He had thought that if he finally got what he was after, he could let her go. She’d made it clear that was what she wanted. But holding her in his arms and tasting her lips had the opposite effect. He’d never experienced anything like it. The passion and hunger was off the charts, and there was an unfamiliar recognition, as if he’d finally met his match. As if they’d found each other.
Romantic bullshit.
But now that he’d heard Curtis’s thoughts, it was clear Callie was in danger.
And he would die before he let anyone hurt her.
Callie’s equilibrium was off. Between that kiss with Hunter and the realization that the Order of the Titans had her in their sights, she wasn’t sure what to do next. And she always figured out what to do next. She was the leader of their group. Strategy was her strong suit. But right now? She just wanted to cry.
Nope. Not happening.
She opened the front door and found Nate playing Go Fish at the table with Maggie. Mel came around the corner with a glass of iced tea in her hand. She smiled at Callie, and then noticed Hunter behind her.
She offered her hand. “You must be the Navy SEAL.”
Hunter raised a brow at Callie, and her heart fluttered. He shook Mel’s hand. “You can call me Hunter.”
“Nice to meet you. I’m Mel, and over there is my fiancé, Nate Malone, and our daughter Maggie.”
Maggie grinned, her bright smile now missing a couple of teeth. “They just adopted me! I used to be Maggie Keen, but now I’m Maggie Malone, and Uncle Nate gets to be my daddy.”
Mel chuckled. “Probably more information than you needed, but all true.”
Nate ruffled her hair and stood up. “Be right back. No peeking at my cards.”
She giggled. “Promise I won’t cheat.”
“Peeking is also cheating,” Nate said over his shoulder as he walked toward them.
“Fine!” Maggie crossed her arms.
Nate offered his hand, all business now. “Detective Nate Malone. Good to meet you, Hunter.”
Callie cleared her throat, choking on the sudden rush of testosterone in her living room. “Hunter has the same birthmark as you do, but it’s on his wrist.”
Nate released his hand. “Mel told me.” He almost smiled at Hunter. “Has she filled you in?”
“That I’m a Guardian and now that I’ve found her, I have a ‘gift’? Yeah.” Hunter shook his head. “Have I wrapped my head around all of that yet? Not so much.”
The two of them headed for Callie’s office, keeping the muse talk low. Maggie was only seven and they were doing their best to keep the danger as far from her as possible. She’d already had more than her share.
Mel finished Nate’s game for him, and Maggie won. She was a champion at Go Fish. Callie turned on the television for Maggie, and then she and Mel wandered into the office. Both men turned when they entered. No sign of smiles.
Nate held a hand out to Mel. “Hey, Hunter doesn’t get visions. He hears thoughts.”
Mel took his hand and stood at his side. Callie fought the urge to go to Hunter, too, but kept her distance. The kiss had her more twisted up than she wanted to admit. Yes, she’d had a long dry spell, and yes, Hunter was hot. So hot. But the desire was all-consuming. And terrifying.
She wasn’t his doctor anymore, but she had read enough of his file to know his team returned with one less man on their last mission, and his commanding officer was worried Hunter was carrying around that burden. So in spite of his size, build, and training, Hunter was already hurting. And when her muse was done with him, when he ceased to be an exciting thrill, what then?
Distance was safer.
Hunter kept his voice down, his attention on Nate and Mel. “He called them the Order of the Titans.”
Nate had a notebook out, jotting things down as Hunter recalled all he could.
“His name is Curtis. I’ll call my mom tomorrow and see if I can get a last name.” Hunter swallowed, his green eyes meeting Callie’s. “He told whoever he was texting that the enforcer should wait until I’m not around to eliminate Callie. He also told them I’m a SEAL.”
Hunter rarely used her first name, and hearing it in the context of being marked for death had Callie’s fingers trembling.
“They won’t get the chance.” Hunter’s gaze locked on hers as he closed the distance between them. “Until we get these guys, I’m your shadow. I’m off-duty right now anyway.”
A war raged inside her—a battle between temptation and restraint. And her resolve was wavering.
Nate put his notebook aside. “This is more than we’ve had on this case so far. If you can get me his last name, I can track his movements and see what I find. We can’t make an arrest unless I can make a connection to Nia’s death or the breaking-and-entering, but this is a big start.”
Mel straightened up. “If Hunter is going to stay with Callie, then we can take Maggie home. It’s a school night.”
Nate nodded with a chuckle. “I’m still not used to curfews.” He and Hunter exchanged cell numbers, and they shook hands again. “Good to meet you. If we work together, maybe we can shut these guys down.” Nate bent down to give Callie a hug, his voice soft against her ear. “Are we still on for the Disneyland trip this weekend?”
Mel’s surprise bachelorette party. Gods, she’d almost forgotten. She nodded. “I’ll text you later.”
Once they were gone, Callie collapsed into the chair behind her desk. “I don’t know what to do, and trust me on this, that’s not like me. At all.”
Hunter took the seat across from her, resting his elbows on his knees. “I’m not going anywhere.”
She sighed, lifting her eyes to find him staring right at her. “I’ve got a security system.”
“Which that guy walked right through earlier today.”
“And I sent him running,” she countered.
Hunter chuckled. “I don’t stand a chance with you.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” She raised a brow.
“It means we’re tiptoeing around each other like that kiss never happened tonight.”
“So we kissed.” Her breath caught. “There’s nothing to discuss.”
“You have got to be kidding me.” Hunter straightened in his chair. “You’re the shrink here.” He got up and was at the edge of her desk in two strides, the heat in his gaze lighting a fire inside her. “And I have a lot I want to say about that kiss.”
She swallowed the lump in her throat. “Like what?”
He came around the desk. “Like, I thought when you finally kissed me, I’d be able to walk away.” He shook his head, his voice lowering to a throaty whisper. “I was dead wrong.”
She stood, unable to fight the urge to touch him. She reached up to caress his cheek, losing herself in his eyes. “I don’t want to hurt you.”
He took her hand and brushed a kiss to her palm. “Then don’t.”
“It’s not that eas—”
His lips pressed against hers until she hummed into his mouth. Her heart raced as her tongue twined slowly with his. He slid his arms around her and lifted her up onto her desk. Once again, her treacherous body molded tightly to his, her legs clasping around his waist. She couldn’t get close enough.
Hunter broke the kiss, his chest heaving for breath. “We need to set the burglar alarm.”
Crap. He was right. In his strong arms, the Order of the Titans had ceased to exist.
She blinked and nodded. “Yes. Good idea.”
She scooted off the edge of her desk and went into the front room to enter in the codes on the security system. Behind her, Hunter was checking the locks on the sliding glass door over by the kitchen and then went down the hallway to check the French door in her bedroom.
He turned around as she walked into her bedroom. The bed was between them like an enormous elephant in the room.
Callie tried to keep her tone light. “Thanks. I guess I better get some rest.”
Hunter ran a hand down his fac
e. “I’ll sleep in the other room.”
He started to pass by to leave, when she caught his wrist and waited for him to meet her eyes. “I do want you. More than I’ve ever wanted anyone.”
“If you’re going to offer me the ‘it’s me, not you’ excuse again, let me save you some time.”
She shook her head, shoring up her courage. “I’ve been in love before.”
His expression lightened, only a little. “Welcome to the club.”
She sighed and led him over to the bed. They sat on the edge. Her feet didn’t quite touch the floor, but she refrained from swinging them.
“I dated Mark through most of high school. We went to college together. We were crazy in love. Our families loved us together, too. Marriage was inevitable.” She swallowed, her voice wobbling. “But then the dreams started about Greece and the muses. I tried to talk to him about it, but he didn’t understand. And as the muse, Calliope, blossomed, it brought out parts of me…” Callie got up, rubbing her hands on her slacks. “I’ve never told anyone any of this.”
He didn’t move. “We’ve got plenty of time.”
She nodded, pacing toward the French door. “When I was little, my dad would take me out in his skiff. My little sister would never go because it scared her when the boat would fly off the swells, but I craved it, that weightless feeling, like I was a bird. I couldn’t get enough. I’d tell my dad to go faster.”
Her eyes welled with tears, but she didn’t allow them to fall. “He used to call me his little daredevil.”
She stared up at the moon, the pain twisting in her stomach. “On my tenth birthday, I got a trampoline, and I thought it’d be awesome to jump out our bedroom window onto it. My sister helped me place it outside. We ran back in, and I jumped first.” She turned around to face Hunter. “Then I coaxed my sister out after me, but she missed the trampoline when she landed. She broke her leg.”
Callie cleared her throat, forcing herself to get the words out. “Later, my dad told me my appetite for adrenaline was getting out of control. He said I needed to become the master of it or the hunger for risk would just get bigger and someone would get seriously hurt.” She paused, pulling in a slow breath. “I took it to heart. No more jumping out my window, no more balancing and walking along the top of our fence, no more riding my bike with no hands.”
She glanced over her shoulder. His eyes were on her, but he didn’t interrupt. She turned toward the backyard again. “But when the muse was reborn inside me, I yearned for adventure even more than before. And Mark…” She shook her head, blinking hard to keep the tears at bay. “He didn’t understand. We were engaged. Both of our families planned a big wedding, and spent lots of money on dresses and venues and food.”
She couldn’t force the rest out. The mattress squeaked behind her, and a second later his arms were around her waist. She didn’t resist, accepting his comfort and leaning back against his chest.
“I was suffocating, and I couldn’t make anyone understand,” she said.
He kissed her hair. “So you ran.”
A humorless laugh escaped her. “I was in my ten-thousand-dollar dress, the organ in the church was playing the bridal march, and my dad offered me his arm.” She swiped a tear away before it could roll down her cheek. “It was the last time I saw my dad.”
She turned around to face Hunter, staring up into his eyes. “I loved Mark. Really loved him. My family loved him. His family loved me. And even with all that love around me, it wasn’t enough. Something is broken inside me, Hunter. I hurt them all. All the people who cared about me most.”
Her voice rose, filling the entire room. “I’m selfish and never satisfied, and I never will be because this freaking muse is always clawing at me, hungry for more. You’ll be fun for a while. Maybe we’ll even live through this mess, but once we get in a routine, once the wildness wears off, you’ll be ready to settle down and make a life, and I’ll be running to the next adventure.”
He stared into her eyes for a long time and then got down on one knee. Her heart stopped, but he shook his head, his lips curving into a warm grin. “Calm down. I’m not proposing.”
She chuckled, shaking her head. How could he make her smile after she’d just revealed the ugliest part of herself?
“Just wanted to give you the upper hand for a minute.” He lifted his gaze to her face. “I’m not a psychologist, and I’ve only known you for a short time, but you are not broken. Not by a long shot.”
Gods, why did he have to be so flipping sexy? She stared down at him, memorizing every angle of his face. “I devastated the man I loved, the man I was going to spend the rest of my life with. My one friend back home who still speaks to me told me he spent a week in the bar. He hates me. I embarrassed him and broke his heart all in one day.”
“Forget about him for a second.” He squeezed her hands as though he could offer her some of his strength. “You said before that the muse enhanced parts of your personality, but you’re still you, right?”
She nodded, trying not to notice his thumb tracing a circle on the inside of her wrist.
“So when you started to get cold feet, did you tell anyone?”
She’d never allowed herself to think about any of this before. Opening the box of memories was too painful. But now…maybe it was time.
“I tried to talk to Mark. He had his eye on a house halfway between our parents’ places. The perfect spot to start a family so the kids could see their grandparents often.” She swallowed the lump in her throat. “I told him I’d been dreaming of moving to California.”
Hunter got to his feet, bringing his other hand up to her cheek. “Who else did you tell?”
“My dad…” She choked on the words and cleared her throat. “It was always me and my dad against the world. I knew he’d understand and help me.”
“I’m sorry.” Hunter’s eyes softened. “You don’t need to do this. I just hate seeing you hide yourself away with a ‘damaged goods’ label.”
She’d conducted enough therapy sessions to know she’d come too far to back off now. It was time to get it all out. “Dad said everyone gets cold feet and I needed to suck it up. Mark would make a good husband and he loved me. When I told him I wanted to move to California, Dad said it would break his heart for me to go so far away.”
Hunter wrapped her in his arms again, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. His voice vibrated in his chest. “He was wrong to lay that guilt on you.”
“Maybe.” She closed her eyes as a tear spilled down her cheek. “But he thought it was just cold feet. He didn’t know I was drowning and looking for a lifeline.”
Hunter pulled back enough to see her face. “Have you ever told him that?”
“No.” Her chest tightened. “They haven’t spoken to me since I ran out of that church. No one has. I moved away and got busy with the theater and my job.” She wiped her nose. “And I swore I would never hurt another man like that again.”
Hunter scooped her up into his arms as if she weighed nothing and carried her over to the bed. He laid her down and then moved behind her to spoon her, his arm holding her close to his chest. His lips brushed her ear. “Before you push me away, you have my word that once you’re asleep, I’ll go in the other room, okay?”
She covered his hand with hers over her abdomen. His was so much bigger than hers and had probably fired guns, rifles, and god knew what else, but right here, right now, his tenderness broke down her will as sure as any grenade.
Without moving, she whispered into the darkness, “What if I don’t want you to go?”
CHAPTER 10
Being this close to her was a delicious, dangerous temptation. And hearing her admit she wanted him to stay had other parts of him wide awake. He pressed his lips to her shoulder, whispering along her soft skin, “I’m right where I want to be.”
She rolled over to face him, her hands sliding into his hair. “Why are you so kind to me when all I’ve done is push you away?”
His
hand trailed down her back. “I wish I could explain it. When you and I first met and butted heads, I saw a spark in you; a wild, strong spirit that you did everything to hide. And I guess it made me yearn to set it free.”
And then she kissed him. Her lips were hot, her tongue hungry for his, and her fingers tightened in his hair until he growled in answer. He cupped her ass, pulling her in tight to his hips. She moaned into the kiss. That sound… He didn’t have words, only needs and desires.
Her shoes thunked to the floor, and he followed suit by kicking off his flip-flops before he rolled her underneath him. She parted her legs, and he sank even closer to her. His erection throbbed, aching for release from his jeans. He rested his elbows on either side of her head, breaking the kiss. He stared down at her. Her chest heaved, her lips were swollen, and the way she looked at him made him feel like the luckiest bastard alive.
“You are so damned beautiful.” He stole one more kiss, growling against her. “And if we’re not naked soon, I’m going to lose my fucking mind.”
Her teeth caught his lower lip as her hands slid up underneath his shirt. “Now you know how I felt seeing you in your board shorts.”
He grinned as he fed on her mouth. When he finally came up for air, his pulse was racing. And they weren’t even skin to skin. Yet.
“I was lucky I had a towel around my waist or the entire beach would’ve seen the effect you had on me when you were rinsing off in that bikini.”
Her dark eyes sparkled. “You should see me without it.”
“Yes.” He pressed his hips into her, enjoying the way her lips parted. “I should definitely see that.”
He forced himself to get up. Without taking his eyes off her, he pulled his T-shirt over his head and unbuttoned his jeans. As he stood in front of her, Callie’s gaze wandered up his body, only this time she didn’t try to hide it or stop herself. She sat up on the edge, freeing the buttons on her top. She dropped it off the bed and reached behind her back to unclasp her black bra.
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