My fingers bite into his back, as his fingers stroke against the side of my neck. He holds me where he wants me. His tongue pillages my mouth, tasting and teasing me. He builds such a wave of need between us that it vibrates through me. Desire burns in my stomach, waking up parts of me that I had thought were long gone. I feel myself growing wetter and wetter— evidence of my need for him coating the inside of my thighs.
The kiss feels as if it goes on forever, but I know it didn’t. In truth, it wasn’t nearly enough. When he pulls away, his forehead rests against mine. Echoes of our rough breathing surround us as the sound of my heart beating drums in my ears. I close my eyes, trying to get a handle on the ravenous craving he awakened with his kiss—knowing it’s impossible.
“Fuck, Callie. I forgot how good a kiss could be,” he rumbles close to my ear. His warm breath sends heat and electricity over my skin, causing goosebumps to rise on my flesh.
I force myself to pull back so I can see him, bracing myself by holding on to his strong, wide shoulders. His dark eyes are looking right at me, hungry, and full of a tortured pleasure that makes me feel like a woman for the first time since he left five years ago.
“We shouldn’t have done that,” I find myself telling him. Instinctively, I know that this one kiss has opened a floodgate that I’ve tried my best to bury.
He smiles at me. “We’re going to do that and a lot more,” he promises, the look on his face so wickedly hot that it should be illegal.
“It’s not smart,” I insist.
“Live dangerously, Bluebird,” he teases.
“I’m more of the type to play it safe, Reed. You know that.”
“I do, and I think it’s time we change that.”
I swallow, not knowing what to say. “Reed…”
“Don’t worry so much, Callie. If nothing else, you have to know you’re safe with me. You’ve always been safe with me.”
I take a breath to steady my nerves. He’s right. I’ve always been safe with him. Even when his decisions hurt me, I knew he was just as confused and suffering as much as I was.
“I’ll try,” I promise. It sounds lame, but I’m afraid that’s as much as I can manage right now.
“Good girl. Tomorrow night. Dress comfortably.”
“Wha—” I’m forced to stop before I even get a word out. I could feel and hear the panic in my voice. I push it down and try again. “What are we doing?”
“Stop worrying. You’ll enjoy it,” he counters, not really answering the question. I nod, not truly believing him, but I’m not going to fight it. Maybe he’s right and if he’s not? Well, then he’ll know that there’s really no place for me and my baggage in his life.
CHAPTER 24
Reed
“Hey,” I whisper into the phone, sleepy as hell but not able to go to sleep until I hear her voice.
I pushed her hard today. I know I did, but I couldn’t help myself. Now that I’ve made my mind up, I have to move forward. I can’t allow room for some other man—like Pastor Kurt. I saw the look in his eyes. There was nothing godly in the way he was looking at Callie. He wants her. Of course, a man would have to be dead not to want her. The thing is she trusts him. I could see it in the way she interacted with him. She might eventually let the man in, and I can’t allow that. It’s been five years and being back in Macon has shown me one thing. My feelings for Callie are just as strong as they were back then. That doesn’t just happen. It took having Ben Kingston spelling it out for me, but I left Callie five years ago because it was easier. My head was messed up over Mitch. Callie was pushing me away, and I was just emotionally drained. I was too messed up to understand at the time that Callie needed me to be stronger, to bring her through the other side of her pain and fear. It’s something I should have known. Hell, maybe I did. I was just tired of being the only one fighting for our future. Yet, in all this time Callie hasn’t moved on. She hasn’t healed. She needs a hero. I’ve never been that, not really. I always managed to come up short when I tried in the past. Now, however, I am willing to fight to show her that we can have a good future. She wants it. If she didn’t, she would have never kissed me back tonight.
“Hey, Reed,” she finally answers. Her voice is filled with tension and that worries me, but for now, I ignore it.