AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Wren
Ezra threw himself through the door with a screech. “Cow-um!Cow-um’s house!” Then he threw himself at Callum’s legs. “Hi, Cow-um.”
Callum’s big hand patted Ezra’s small head gently. “Hey, Ez.”
“I’m gonna play.” Then he was off, making himself at home in the living room. We’d been here two times for dinner, and he’d already claimed the blue room as his, even though I didn’t think he quite grasped what a sleepover would mean. Callum had loaded a couple bins with toys for him, so as far as Ez was concerned, this was the coolest place he’d ever been.
I stood in the doorway grinning, balancing a box of pizza. “Delivery for Mr. Hottie McRockstar.”
Callum cocked his head, his mouth twitching. “Hottie McRockstar?”
“I’m assuming that’s your alias when you’re traveling. You know, so your groupies don’t find you and boil bunnies in your hotel room.”
His eyelids went heavy as he looked me over. We’d seen each other only a few hours ago, but he was looking at me like he was hungry for the sight of me.
“Don’t think that’s what groupies do in hotel rooms, Little Bird.”
“Well,” I lifted my pizza and one eyebrow imperiously, “I wouldn’t know.”
His chin dipped. “Is there any reason you’re still in my hall, holdin’ a pizza, talkin’ about groupies, and not kissin’ me? If there is, I’d like to know.”
I shoved the pizza at him, which he took with one hand, then threw myself at him much in the same way my son had. He had to bend for me to reach his lips, but this had become automatic now. He bent. I raised. We collided.
Callum didn’t do anything without intensity, and that included kissing. Even though we were standing in his wide-open door and my son was in the other room, his tongue swept into my mouth, his hand gripped my ass, and he devoured me.
“That was nice,” I murmured against his lips.
“More than nice.”
He took my hand, kicked his door shut, and pulled me into the kitchen. From there, I spied on Ezra playing with some of the toys Callum had bought for him.
“I can’t believe you bought him insects.”
He put the pizza down on the counter and circled his arms around my shoulders. I loved when he did that, because when he spoke, the vibrations traveled through his chest to my back, landing right in the lockbox I kept inside me for Callum’s words. The way he made me feel was far too big to even attempt to contain, so for now, it was the words.
“You told me he liked creepy-crawly critters, I bought him creepy-crawly critters.”
“Yeah,” I whispered. “You remembered something I said offhandedly weeks ago about my son. That is a big reason I’m so gone for you, Callum Rose.”
His arms tightened. “He’s a part of you, and I would do any-fuckin’-thing for you. That means I’d do any-fuckin’-thing for him.”
I breathed a sigh. This man. The goddamn man. He had made it utterly impossible to go slow and ease into things. He was gorgeous and irresistible, and even though I knew me having a kid at least partially freaked him out, he rolled with it as smooth as butter.
“Speaking of, two things happened since I saw you, which I wanted to update you on.” I turned in his arms. He frowned down at me, his brow pinching the way I liked.
“Need your face.” He scooped me up like a pile of feathers and plopped me on the counter, bringing us closer to being eye to eye. “Better. Tell me what happened.”
Before I could, his lips were on mine again, his tongue spearing into my mouth. This kiss was even more thorough than the last, and now, I was able to hug him with both my arms and legs. He kneaded my hips and wrecked my mouth with the most perfect, deep kiss.
All too soon, he pulled away, raising his head to peer in my eyes again. “Now, tell me.”
I giggled, but it came out with a sultry, breathy quality I’d never heard myself make.
“I’ve decided in my next life, I’m coming back as a celebrity. The average woman gets harassed and stalked and maybe even beat up by a man, and a judge shakes his head and calls it a misunderstanding. You make some calls, probably pay your attorneys big bucks, and in less than a week, I have a restraining order against Edwin. Your lawyer, who apparently is my lawyer, called me on my commute home to inform me of this and told me she’d email me the specifics. It was right before I got home, so I haven’t even had time to really process it, but—”
His fingers curled around the nape of my neck. “It’s a good thing, Wren. Means if he fucks with you, a judgecan’tcall it a misunderstanding. Gives you a layer of protection and lets him know you’re serious about him stayin’ away. I don’t care much for bein’ famous, but I will squeeze every advantage I have to keep you safe.”
I rubbed my palm along his chest. “I’m not mad about it. Promise. I am hoping he’ll receive the message loud and clear. I was just in awe of the power of celebrity and all it can accomplish in such a short period.” My head fell where my hand had just been. “Thank you, baby.”
