Chapter 49
Lucy
My favorite place in Callum’s home is also his. It’s a converted music room that had me gasping the first time he showed me.
This is where Callum keeps his grandfather’s upright piano from the thirties and a carefully maintained collection of vinyl records spanning classical compositions to vintage jazz. He even has a whole section dedicated to traditional Irish musicians.
Porthole windows and skylights filter light during the day, but tonight, the dark is only chased away by a few soft lamps. It’s cozy and smells like my man in here, which is the best part of the space. Well, next to the enormous Persian rug sprawled across the dark hardwood floors.
The rug is my favorite place to get Callum naked and panting.
Jazz floats from the record player as I balance my palms against his chest, working my hips over his upright cock.
“Fuck…” I pant, barely able to keep my eyes open.
Who knew that trying to fit all eight inches of him inside me would be so much work, so deliriously exhausting, and so incredible all at once?
Callum’s rough fingers latch onto my ass, yanking me down. He groans as he kneads my flesh.
I still, waiting for him to look at me again. “You okay?”
He huffs and opens his eyes. “I told you I’m fine.” His hands twitch against my skin. “Come on, don’t tease me like this.”
“You only recently got out of the hospital.” I brush my fingers over his freshest scar, just beside his heart. “We have to be careful until you fully heal.”
He took this bullet—and more—for me. My chest aches just thinking of him lying on that floor. So much blood.
“Lucy.” His tone darkens, sending a shiver down my spine. “Move.”
Heat broils me beneath my skin. I rock faster than before, slamming myself against him with my full strength.
We pant and moan together. The alcohol in my system tones down the self-consciousness that usually prevents me from taking exactly what I want.
But not tonight.
Tonight, I’m his queen. The love I have for this man gives me wings, burns golden in my blood. Every slide of our bodies against one another, every thrust of his cock, every pulse of lust reminds me that I’m his, and he’s mine. He’s never leaving me.
And I’m never letting him go.
Callum pinches my thigh to grab my attention. “Come here.”
I smile, leaning down to press my lips to his.
One of his hands glides up from my ass to the nape of my neck and squeezes tight.
I groan against him. “I love you.”
He shivers beneath me. “Love you, too, Marlow.”
The words curl through my entire body, warming, soothing, pleasing.
I’ll never get tired of hearing him say them.
Then Callum starts to thrust, propelling himself inside me at an even deeper angle.
I start to unravel. My eyes slam shut, pleasure peaking and spiking in my core.
“Oh god.”
“Come for me, beautiful.” Callum coaxes me closer with his velvety voice. “Please.”
There’s nothing more erotic than Callum saying please. Maybe it’s because he doesn’t seem like the kind of man who ever asks for anything. But hearing him tell me to please come while he slams into me, over and over, does me in every time.
A shout bursts from my lips as tremors rip through my body, and I gyrate around his cock.
Pleasure shoots through every nerve as my orgasm takes me higher and higher. Tiny black dots blur the edges of my vision. For a small eternity, my body soars.
I’m not sure how much time passes before reality returns. Callum holds my sweat-dampened body close to his chest, allowing the steady rhythm of his heart to soothe me. I never want this moment to end.
After a few minutes, he rolls us to the side, his arm pillowing my head.
I breathe in, inhaling his cedar and vanilla scent. I could fall asleep, just like this.
Instead, I find some energy to ask him to tell me his biggest secret.
His fingers caress my left shoulder in the barest of touches. “You remember the mission I told you about? To save the diplomat and his family?”
“Mm-hmm.”
“Every year around this time, I fly back to Ireland so I can visit their graves.”
My eyes pop open. “Seriously?”
He nods. “I leave flowers.”
“You go all the way to Ireland just to visit their graves and leave flowers?” That’s the most beautiful tribute I’ve ever heard.
Callum’s fingers trace down my arm. “Truly, that’s all I do the whole trip. Just visit their graves and reflect. I don’t even tell my friends or family I’ll be in town. It’s entirely a memorial visit.”
“That’s beautiful.”
“You’re beautiful.”
I touch his chest. “Be serious.”
“Okay.” He slips his arm around my waist and pulls me a little tighter against him. “Come with me then.”
“What?”
“You told me to be serious, and I am.” He kisses my forehead. “I want you to come with me on my next trip back.”
“I couldn’t intrude on your ritual.”
“That’s not why I want to bring you along.” His laugh sounds a little…forced.
I narrow my eyes. “What’s that mean?”
“I was thinking that after I’ve finished my visit, it might be nice to…introduce you to my family. We can work around the trip to Tokyo you won.”
“Your family?” My brain tries to imagine Deirdre and his parents, but I can’t. I’ll just have to be surprised.
Callum sighs. “There’s absolutely no pressure, by the way. I know it’s been a long time since you encountered any parents…and mine aren’t the best in the world or anything, but at the end of the day, I’m old-fashioned. I want them to meet the woman I’m in love with.”
Irrational, unimaginable happiness destroys me. I feel like I’m this close to spontaneously combusting.
“Of course I want to meet your family.”
“Really?” The edge of hope in Callum’s voice stops me.
He’s actually been thinking hard about this, hasn’t he?
“Callum, I love you. They could be serial killers, and I’d still want to meet the people who brought you into the world—”
My phone rings, loud and obtrusive.
Callum reaches for it. “Here, I’ll turn it off.”
“No. Let me have it.” I sit up, heaving a breath.
Callum grunts and lowers the phone into my palm.
“It’s the DA calling.” I nearly fumble the thing. For the moment, I’d forgotten all about Viktor Roguilin and my plans to still testify.
But a middle-of-the-night phone call from the DA? That can’t be good news.
Heart stuttering, I answer the call and hold the phone to my ear. I mostly nod and utter one, “Uh-huh.” The call’s over as quickly as it began.
I drop the phone, staring at Callum with wide eyes.
“What did she want?”
“They no longer need me to testify because…Viktor Roguilin’s dead. Someone shot him in the head.”
Suspicion writhes in my gut. “But you already knew that, didn’t you?”
Callum gives me a devious smile and tosses my phone out of the way. Based on his demeanor, I suspect my boyfriend not only knew but played a vital role in Viktor’s demise.
Maybe it’s wrong, but I can’t claim to be sorry either. The world is a better place without that man.
“What can I say?” Callum kisses my dimple. “I’ll always protect you.”
“Because you’re my bodyguard?” I tease.
“That, and because I love you.”
I melt into him so he can show me exactly how much.