Page 47 of Sunflower

I could feel his lengthening hardness press into my ass, and Goddamnwhat I wouldn’t give to throw caution to the wind and see where the night took us. Unfortunately, we had more important things to worry about.

Groaning, I turned around in his arms and before he got too carried away, I leaned back enough from him that a wounded look crossed his face. I longed to kiss him and get rid of the sudden hurt and doubt from his face, but needs must.

He opened his mouth to say something, but I immediately pressed my finger against his lips and shook my head. His eyes widened in curiosity, and he nodded, closing his mouth to follow my lead. Holding my finger up to showone second, I moved away from the door and darted over to my desk, dragging him along behind me before pointing at the pad of paper for him to read.

He scanned the words once, then with eyes widening, he stepped forward, grabbed the pad off the desk and read itagain more slowly. Frowning, he dropped the pad to his side and tapped it against his thigh for a moment while he thought. Finally, nodding to himself, he grabbed a pen from my desk, dropped the pad to the desk once more and scribbled a note under what I’d already written, then pointed at it so I could read it:Where’s your phone?

I looked pointedly at my bedside table, where I’d dumped my phone as soon as I’d come home.

He nodded once, wandered over to pick it up, then swiveled in place only to head for the TV sitting on my dresser, looking like he was messing with my phone as he moved. He placed my phone as close to the speaker as he could get it, then grabbed the remote and turned the TV on, quickly searching for a music channel. Turning the sound up as high as he could without deafening us, he motioned for me to get on the bed.

Wondering what on earth he was doing, I followed his instructions while he looked around the room. I sat on the edge of the bed watching him, chewing my bottom lip with worry, but so goddamned thankful that he was taking me seriously.

Once he was satisfied with whatever he was looking for, he stood before me between my knees and leaned down to kiss me lightly on the lips.

My hands rose automatically to glide up his thighs before resting on his hips. I leaned into his kiss, but before it got too heated, he gently pushed me back, so I was lying on the bed properly.

Nuzzling into my neck, he settled above me, leaning to one side enough that he was still half on top of me but without resting his full weight on me. My hands softly drifted up his back as I closed my eyes and let myselffeelfor the first time that day. I knew it wouldn’t last, but I’d take whatever I could get when it was so freely offered.

“Did he touch you at all? When you were talking to him, I mean,” Callum asked quietly in my ear, his nose still burrowing into my hair. He thrust against me gently, not enough to get our blood flowing, but enough to make it look like we were having some fun if anyone was watching. I didn’t know if I was bugged or if my room was, but I was glad that neither of us were taking any chances.

I shook my head, bumping his a little as I did. My hands slowly made their way back to his ass, gripping them enough so I could help sell our performance. “But it was Black Friday, so I was definitely knocked into the crowd a fair few times before we spoke. He might have planted something on me then.”

“Okay,” he murmured, still gently undulating on top of me. He pressed his lips to my neck before he leaned into my ear again. “Have you changed since you got home?”

This time, I nodded. He rose enough for me to indicate with my chin the pile of clothes sitting on my chair next to the dresser. I’d combed through them when I got home, but I wasn’t taking any chances. It’d be a miracle for anyone to hear anything if there actually was a bug in them, given how close the bundle of clothes was sitting next to the blaring TV.

“Good,” he said breathlessly, still half in his act. “So good.” He thrust against me again before lying down in his original position, nuzzling once more close to my ear. “Are the TV and your phone the only electronics in your room?”

Reaching one hand up to grip his hair whilst leaving the other firmly planted on his ass, I turned my head enough to mutter in his ear, “Laptop on the desk. Closed lid. That’s all.”

He nodded once and moaned rather convincingly before he raised himself onto his elbows, pressing his groin hard against mine and looked around the room just like he was reveling in his lust. Once he’d set his eyes on my laptop, ensuring that the lid was indeed shut, he sighed and his body relaxed, looking downat me with concerned, but impressed, eyes. He shifted to his side, rolling me with him so we could speak easier. Running his hand through my hair, he murmured, “We should be okay for audio, but let’s make it look like we’re still making out if anyone is getting visual through the TV.”

It was only then that I noticed that he’d turned us in such a way that my back was to the TV so I could talk quietly to him without anyone seeing what I was saying, if indeed they were watching us through the TV. He was close enough to me that whatever he said in response would be hidden by my head. A few soft touches here and there, and no-one would be any the wiser.

I let out a long sigh as tension I hadn’t even realized I’d been carrying was released. Everything I’d done was borne out of a wild state of paranoia, and all the precautions I’d made before bringing him to my room to talk had been taken from movies I’d watched. I had no idea if any of what I’d actually done would work.

But Callum would. He’d know what to do. I could trust him to get us all out of this fucked up situation.

He leaned forward and gave me the softest kiss imaginable. The feet of a butterfly would have made more impact than the fleeting kiss he’d left on my lips. Pulling back barely enough to lean his forehead against mine, he murmured, “Tell me what happened,mo lus na gréine.”

So, I did. I told him everything I could remember of my interaction with the guy in the parking lot. Every so often, Callum would shift slightly, hooking one leg over mine at one point, running his hands up and down my back or through my hair. Every move that he made was calculated to make it look like we were making out without us actually doing anything other than talking.

When I was done, he asked me what the guy looked like. As I explained, his face paled, and he rolled onto his back to stare at the ceiling.

“What? Callum, what am I missing?” I asked quietly, but I could feel myself getting tense again.

“This changes everything,” he murmured thoughtfully, before a scowl settled on his face. “That fucker. How fucking dare he come after you and our folks.”

“What?” Before I knew what I was doing, I pulled back from him sharply to stare at him. “What do you mean? Do you know who this guy is?!”

Callum’s eyes widened, and he quickly tucked me back into his hold. “Shh,mo lus na gréine, it’s okay.” He wrapped his arms around me and held me, whispering into my ear, “It’s okay.” His hands caressed and soothed my back before one worked its way up to my hair, working through the strands in a massage, easing my rising anxiety.

“What’s going on, Callum?” I asked nervously, my head tucking into his neck as he continued to massage my scalp. I clung to his back like a limpet, as the feel of him beneath my fingertips was the only thing keeping me grounded in my panic.

He took a deep breath and let it out super slowly, taking the time to gather his thoughts. “You know how I told Mam that I came back because work transferred me? How they had an opening?”

I nodded.

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