by Helen Lacey
“But Lily—”
“Tell me what you want, Callie.”
“How can it matter, Noah? Last week you—”
“Last week I said something stupid and hurtful. And I’m sorry. I told you once that I’d never hurt you. But you were about to blow me off and I got mad and screwed up.” He shrugged his shoulders tightly. “Can you forgive me?”
Callie nodded. “But it doesn’t change anything. Someone like Angela would fit into your life. And with Lily and Maddy being friends it makes perfect sense.”
“Not to me. I’m interested in you, Callie. I want you. Only you.”
“But Lily—”
“Will be fine with this. With us. I know my daughter. And I know how she feels about you.”
Callie wasn’t so sure. She knew the teenager was confused and at a critical point in her young life. Callie didn’t want to do anything to jeopardize the young girls well-being.
“If she doesn’t…” Callie’s word trailed.
“She will understand.”
He stood in front of her, not moving, not speaking. Just looking at her from bright-green eyes. Finally, when neither could bear the silence any longer, he dropped to his knees in front of her and wrapped his arms around her.
He shuddered in her arms. “I can hardly breathe just thinking about you.”
She wanted to deny him. She wanted to refuse the clamoring needs of her body and the deep longing in her heart. But refusing him, rejecting him, would break her into tiny pieces.
I love this man…
Callie ran her hands through his hair. “Me, too.”
The air suddenly filled with heat. And need. She could feel the mounting tension in him beneath her hands. His muscles tightened and she instinctively gripped him harder. Warmth spread through her body, licking over every nerve, every cell. She knew he felt it, too. It rolled like waves, creating a turbulent energy in the quiet room.
Callie’s hands slid down his arms, over strong biceps. She rubbed his skin with her thumbs and heard the unsteady sound of his breathing.
“Callie,” he said, drawing the words deep from his throat. “I want…I want to make love to you.” He stilled, taking in a profound breath. “But if you’re not ready…we’ll wait. And if you want me to go I—”
She smiled. “Shhhh.” She traced her hands back to his shoulders. He felt so strong. I can have this…I can have him. “I’m glad you’re here,” she whispered. “I want you here. I think I’ve wanted you here my whole life.”
Noah immediately moved closer, fisting a handful of her hair before he tilted her head back and took her mouth in a searing, hungry kiss. She met his tongue, felt the warm slide of it against the roof her mouth, and then tangled her own around his. His arms tightened around her and slid down her back, cradling her hips and then farther, curving possessively under her bottom. Callie arched forward and wrapped her legs around his hips. She pressed into him, all need, all want. She felt him hard against her and a rush of warmth pooled between her thighs.
“Where’s your bedroom?” he muttered against her lips.
“Down the hall, first door on the left.”
He kissed her again and stood up, lifting her with effortless strength, and strode down the hallway, shouldering the door open. The small lamp cast shadows around the room and created a welcoming intimacy. Noah placed her on the bed as though she were a fragile doll, flipped off his shoes, shucked off his shirt and lay down beside her.
He kissed her again, her lips, her throat, her neck, and dispensed with the four buttons holding her top together. His eyes glittered when he saw the white lace bra.
“You are lovely,” he said, tracing a finger up and over the generous swell of cleavage.
She moved to her knees and slowly inched down the sweat bottoms, dispensing them to the floor. He looked at her with open desire and ran one finger from the top of her neck to the base of her spine, touching the edge of her briefs.
“A tattoo?”
The winged horse looked majestic in flight and Noah moaned his approval as he reached for her and coaxed her to lie beside him. He kissed her again, long and slow, branding her with his kisses, making her his own. He cupped her breasts and gently caressed them. His tongue trailed across her skin, brushing across the edge of the lace. Her nipples ached for his touch, the feel of his mouth, his tongue.
“Take it off,” she begged. “Please.”
He did so with remarkable efficiency, flicking the hooks at the back with his thumb.
“You’ve done that before,” she breathed.
He chuckled. “Not for a very long time,” he said as he chucked the bra to the floor and his mouth closed over one straining nipple.
Callie felt the pleasure of it through to her feet. She gripped his shoulders, wanting more, needing more. It was like nothing on earth. His breath was hot against the hardened peak as he suckled. He placed his leg between hers and Callie bucked against him. Pleasure ricocheted over every nerve ending as the abrasive denim he wore rubbed against her sex. She reached down to touch him, felt him shudder as her hand slid across the hardness of his erection straining against his jeans. Her hand moved up, over the zipper, to the belt and she pulled the leather strap free and flicked the top button. Her fingers played with the silky hair arrowing downward.
He groaned and kissed her again, taking her mouth with such hot, scorching possession Callie arched her back, straining off the bed. His hand moved over her skin, her shoulders, her hip and across her belly, then dipped below the tiny triangle of fabric covering her. She felt an intense pleasure as his fingers sought access between the sweet, wet folds and found the tiny nub waiting for his touch.
“Oh, Noah.”
He touched her, softly at first, finding the rhythm she liked. She was so wet and welcoming he was surprised he was able to control himself. But he took a deep breath, and another, in between kissing her beautiful mouth. He wasn’t going to rush loving her, no matter how badly his body wanted release. He had lips to kiss, breasts to worship, skin to touch and taste. Things he dreamed of doing since the first time he’d met her.
And he would. All night and into the morning.
She moved beneath the pressure of his hand, spreading her thighs trustingly, saying his name over and over. Noah thought he might explode. He felt her tense, heard the change in her breathing, felt her stiffen, waiting, climbing. His aching arousal pushed against his pants. She rocked against the pressure of his hand and he cupped her, then released, then cupped her again. He felt the pulse of her orgasm through his fingertips, saw her skin flush with pleasure and heard her earthy moans of satisfaction.
Desire for her washed over him; love for her filled every cell, every ounce of his blood, and every inch of his skin. He kissed her again—wild, needy kisses that she returned.
“I’ve never…” she whispered. “Amazing.”
Noah dragged the briefs over her thighs, suddenly impatient to see her, marveling at how beautiful she was. He licked her breasts, her rib cage, her belly and lower. He kissed her gently, exploring the soft, moist flesh with his tongue, tasting the sweet musky scent that was uniquely hers. She was incredibly responsive, moaning her pleasure. Her hands gripped his shoulders as he continued his erotic kiss. When he trailed his lips back up across her stomach she writhed beneath him.
He was so hungry for her, so desperate to lose himself inside her, his entire body shook. She held on—his shoulders, his back, his waist.
When her hands hung from his belt, she whispered. “You’re wearing too many clothes.”
Noah got rid of his jeans and briefs in seconds and returned to her side.
She touched him, enclosing her fingers around his erection and he almost jumped out of his skin.
It’s been too long since I’ve done this�
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He took a deep breath and filled his lungs with air. Her touch was gentle, almost uncertain. Noah covered her hand with his and whispered encouragement. She didn’t need much. She caressed him from the tip to the base, slowly, building a steady rhythm, driving him crazy with need. All he could think of was Callie—of this beautiful woman who held him, touched him, kissed him back with so much passion he felt truly humbled.
He took a moment and withdrew a foil packet from his wallet. She took the condom, her hands unsteady as she sheathed him. He let her do it and when the pressure became too much, when the need to be inside her drew the breath from his throat in a ragged groan, Noah moved over her. He kissed her and she parted her thighs. He entered her slowly, kissing her more, mimicking the movement of his body as she accepted him inside her
She moved, stretching to take him in, wriggling in a deliciously sexy way. Finally, he was home, filling her, more a part of her than he’d ever been of anyone.
There would never be a moment like this again…their first time…he’d remember the feeling for the rest of his life.
Noah rested his weight on his elbows and looked into her face. She smiled. He touched her hair, remembering how it was one of the first things he’d noticed about her. Such beautiful, luscious hair fanned around the pillow. He kissed her, glorious hot kisses she returned. When he moved against her she moaned, meeting his movements, matching the steady rhythm building between them. All he could feel was Callie, her heat, her wetness surrounding him, enslaving him. He heard her soft cries of pleasure, almost felt them through to his soul as her body arched and shuddered beneath him.
And finally, when the pressure built until he couldn’t hold off any longer, it claimed him with white-hot fury, taking him over the edge, ripping through him with the sheer intensity and power of release.
“I love you, Callie.” He breathed the words, feeling them with every fiber inside him.
Callie waited until Noah withdrew from her and fell back against the pillow before she took a breath.
I love you…
He’d said the words. It could have been an impulse, a sex-induced moment of euphoria where anything goes. A kind of mid-orgasmic madness. But Callie doubted it. Noah wasn’t the kind of man who did anything by half-measures.
He loves me.
He took her hand and kissed her knuckles. “Are you okay?”
I’m out of my mind.
“Oh, yes.”
He grinned and closed his eyes. “You’re so beautiful.”
She felt beautiful. She felt wholly desired and so completely pleasured all she could think of was experiencing it again and again. Callie touched his chest and felt him tense as she played with one flat nipple, then the other. She leaned forward and licked the spot and smiled as the small bud peaked beneath the gentle flick of her tongue. He lay perfectly still and for a moment she thought he’d fallen asleep. But, no—he was smiling, taking long breaths, letting her explore. She kissed his shoulder, nipping at his skin with her teeth before licking the spot. She ran her hand down his stomach and lingered at his belly button, playing with the soft hair trailing downward. When her finger inched lower he quickly covered her hand with his.
“Give me a couple of hours, okay?”
Callie maneuvered her hand from his and grazed her knuckles over him. “I’ll give you an hour.”
As it turned out he only needed forty minutes. Then Noah made love to her again. He teased her, taunted her with his mouth and tongue and finally, when she thought she could stand no more, he flipped over and dragged her on top. He held her hips, allowing her to ease her body onto his, taking him in, sheathing him inside her. Callie felt wild and wanton as she rode above him. He linked her fingers through his and he supported her weight as she moved, slowly at first, savoring each delicious slide. Then he pulled her forward and sucked her nipples every time her breasts bounced near his mouth. She flung her head back, driving harder, feeling the pressure build and calling his name as pleasure flooded every cell. He lifted off the bed as his climax ripped through him and Callie clenched her internal muscles, taking everything, giving everything, loving him more in that moment than she’d ever imagined she could love anyone.
Spent, they lay together, legs entwined. After a while she rolled onto her stomach and he fingered the tattoo at the base of her spine.
“Do you have any idea how sexy that is?” he said, kissing her shoulder.
“Uh, no. How?”
Callie felt his breath against her skin. “Shall I show you?”
She curled her fingers through the dark smatter of hair on his chest. “Absolutely.”
They lingered in bed for another half hour then took a shower together. Afterward Callie made roast beef and mustard sandwiches and they sat in front of the television and watched a rerun of David Letterman.
By midnight they were back in bed, lying on their sides, facing one another.
“So,” she said, touching his face. “You’re staying?”
He frowned. “Of course.”
Callie closed her eyes, feeling safe, feeling loved.
Waking up beside the man who loved you really was the most wonderful way to start a new day. Especially when that man roused you with a trail of kisses along your shoulder blade.
“Good morning,” he said softly, slanting his mouth over hers.
Callie smiled against his lips. “Yes, it is.”
“What are your plans for today?” he asked, moving from her mouth to her jaw and then to the sensitive spot below her earlobe.
“Oh, the usual,” she said on a dreamy sigh. “Well, I used to have a student at eight o’clock.”
“Used to?”
“She’s with someone else now.”
He smiled. “Actually, that’s not working out so well.”
“Oh. Why not?”
“Lily wants what she wants,” he replied, still kissing her. “And she wants you.”
“Janelle’s a good teacher.”
“Not as good as you,” he countered. “Then again, I don’t imagine anyone is.”
Callie heard the lovely compliment and sighed contentedly. “Bring her back next week.”
“She’d like that,” he said.
“Good. What about you?” she asked. “What are your plans?”
“I’ve got to pick the kids up this morning. Do you feel like doing something later?”
Callie ran her hand down his chest and lower, lingering past his belly. “What did you have in mind?”
“The beach?”
Callie’s hand stilled. “You mean…all together?” A family day out, that’s what he meant. I’m not ready for that yet.
“That was the idea.”
She shifted across the bed and grabbed her gown. “We’ll see what happens.” She stood up and slipped efficiently into the wrap. “How about breakfast?”
Fifteen minutes later Noah emerged from the shower, dressed and sporting an incredibly sexy shadow of beard on his face. When he entered the kitchen she passed him coffee and a plate topped with some kind of charred-looking bread.
“What’s that?” he asked, looking at the contents on the plate.
“Toasted bagel.”
He didn’t look convinced. “Okay.” He sat down, grabbed the toast and took a bite. “You were right,” he said easily. “You can’t cook.”
Callie smiled. “Told ya.”
He put down the toast and looked at her. “Are you okay?”
She shrugged and turned toward the countertop. “Of course.”
“No regrets?”
Callie shook her head. She had no regrets about making love with him. “No.”
“You look far away.”
She swallowed, wo
ndering when he’d gotten to know her so well. “I’m right here. Promise.”
He drank his coffee and then stood. “I have to get going,” he said when he reached her. He turned her in his arms. “But I’ll call you later.”
“I’d like that.”
He kissed her softly and ran his hands over her hips. “I’ll let myself out.”
She nodded. “Okay.”
Noah kissed her again and Callie didn’t let out her breath until she heard the soft click of the front screen door closing behind him.
So, what now? She didn’t have a clue. He’d said he loved her and she hadn’t said it back.
And pretty soon, Callie was certain, he would want to know why not.
Chapter Eleven
Something was wrong. Noah felt it, sensed it. As he drove to his parents’ house to pick up the kids he couldn’t get the thought out of his mind. She’d retreated. She’d pulled back into a place he couldn’t reach. The passionate woman he’d made love with had been absorbed by the woman he remembered from weeks earlier. The woman who didn’t want to get involved.
Did she regret it? Was that it? She’d said no. But how could he be sure?
Noah certainly wasn’t about to regret the most incredible sex he’d ever had. Because it was more than that. More than sex. Just…more. More everything. More in a way he’d never imagined possible. Touching Callie, loving her, waking up beside her had filled the empty place he’d had inside him for so long.
But the niggling thought stayed with him.
I said I love you. And she didn’t say it back.
He’d felt it. In her touch, her sighs, the tears shining in her blue eyes. But, as much as he tried to convince himself it didn’t matter, he knew he wanted the words.
He needed the words.
When he pulled into the driveway of his parents’ home he saw Evie’s car outside. His sister was in the kitchen, baking alongside their mother, while the twins and Jamie were in the backyard tormenting his father with a game of Twister.
His mother and sister smiled when he entered the room and then looked at each other.