Page 80 of Endgame

I can’t help myself; I move my hand from his shoulder and reach to run my fingers through his thick black locks, lifting his head towards me with the motion. His eyes close in pleasure at the feel of my hands on him. I want to make sure he hears me clearly when I say this.

“He never stood a chance against you. It was worthless for him even to try.”

He gazes at me with such passion I could fall over from the weight of it. “I’ve never felt like this before. This jealousy that consumes me over the thought of you ever being intimate with another man makes me feral, Dakota. And I can’t do anything about it. You have no idea how many times I’vealmost started a war with my sister. But I’d never do that to you.”

He thinks his thoughts are chaotic and have no value, but he couldn’t be wrong. Maybe this is where I tell him.

“You can’t lose your shit the way you did out there, Cal. This is my job.”

He finds a spot in the sand to train his eyes on before shooting them my way again. I’ve pulled back slightly, drawing my hands idly to my sides, fiddling with my bikini strings.

“You think I don’t know that? How can you not see it?”

There’s that question again. “See what?”

He laughs dryly to himself. “I don’t do this, Dakota. I never have. But being around you makes me go insane with the need to fucking claim you. It’s like if you aren’t near me, I can’t think until my eyes find yours. Maybe it’s not healthy and maybe this is entirely one-sided, but I’m so close to saying fuck everyone and ask you to run away with me.”

“Cal.”

“Yeah, exactly.” He looks so beaten down.

“You have too much to lose. That would never be fair to you. You mean too much to me.”

His stare is deadly. I’ve never seen him this worked up. It’s thrilling and terrifying all at the same time.

“Don’t you get it? I’m risking it all for you. Everything I have and have ever loved I’m putting on the line for you. But fuck, Dakota, I need you to accept it.”

Yep. It’s time.

“Navy knows.” His eyes retract, only to revert forcefully with the whip of his head.

“What are you talking about?”Here it goes.

“I’m saying Navy and I talked. I told her I feel something for you. I’m pretty sure she was as surprised as I was. Shewas also shocked we’ve fought it this long. But more than anything, she was sorry. She gave me her blessing.”

You’d think he discovered who hung the moon. Hope and life flash in his eyes before they find mine again. I step forward, reaching for his neatly shaved stubble and run my thumb past his lips.

Callaway’s eyes close at the gesture while his head rolls back, Adam's apple protruding, and a groan escapes his lips.

He’s so sexy.

“What are you saying, Dakota?” The rage has quickly vanished and been replaced with tangible heat.

“I’m saying…we can see where things go. If we want.”

He’s so serious I’m borderline shaking. “We want. And what about work?”

“As long as Jack knows and he’s fine with it, so am I.”

He still seems to need answers. “One more question. Did you give him your number?”

Wait, what? Oh, he saw me with Devin’s phone.

“No, Callaway. He asked me what camera I use, so I pulled it up. Nothing more.” That seems to satisfy him.

“I shouldn’t have even asked you that. I feel like a savage.”

I should roll my eyes or something that makes me seem annoyed by his possessiveness, but I won’t. I'm not upset in the slightest. If anything, his protectiveness over me makes me yearn for him more.

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