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"But we love them anyway, don't we?" Calli lowers her head to nibble on my lips.
"Mm, aye." As much as I'd love to have a poke, I literally can't do it right now. Even myslatwants to sleep. I insert a hand between our mouths to thwart her seduction. "I'm genuinely exhausted."
She falls onto the bed beside me and rolls onto her side, cuddling into her pillow. "Aidan MacTaggart is too tired for sex. Does this mean the world is spinning backwards?"
I pull her closer, tucking that sexy body under my arm. "Maybe I am ravenous, but it's your fault. I've never needed to make love to a woman this much before. Cannae get enough of you."
"Likewise. I'm addicted to the feel of you inside me."
"Thought it was the earth-shattering orgasms that had you hooked."
She slides her arm across my chest as she nestles her cheek against it. "That too. I've got it so bad, I'm giving serious thought to offering to try whisky again if you'll have sex with me right now."
"Are ye now." I chuckle. "Can't let ye suffer, can I?"
"It would be rude of you." She nuzzles my chest again, her lips forming a soft, sweet smile. "I've loved every minute with you."
I bury my face in her hair, inhaling deeply. "I loved every minute of it too. Plan to keep on loving every minute with you."
The puppies come barreling into the room and leap onto the bed with us, cuddling up to me. I have no idea why Calli's dogs prefer me, but she doesn't seem to mind. Lying here with a sweet lass tucked against me on one side and two warm puppy bodies stretched out along the other, I start to drift off.
"Want the door closed?" a hushed voice asks.
I open my eyes just enough to see Jamie in the doorway, seeming uncertain, as if she's disturbed us during an intimate moment. In a way, she has. Calli and I are curled up together on a bed—though fully clothed and half asleep.
I wave a hand at my sister. "Best shut it. Otherwise, the pups will paw at your door and whine until you let them in."
"Yeah," Calli says, "and then they'll assault you while you're vulnerable."
Flashing us a bright smile, Jamie laughs. "Good night."
We offer our good-nights to her, and Jamie retreats, shutting the door with a soft click. I fall asleep quickly, but much later, I wake up because I need the bog. After relieving my needs, I sneak back into the bedroom and lie down with Calli again. The puppies have moved to the foot of the bed, so I carefully settle in and pull Calli close against my side. Her cheek winds up on my shoulder, and her gentle breaths tickle my neck.
She's so bonnie and sweet when she's asleep. Well, she's bonnie and sweet all the time, but I especially love watching her sleep. She seems at peace, like all her worries have evaporated. Though I've learned a lot about her, I know there's more to find out. Most of all, I want to know why she can't force her husband to give her a divorce. She did say Michigan has no-fault divorce, which means she will be free eventually, but her husband can drag things out.
No wonder she gets anxious whenever I talk about our future together. Does she think I might trick her into marrying me and then refuse to let her go even if she begs me? No, she cannae believe that. Haven't I proved I care about what she wants, not just my own desires and needs?
For several minutes, I lie here wondering if there's anything I can do to help her. No, there isn't. Not unless she tells me what horrible secret prevents her from telling her husband to sod off. What hold does he have on her? Aye, she feels beholden to him because he helped her during a terrible time in her life, but that can't be all it is. Calli is too clever to let a man hold that over her for years. What else could tie her to him? They don't have children. For a moment, I consider the idea that he might be blackmailing her, but I cannae think of any way that could happen. Calli is a good person who would never do anything so awful that acacanlike her husband could use it as leverage.
Carefully, I roll onto my side so I can gaze at her sleeping face. I sweep hair away from her eyes.
Please let me help you.
Though I plead with her in my thoughts, I know she won't let me in, not all the way. She says she trusts me, but she won't tell me everything. Maybe I haven't shared the whole story about me and Seona, but I want to tell Calli all about it. If I do, will she finally open up about her problems?
I touch my lips to her temple.
Doesn't matter if she tells me or not. I will never walk away from her. I cannae do it. One day, the secrets between us will be exposed.
Chapter Twenty-Six
The next afternoon, Calli walks into the house through the sliding glass doors and pauses just inside the threshold. She eyes me with her brows wrinkled, then takes in the whole picture, her confusion growing.
I'm lounging on the sofa, one ankle crossed over the opposite knee, and I have one arm draped over the sofa's back. When I glance at the television, I can't help smiling a wee bit. On the screen, a black-and-white movie plays. The two stars of the film spin around on a dance floor in perfect synchronization, seeming to float in each other's arms. Lovely music weaves a spell around them, just the way I want to entrance Calli.
This is not a calculated plan. I'd been watching the movie while I waited for Calli to come back from visiting her brother in the hunting shack. But the movie did give me an idea.
"Jamie and Gavin are taking the puppies for a walk," Calli says, coming up alongside the sofa. Her gaze flicks to the television screen. "Do you like old movies?"
