AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Normally, if Tom had sneaked into bed with him in the middle of the night, he woke to his son’s foot in his face or orchie in his ribs. At the very least he was woken at the crack of dawn by Tom’s excited voice, shaking and begging him to get up, get up.
To be able to lie here and leisurely wake up next to the woman he loved, the gorgeous, naked woman he loved, was extremely gratifying. He’d forgotten how special that could be and he wanted to do it every morning. Yes, they had some issues to resolve but it had taken years to fall in love again and now he had, he didn’t want to waste time being apart.
He trailed a finger down her spine and smiled as she murmured again. Her skin was warm and supple and he felt goosebumps against the pads of his fingers. It had been a long time since he’d felt this content, that things were going to work out OK. After six years maybe it was his time to be happy?
When he thought about it, he’d known since the beginning. Just like with Annie. It hadn’t just been the moonlight that night or the way she’d been with Tom. There’d been a…flicker…a gut feeling that she was more than sparkly legs and a pretty face. She had intrigued him, bewitched him that night and now he knew why. Because he’d fallen for her. From the second she’d taken Tom’s hand, prepared to protect a little boy she didn’t know from Adam, he had been an absolute goner.
He rolled on his stomach, his side pressed against hers, and propped himself up on his elbows. He dropped a kiss on her upper arm and another on her shoulder blade. Did she feel the same? She hadn’t said anything when he had told her he was falling for her. No I think I am too or even That’s great, let me think about it.
Saturday had freaked her out. Hell, it had freaked him out too. He had withdrawn from her, shut her out, caught up in the heart-pounding fear that something had happened to Tom. But loving her meant loving every part of her. Even the panic merchant. It meant warts and all.
Hailey had baggage that would impact on their lives. He knew that. But, then, so did he. And he would spend the rest of his life being there for her when the events of her past overwhelmed her, reassuring her. And if she was hyper-vigilant with Tom then so be it. It would be nice to have someone else to share his vigilance with as well as his fears for Tom’s future.
Still, he had the feeling she’d be skittish, especially after the events of Saturday. And what if she didn’t love him? Just because he had an inkling that she shared his feelings, it didn’t mean that she did. She was definitely attracted to him, had admitted it in word and deed. But he wanted more than a physical thing, more than sex.
He wanted what he’d had with Annie. A deep and abiding commitment to each other. A wedding ring. Maybe more children—that little brother for Tom. Despite the tragic end to his marriage, he would never not have done it and he was sure he and Annie would have been together for ever had fate not dealt them a rotten hand. Some of the happiest years of his life had been in his marriage and he was a firm believer in the institution.
He certainly wanted another shot at it. With Hailey.
‘Why are you watching me?’
Callum smiled against her shoulder, nuzzling his face into the roundness of it. ‘Because I can’t believe how lucky I am,’ he murmured, his voice muffled as he scattered kisses on her skin.
Hailey smiled and gave a languorous stretch. ‘Good answer. What time is it?’ she asked, rolling on her back, turning her head to look at the clock.
Callum feasted his eyes on the view that just got even better. His body acted predictably and he felt his pulse rate pick up in anticipation.
‘Ugh! Five a.m.?’ She turned back to face him. ‘What a perfectly indecent hour.’
Good. It matched his perfectly indecent thoughts.
Hailey caught him ogling and felt her nipples grow hard beneath his very sexual gaze. There was no awkward morning-after moment—she felt like she’d been waking up next to him for ever. She was tempted to stretch a bit more, tease him a little. ‘You didn’t hear what I said, did you?’
He pulled his gaze away from her breasts and grinned. ‘You spoke?’
Hailey’s toes curled at the streak of pure naughtiness in his voice. She raised herself on her bent elbows thrilled by the way Callum’s gaze was glued to her every movement. ‘Why are you so far away?’ she murmured.
‘Good question.’ He grinned again and pulled her over on top of him.
Hailey was happy as she cradled her cup of tea in her lap out on the deck with Callum a couple of hours later. It was a glorious Monday morning, the sky was cloudless and the sun sparkled on the Brisbane River below.
