by Leslie North
Leaning down, he kissed the corner of her mouth. A nice, safe kiss. “Get dressed. We’ve got breakfast with my mom. Remember.”
Her eyes widened. “I’d forgotten.”
“Yeah, well she won’t have.” Turning, he headed for the bathroom. He showered, shaved and dressed in ten minutes. It took another fifteen for Eva to show up back in his room, dressed in a long-sleeved sweater, leggings and leather boots. She’d packed for the weather. He wished he had.
“Ready to go?”
“Yeah.” Callum swallowed as his body reacted to the scratchy huskiness in her voice. “My mother and the captain will be here soon. We should meet them in the lobby.”
Eva smiled. She chatted on the elevator ride down like nothing had happened between them last night. But she was the only thing that got him through breakfast.
They met in the lobby, decided to eat at the hotel. Eva insisted on treating everyone. She also asked his mom about the best places to shop for good deals on great clothes. Stan did come along. He mostly smiled at everyone and drank his coffee.
Afterwards, Callum’s mom herded them into Stan’s car. Stan—Callum had to admit—knew the city. He showed Eva around, taking her not just to the tourist spots like Times Square, but the old bits of New York that still remained. Old fire stations, the old hotels, and a few of the old police precincts. Eva admired everything, and they parted at lunch time.
Getting out, Callum glanced at Eva. “Thanks for running interference.”
She shrugged. “Not at all. It’s hard to deal with change, especially when we aren’t expecting it.”
Callum nodded, and he straightened. “And now…we’d better get to your lessons. You have a test coming up way too fast.”
He wasn’t sure, but he could have sworn Eva paled a little.
***
Eva watched the snow falling, fascinated with it. She’d been in snow before, but it always amazed her. She’d never seen snow until she’d been eight and had gone skiing with Antonio in the Swiss Alps. The way it was coming down now here in New York, in thick globs that splattered into the windows, she wondered if they’d be able to get out of the hotel at all.
Turning, she glanced over at Callum who had the books spread out in the sitting room. She like the sprawl. They also had a fire going in the fireplace and snacks from room service. “We should go skiing,” she said.
He looked up from the books, eyebrows raised. “In New York? There’s not a mountain in sight.”
“No. In Aspen. After I take my tests there won’t be anything else to do. And what…we should just sit in our hotel rooms.”
He glanced around them. “I can think of worse things. This place has everything and then some—bars, restaurants, spa, a dance club even. Two weeks here sounds like a holiday to me.”
She wrinkled her nose and came over to sit down on the sofa next to him. “And when the holidays come? Will you spend them with your mom?”
Frowning, he turned back to the books. “We should go over your last science lesson again. You’re still struggling with the thermodynamic principals.”
“Oh, come on. Colorado ski slopes for a week! Fires at night.”
He shook his head. “I don’t ski.”
She sat up. “But you could be the perfect ski bum.” She ruffled his hair. “Or a surf bum. Would you rather spend Christmas in Hawaii? I wouldn’t. I’m tired of sunshine.” She waved at the windows. “I want snow.”
Callum smiled. “You want snow. Okay, grab your coat then. I’m taking you to Rockefeller Center, and we’ll see about getting you on some ice skates.”
Chapter 13
The Rink was open, and the giant Christmas tree set up and lit already. The ring wasn’t that large, and seemed crowded. She tried to get Callum to buy VIP tickets, but he insisted they were going to be a couple of average tourists. He bought tickets and they waited their turn. He pointed to the gleaming gold statue over the rink and told her about it as they waited.
“You should know that guy—Prometheus, one of the Greek Titans.”
“Yes, yes, I know. He stole fire. That’s why his statue is golden—like fire.”
“Actually, it’s bronze with gold leaf on it. But a real guy—Leon Nole—posed for the statue. He was a teacher. And the inscription on the granite wall behind is a paraphrase from Aeschylus. ‘Prometheus, teacher in every art, brought the fire that hath proved to mortals a means to mighty ends.’ Cool, hun.”
She gave him a sideways look. “Are you trying to make this a lesson?”
He smiled. “Bet you’ll remember it. Now, let’s talk about the physics of ice skating.” She gave a groan, but he ignored her. “We’re dealing with friction—and what does that do?”
Eva parroted back the answer. “Reduces energy.”
“Right. And what’s the law about an object in motion?”
“That’s going to be you when I push you!” She punched a finger into his chest.
“No, it’s going to stay in motion. Meaning you move on ice or you fall on your butt. Now, you’re going to need to use friction to stop on skates.”
“I know—just like skiing.”
“I don’t know about that, but this is about the angle of your blades. Keep them straight, and you keep the kinetic energy going so you keep moving. Angle the blades out and you can push off the ice—or slow down.”
Eva leaned on the railing and listened to him go on about rotational inertia—turning by pulling her arms in, and angular momentum, which he seemed to think was really important. The snow drifted down in light dots now. She brushed one off his cheek.
He frowned at her. “You’re not listening.”
“And you’re not enjoying the day. Come on, they’re waving us onto the ice.” She grabbed his hand and dragged him with her. Laughing, she stepped onto the ice. She wobbled—she could ski, but she’d never been on ice skates before. Her balance started to go and she caught Callum’s arm. “How can you stay up on these?”
“Hang on. I’ll take you around a few times until you find your balance. If you ski, this isn’t that different. Except you don’t have polls.” He pulled her around with him, one arm around her waist. She loved the cold on her face, the warmth of his body next to her, the feeling of moving without really trying.
She gave a laugh and spread her arms wide. “This is like flying.”
They spent a full hour skating. She started to feel comfortable on the ice, and Callum showed her how to push off, how to skate backwards. She let go of him and tried a spin—and went flat on her backside. He laughed and reached for her, so she pulled him down with him. Their legs tangled and Callum’s face hovered over hers. His breath misted in front of her, mingling with hers. She thought for a moment he would kiss her—she wanted that. Just because—not to try and seduce him, not to prove anything, but just because she was happy. But he straightened and pulled her up with him.
Skating slowly around the rink, they watched better skaters weave in and out of the crowd or move to the center to execute spins and turns.
Afterwards, Callum took her out for street food. “You have to eat hot dogs and falafel from a street cart—it’s not a New York experience without that.” She liked the hot dog, but the falafel gave her heartburn. Callum laughed when she pulled him to a drug store to buy an antacid. “That’s a New York experience, too.”
Heading back to the hotel, Eva decided she didn’t want this day to end. “Let’s go dancing? Here in the hotel. Please?”
He shook his head. “You should study. But I’ll tell you what—you ace the next practice test I give you and I’ll take you out to the restaurant downstairs. Deal?”
She didn’t quite ace the test, but she passed it, and Callum said that was worth at least a drink at the Bull and Bear Bar. She insisted on trying a Manhattan—a drink invented at the hotel. She didn’t like it, and switched to red wine. Callum started to explain how the name—bull and bear—were stock market terms.
Eva put a hand on his lip
s. “No more teaching! My head will explode if you keep this up. Come on. All this ice skating and I’m hungry.”
“After two hot dogs and how many falafels?”
She shook her head and pulled him into the restaurant next door, ordering Waldorf salads for them and New York steaks, and Red Velvet Cake. When they finished, Callum signed for the bill, muttering, “I’m glad your brother’s paying. This would empty my savings. And after that we’d better work off some of those calories.”
“Dancing?” Eva said, sitting up.
He shook his head. At the door, he asked a bellhop to bring down their coats. He tipped the bellhop and they bundled up and headed outside. “We’re going out?”
“Stop asking questions.” Tucking her arm into his, he started walking with her. “This is the way to see New York.”
He walked her to Broadway, to the noise of Times Square, and then to the quite of Central Park, and then back to the hotel. They didn’t talk as they walked—just walked, arms linked, steps matching. Eva thought it was one of the best moments of her life.
It was odd how she didn’t really need words with Callum. How sometimes it was good to just walk with him like this, or to sit and read while he read something else. He was always challenging her—and finding ways to make her see things differently.
Upstairs again, in front of their room, she turned and faced him. “Callum—”
“We should get some sleep.”
“Callum, I’m never going to forget you. What you’ve done for me. I don’t ever want to forget you.” She linked her fingers with his. “Stay with me tonight.”
He leaned against the door. “Your brother—”
“Is not here. Am I ready for my tests?”
He nodded. “You are.”
“Then you are no longer my tutor, are you?”
“Well, I guess not.”
“But you’re my friend?”
He nodded again and touched her cheek. “Eva, this…we’re from two different worlds. I’m not the guy for you, you know.”
“I’m only asking for a lovely memory, Callum. And I…I want you to teach me one more thing before you go back to your own life.” She stepped close and wrapped her arms around him. “Teach me how to make love.”
Chapter 14
Callum gave a groan. There were a lot of things he could resist, but Eva pressed up against him, those dark eyes pleading, that voice so low with need and desire—he was melting. He kissed Eva’s forehead, then her cheek, and then her lips. He intended the kisses to be kind—to soften the rejection. But her mouth opened under his and he forgot everything.
He got the door to her room open somehow and his coat off. Her coat went flying, along with boots—and somehow she kept her lips fused to his. He dragged off his shirt—thank God for buttons, got his hands back on her. She had to pull away to pull off her sweater—and whose idea were these leggings that were so hard to get off? But she shimmied out of them and out of her underwear as well.
He was at the end of his self-control. He slipped off his jeans and boxers, and then got his socks off. Eva fell back on the bed and stared up at him, dark eyes gleaming, her body naked, stretched out before him.
“You’re a work of art,” he muttered. She smiled and licked her lips. His entire body pulsed. God, I need to get inside of her!
He lay next to her and pulled her into his arms, reveling in the feel of her firm breasts against his chest. Her nipples hardened. He threaded his hands into her hair and kissed her again. He wanted her to know just how much he wanted her. He wanted her to know she was desirable. He wanted her to know she was perfect.
“Callum,” she muttered. “Protection?”
He groaned. He didn’t have anything. Sitting up, he touched her face. “We can do this without one.”
She gave a small laugh. “Really.”
“Oh, really.” He smiled. This might just be better. He moved down her body, kissing her breast, her stomach. Nestled between her legs, he spread them wide. He glanced up at her once, and then dove into her warmth, licking at the wetness between her legs, tasting something sweeter than honey. He was tasting her.
She gave a moan and Callum shifted so he could stroke her and push a finger into her. She moaned again. He licked her and sucked on her clit. He made love to her. The sounds she started to make—small gasping noises—drove him on. He got two fingers into her and spread them wide. She shifted, throwing her legs wider. Yeah, she was on fire. He could feel her skin heat under his touch. He pushed into her more and licked and sucked harder.
She came apart for him, shattered with soft, mewing sounds of need and pleasure. Mouth slick, he looked up at her, saw her eyes half-lidded now and her face slack and happy. He moved up on the bed and started to gather her into his arms, but she put a hand on his chest, her eyes sparking. “My turn. Tell me what you like.”
Callum gave a groan as she moved down his body. “You sure.”
She wrapped a hand around him. He was hard and about ready to come. She smiled. “I always know what I want.” Fingers holding him, she took him into her mouth. He could tell she hadn’t done this before. She could barely get him into her mouth without choking, but that tongue of hers—oh, my lord, that tongue. She had natural talent and went at him like he was her favorite ice cream on a stick. She licked and pumped him—and then she stroked her nails over his balls.
He shot into her mouth, and over her face, his body arched hard and a startled gasp and stifled scream pulled out of him. Breathing hard, sweat cooling on his skin, he glanced at her—and laughed. “You look like a porn star.”
She wiped a finger over the seamen on her cheek and licked it off. “And what do we do for round two?”
He grinned. “I think we need a shower. A long one.”
He pulled her into the bathroom. The shower could hold six, so there was no trouble fitting both of them into it. She used her hands on him again, and then he pressed her up against the wall and pushed his fingers into her until she shuddered and came for him. Exhausted, he dried her, wrapped a towel around her wet hair and carried her back to bed. And he fell asleep with her curled up against his side.
Chapter 15
Eva woke the next morning and padded over to the TV. She flicked it on and found the news. Over ten inches of snow had fallen and more snow was expected throughout the day. She ordered room service and when it came had the waiters leave the cart. She wheeled it into the bedroom and poured coffee. From under the sheets and blankets, Callum gave a groan.
“It’s snowing. A lot. The news says public transport has shut down—I think we’re snow bound.”
Sitting up, Callum took her coffee from her and drank. “It’s not like we’re out of supplies here.”
“I’m going to take a spa day. Want to join me?”
He shook his head, gave her the cup and buried himself back under the blankets. “Wake me when you’ve been massaged and we’ll see about another one.”
She grinned. Dressing, she headed for the spa. She chose a facial instead of a massage, and she had her nails done. All the time, she kept thinking about the previous night. Callum had been wonderful—and she wanted to do it all over again.
Two hours later she went back to her room and found Callum packing up his books. She stared at him. “You’re…you’re not leaving are you?”
He straightened and looked at her, a book in each hand. “Eva, I’m going to have to be going soon. You know that.”
“But…but you’re going to tutor me my first semester.”
He put down the books and walked over to her. “I’m not sure you need that.”
“I do. You know I do.”
“Last night you said I was done as your tutor. What’s it going to be?”
She bit her lower lip. “You’re not done. You’re not done until Antonio pays you for your contract.” She grabbed his hand. “Now come with me. We’ll go to a museum. You love museums.”
He shook his head, but he let out a breath. “O
kay, just let me get my coat.”
They walked to the Metropolitan—the Met, Callum called it. The sidewalks had been cleared and the cold air stung Eva’s cheeks. She tried to stay bright and happy—she wanted this day to be good as the one ice skating. But Callum was quiet, and she thought she sounded brittle—forced. The traffic was so light that it was almost eerie being in the city without all of the noise—the snow seemed to muffle everything.
Inside the Met, Callum was better. They walked through the exhibits, and in the Egyptian wing, Callum teased her that Greece had stolen everything they knew from Egypt. She argued that her ancestors had only made everything better.
Leaving the museum, a gust of wind caught at Eva, chilling her. She stepped outside and started to slip. Callum caught her arm. “Whoa, there. Take it easy. There’s plenty of ice but not skates. You okay?”
“I’m fine.” She let out a breath. She also wrapped an arm around Callum’s arm. She looked up into his eyes and could see her own burning desire mirrored there. She lifted her chin, and Callum bent over her. Their lips touched. Eva snuggled further into his arms and wrapped her arms around his waist.
Callum pulled back and touched a gloved finger to her face. “I need to get you back to the hotel.”
“Yes, yes, you do.”
They got back to the Waldorf Astoria with snow thickening and the day turning dark, even though it was only the afternoon. Callum ordered hot chocolate and the hotel staff arrived to start a fire. His phone rang and he answered absently. “Hello? Who’s this?”
“I’m calling from the admissions office at the University of Delaware. Is this the contact number for Eva Rosso? We need to move up her entrance exams to this Friday.”
He glanced at Eva. “Fine. We’ll be there.” He hung up and told Eva, “They’ve moved up your testing. Meaning we need to leave tomorrow.”