Page 54 of Callahan's Haven

17

Cal smiledat the gooseflesh and little shivers running over Haven’s skin with each brush of his fingers down her spine. He hadn’t been able to stop touching her since he’d gotten her to his hotel room hours before and immediately stripped them both down to nothing. He’d inspected every inch of herthoroughlywith his hands, mouth, and tongue, paying special attention to each bruise and scrape.

If Solace hadn’t already killed Woosley, he’d have hunted the bastard down and taken care of the job himself. They’d left his, plus three other bodies behind. The young man, Reza, had said he would make sure the scene was taken care of without explaining how. A text had come through on Cal’s phone from Declan several hours before with the news of a fire at an abandoned church on the outskirts of town. No bodies were mentioned.

He had no idea who this Reza actually was, but he was certainly glad he had been on their side and taken out one of Woosley’s men who had come at him from behind.

“That tickles, you know,” Haven said on a slight laugh while turning onto her side and facing him on her pillow. He reached out and pushed some of the strands of her hair behind her ear. Would he evernotwant to have his eyes on her or touch her? He couldn’t see that day coming—ever.

God, how could he be thinking of forever when they had only been together a handful of days?

Then she smiled at him, her eyes filling with a warmth that took his breath away, and he knew. No one was ever going to touch his heart the way this woman did.

“Are you okay,” she said, crinkling her brow while her gentle touch went to his injured abdomen and the bandage probably needing to be changed. “I’m afraid you may have overd—”

He effectively silenced her with a swift kiss and then pulled her against his body. “I’m fine. So you don’t need to keep worrying about me.” He lifted one of her hands and kissed the still-raw part of the inside of her wrist, then laid her palm against his thundering heart. “But that doesn’t mean I won’t be worrying about you. How’re you feeling?”

“Better,” she said on a smile and snuggled into him. “Much better, I’d say.”

He breathed her in while his abdomen clenched the further her hand on his chest moved down his body to his hardening cock. They should both be exhausted, even though they’d napped on and off between bouts of lovemaking throughout the day—first on the floor of the room when he hadn’t been able to wait to get inside her, then the bed, then the shower, then finally against the hotel room door when he’d woken to find her pulling her clothes on to go in search of food.

He’d stripped her down again and eaten his fill of her as she’d squirmed and screamed out her release against the door. Afterward, she’d given as good as she’d gotten, dropping to her knees and taking him in her mouth, her talented tongue and lips forcing him to brace his hands against the door to keep upright.

They’d eventually ordered room service, but much later.

Cal closed his eyes at her firm grip working him up and down. “God, my sweet girl…” He surged into her fist a handful of times before turning and reaching for one of the loose condoms beside the open box on the bedside table. “You’re killing me.”

“Let me,” she said, taking the square foil and tearing it open. He tensed as her soft fingers rolled the condom down his dick while her tongue stuck out over her top lip. He wanted to grin at her obvious concentration, but he just couldn’t quite bring himself to do more than groan when she gave his balls a little tug when she’d finished.

“There.” She smiled at his dick and nodded in satisfaction. “Perfect.”

“Yeah. Good job,” he said on a pained laugh while rolling her beneath him. He resented having anything between them, but maybe one day…

He settled on top of her while her eyes searched his face and her arms wrapped around his neck.

“I thought so.” She grinned at him and rubbed her core over his cock and then frowned. “Everything okay?” She ran her hand over his bandaged temple and then his arm. “If you’re hurting, we—”

“No, nothing hurts.” He held her gaze. “Not really.” He kissed her forehead…her nose…and then finally her lips in a gentle press of his mouth. “I’m just… I don’t know how to explain it.”

“I think I know.” Her widening legs wrapped around his calves. “It’s like you can’t quite believe you’re here. Right?”

He nodded.

“When I was sitting in that chair—”

“Don’t—”

“No, let me finish.”

He let out a breath and gave her a silent go-ahead, his heart aching as her eyes pooled with tears.

“When I was sitting in that chair for hours thinking you were dead, I only regretted two things.” The glide of her fingers stroked over his cheek. “One, that I’d never told you I loved you—as crazy as that sounds—but I do.”

She blinked and a few tears escaped down her cheek.

“The second was I wished I’d memorized every piece of who you are and how we were together so I’d never forget—how your blue eyes grow a little brighter when you look at me, the way your face tenses in that expectant way—just like it is right now—when you have me in your arms, to never forget how the scruff on your chest teases my skin as it brushes against me…”

Another tear fell.

---