Page 54 of Snake Eyes & Bad Luck

Callum furrowed his eyebrows. “Walk where?”

“Anywhere but here. And anywhere without you.” Her fingers snatched up the front of his shirt again. His heart skipped a beat. Only an inch from her face, he could kiss her and wanted nothing more. She was boiling point pissed off and he…was in love with her. It hurt. Stung deep in his chest as he memorized every inch of her face. Because he just wanted to be back to the way they were, before he threw her to the floor of his bathroom and made her hate him.

How easy it was to be before, when talking to her was like breathing. Where she grew angry and irritated with him, but she gave just as good as she got. Back when he should have said ‘I’ll go with you’.

He loved her so much that Callum swallowed his pride in one big, loud gulp. “Avelina, I’m sorry.”

“Not good enough,” she sniffled, ducking under his arm. Unlike him, his little viper wasn’t a liar. He knew without a shadow of a doubt she’d walk herself to death to get away from him. He’d grown a stiff spine in that lovely back of hers, and it made him proud to see her stick to her guns.

However, Callum couldn’t let her get away. Not when he decided that he couldn’t live without her. Avelina Dalethorn was his burden, his heart, his everything. No one could do right by her, no one else was good enough!

“Now, hold on just a second, will ya?” he bellowed. Callum shot forward through the grass and snatched her. She tried to fight. Arms flinging and teeth barred, she got him good across the cheeks with her jagged fingernails. But Callum threw her into the soft, cushioned grass and pinned her flailing limbs beneath him. “Will you just let a man fuckin’ talk?”

“No!”

“Do you want me to apologize or not?” he snarled.

“No!”

“Avelina!” Callum warned.

“No! No, Callum! I asked you to come with me. Begged you, really! I gave you a chance to be with me, and you threw it in my face!” Her face was a blistered tomato as she thrashed back and forth to get free of him. Funny, she’s not really fighting all that hard. Despite her nails digging into his skin and her teeth that would sink into him without a moment’s hesitation, she didn’t even consider using her magic on him. It filled his belly with angry moths, knowing she was holding back.

“Avelina, please,” he spoke softly and her body stiffened. Her watery eyes snapped to his face, and he knew she was finally listening. So, he took it slow. Callum lowered himself till he was only an inch from her nose. His hair turned into a curtain, blocking out everything but her. “Little viper, I’m sorry. Alright? I fucked up. I’m a selfish bastard. I only wanted out. Yer right, I was miserable. I hated every fuckin’ second being stuck in that swamp. The second I took over the crew, I realized I didn’t actually want it. And when I saw you, I thought, ‘this is it, my way out’. I was gonna use ya to fake my death. And it woulda worked too if…”

He trailed off, searching her face once more. Watching that cute lower lip tremble, all pushed out and bitable. If he let his impulses win, she might actually blast him across the tracks. But he thought about it, stared at them, considered risking his whole life just to kiss her again while the next few words fell out of his mouth, “If I hadn’t fallen head over tail for ya, darlin.”

“Don’t say that,” she croaked.

“Too late, little viper. I’m in love with ya. And there are no takesy backsy’s on this. Yer mine, Avelina Dalethorn. I care more about you than I do myself, and that itself is a great feat. You should know that I don’t care about nothin’ more than me. Until you, that is. And now, here I am. I’m sorry Avelina. Yer right, I did all those things. I’m a terrible man. I’m a rotten, murderin’ bastard and I’m not ashamed of it. But I am ashamed of turnin’ away. I never shoulda left ya alone that night. I shoulda dragged ya on the train with me. We’d be halfway to the Chroma Coast by now.”

She stopped shaking. He released his hold on her poor wrists and cupped her face. Relief flooded him as she leaned into the touch.

“You are a cruel bastard, you know that?” she whimpered.

“Yeah, I know,” he sighed dreamily. His thumb brushed off the tears that coated her cheeks.

Her voice wobbled, cracking in the middle. “You’re not a storybook hero, Callum. You’re a villain. You’re a nightmare.”

“Now, don’t butter me up, darlin,” he purred, leaning down to be a breaths width from her lips.

“I love you too,” she confessed. “But that’s not a good enough apology.”

The words should have been final. She should have blasted him into smithereens and walked. But for the first time, Callum was calling her bluff. He exhaled a heavy breath that she inhaled deep through her nose.

He smirked, “Oh? Well, let me try again? Hmm? I can do better.”

Her lips were soft to the touch. Pliable too, as they molded to his. She melted into his touch, wrapping her arms around his shoulders. The grass around them rustled as a hot breeze combed through the blades. Goose flesh prickled along his spine. Tail curled around her leg; his warlock wasn’t going anywhere.

Callum broke the kiss first, murmuring against her damp lips. “I’m sorry, darlin. Truly. From deep in my festerin’ heart, sorry.”

“Mmm, getting warmer.”

“Oh, I can make it warmer,” he teased. With a nip to her lower lip, he wrangled a groan from his girl. He kissed her cheek, then her jaw, then her throat where another dreamy sigh escaped her. Callum nursed a spot on her jugular until her fingers dug into his shoulders. He broke away from her neck with a wet smack before groaning in her ear, “Darlin, ya can stay pissed with me all ya want. Make me grovel for it, beg for forgiveness, I’d kill for it. And I will. Just let me try. Let me keep tryin’ till I’ve earned it.”

She giggled softly, turning her head to catch his eye. While he was toying with her earlobe, his words playful, the look he gave her was serious. He meant it. Avelina’s green gems studied his hardened face. He whispered hoarsely, “I mean it, little viper. I’d burn this world to keep ya at my side.”

“I don’t want you to burn it,” she breathed, leaning toward his lips till they brushed as she spoke. “I just want you to choose me first.”