16. Callum
SIXTEEN
CALLUM
I stalked toward Elodie without any real objective in mind.
All I knew was that I had spent the last two hours keenly aware of her every movement.
The dampness in the night air added a slight chill, and my brain kept wondering whether her jeans were enough to keep her warm.
Her little T-shirt, knotted at her belly button and revealing a sliver of toned, tanned skin, certainly wasn’t doing fuck all.
I had no idea what I planned to say to her once I reached her cottage. All I knew was that I was pissed off, keyed up, and downright irritated.
A trilling meow sounded at my feet, and I looked down to see the cat trotting alongside me.
I paused. “Scratch.”
Fine. Yes, I had caved and named her.
I turned and pointed toward the Drifted Spirit Inn. “Go home.”
She glared at me with one golden eye and plunked down onto her furry bottom next to my boot.
I lowered my voice so she understood just how serious I was. “Go. ”
I never knew a cat could harrumph, but that was exactly the sound that came from her tiny furry body, but she did listen.
At least someone around here does.
Satisfied I was entering this battle alone, I continued on my warpath toward Elodie Darling.
In one easy stride, I hooked a leg over the cedar fence that separated our properties and vaulted myself over.
Elodie stood at the base of her porch steps with her arms crossed and her chin lifted in the air.
Her exaggerated eye roll only ticked my heart rate higher. “What now?” she grumbled as I got within earshot. Her piercing emerald eyes held mine, but even in the low lighting, I could see they held no malice.
No, this was just what we did—poked and prodded at each other for sport.
I complained about whatever new idea for the farm she came up with, stomping my feet and acting like a baby.
She pretended to listen and take my concerns into consideration before smiling that sultry, devastating smile and doing whatever the fuck she wanted anyway.
I had come to live for those little back-and-forth moments when I could volley petty insults and low-level complaints simply so I could watch her pout that pretty little mouth and call me an insufferable ape.
With her arms crossed like that, Elodie’s tits swelled higher, stretching the limits of the cotton fabric of her shirt. My hand twitched at my side, desperately wanting to feel the shape and weight of her. I curled it into a fist as my cock raged against the zipper of my jeans.
Somewhere along the lines, our bitter banter had become my twisted version of foreplay, and I had missed it.
Part of me wondered whether I argued with her for the sole excuse of using the image of those flushed cheeks and pouty lips to jack off to every night.
I bit down on my molars as frustration rippled through me.
“What is it now, Mr. Blackwood?”
Oh, that was a new one.
I couldn’t say I hated it—the formal sound of my name rolling off her pouty lips.
The tip of my tongue pressed against my teeth as I suppressed a smile.
“Just making sure you made it home safely. I saw you were awfully scared out there tonight. So scared you had to grab my arm.” I brushed a dismissive hand across the skin on my forearm, where I could still feel the branding heat of her touch.
“You know in some places, that’s assault. ”
A disgusted scoff rattled in the back of her throat. “You are the worst .” She dragged out the last word for emphasis. “Besides, I didn’t even know it was you next to me.” A mischievous grin hooked at the corner of her mouth as she blinked innocently. “I thought it was Austin.”
My nostrils flared. I knew she was lying, poking at me just to get me riled up, and I hated that it worked so easily.
Austin was twenty-eight, built like a tank and with a metabolism that hadn’t seen the dark side of thirty, and his cocky smirk proved that he knew it too. He may be Brody’s half brother, but I’d still lay the kid flat out if he thought he had a chance with Elodie.
Besides, I reminded myself that it was her sister Selene that Austin was asking about.
I scoffed in her direction. “If you think that kid can kiss you well enough to make your toes curl, then by all means have at it.” I took a step toward her, closing the gap between us as primal instinct took over.
“But don’t forget, I could smell how badly you wanted me when I kissed you.
Admit it ...” My voice lowered. “You were dripping for me, weren’t you? ”
Her cheeks flushed, but my words hadn’t scared her off yet. “Tell me, Cal. Tell me exactly what it is you hate about me.”
I couldn’t do what I wanted to, so instead I let her have it.
“I hate that there are workers stomping all over this place. I hate that my kid would rather spend time with you than me. I hate that I can’t get a second of peace and quiet anymore.
I hate that if you somehow manage to pull this off, the place will be crawling with tourists.
I hate that you think you’ve got what it takes to actually pull this off, and I really hate that I know you’re fucking right. ”
The last part had slipped out, but once it did, tension charged the space between us.
She swallowed hard, knowing she’d won. Her chin lifted. “You are the most insufferable man on the planet.”
I shook my head, letting a lie roll off my tongue. “You and your opinions mean nothing to me.”
She blanked and her lips pursed. I knew my shitty comment had wounded her, at least a little bit. “Is that why you came all the way over here? To prove to me exactly how unaffected you are by my presence?” Her eyes flicked to my dick and he twitched at her attention.
I opened my mouth to fire back a retort when her hands gripped the sides of my face, pulling my mouth to hers.
For a millisecond I was stunned, but I didn’t hesitate.
I took control.
My arm banded around her slim little waist as I pulled her roughly into me. Her body melted into mine as her breath hitched, opening her mouth just enough for my tongue to delve in and explore. I couldn’t think straight with the way her leg hitched up against my hip, pressing her heat into me.
My cock throbbed, begging to take her in every way possible.
My body moved as my thoughts scrambled to keep up.
My hands gripped the round globes of her ass, lifting her up so she could straddle me.
Our mouths moved in sync, her tongue sliding against mine as little moans pumped out of her and into my bloodstream.
I had never felt such a clawing, aching need for someone.
I ripped my mouth from hers. “Tell me to stop.”
She was breathless, her eyes searching mine as I stomped up the porch steps toward the front door of her cottage. “Why the hell would I do that?”
My mouth clamped onto her neck, my teeth dragging a path along the smooth column of her windpipe, stopping just below her ear to whisper, “Because if you don’t, I’m going to hate fuck you until you learn to do what I say.”
A wicked grin flashed across her features. It was a challenge, and I think a part of her knew I was full of shit—that she was the one completely and utterly in control of me.
Elodie’s tongue slid across her upper lip as she stared down at me. “I hate you too,” she whispered, then pulled my lip into her mouth, gently biting down on it. “Don’t you dare fucking stop.”
It was all the permission I needed. Her consent was the last thread keeping me from completely unraveling. With one free hand I turned the knob and kicked open the front door of her cottage with my boot.
It swung open, rattling on its hinges and slamming into the wall with a crack.
Elodie giggled as she arched against me. “Ooh ... Wes is going to be pissed at you. He’ll have to fix that hole.”
I growled up at her. “I don’t give a shit what Wes thinks. He can bill me for it.”
“Oh, Daddy with the deep pockets,” Elodie teased.
Such a fucking brat.
She climbed higher on my waist, making it impossible not to feel her heat pressed against me.
I deposited her onto the kitchen table with an ungraceful thump.
Her tits bounced, and my throat went dry.
My fingertips found the collar of her T-shirt, and without hesitation I ripped it open, admiring the creamy, sheer lace bra underneath.
“You’re paying for that too,” she said, breathless.
Her fingers grabbed my belt buckle, yanking me forward until my thighs hit the table. She jerked and pulled until my belt came loose.
As she went for the button of my jeans, I covered her hands with mine. “Mm-mm, Darling. You’re not running the show here.” I gripped underneath her thighs and hauled her to the edge of the table. “I am.”
She sat back on her elbows, tipping her knees open and putting herself on display just for me. I slipped off her green rubber boots and socks before unbuttoning her jeans and lowering her zipper with an aching slowness.
As the teeth of the zipper separated, I kept my eyes locked on hers. I wanted her to know exactly whom she belonged to. We were both panting as I peeled the denim away from her smooth, tanned thighs.
Her long hours of work rebuilding the farm had toned her legs and given her some added bulk. I fucking loved her fullness as my fingertips dimpled her skin with my tight grip.
All that separated me from her was a flimsy scrap of the same sheer material that covered her breasts. The thong covered her pussy but disappeared between her ass cheeks, and I ran a finger down her seam, letting it disappear alongside it.
She inhaled and arched her back, nipples pebbling beneath the sheer fabric of her bra. My fingers plucked at one taut little bud as I groaned.
My hand teased the fabric covering her, relishing the hot, wet mess beneath my hand. “I knew this cunt would be dripping for me.”
“Oh. Oh my––” she panted.
“Open your eyes,” I demanded. She complied and my back wound tighter. “Say it. Tell me who makes this greedy little pussy wet.”
“You.” She gasped as one finger slipped inside her thong. Her head fell back, revealing the slim column of her neck, and my hand ached to wrap around it. “Fuck, Cal. It’s only wet for you.”
I grinned. “That’s right, Darling.”
She was soaked for me and I was going to ruin her for anyone else.