” she protested softly. “I’ve been watching it with Tristan. She’s the absolute bomb .”
“Go put your glasses on, Maeve,” I repeated, leaning down and kissing her frown away.
My wife let out a little grumbly huff but acquiesced anyway. “Oh, alright then.” She turned around and disappeared into the living room, calling back, “But only because you gave me a forehead kiss.”
I stared after her, well, okay, I stared at her ass, grinning at her cuteness.
Seeing her like this, full of life and gorgeously nerdy, made me realize how grey my world had been without her. Maeve was like a beam of light, warming everything she touched, and not just for me, but for everybody around her.
If that was what buying a few books and writing a handful of notes did, then I’d happily spend thousands more dollars because just being around that light was worth bankrupting myself for. I didn’t need trucks or clothes, not even food. All I needed was my wife.
My eyes lifted to Tristan, and I murmured, “Can you stick around?”
His head reared back slightly. “What for?”
“Atlas and the boys are coming over to do some work while Maeve’s out. They’re down in the bar now waiting for us to jet but I need you to keep it on the down-low. It’s a surprise for Maeve. Can you swing it?”
He clapped his hands and jumped up and down excitedly. “Of course I can swing it.” He gave me an exaggerated wink. “Watch and learn, big boy.”
Maeve’s heels tapped on the floor as she hit the hallway. “Shall we go?” she asked, pushing her glasses up her nose.
Tristan reached for his coat and slipped it on while I helped Maeve with hers, and we headed for the door.
As we approached, a slight gurgling noise came from Tristan’s direction.
“Are you okay?” Maeve asked.
His hand went to his gut, and he sucked air in through his nose. “I need the bathroom, Mae Mae.”
“Oh,” she murmured. “We can wait for you.”
He grimaced and rubbed his stomach, sucking air through his teeth while throwing Maeve big eyes. “I may be a while.”
I checked my watch. “We’ve got reservations, wife. We need to go.” Digging into my pocket, I pulled out my keys and proceeded to take mine off the ring. “Maeve’s got her key. You take mine; lock up when you’ve finished and drop it back into me tomorrow.”
“Thanks,” he cried, grabbing it from me and rushing to the bathroom without even a backward glance. “Have a good time. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t.” A loud fart sounded just as Tris slammed the door closed.
“Sweet baby Jesus,” Maeve breathed.
I stifled a laugh at Tristan’s sound effects and guided my wife through the front door. “Come on. I don’t particularly feel like hanging around while Tristan’s offloading. I don’t wanna ruin my appetite.”
She winced. “Good point. Let’s go.”
Taking her hand, I led her down the stairs and out the back door to the courtyard. I didn’t want to take Maeve through the bar where the boys were. It wasn’t as if she’d get suspicious, but I wanted my plan to be a total surprise.
Lacing our fingers together, I guided her through the courtyard. “You okay walking in those shoes, or shall we go in the truck?”
She looked up at me and laughed. “Giovanni’s is only down the street.”
I squeezed her fingers gently as we walked around the side of the bar and onto Main Street. “Don’t want your feet to hurt.”
“You can carry me if you want,” she sassed.
I walked in front of her and bent down. “Come on. Piggyback.”
Maeve giggle-snorted. “Hang on, I need to pull this skirt up if I’m jumping up there. You’re the size of a horse.”
I turned around and grinned. “And that’s just my dick.”
Her weight hit me as she jumped on. I grabbed her legs, pulling her up my back and holding her under her knees, wrapping them around my waist.
“You’ve got a big head, husband,” she breathed in my ear, her arms sliding around my neck. “And I don’t mean the one behind your fly.”
“Well, babe,” I responded, setting off down the street. “You’ve only got a rampant rabbit for reference, so I’m fighting a losing battle. I can’t compete with a sex toy.”
“Oh, I don’t know,” she murmured. “You do okay in comparison, husband.”
My eyes fell on the neon color of Giovanni’s sign, shining in the darkness from further up the street, and my strides grew more purposeful. “Flattery will get you everywhere, Maeve O’Shea, but I’ll let you in on a secret.”
“What’s that?” she asked.
I glanced behind me to catch my wife’s eyes, my grin widening. “When it comes to you, I’m a sure thing.”
She hooted out a laugh, then circled her arm in the air as if she was holding a lasso. Spurring me on with her heels, she pretended to whip my ass. “Giddy up, husband, I’m starved. Haven’t eaten properly for weeks.”
Her words hit me in the gut, and my smile died. Slowly, I slid Maeve down my back and pulled her around to face me. “I thought you’d lost weight. You gotta eat.”
She looked up at me and rolled her eyes. “And what about you?”
“It was my fault,” I reminded her. “I deserved to starve.”
“No, you didn’t, you eejit.” She gave me a gentle nudge. “You made a mistake, but I can see how you’re trying to make up for it.”
“You can?” I asked.
She nodded. “The notes and the books, Callum. They’ve been wonderful. The entire thing has blown me away.”
My heart swelled because my wife called me Callum without the O’Shea.
I took both her hands in mine and nodded toward Giovanni’s, which by then was just a few feet further. “Shall we go and gorge ourselves on pasta?”
My wife beamed up at me before threading her hand through my arm and pulling me toward the restaurant.
A place deep inside me that had snapped apart when Maeve kicked me out knitted back together. My heart bounced, and my chest filled with elation at her joyful expression.
And for the first time in weeks, I felt a sliver of hope.