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Shaking her head, she continues to use the napkins to mop up with and gets herself comfortable in her seat, still avoiding my eyes. And some seat it is. Ruben has one hell of a ride with this black beast. Even the interior is black – black leather seats, black marble dash. It sure as hell suits him.
Moving my gaze back to Callie, I start to get exasperated with her, but I refuse to budge until she acknowledges me. No way am I going to let her get away with the silent treatment, and if she thinks I’ve forgotten about wanting to talk she can think again. First things first though, I want to know what the hell happened to her back there. She’s getting some color back into her cheeks, but she still looks clammy.
“You want to stay there all night?” she asks me, her voice rough because of the crying.
“No. I’m waiting for you to look at me.” I stand with my hands on my hips as I watch her slowly turn her head toward me. Staying put and not reaching out to her takes a hell of a lot out of me. Just one look into her swimming eyes is nearly enough to undo me. “That’s better.”
I close the door and run around to the driver’s side, climbing in I don’t waste any time in starting the engine and getting us out of there. I just hope she’ll talk to me once we arrive back at the hotel.
~ * ~
I don’t do silence. Silence drives me crazy and makes me damn twitchy. During the drive back to the hotel, Callie stared out of her window without one glance in my direction. I tried. I even resorted to mentioning the weather, which was pretty damn lame. All I wanted to do was pull the SUV over, unclip our seat belts and pull her into my arms and make her forget all the stupid things I’ve done. I’m not sure that would have worked though.
She’s now in the bathroom taking a shower while I lounge back on her bed wondering if she’ll let me share it with her. I want nothing more than to go back to the morning in Alabama when I ran out on her, except this time I wouldn’t run out. I’d stay and finish what we started…and I’d probably give her my cell number, which I never give to anyone.
Hearing the door open, I try not to look, but my eyes have a mind of their own and zoom straight into her standing in the doorway, looking very unsure.
“Callie, c’mon babe. You’re tired.” I climb from the bed and pull the cover back on the opposite side before indicating with my arms that she should climb in.
After a few seconds of hesitation, she quickly moves to the opposite side and jumps into the bed, pulling the covers up to her chest.
She’s going to kill me. Knowing there is only a thin sheet and blanket covering her sexy curves in her panties and t-shirt. Yeah, I caught the flash of panties as she jumped into bed. It was totally unavoidable while I was looking at her gorgeous legs.
Without moving our eyes from the other, I reach out to the wall and make a quick move to knock the lights out before she notices my reaction to her. The same reaction she causes every time I look at her – every time I hear her voice. Plunging us into complete darkness, I cuss because I’d forgotten to switch the lamp on to the right of the bed before getting up.
Groping around in the dark, my hand finally connects with the lamp. After switching it on, I chance another look at Callie, only to find her biting her lip, trying not to laugh.
I grin before winking at her. “Although you’ve seen everything I have, you might want to shut your eyes.” Reaching for my zipper, I pull it down and unbutton my jeans before kicking them off my legs, thanking God I’d decided to wear shorts. “You know? I never knew you could be so quiet.”
She clears her throat. “Where…” She coughs before trying again. “Where are you planning on sleeping?”
Sitting on the bed, I keep my back to her, trying to hide my smile. “I’m sleeping right beside ya, darlin’.” Propping the pillows up against the headboard, I quickly slide underneath the covers before she has time to think and lean back. Getting into a comfortable position, I pull her into my arms, cuddling her against my chest.
She sighs, slipping her hand slowly up my stomach with it coming to a rest on my chest. “Don’t get any sex ideas, because it isn’t happening and if I was feeling myself then you wouldn’t be in this room.”
I hate that. The fact that she’s only being compliant because she isn’t well, which is my next question. “So, what happened back there…and don’t tell me nothing.”
Stroking her back, I feel her take a deep breath in and out. She stays silent. “Callie, please tell me.”
“I…I don’t do well in confined spaces – dark spaces. They send me into a panic.” She snuggles more into me. “It’s been a hell of a long time since I’ve had one like that… Stress can, um, tends to make them worse than usual.” Laughing, she says, “I can’t believe I’m about to admit this, but I’m glad you were there. To get me outta there…Thank you.”
Lying down in the bed, I turn her over and spoon behind her, burying my nose into her neck. I inhale and then nip her neck slightly with my teeth before forcing myself to pull away, but not before I feel her shiver in my arms.
“I’m still not having sex with you.”
I chuckle, which ends on a groan when she rubs her backside against my cock that’s not only hard and pulsing with a life of its own, but leaking in excitement, which she’s going to discover unless she stops. Grabbing her hips, I hold her still and kiss her on the back of her head before saying, “Sleep Callie…before you kill me.”
“I’ve told you something tonight that no one knows about me apart from Thalia… Tomorrow, will you tell me what happened – why?”
Closing my eyes, I try to think of how to answer. I know exactly what she’s referring to, I’m just not sure what the fuck to say to her. At least without Dahlia being brought into the conversation and she’s the one person I won’t talk about. Dahlia’s story isn’t mine to tell. No one knows it, not even my closest friends. Phoenix and Donovan have accepted my decision to stay quiet about her, although I took a lot of grief over her to begin with.
I may be a dick every now and again, but the thought of losing Callie again, now I’ve gotten her to at least be in the same room as me isn’t an option. Shit, we’re sharing a bed, which I never thought would ever happen again. Okay, we’re not naked…yet, but my cock and I live in hope.
“Yeah. Tomorrow. Go to sleep. I’m fucked.”
Chapter 11
Callie
