“Again.”
“I’m yours, Callum, I belong to you!” My words fueled the fire in his eyes as he nodded. And with a sudden plunge, I was crying out and he was growling, buried to the hilt in my sex with his mouth in the curve of my neck. His bicep pumped in my vision, every inch of his muscled weight resting on his elbow. It dug in the mattress as his hand gripped the nape of my neck, the other under my knee. Slamming inside me, he reclaimed control with no objection from my lips. My fingers curled around his sculpted jaw as I let it all out – every uncontrolled moan trapped in my body. My eyes squeezed shut as Callum responded to my every sound with a harsh groan and a deep thrust. The ecstasy blinded me but I knew that his gaze never yielded. Not for a second. He kept it pinned with claim on me till I was unraveling, gasping for air and shattering beneath him. I reached for him, pulled his face to mine and demanded his breath. I felt the heat of his stare fade only as he kissed me, sliding his arms under my back and pumping me to a relentless finish as he hugged me tight to his chest.
“You’re so beautiful, Lake.” Callum’s voice was thick with yearning but fulfillment as he gazed down at me, his handiwork. He’d rendered my body limp, writhing with satisfaction as sparks and spasms burst through my muscles. I felt the best kind of useless as I lay for him in bed, throbbing around his shaft and gazing up at his carved, unreal beauty. He leaned forward. I moaned as he flicked his tongue on my nipple. My orgasm did nothing to limit me from further pleasure as Callum took his time on me now, kissing along my shoulders and sucking on my earlobes. I soaked in the joy of watching him find pleasure in me, feeding his need with my body. His mouth brushed all over my skin, left trails of hot, wet kisses gleaming under the moonlight.
When I felt him getting close, I let my legs fall open for his thrust. Stomach up and back arched, I gazed down my naked side at the tantalizing view of Callum’s muscled ribs and clenching ass thrusting slow but deep inside me. The guttural sounds in his throat built gradually and the control shifted a last time as I clenched like a vise around him. “Lake,” he groaned as I held onto his orgasm. “Baby,” he pleaded, staring into me, his parted mouth curling in a weak grin as he shook his breathless head at me. I held onto it, held him tight for another few seconds, feeling us pulse together as one before finally letting him go. A second surge of bliss ripped through my body as I watched Callum jerk inside me and roar with a fire and passion I would never question again in my life.
Chapter Thirty-One
Lake
I was probably ten years old the last time I woke up feeling so fresh. At that point, I’d been years into my life with my grandma, had long known Callum but had yet to be contacted again by Trish. It was a golden age for me. I didn’t realize how truly long it had been since I’d felt pure and complete happiness till I rose from bed that morning with it filling my heart and my lungs. I even breathed differently.
“We’re gonna have to work on this,” Callum smirked as he pulled me to him from the edge of the bed. His raspy morning laugh was quite possibly the sexiest thing I’d ever heard in my life. “Sleep alright?”
“Better than ever.”
“Good.” He kissed the top of my head and rolled out of bed. Though my arms still ached to wrap around him, I didn’t protest because the view of his naked backside wasn’t something to ever complain about. I bit my lip as I watched him pull on a pair of boxers before taking his wallet from the dresser and sliding out something yellow and folded. “Forgot to give this to you yesterday.” He tossed it to me. I snorted at the piece of legal pad paper, dirty fingerprints staining its folded corners.
I smirked. “You’ve always been such a romantic.”
“Hey. Don’t judge a book by its cover.”
“I’d be more forgiving if this was an actual book,” I laughed, probably wearing the most quizzical face as I unfolded the paper. I finally had it fully straightened out just as Callum disappeared into the bathroom. Sitting up in bed, I squinted at the blocky yet messy handwriting that I didn’t remotely recognize. It certainly wasn’t Callum’s. Pulling myself to the edge of the bed, I brought what I realized was a letter closer to my face.
Lake,
I’m lucky to have never known that you were forced to go back to the park. I left your mother the week after you did. I drove away and I never looked back. But I would have come to get you if I knew. I didn’t realize I was worth the life I wanted till I watched scrappy you fight for yours. Thank you for that and know I admired you for it. You were tough as nails. All that time in that park you thought you were on the verge of breaking when I knew you were already broken. You were as good as dust and bones and I had no hope for you but you still kept fighting. That’s something to respect and learn from till the day that I die.
I know I was never your family but the good man who brought me those fine bottles of Scotch told me how you survived a second time without me at the park and it makes me feel like some kind of proud poppa. And he was asking for it so I thought why the hell not. I’m glad to. I won’t be there for the big day but I gave him my blessing and I hope you have the beautiful life you deserve.
Be good.
Always,
Dean
I stared in awe at the words.
I gave him my blessing.
I stil
l wasn’t sure I fully understood till I put the letter down to see Callum before me on one knee. My hand flew to my mouth and I shook my head because I thought my tears had finally, finally dried. But here they were again and in fuller force than ever before as Callum held a little, velvet box and told me how much he loved me.
“I never told you this,” he laughed so gorgeously, “because I never had the chance, I guess. But I’ve had recurring dreams of you since you went away and one of them was just a memory of the day it happened, but the other, which came as often as that one did, was a dream I’ve been having of you since I first met you as a kid. And it changed as we got grew older, obviously. Became more realistic. But I’ve been dreaming of marrying you since I was six years old, Lake. I dreamed down to your white dress and your hair being down, off to one side. I guessed if I kept having this dream even after you left, it meant that inside, I always knew you might come back to me. My body could never shut down the part of me that loved you. It was too big and it was too strong because you’ve always been my goal, my dream and my everything. All I’ve ever wanted was you.”
I cried. So damned much. I wanted to sit properly at the edge of the bed, but in my aching joy, I crumbled to my knees in front of Callum and he laughed as we knelt on the floor together, tears in both our eyes, unable to stop kissing though he wasn’t quite through with his speech. He opened the box and the ring was a simple but enormous princess-cut diamond that sparkled at me between two smaller, matching stones.
“Lake,” Callum murmured, kissing my weak, jubilant body. “I grew up on you and I’m the man I am because of you. I’ve spent every year of my life since I was six years old as half of your whole and I was at my best that way. You always completed me and I know we’ve never officially dated,” he grinned that beautiful, sexy grin, “but I think we could make it easier on ourselves by making this official, so we can finally have a name.”
“God, just say it, Callum,” I begged through my elation.
“I want to spend the rest of my life watching the way you love. I can’t think of anything I want more than to wake up every morning knowing you’re my wife, the mother of my babies.”
“Callum,” I pleaded, bursting with anticipation. He laughed and gave me a quick kiss to soothe me. When he pulled away, he took my hand and looked at me with more love than I knew existed in this world.
“Baby.” Callum grinned wide. He paused again for effect and I was ready to smack him so he laughed and soaked in my reaction for another second before starting again. “I would dare you to do it but I think you’re going to say yes anyway, so…”