Page 54 of Hidden Truths

HARLOW

The momentI see Cal’s black SUV pull into the driveway; I’m running out the door. The cold pavement bites into the soles of my bare feet, but I don’t care. I need to see for myself that he’s okay. Feel for myself that he’s still here.

“Firecracker,” Cal grunts as I leap into his arms, knocking him back into the car door. He laughs as he catches me, and I can feel the vibrations from it in my own chest. That’s how close I’m holding him. “I’m okay, baby,” he murmurs in my ear.

I burst into tears, clutching him impossibly closer. His arms tighten around me as he continues to whisper reassurances in my ear. He’s warm, and he’s safe and he’s home. Cal feels like home.

I thought something had happened to him. I thought I had lost him without ever being able to tell him what he means to me.

“Cal,” I croak over my tears.

“I know,” he whispers and then his lips are on mine, meeting me in a shared desperation. Then he’s moving with me still in his arms and his lips on mine. “Cora?” he asks breathlessly.

“Napping,” I tell him, going back in for more. I can’t get enough of him; of the way he kisses me.

“My dad?” I hear him shut the front door.

“Belle’s. Didn’t want them coming home to an empty house.”

I kiss my way along his jaw and under his ear, down his neck and nip the spot where it meets his shoulder. He practically runs up the stairs, long legs taking two steps at a time, even with me in his arms.

Placing me down on his bed gently, Cal looks at me with a hunger that has me clenching my thighs together. His arms are on either side of my head, and one of his legs is between mine, making the clenching not only impossible, but obvious. His mouth twists into a sexy smirk. He knows exactly what he’s doing to me.

“Tell me I can have you,” he says, chest rising and falling rapidly. “Tell me you’re mine, Harlow, because I can’t stay away from you anymore.”

Using my name tells me how serious he is. He’s been struggling to stay away from me, just like I’ve been struggling to stay away from him.

“I’m yours.”

The moment the words leave my lips, he pounces. He’s kissing me like he won’t survive another moment if he doesn’t. I lift my hips, trying to find the friction I need against his thigh. Cal chuckles against my mouth, then knocks my legs open and settles himself there.

“Take what you need, baby,” he says before kissing me again. I grind myself against his hard length. I grind and moan and pant like a dog in heat, but I don’t care. I’m surrounded by Cal, his smell, his mouth as it traces a path down my neck, his weight on my body.

“Cal,” I moan his name just as the coil that’s wound itself tight inside my body snaps. White spots take over my vision as every nerve ending in my body screams.

I open my eyes as I come down from an orgasm that was way too intense for having come from dry humping. Cal’s eyes are on me, his smile so bright it’s blinding.

“I love when you say my name like that, Firecracker. Let’s see if I can get you to do it again.”

I pull at the hem of my shirt, trying to get it over my head as quickly as possible. I’ve never wanted anyone the way I want Callahan Griffin. Just being near him is like getting too close to a fire. My whole body burns for him. My world feels incomplete without him. And I think . . . I think my heart might beat just for him.

Cal chuckles at my attempt at breaking the speed undressing record. He doesn’t stop me though, instead he removes his own clothes while I remove mine, then settles himself back between my thighs within seconds. He reaches for his nightstand, and I take a moment to admire the way his muscles flex with the movement. He really is beautiful.

“Wait,” I say, grabbing his arm. Cal freezes and looks down at me. “I’m on birth control. I’m clean.” Cal stays frozen for another second. “But we can use a condom if you’re uncomfortable.”

I bite my lip and look away, feeling uncomfortable and annoyed with myself. He’s a famous rock star. He’s probably heard those words a million times. And who knows how many times they were lies? Protecting himself is smart.

“Look at me, Firecracker,” Cal whispers. I meet his eyes, and he smiles. “I’ve never gone bare before.”

I frown and look in the direction of Cora’s room. Cal laughs and kisses my temple.

“The condom must have broken,” he answers my unasked question. “But I want that with you. I don’t want anything between us. I was tested at my last physical, and I’m clean. Haven’t had sex since Cora was born.”

I feel my eyebrows raise at that admission and Cal just laughs again.

“You’re laughing a lot for someone whose dick is less than an inch from my vagina,” I gruff.

“What can I say? You make me happy, Harlow. Happier than I’ve ever been,” he admits, kissing me sweetly.

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