by Nina Lindsey
Then again, she couldn’t be one to judge. She’d jumped into her own relationship with both feet. Now she might be in over her head.
“Here you go.” Aria took Hunter’s keys from the counter and stood on tiptoe to kiss him. “Text me as soon as you have any new leads.”
“What’s going on?” Callie asked.
“I have a meeting with Studio Twenty-Five up in San Francisco.” Hunter slipped the keys into his pocket. “They specialize in historic architecture, so we’re talking about partnering with them for Mariposa Street.”
“That sounds like a great step forward.”
“I hope so.” He slanted his gaze to where a one-eyed cat with a fanged tooth emerged from underneath a chair. “They have a lot of ideas and knowledge.”
As Fang approached him, Hunter bent to pet the cat and murmured something in a low, deep voice. At the sight of her man coddling the old cat, Aria got all soft-eyed and dreamy-looking. Kind of like the way Callie felt watching Jake fire a roundhouse kick at a bad guy.
Giving Fang one last pat, Hunter stood and turned to kiss Aria again. “I’ll call you tonight. I love you.”
She smiled. Her eyes sparkled. “I love you, too. Drive safely.”
Hunter said goodbye to Callie and headed out the front door. As soon as the door closed, Callie glanced at her sister. “Looks like it’s going well with him.”
“It’s one of those things I could never have imagined.” Aria picked up Kit and set him pointedly back on the sofa beside Callie. “Sometimes the things you least expect are the things you need the most.”
“I am not adopting Kit.” Callie glowered at the cat, who glowered right back and unsheathed his little claws.
“Come on, he needs a home. He’s a lot like you, if you want the truth.”
“I don’t want the truth.”
“He’s a little standoffish and takes some time to warm up to people.” Aria nudged the cat closer. “But he’s really smart and has already established himself as one of the leaders. He’s like you in cat form.”
“I don’t want a cat in any form.” Callie suppressed a wave of discomfort over the cat’s penetrating stare. “I don’t need a cat. I don’t have time for a cat.”
Whiskers quivering, Kit turned his back on her. He swished his tail and leapt off the sofa onto a nearby chair.
“The Rescue House is unfortunately getting overcrowded again.” Aria glanced out the front window at the graffiti-streaked, boarded-up buildings on Mariposa Street. “Even with our increased foot traffic, I haven’t had a sudden influx of adoption applications.”
“You probably still need to advertise more,” Callie said. “You’re not going to see an immediate turnaround just because you saved Mariposa Street.”
“You’ve told me that a million times.” Aria folded her arms with a sigh. “Why do you still think I haven’t figured out the most basic facts of running a business?”
Callie pressed her lips together. Her relationship with Aria had come a long way since her sister had proven herself by keeping the café open and going up against a billion-dollar property developer, but they still tended to revert to their contentious relationship.
“I don’t think you haven’t figured it out,” she said. “I’m proud of you for what you’ve done here. I’ve told you that.”
It was the truth, too. After years of stops and starts, Aria had finally buckled down and gotten the job done, saving several dozen orphaned cats in the process.
Though Callie appreciated her sister’s soft-hearted approach to business—at least it was better than Aria’s previous ventures into handmade hemp jewelry and sitar-playing—she still thought the location on rundown Mariposa Street was poor planning. Aria wasn’t likely to turn a real profit until the whole district was renovated well enough to draw visitors…which could take a while.
“It’s your business,” Callie told her sister. “I promise, I’ll stay out of it.”
“You have a hard time staying out of anything.”
Callie suppressed a rush of irritation. “I’m staying out of your plans for Mom’s birthday, aren’t I? You and Rory are taking the reins, and I want nothing to do with it.”
“You’re not upset about that, are you?” Aria bit her lip, her eyes suddenly crinkling with worry. “I know high tea was always your thing for Mom’s birthday. Rory and I just thought she might want to do something different, especially after her surgery.”
“It’s fine.” Callie picked up the New York itinerary Aria had left on the coffee table and scanned it again. “In fact, it’s a really nice idea. Let me know how much I owe you for her airfare and everything else.”
“Here you go.” Rory pushed through the door separating the Cat Lounge from the café, carrying two iced coffees. She handed one cup to Aria and one to Callie. “What’d you think of the itinerary?”
“Mom is going to love it. Thanks.” Callie took the coffee. She’d been debating whether or not to ask her sisters about their mother’s date. If it turned out Aria and Rory had known for weeks that Eleanor was dating, then Callie would be even more hurt that her mother had left her out of the loop.
Oddly enough, she wouldn’t be surprised, though.
Kit stalked in front of her again. A black cat crossing your path…that was bad luck. As Kit paced back and forth a few more times, Callie swore he was doing it on purpose. Payback for her refusal to adopt him.
Edging to the other end of the sofa, she sipped her coffee and casually asked, “Hey, have either of you seen Mom this week?”
“Just at the bakery.” Rory flopped into a chair and pulled a packet of gummy worms from her pocket. “She cancelled our dinner the other night. Said she was busy.”
“The question is…busy with what?” Aria lifted her cat Jumbo and nuzzled his ears.
Callie sighed. “I saw her on Wednesday night, actually. She was at a restaurant in Rainwood with a man I didn’t recognize. It wasn’t a business dinner either.”
Aria and Rory stared at each other, then at Callie.
“Really?” Aria lifted her eyebrows, a smile spreading over her face. “Mom was on a date?”
“That’s what it looked like.”
“Good for her.” Rory began gnawing on a cherry gummy worm.
Callie’s stomach tensed. Why couldn’t she feel the same way?
“Wait a minute.” Aria set Jumbo down and straightened. “At the bakery yesterday, I overheard her telling Mayor Bowers that she was thinking of going to an art show in San Francisco and staying overnight. You don’t suppose she’s going with this guy, do you?”
“Overnight?” Callie shook her head. “No way. They can’t have been dating for long.”
“In case you didn’t know, there’s no timeframe for a good banging,” Rory remarked.
“Rory!” Aria poked Rory’s booted foot.
“Kidding.” Rory grinned and bit the head off another gummy worm. “Actually, no, I’m not.”
Aria laughed. “For the record, Callie doesn’t know that.”
Because her sisters would expect her to sigh with exasperation, Callie did. No need to give them any details about her own recent experiences.
She also didn’t intend to voice her concerns about their mother, even though the idea that Eleanor was serious enough about a man to go away with him for the weekend made the whole situation even worse. If Eleanor did take a weekend trip with her new man, Rory would probably send their mother off with a box of neon-colored condoms, and Aria would give her scented aphrodisiac candles. Callie, on the other hand, would struggle not to run a background check on whoever the guy was.
The bell over the front door rang. Aria started toward the door separating the Cat Lounge from the café area. As she opened the door, shooing the cats back into the lounge, Callie caught sight of the customer.
Tall, dark, and movie-star handsome, holding a camera.
Her heart stuttered. If Jake saw her here, their cover was blown. No way could she keep her feeling
s for him a secret. Especially from her sisters.
Getting to her feet, she glanced at the back door. If she made a run for it, her sisters would ask questions later, too. But maybe that would be preferable to—
“All of the cats are up-to-date on their vaccinations and have been cleared by our local veterinarian.” Aria swept back into the Cat Lounge and spread her hand out toward the feline menagerie.
Jake stopped in the doorway, his gaze colliding with Callie’s through his disguise glasses. She smiled stiffly and tried to send him a “we don’t know each other” telepathic message. Apparently he received it because he nodded politely at her and Rory.
“This is Gunter.” Aria plunked a large calico into Jake’s arms. “He’s really sweet and even-tempered, but he’s close to becoming a member of the Lonely Hearts’ Club, so he’s getting a bit desperate for a forever home.”
A puzzled look crossed Jake’s face, if she were speaking another language, but he set his camera down and closed his arms around the placid cat.
“She means that Gunter has been up for adoption for a while now,” Callie explained. “Are you looking for a cat…uh, sir?”
“Unfortunately not…uh, miss.” He scratched Gunter behind the ears and lowered the cat to the floor.
“Haven’t you come into Sugar Joy a few times?” Rory asked.
“Not sure.” Jake scratched his head. “Where is that?”
“It’s a bakery on Dandelion Street.” She narrowed her eyes on him. “I swear I’ve seen you there before.”
Callie stepped between Rory and Jake. Aside from wanting to keep him a secret, her sisters would give her a hard time for disapproving of their mother dating when Callie was having her own covert fling. She wouldn’t blame them for snarking at her, either. She was already snarking at herself for being something of a hypocrite.
Jake suddenly sneezed. He grabbed a napkin from a table dispenser to wipe his nose.
“Gesundheit.” Callie tried to position herself to block him from her sisters’ line of sight.
“Must be allergies.” Jake backed toward the door. “Sorry about this, but I should probably get away from the cats. Great place you have here, though.”
He flashed them all a smile and quickly left the café.
“I need to get going.” Callie picked up her purse and hurried toward the door. “I’ll see you both later.”
As she left the Cat Lounge, she heard Rory mutter, “Speaking of banging…”
Callie flushed with embarrassment. She hurried to catch up with Jake outside. He turned a corner, and she quickened her pace. Veering around the corner, she collided right into his wall-like body. He grabbed her arms to steady her.
“Oh, sorry.” She skidded to a halt.
“I’m not.” He bent to press a swift kiss against her lips. “But I didn’t mean to make things weird for you in there. I’ve been taking pictures of Mariposa Street, and everyone was talking about the cat café that I wanted to see what it was all about. Didn’t know you were there.”
“It’s okay. I had some things to hash out with my sisters.”
A slight frown creased his forehead. “You look kind of down about it.”
“No, I’m fine.” She sighed and waved a dismissive hand. “We just have issues, as all families do at some point, I guess. Sometimes my sisters drive me crazy, but then I’m always upset when we’re apart. Like when Aria left a couple of months after Dad died, or when Rory moved to the Bay Area. It feels like something is missing.”
“Come on.” Jake threaded his fingers through hers. “You need a good dinner and some better loving.”
She smiled. “Delicious as both of those things sound, I need to work on my proposal.”
“So I’ll cook, you work. Then we can celebrate your progress by getting naked and dirty.”
“Don’t turn that offer down, honey.” Destiny strolled past, a take-out smoothie in one crimson-tipped hand.
“She won’t,” Jake assured her with a wink.
“Good to know the rose quartz is working so well.” Destiny’s eyes twinkled. “I won’t bother trying to convince you of the benefits of red jasper, though if you’d like to give it a try, I can hook you up.”
“We’ll keep that in mind, thanks,” Callie said.
“Should I ask what red jasper is for?” Jake asked, as they started toward their cars.
“It’s a crystal intended to prolong sexual excitement and ‘energize the sacral chakra,’ to use Destiny’s words. It also increases male virility.” She nudged him in the side. “Clearly you don’t need that, stud.”
Jake wasn’t above looking rather pleased with himself over that compliment.
They both got into their cars and returned to Callie’s house. After leaving her purse on the front table, she changed into comfortable clothes and got to work on her proposal. Jake disappeared into the kitchen, and the sounds of running water and clinking pots and pans drifted into the bedroom.
It was nice. Cozy. The kind of change she could get used to very quickly.
The kind of change she couldn’t expect.
She focused on her work and made good progress before Jake called her in for a dinner of roasted chicken, still sizzling and popping, and rice pilaf. Meals with Jake were another welcome change from Callie’s usual evenings alone with a kale salad. She tried not to think that she might very well be back to that scenario after he left town again.
“Where did you learn how to cook so well?” She ate another piece of the juicy chicken.
Jake shrugged. “When I’m not working, I tend to stay home so I guess I just picked it up over the years. I like food.”
“I like your food.”
“I like watching you eat my food.”
“I like the way your hair falls over your forehead.” Reaching across the table, she brushed his thick hair back.
“I like your ass.” He lifted his eyebrows.
She chuckled. “I like full moons. Wait a minute. Why did a remark about my ass make me think of a full moon?”
“Because both are perfect.” Jake winked at her. “I like bonfires.”
“I like plot twists.”
“I like Christmas decorations.”
“I like the Beatles.”
“I like us.”
“So do I.” She liked them best of all.
After dinner, Jake sent her back to work on her proposal while he cleaned the kitchen and caught up on some reading. He came into the bedroom a couple of hours later and kissed the back of her neck as she sat at the computer.
Callie stood with welcome relief and stepped into his open arms. He enclosed her in a warm, strong embrace that felt as if it had been made just for her.
Being in Jake’s arms was like coming home after a long day and putting your feet up. It was like putting in the last piece of a jigsaw puzzle or feeling the sun warm your chilled skin. It was like waking at dawn and watching the world come to life.
She lifted her face at the exact moment he lowered his head. Their lips touched lightly, retreated, and touched again before settling into a kiss that grew in intensity. She opened her mouth to let him in, her arousal increasing with every tease of his tongue.
With their lips locked together, she worked the buttons on his shirt and spread her palm over the sculpted perfection of his chest. Hot anticipation swelled inside her. She let her other hand drift down to the fly of his jeans and gave the buttons a few ineffectual tugs.
“It’s easier when you’re lying down,” she whispered.
“But it can be really fun standing up.” He lifted his head, his eyes warming with desire as he unfastened his jeans and tugged them off. The sight of his erection pushing against his boxer briefs sparked a fresh surge of lust.
Callie closed her hand around his shaft, smiling at his low groan. She loved the evidence of her power over this big, strong action hero.
“Bed,” he ordered.
They took a few steps to the bed, where he stripped her down s
lowly and tossed her clothes and lingerie onto the floor. He raked his smoldering gaze over her before bending to kiss her, his lips a surprisingly tender contrast to the erotic tension coiling through his body. He moved his hands over her breasts, rubbing her nipples, stroking down to her belly and between her legs. In no time at all, he had her panting and squirming with urgency.
“Hurry,” she whispered, twining her arms around his neck.
He urged her legs farther apart. He shifted to ease into her, and then he was filling her with delicious slowness, smooth and oh, so easy. His muscles gleamed with a sheen of sweat, and a flush darkened his face beneath his stubble.
She tightened her arms around them as they rocked and thrust together. As it always did, time disappeared. Everything disappeared. The heat they generated simply burned away all her worries and concerns. Callie had never known she could feel this way, all lit up and trembling, like comets were shooting through her.
For all her need to control the things in her life, she loved how Jake so easily brought her to the brink of control and kept her hovering there until she begged for relief. Then he sent her flying over the edge, and the sensation of both losing control and giving up control to this man she trusted and loved, filled her with joy. As she cried out and locked her legs around him, his deep groan of release echoed through her.
Panting, Jake rolled off her and pulled her against him. “Maybe we should give that red jasper a try. We’d blast ourselves right up in the stars.”
Callie ran her hand over his damp chest. Her love for him felt like a kaleidoscope spinning and whirling with colors right in the center of her heart. “We already do.”
Chapter 16
“Now we see the hot Classics professor in her natural environment.” Jake spoke in a hushed whisper as he crept up on Callie at her desk the following morning, his video camera lens focused on her face. “Let’s watch as she uses her laser-sharp brain to eviscerate the conventions of Greco-Roman mythology and construct her own complex theories.”