by Sofia Aves
“Sorry, just reminded me of…something.” I couldn’t say someone as the words got stuck in my throat. Cal frowned, holding his glass, but he didn’t lift it to his mouth. I watched water condense around his clenched fingers. “So, this is a long-term case? Is that…normal?”
“Not really. I don’t usually let them drag on this much. Always some new idiot thinking he can get greedy and take what doesn’t belong to him. Or her. But that’s pretty rare, a woman involved in a bank heist, statistically speaking.” His fingers tapped a rhythm on the base of his glass.
“Oh.” I didn’t know what else to say, grasping about. “What’s holding this one up?”
Cal was quiet for a minute, eyes hooded.
“Bastard is smarter than me.”
I studied the faint lines around Cal’s eyes, the way the corners of his mouth turned down. Whoever this was sat heavily on him, and had for a while. It must be hard when you’re used to being able to catch them all. He caught me watching, and the frown disappeared.
“Sorry,” he murmured, taking a sip of his beer, “my obsession, I guess. Everyone has one.”
My breath caught, ice-cold eyes slamming into me, haunting. I supposed he was right, in a way.
“Or something they can’t let go of.” The words tumbled out before I could catch them, but Cal didn’t seem to notice.
“True. What about you? Brothers I need to watch out for, family?” His eyes twinkled at me. I shifted in my seat.
“No family.”
His eyebrows rose. “No one? Only child?”
“I live in my grandmother’s house. I lost my parents young, in a car accident, and lived with her until I lost her three years ago, too. I just paint.” It was the truth, but it sounded pathetic, even to my own ears, though Teddy and Ashley flicked through my mind. I wasn’t ready to share them just yet. Cal frowned.
“What about friends? Someone to watch out for you, an ex?”
I shook my head with a smile. “No ex.”
“Just painting?”
“Yup.”
“Do you do exhibitions?” He studied me with a blank face, unreadable. I shrugged. Letting him into my life wasn’t easy.
“I’ve done a few. One is lined up for next year. I like doing portraits; it shows who people really are in one glance, like a snapshot. But you can put so much more into it.”
“You’re a people watcher.”
I raised my glass.
“Guilty.”
Cal grinned appreciatively. “People are predictable. Well, most people. There’s the odd few exempt.”
Conversation flowed easily after that. It hadn’t looked like much, but by the time the share plate was clean, I was so full, I swore I would never eat again. The waiter returned to take the plate. Cal stopped him, with a hand on his arm.
“Marcus, this is Mila. I met her…when I ran into the back of her car last week.” Cal paused and sent me a lopsided grin. “I was thinking of taking her out on the water next week, maybe with Liam? I hear he’s back in a few days.”
Marcus turned to me, a broad smile creasing weathered skin. He proffered a hand from beneath the enormous platter, and I took it gently, not wanting to upset the load on his arm.
“Mila, good to meet you. I have heard a lot about you.” His smile to me was warm, but the look he sent Cal had an unreadable quality to it. “You are always welcome to take the boat, my boy. Liam will be back in a few days, but you don’t need to wait for him.”
Cal shrugged. “I thought he might like to take Selena. She loves the water.”
“Ach, I know boy, but she won’t be pushed. Best let her make up her own mind.”
I looked between the two, wishing I had a relationship with someone like this. I’d made the choice to be alone, and stayed that way for so long I’d forgotten what it meant to have friends…to have a family.
Marcus headed back into the shop. A silence fell over us. I looked out at the water, not sure what to do, and covered it by sipping my wine.
“Liam works with me. My boss, actually. We’ve been friends since the academy. He was two years ahead of me. I mucked up early in my career, and it cost me a promotion. Liam got it instead.” His eyes were pensive as he turned them on me. “He’s like a big brother to me. Looked after me when Dad passed. We were fishing on the rocks, and he…he had a heart attack. It was hot, and he’d given me his hat to keep the sun off.”
Cal stared over the water, seeing something I couldn’t. His shoulders were a tense line, as though bearing the memories by physical force alone. The table was too wide for me to reach across. I rose, stepping around the table to stand behind his chair, hands sliding down his shoulders. He squeezed my arms, and I leaned my cheek on his head, the bristles softer than they had been a few days ago. I closed my eyes and breathed him in. Cal’s cheek rubbed against my arm.
“Walk?”
I tried to pay for lunch, but Marcus waved me away with a grin, giving Cal that same hard look as before. We headed down the wharf, away from the Co-op. The wind had come up as the afternoon progressed, blustery gusts whipping my hair around. Whitecaps decorated the seascape. Cal’s arm slipped over my shoulders, pulling me into him, his lean frame providing shelter and I nestled into his side. His fingers tensed around my shoulders as we walked, the headland coming into view.
It was a steep track, waves crashing mercilessly into the cliffside below us. Mutton birds scuttled about in the bracken fern that edged the path. Salt sang into my face as we reached the peak.
South of us, water rose in a spout, and we both exclaimed, watching for any other sign. It only took a few moments before the water shifted, the hump of a whale gliding through the water. We were rewarded for our patience when the whale’s flukes lifted from the ocean, crashing down with a great show of white water.
“Not the best day, sorry,” Cal said into my ear, the wind so bad I struggled to hear him. I turned beneath his arm, pressing against his chest.
“Are you kidding? This has been amazing. Lunch with you, walking, whales...” I gestured around us, “this.”
His fingers caught my chin, bringing my face back to his. My lips parted, but when he kissed me, it was the sensitive skin around my jaw his mouth brushed. He tilted my head back, his fingers still firm on my chin, dragging his lips down my neck, nipping my collar bone. A strangled cry broke free, my hands pressing against his shoulders. My heart pounded from his ministrations. His fingers slid to the back of my neck, pulling me hard against him as his mouth found mine.
His tongue slid past my lips, and my entire body clenched with need. I wanted to gasp, but he was relentless, his mouth hard on mine, our kisses coming faster and faster. My fingers curled on his neck, and some rational part of me hoped I hadn’t scratched him. His hands tangled in my hair, tugging just a little, drawing my head back, completely controlling the kiss.
I arched into him as his other hand slid down my back, over my hips. His fingers ran over my ass, between my legs, pressing up hard. I moaned, driven by the need to be closer to him as he lifted me off my feet, dragging me over his belt buckle, where he pressed against me. I wrapped my legs around his waist, my jeans feeling terribly thin as he pushed me down onto him. His groan echoed my own. I forgot everything: the wind, where we were.
Eventually, our mouths slowed, though his hands were still wrapped deep in my hair. He held me to him, pressing his forehead to mine. I breathed, eyes closed, trying to still my heart. I was glad we were alone on the headland — I felt slightly obscene, never being into outward displays of affection in such a public manner. But with Cal, it was all so easy.
And I didn’t want him to stop.
CHAPTER EIGHT
CAL
I set Mila back on her feet, only just holding back the urge to tear every scrap of material from her body and fuck her right there on the path. How the hell had this woman gotten into my head so fast? She felt so damned fine, kissing her was like a drug. But it was more than that — I hadn’t felt this
close to anyone for a long time — she’d blown memories of Mandy away in a matter of days. And when I’d spoken about Dad, she’d wrapped her arms around me. I’d nearly lost it, then, tears ready to flow.
I crushed her against my chest, resting my chin on top of her head, looking out at the ocean. The wind still blew in a gale around us, whipping her hair into my face, but I didn’t care. My fingers were still tangled in her dark strands. All I wanted was to hold her, lose myself in her, and never let go.
She made a little noise, and I loosened my hold, worried I was suffocating her. She stared up at me with those huge damned eyes, every emotion exposed, raw. I ran my fingers over her cheek, and she whimpered again. I frowned.
“Are you okay?”
She nodded, releasing my shirt where she’d been clutching it, sliding her hands up my neck. I shivered as she pulled my head down, soft, pink lips brushing over mine so tentatively, so gently, I could have died. Cradling her against me, I let her in, all the way. I didn’t care if she was connected to him.
We would make this work.
She whimpered when I tipped her head back, deepening the kiss, but gently this time. Like she was glass that could shatter beneath my hands. She felt so small, but I knew she was strong. A survivor, even if she didn’t see herself that way. Thoughts of fucking her here left me — I wanted to have this woman in my bed, at least the first time. After that…I smiled against her mouth, her breaths short and fast, thinking of ways I could get her to make those tiny noises again.
Her arms wrapped around my neck, and she buried her head into my shoulder. I stroked her hair, giving her time to settle. There was something flighty about her, and I knew that if I rushed this, I’d lose her.
And there was no way in hell I was going to let that happen.
Back at my truck, I hoisted her into the passenger bench seat, the curves beneath her jeans mesmerising me. I stepped back before she caught me staring, the urge to strip her bare back with a vengeance. She shifted around as I watched her, surprised a tiny thing like her didn’t look out of place in the cab, seeing as the truck should have dwarfed her. She turned back to me, eyes wide, like a deer in headlights.
“What?”
I smiled, and shook my head, closing her door. It was perfect. She was perfect. But surely no one was that good an actress.
What the fuck are you doing, Dane? Get your shit together.
MILA
Cal’s fingers trailed the bulbar as he walked around the front of the truck. He stepped up into the driver’s seat, sliding easily inside, making me feel rather short. The engine started with a guttural growl, which suited him. Clean and hard on the outside, rough on the inside. There was some quality about him that was…damaged wasn’t the right word. Worn, maybe?
His side profile in the dying light was thrown into sharp relief, though that golden skin and sharp jawline still turned my heart over. The man looked like some kind of god sent to earth, to walk amongst mortals. I felt decidedly frumpy next to him.
Smoothing my jeans, I pressed my hands into my legs. Cal slipped the truck into gear, and reached over, wrapping my fingers in his. I rested our clasped hands lightly on my leg, remembering the way his hands had pressed into me on top of the headland. A small shiver shook me, and he squeezed my hand, eyes on the road.
“Do you want me to drop you off?”
It was a loaded question and my breath caught, suddenly unsure. That I wanted this man was undeniable. But for someone who hadn’t been on a date since my second semester at university, this was moving fast for me. Too fast.
“Yes–” I started in a whisper, looking down at our joined hands.
“It’s okay, Mila.” He sent a reassuring glance my way. “I won’t push you.”
I nodded, nerves roiling in my stomach as I gave him my address, then remembered he already had it. Flustered, I barely registered where we were as he turned down the next street, winding his way through the suburbs with ease. The sun dropped steadily behind the tree-lined streets, the light dying with the day. Streetlamps flickered on. When we turned onto my street, I pointed out my house, and he pulled into the drive.
The old house was set further back on its block than more modern ones, the garden obscuring the front door. I liked the privacy it afforded me, plus it kept out street noise and headlights. Cal cut the engine but left the keys hanging in the ignition. He turned to me, indecision warring in his face.
“Mila, I–”
I leaned forward and kissed him, making the decision for both of us. His hand came up to cup my face, then he drew back, studying me. His brow furrowed, and I reached out to smooth the lines. No man that looked this amazing should have lines like that. I leaned into him again, but again he held me back. My hands slipped to his chest. I looked up in confusion.
“Love, are you sure? If I come in with you…” he trailed off, eyes dark and fathomless. Beneath my hands, I could feel the moment his heartbeat picked up, racing as he held me at bay. I swallowed, nodding.
Breath hissed between Cal’s teeth as he pulled me against him, his mouth pressed to mine. He tangled his fingers in my hair, but I could feel the reservation in him, still holding back. If I thought about this any longer, I knew I’d jump out, stop because I was too afraid. But the way he asked, cared, made me feel safe — it had been that way with him since the first time he’d kissed me.
I slid my tongue across his bottom lip, stroking his tongue with mine. His movements gentled for a brief moment before he exploded against me, pushing me back against my seat, mouth hard on mine, hand fumbling at my seatbelt.
His fingers slid down my neck, pressing a little against my collar bone. I gasped, pleasure shooting through me, my eyes on his. I arched into him, pressing against the hand at my throat. He growled, fingers curling gently, possessively, as he leaned in to kiss me again.
I moaned, hungry for his touch. I wanted — needed — him everywhere. He released me, fingers drifting down the side of my breast. Sensation flooded through me. I wiggled, trying to get closer. My fingers curled in his shirt, tugging him down to me.
Cal wrenched his mouth away, cupping my face.
“Not here, Mila…I want to–” he broke off, staring over my head. I frowned, twisting in his arms.
“What?” I could barely see in the darkness. I turned back to see his eyes on me.
“You live alone, right?” His eyes were dark as night, completely unreadable.
I nodded.
“Yes. What’s wrong? I can’t see a thing.”
“Your door is open.”
I craned around him, peering through the trees. Even though I knew where everything was, shadows concealed anything farther than a few meters from his truck. My area had a lack of street lamps, and I’d always been happy with that. Cal must have had incredible eyesight to see in the dark like that. He reached over me, flicking open the glovebox, and withdrew a handgun. One hand pressed lightly against my chest.
“Stay here.”
Cal left the truck silently, not quite closing his door. He slipped away into the shadows, leaving me alone.
Long minutes passed, and I began to fidget. Maybe I’d left the front door open? It seemed to be something I would do in my frazzle of getting out the door each day. I checked my keys, trying to remember if I’d locked the door when I headed out to paint Dolly this morning. Had it only been this morning? I hopped out of the cab, shivering as the chilled air hit me after the warmth of the truck, unsure what to do. It was a big house; it would take Cal a while to check the whole thing, right?
I slipped down to the drive, closing the truck door gently. I couldn’t see or hear anything out of place but didn’t dare call out. Cal seemed to take this far more seriously than I was. I had taken a single step toward my house when Cal materialised beside me, fingers wrapping around my arm.
I yelped in fright, and he pulled me against him. It took a moment of trying to pull back from his grasp that turned into a small game of tug-o-war, until I breath
ed him in, realising he wasn’t a random intruder.
“I told you to stay in the truck.” His voice was soft, but his words held an edge to them.
“It’s okay; I think I was in a rush this morning when I left to go to your Aunt’s. I probably didn’t shut the door; I’m a bit hopeless that way–”
Cal’s fingers pressed against my lips. I stopped talking, searching his face with wide eyes.
“You didn’t leave the door open.”
“What?”
“Mila, who would want to get into your house? Someone who might want to hurt you?” His fingers closed tight digging into my flesh. I whimpered, Logan Wayde’s face flashing before my eyes.
But Teddy said I was safe, that he wouldn’t be able to hurt me, to find me…I stared at Cal, my chest heaving. The world around me narrowed to a point, Cal’s eyes drilling into me.
“Mila. Mila.”
Cal’s voice was far away. I stepped back, pulling away until my back hit his truck. He stalked towards me, eyes narrowed. His gaze was so intense, so different to the Cal I knew. I froze, my fear transferring to him.
“Talk to me.” He placed one hand on either side of me, caging me between him and the cold metal of his truck. The space seemed so small there was nowhere to move away from him. My chest closed up as I struggled to draw breath. Logan’s eyes replaced Cal’s, and I shrank away from him as he leaned into my space.
“I don’t–”
Headlights shone too brightly into my driveway as a black car pulled up behind Cal’s Ute, lurching in its haste to stop. Footsteps pounded the concrete drive. Cal disappeared from my view as he was shoved aside. Cold air swirled around me be before I was enfolded into enormous arms I’d known for years.
“Mila. Girl, you’re okay. I’ve got you.”
I pressed my head into Teddy’s chest, his long beard tickling my ear. My breath steadied almost instantly; I was safe. A hand slapped the truck beside me, and I jumped, shrinking into myself just a little more. Teddy’s arms drew tighter around me.