Chapter 31
He’s kissing me.
Cal is kissing me and it’s like everything around me goes technicolor. The gray haze that’s been hanging over me dissipates. The ball of tension and wanting unravels into a molten desire, spreading through my limbs and making my body thrum.
After spending the past couple of weeks replaying our night together under the stars in my mind, wondering what would’ve happened and forcing myself to accept that it was for the best, kissing Cal is a sweet relief.
He groans against my mouth, sliding a hand down from my waist to palm my ass and coax my hips forward.
I pull away from his lips with a breathy gasp, eyes wide as he grinds me against his thigh. “Cal…”
I don’t know what to say.
I should tell him to stop. Remind him we decided together that this shouldn’t happen.
If nothing else, I should tell him not here, in the stables, where anyone could come back and stumble upon us.
But I can’t get any of those words to come out, because they’re not what I want. I want him to keep kissing me and touching me, and setting me ablaze. I don’t give a shit if anyone finds us in here.
“What are we doing?” I exhale shakily, breath hitching again as he rocks me against his leg again.
“What do you think we’re doing, darlin’?” he rasps, and then we’re kissing again.
Every time we kiss, it gets easier to slot our mismatched mouths together. It feels more and more right, especially when his tongue brushes against mine, oh so careful not to overwhelm me with the size of it.
He’s so careful with me in general, holding me close, but not crushing. Desperate but still aware of our size difference and my comfort, making sure I’m not being scratched against the rough wood of the barn wall.
A silly part of me wants to cry at how considerate he is. No one has ever treated me like I’m something worth protecting before.
I’m wet and aching after a few slow grinds against his thigh, and if we don’t stop soon I’m going to soak through my pink jeans and onto him.
“Cal, I—oh god,” I gasp as his free hand cups my breast, looking down to see his large palm easily engulfing it.
There’s a flicker of worry that I’m too small, which is a bizarre thing to feel after a lifetime of human society telling me I’d be more desirable if I lost twenty pounds.
“Fuck, you’re so soft,” he murmurs, his thumb brushing against my nipple, which peaks the fabric of my shirt. “I want to feel every inch of you, Belle. It’s all I can think about.”
The look in his bright blue eyes is almost pained. I thought keeping my distance was rough for me, but it seems like it’s been torture for Cal. Heat flares inside me at the knowledge that he wants me as much as I want him. It’s intoxicating.
“I can’t stop thinking about you either,” I murmur between mind-fogging kisses. “I thought it would go away eventually, but the ache I feel when I’m around you has only gotten worse.”
Cal groans, his stiff cock bucking against my stomach. When he pulls away, I try to chase his mouth, frowning as he steps back, leaving me sagging against the wall.
I don’t have time to worry that maybe I’ve said too much, or he’s changed his mind, because he scoops his hat off his head and places in atop mine with a cheeky grin.
I roll my eyes at the gesture, even as butterflies erupt in my belly. “You’re supposed to do that before you kiss me, I think.”
“I am.” The grumpy cow man winks at me and slides down to his knees. With our height difference, his head still comes up to my chest.
“W-what are you doing?” It feels like the only thing I’m capable of saying right now, my brain so short–circuited by desire and anticipation.
Cal smooths his hands up the sides of my body, pausing at my breasts to give them a gentle squeeze that has me arching into his touch, then smiling as he slides them back down to rest on my hips. “You said you ache. Let me help you with that.”
“Oh, no, that’s okay, you don’t have to!” I blurt, even as my desire flares hotter at the implication of what he’s saying.
The minotaur on his knees in front of me narrows his eyes, then pointedly drops his gaze to, oh god, the very obvious wet spot between my thighs.
“Let me make one thing clear, darlin’. I don’t do anything I don’t want to. So either tell me you want me to stop because you don’t want this…”
Cal’s eyes bore into mine, questioning. I shake my head, and his lips curve a hint.
His voice lowers, and he increases the pressure of his grip on my hips, the possessive hold sending a full-body shiver over me. “Or quit worrying, be a good girl, and do as I say.”
Holy shit.
Never thought I was into the good girl thing or getting bossed around, but it sounds amazing from Cal.
“Why do you get to be the one in charge?” I huff petulantly, excitement thrumming through me as I wait to see how he responds.
I squeak as he smacks my ass lightly. “Because I said so.” He grins as I scowl at him. “Because you’re dripping for me, Belle.”
“Who said that was for you? Maybe it’s from Rhett—”
I gasp as he grips my pussy possessively, cupping me over my jeans. “Oh yeah? I guess I’ll leave you be so you can see if he’ll help you out.”
“No!”
Cal chuckles at my protest, his thumb smearing across the wetness coating my jeans. “No?”
I rest a hand on his shoulder. “Stay.”
His eyes blaze, pupils blown wide. He’s as turned on and desperate as I am.
It’s a potent rush, and I realize even if I give him control, I’ll still be the one calling the shots.
I undo the button of my jeans and hook my fingers under the waistband. “I’ll be good for you.”
Cal lets out a pleased sigh as I slide off my jeans and panties, smiling at me as I use his shoulders to steady myself as I step out of them.
It should feel awkward as hell, being bareassed in the middle of a stall, but he watches me with so much affection and wonder in his eyes that I can’t seem to care about how silly I look.
“Come here,” he rasps, eyes locked on mine as he guides me against the wall and grips the backs of my thighs. Without warning, he hoists my legs up onto his shoulders, spreading me wide open right in front of his face.
I instinctively grab his horns to steady myself, and the moan he lets out has my whole body flushing. “That’s it. Hold on to my horns, darlin’.”
Cal’s gaze stays locked on my face as he brings his mouth between my thighs and extends his tongue with one long, slow lick all the way across my pussy.
“Cal!” I gasp, the sensation of his wide, slightly textured tongue on me unlike anything I’ve ever felt.
“Shhh, someone might hear you,” he murmurs from between my legs, gripping my thighs and readjusting my position so he has me exactly where he wants me before licking me again.
I whimper, unable to keep from watching as he explores me with his tongue in unhurried, maddening strokes.
“You shouldn’t have let me do this,” he groans.
“W-why not?” I ask breathlessly.
“Because I’m never going to want to stop now that I know what you taste like.”
My hips buck as he focuses on my clit, but his hand on my lower back keeps me pressed against his face, with nowhere to go. Nothing to do but surrender to his mouth and tongue and the overwhelming reality that Cal is the one going down on me like a minotaur possessed.
It doesn’t take long before my grip on his horns tightens and I’m moaning with every swipe of his tongue.
Other guys I’ve been with would’ve stopped to say something dirty or ask me if I’m going to come, and in the process ruined my impending orgasm, but Cal keeps going with a fevered determination, his tongue working me steadily over and over and over until—
“Fuck, oh fuck, I’m going to come.” I cry out, forgetting about my surroundings as sensation overtakes me, my body seizing up and trembling as I orgasm harder than I have in years.
It’s a good thing he’s strong, because I go limp, unable to do anything but feel as waves of pleasure crash over me. Cal’s steady strokes soften as I come down, his mouth pulling away with a stunned, yet cocky grin.
“Wow.” A giggle escapes me, unexpected elation bubbling up. “That was…wow.”
“Feel any better?” Cal asks with a smirk that makes me want to smack him. But also kiss him. And return the favor.
I release his horns as he helps guide me back down to my feet. My legs are a little wobbly so he keeps a hold of my thighs. I smile down at him, a little orgasm drunk. “Hmm, I’d feel better if I knew you weren’t aching, too.”
He snorts. “Oh, I’m not.”
My brow furrows. “You’re not?”
His ears flick a little, his voice a hint sheepish when he replies. “I’ve been desperate to taste you for weeks, Belle. What did you think was going to happen when I got my mouth on you?”
It’s now that I notice the large wet spot on the front of his jeans. “Oh.”
Wow, that’s fucking hot.
“You liked it that much?” I ask, stunned. No guy has ever been particularly enthusiastic about going down on me, let alone that into it.
“Yeah. I fucking did.” Cal’s reply is almost a growl, and despite my recent orgasm, there’s a needy pulse between my thighs.
“Oh. That’s good.”
Awkwardness fills the air as we both come down from the heat of the moment, reality seeping back in as I put my damp panties and jeans back on.
“I can’t believe we did that,” I say weakly.
“Do you regret it?” Cal’s expression starts to shutter, and I hate it.
I shake my head. “No! It was great… amazing, really. I just don’t know where we go from here. Other than the immediate need to go clean up and get back to work.” I force a laugh.
Cal smiles, but it doesn’t quite reach his eyes. “I don’t know either. I won’t say I’m sorry, because I’m not. But…” he sighs, running a hand through his hair. “I don’t want to fuck things up when we’re so close to the reopening.”
I nod, swallowing against the disappointment clogging my throat.
“Right. Yeah. That’s true.” His expression is so pained, I want to give him a hug, but I don’t know if that would make things harder.
“Maybe we, uh, we put a pin in this? Until after the reopening. It’s only a week away, and it’d be smart to focus on work rather than… ”
“How much I want to fuck you with my tongue again?” Cal finishes for me.
A startled laugh bursts out of me. “Something like that.”
“Alright. We’ll ‘put a pin in it’.”
I hate the way my stomach sinks, and dread seeps in to replace the elation I felt only a few short minutes ago. Cal’s hat feels heavy on my head. “Here, I should probably give this back.”
He grabs my wrist before I can remove the hat. “Don’t.”
“You’ll need it,” I protest.
“I’ll get another,” he grumbles. “You don’t have to wear it around, but just keep it, okay? Let me have that at least.”
The unspoken “if I can’t have you” lingers in the air between us.
My chest squeezes. “Okay.”
He steps closer, and I watch his throat work as he stares down at me. Then, he dips his head and kisses me. It’s soft, and I can taste myself on his lips, but I don’t mind it at all.
When we part, Cal nods. “Alright. Let’s get back to work. A week is hardly any time at all.”
I smile. “No, it’s barely any time, so quit distracting me.”
We laugh, but when he heads off to change his pants and I make my way back to the house, my chest aches.
One week may not be a long time, but I have a feeling it’ll seem like an eternity when I’m trying to ignore my feelings for Cal.