25. Eli
twenty-five
Eli
Willing Callie to acknowledge my message from this morning, I stare at the phone mocking me from my desk as I pretend to work.
Silence.
She’s ignoring me, and I deserve it.
Two days ago, I returned to California, leaving Callie behind in Pine Hills to rest and recover while I began my search for the perpetrator—or perpetrators—responsible for her fall, the cupcake mix-up, the stage dive… All of it.
Something about the incidents irked me, but hearing Callie tell me her family’s story set off alarm bells in my head. There is no way these events are coincidental.
I hated having to share my suspicions with Callie, but she’s so damn stubborn. The blood drained from her face, turning her ashen, as she processed the information. She hasn’t connected all the dots yet, and I don’t want her to because it’s heartbreaking to think the only person who would benefit from her death is her half-sister.
Silla Treymonde.
Unfortunately, I have yet to come up with any solid evidence. Everyone is digging, including my brothers. Mason is searching the bank accounts to get a bird’s-eye view on Silla’s finances, while Jace is attempting to track down Andrew Cartwright’s will by reaching out to his old lawyer friends.
No matter what, I’m going to find the person trying to hurt my girl.
I drop the contract I’m pretending to read and pick up the manilla folder sitting on my desk. Flipping it open, I search for the grainy picture of the man found lurking around Ricochet lounge the night before and stare at it.
The bastard in the photo is dressed in all black and hides his face from view with his hood pulled, so there is no way to identify him. Something about the man’s build and side profile feels familiar. I can’t put my finger on why, but I can’t shake the lingering sense of déjà vu the picture gives me.
With a tension-reducing neck roll, I close the file and dive back into work for another hour. Sadly, no number of contracts and client calls can keep my mind off Callie or the way my phone goads me from its silent perch on my desk.
Disappointment hits me like a kick in the nuts.
Leaving Callie was the last thing I wanted to do. I finally kissed her, after years of secretly pining for her, and what did I do? I left her alone to fend for herself while she’s injured, in a place she’s never been before, and to top it off, I demanded she stay inside like a prisoner.
As some kind of karmic punishment, I haven’t had a decent night’s sleep since the one I spent holding Callie in my arms. All I want is to get back to her as quickly as possible. If I concentrate hard enough, I can still taste her lips on mine.
I promised her things between us were going to be different, and I claimed her in front of my family. Then I left, when I should have stayed and nursed her back to health. I should have stayed to kiss her every night until we fell asleep tangled in each other’s arms.
Yeah, because you would have stopped at kissing her.
My brain might be a snarky bastard, but it sure hasn’t lost its ability to conjure visions of a naked Callie laid out in the middle of the bed for me—bare skinned, legs spread, pussy glistening, and ready to be worshipped and fucked with my mouth, my fingers, and my cock.
My dick thickens behind my zipper, making my slacks tight.
Fuck .
Shifting in my seat, I adjust myself. Keeping Callie safe extends to me as well. I’m not sure I’d be able to control myself, or my cock, if I was still sharing a bed with her. I was barely keeping myself together when I glimpsed Callie’s naked body for the first time. It took everything in me to be a gentleman and keep my eyes off her delectable, flawless skin.
Forcing myself not to pick up my phone and check my messages for the hundredth time, I shuffle through a few more contracts and skim the proposal Dez left on my desk to review before our meeting with Hudson, who returns from England today.
After we catch up, I plan to tell him and Dez about me and Callie. I’m nervous, but it’s time. There’s no going back for me, and with Hudson home, I have no reason to stay in LA. Dez is more than capable of taking care of things for me while I’m gone, and I can easily wait for my contacts to call with any information they dig up. It’s time for me to get back to my girl.
Fuck, I love calling Callie “my girl”.
The security alarm for Cam’s door chimes, and I reach for my cell, pulling open the app. A bouncing, pregnant Rylann stands on the doorstep with a grinning Rhys. Affection fills me with warmth at the sight of my sister-in-law and nephew coming over to keep Callie company. If those two are there, then the rest of the girl crew isn’t too far behind.
“Knock, knock,” Dez announces, pushing open my office door.
I lock my phone, place it back on the desk, and look up to find my friend studying me with a curious expression.
“What?” I ask.
“You’re smiling,” he mumbles.
I run a hand over my mouth. “I guess I am.”
Dez is still staring at me in shock.
“What’s that face for?”
“Nothing.” With a sobering shake of his head, he takes a seat at the conference table and starts clearing the mess of paperwork I have stacked on it. “Sorry. You’ve been extra moody lately and the smile caught me off guard. Want to talk about it?”
Not yet .
“No.” With a chuff, I get up from my desk to help clear the table. “When should we expect Hud?”
“Any minute.” Dez keeps his scrutinizing glare on me.
Ignoring him as best I can as we wait for Hudson, I take a seat on the couch.
The door swings open. Hudson, looking rough, walks into the room. His tie is crooked and his hair is a mess, which is unlike my very put-together friend.
“Are you okay there, man?” I ask.
Hudson plops onto the leather sofa beside me. “Definitely not.”
“Want to talk about it?” I’m on alert, wondering if his frazzled state has anything to do with his father.
Hudson covers his eyes with his forearm and groans, shaking his head. Dez and I share a look.
“Is it your dad? Have you heard something?” Dez asks.
Hudson grumbles, “I wish.”
“Give us something,” I prod. Hudson’s strange behavior is worrying.
“Can we drop it? I don’t want to walk about it,” he grouses into his shirt sleeve, clearly upset with whatever happened.
“Consider it dropped.” I’m about to drop a bomb at the end of this meeting, so who am I to push?
I look at Dez to take the lead and mouth, Start the meeting .
Dez clears his throat and hands out his talking points. Per Hudson’s request, we jump into discussing Blaze’s business until Dez crosses out the last item on his list.
“That’s it, gentlemen. We have officially covered everything … unless Eli has something to add.” He glances at me with an arched brow, giving me the floor.
“What?”
“Go on. Say what you want to say,” he urges.
Hudson leans forward, waiting for me to speak. “E, what’s this about?”
My heart hammers in my chest, and I wipe my sweaty palms down my pant legs.
It’s now or never.
Clearing my throat, I look at my friends. I fucking hope they don’t hate me at the end of this. Hudson’s father’s indiscretions still haunt him, and the last thing I want is to bring that type of scrutiny to our business. But I couldn’t live with myself if I didn’t follow my heart and take a chance to be with Callie.
“A few things. I heard from the security company, and they sent over a picture of the man they suspect damaged the cables and pulley system that led to Callie’s ‘accident’,” I grit out.
The word tastes like acid on my tongue. Accident, my ass. Someone is deliberately trying to hurt my woman, and I have my suspicions, but that’s all I have—suspicions.
“So, it’s confirmed, then? Sabotage?” Hudson asks.
I nod, hating the truth. “Yes. By Boone and the police. PR has done their best to bury the story with a few tricks up their sleeve, pushing some of our other clients into the spotlight, but you know we can’t keep the paps off this forever. The police report is public knowledge. And before you ask, I have a few people digging into the picture so we can identify the son of a bitch. They won’t get away with this.”
If it’s the last thing I do, I will make whomever hurt Callie pay. They almost robbed me of the woman I love.
Love?
Where the fuck did that come from? I’ve only kissed her once. I can’t be in love with her, right?
My heart does this little pinch as a thick warmth floods my chest. Physically, Callie and I might be a quick burn, but we’ve been building the fire for weeks. Hell, we’ve been building it for years. I was just too stubborn to admit it until now.
“Good. How’s Callie doing?” Dez asks, yanking me from my thoughts.
“What?” I ask too quickly.
Dez stares at me like he has a window in my head and knows where my thoughts went. He fights a smile and waves for me to continue.
“How’s Callie doing, you dumbass? What’s wrong with you?” Hudson asks, exasperated with my daydreaming.
Out of habit, my brain switches to business mode. “Callie has some bruising on her back and a minor case of whiplash from the fall, but she’s otherwise good. She’s a fighter and will be back on her feet in no time.”
Seriously, what the fuck is coming out of my mouth right now? My response sounds plastic, like Callie’s just another client when she is so much more. I need to come clean, and tell Hudson and Dez how I feel about her.
I tug at my shirt collar. “So, listen. I have one more thing I need to fill you in on regarding Callie.”
“Okay,” Hudson says as Dez gives me an encouraging wave to continue.
“I… Uh. S-so, umm…” I stutter as my heart beats in my throat.
Fuck, this is harder than I thought it would be to admit.
I can do this. These are my closest friends, and while I know what I’m about to tell them may hurt our business—and make them hate me—I need to do this. I won’t have a secret relationship with Callie. I’m an all-or-nothing kind of guy, which is why I have avoided relationships for so long. In the past, work has been my everything, but now it’s Callie.
I’m ready to give her my all.
“I never wanted this to happen—especially not after all the shit that went down with Harold—but it has, and now I can’t go back. I… Callie… Fuck. This is coming out all wrong,” I ramble, tugging at my hair. Hudson says something, but I can’t hear him over my own swirling thoughts. “The fall happened, and then I just…”
“Eli, stop. For fuck’s sake, just stop!” Hudson shouts.
I find him and Dez staring at me, a look of amusement on each of their faces. “Sorry. I just… I have to tell you—”
“Dude, chill for a second and listen to me. It’s okay. I know.” Hudson arches a brow at me like I automatically know what he means.
“Know what?” I ask Hudson, confused.
I look at Dez for answers. He rolls his eyes at me.
“Seriously, guys. What the fuck do you know?”
Hudson chuckles at my obtuseness. “That you love Callie.”
There’s that word again. Love.
Blood rushes to my ears. How do they know? “I-I…”
“Relax, Eli. We’ve known for a while,” Dez adds in a placating voice.
“You have?” My gaze bounces between Dez and Hudson. “You knew?” Their returning smiles have my shoulders falling in relief as I run my hands through my hair.
“A hell of a lot sooner than you did.” Dez pats my shoulder. “We’ve just been waiting for you to catch up.”
“How?” I grumble, shocked at what I’m hearing.
Hudson scoffs. “Dude. You acted like such an asshole to her, and only her. You should have just worn a neon sign around your neck that read: I like Callie . Touch her and die .”
“What on earth are you talking about?”
“Ian West,” Dez states.
I can’t stop the growl that rumbles in my chest. Hearing that name brings back a wave of searing anger that boils the blood in my veins. Callie dated that pretty boy for a month, and I wanted nothing more than to rip his arm off and beat him with it every time I saw a picture of his hand on the small of Callie’s back.
Hudson barks a laugh. “You should see your face right now. It’s all red and Hulk-looking. Dez, please tell me you see his eye twitching too.”
“Oh, it’s twitching.”
“Fuck off, it’s not,” I grunt, flipping them off, which sends both my friends into a fit of laughter.
“No joke. I think you made Ian piss himself at the premiere of his show. The warning you gave him almost had me running for the hills. ‘Keep your fucking hands where I can see them, or I’ll have them removed.’ I’m impressed he stuck around as long as he did after that,” Hudson reminds me, his shoulders shaking with laughter.
“Skinny prick,” I sneer.
That guy and his wandering hands. He’s lucky I didn’t call in a favor to really have them removed from his body. I was more than happy when he and Callie broke up two weeks later.
“Eli.” Dez squeezes my shoulder and forces me to look him in the eyes. “This day was bound to happen. I was there when you met Callie for the first time. You remember how you met? She tripped and was falling to the ground but never hit it because you were there. Like a superhero, you popped up and caught her. The way you two looked at each other…” He shakes his head in disbelief. “I’ve never seen a connection like that. So instant.”
Remember? It feels like yesterday. I can still feel the electricity beneath my fingers from gripping her hip in my palm. I’d never before experienced that kind of bodily reaction when meeting a woman. It was deep and chemical.
I turn to Hudson. “I never meant for this to happen. I’m not that guy. It’s just… It’s Callie. I don’t know how or why, but she’s … special. I don’t want to let you down, but if I don’t do this and go after her, I don’t know if I’ll be able to live with myself.”
“I know you would never do anything creepy. You’re not him, E. You’re not taking advantage of her. This is different because you love her.” Hudson scrubs his hands over his face. “Since we’re being honest, I have a confession.”
“Well, this just got more interesting.” Dez sits back in his seat, a wicked smile plastered on his face, as I wait with bated breath for my best friend to come clean.
Hudson clears his throat. “I knew putting you with Callie while I was gone would bring you two closer together. I kind of hoped for it.”
My eyes pop out of my head in shock. “Wait? You wanted us together?”
Hudson shrugs. “Together, bang one out… Whatever.”
A guttural growl rumbles in my chest. Hudson is my best friend and business partner, but I may rip his head off for disrespecting Callie.
Hudson holds his hands up in surrender. “Relax. I didn’t mean it like that. I just wanted you to face your shit, E. We all know you’ve had a thing for Callie from the start. By pushing you two closer, I figured you would finally get your shit together and act on your feelings. Then maybe you’d stop being a grumpy jackass.”
“He’s only grumpy when Callie is around,” Dez amends.
I can’t believe what I’m hearing. After everything Harold had put him through, Hudson still wanted me to go for it. Without reservation, he encouraged it. Even Dez isn’t surprised.
How is this possible? Shouldn’t they be freaking out about the ramifications? What will people say? The comparisons?
“B-but…” I stutter, unable to get my head around everything. “Aren’t you guys worried about what people will think? What if I’m just like—”
Hudson cuts me off. “No. This is nothing like what happened in the past, so stop. And if you mention my piece-of-shit father again, I’m going to punch you in the dick.”
My hands switch into defense mode, covering my cock.
The three of us dissolve into laughter, and the weight I’ve been carrying on my shoulders falls away. If I had known my friends would be this accepting, I might have saved myself from a lot of pining. Then again, maybe this was always the way it was supposed to happen. Over the last few weeks, Callie and I have gotten to know each other on a whole other level, and it has only made my feelings for her stronger.
When our laughter dies down, I take a sobering seat back. “So, we’re all okay with me and Callie being … me and Callie?”
“Yes, you idiot.” Hudson groans, tired of repeating himself, but I need to hear it again.
I’m about to have everything I’ve ever wanted. No backlash. I get to be with the one woman who has had my attention from the start. It doesn’t seem real.
Dez laughs at me like I’m an idiot. “Me and Hud have had bets on when you would break.” My jaw drops at his admission.
“I win, by the way.” Hudson does a dance in his seat.
“You cheated,” Dez grouses, balling a piece of paper and throwing it at Hudson, who swats the wad away.
“Don’t hate the player. Hate the game, baby.”
I watch my friends bickering over who should win the bet, when I’m the biggest winner of them all because I get her—Callie. My princess, the little bluebird who sings to me with her sweet melodic voice even when she’s not singing.
“Thanks, Hud.”
He waves me off. “Yeah, yeah. Now, enough of this gooey shit. Fill me in on what’s going on with the investigation. I want to catch these fuckers.”
“I second that.” Dez pulls out his phone, ready to take notes.
Leaning forward, I rest my elbows on my knees and grasp my hands, steepling my fingers to my lips. I smile, refusing to hold back the deep gratitude I have for my friends.
“E, where’s the file with your notes?” Dez asks. He and Hudson are ready to tackle and solve this disaster with me.
“On my desk.” I grab the file and hand it over to them.
As they read, I fill them in on everything I’ve found and my suspicions about Silla. I leave out the fact that she’s Callie’s sister because that’s not my story to tell. Instead, I fill them in on how Silla’s stealing from Callie and using a managerial contract as leverage to do it.
“Eli, we need to see those contracts so we know what we’re up against. Do you know if Callie has copies?” Hudson stands up and stretches his back.
“I’m not sure, but I’ll talk to her. I have my brother, Jace, reaching out to his contacts. He’s looking for the lawyer Silla’s using.” I leave out the trust and the identity of Callie’s father. Holding back information from Dez and Hudson makes me twitchy. It’s necessary until I ask Callie what details I can share.
Hudson yawns. “Okay, keep us posted. I’m going to head home and sleep off this jetlag.”
“Speaking of jetlag, mind if I use the jet to head back to Pine Hills tonight?”
“I’ll call the pilot and have him fuel up.”
“Thanks, Hud. I owe you one.”
My buddy chuckles, shaking his head. “You know the rule: no favors between us. We’re partners. You got my back, and I have yours.” Hudson turns to Dez. “Same goes for you, Dez. Us partners stick together.”
“Partners?” Dez gasps.
Hudson and I grin at each other as we take in the confused look on Dez’s face. I couldn’t think of a better way to tell him about the promotion. For the last few weeks, Dez has been the backbone of our company, and it wouldn’t have survived without him.
“ Equal partners,” I add.
“For real?” Dez’s eyes are comically wide as his jaw hangs open.
“One hundred, Dez. When Eli returns, we will call the lawyers and get everything set up and in writing.”
“Holy shit, you’re serious.” Dez runs his hands over his face.
I slap him on the back. “You earned this, man. Without you, I don’t think we would have made it. We’re just sorry it took us so long to show you how much we appreciate all your hard work and dedication.”
“Thanks, guys.” Dez’s voice cracks, and his eyes glass over. He coughs, clearing his throat. “This means so much to me. I promise I won’t let you down, and I’ll find the best replacement assistant out there.”
“I have no doubt, Dez.” My nose tingles, and I fight the emotion in my voice. I look over at Hudson, the big softy, who is also struggling to hide his feelings. He’s not used to this kind of thing, especially having grown up with a father who was less than nurturing.
“Alright, bring it in.” I have no problem being a mush. One thing Mark Miller taught me was that being emotional is anything but weak. Wrapping my arms around my friends, I give them a manly bro hug, looping my arms around their necks and pulling them each into a headlock.
I walk them to the door and push them out. “Now, if you don’t mind, I have somewhere else to be.”
The three of us say our goodbyes with promises to celebrate soon.
Without bothering to text Callie, I’m on my way home. I grab my phone and the already packed travel bag by the door, and call a car to drive me to the airport.
I can’t wait to see the surprised look on her face when I walk through the door. It’s been too long since I’ve held my girl, and I don’t want to go another day without her. We’ve already spent too much time apart, and I’m ready to start the rest of our lives together.
Right fucking now.