Page 22 of Any Means Necessary

Soaking up the sunshine beneath the heated water, the time passes quickly as I swim laps, float, and breathe. When my fingers have turned into little prunes I know it’s time to get out. I make a mental note to buy a house with a pool someday soon, one with lots of privacy so I can lounge in my bikini, or even topless, without stray eyes.

Slowly walking up the steps out of the pool, water runs off my body. The sun is warm, but the wind sends a shiver through me as I reach for my towel. Dripping a trail of pool water across the apartment isn’t my favorite idea, so I do my best to dry my body. Wrapping the towel around me, I glance through the windows leading into the living room and pause. A group of four important-looking men in suits stand just inside the glass door with Enzo, deep in conversation. And judging by their expressions, the topic of discussion is a very serious one.

As comfortable as I am lounging by a private pool in a bikini, I have no desire to walk through a heated business meeting full of complete strangers, half naked and dripping wet. I’m not conceited enough to think I’d pull too much focus otherwise, but in this situation, every set of male eyes would be on me.

Yeah, no thanks.

Instead, I pad over to the door on the opposite side of the terrace—the one that leads into the primary suite. I breathe a sigh of relief when the door’s unlocked and opens easily. Slipping inside, I close the door softly behind me.

Just like the rest of the penthouse, Callum’s bedroom is impressive. The wall of floor-to-ceiling windows extending up two stories floods the room with natural light. Modern furniture and fixtures decorate the space in darker neutral colors. A sitting area is on my left facing a chic black fireplace, a beige sofa, and cognac leather sitting chairs paired with a coffee table made of lighter natural wood. The color palette matches the rest of the apartment and I can’t help wondering if it was selected by Callum or some interior designer—black, natural light woods, beige, and cognac leather accents.

His bed is the biggest bed I’ve ever seen in my life, it must be a California king. It sits on my right against the wall opposite the door that leads into the hallway, night stands with lamps on both sides. The black bedding covering the giant mattress on the sturdy wood bedframe looks oddly inviting and comfortable. The two doors on the far back wall open into a spacious walk-in closet and ensuite bathroom. The other door must lead to the bathroom.

The air in here feels expensive.

I stop at the foot of the bed, my eyes scanning over the details of the room. I’m the first to admit that I’m nosey—not nosey enough to actually go around digging through drawers or poking around bookshelves—but definitely enough to take a good look when given the opportunity.

The room is beautifully decorated, each item adding to the masculine luxury of the space. But it’s a little impersonal. From what I know about Callum, I wasn’t expecting to find shelves of little league trophies from when he was a kid. But there’s nothing sentimental I can see at all, no personality. Or maybe this whole room is Callum’s personality—masculine, expensive, clean, and devoid of emotion. The entire space is… controlled.

“Do you need something?” The deep voice makes me jump, ripping me out of my observations and forcing my head to whip around. Callum’s large form fills the doorway that leads into the spacious primary bathroom, a black suit coat in his hands to match the black pants he’s already wearing. The cuffs of his black dress shirt are buttoned at his wrists, his tattoos completely hidden like they don’t exist at all.

“Oh, you’re in here.” Just like the first time we met, I’m a deer in headlights. But this time, my recovery is much faster. The towel shifts around me as I sweep my wet hair over one shoulder to minimize the amount of water dripping on the nice wood floors.

“That shouldn’t be such a big surprise since this is my bedroom,” he counters, sliding one of his arms into the suit coat, then the other. Shrugging the coat onto his shoulders, he straightens the lapels until his businessman camouflage is firmly in place.

“Right,” I concede easily. “I’m not trying to invade your privacy, I just saw all the men in suits.”

“So you snuck in here thinking no one would notice?” His brows raise in question, and I’m suddenly starting to rethink my reasoning. It made sense in the moment.

“Sorry, there were too many people out in the living room and I didn’t want to be seen, so I came in through the balcony,” I say, letting the towel fall away from my body to start drying my hair.

“And you thought you’d be safer in here with me?” His tone taunts the very idea of it. I didn’t realize he was in here, but I don’t think that would’ve changed my mind to walk through the crowd of strangers. At least with Callum, I know where I stand.

“Well, yeah. There are just too many male eyes out there. And, you’re not gonna look, so,” I shrug, tilting my head to scrunch some of the pool water out of my hair with the towel.

“I’m not looking?” My hands halt at his question, eyes snapping to his.

“Are you?” I ask, blinking at him.

“I am.” His eyes pierce through me, proving a point. His gaze settles over my skin like static electricity.

“Wait, what?” I’m gaping at him now, my jaw might as well be on the damn floor.

Callum’s eyes run over me from head to toe slowly, deliberately. His heated gaze takes in every inch of me in my bikini, and I can’t help but wonder how the same eyes that have been watching me from the moment we met can suddenly make me feel so hot and desired.

“I have, I am, and I will.” He takes three deliberate steps toward me, punctuating each phrase. My eyes widen up at him, not missing how his focus catches on where my breasts practically spill from my bikini top.

“I’m confused, you never—” He regards me like I’m a character in a children’s tv show—something barely tolerable, maybe a potential source of mild entertainment, but altogether too bright and shiny to be taken seriously.

Or at least I thought he did.

Now he’s looking at me like a man starved, and I’m a meal he wants to devour.

A wave of heat washes through me, my heart damn near doing backflips.

“Sometimes it’s better to observe quietly. Don’t mistake my silence for disinterest.” There’s no missing his interest in me now. “But now that you know, there’s no reason to keep it quiet anymore. Is there, Dewdrop?”

“I—” The man has made my brain glitch, and I’m at a loss for what to say. “I thought you didn’t like me.”

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