Chapter Twenty-Five
EMMETT
After months of working extra shifts at the club—which, in addition to her evening classes, severely limited the opportunities for me to be inside her—Callie had saved up enough to move out of Marco’s guest room and into her own place.
God, how I had wanted her to just move in with me, but I knew we were already moving fast, and she was wary of someone finding out. I needed to be patient. She was worth waiting for.
Cramming the last of her neatly packed boxes into the back of my rented SUV, I slammed the trunk shut and turned to Callie with a grin. “Well, that’s the last of it.”
She brushed sweaty strands of hair from her forehead, cheeks flushed from the unusually hot spring Sunday. “Thank God. I hate moving.”
I pulled her into my arms, fingers skimming along the curve of her lower back. “Why do you think I’m here? I’m not just eye candy, you know.”
“Is that so? Could’ve fooled me.” Her smile turned devilish as she trailed a fingertip down my chest. “Though I guess the muscles do come in handy.”
“I also could have just paid someone to handle it.”
She visibly tensed. “I don’t want your money, Emmett, or your handouts.”
“Just my muscles. I got it.” I bent to capture her mouth in a lingering kiss, feeling her relax into me.
My tongue teased her lips. She parted them with a moan, allowing me to deepen the kiss.
Desire blazed through me, making me ravenous for more of her taste, her touch.
Reluctantly, I broke away before things got out of hand.
“We should get going before I throw you over my shoulder and have my wicked way right here.”
She tapped my nose. “Down boy. We’ll have plenty of time for that once we’re at my new place.”
Grinning, I opened the passenger door for her. As she hoisted her petite frame into the vehicle, my eyes traveled over her enticing curves, and I had to stifle a groan. I was about to close the door behind her when a voice rang out.
“Callie!”
I spun around to see Hugh walking toward us, his face twisted in anger.
“What the hell is going on here?” As he approached, he glared between me and Callie.
She looked just as shocked as I was, and she climbed back out of the car. “Hugh, what are you doing here?” she asked, crossing her arms over her chest.
“I want to talk to you. Alone,” he demanded, glaring at me. “Who the hell is this guy anyway?”
I moved to stand partially in front of Callie, meeting Hugh’s glare steadily. “I’m a friend helping her move. I think it’s best if you leave.”
Hugh’s upper lip curled. “Stay out of this, man. This is between me and my girlfriend.”
Callie made a sound of disgust. “Ex-girlfriend. And you need to go now.”
Hugh ignored her, stepping closer and softening his voice. “Come on, Cal, don’t be like that. We’re good together, you know we are. I messed up but I can make it up to you.” He moved to touch her, but she stepped back before he could make contact.
He glanced between us again. “I miss you. I just came to talk. Can we please go somewhere more private?”
She shook her head firmly. “No. We’re done, Hugh. I’ve moved on and so should you.”
“And I suppose you’ve moved on to him?” He jerked his head at me with an ugly sneer.
“That’s none of your business.”
I stepped forward and spoke in a low, warning tone. “Time for you to go.”
He barked out a harsh laugh that echoed through the parking lot. “Or what? You gonna make me, pretty boy?”
He shoved me hard. I regained my balance, shaking my head. “Walk away, man. Don’t make this worse than it already is.”
He swung at me wildly. I deflected the blow, catching his arm and twisting it behind his back. He howled in pain and outrage, spewing curses.
“Go cool off and don’t come back,” I said, releasing him with a shove. He stumbled but caught himself, breathing hard. After a moment, he gave me a final venomous glare and stormed off.
I let out a long breath. Callie touched my arm, her eyes worried. “Are you okay?”
I nodded, squeezing her hand. “I’m fine. Are you?”
She sighed shakily. “Yeah. Thank you for handling that.” She smiled up at me, soft and warm. “My hero.”
I smiled back, lifting her hand to brush a kiss over her knuckles. “Anytime, beautiful. Now let’s get you moved into your new place.”
The short drive to her new apartment passed in silence. I snuck glances at her gorgeous profile, thinking how lucky I was. Callie made me want things I’d never allowed myself to hope for. Real intimacy. A true partnership. Meaningful commitment.
“You sure you’re okay?”
“I’m fine. Promise.” She smiled weakly. “Hugh’s not a bad guy. I don’t think it sunk in that we were really over until I stopped meeting up with him. He’s taking it harder than I expected.”
“Has he been reaching out to you?”
“A few texts here and there. But I’ve been clear with him.”
I nodded. “I’m sure he’s not a bad guy, Cal. I’d imagined I’d be just as pissed off if I made the mistake of losing you.”
This time, I got a real grin. “Well, I’d hate to see you pissed off, Mr. Price. Let’s be sure not to make any mistakes.”
We pulled up to her new building and unloaded the boxes. Once everything was deposited in her living room, I tackled her onto the floor of the still-empty bedroom with a growl. “Time to christen the new apartment?” I said, lips brushing the heated skin of her neck.
“You know.” She ran a finger over my stubbled jaw. “As much as I want you, we should probably finish unpacking first.”
I flopped onto my back, pouting up at the ceiling. “You’re killing me here, Cal. How am I supposed to focus on anything besides getting you out of those clothes?”
She snickered, sitting up to straighten her rumpled top. “Poor baby. Just think how rewarding it will be when we’re done.”
“For you? Anything.”
We made quick work of the remaining boxes. Once the last empty cardboard container was broken down, Callie pounced on me with a growl of her own. “Now where were we?” she said and straddled my hips.
I slid my hands up her jean-clad thighs. “I think you were about to ravish me.”
“Was I?” Callie leaned down, nipping at my earlobe. “Better get on that then.”
Sometime later, we lay tangled together—still on the floor—basking in the afterglow. I ran my fingers through her hair, savoring the warm weight of her body atop mine. After a moment, I felt her chest hitch with a small sigh.
“What is it?”
She lifted herself, elbows resting on the floor on either side of my head as she studied me intently.
“Thank you for helping me today, Emmett. And for being so understanding the last few weeks. I know I haven’t had as much time for you as you’d have liked, but getting my own place was important to me. ”
“I know, baby. Don’t worry about me,” I said, planting a kiss on her nose. “We’ve got all the time in the world. You do what you need to do, and I’ll be here whenever and however you need me.”
Silence fell over the room as we stared at each other.
“I love you,” I said as I placed a whispering kiss on her still-swollen lips. “And that’s not going to change.” I squeezed her small body tighter against mine, willing her to believe it.
“It’s hard for me, you know, to hear you say that.”
My heart lurched in my chest.
“Growing up, love always seemed so conditional. My dad never treated my mom poorly, by any means, and I know that he loves her. But he had such high expectations of her, and when she didn’t meet them or she prioritized herself, his displeasure was obvious.
It was like she had to fit his image of the perfect little wife in order to earn his love.
And here I am, constantly putting myself, my goals, my dreams first, yet you still say you love me.
I guess it’s just hard for me to believe. ”
It was the first time she had ever truly opened up to me about the impact of her parents’ relationship on who she was. The insight made me sad—for her and her mom—and relieved at the same time.
This is her hang-up? Easy.
“Good news, Cal. I will always put you, your goals, and your dreams first, so we’ll have that in common.”
“That hardly seems fair to you.”
“It’s not about what’s fair. I know what’s important to you, and you know what’s important to me.
So, we give each other those things. You do it for me every single day, though I’m not sure you realize it.
That’s what love is. When you find your person, you can be who they need just by being yourself.
It’s effortless because you’re made for each other. ”
With each word I spoke, her muscles loosened until her body once again melted into mine. Our eyes still locked, she looked down at me with a mix of vulnerability and trust, her fingers idly combing through the strands of my hair.
If I was a cat, I’d be purring.
A tiny crease appeared between her brows as she frowned. “I’ve been thinking, this sneaking around and keeping things secret won’t be sustainable forever. Sooner or later, someone is going to find out about us.”
“Hey.” I cupped her cheek, smoothing away her worried expression with my thumb. “Whatever happens, we’ll deal with it together. I’m not going anywhere, Cal.”
She leaned into my touch and nuzzled at my palm. “Neither am I. I just...I still worry about the potential fallout, I guess.”
I pulled her closer and kissed her forehead. “Don’t borrow trouble. Let’s just enjoy this for now.”
Famous last words.
* * *
I strode into my office later than usual, my mind happily replaying clips from the previous night.
Callie had wanted to spend her first night in her new apartment so, even though she still didn’t have a bed, we slept on her bedroom floor on a big pile of blankets, my body curled protectively around hers.
Callie has been thrilled about it, breaking into a fit of laughter at our “hamburger bed,” layering each blanket and assigning it a role: bun, patty, cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion, pickle, ketchup, bun. The woman owned a lot of fucking blankets.
I’d watched, a mixture of horror and the fiercest love I’d ever felt coursing through my veins.
She’d laughed herself to tears before I declared that she was slap happy, and it was time for her to sleep.
Her head had barely hit the pillow before she was out cold.
The combination of a strenuous day of moving and being fucked until she screamed loud enough to piss off her new neighbors had taken its toll.
I’d had to run home this morning to shower and get dressed. As a result, I was late and so distracted that I nearly walked right into the solid form of my best friend.
Wick was leaning against my desk, smirking. “Well, well, well. Look who finally decided to grace us all with his presence this fine Monday morning.” His dark eyes danced with unholy glee. “Where’ve you been lately, brother? I’ve barely seen you in weeks.”
I shot him a look as I circled around to take a seat behind my desk. “I’ve just been busy. You know, work, things.”
Great job. So convincing.
Wick snorted as he dropped into the chair across from me. “Sure you have. By ‘things,’ I can only assume you mean the curvy little brunette I saw sneaking out of your place Saturday morning when I swung by unannounced.”
Damn it. I forced an easy chuckle, avoiding his too-perceptive gaze. “Don’t be ridiculous. She’s just my intern.”
“How did you know I was talking about Callie?”
There was a pregnant pause as those sharp eyes drilled into me. I squeezed my eyes closed and grimaced. “Fuck. I walked right into that, didn’t I?”
“Sure did, bud.”
“She’s not going to be thrilled that you found out. She’s convinced that someone is going to catch wind of us, and it’s going to jeopardize her job or ruin her reputation or something else on her endless list of reasons why no one can know.”
“She does know that your name is on the building, right? So what if she’s fucking you? You’ll make sure she keeps her job, and no one will say a negative word about it.” Wick delivered another of his signature shrugs.
Everything is just so fucking easy for this asshole.
“It’s not that simple. Callie doesn’t give two shits that my name is on the building. She doesn’t want shit handed to her—or some big possessive asshole riding in on his white horse to save her.”
“Okay, so don’t tell her I know. I’m not going to say anything.”
“Really?”
“Who the fuck would I tell? Plus, if it’s important to you, I’ll keep my mouth shut. You’re my best friend, dickhead. Even though you’ve been prioritizing pussy over me.”
“One, do not refer to Callie as ‘pussy’ ever again, or I will beat the living shit out of you. Two, pretend like you wouldn’t do the exact same.”
“Oh, damn. You’re in deep, huh? But, you’re not wrong. Though I have no intention of keeping any woman around long enough that they could ever come between us.” He clutched a hand to his chest, feigning heartbreak.
“Dude, you’re a thirty-one-year-old man. One of these days, you’re going to have to stop fucking a different woman every night.”
The blood drained from Wick’s face, and he gave me a stricken look. “Why would you say something like that to me?”
I shook my head. “You’re hopeless.”
“Yep.” He clasped his hands together as he stood. “Right, well, it was good catching up. Don’t forget to wrap your willy. We don’t need Mama Price having a coronary due to any babies conceived out of wedlock.”
“Jesus Christ.”
“And I need my wingman back. Callie works Thursdays at the club, right?”
“I’m horrified that you know that, but yes, she does.”
“Perfect. I won’t subject you to watching her strut around all night in her sexy little get up without being able to bend her over and fuck her. We can go to Sister’s.”
“I hate you so much.”
Wick winked at me before sauntering out of my office, throwing a farewell wave over his shoulder.
Two minutes later, my phone went nuts.
DEAREST SISTER
OH MY GODDDDD!
YAAASSSSSSS!
IT’S HAPPENING!!!
I FUCKING KNEW YOU WERE INTO HER!
Can I plan the wedding?
Your babies will be so beautiful.
Fuuuuuuuuuck.
EMMETT
Are you fucking kidding me right now?
WICK
What?
EMMETT
You told Meghan?
WICK
Yeah? It’s Meghan.
EMMETT
Exactly, fucker. It’s Meghan!
WICK
EMMETT
Seriously. I hate you.
WICK
Wick knowing was bad enough, but my meddlesome sister? Things had just gone from bad to worse.
EMMETT
Please don’t say anything. Callie wants to keep it on the DL until her internship is over.
DEAREST SISTER
My lips are sealed, big brother!
So happy for you, though. You deserve this. She’s perfect for you.
EMMETT
Thanks, Meg.
DEAREST SISTER
Love you!
EMMETT
Love you more.
For a long while, I sat at my desk, staring out the window and debating what to do. When Callie walked into my office an hour later, I lost my nerve.
So, instead of telling her our secret was out, I made her come: once on my fingers, once on my tongue, and once on my cock—all before lunchtime.