Chapter 7
Calland
She was fidgeting beside me. I don’t think Dani even realized that she was doing it, but as we sat there in silence, staring blankly at a fucking T.V. screen I knew neither one of us were really watching, she’d leaned into the curve of my arm. She’d crossed her arm over her stomach, curling into me…I had no problem with that. None at all.
Except she’d begun to absent-mindedly run the tips of her fingers along the waistband of my jeans, right where my shirt had ridden up when I’d slouched down a bit on the pillows.
My arm had unwittingly tightened around her shoulders, and my already tense body had gone into overdrive as I tried so hard to control myself, to keep from rolling over and pulling her beneath me, stripping her down, and plunging my raging hard-on into that sweetness between her thighs.
I heard her inhale sharply when my arm tightened, saw her glance over. I know there was absolutely no way in hell she missed the rigid length pressing (very uncomfortably, mind you) and straining against the zipper of my now too-tight jeans.
My breath rushed out as my jaw locked, but then she touched me again.
And I couldn’t help it.
I rolled over, covering her with my body, settling my hips into the cradle of her thighs, her eyes going wide as her arms automatically came up and grabbed for my shoulders, not pushing me away, though, as my lips sought hers and laid claim to her mouth.
I fed ravenously at her lips, growling as she arched into me, that sweet spot between her thighs branding me with her heat, even through my jeans. She moaned, arching again and again as our tongues tangled, teeth nipping, breath coming heavy and fast.
A soft whimper broke through the haze of desire like a bucket of cold water dousing us, and I don’t think I’d ever seen anyone move as fast in my life as Dani did, shoving me off and jumping up to check on Kade.
I sat on the edge of the mattress, head down, fighting to catch my breath and rein in my desire as she did. That in itself was a feat since I was hard enough to cut glass. When I lifted my head, my eyes immediately went to the woman standing across the room, gently patting the back of the baby still lying in his bed. She was watching me, eyes hooded, and I couldn’t get a read on what she was thinking.
But I knew the moment was gone.
After a minute, she straightened and moved silently to stand in front of me.
“He didn’t wake up?” I asked, softly.
She shook her head and crossed her arms in front of her chest. “Calland,” she began, but I cut her off.
“Don’t. It’s ok. I’m gonna take off, though, alright? Let you get some sleep. Can I call you tomorrow?”
She nodded, a small smile lifting the corners of her lips slightly. It softened her face, only enhancing the striking beauty of it.
I shook my head ruefully, knowing that if I didn’t leave now, I’d have a hell of a time restraining myself from touching her again. I stood, grimacing as things pinched in places that still hadn’t…deflated, yet. I tried to subtly rearrange things without drawing attention to it, but gave up being subtle when her eyes flashed and she grinned devilishly at me.
“You’re evil, woman,” I growled, gently brushing past her and heading for the door. She followed, stopping behind me as I opened it, trying to be quiet so I didn’t wake Kade. The grin hadn’t left her face, not that I wanted it to. So, I did the respectable thing and dropped a chaste kiss on her lips, gave her a smart salute, and walked out, closing the door softly behind me.
Walking into my apartment alone when I got home seemed almost anticlimactic, and I wondered, not for the first time, why things felt so differently when it came to Dani.
Grumbling to myself, I wiped my hands down my face and trudged to bed, intending on flopping down and trying to sleep away my frustration. Once I was settled, I realized that my mind just wasn’t shutting down. I tossed and turned for what seemed like hours before I threw back the covers, moving to get out of bed and do…something, anything…when my phone rang.
I reached over and answered, surprise coloring my greeting when I saw that it was Dani.
“Hey,” I said, softly. “Everything okay?”
I heard her sigh on the other end before she made a small sound of assent. “I guess…well, I was just seeing if you made it home okay,” she finally answered.
“Yeah, I’m home. Just lying in bed, trying to fall asleep,” I replied.
“Oh, I’m sorry,” she said, immediately. “I can let you go-”
“No, you’re fine,” I told her quickly. “Not tired?”
She sighed again. “Not really. I’m kind of…I’m sorry that you left so soon and that things got interrupted.”
“Red, I told you earlier that I wasn’t pressuring you. I know that you’re not ready for anything like that, and I’m sorry that I pushed you. Again.”
“But, that’s just the thing, Calland,” she said. “You didn’t push that on me. I was a willing participant. I shouldn’t have gotten all pissy with you earlier, but…you just-you’re so fucking hot, and so easy to talk to, so easy to be around that you make me forget what I’m doing here. You make me want things that I have no business wanting. You make my walls come down, which never fucking happens, and that’s the last thing I need. Jesus,” she groaned, exasperatedly. “Why the fuck did I ever agree to go out with you?”
That stung.
A harsh laugh shot from my lips before I could stop it. “Well, damn, Red. Ouch.”
She gasped, her voice sounding panicky over the line as she scrambled for words. “That’s not what I meant! Oh, God Calland, I’m so sorry. I just…fucking hell. Forget I said that, okay? I know why I went out with you. I just don’t want to admit to myself that I’m so fucking attracted to you that I can’t seem to say no to you when I should.”
Her voice got really soft and low, so I had to strain to hear her next words.
“I don’t want to admit that I really wish you hadn’t left, that you were still here holding me.”
My breath left me in a whoosh. Her words hit me hard, like a jab right to the solar plexus, and I couldn’t speak.
Finally, after a heavy silence where I could almost hear her tensing up, I was able to form words enough to answer her. “I can come back,” I said in a rush.
She laughed, her low chuckle enough to bring my dick to life again, surging to attention in my shorts.
“No. Not tonight. But I will see you tomorrow, right?”
“Definitely.”
“Alright, then. Good night, Calland.”
“Good night, Dani.”
****