Chapter 26
VICTORIA
There was zero chance I could function after he touched me. His little shoulder rub was enough to wake my entire body up. I was immediately desperate for more. To be fair, it was the second I saw him with those damn pastries. Stupid, sexy, thoughtful Callum.
“Sit,” I ordered.
He grinned and looked around my room before he sat on my queen bed. It was nothing like his massive bed in his massive room in his massive house, but it wasn’t like we needed a lot of room to do what we were going to do.
He looked up at me with that cocky little smile I loved and hated. I pushed him back against the mattress, climbing over him. His hands went to my waist but I caught them and pressed them down.
“Stay,” I said.
He looked up at me with that slow smile.
He was too damn sexy for my own good. I was ready to walk away from everything and chain him to my bed for my personal use.
I kissed his jaw and then his throat. I felt his pulse jump under my lips.
His hands moved and I pressed them back down again without looking up.
“I said stay.”
He exhaled through his nose. “Yes, ma’am.”
I worked down his chest, pulling his shirt up and pressing my mouth to his stomach. His abs contracted under my lips. I felt his hands hover just above my shoulders, not quite touching but I could feel the restraint he was exercising.
I undid his belt, taking my time with it. He lifted his hips without being asked, allowing me to pull his pants and boxers down in one motion. I dropped them off the edge of the bed. When I looked up at him he had one arm thrown over his face. His chest heaved up and down.
I wrapped my hand around the base of him and felt him twitch. He was already hard, warm, and heavy in my palm. I ran my thumb slowly up the length of him and gently squeezed. He made a sound into the crook of his elbow.
I lowered my head and ran my tongue along the same path my thumb had taken from base to tip. His whole body went rigid.
“Victoria.”
I did it again, just to hear him say my name like that. I had the power. It was intoxicating.
I took him into my mouth, just the tip at first, my tongue circling slowly. His hips shifted and I pressed my free hand flat against his stomach, holding him down. He groaned again.
I took him deeper, finding a rhythm, my hand working in time with my mouth. His breathing changed, coming faster, less controlled. One of his hands threaded into my hair like he needed something to hold on to.
I pulled back until just the tip was between my lips and looked up at him. His jaw was tight, chest rising and falling hard, eyes dark and fixed entirely on me. He’d been watching me devour him. And my God, I had never been so turned on. So wet and ready.
“You’re going to be the death of me,” he said, his voice rough.
I hummed against him in response and felt him shudder.
I took him deep again, hollowing my cheeks and taking him into the back of my throat. His fingers tightened gently in my hair. I set a slower pace this time and made sure he felt every single second of it. His thighs tensed under my hands. His breathing came in short gasps.
“Hey.” His hand tightened, pulling lightly. “Come here. Come up here.”
I let him go with a slow drag and looked up. He reached down and hooked his hands under my arms, pulling me up the length of his body until my face was level with his. He looked wrecked in the best possible way.
He cupped my face in both hands and kissed me deep and slow, like he wanted to savor every second of it. We didn’t have time, but I was making the time. So was he.
He broke the kiss and looked at me with dark eyes. Before I could register what he was doing, his hands were at my hips and the world flipped. Rather, I was flipped onto my back, his weight settling over me. The breath left my lungs in a rush.
He sat back on his heels and looked at me like he was deciding where to start.
Then his hands went to the hem of my shirt and he pulled it over my head in one smooth motion.
His fingers found the clasp of my bra at my back, and it was gone before I’d fully processed his hands had moved.
He tossed it over his shoulder with a sexy grin.
He cupped my breasts in both hands, his thumbs brushing slowly over my nipples. I arched into him.
“Fair is fair,” he said quietly, almost to himself.
His mouth found my throat, then my collarbone, then the curve of my breast. When his lips closed around my nipple I cried out, arching again. He smiled against my skin. I felt it.
He kissed his way down my stomach, his hands peeling my pants down my legs before he yanked off my panties. His hands ran back up the inside of my calves, my knees, the inside of my thighs, and he pressed them gently apart.
He looked up at me from between my legs. “Condom?”
“Nightstand,” I managed.
He raised an eyebrow. I pointed in case he didn’t understand where the damn thing was. He leaned across me and retrieved the condom, tore the foil with his teeth, and sat back. I watched him roll it on and actually licked my lips. I craved the man.
He lowered himself over me, one forearm braced beside my head, and the full weight of him settled between my thighs.
He pressed his forehead against mine and held there for a second, just breathing.
Then he reached down between us and positioned himself at my entrance. His thickness pushed slowly inside.
A slow moan escaped my lips, and fuck me, I loved him inside me.
He stopped when he was fully seated, giving both of us a second to appreciate the moment.
It was easy to rush through those first seconds, but cherishing the feeling of coming together was something I appreciated more than I thought possible.
I could feel my body adjusting around him, that deep aching stretch that sent heat pumping through my veins.
“Damn,” he said on a breath. “You feel so good.”
“Ditto.”
He set a slow, deliberate pace at first, withdrawing almost entirely before pushing back in. I grabbed at his shoulders and back. His lips moved to my ear, tongue swirling before he nibbled.
“You have no idea what you do to me,” he whispered. His breath brushed across my ear, sending gooseflesh covering my skin.
I dug my nails into his back and felt him shudder. He drove deeper. I felt him shaking. Or maybe it was me. The pleasure was intense. I didn’t think I would ever get used to what he did to me.
I wrapped my legs around him and pulled him against me. His hips snapped forward. Whatever restraint he’d been holding on to broke. His slow thrusts transformed into something harder and faster. The headboard slammed against the wall with each jolt.
I stopped being able to form thoughts. There was only him and the sheer pleasure rolling through me.
It overwhelmed me, pulling me along with it.
I came apart with my face pressed against his neck, shaking.
He followed seconds later, burying himself deep and going still, his whole body shuddering once and then again.
He grunted and gasped and barely managed to hold his weight off me.
Then he exhaled slowly and rolled to the side, pulling me with him so my head ended up on his chest. His hand moved in slow circles on my back. Both of us were breathing hard.
I would have loved to stay exactly where we were, but that proposal was going to haunt me all night. “I have to get up,” I said. “You sleep.”
He chuckled. “I better go home. I don’t want to be a distraction.”
“You can stay.”
“I can’t,” he murmured. “I have to be up early, and trust me, if I’m here, you won’t get any work done.”
I laughed and sat up. “That’s probably true.”
I walked into the bathroom, cleaned up, and then put on fresh panties and an extra-large T-shirt. He was just putting on his shoes when I returned to the room.
He pulled me into his arms. “Damn, you’re sexy. It’s a good thing I’m leaving because I want nothing more than to toss you on that bed again.”
“Stop tempting me.” I walked him to the door. “Thank you for the coffee and pastries.”
“And the hot sex.”
I rolled my eyes. “Get out of here.”
I kissed him again and then returned to the mess at the table. I made a fresh pot of coffee and braced myself for a long night. It felt like I was back in college, finishing an essay at the last minute.
The coffee was cold by the time I finished the last section of the proposal.
I didn’t care. I drank it anyway, standing at the kitchen counter at five in the morning in my oversized T-shirt with my hair piled on top of my head.
My eyes burned and I could feel the exhaustion deep in my bones, but it was done.
I read through the whole thing one more time. It was good. Actually good, not just good enough. That was a relief. Every detail was all there. It didn’t look like I put it together in less than twenty-four hours. I saved it and emailed a copy to myself as a backup, then finally closed the laptop.
I could go to bed and try to sleep for an hour or two. But I knew how that went. If I closed my eyes, I was going to sleep for at least five hours. I had to be into the office at eight. I started another pot of coffee. I didn’t know how I was going to survive a full day, but I’d power through.
I showered, dressed, and was at the office before eight with a large coffee from the place on the corner. I had the proposal printed in a folder. I had found my second wind, maybe a fourth wind, and was ready for the day. It could have been the gallons of caffeine I consumed.
I knocked on Betty’s door.
“You’re early,” she said, looking up.
“I wanted to get the proposal to you first thing.” I set the folder on her desk. “It’s all there. Budget breakdown, donor outreach, and a couple ideas for the gala theme. I also included a preliminary timeline that gives us enough runway to execute without losing our minds.”
She opened the folder and started reading. I stood there like a student waiting for a grade. She turned a page. Then another. I watched her eyes move across the lines and tried to read her expression. She was giving nothing away.
“Sit down,” she said without looking up.
I sat. She kept reading. I drank my coffee and tried not to fidget. I was a little wired. Betty turned the last page and closed the folder.
“This is excellent work,” she said.
I sighed with relief. I thought it was good, but given my state of mind, I was worried I wasn’t thinking clearly.
Betty looked at me. “You look exhausted, though.”
I smiled. “I was up late.”
“I appreciate the hustle,” Betty said, nodding. “Now go home. Sleep.”
Waved her comment away. “I’m fine.”
“There’s nothing to do today that can’t be put off,” she said. “It’s a slow day. The proposal was the only priority, and you nailed that. So, get some rest.”
“Are you sure?” I asked just a little too hopefully. But I wanted to be sure.
“Yes. And again, thank you for this. Sleep easy after a job well done, Vic.”
I got to my feet and it felt like all the oomph had left my body. I shouldn’t have sat down.
“See you tomorrow,” I said. “Unless I sleep right through it.”
She laughed. “If it happens, so be it.”
I walked out, got in my car, and turned up the radio. It was a short drive home, but I didn’t want to fall asleep.
I sent Callum a quick text. Good morning. Goodnight. Going home to sleep for a few hours.
I read his reply when I got home. Dream of me.