Chapter 26
TWENTY-SIX
Callum
Fifteen minutes after we rush off the ferris wheel, we’re pushing through my bedroom door. I’ve never sped home so fast in my entire life. It’s a miracle I didn’t get pulled over.
Birdie’s back thumps against the door as I shut it and reach for her. She rocks against me, moaning as I seal my lips to her neck and lather kisses down her silky skin. One of my arms wraps around her back while the other dives into her hair, pulling her to me.
My fingers twist around her golden locks, tugging her head back as I suck on the delicate spot between her shoulder and neck. When Birdie’s arms fly around my neck, I lower my grip down to her ass.
Her legs instinctively wrap around my waist when I lift her, putting her at the perfect height to rub against me. I groan into the crook of her neck when my throbbing erection strokes against the sensitive spot beneath her shorts .
The sweet and salty taste of Birdie’s skin combined with her signature scent is enough to make any man lose his mind.
Birdie feverishly tugs on the strands of my hair, forcefully pulling my lips back to hers. She wastes no time sliding her tongue into my mouth and kissing the breath from my lungs.
When we were younger, she wanted me to take the lead. She was more comfortable with me making the next move, and I was more than happy to do it.
But I can’t lie, it’s turning me the fuck on how comfortable she is taking control and showing me exactly what she wants. It makes me feel confident in taking this next step with her.
Birdie chuckles against my lips when Ollie audibly scratches the other side of the door, completely unaware of what his dad is about to do in here.
“He can wait,” I grin sheepishly and bite down on her lower lip. “For the first time in over a decade, I get to be with my girl again.”
Birdie’s brows draw together with sentiment as she cups my jaw. Her eyes bounce around my face like she’s trying to memorize each line. She caresses my cheek before sweetly pressing her lips to mine.
“Callum…” Her hot breath kisses my lips.
“Yeah, baby?”
“I need you to know something.”
“What is it?” I ask, my teeth nipping at her jaw.
She lets out a shaky breath.
“Even when I thought I hated you…Even when I wanted nothing more than to wipe your memory from my brain, you were still the only one I wanted,” she mutters. “No man could ever hold a candle to you. And for the longest time, I thought something was wrong with me. I thought I was broken. But now, I’m realizing that maybe…it was always supposed to be us. Beca use if I had to go through the pain and heartbreak all over again, I would do it in a second. If it meant I’d end up here with you, I wouldn't hesitate.”
A lump forms in my throat as my chest constricts.
To hear those words come from Birdie’s lips…
Because if I had to go through the pain and heartbreak all over again, I would do it in a second.
For so long, I’d convinced myself that Birdie would never forgive me. It doesn't feel real to have her in my arms, holding her as she confesses words that patch up my tattered heart.
I genuinely believe that Birdie Wren is the reason I’m alive today.
When I was a kid, there were times when I thought the world would be better off without me. When the abuse was at its worst, Birdie was the reason I stayed. She was the reason I held on.
It killed me to imagine a world where Birdie and I didn’t exist together. Before I was old enough to understand feelings beyond friendship, I somehow knew that I wanted to be by Birdie’s side forever.
Twenty-one years later, I still only see her.
“Birdie Wren,” I choke out, placing a kiss between her brows. “You’re my girl, baby. Until my very last breath. My only one.”
It’s impossible to hold back the water filling my eyes. I don’t care if crying makes me weak.
I’ve missed this woman so much that it physically hurts. Birdie’s misty eyes roam down my face, tracking a lone tear that rolls down my cheek.
“Cal…” she croaks. Her bottom lip trembles as her own tears start to form. “It’s always been you. From the little boy on the bus with messy hair to the beautiful man you are now. Wh ether I wanted it or not, you’ve always had my heart. Always .”
If she only knew how much she saved that little boy by simply loving him. That he’s here today because of her.
Quicker than she can blink away her next tear, I’m on her again. Her lips slide against mine as I spin us around and walk toward my king-sized bed. Our salty tears intermingle, falling down to our tongues as we kiss fervently. Our mouths never part as my thighs bump against the mattress.
The second I lower her to the bed, we’re frantically tearing at each other’s clothes. Our hands are everywhere, desperate to be skin-to-skin.
I rip off her tank top and bra in one motion before she unbuttons my jeans. She tugs off my shirt while I yank down my pants and underwear, leaving them discarded on the floor. My pulse quickens when Birdie’s little jean shorts land on the floor beside my feet. My freed cock twitches against my stomach when her lacy, pink panties join the party, landing in the pile of our clothes.
Fucking hell.
I slowly lift my gaze to find Birdie lying completely naked on my bed. The bed that I’ve spent countless nights dreaming of her. The bed where I fucked my hand, clenched my eyes shut, and imagined it was her I was thrusting into.
If I think too much about what’s happening right now, I’ll convince myself that this isn't real. Never in a million years would I have thought we would be here after what we’ve been through. But here we are, seconds away from losing ourselves in one another.
The window in my room faces the ocean, allowing a blue glow of moonlight to dance across her skin like pearls. Her braid must have come loose when we ripped our clothes off because her sun-kissed hair is fanned out against the mattress. She looks like a golden goddess.
Her cheeks are flushed and full of color, matching the shade of her puffy lips. My eyes drag down to her perfectly round tits, rising and falling with quick breaths. Her little rose-tipped nipples are hard and pointed, begging to be sucked, and— fuck , I’m dying to take them between my teeth.
I reach for my cock, giving it a light stroke as my gaze lowers to her toned stomach. Barely visible blonde hairs lead to the space between her legs.
Putting on a show for me, she wrenches her thighs apart, giving me a direct view of her glistening pussy. My balls ache as I watch a drop of milky arousal leak from her slit.
It’s the sexiest fucking thing I’ve ever seen. I haven’t even touched her, and she’s dripping for me.
I shake my head in awe and step between her parted legs. My fingers tremble as I run my hands up and down her butter-soft thighs.
“Birdie,” I choke out as my eyes roam every inch of her bare skin. “You’re breathtaking. So unbelievably stunning. The most perfect woman I’ve ever seen.”
Her lips curve up in a seductive smile as she reaches for my wrist.
“Come here,” she breathes, pulling me onto the bed with her.
Bracing my free arm next to Birdie’s head, I hover over her as she places a kiss to the inside of my wrist. Right on the tattoo I got just for her.
“I love this.” She digs her teeth into my flesh before kissing the tattoo again.
Nineteen-year-old me would have needed a casket if I’d known that Birdie’s lips and teeth would be marking my tattoo. The intimacy of the act has all the blood in my body rushing south.
“Yeah?” I groan, rubbing my stiff cock against her belly.
“Yeah,” she whispers and wraps her legs around my lower back, pulling my body flush to hers.
We’re completely lined up. Skin to skin. My erection nestled between us, the tip leaking against her belly.
Nothing has ever felt this good—this right.
It could never feel like this with anyone else. My soul is finally at peace as her heart beats in tune with mine.
Birdie Wren Ambrose is the love of my life.
My heart is irrevocably hers.
“You know what I love?” I ask against her lips.
“Hmmm?” she hums.
My heart flutters as I cup the side of her face. I look into her eyes—irises that remind me of silver moonlight cascading against dark ocean waves. Then, I lay my heart bare against the fire.
“You,” I confess. “I love you, my Birdie Wren. I never stopped loving you. Even when I tried to treat you like a ghost, my soul left my body when my head hit the pillow to be with you in sleep. In the dead of night, when most people succumb to nothingness, I was with you. You were always with me, Birdie—even on my darkest nights. And I owe you my life because of it. I will love you until my lungs give out. When my heart stops beating, I’ll wait for you. And when the time comes for us to leave this world together, I’ll follow you into the abyss.”
Silence falls between us as Birdie’s eyes brim with affection. I savor her touch as she reaches up and threads her fingers through my curls.
“Callum…” Tears spill from the corners of her eyes.
I bend down and kiss them away. One by one .
“Callum, look at me,” she repeats, her voice trembling.
My gaze snaps up to meet hers. She opens her mouth to speak but can’t get a word past her quivering lips.
“What is it, baby?”
Her brows draw together as she shakes her head, overcome with emotion.
“Birdie,” I rush out. “You don’t have to respond. I didn’t say it because I expected you to say it back. I just wanted you to know.”
A wave of relief fills my chest when I see her lips curve up in a soft smile.
“Callum Pierce, would you just shut up?” she chuckles lightly. “I just… I needed a minute.”
I furrow my brows in confusion.
Her expression turns serious as she inhales a choppy breath.
“I don’t think you understand how much I love you, Callum.”
And my heart stops.
It fucking forgets how to beat.
“You were my first true friend,” she continues. “My first crush. My first love. You were the first person I ever trusted with my body. You were my first and only heartbreak. You’ve had all of my firsts, and I’ll be damned if you’re not my last. I didn’t give you all of my firsts for free,” she chuckles as tears spring from both our eyes.
“I love you, Callum,” she whispers as her thumbs caress my cheeks. “Loving you was never a choice for me, and I despised you because of it for so long. I wanted to hate you. I wanted to fall in love with someone new, so I could finally get over you. But that’s the thing, you were never just a high school fling for me. You’re the person who holds the key to all of my core memories. You’re the boy who helped me up after I skinned my knees on the pavement. I grew up with your hand in mine. The first time I ever felt butterflies dance around in my stomach was when you smiled at me. Because of you, I know what it feels like to experience a million emotions all at once. Even when I felt like dying, my heart kept beating for you. The only man I’ve ever loved.”
Fuck.
She’s wrecking me right now.
I’m wrecked.
I can barely see her beautiful face from the tears blurring my vision.
My chest shakes as I try to find my breath.
I love this woman so much. She’s the strongest, most gentle-hearted human I’ve ever met. After everything I’ve put her through, she’s still here. Laying her heart on the fire next to mine.
“ Birdie Wren ,” I croak. One of my tears splashes against her cheek, mixing with hers. “I need you. I need to be inside of you. I need to be as close to you as possible. I love you so fucking much. Words just aren't enough.”
I let out a strangled groan when Birdie slides her hand between our bodies and wraps her fingers around my cock. My jaw clenches with restraint as she strokes me with her soft fingers.
She crawls back further onto the bed before opening her thighs wider.
“Oh God,” she whimpers, throwing her head back as I lean down and seal my mouth around one of her peaked nipples.
I take my time kissing both of her tender breasts, tonguing each of her hard nipples. She squirms in pleasure when I bite down on the erect buds before soothing them with tender licks. I could spend all night with my mouth on her perfect tits .
“Callum,” she pants, wiggling beneath me. “Fuck me. Please. I need you to–”
Fuck me.
Hearing her utter those two words has me losing my goddamn mind.
I cut her off by inching up the bed until we’re eye to eye.
“You want me to fuck you, baby?” I groan.
“Cal,” she whines when I cup her pussy, massaging it beneath my fingers.
“Fuck, you’re so wet for me.” I’m so hard that I can feel the blood throbbing against my dick.
I curl my fingers around the base of my cock, sliding the tip between her pussy lips before rubbing myself up and down her soaked slit. My chest shudders when I guide the tip to her entrance. Jaw flexing, I slowly nudge the sensitive head into her tight channel.
“Callum, please,” she murmurs, reaching for my hips. “I’m fucking begging you–”
We both forget how to breathe when I push inside, filling her to the hilt with one mind-shattering thrust. Birdie’s mouth falls open as her hands fly to my hair, tightly gripping the strands.
Her core welcomes me home, surrounding me in a blanket of warmth.
When I feel her wetness drench my cock, it immediately hits me that I’m not wearing a condom. My hips freeze as I look down between our bodies. My eyes widen as I stare down at where we’re connected.
Birdie tugs on my hair, pulling my head up to meet her gaze.
“Don’t you dare stop,” she shakes her head.
Thank. God.
“I’m clean,” I rush out. “I haven’t slept with anyone in– ”
“And I’m a nurse,” she interjects. “I would be the first person to question you if I was worried. So again, don’t you dare fucking stop, Callum.”
I arch a brow as my lips tilt up in a devilish grin.
I reply by pulling out to the tip and slowly inching back in, never breaking eye contact with her as I sink inside. I dip my head and suck on her bottom lip as I start to rock my hips, thrusting in and out of her tight core.
Our skin glistens with sweat as our bodies start to grind against each other. I didn’t think it was possible for my cock to get any harder, but it grows painfully rigid as the walls of her pussy consume me.
My balls tighten as they repeatedly slap against her ass, and I know I won’t last long.
The woman I’ve dreamt about my entire life is beneath me. Naked and writhing and whimpering as I fill her with my cock. It’s a miracle that I didn’t lose control the second I buried myself in her perfect pussy.
Knowing I can’t hang on much longer, I create a mental note to make it up to her with my tongue between her legs.
“Cal…” she moans as my hips start to pump into her at an uncontrollable pace. “Oh my God.”
Just as I start to worry that I’m being too rough, she wraps her legs around my back and pulls me in deeper. She throws her head back as I bury myself between her thighs, hypnotized by the way her perky breasts bounce up and down as I ride her.
My dick jerks as I wrap my arm around her leg and position her calf over my shoulder.
Shit, that’s good.
I didn’t think I could get any deeper until now. My hips collide with her inner thighs each time I bottom out. Her hands drag down from my hair to my back, clawing at my skin as I drive into her. The wet sounds of her pussy sucking me in, combined with her sexy moans, is too much. I’m hanging on by a fucking thread here.
“Birdie…Wren.” My voice is a strangled plea.
“Jesus Christ,” I grunt as the fire in my groin spreads throughout my entire body. “You feel…so fucking good, baby. Fuckkkk .”
I lose my mind with each thrust, mumbling a string of praises as my tip repeatedly rubs against that soft spot deep inside of her.
“The best thing I’ve ever felt,” I continue.
“So damn perfect.”
“Fuck, you were made for me.”
“Look at you, my girl. So tight and wet for me.”
“You’re so goddamn beautiful.”
“I love you, Birdie. God, I love you.”
“Cal!” she cries out, arching her back as I switch up the angle. I know for sure that I’m hitting her G-spot when her legs begin to tremble around my waist.
My lips latch onto her elongated neck, lathering her skin with sloppy, open-mouthed kisses. She claws at my back, scratching her nails up and down my skin as I suck and nibble on her neck and collarbone. It’s frantic, messy, and passionate.
I’m marking her while she’s marking me, finally claiming what’s rightfully ours.
“Callum,” Birdie whimpers, sweet agony lacing her tone. “I’m about to… I can’t… Oh God… Please .”
Even though she’s struggling to form a complete sentence, I know exactly what she needs.
My hand slides between us to massage her clit, but I stop before my fingers reach her belly button.
I’d bet money that I’m the only man who can make Birdie orgasm without external stimulation. I want to feel her come from my cock and my cock alone .
So, I decide to test out my theory.
Birdie’s eyes roll back as I place my hands on either side of her head, holding my body weight above her, and fuck her like a savage. I don’t hold back, pumping into her without abandon.
I let out a possessive growl when she finally lets go.
“Cal!” she screams as her pussy sucks me in, pulsing around my length.
“That’s it, baby,” I praise. “Give it to me, Birdie. Suck me dry.”
Her mouth forms an O as she rides out her orgasm. Her brows pinch together in pleasure as one hand sinks into my hair and the other scratches up and down my back. She rolls her hips, trying her best to fuck me back as she squirms against the mattress.
When Birdie removes her hand from my hair and slides it between our bodies to pinch her swollen nipple, I fucking lose it.
“Birdie Wren,” I grit out, pressing my forehead to hers as my cock fills her up.
“Fuck…yesss,” I pant against her lips as she milks every last drop of cum from me.
My thrusts change from hurried to gentle as our breathing starts to slow. I lower myself to my elbows and take her face between my hands. Our sweaty bodies stick together as my hips slow to a stop. Instead of pulling out, I stay inside her as I push back a wet strand of hair from her forehead.
We just stare into each other's eyes as she intimately skims her fingers up and down the length of my spine. Aside from our breathing, the only sound in the room is the galloping of our hearts.
Birdie is my everything. My skin and bones.
She’s the reason for the breath in my lungs.
She is the foundation of my soul. My safe harbor .
My thumbs brush against her cheeks as I press a kiss to her lips.
“Birdie,” I breathe. “That was…”
I shake my head, at a complete loss for words. There’s not a word in the English language to describe how incredible that was.
“I love you,” I mutter against her lips. “You’re the most precious thing in the world to me. And I’ll never stop apologizing for what I did to you. I’m so sorry, Birdie.”
She glides her hands up to my neck before threading her fingers through my damp curls.
“I love you, Cal.” Her lips turn up in a satiated smile. “And I’ve already forgiven you. What you went through…” she shakes her head. “I can’t imagine. I’m just thankful that we’re here now. After everything we’ve been through, we found our way back to each other.”
I capture her lips in another kiss, gently sucking on her bottom lip before pulling back.
“You can forgive me a million times,” I reply, “and I’ll still spend forever making it up to you. You deserve the world, Birdie. And I’m going give it to you.”
“Is that right?” she smiles, a hint of playfulness lacing her tone.
“It’s a promise, baby.”
Birdie flashes me a seductive smirk before shocking the hell out of me.
She places her palms on my chest, pushes me back against the mattress, and climbs on top of me.
“Well, I know how you can start making it up to me.” I watch intently as she bites down on her lower lip.
“Yeah?” I ask.
“Mmhmm,” she nods, taking my breath away by crushing her lips to mine .
She rubs her soaked core against my flaccid cock, and within seconds, I’m hard again.
When she sinks down on my length and takes control, I lose all sense of space and time.
This time, it’s me calling out her name as she rides me to release.