Chapter 30
Lucy
In the morning, I awaken with Callum spooned around me and my phone buzzing on the nightstand. With his hypnotic scent in my nose and his strong arms cocooning me, I’m warm and comfortable. Safe. I feel like I could sleep for days, tucked against his muscular frame.
I grope the nightstand until my fingers latch onto my vibrating cell.
When I peek at the screen, my sister’s name pops up. I answer the call, cradling the phone to my ear.
“Sis?” I fight a yawn. “What’s up?”
“What’s up, you ask? Seriously?” I normally love her voice, but the shriek against my eardrum is so harsh I flinch, causing Callum to stir. His muscles tense around me.
Well, crap. Though I probably should’ve expected a call like this, I find myself unprepared for her wrath so early in the morning.
I yawn again and hedge. “Seriously, what?”
“Don’t you play dumb with me, Lucy Marlow. You know exactly what I’m talking about. What the hell were you thinking with that batshit performance yesterday?”
My eyes fly open. “I’m fine. Good as new. No injuries.”
Except for Callum, but that detail will only shoot her into a deeper tailspin. Best to hold off as long as possible.
“By the grace of God.” Maya exhales so loudly, I can practically feel the wind on my face from across the ocean. “I watched the clips online, Lu. What were you thinking, for reals, destroying that set? You could’ve been hurt or worse!”
I smother a sigh. If I could rewind the past five minutes, I’d ignore Maya’s call until my brain started functioning. Nothing like suffering through a scolding first thing in the morning.
“I can imagine how scary it looked, but honestly, you don’t need to worry.” I snuggle up to Callum’s chest. His heart thumps a reassuring beat against my spine. “I promise I’m fine. I was safe the whole time.”
“Bullshit! Do I need to come home?”
“No.” I try not to sound like I’m keeping something from her.
“Callum already reamed me out and made me swear to never take risks like that again. And even if I do get another wild hair, he’ll keep me safe.
” My cheeks begin to burn from talking like this while I’m burrowed in his arms. “He’ll protect me from everyone… even myself.”
Maya launches into a monologue about safety, but my attention drifts the second Callum’s hand tightens at my hip. In one deft motion, he flips me over so I’m facing his chest.
My breath hitches.
He’s looking at me in a way he never has before, both of us lying here in silence while Maya drones on about the importance of not acting reckless.
I could lose myself forever in his expressive green eyes.
He studies me with an inscrutable expression.
“Understand?” Maya’s mini lecture finally comes to a conclusion.
“I understand.” My gaze remains locked on Callum. “Let’s catch up again soon, okay? Love you. Bye.”
I hang up without waiting for her reply, heat already pooling low in my belly due to the warmth in Callum’s eyes.
He’s quiet. I stare at a spot on his jaw, chewing on my bottom lip. “Didn’t mean to wake you.”
When he speaks, his voice is raw with emotion. “You meant that.”
“What?”
“About trusting me to protect you.”
I nod, and Callum shudders. When I open my mouth to ask what’s wrong, he cups my face with his right hand, his thumb brushing my lower lip.
“Callum.” Is the air thin in here?
Something primitive flares in his eyes. My eyelids flutter down to half-mast as he leans closer, his lips a breath away from mine, the tension between us crackling like electricity.
Callum doesn’t waste any more time. In one powerful, controlled movement, he rolls on top of me, his large hands pressing into the mattress on either side of my face.
The untamed lust in his eyes conveys his intentions. Fluid and skilled, he pins me with his body, covering every inch of me.
Heat and excitement flare to life beneath my skin, warring with the concern creeping through my mind. “Your wound?”
“Fuck it.” The tension between us strains like a wire about to snap. “Tell me you want this.”
My heart pounds a jagged beat. “I want this.”
And, unbelievably, I do.
Viktor Roguilin touched me in ways I’ll never forget. Ruined the idea of sex with anyone else ever again.
He told me, over and over, that I was his and his alone.
After I escaped, the mere thought of intimacy with a man left me nauseated. Trembling. I couldn’t fathom ever doing this willingly again.
But now, the dread has vanished. Nothing remains but a hot, achy need in my body.
And Callum doesn’t hesitate long enough to let me stew on this new sensation.
His lips crash down to mine, desperate and all-consuming. There’s barely room for breathing when he’s like this, stealing all my air with his demanding mouth. His hands disappear into my hair, and he leans forward until our foreheads touch.
Arousal awakens as I cling to him, nothing separating us except my silk pajama set and his briefs.
His hands rake down from my hair, over my neck, shoulders, and sides, all the way past my waist. Once his palms reach my thighs, his fingers dig into them. I part my legs around his hips, allowing him to grind his heavy, muscle-bound body against me.
When his weight presses down on me, my body instinctively tenses.
Callum leans up immediately, and I already miss his warmth.
“Lucy.” His eyes trap mine. The green hue glitters in the midmorning sun. “We don’t have to do this if you’re not okay.”
“I’m okay!” The reassurance rushes out as I slide my fingers over his arms and up his shoulders, careful of his bandages. “It’s just a reflex. I swear, I’m fine.”
He shifts under my touch. “You’re sure? I don’t…after what you told me yesterday…”
I cup his cheek. “Callum. I promise it’s fine.” I release a shaky breath. “I thought I’d be nervous…and I am, a little. But I want this.” I chew on my bottom lip. “Please, Callum.”
What I don’t say…is that I need to know I’m not broken.
He wants me. And I want him.
I need to know that I can do this.
I need to know I can be okay.