Chapter 16 Callum
SIXTEEN
Callum
I knocked on the bathroom door, running my fingers through my damp hair.
Zandra cracked it open, and I passed her a small stack of folded fabric. “Fresh clothes for you, as promised.”
“Thanks,” she said through the crack in the door.
I was trying not to think about the fact that she was in nothing but a towel in there. My towel, since she’d used the bath attached to my room.
“Did you get the batter out of your hair?” I asked.
“I think I managed. Did you shower already?”
“Used Darius’s bathroom after promising I’d leave it pristine. I put your dirty clothes in the washer. Speed cycle.”
“Thank you again.”
“Feel free to use any of my toiletries.”
“Got it.”
There was a pause. I braced my hand against the door frame, looking in at her through the narrow opening, and we stared at each other for a beat too long.
She’d been so gorgeous in the kitchen when we were smearing each other with brownie batter. Who knew a food fight would be that sexy?
The way she’d laughed, completely uninhibited. I wanted to see her like that again, unencumbered by any worries. It was all too easy to imagine us pressed together again, feeling her body respond to me…
She shut the door, and I blew out a breath.
I had to calm down. This wasn’t the first time I’d had a woman over. Far from it. So why was I so worked up?
Then again, usually the showers were after we’d already seen each other naked, and that wasn’t going to happen with Zandra. I’d pissed off her ex on the phone by hinting we would spend this evening horizontal, but she and I both knew all the reasons that was a terrible idea.
So stop thinking about it, I told myself.
I headed out to the kitchen, where the pot pie was cooling and the brownies were in the oven.
“Smells good.” Connor was eyeing my and Zandra’s dinner.
“Keep your hands to yourself,” I warned him. “Or you’ll lose them.”
Darius poured a glass of water. “Relax, Romeo. We’re about to head out to grab burgers at Hearthstone. Some of the other guys are meeting us.”
Connor’s expression turned calculating. “Save us some corner brownie pieces, and we’ll stay away until late. Give you the house to yourself. Niko’s at his girl’s place, so he won’t be back.”
I glanced to the side and stuck my hands in the pockets of my sweats, all casual. “It’s not like that with Z.”
Connor and Darius exchanged a skeptical glance. “You’ve never brought a woman over and cooked before,” Darius observed.
“Sure I have.” Not a cooking lesson, but surely I must’ve made dinner for a girl at some point.
Connor snickered. “No, you haven’t. You also haven’t bitten my head off just for looking at a woman you brought over before.”
Don’t look at her, I wanted to bark, which would only be proving his point.
“You’re into her,” Darius said flatly. “More than the usual. A lot more.”
“I can’t be into her. We’re competing for the same job.”
Connor glanced toward the hallway. “Then you won’t mind if I ask for her number? Text her tomorrow so I can teach her cooking next? I make a mean omelet. A perfect breakfast after a night of—”
A feral growl rumbled from my chest. “I thought you two were leaving.”
They were both laughing as they grabbed their wallets and hustled out the door. I’d do just about anything for those guys, because they were my friends as well as my fellow firefighters. But they were getting on my nerves.
If Zandra was different from any other woman I’d brought home before, it was just because she was an actual friend.
Not a hookup. And when you slept with a friend, much less one who was also a coworker, things got complicated fast. Z and I could flirt and have fun together, but we wouldn’t be crossing any lines.
Regardless of how much I might want to get naked with her.
Fuck. Really wanted to get naked with her.
It had been too long since I’d gotten laid. That was my problem. Maybe I’d go out to a bar next weekend. Not Hearthstone. I could meet a tourist, get my fix, and I’d be good to go.
Yet the thought of Zandra doing the same with any other guy made me want to get stabby with my chef’s knife.
I busied myself in the kitchen. Cleaning up a few smears of batter I’d missed, checking on the brownies in the oven. Starting to set the table for our dinner.
Then a couple minutes later, Zandra emerged from the bathroom. And she looked so good, she was already testing my resolve.
Her long hair was damp and falling down her back, leaving wet spots on my T-shirt. She kept hitching up the shorts I’d given her, which sat low on her hips. My breath caught in my throat. Seeing her in my clothes… Nngh. It just made me want to rip them off her and cover her with my body instead.
I cleared my throat. “Comfy?”
“I look ridiculous,” she said, tugging at the gaping collar of my shirt. She glanced around the kitchen. “Where are Connor and Darius?”
A wave of her scent rolled over me. Oh, hell. She’d used my body spray. Why was that so hot? It should not have been that hot.
Maybe it was a bad idea that Connor and Darius had left after all.
Ignoring the bolt of lust tightening my boxers, I went to grab us some drinks. “They bailed. It’s just the two of us. That’s okay, right?”
“Sure.” She sounded quieter than usual.
“Want a glass of wine?” The words left my mouth before I could reconsider. Did I really need alcohol in my bloodstream with Zandra looking and smelling like that?
“You have wine? I would’ve thought a bunch of firefighters would have nothing but beer and whiskey in here.”
“We’re full of surprises.” I pulled out a bottle of Pinot Grigio. “Besides, Niko’s girlfriend left this here a couple days ago.”
She smiled. “In that case, yes.”
I poured the wine, then finished setting the table. “Let’s eat before it gets cold.”
We sat down at the small dining table, and the intimacy of the moment hit me. It wasn’t just that we were both dressed in my worn-in clothes with wet hair. Something about the soft lighting, the home-cooked meal, the wine glasses catching the light, made this feel…significant.
I’d been giving her shit about this being a date earlier, but now the thought wouldn’t leave my head. Especially after what Darius and Connor had been saying.
Did I actually want this to be a date?
I managed to shut up my overactive brain while we ate. The pot pie was spot-on. Rich and savory filling, tender and buttery biscuits. Even if it was vegan butter.
Zandra took a bite and moaned. Which didn’t help the interest my dick was already showing in her. “This is amazing. Seriously, Callum, this might be the best thing I’ve ever tasted. How’d you think of pot pie? I haven’t had anything like this in forever.”
“My mom used to make it when we were kids.”
Her expression softened. “She passed away, right? You mentioned that.”
“When I was in middle school.” I dipped my spoon into the creamy chicken mixture.
“I’m sorry,” she said gently. “And there were four of you. That must’ve been a lot for your dad.”
“It would’ve been, if he’d stuck around.” I kept my tone nonchalant, but I saw her eyes widen.
“He left?”
“About six months after Mom died. He hadn’t been around that much before, but after, he was definitely finished with us.”
“I’m so sorry. I had no idea.”
I smiled, wanting to ease the concern in her eyes. “It’s all right. That’s why I’m so close with Ashford and Grace. Same with Teller Landry and his sister Piper. They lived across the street from us.”
“What about your oldest brother?”
I felt my jaw tighten involuntarily at her mention of Grayden. “That’s a really long story, and not as fun.”
She kept her eyes on her food, but her next words were full of understanding. “We don’t have to only talk about fun things. You’ve listened to me about Jessa and my parents. All my failures in Chicago.”
“True.” But there were some things about my history with Grayden that even Ashford and Grace didn’t know.
I didn’t want to get into it with Z. Not because I didn’t trust her, but because dwelling on bad shit wasn’t my style.
What was the point? “I assume being an only child means you have less sibling drama.”
She laughed, but it sounded hollow. “My parents make up for it. They always wanted me to work for their company, but on their terms, not mine. Maybe that’s why I wanted to be a business major.
To make them proud. Prove I could do it on my own.
I guess that backfired in several ways, because it turned out they liked Ian a lot more than they’ve ever liked me. ” She took a sip of wine.
“Good thing you’ve got Aunt Rosie, and she’s worth ten of anyone else.”
That brought a real smile to her lips. “Living with her and Jimmy isn’t as bad as I thought it would be. Though I feel like I’m imposing.”
“We do have that spare room,” I said before I could stop myself. The thought of having her sleeping right next door to me was so tempting it was dangerous.
“I couldn’t handle living with you.”
We held gazes across the table, the air between us charged in a way that had nothing to do with the wine. The moment stretched until the laundry machine buzzed.
“Time for the dryer.” I started to get up, but Zandra was already on her feet.
“I can do it,” she insisted.
“You don’t need me to push the buttons?”
She pressed her lips together. “Somehow I’ll figure it out.”
I pointed toward the hallway. “Laundry room’s that way.
” But when she got up, I caught her by the wrist, my thumb pressing to her pulse point, feeling how rapidly it was thrumming.
“For what it’s worth, your parents and Ian are idiots for not seeing what was right in front of them. You’re brilliant.”
“You don’t have to say that.”
“I’m just stating what’s obvious to me. Even back in high school, I could see it. You’re somebody special.”
Her gaze dropped. “So are you,” she murmured. Zandra was so tough all the time that when she let up, damn, it did things to me.
Once she was down the hall, I exhaled, glancing at the ceiling.
“Fuuuck,” I whispered.