Page 54 of Catalyst

My eyes followed the ice cream as it dribbled down her chin before sliding down her neck and pooling on her chest. That was my sign to put the carton down and enjoy myself. Callie’s breath caught as I pressed my mouth to her neck, savoring the salt of her skin and the faint sweetness of the ice cream.

Slowly, I traced my tongue along the sticky trail that led directly to her collarbone before showering the area in vampire-like kisses. She jerked and whimpered in response, andGod, the sounds coming from her felt like enough to get me drunk.

My hands roamed down her sides, gently squeezing the soft flesh before creeping up to her stomach. The area was slightly more taut than usual, but the softness I’d grown to–All my dirty thoughts were stopped the second I pulled back far enough to meet her gaze.

Callie’s blue eyes were wide, and the slight sheen of sweat caused her golden hair to stick to her forehead. Her full pink lips parted just enough for me to see her teeth, and her breathing was slow. She swallowed hard as she placed a hand on her chest, just under the mess of ice cream I’d left for her.

And there was something in that moment–something beautiful, and raw, and unfiltered that caused my heart to burst.

“I love you.” The words trickled out the second they popped into my mind, like my brain knew I’d never say that if I had a genuine chance to think.

For a heartbeat, she looked at me as if she wasn’t sure she heard me right or like she wasn’t sure if she was allowed to believe that Icouldlove her. But I did. I loved her determination; I loved the slightly spiteful side of her; I loved that she saw a run-down apartment full of criminals and thoughtthis is myhome, but, most of all, I loved how she made me feellike I could doanything. Like she’d stand by my side and hold my hand until I figured it all out–and trust me, I needed time to figure this shit out. And every agonizing second she didn’t tell me she felt the same was literalhell.

Her hand drifted up, her fingers caressing my cheek, and I brushed a kiss to her wrist. If I wasn’t a prideful bastard, I would have fallen onto my knees and begged her to just repeat what I said. Thankfully, Callie didn’t leave me to squirm for long.

“I love you too.” The words were barely above a breath, but they came in loud and clear.

That was my woman. She was carryingmychild, even if his DNA would say otherwise. Both meant it was mydutyto keep her as happy as possible. With a satisfied grin, I traced my thumb over her lips. The heat between us thrummed through my veins like a fire tearing through a forest, and I allowed my thumb to dip into her mouth. Her eyes stayed locked on mine.

“Good girl,” I murmured, silently wondering if she loved all the attention I was giving her.

Without another word, I slipped my belt off and unbuttoned my slacks, sliding them down just far enough for me to get my cock out.

Her gaze fell to my erection, and she pulled her lip through her teeth, arching her hips just enough to slip her panties down. I grabbed her by the hips, settling her against me with enough force to make her groan.

Her hands inched up my arms before she squeezed my biceps, and I plunged into her again. This time I lost myself in the way her tits bounced with the motion. Her breath came in shallow gasps as I held her by the hips, allowing me to sink further in.

She fought a moan as she wrapped her legs around mine, arching her hips to meet me. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to kiss her, or if I wanted to keep my distance just to watch the faces she made as she took my cock.

“You love knowing you’re mine, don’t you?” I rasped.

She let out another stifled moan as she nodded, and normally, I’d make her say it. But, right now I really just enjoyed hearing myself talk.

“You two areeverythingto me,” I promised, wanting nothing more than to gush about my love for this woman.

But my erection was currently massaging her cervix, and if I kept talking about how much I loved her, I’d make the moment weird. So, instead of planning our wedding, I settled on making her come.

My hips rolled into hers with a motion that Iknewfelt fucking fantastic for my female clients. She tipped her head back, closing her eyes as she let out the first loud-as-fuck moan I’d heard all night. Her fingers tightened on my arms, and I picked up the pace.

The room quickly filled with the sound of our frenzied breathing as my stomach clenched. With one last thrust, the earth stopped spinning in the best way possible. Pleasure pulsed through me, leaving me to close my eyes and breathe through my orgasm as I filled Callie’s needy cunt with my cum.

It took a minute to recover from whatever demon possessed me to finish inside her, but once I did, I finally looked over my shoulder, waiting for Kane to jump in. That’s when I noticed he was nowhere to be found.

Chapter 17

Kane

She loved Sulien, and I was nothing like Sulien. She loved Jace, and I was nothing like Jace. Not only that, but I lacked any sort of ability totellher I loved her. Trust me, I’d thought about saying it and seeing where it took me, but the very idea of voicing those words made me sick to my stomach.

She deserved more than I could ever be. Unfortunately, I knew that. She deserved a big house in a nice neighborhood with plenty of room for Sawyer to play. She deserved someone who could spoil her within an inch of her life. She needed me to be better forher, but my only skill was stealing. How the hell was I supposed to be who she deserved when I couldn't even make an honest living?

Those were the thoughts that absolutely killed me as I stared at the ceiling in my room, trying to figure out a way to doallof that before the baby was born. And the short answer was,I couldn't. And that made me hate myself in ways I couldn't explain.

Just as my mind spiraled with thoughts of how I’dneverbe enough for her, a knock broke the silence. For a second, I thought it best to ignore it. I wasn’t in the right mental state for company. But, it came again, this time more insistent.

With a sigh, I swung my legs over the edge of the bed.

“Coming!” I called.

---