He walks up the stairs like nothing’s wrong. He goes into the house, grabs a beer, and walks back out holding it to his lips. Suddenly, he realizes that I and Maddie both are starting at him.
“What?” he asks, confused.
“What?” Maddie repeats, shaking her head and rubbing her temples.
“What the hell was that?” I motion toward Callan’s car that’s no longer in the driveway.
“Cal just came by to talk.”
“He just fired me!” I yell.
He nods. “Yeah, I know. But don’t worry, Val. We’ll find you something else.”
I shake my head. “Why did he fire me?”
“Oh,” he says, trying to think something up. “Well, it’s just not working out. He says that you don’t respect him, that every time he gives you a job to do, you mess it up on purpose. He said you talk back and make fun of him. Not that he cares about it personally; it’s just a very inappropriate work environment.”
My mouth drops open. “That is completely untrue! Last week, yeah, we were both acting that way. But this week, I’ve barely said two words to him, and I do every task he gives me perfectly. There’s something else going on.” I cross my arms and lean against the railing.
“I’m sorry, Val,” Bennet says, squeezing my arm as he walks back to the garage.
I look at Maddie. “This pisses me off so bad. I mean, last week, I wouldn’t have cared to have been fired, but this week, I’ve done nothing to deserve it.”
“Then demand a real answer,” Maddie says.
I nod. “I’m going to. I’m going to make him talk to me, explain himself.” I walk back toward my chair and grab my purse.
“Now? You’re doing this now?” she asks.
I nod. “Yep, no time like the present,” I say, walking down the steps and around the house toward my car. I get behind the wheel and start driving back toward the city. Traffic is heavy, and in a way, I’m thankful because it gives me time to sort through my thoughts. I’m way too angry to confront him right now. With my anger, my attitude will be high, and my attitude will only anger him. That’s not the way to get my job back.
Do I want that job back?
I guess, if he has a good explanation for firing me, then I will let it go. But being fired for no reason is not okay. I demand to be treated with respect. Truthfully, I could probably hire a lawyer and sue the company for this. I wouldn’t. I mean, it’s my brother’s company, but still. What he did is wrong on every level, and I’m not going to let him get away with it easily.
By the time I get to his house, I’ve cooled off some, but I’m still determined to get an answer out of him one way or another. I park the car in front of his house and climb out. I march up to the door and knock hard and loud. There’s no way he can ignore me with the way I’m pounding.
The door flies open, and I can see the alarm on his face until he sees me standing there. “Val? What the hell?” he asks, breathing like he just sprinted to the door. “I thought someone was being chased by a murderer out here.”
I push my way inside. “It’s time we talked, Callan,” I say, spinning around to confront him. “You cannot fire me. Do you hear me?”
He closes the door and holds up his hands, palms facing me. “Val, I’m sorry. I didn’t want to do this.”
“Then why are you doing it?” I yell, holding my arms out at my sides. “I thought we’d finally established a friendship between us. Then suddenly, you’re completely cold. It’s like you hate the sight of me. Like you’d rather take the easy way out and fire me than to have to look at me for another second. What did I do to cause this?” I ask, feeling my body grow hot from anger.
He doesn’t answer me. Instead, he starts walking deeper into the house without saying a word. He leaves me standing in the foyer alone, speechless. Finally, I follow after him, not sure if this is what he was wanting me to do. But I refuse to leave without an answer.
I walk into his home office and find him standing at his drink cart, sipping on some whiskey. I lean my shoulder against the door jam and cross my arms over my chest, waiting. I don’t push him. I don’t try to fight. I just wait, wanting him to know that I’m not leaving, but I’m not going to push until he’s ready.
“Care for a drink?” he asks, setting his glass down and pouring himself another.
“No, thanks. After last weekend, I’m kind of over drinking anything hard.”
“I have some wine in the fridge,” he offers, refusing to look at me.
I shake my head. “I didn’t come for a drink, Callan. I came for an explanation. I don’t deserve this. If you have a solid reason for why I should be fired, then fine, tell me, and I’ll be on my way. But I refuse to be treated poorly when I’ve done nothing wrong.”
He lifts his glass, swallows it all in one gulp, and turns to me. “I’m sorry, Val. You’ve done nothing wrong.”
My mouth drops open as my eyes grow wide with surprise. Not surprise at his answer, but surprise that he’s admitting he has no legitimate reason to fire me.
“Then why?” I ask, moving closer to him, slowly.
8
Callan
Watching her slowly walk toward me, there’s only one thing I want to do. I want to pick her up against me and press her back to the wall while I take everything I need.
Don’t do it, Callan, I tell myself. No good can come from this. You’ll fuck her a couple of times until the craving passes, then you’ll end up leaving and breaking her heart. You’ll have to deal with Bennet and maybe losing your job.
“Val, I…” I breathe out, shaking my head and rubbing my temples. My thoughts are swirling.
“What is it?” she asks, closing the distance between us.
Do it. Take her. God, I want to be inside her so fucking bad, I can taste it. She’s right there, within reach. Just reach out and take her.
“Valerie, I just…” I’m torn: do what my body wants or listen to my brain? The thoughts and emotions are mixing together, only confusing me more.
“What, Callan? Just tell me,” she says, her voice soft and sweet. It teases me. It speaks to the monster deep inside of me.
My eyes close. I’m losing the battle with myself.
She reaches out and touches my hand, and my eyes pop open, landing on hers. They’re brilliant green, filled with confusion and innocence.
“Fuck,” I whisper, feeling my resolve crumble. I reach for her, my hands finding her hips and pulling her flush against me. In the same instant, I step toward her, my lips landing on hers as we stumble backward. With my left hand on her lower back, I stretch the other one out behind her, catching us as he hit the wall. I kiss her hard and deep, letting myself get carried away by her sweet taste, her heavenly scent, her soft skin that feels like silk.
At first, she’s frozen and doesn’t respond, but when my tongue demands entrance, she loosens up. Her body molds to mine as her arms wrap around my neck. Her responding to my touch makes my body feel like it’s been set on fire, and I pick her up against me, where she wraps her legs around my hips.
Our kiss is hard and fast, but not rushed, just needed. My hands want to touch every inch of her body, but all they seem to do is make their way from her hips to her face, where I cup her cheeks and hold her against me in fear of her pulling away. I don’t want her to pull away. I want her to need this as badly as I do.
Her hands begin to slide down my chest, and I think she’s about to push me away, but to my surprise, her fingers grab the bottom of my shirt and she pulls it upward. I quickly jump to help her tug it off the rest of the way. Our kiss breaks away for only a moment, but she pulls me right back in. This time, her hands are cupping my face while she takes the kiss deeper.
Inside, I want to cheer because she’s not stopping me from taking what I want, but I’m so lost in the moment that I can’t think of anything but how badly I need to slide inside her. I force away all thoughts and decide to live in the moment; we’ll deal with the repercussions later.
> My hands begin pushing her shirt up her stomach, but she quickly reaches for it, tearing it off and tossing it into the floor. We’re both breathing heavy, our chests moving up and down quickly. I pull back slightly and look into her green eyes. They’re glassy and sparkling, her lips red, swollen, and parted. She looks drop-dead sexy, and just seeing her this way has me nearly busting the seam in my jeans.
I close the space between our mouths once again, placing my hands under her ass to support her weight as I walk us from my office up to my room, where we fall onto the bed. I work my way down her body, pressing kisses to her jaw, neck, and down her chest while my hands get busy stripping her of her bra. I toss the fabric to the floor and pull back to look over her amazing tits. They’re big and full, but they fall naturally, unlike the girls I’ve been with that have fake tits. Hers jiggle and bounce and look so soft. I lick my lips with a slight grin as I lower my mouth to her hard nipple, sucking it into my needy mouth. She lets out a deep moan the moment my tongue flicks against it. Her fingers thread into my hair, pulling at the root but pushing my head against her like she never wants me to stop.
My hands massage her tits while my mouth moves back and forth between them. The whole time, she’s breathing heavy and whimpering, making sounds that shoot straight to my painfully hard dick. She must feel it twitch against her because her hands move to my waist, where she starts unbuttoning my jeans and working them down my hips.
I catch her hands in mine and pin them up above her head, looking into her eyes. “I’m in charge tonight. I’ve been thinking about this far more than I should, and I have to get you out of my system,” I tell her, releasing her wrists to strip her of the rest of her clothing. Even though I’m no longer holding her hands down, she leaves them right where I want them.
“Don’t move,” I demand as I pull her jeans down her legs, leaving her pink, lacy panties in place. I toss her jeans into the floor and position myself between her long, tan, shapely legs. I bend down, pressing a soft kiss to her stomach, next to her belly button. My hands slide under her ass, squeezing and massaging as I kiss my way lower. I gently nip the skin covering her hip bone, and she lets out a whimper.
I kiss my way down her inner thigh, along the line of her panties. I inhale deeply, enjoying her sweet scent.
“Callan, please do something. I’m about to explode,” she says around heavy breaths.
Too impatient to remove myself from her to pull down her panties, I move them to the side and run my tongue between her folds. She lets out a deep breath, and her body seems to crumble, her knees closing around my head.
I can hear the way she’s breathing loud and heavy but having my head between her legs is more pleasurable to me than she can imagine. I suck her hard nub into my mouth and flick my tongue against it over and over until she’s calling out my name. When I slide my finger inside her, her hands fist the pillows, causing me to realize that she still hasn’t moved her arms. That pleases me to no end. I like a woman that can take orders in the bedroom.
When her release ends, her muscles ease and her whimpers quiet, but her breathing is still out of control. I pull myself away and lean over to grab a condom out of the bedside table. She keeps her eyes locked on mine as I unzip my jeans and work them down my hips. When I look down to slide the condom on, she does the same, fully taking me in. Her eyes widen, and she licks her lips.
“Like something you see?” I ask, finally pulling her panties down her thighs.
She bites her bottom lip and nods.
I lower my body back onto hers, and I cup her cheek as I kiss her soft and slow. I’m so wound up that I could explode at any minute. I need to slow down, regain control over myself. I feel her knees shaking on either side of me, and it reminds me of how much she needs me. Using one hand, I position myself at her entrance. With a roll of my hips, I’m sliding deep inside her, causing us both to let out a relieved breath. She’s so hot and so tight around me, I know I can come at any second. It takes me a moment to regain my composure. When I’m completely inside her and can go no further, I rock my hips against hers, making her call out. Slowly, I withdraw myself, only to thrust back inside.
My heart is pounding, and my breathing is rushed. I have no choice but to break our kiss so I can maintain consciousness.
“Fuck, Valerie,” I whisper, moving in and out of her.
Her hands are on my biceps, squeezing as I continue to thrust inside her.
“Callan,” she whispers my name, and the sound leaving her lips is life-changing.
I quickly pull out of her and flip her over. She gets onto her knees and bends down before me. All I can see is her firm ass as I use my hand to spread her wetness down between her folds. Slowly, I rise and enter her from behind. With the position change, she feels even tighter around me. I rear back and thrust inside so deep my hipbones dig into her ass. My balls slap off her of skin, and we both call out. Based on the way she’s moaning into her pillow, I know that move felt way too good to the both of us, so I repeat the process again and again, causing the wooden headboard to smash against the wall.
I can hear my own heartbeat, our loud moans, the slapping of our skin, and the headboard bouncing off the wall every time I push inside her. I’m gone, completely lost and unable to think about how wrong this is. It feels too good to be wrong. It feels right, like she was made specifically for me. The way our bodies connect, it’s like puzzle pieces. I’ve connected with many pieces over the years, but none of them fit quite as perfect as this one does.
I feel her muscles squeeze my dick, like she’s milking it for every drop. Finally, I can’t hold back any longer, and I let my release go. It’s so strong that my whole body goes completely numb. My muscles seize and lock up, and I can’t breathe or do anything until every drop has left my body. My hips begin twitching against her, finishing as I float back down into my body.
I pull out of her, and she collapses onto her stomach. I throw myself down on the bed beside her, remove the condom, and toss it into the nearby trash can. We both stay completely still, letting our hearts calm and our breathing even out. Before I can even move, the guilt of what I’ve just done cripples me.
I close my eyes, trying to push the thoughts away, but all I can see is the look I know Bennet will give me when he finds out. I try to think of an excuse: I was drunk, she seduced me. Neither sounds good enough to excuse what I’ve done. I don’t think there is an excuse good enough for fucking your best friend’s little sister.
Before I can think too deeply on the matter, I drift off to sleep.
I stir wake sometime later and find myself wrapped around her. My right arm is under her head, and my left arm draped over her side. She has one leg between mine and the other over my hip. She’s facing me, putting us nose to nose. The only thing covering us is a thin white sheet that only comes up to our waists. Her chest is bare and exposed. And even though I feel guilty for taking something that wasn’t mine to take, I can’t think of anything but wanting to do it again.
Her eyes open and lock on mine, but neither of us says a word. We can only look at the other and try to figure out how we got here and how to keep it going without anyone knowing. Without saying a word, she moves to sit up, and I roll over to my back, giving her the room she needs to get up and get dressed. But to my surprise, she doesn’t leave the bed, she moves onto my body, straddling me.
Instantly, I’m hard and ready to go again. She lifts her hips and uses her hand to slide me inside her. I let out a deep moan from being in her with nothing between us, and she allows her head to fall back, eyes looking at the ceiling. Slowly, she lifts herself, then lowers herself back down my length. But before she repeats the process, she rolls her hips, causing my dick to rub against that perfect spot inside of her. My hands move to her hips, egging her on and enjoying every second of watching her move on top of me. I can’t do anything but hold onto her and watch as her tits bounce and her hips roll.
When she slides up my dick, I thrust up into her whil
e pulling her down against me, making her let out a loud moan. God, just the fucking sounds she makes has me want to come undone. But being able to watch as she enjoys my body as much as I enjoy hers, it’s enough to have me losing all control.
I hold myself back until she’s ridden out every last wave of her release, and when mine bubbles to the surface, I try pushing her away. But instead of sitting back and letting me release it, she sits on my thighs and uses her hand to jack me off until I’m spilling everything that’s left.
Without a word, she stands and walks to the bathroom. I hear the water running, but she quickly shuts it off and comes back with a small towel. She wipes me clean, then tosses it into the floor, laying at my side once again. I want to ask her what’s going on with us. I want to ask her if she’s as confused as I am, but I’m afraid that talking will break the spell, leaving us with an awkward situation to figure out.
Instead of asking any of the questions troubling my mind, I wrap myself around her, pulling her against my chest, and we both drift back to sleep.
9
Valerie
I’m not sure what just happened. I’m not sure how we got here. I’m not sure how I feel about it. How could we have crossed such a hard line so fast? There was a time when I couldn’t even think about sleeping with Callan. Just the thought alone would cause me to feel sick at my stomach. But here I am, completely naked and wrapped in his arms. And to be honest, it feels pretty good.
Was this just something he did to distract me from getting the answers I was demanding? Or is this the answer to my question? Has he been pulling away because he’s had these feelings for me, or is it just another random hook-up for him? I know Callan. He doesn’t do relationships. But, I guess that’s okay with me because I don’t either. God, I’m so confused.
Neither of us are talking. I wonder if he’s just as confused as I am about this whole thing. Eventually, I drift off to sleep.
His Every Desire (Contemporary Romance Box Set) Page 25