by Tara Hart
“I need to tell you…” she starts, but pauses mid-sentence.
I cup her cheek with the palm of my hand and she leans into my touch.
I stoop forward and she instantly stops breathing. Her lips gape the slightest and once again the conflict begins within.
Chapter 32
Leila
Our noses touch. The tip of his nose brushing against mine, freezing just before he reaches my lips. He looks at me as if my mouth is full of poison.
“I won’t bite.” I nibble on the corner of my lip.
I look into his eyes, the cool blue eyes that remind me of home. Tonight I can still see the fire within them. He’s going to consume me and I cannot wait for his fingers to trace the lines of my body, closely followed by his lips.
I lean my body forward and press my hands against his chest.
“Does it hurt?”
“Not enough to make me stop.”
He dips his head forward and meets my lips. I let my eyes drift closed as if I’m in a dream, waiting for this magical moment to ripple through my body. I breathe him in as my hands wrap around his neck, drawing him closer. His lips move against mine as if he can’t have me quick enough. His tongue enters my mouth, circling mine as his thumb caresses my cheek.
His hand moves to the small of my back and he presses his body against mine. I bring my palms up to his chest. I can feel the tension in his muscles together with the rapid beat of his heart. If only he knew he makes my heart beat equally as fast. His tongue moves wildly in my mouth and a moan escapes from the back of his throat. He breaks away from my lips, his breath coming in short bursts.
“Fuck.”
“Is that a good thing?” I ask.
His lips part and he smiles. “It’s a great thing,” he says as he adjusts his pants around his arousal.
I offer him a shy smile as I feel my cheeks blush.
“You don’t mind that I kissed you, right?” he asks, suddenly unsure of himself.
“No,” I say a little too quickly. “I mind that you stopped.”
He chuckles, resting his hand on my knee and stroking my skin causing my whole leg to heat and my pussy to throb. Just from one touch he makes me… feel.
I press a soft, delicate kiss to the corner of his mouth. This time the kiss lingers, our lips melding together as I breathe him in.
I don’t want this moment to end. I feel as though I’m falling and drowning in the same moment.
Falling for him, drowning in him. I’m unsure if I can stop myself, not knowing if I want to.
***
I’m spinning around and around. I try to control the feeling inside—the unrelenting need to vomit. I take in a breath and wait for the nausea to subside.
I can hear voices mumbling, but I can’t make out their words.
Who are these people? What do they want from me?
“Who are you?” I ask, but it comes out as an inaudible whisper.
No one answers because no one hears. Fear ripples through my body as I realize I’m alone. No one is coming to help me.
I hear footsteps. They are getting louder—closer.
“What do you want?” I ask.
The spinning begins to slow. The stage does one last round and then halts abruptly causing my body to jolt to attention. I blink rapidly as my eyes adjust to the light in the distance.
The faceless figure steps forward, his hand reaching out to grab me. I feel trapped and I panic, lashing out against him.
“Stop,” I shout, waving my arms around violently.
My forearms beat against his face, trying to keep some distance between us, but one of his hands binds both of my wrists together. He controls me with little effort.
He moves closer. His face slowly comes into focus. His lips, his nose and then his eyes…those familiar and haunting blue eyes.
Callum.
He grabs my shoulders and gently shakes me.
“It’s just a dream, Leila.”
He doesn’t know. It’s not just a dream. This is my reality and I suspect, how this whole mess started.
“A dream?” I whisper, tracing my fingertip over his cheek. “It felt so real.” I think back to my dream, was it real? “It doesn’t matter,” I whisper.
He offers me a half-smile, as if he knows the truth. “Do you want to talk about it?”
“I just wish I knew what it means.” I sigh.
“Was he there?” He means his father.
I shake my head. “No. I don’t think so. I don’t know.”
He exhales through his nose.
“Come here.” He pulls me against his chest and we fall back against the bed. I toy with the rope that is fastened around his wrist, pulling at the coarse fibers, peeling them loose one by one.
“That won’t be enough to set me free.” I sense the humor in his voice, but there’s sadness in it too.
The words go unsaid, but we both know the truth. We may never be free again.
Chapter 33
Callum
I watch Leila as she talks. Her hands move excitedly as she describes something. She gently flicks her hair over her shoulder, a habit that she’s not aware of.
Her cleavage peeks out of her top, not intentionally so, but I notice anyway. The feeling in the pit of my stomach intensifies. I need to be close to this girl. She crosses her legs in front of her body. Her foot grazes mine and she smiles shyly. Just with this one subtle smirk, she can cause my body to heat all over. I’ve never experienced such a thing, but I swear she evokes feelings in me that I never knew existed.
“What do you think?” she asks and I have no idea what she’s talking about. My mind is elsewhere. She caught me staring at her lips. The whole time I’ve been thinking about how nice it would be to kiss them again.
I offer her an innocent smile. “What do I think about what?”
“You didn’t hear anything I’ve been saying?” She nudges me with her shoulder, already knowing the truth.
I smile. “You are so beautiful.” I watch her cheeks color and the dimple appears in her cheek as she fights a smile.
“You’re just saying that,” she says without looking at me.
I scoff. “I’m saying it because it’s the truth.”
She sighs, lacing her fingers together in her lap. “What type of girl do you like?” she asks shyly.
You.
I shrug my shoulders. “I don’t really have a type. What’s your type?” I throw the question back at her.
She lets her head fall back against the mattress as she tucks her feet underneath her body.
“He’s a kind and generous person. He loves to laugh and he’s not afraid to cry. He is tall, but not so tall that I can’t reach his lips. And he has light hair, brown or blonde, and he has light eyes, not brown like mine.”
“Your eyes are beautiful.”
Her eyes snap to mine as if she’s just had a realization.
“You know when I watch American television the man always compliments the woman, but he never says she has a nice butt or nice breasts, he says she has beautiful eyes.”
I chuckle at her observation. “We also say that the eyes are the windows to the soul.”
She smiles faintly. “Do you believe it’s true?”
I lean forward and look into her eyes. She bites on the corner of her lip, but doesn’t shy away. After a few moments pass I answer her. “Yep, it’s the truth.”
She smiles to herself as I stretch my arm between us and cover her hand with mine.
“What is it?” She smiles, the same dimple appearing in her left cheek. I fight the urge to kiss it.
Without saying a word, I pull her onto my lap, the curve of her ass hitting my cock. I wrap my arms around her middle as my lips meet her bare shoulder.
“You have no idea how much I want you,” I whisper.
I kiss her shoulder again. Her skin tastes sweet against my lips.
“Tell me how much,” she responds softly. Her words come in a breathy tone tha
t tells me she wants me as much as I want her.
I feel her body relax against mine. She trusts me completely, which is both a blessing and a curse at the same time. I can’t hurt this girl. I have to do everything in my power to protect her.
She leans back against my chest, grazing my bruised ribs with her body. It should hurt, but for once, it doesn’t. She numbs the pain with the softness of her touch.
“I want you so much, I’ve wanted you this whole time,” I whisper against the rim of her ear. “You are the first thing I think about when I wake up and the last thing I think about when I fall asleep. You are perfect.”
She slips her hand underneath mine, lacing our fingers together.
I breathe against her bare skin and feel goose bumps rise on the surface. “So perfect.”
I move our entwined hands across her stomach, down to the apex of her thighs and slowly to her sex. Both of our hands run over the thin piece of material that’s covering her. I hear her breathing hitch as her head falls back against my shoulder.
She guides me where she wants me, our fingers running up and down her pussy, a soft moan escaping from the back of her throat.
She spreads her legs wider as our fingers start to move in a fast rhythm, her hips moving up and down in time with our breathing. I can feel her wetness through her panties, my cock rising to attention as soon as I feel how turned on she is. She moves her ass from side to side against my hardness, challenging me to take her here and now.
I kiss her shoulder again, this time my tongue running a line along the exposed flesh.
“Do you like that?” I whisper against her skin.
Her head falls back further, her whole body in a state of arousal.
She mutters an incoherent “Mmmm,” as I continue stroking, her hand guiding me right where she needs me.
“Leila,” I whisper. “Leila, I want you to come against my hand.”
A whimper escapes, but this time she doesn’t hold it back, her moans now loud and unapologetic.
I tightly grip her hand in mine and move it under the band of her underwear, my finger slipping inside her for the first time, feeling her without the barrier of her panties.
Her other hand takes mine and brings it up to her breast, cupping and squeezing gently. I can feel her nipple harden beneath the sheer fabric of her top. I pinch it between my thumb and forefinger causing her whole body to tense.
The way her body reacts beneath my fingertips is the biggest fucking turn on. I never thought it would be this way with Leila. I never expected her to be so ready.
“Fuck.” I bite into her shoulder as our hands move against her pussy in perfect rhythm. She controls the pace, telling me how fast she wants it, how fast she needs it. Her back arches against me and I feel her pussy pulse as she comes against my fingers—against both of our fingers. Her whole body submits to the orgasm that I’ve wanted to give her for so long. Her moans are desperate and impulsive and everything I need to hear in that very second. They are all I can comprehend as her tight ass rubs against my cock.
Moments pass before her breathing steadies and her body stills. She falls off my lap and slides her ass against the cold concrete floor. Her hair creates the perfect halo around her face. She looks up at me shyly, her cheeks rosy red from arousal or embarrassment—or perhaps both.
She reaches forward, her fingers grasping the waistband of my pants as she gently tugs on them. I bring my hands to hers, stopping her before she pulls my pants loose.
“What are you doing?” I question.
“I need to please you now,” she says like it’s an obligation.
I shake my head. “That’s not why I did that.”
I grab her by her arm and pull her against my chest.
“I did it because I wanted to be close to you and I wanted you to feel good. That’s all. There was no hidden agenda.”
I kiss her forehead and she rests against my chest.
“Are you sure?” she asks, her fingers drawing patterns on my chest against the drumming of my heart.
“Positive.”
I kiss the crown of her head and feel her body relax against mine.
When I hear her breathing even out I know she’s asleep. Slipping my t-shirt over my head, I fold it and place it under her like a pillow. She doesn’t stir. And this time, she doesn’t dream.
Chapter 34
Leila
I never thought I would want a man near me ever again. I had given up on love and was resigned to the fact that happily ever after was not for me. And then I met Callum.
I struggled with men, even before coming here. I had trust issues, the only man I ever loved, the one person I thought I could trust, left me when I was nine.
I was, without a doubt, a daddy’s girl. Always by my father’s side, constantly following him around, dreading the times we were forced apart.
“Papai,” I said. “Don’t leave me.”
“Go play with your friends, meu amor.”
We were at the beach and it was such a warm day. The kind of day where the sand burns your feet and the sea feels like you’ve just stepped into a warm bath.
“What if I can’t find you, Papai?”
The beach was crowded. More people had flooded the sandy shores than usual.
He smiled at me, tucking my hair behind my ear. “If you can’t find me, I’ll find you. Your papai will always find his way back to you, filhinha.” Little daughter, his pet name for me.
It took the space of one afternoon to change all that. I did find my way back to my father on the beach that day, but a few months later he didn’t return home from work. A head on collision with a drunk driver cost my father his life and from that point on, I never trusted my heart to another man.
Sure I’d had boyfriends, but nothing serious. It was hard for me to connect on an emotional level, having lost my father so young and having grieved him for months that eventually turned into years. All I wanted was to protect my heart.
And now, there’s Callum. He challenges everything I thought I knew. He makes my heart sing and I feel excited for a future that I never believed I deserved.
“What are you thinking about?” Callum bumps me with his foot pulling me from my thoughts.
“Life,” I answer dreamily.
It’s absurd given our predicament, but for once I am excited to think about life.
Callum reclines back on the bed. With his left hand still tied to the post it leaves him little room to move, but he props himself up on his other elbow.
“Come here.” He gestures with his finger, drawing me toward him.
Each night we sleep next to one another on the bed. He holds me when I need it and gives me space when he knows I can take contact no more. I don’t have to say anything, he just knows. He’s good like that.
As I crawl toward him, I notice the look on his face. The look that tells me he wants me in the same way I want him.
I pivot my body so I’m sitting on top of him. For once I have the power and I like it.
The whole time I’ve been here I was worried I would never have these feelings again. The feeling of being attracted to a man, wanting him to touch me and be inside of me, but Callum has changed all that. I have no doubts with him. I know what I want and I’m going to get it.
He runs his free hand along the outside of my right thigh, stopping at the base and giving my ass a quick squeeze. It’s gentle but forceful at the same time.
I can feel him beneath me, his cock getting hard against my sex. I rock against it just enough to tease him. The smirk on his lips tells me he knows what I’m doing.
I lean forward slowly making sure he gets an ample view of my cleavage. I gradually dip my head and kiss his lips. It’s just a gentle peck, but it ignites something within. I lean back and notice the fire in his eyes.
“Leila,” he whispers.
I run my fingers down his neck, along his collarbone and then down his chest. He has such a nice body. He works out a lot. I can feel it w
hen I reach his stomach, his muscles hard and defined. When I reach the v that leads beneath his pants he stops me.
“Leila,” he says again.
“Yes?”
“Do not do this.” He swallows roughly. “Do not do this if you’re thinking about him.”
I pause for a moment, wondering if I can get past this, get past him. But there is no question in my mind. The man I’m thinking of is beneath me and I’m about to make love to him.
“Leila.”
“I cannot think of anyone but you,” I tell him.
It’s the truth. In this moment all I can comprehend is Callum.
He reaches up, grabs me behind my neck and brings my face to meet his. He looks into my eyes before pressing his lips to mine. The kiss is slow and sensual at first, but when I slip my tongue into his mouth he welcomes me. The kiss turns hungry, primal almost, as if he can’t get enough of me. A moan escapes as he rocks back and forth against my entrance. Even through his track pants I can feel that he’s ready for me.
I break the kiss and move down his body, pulling at the waistband of his pants slowly.
“Leila, tell me if this is too much,” he whispers.
“Shhh,” I reassure him. “I want this.”
I move down the bed and pull his pants from his body. He has no underwear on. His hard-on greets me and my eyes go wide from the sight of him. He props himself up on his elbow.
“I want to undress you.” His eyes plead with me.
I nod my head and move up the bed so he can reach me. I kneel on the comforter and settle next to him. He sits upright, his muscles contracting with each movement, my eyes mesmerized by the sight. I have never seen such a perfect man.
His lips meet my skin and he slowly places feather light kisses down the curve of my neck and then along my collarbone. His lips make their way down my chest, grabbing the hem of my top and lifting it up to reveal my bra.
“I’ve waited so long.” He swallows, his eyes sparkling as they take me in.