by Nina Lindsey
“Honey, they bring fast-food hamburgers to me on set.” He puffed on his fingernails and polished them on his shirt.
Rolling her eyes in amusement, she approached him. “People fawn all over you, don’t they?”
“I get a fair bit of fawning, yeah. And fast food.” He closed the refrigerator door, a gleam appearing in his expression as she closed the distance between them.
“You must work out a lot to counteract all those calories.” She poked him in the abs with her forefinger. Rock-hard. A shiver ran down her spine.
“Benefits of a personal trainer.”
He leaned against the counter and settled his hands on her hips, pulling her to him. Callie’s breath caught at the contact of their bodies, and her nipples hardened against his chest. The sparks of their make-out session in the car came to life again, flaming the air with heat. When they were this close, a force seemed to encircle them, wrapping them in a world where nothing else existed. Tightening his hold, he lowered his head to kiss her.
Pleasure burst through her veins, and all thought fell away. Jake’s kiss was warm, firm, and gentle. He slid his tongue over the seam of her lips, but didn’t urge her mouth open just yet. She loved the way he savored kissing, as if it were more than only a prelude to sex, as if he would be content to kiss her for hours on end. She felt his whole body react to the pressure of their mouths together—tension coiled through his muscles, his breathing increased, his hands flexed and clutched her hips.
Callie sank into him, nudging herself into the V of his legs as he leaned his hips back against the counter. She slid her hands around his waist and gripped the back of his T-shirt. The hard ridge in his jeans—right underneath that button fly—pressed against her belly. Little fires ignited in her blood, pouring heat right into her core.
He eased her lips apart with his tongue. She tightened her hold on him, stunned by the electricity crackling through her veins, the striking sense of having found something that she’d lost. Or never had at all.
Urgency lit the air. Jake pushed them both away from the counter, not breaking the contact of their mouths as he backed her up against the opposite wall and settled his hands on either side of her head. Dizziness swept through her. She let her head fall back, reveling in the sensation of their open mouths clinging together. He lowered one hand to cup her breast, flicking his thumb over the hard peak. She squeezed her thighs together to ease the burgeoning ache.
Jake lifted his head, his eyes dark with lust and his breathing hard. “Okay?”
“Oh, yes.” Callie drew in a gasp, everything inside her alive and on fire. “Please.”
Grabbing his arm, she guided him toward her bedroom. Halfway down the hall, he turned her for another deep kiss, edging his hand under her shirt. A warm, lush feeling melted inside her, softening every part of her body.
She lifted her arms and let him strip off her shirt. A brief uncertainty rose in her as he revealed her plain beige bra—surely Jake was accustomed to women in fancy lingerie—but he gazed at her with such hot fervor that any misgivings quickly dissolved.
“Bed,” she whispered.
Tucking his hands under her thighs, he lifted her against him and carried her the short distance to the bedroom. Callie wrapped her legs around his waist and drove her hands into his thick hair. When he lowered her onto the bed, her body surged with anticipation and desire. He moved to the side only long enough to yank off his shirt and toss it to the floor.
Callie’s mouth went dry. She rose to her elbows and stared at his bare chest—smooth, muscular shoulders sloped down to a landscape of planes and ridges she ached to explore. Breath shortening, she swept her fingers over his ladder-like abs down to the waistband of his jeans and back up again. His skin was warm and taut beneath her fingertips.
Letting her hand linger against his groin, she shot him a teasing look. “Button fly.”
“Very observant of you.” A rumble of appreciation echoed deep in his chest when she tightened her grip. “For the record, they unfasten.”
“I would hope so.” Nudging him to lie back, Callie got to her knees and tugged at his jeans. The heat in her veins intensified as she worked open the fly, acutely aware of his heavy erection pressing against her fingers.
She slipped her hand into his jeans and stroked him, arousal ricocheting through her like a thousand shooting stars. Though the sheer size and breadth of him incited her anxiety a bit, she wanted this, wanted him, more than anything.
With a groan, Jake rolled her over, pressing his lips to her mouth, her cheeks, her shoulders. He took off her bra and kissed her breasts, then trailed another line of kisses down her abdomen. Any concerns Callie might have had about being compared to beautiful Hollywood actresses disappeared entirely as he worshipped her body with his lips and his hands.
Then he moved up to kiss her again, as if she were the only thing that existed at the moment. Like he was a man parched in a sun-drenched desert, and she was an oasis of refreshing water and cool shade. Like he didn’t want to leave the haven of her.
Sweet, hot sensations drenched her. He eased away from her to take a condom from his wallet and slip it on before divesting her of her skirt and underwear. Slowly he pressed kisses to her bare thighs, then rose and seated himself between her spread legs. Their gazes locked, hot and urgent, the instant he eased into her open body.
Gasping, Callie gripped his shoulders and eased him down to her, electrified by how perfectly they fit together. Jake covered her mouth with his as they began moving and rocking, the cadence of their bodies eliciting a tight tension, like thread pulled on a spool.
Heat blazed in her blood. She wanted this to last forever, the thrust of Jake’s body into hers, the friction of their sweat-damp skin and the flexing of his taut muscles under her palms.
The tension built, intensifying the need pooled in her core. Still locked deep inside her, Jake slipped his hand between them to stimulate her. The combination of his expert touch and husky encouragement sent Callie straight into the stars.
Blissful vibrations racked her. She cried out and dug her fingernails into his shoulders. Just as she was sliding down the other side, Jake thrust deep inside her with a hoarse shout of pleasure. He stilled, his body shuddering and flexing in a gorgeous display of male release.
Together, they fell back onto the bed, chests heaving and skin damp with sweat. Jake threw his arm over his eyes. Their breath rasped through the air.
“Damn. I knew you were incredible, but that…” He lowered his arm to look at her, his expression filled with satisfaction. “There are no words.”
“For me either.” Callie rolled onto her side and tucked her hands underneath her head, admiring the cut-glass lines of his profile and the way his hair curled around his ears. “Thank you.”
He gave a muffled laugh. “Believe me, that wasn’t a favor. No need to thank me.”
“Yes, there is.” She lifted herself on one elbow and ran her hand over his chest. “If you hadn’t come to my office that day and asked me to hang out, we might not have seen each other again after the elevator incident. Certainly we wouldn’t be here.”
She traced her fingers over his abs, following the line of hair leading farther down. He tensed—she thought it was in pleasurable reaction until she glanced at his face. A shutter had descended over his expression, making him suddenly unreadable and distant.
Callie withdrew her hand. A chill ran across her bare skin.
What just happened? She reached for a nightshirt she’d left at the foot of the bed and slipped it on.
“Hey.” Jake pulled at the hem of the shirt. “I’m still hungry.”
“I’ll bet you are.”
“For food.” He pushed himself off the bed and tugged on his jeans, his shoulder muscles flexing with the movement. “I’ll go grab takeout. Chinese okay?”
“Sure.”
He grabbed his shirt and started for the door, then stopped. Tension stiffened his posture. He stalked back to the bed an
d took hold of her shoulders, hauling her to her knees. Like a hawk swooping down on its prey, he brought his mouth crashing down on hers. Callie gasped, caught off guard by the swift, intense possession.
Jake moved his hands to the sides of her head and tangled his fingers in her hair. Fresh lust billowed through her. He devoured her all over again, thrusting his tongue into her mouth, biting down on her lower lip. As if he needed to claim her.
You don’t. I’m yours. No matter what happens, I’ve somehow become…yours.
Winding her arms around his waist, she returned his kiss with a responding fervor she hoped expressed even a small percentage of her feelings. What she could never say out loud, at least she could try and show him.
Jake lifted his head, his breath hot against her lips and his eyes dark but tender. He ran his thumbs underneath her cheekbones, cupping her face as if she were precious to him.
“You don’t…” He paused and cleared his throat. “You never need to thank me for anything. Least of all for wanting you with everything I am. You…you’ve done more for me in two short weeks than I could ever have imagined. I want you to know that whatever happens, everything I’ve said to you…everything we’ve done…is real. Please tell me you believe that.”
“Of course.” Callie gripped his wrists, searching his face for a sign of where his fear was coming from. “Why wouldn’t I believe that? You have no reason to lie to me.”
He pulled her forcefully closer and locked his arms like steel bands around her. A shudder ran through his body. She pressed her face against his chest, feeling his heart thumping under his cotton T-shirt.
I love you.
The confession, vivid and colorful, bloomed right underneath her heart. And there, Callie knew, it needed to stay.
Painful though the realization was, she’d known from the start that her relationship with Jake had limits. In the outside world, at least. No one would ever know about all the secret wishes and dreams coming to life inside her.
“Hey.” She tugged the back of his shirt. “Where’s that Chinese food?”
He chuckled and pressed his lips to the top of her head. “Give me half an hour.”
Easing reluctantly away from her, he stroked her cheek and headed out. A few seconds later, his car started.
Callie pressed her hand to the still-warm comforter, a shiver of remembrance running down her spine. Even after he’d gone back to Hollywood and she was alone again, she’d never—not for a second—regret what they’d done together. Nor would she regret letting her feelings for him flourish so fast and so hard.
For the first time in her life, she felt as if she were enjoying the moment rather than reliving the past or worrying about the future. All the nuances and beauty of life were sliding over her skin. Her world brimmed over with colors and light. She felt like every moment she lived was amazing.
“You really are super-hot.” Reaching for the carton of lo mein, Callie shook her head in admiration. “I mean, seriously…those are your actual real muscles, not CGI. I happen to know that for a fact.”
“I don’t allow CGI or body doubles.” Jake narrowed his gaze at the TV, where Fatal Glory 2 was blazing across the screen. “It’s in my contract.”
“You do your own stunts too, right?” Her heartbeat increased as Blaze Ripley took a flying leap off a building and crashed on top of a delivery truck. “How often have you gotten hurt?”
“I’ve been knocked around a few times and once I broke my arm, but I get a lot of training in before filming. The studio is pretty uptight about insurance, so they want to make sure everyone stays as safe as possible. Can we turn this off now?”
“Hold on.” Callie pointed her chopsticks at the screen. “I want to see if Blaze makes it out of this alive.”
“Spoiler alert,” Jake muttered dryly. “They’re making Fatal Glory 7.”
“You are just so good at this.” Leaning forward on the sofa, she fixed her gaze on Jake’s alter ego as he kicked, flipped, and punched his way through a battle with three beefy guys who appeared to have no necks. “I mean, it’s like a dance.”
“It’s all choreographed.” He reached for the remote and turned off the movie.
“Hey, I want to find out what happens.” Callie shot him a frown and sucked the last of the lo mein noodles into her mouth.
“The good guy wins.” Jake nuzzled his nose against her shoulder, eliciting little tingles throughout her entire body. “I want to find out what happens when I lick your nipples.”
Heat fired through her blood so fast that she gasped. With a grin, he turned her face toward his for a kiss. Callie dropped the lo mein carton back on the table, attempting to muster up superhuman effort to resist the temptation of him.
“I really have to work on the rewrite of my proposal,” she murmured against his lips.
“Okay.” He lowered his mouth to her neck and kissed her collarbone. “Can I watch?”
She tugged his ear. “It wouldn’t exactly be a thrilling show.”
“I’ll be the judge of that.”
“Give me an hour.” Easing away, she stroked his jaw, her body already softening with need. “Then you can lick whatever you want.”
“Deal.” He pulled himself off her and started to collect the empty containers littering the coffee table. He picked up one of the sketchbooks stacked in a corner. “Can I look at this?”
“It’s just some of my drawings.” Callie peeled open a fortune cookie. “Go ahead, if you want to.”
Her belly tightened suddenly as he paged through a book. She’d never shown anyone her drawings. She didn’t draw them for people to look at.
“These are really good.” Jake opened another sketchbook and leafed through the charcoal and pencil drawings of teacups, a carton of milk, flower vases, a pair of scissors. “Great shading and perspective.”
“But all neutral.” Callie bit into the dry cookie. “Matching my interior design scheme.”
“I wasn’t going to say that, but yeah, they’re monochromatic.” He studied a drawing intently. “Have you taken lessons?”
“No. It’s just a hobby.”
“One you obviously have a talent for.” He turned the page to a sketch of a fruit bowl. “Have you ever used colored pencils or paint?”
Callie shook her head, crushing the fortune in one fist. She’d never even considered it. Drawing for her was just sitting on the sofa with a sketchbook and pencils. There was no reason to think of it as anything different.
“What about trying portraits or landscapes?”
“No.” She blew out an exasperated breath. “Why the third degree about a few drawings?”
He shrugged, his attention on the sketchbook. “Just seems like a talent you could really develop, that’s all.”
“What would be the point?”
“Fun. Creativity.” He put the sketchbook on the table and got to his feet. “Or no point at all. Not everything has to have a point.”
“Well, it should.”
He drew his eyebrows together, and Callie was struck with the sense that she’d somehow disappointed him. She stacked the remaining food cartons and turned away from him.
“I appreciate your praise,” she said. “I just like things to stay the same, all right?”
“I know you do.” He took hold of her wrist and tugged her toward him, his gaze slipping to her lips. “But if things had stayed the same, we might not be here now.”
She put her hand on his stubbled jaw, her heart softening at the tender gleam in his eyes. She would also never have experienced the wild, zinging thrill of love…or have had to face an inevitable heartbreak.
Jake pulled her closer. With one movement, he had her pressed right up against him. Their eyes met, heat and emotion crackling between them.
Then he kissed her and Callie’s unease disappeared into the warm, lovely pleasure she would one day desperately miss. As they sank back onto the sofa, her fisted hands relaxed, and the pink slip of paper bearing her fortune fel
l to the carpet. But the message stayed in her mind.
Take the chance while you still have the choice.
But what if the choice wasn’t hers to make?
Chapter 15
“He already loves you.” Aria nudged the skinny black cat toward Callie. “Love him back, and maybe you’ll soften up.”
Ignoring the cat, Callie sat gingerly on the sofa in the “Cat Lounge” of the “cat café” Aria had opened on Mariposa Street primarily as a place for people to adopt orphaned felines.
Sunset light streaked through the window. Two days had passed since Callie’s night with Jake—and the self-admission of her love for him—and she hadn’t been able to concentrate on any of her work. It was ridiculous. She was acting like a teenager with a crush instead of an almost-tenured professor.
“He doesn’t love me, and I don’t need softening up.” Callie eyed the cat suspiciously as he leapt onto the sofa beside her. Her nylons and skirts never emerged unscathed from her visits to Meow and Then. “What’s his name?”
“He doesn’t have one yet.” Aria bent to stroke the cat’s back. “We’ve been calling him Kit.”
“Kit the cat?”
Aria chuckled. “Lame, I know, but usually the cats either come to us with a name already or they kind of name themselves. Someone found this little guy hiding in an alley over in Rainwood. No collar, no record of him having gone missing.”
Kit prodded at Callie’s thigh with his knife-like little claws. Clearly, he had no respect for her textured tweed pencil skirt. With a grimace, she picked him up and set him on the floor.
The lounge door opened. Hunter Armstrong entered, looking every inch the corporate executive in a tailored Armani suit and tie, with his thick, glossy hair brushed away from his forehead. “Aria, have you seen my car keys? Callie, I didn’t know you were here. Nice to see you.”
“You too.” She nodded in greeting, unable to help her formal tone.
In truth, she had a lot of respect for Hunter and what he’d done, but she was extra protective of her sister after Aria had confessed she’d been in a toxic, potentially violent relationship before she’d returned to Bliss Cove. Though Callie knew Hunter was anything but toxic—she’d never seen a man so devoted to the woman he loved—their relationship had happened fast. Callie just hoped it hadn’t happened too fast.