Chapter 11
Chapter Eleven
L iam
The sun dips low over Devil’s Peak, washing the horizon in hues of gold and pink. The stillness of the evening wraps around us like a warm blanket, and the hum of crickets fills the air. Callie sits next to me on the porch swing, her legs curled up under her, the tips of her fingers absently tracing the edge of her glass of iced tea. She’s quiet tonight, but it’s not the kind of quiet that makes me uneasy. It’s the kind that feels... settled.
I glance at her out of the corner of my eye. She’s beautiful in a way that catches me off guard every damn time. Hair loose and wild, a soft smile teasing the corners of her lips. She doesn’t know I’ve been thinking about this moment all day. Hell, maybe I’ve been thinking about it for years.
“You’ve gone quiet,” she says, tilting her head toward me. Her voice is soft, teasing, but there’s an edge of curiosity there too. “What’s going on in that head of yours, Liam Grayson?”
I smirk, stretching my legs out and crossing them at the ankles. “Just wondering how I got roped into sitting on a porch swing like some lovesick fool.”
Her laugh is light and warm, and it tugs at something deep in my chest. “Roped in? Please, you’re practically glued here. Admit it, you’re a sucker for the sunset.”
I grunt, but I don’t argue. She’s not wrong.
“Am I part of the deal?” She presses, her voice lilting. “Sometimes I feel like collateral damage.”
My smirk fades as I turn to face her fully. “Callie, you’re not damage. You’re the damn sunrise after the storm.”
Her cheeks flush, and she looks away, but I catch the flicker of emotion in her eyes. She’s always so quick to tease, to deflect, but I see through it now. The vulnerability she’s so careful to hide is one of the things I love most about her.
Love.
The word slides into my mind as easily as it slides into my chest. I’ve known it for a while now—maybe I’ve always known it—but tonight, I’m ready to do something about it.
I shift in my seat, reaching into my pocket. My fingers brush the cool iron band I’ve been carrying around for days, waiting for the right moment. It’s not a diamond or anything flashy—Callie’s not the flashy type. But it’s something I made myself, shaped and hammered with care, each blow of the hammer carrying the weight of what I feel for her.
“Do you remember that day in middle school?” I ask, my voice low.
She frowns, caught off guard. “Which one?”
“The day I passed you that note,” I say, a smile tugging at the corner of my mouth. “The one about our marriage pact.”
Her eyes widen, and then she laughs, the sound pure and sweet. “I still can’t believe you wrote that.”
“Believe it,” I say, leaning back against the swing. “You were bossy even back then. Figured if I was going to be stuck with someone, it might as well be the girl who could hold her own.”
She swats at my arm, but there’s no heat in it. “Bossy? I was twelve, Liam. And you were the one who dared me to eat three slices of pizza in under a minute.”
“And you did,” I remind her. “It was impressive.”
Her laugh fades into a soft smile, and she shakes her head. “Why are you bringing this up?”
I reach into my pocket and pull out the ring, holding it out to her in the palm of my hand. Her breath catches, and her eyes lock onto mine.
“Because I think it’s time we made good on that pact,” I say, my voice steady. “You and me, Callie. For real.”
She stares at the ring, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. “Liam, I...”
“It’s not just about some childhood promise,” I cut in, my tone soft but firm. “It’s about now. About everything we’ve been through. You came into my life like a damn hurricane, and I haven’t been the same since. You’re my home, Callie. You and everything you bring into my world.”
Tears spill over her lashes, and she swipes at them with the back of her hand, laughing softly. “You really know how to make a girl cry, don’t you?”
I reach for her hand, my fingers brushing against hers. “Is that a yes?”
Her lips part, trembling slightly before they curve into the most radiant smile I’ve ever seen. “Yes, Liam. A thousand times yes.”
Relief and joy crash through me like a tidal wave. I slide the iron band onto her finger, the weight of it a symbol of everything we’ve built and everything we will build together.
She stares at the ring for a moment, then looks up at me, her eyes shining. “You made this, didn’t you?”
I nod. “Every bend, every strike. Just for you.”
Her breath hitches, and then she launches herself at me, wrapping her arms around my neck and pressing her lips to mine. The kiss is deep, unrestrained, and filled with everything we haven’t said until now. My hands find her waist, pulling her closer, grounding her to me.
When we finally break apart, she’s breathless, her forehead resting against mine. “You’re my home too, Liam. You always have been.”
The words settle into me like they belong, filling a space I didn’t know was empty. I kiss her again, slower this time, savoring every second. The rest of the world fades away, leaving just us, the creak of the porch swing, and the stars beginning to emerge above.
As the night deepens, I pull her into my lap, holding her close as we watch the horizon shift into twilight.
“I'll go to the ends of the Earth and back to make you happy,” I whisper, nuzzling into her silky skin. “What are you doing to me, precious?” I stroke her jaw before placing a reverent kiss on her cheek. My fingertips dart down the nape of her neck, watching as shivers erupt and race across her flesh. In the beginning, I was afraid to give too much of myself to her, scared of hurting her, but now not having her feels like a crime. “You're perfect. So sweet,” I say softly as my hands twist into her hair and pull her lips to mine. “You're everything, and you don't even know it.”
“Liam…” she hums.
My control strains as I position her at the right angle on top of me, her legs straddling my hips and my cock throbbing against her hot warmth beneath my workout shorts. She begins to rock against me, her pretty hair falling in waves around her face. I push her t-shirt over her shoulders and expose her breasts to the night air, full and lush and begging to be caressed in my palms.
“You're so beautiful it's heartbreaking.”
I pull her down to me, circling my tongue around her nipples, yanking and sucking as forcefully as I think she can stand. I am starved for her, starved for the release that only she can give. She saves me from myself without even realizing it. I don’t have the words to express that, but I will do my best to show her.
“I don't know what you do to me, but I don't recognize the man I am when I'm with you,” I say, with a serrated edge to my voice as I lift her off me and spin her around to face the porch railing, pushing her panties down her thighs. Her lush, curvy ass is all mine. Everything about her consumes me with all-encompassing madness. My hands slide down her curves. Her breathing picks up as my lips trail across her neck and I dig my nose into the sweet scent of her pussy. “I love your ass, gorgeous.”
She wiggles against me as I drag my thumb down her wet slit. She groans, and I dart her sweetness against my lips, loving the way she tastes on my tongue.
Jesus, she has me so fucked up and inside my own head, every part of her leaves me reeling. “You walk around so innocent. You don't know what you've been doing to me since day one.” I push my hands up her torso. “Driving me nuts.”
I gently tug on her hair before pulling her hips towards me, my eager eyes focused on her smooth, warm entrance. Without asking, I plunge my tongue into her folds and hungrily suck and lick until she covers my face and becomes a quivering mess.
Her fingers grip onto the porch railing as I work her with my mouth. Her soft moans intensify, making my arousal grow again. I want to explode inside of her, just to prove that she’s finally mine. I owe everything to her.
"Oh Liam, yes, yes, yes!" She shatters against my tongue moments later, grinding her hips against my face as I hold onto her firmly. Her release washes over my chin and lips.
Her knees settle on either side of my hips and then, very slowly, so slowly I nearly lose my mind, she slides herself down onto me, and I am home. Sheathed in her searing hot warmth, my mind slows and my body growls with passion and raw, primal want. She is mine.
Callie's sweet body rocks and hums rhythmically, driving me insane with all the things I didn't know I wanted in life. She is heaven on Earth, I just have to learn how to take care of her. To treat this perfect angel right, the way she deserves.
“Liam...” Her soft voice curls around my insides.
“Yeah, baby?” My hands trail up her torso. I love the feel of her hot body pressed against mine, our skin searing at the touch as if we are fire and water coming together in a glorious combustion.
My tongue rotates between her sweet lips and her succulent, rosy nipples, I pull myself out of her hot center and drag along the seam and tease at her entrance, never fully giving her all of me. One of her hands fumbles between us and she grasps my cock, throbbing and vertical, ready for her body.
“Liam...” Her lips dust across my shoulder as her nails dig into my chest, her soft pants make my cock throb and twitch as it burns and hums for release.
“Tell me,” I husk as my hands fist into her hips, her body rocking against mine before her thighs clench and her form trembles, soft sighs and a low moan accompanying her release. My own orgasm bunches and burns low in my balls as I shove one hand through her waves, wrapping my other palm at her nape and pulling her lips to mine, tasting all the sweetness she offers on her pretty, pouty lips. My muscles tense and my kisses grow more demanding as a thousand tingling sensations rocket through me.
She is so beautiful. A sexy siren chasing my own lonely heart. Her sweet doe eyes looking up at me, the wispy curls around her cheeks, she is my own perfect little princess and I am her dark knight.
"Damn, I could get lost in you. You’re so soft and sweet, I don’t deserve so much goodness.”
“You might think I’m sweet and innocent, that I don't know much about what men want. But it doesn't matter to me, Liam, because I want you. I've always wanted every single part of you, even the broken ones. You're perfect to me, you've always been perfect to me.”
I can feel emotion welling in my eyes, but I push it back. I won't let emotions take over our time together, especially when it's so precious. She is the embodiment of every dream I thought was impossible. I’m terrified. I've never done this before, never had to make a relationship work. And for the first time, I want one to work.
My hands tighten on her soft hips. I need to make sure our connection is real and alive between us. Spinning her in my arms, I lift her legs up over my hips and force her to straddle me as I stand, pressing her against the porch railing and filling her with my cock once more. “You're so damn beautiful.” My fingers grip tightly into her hair. “Your eyes, your skin, your heart...they're all perfect for me.”
My orgasm burns low at my spine as her legs begin to shake. I thrust my head back as she twists her hips, fisting me like a silk vise, as my orgasm rockets off through my body, tightening my muscles and stealing all the oxygen from the room.
With her head buried in my shoulder, I can't see her face but I can feel her everywhere. Her nails digging into my shoulders as we move together, chasing happiness that I didn't know was possible with her by my side. “You're mine. Do you hear me?” Bringing her chin up to meet my gaze, I continue fiercely. “Whatever happens, it's just you and me.”
I carry her into the house and back to our bed, tucking her into my arms and the pillows like I haven't just worked over her delicious body seven ways from Sunday. I nuzzle into her neck, my heart locking into pace with hers as my mind finally feels calm enough to sleep with thoughts that Callie Baker is my forever.