Chapter 29 #2
She tilts her head, all fake innocence and sultry defiance. “I’m sorry, Sir,” she purrs, her voice dripping with seduction. Then she leans in, her lips brushing against my ear as she whispers, “Am I being a bad girl?”
Her hips sway against my lap, rubbing against my throbbing erection with enough friction to make me groan again. Her mouth finds my neck next, lips and teeth leaving a trail of fire as she sucks just hard enough to mark me.
Jesus Christ. How I don’t come right then and there is beyond me.
“Hm, such a bad girl.” I grab her hips to still her movements. She gasps, but I don’t let go, meeting her eyes with all the restraint I can muster. “But no, baby. You said a week.”
She looks at me like I’ve just shattered her world. “You’ve got to be kidding me,” she says, her pout almost enough to make me cave.
I smirk, lifting her off my lap and setting her down gently beside me. “You have no idea what I want to do to you right now,” I say. “But I have a meeting in thirty minutes, so if you’ll excuse me…”
Her eyes narrow and she glares as I press a soft kiss to her temple and stand.
I retreat to the bedroom, leaving her flustered and frustrated on the couch, a wicked grin tugging at my lips. My meeting isn’t just business, it’s with a realtor. A surprise for her.
BLAIR
While Calvin gets ready for his meeting, I focus on preparing for Dylan’s visit.
I called him to thank him for reaching out to Calvin, but I also made it clear we needed to talk about boundaries.
Dylan broke my trust when he went behind my back and told my sister something I shared with him in confidence.
Still, he’s my best friend, and I miss him.
We agreed to reconnect, just as friends, over snacks and a movie.
I arrange a charcuterie board with French cheeses, crackers, and fruits, Dylan’s favorites. While I’m not thrilled with him right now, I value our friendship too much to let it crumble without trying to fix it.
A few minutes later, Calvin steps out of the bedroom, looking devastatingly handsome in his tailored suit. His scent, a mix of cedar and spice, fills the room, instantly pulling my attention.
“Are you sure this isn’t a date?” he asks, his tone tinged with jealousy as his eyes land on the charcuterie board. “Because it definitely looks like one.”
I roll my eyes but can’t help smiling at his possessive tone. “Calvin, we’ve been through this. Dylan is my best friend.”
“With whom you used to have sex and were briefly in a relationship,” he interrupts.
“Calvin.” I step closer, meeting his stormy gaze. “It was a relationship that lasted a week. A mistake we both realized wasn’t right. But if we want us to work, you need to trust me, baby.”
He exhales heavily, his shoulders relaxing slightly, though his possessiveness lingers in the tension of his jaw. “Right. And I do trust you. It’s just… hard. Look at you. I never want to share you.”
His hands slide down to grab a firm handful of my ass as he pulls me against him, planting a kiss on my lips.
“I never want to share you either,” I say, melting into him.
He pulls back, his thumb brushing my cheek. “I have to go. I love you. Behave for me.” He leans in to press a tender kiss on my forehead.
“Yes, Sir,” I reply cheekily, giving him a playful salute.
The sound he makes, a low, pained groan, sends heat rushing to my cheeks as he shakes his head and grabs his briefcase.
Once Calvin is gone, I finish setting up for Dylan’s visit, arranging the last few details of the charcuterie board and fluffing the throw pillows on the couch. As I step back to survey the setup, my phone buzzes on the counter. Seeing my mother’s name on the screen, I pick it up with a smile.
“Hi, Mom!” I greet, injecting cheerfulness into my voice.
“Hello, sweetie. How are you?” she asks, her warm tone instantly making me feel at ease.
“I’m doing great. How’s Dad?”
“Dad is fine. I was calling to see if you’ve spoken with your sister. I’m worried about her,” she says. “Apparently, she and Calvin broke up. She either doesn’t want to talk to us about it, or she’s pretending she’s fine. I just… I don’t know, sweetie. I think she’s putting on a brave face.”
I hesitate for a moment, the weight of my secret pressing down on me. “I’m sure she’s okay, Mom, but I’ll talk to her,” I say, trying to sound reassuring.
“Do you know what happened between them? Honestly, I never fully understood their relationship, it always seemed so complicated.”
“No, Mom, I don’t know what happened,” I lie smoothly, even though my heart races.
How could I possibly tell her the truth?
That I was sleeping with Abigail’s fake fiancé, who is now my boyfriend?
Yeah, no. That’s not a conversation I’m ready to have.
“But I’ll try to find out,” I add, keeping my tone neutral.
There’s a pause on the other end before my mom sighs. “When can you come to Boston? The last time you visited, you left so quickly. We barely got to spend time with you.”
“I’m planning to come before my last semester starts, Mom,” I say, already making a mental note to figure out when I could manage the trip.
“Oh, good. Do you need us to pay for your plane tickets?” she offers, her voice filled with the kind of unconditional love I’ve always been grateful for.
“I’ve got it covered, Mom. Don’t worry,” I assure her. “I have to go, but I’ll talk to you soon. Love you.”
“Love you too, sweetie,” she says.
Setting the phone down, I exhale slowly. My mom’s intuition is eerily on point, as usual, and it reminds me just how precarious this whole situation is.
Moments later, a knock at the door pulls me out of my thoughts. I glance at the clock and realize it must be Dylan. My stomach twists with nerves and excitement.
I open the door to find Dylan smiling at me, and instantly, the tension between us starts to fade. I return the smile and pull him into a hug, feeling the familiar warmth of his embrace. “Hi, I missed you,” I say.
“I missed you, too,” he responds.
“Come in, please,” I say, taking his hand and leading him inside the apartment.
“Are you sure it’s safe? I don’t want to get punched again. That was not fun,” he jokes, trying to lighten the mood. I laugh.
“Yes, it’s safe. I’m sorry about that,” I apologize again because it was entirely my fault.
“All good.” He flashes me one of his signature grins. “How are you?”
“I’m okay, I’m better. I know things have been intense between us, but I am hoping to go back to being friends.”
“I’m cool if you are,” he says with a shrug, before looking at the spread on the table. “I see you made a charcuterie board.”
“Yes, and I thought we could watch a movie too.”
“Hell yes, pick one while I wash my hands,” he agrees, heading toward the kitchen.
While Dylan washes up, I pick Boss Baby knowing it’ll be lighthearted and something easy to relax to.
When he returns, we settle in, diving into the fruit and cheese as we attempt to watch the movie, though we quickly abandon that goal as we find ourselves just talking about everything and nothing instead.
Thirty minutes into the movie, the door opens. I look up and smile when I see Calvin walking in, holding a pizza box.
“Hi, how was your meeting?” I ask, a big smile spreading across my face. I rush over to him and pull him into a hug, feeling the heat of his body as I sink into his embrace.
“It went better than expected,” he says, leaning down and placing a possessive kiss on my lips.
I can’t help but roll my eyes as I pull away, trying to ignore the heat that floods my chest. “Remember Dylan?” I say.
Dylan stands up, offering a friendly handshake to Calvin. “What’s up, man?” he greets him, looking like he’s trying to keep things cool.
“Thank you for calling me. Because of you, I have the love of my life back,” Calvin declares firmly, his tone leaving no room for doubt as he asserts his territory.
I can’t help but roll my eyes again, but deep down, I love his possessiveness and the way he looks at me like I’m something he won’t let go of.
Dylan, sensing the tension, smiles. “No problem. Look, I should let you guys be. I have somewhere to be. It was nice seeing you both.”
“Thank you for coming, Dylan. I hope we can hang out again soon,” I call after him as he heads for the door.
“Yeah, text me,” Dylan replies, a smile returning to his face as he exits.
Once the door closes behind him, I turn to glare at Calvin, who is now lounging on the couch, happily eating his pizza.
“What? I didn’t punch the man,” he says nonchalantly, looking too damn good while eating pizza.
“You might as well have pissed on me to mark your territory,” I reply, the words coming out more teasing than angry. Honestly, I like the way he wants to claim me as his.
Calvin scrunches his face in mock confusion. “Nah, not into water sports,” he says with a wink, his voice dripping with sarcasm.
“I…” I pause, then burst into laughter. “You’re crazy,” I say, shaking my head, still chuckling.
“Crazy about you,” he responds, low and heated. Without another word, he taps his lap, and I walk over, settling on him with ease. His hands slide around my waist as if it’s the most natural thing in the world, securing me against him.
“So, how was it? Did you fix your friendship?” His voice is casual, but I can hear the undercurrent of jealousy lingering in it, even though we both know he’s trying his best to trust me.
“It was fine,” I reply, lifting my hands to cup his face. My thumb traces his jaw, and I can’t resist pressing my lips to his. He tastes like pepperoni pizza, salty and perfect. “But I miss you.”
“Hmm,” he murmurs into the kiss, and then his lips pull away just enough to speak. “Gimme some more of that.”
And I do, kissing him again, deeper this time, letting my lips claim his as if this kiss is the only thing that matters. We go on like that for a while, getting lost in each other, before I pull back, breathing heavily.
“I think I’m ready to go back to Boston tomorrow,” I say, my lips still brushing his as I speak.
“Are you sure?” he asks, his hands tightening around me as he waits for my answer.
“I think it’s time,” I say softly, the words feeling more real now. “And school will start again soon. I just want to make sure she and I are good.”
Honestly, Abby’s been trying to call me ever since Calvin showed up at my apartment and told me the truth. But I was still too angry, too hurt, to answer. I wasn’t ready to talk. And maybe a part of me still isn’t.
Another part of me is scared this might change things between us in a way we can’t come back from. She’s my sister. No matter what’s happened, I love her. I don’t want to lose her.
Calvin presses a kiss to my neck, soft and slow, but there’s a hint of heat in every touch. “Hmm… So, this has absolutely nothing to do with sex?” His voice drops lower as his lips graze the sensitive skin below my ear. The heat between my legs flares, sending a wave of desire through me.
“Maybe a little bit.” I moan, my breath hitching as his touch sends shivers down my spine. “I also want to make things official between us.”
“Then we’ll go home tomorrow,” he says, pulling me tighter against him, his lips finding mine once more.