Chapter 4
CALLUM
When I finished with my shower, I stepped into the kitchen to find Lily at the counter, taking all the items out of the basket that had been delivered by one of the servants.
Fresh meat wrapped in parchment, prepared casseroles that only needed to be reheated, raw fruits and vegetables, and then some apple-cinnamon muffins.
I remained in the doorway as I watched her unpack everything, wearing only my shirt that fit her like a dress and her knee-high socks. I felt like I was back in time, popping in for a visit when she least expected me or watching her like a fly on the wall, when she couldn’t see me.
She stilled then released a quiet gasp when she realized I was there. “Still not used to this.”
“I’ll never get used to it.” The two of us in domestic bliss, hidden behind walls that protected our peace from the outside world. The simple joys I used to know had come back to me, like the taste of food, the benefits of a good night’s sleep, the physical satisfaction of a woman’s touch.
And not just any woman…but my woman.
She walked up to me, nearly a foot shorter than me, despite her impressive height, and she hooked her arms around my neck and kissed me.
Kissed me like I’d just come home after a long day building a house for a client or hunting in the woods.
Like she hadn’t just lain with me an hour ago.
In the middle of our kiss, she whispered to me.
“I love you.” She dug her fingers into my hair and fisted the strands.
No other words had ever made me so weak.
But once they were uttered by Lily Rothschild, I felt all my strength tumble to the ground.
My heart was slow and calm when she was in another room, but the second she entered my space, it raced like a running horse.
She made me feel alive and excited and serene all at the same time.
This was what I’d wanted from the moment we met, but I couldn’t accept that it was real.
Because I was afraid that it wouldn’t last forever.
That it would change once she knew the truth…when I finally found the courage to tell her.
She pulled away to look at me, her hand on my cheek. “Dinner will be ready in fifteen minutes.” Then she trailed her fingers over my chin and down my chest. “What can we do for fifteen minutes…”
I scooped my arm underneath her thighs and lifted her into me, while I snaked my other hand into her hair. Despite the impressive muscles on her body, she still felt so weightless to me.
I knew I wouldn’t make it to the bed, so I chose the couch instead, laying her down as I rolled on top of her.
But she turned around underneath me, rolling onto her stomach on the couch, and then she popped her ass up as she lifted her shirt over her hips.
She hooked her thumbs into her panties and tugged them down to her knees to reveal her thick and muscular ass.
Then she looked at me over her shoulder. “Fuck me, Callum. Like a whore.”
This woman made me so damn hard.
“I want you to.” It was the most tantalizing angle of her, looking at me sideways with her ass on display, her ass begging for me.
I preferred to make love to her, the eye contact, the union of the rest of our bodies because I was madly in love with this woman. I wanted that intimacy because it turned me on in a way nothing else ever could.
But I was still a man, and I didn’t mind this one bit.
I lowered my trousers and my underwear, and my cock dropped right between her cheeks. I had to tilt my hips to provide enough room for my dick to find her entrance—and I immediately slid inside without resistance.
She moaned loudly right from the start.
I grabbed on to her hair and yanked it back before I slammed into her, over and over, giving her my full length on repeat.
She moaned and pushed back against me, wanting it as hard as I gave it to her, moaning and whimpering and saying my name like it was our first session for the day, when it had to have been our third or fourth. “Yes…Callum.”
The only thing I hated about it was how damn good it was. How hard I had to work to make it last, to keep my sword in the sheath so I wouldn’t interrupt her grand finale.
Thankfully, it didn’t take long because she released with tears audible in her moans, her face burrowing into the cushion of the couch so her ass moved even higher in the air.
I gripped her hip and finished off, pounding into her as she continued her release and I found mine. She finished when I began, but I could still feel how tight she was when I emptied inside her.
She came to a halt, panting into the cushion, tears leaving stains on the material.
I savored the last flashes of pleasure, but I pulled out of her, my trousers still just below my ass.
She turned over onto her back, her shirt still bunched around her stomach. “Again.”
I didn’t think I had the stamina or endurance to try again, but seeing her in nothing but my shirt and socks with her panties around her ankles changed my mind quickly. I pulled the black panties free of her feet and moved over her again, making love to her instead of fucking her ruthlessly.
Her fingers moved into my hair, and she rocked with me, her eyes wet in both pleasure and emotion.
Completely locked on me like there was nothing else in the world, she moaned when I thrust as if she hadn’t just taken my length brutally a moment ago.
She was a passionate woman who felt everything intensely, and she showed me how intense her feelings were for me every time she looked at me. “Marry me.”
We lay on the couch together in front of the fire, Lily wrapped in my arms against my chest, while her legs were between mine. She was covered with a blanket to stay warm, and in silence, we watched the fire burn in the hearth.
The silence was comfortable and easy, our souls happy just to exist together in the same space.
She suddenly drew a deep breath and released it as a sigh.
I could tell something was wrong, but I waited for her to tell me on her own.
“Khazmuda said my father will be here in a couple minutes. Wants to see how I’m doing.”
“I’m surprised he didn’t come sooner.” They’d left us alone for almost two weeks.
They must have noticed we never left our villa, didn’t even step outside the front door to look at the view of the sea.
It must be obvious how we were spending our time, so her father wanted to give a warning before his arrival.
He must feel awkward, and I would feel more awkward about it if I didn’t love Lily with mind, body, and soul. But my intentions toward her were entirely pure, and if I could marry her tomorrow, I would.
But I couldn’t—not until I told her the truth.
She left my arms to get dressed, and I did the same, putting on a pair of trousers and a shirt to look presentable before her father came over. I cleaned up the living room, returned the dirty plates to the kitchen sink, and tidied up the pillows and blankets.
Then I sat on the couch and waited.
There was a knock a second later, but Lily hadn’t come out of the bedroom.
I opened the door and came face-to-face with Talon, seeing him for the first time without his armor and uniform. He was dressed casually in gray trousers and a black shirt, his eyes carrying fatigue like he slightly dreaded this conversation.
We exchanged a look, a silence that said more than words could.
I stepped aside to let him inside.
He took a look around, realized Lily wasn’t there, and then turned back to me. “I’d prefer some alone time with my daughter.”
And that meant he wanted me to leave.
“I’m going to take her out for a drink at our favorite pub.”
She hadn’t been out of the house in a long time, so that was probably a good idea. “I understand.”
Lily came out a moment later, and her eyes beamed at the sight of her father. She went straight to him and hugged him hard.
But not as hard as he hugged her. He rested his chin on her head then pressed a kiss to her forehead. “Let’s go out for a drink. I heard there’s a poker tournament tonight.”
“That sounds fun,” she said. “Callum, have you ever played?”
My brother and I used to play all the time. I’d taught my sons too. “No.”
“Oh, then we can teach you,” she said.
Talon looked at me.
“You two go ahead,” I said. “You can teach me another time.”
“Why don’t you want to go?” she asked, her eyebrows raised.
I knew Talon didn’t want to look like the asshole, not when he’d already hurt their relationship when he’d refused to help her save me.
I knew exactly how it felt to watch your child lose their trust in you, and I didn’t want that for him.
“It’s been a long time since I was human and around lots of people.
I think it might be too much for me.” A cheap cop-out, but probably the right answer to make Lily abandon the line of questioning.
“Okay,” she finally said. “Let’s go.” She gave me a kiss goodbye and then walked out with her father.
I watched them go and stepped into the evening air, seeing the sunset over the cliffs. It was the first time I’d been outside the house in weeks, and I immediately noticed the smell of the flowers, the olive trees, felt the breeze across my skin.
Everything was more vivid now that I was alive.
Sights and smells, the brilliance of colors.
I didn’t realize how much I’d lost after living with those limitations for so long.
I decided to take a walk through the courtyard, to walk past the cemetery where Lily’s ancestors were buried, to enjoy the view of the castle as a potential home someday, rather than an inanimate landmark.
If she could forgive me.
I felt a stare on the side of my face and turned to see who’d spotted me.
Viper.
He was still here?
A silent staredown ensued between us. I didn’t care that he was still in the Southern Isles. I just didn’t understand why. Lily and I hadn’t left our villa that entire time, so he knew exactly what we’d been doing.
Everyone knew.
He was the one who made the move toward me first. I was content to remain on my own, but if he wanted a conversation, that was fine.
He stopped before me, dressed casually like he wasn’t leaving anytime soon.
I didn’t speak first, unsure how to converse with him without it sounding like an interrogation. After what he’d done for the kingdom, he could loiter as long as he wanted.
“I just returned to the Southern Isles this morning,” he said, even though I hadn’t asked.
“Why?”
“Talon asked me to return. Said he had a gift for me.”
“A gift that he couldn’t bring to you?”
He smirked slightly. “I had the same thought, but I didn’t want to sound like an ass.”
“What is it?”
He shook his head. “I don’t know. He hasn’t given it to me. Said he needs more time and didn’t anticipate I would arrive so quickly.”
“Your ships must be remarkable to cross the sea so quickly.”
“It’s the sail system. We have pulleys and sails that catch the wind in unfavorable directions and then lead it to the sails that are pointing in the direction that we want.”
“Impressive.”
“Yes, they’re my design.”
“You’re a sailor.”
“No,” he said. “I just like to make instruments of war as effective as possible.”
This was the most pleasant conversation the two of us had ever shared.
He seemed to have dropped his animosity toward me.
“I really appreciate everything you’ve done for Lily and the Southern Isles.
If it doesn’t work out between us, you’re worthy of her.
I know you would care for her with the same intensity. ”
One eyebrow slightly rose when he listened to me.
“If it doesn’t work out? Given everything that’s transpired and her declaration of undying love for you, that’s a very odd thing to say.
” He continued to stare at me with accusation in his gaze, like he wanted to know more but knew better than to pry.
I knew Lily loved me beyond measure, so I hoped she would stay.
But I really didn’t know how she would react, not when my betrayal was so treasonous.
Her opinion of me so high, her trust in me solid, and telling her this might make her question everything about me.
Make her wonder if I’d deceived her in other ways.
And that could be our downfall.
“After all of this, you want to leave her?” Viper asked.
“No, I want to marry her,” I said. “But she may not feel the same way.”
“I think she does, Callum.”
“Yes…for now.”
His eyes shifted back and forth between mine, his curiosity piqued, clearly wanting to ask for more but deciding against it. Then he gave a slight nod before he turned away. “I wish you good luck…or maybe I don’t.”