Callum pressed the next button, the button labeledPH, and then he held his finger against a scanner, waiting until the device read his prints once again. The machine whirled, lowering one level before the doors slid open and a voice echoed in the space.
“Welcome home, Callum Blackwood.”
A huff of air slipped from my lips as I stared, stunned into disbelief for a moment before I hurriedly exited the elevator, following after Callum as he walked into a living room.
Large windows spanned one side of the room, the evening light streaming in, casting a golden glow. From the floor-to-ceiling windows, I could see angels flying in the distance, my eyes tracking over numerous buildings decorating the horizon.
“It’s beautiful,” I murmured as I followed him into the building. My eyes caught on the dark furniture decorating the space—deep shades of wood and black. I caught sight of a large couch resting in the living room, with a hint of green color speckled throughout.
A few pilaeria posters were signed and framed on one wall, and I recognized the team—the AureliteGuards—from Callum’s shirt I’d worn the other night. A gun safe lined the other wall, an assortment of firearms lining the space.
“This is your place.” The words fell softly from my lips as I finished taking in the area.
“Yes.” He nodded, a hint of nervousness seeping through our starbound mark, the emotion flooding over me, and a soft smile graced my lips.
He was nervous . . . about what I’d think of the place.
“You live in a penthouse?” I asked in disbelief.
“I do,” he admitted as he twirled a blade between his fingers while he walked into the space.
“Thetop floorof this building . . . it’s all yours?” I asked, still in shock.
He huffed a slight laugh. “It is.”
“I like it,” I admitted, a soft smile creeping up my lips as I turned around once more, watching the way the afternoon light reflected off the walls. “But I’d like a shower more,” I added, gesturing to my battle-worn attire. The mix of dust and blood had me wrinkling my nose in disgust at my own appearance.
His eyes darkened as his gaze raked over me with an intensity that told me it didn’t matter to him whether I was covered in a layer of desert sand and ash, and I huffed a laugh. “A shower . . .alone.”
Callum’s eyes narrowed further, a hint of playful annoyance visible among the flecks of gold in his eyes, but he slowly pushed off the doorway of his living room and began leading the way toward the shower.
I followed after him, a wince slipping from my lips that had Callum stopping, his eyes running over me in concern as I watched him catalog every injury on my body. I knew there were nomajorwounds—nothing that would scar, that wouldn’t heal in the next week.
Yet, his assessment had him backtracking, opening a panel hidden on a side wall, and pressing a button on the display.
“What are you doing?” I asked, watching as his fingers swiped across the screen a few more times.
“Calling for pain relief until I can get someone from the Guild’s medical unit here to look you over.”
I nearly huffed in disbelief before I realized he was serious. “Um . . . thank you?” I said, still in disbelief at the way he lived. “Shower?” I prompted once again as he moved away from the panel, leading me back in the direction we’d previously been going.
Stepping out of the bedroom,wringing out the water from my curls, I ran straight into Callum, his towering form blocking the doorway, hand raised to knock on the door I’d just swung open. A shriek of surprise nearly slipped my lips, my hand raising to cover my mouth at the noise that escaped my lips as the towel I’d been using to dry my hair fell from my grasp.
“I didn’t expect you to be there!” The words fell from my lips in shock as I stared at Callum. His hand lowered, arms folding over averybare chest as his eyes twinkled with amusement.
“You know . . .” His voice was a low drawl as his eyes raked over me, standing there, in only his shirt. “You’d think it would be less surprising to find me in my own home.”
“Ha. Ha.” I leveled him with a glare before my eyes traveled lower, taking in the bare expanse of finely-honed muscle before my gaze trailed down to the hem of gray sweatpants, hanging low on his hips.
“See something you like?” His voice was a dark note as my eyes flicked up to find him focused on me, and heat rushed through me at the intensity of his gaze.
“Do you have an aversion to shirts?” I questioned, needing to put some distance between us.
His eyes trailed up and down my form, from the wavy strands of hair still dripping water onto the shirt I’d found, all the way to my bare legs, then back up as he spoke. “Not particularly. Though you seem to have a habit of wearing mine.”
“Oh.” My lips curled around the word, heat flooding my cheeks as I glanced down at the shirt covering me. “Well, in that case, would you like it back?” Heat flashed through his eyes, desire shooting through the starbound mark we shared as I held his gaze, lifting the hem of the T-shirt in a teasing gesture as it inched up my thigh. Callum’s gaze focused in on the motion, a low rumble sounding from him as he balled his fists at his side, unmoving.
“I prefer my shirts on the floor.” His words hung heavy in the air as he stepped closer to me, closing the gap between us as I stared up at him from beneath my lashes. I could feel the heat radiating from him, the scent of amber and leather surrounding me as Callum towered over me, a dimpled smirk on his face.
