Chapter 18
Maeve
Suasion (n) the act of convincing someone gently
The dresses that Celeste has pulled are nothing short of exquisite.
She is sure to let me know that she will find the perfect dress before we leave today.
We’re only on dress three when I hear a crash outside the dressing room.
I open the door and walk out into the open space.
All I see is a frantic Callum, searching for me.
Primal, unhinged energy is pouring out of him.
When his focus shifts to me, his approach becomes angst-ridden, and the urgency is unnerving.
I don’t understand why he is behaving this way.
We’ve only been apart for about thirty minutes at best.
When he crashes into me, I know, without a doubt, that he thought something had happened to me.
His body is shaking so much it feels like he’s vibrating.
Aisling looks at me with a questioning expression, but I silently tell her I don’t know what’s going on.
She and Celeste excuse themselves to give us a moment alone.
No doubt Aisling is on her way to talk to Eoin and the guys to get to the bottom of whatever this is.
The sob that leaves Callum’s body is one I have never heard come from anyone – outside of myself, that is.
I’m all too familiar with the emotion that riddles that sob.
His legs give way, and we crash to the floor, my knees cracking with the contact.
I don’t let go. I don’t loosen my hold. He needs me, and I will stay just like this until he comes back to me from whatever hell he just found himself in.
I don’t know what else to do other than try to reassure him that I am here, that I am real.
I can’t stop my own tears, not with the way he is shaking and the grip he has on my body.
The hold is desperate, as if I will disappear if he lets go.
“Shhh, I’m right here. I’m right here, I’m okay,” I whisper in his ear, and I run my fingers through his dark, chocolate hair.
I eventually pull his face from my shoulder, placing my hands on either side of his face so I can look into his bloodshot eyes.
He still looks as if he doesn’t believe I’m actually there.
“Cal, talk to me, baby. Please talk to me,” I whisper, a plea more than a demand.
I need him to see me, truly see me. He looks at me as if he is taking in every tiny detail of me, ensuring I am whole.
His eyes seem to linger on the scars longer than everything else.
I feel bare, and typically I would cave into myself, hiding my vulnerability behind bitchiness.
Except this is Callum, my Callum. He finally takes a deep breath, trying to prepare himself to speak again.
“I… I thought they had you, Maeve,” his voice breaks along with my heart as I watch the battle in his eyes.
“I thought I had lost you again. Maeve, I can’t do this without you.
” His head drops onto my shoulder, and he breaks once more.
I let him hold onto me, just as I know I would hold onto him if the roles were reversed.
“Shhh, I’m safe. You’re safe. We’re safe,” I sing like a lullaby, and I can’t determine if it’s for my benefit or his. My hand rubs along his back. His muscles are taut and rigid as he shakes. We stay just like that for another ten minutes or more.
When he finally pulls back, his eyes find mine, and the look I see there, though terrifying, sends a heat wave coursing right through my body straight between my legs.
He stands, pulling me with him. His lips slam into mine as he lifts me from the ground far enough for my feet not to touch the floor.
He walks so fast that I’m not prepared for the contact with the wall.
I ignore the pain and focus on trying to get this damn dress off of me.
I make a note of the difficulty for a later decision.
His impatience helps as he rips the dress off my body, sending clips flying across the floor.