AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Callie’s blue eyes draw me in, her soft skin so smooth under my fingers. I run my hands lightly up her arms. She brushes her thumb over my jaw, looking at me like I’m the only thing in her world.
“You’re a force of nature,” she murmurs. “You know that, right?” She looks annoyed. “No matter who you were in the past, the man you are today is someone I admire.”
My chest tightens painfully. “Yeah?” My voice is gravel in my throat. “Even after everything I did to you?”
“I see why you did it.” She threads her fingers through the hair at my temple. “I admire you for it. Secretly protecting those you love, pretending to be awful so people are scared of you.” She leans down and presses her lips to my jaw. The scent of her hair fills my nose, and my hands twitch with the need to crush her to me.
“You make me sound foolish,” I grumble.
“Not foolish,” she murmurs. “Big-hearted. Bigger than you want to admit. Big enough to keep everyone around you safe.”
“That list is small,” I reply. But you’re on it.
“I know.” She smiles at me. “I like that it’s small. Someone who is kind to everyone isn’t special. Someone who is kind to a select few, well—” She raises her shoulders. “If they care about you, you’ve won something amazing.”
My eyes widen. My blood rushes in my ears. Callie is looking at me like she might be falling for me. I’m falling for you too. Her eyes are warm, and her lips are gently smiling.
Possession rises. I’ve just had her and I want more. I want it all. I want her with me every day and in my bed every night. Satisfaction coils in my stomach. Callie Thompson doesn’t realize it yet, but when I set my mind to something, I always get it.
I don’t even realize the car has stopped until Lou says, “We’re here.”
48
Callie
I’m totally falling for him. I watch Jonah as he speaks in low tones to Lou, then claps him on the shoulder and shoves his hands into the pockets of his suit. A suit with a T-shirt and sunglasses pushed up onto his forehead, like a model. Everything about him speaks to me. His looks, sure, but his quiet strength, his fierceness, his sharp humor, even the ruthlessness.
He gives me an amused glance, and I smile sheepishly. I’m totally staring and daydreaming, when I should be focused on meeting his family. The house is neat and traditional, with cedar shingles and white windows. A lawn, a garage to the side, a few trees.
“Idyllic,” I say, craning my neck to see if there’s a backyard. “I was always jealous of you suburban kids with your swing sets and your trees.”
“Playing with pigeons, were you, Thompson?” Jonah’s eyes are laughing at me, and I swat at his arm.
“Let me have this. I love leaving the city.”
“You know I have a house upstate, right?”
“What? No. I had no idea.”
He raises a brow. “That missing from your file on me?”
“I can’t drive,” I say primly. “I’d never be able to stalk you efficiently.”
He smiles. “I’ll take you. And you don’t need to drive. Not with me.”
Before I can respond, a woman’s shriek sounds and my head snaps up. His sister rushes out of the front door, screeching, “J, you’re here.” She comes to a halt before us, her eyes wide, her dark hair a wild cloud around her head. “You brought a guest.”
Jonah’s hand is on my back. “You didn’t tell your sister?” I ask, assuming that’s who this is. This is weird. He didn’t tell them I was coming.
“He doesn’t tell me anything.” Christine frowns. “Wait. I know you. I saw you outside the restaurant that night.”
“Christine, this is Callie Thompson,” Jonah responds evenly.
“Callie T— oh.” Her mouth parts in shock. “The reporter. But I thought—”
“Stop speaking,” Jonah interrupts, glaring at her. I roll my lips to keep from laughing. Presumably he told Christine about his plans for me, but she didn’t realize things had changed between us.
Christine rolls her eyes but gestures for us to go ahead of her. “He’s so cranky. I can’t imagine working for him. Did you want to punch him on the daily?”
