Page 75 of The Drummer

“Well, sorry, but you seem to take pleasure in exposing me to all the forbidden fruit of rockstar living.”

I huff a laugh at her latest weird expression. I still chuckle when I think about what she said on the couch earlier. Shereally shouldn’t be mentioning her lady parts to me. My brain is already way too intrigued by that topic.

“Now you’re just being dramatic,” I say.

“Am I? First the champagne, now the fancy burgers.”

Fancy burgers. There’s nothing fancy about me.

“I’m from a family of twelve. Trust me, I do not need to eat like this to survive.” I hesitate, suddenly feeling self-conscious. “I don’t know. I just thought…”

I’m not even sure what I was thinking. I wanted to make her smile and give her new experiences. It was never my intention to point out the differences between us. In fact, the guys are always making fun of me for still living like I’m kid number seven in a lower-middle class family. We got by growing up, but I certainly wasn’t eating burgers from Adaline’s.

None of that means Callie feels the same way.

“I wanted you to try something you otherwise wouldn’t. I thought you’d like it,” I finish, trying to read her.

My stomach sinks when she places the burger on the counter. But there’s nothing negative about her expression as she stalks toward me.

Before I know what’s happening, her arms are around me and her cheek is pressing against my shoulder. The tension in my back melts away, and I instinctively brush my lips against her hair.

“What’s this?” I say with a soft laugh.

“Nothing,” she mumbles against me.

I pull her closer when I feel her grip on the back of my shirt. This must be about whatever happened in that office. I have no idea how to tackle a subject like that.

“Will Luke be joining us?” My tone also contains the answer to that question.

“I’m not sure. Maybe.” Still holding on, she leans back to study my face. Her look is pensive instead of layered with the typical angst we’ve come to expect from encounters with Luke.

“Something happened while you were out,” she says quietly. “I don’t know what yet, but something. It may be what we’ve been waiting for.”

Her eyes fill with liquid hope, and she’s never been more beautiful. I don’t think anything has. I tip her face up with my thumbs and brush away a few strands of hair obscuring perfection.

“Thank you,” she whispers in a tone that says much more.

For the burgers.

For being here.

For being you.

When her gaze heats with anticipation, I lean in for another kiss. This one drives for more, intentional and demanding. She adjusts to pull me into her, returning my kiss with an urgency that tells me she needed it too.

I taste a hint of berries from her lip balm and breathe in the scent of clean muted citrus. She tastes amazing. Feels just as good. Her body is always so soft and warm when she presses into me, and it doesn’t take long for my starved libido to make calls for further action.

But that’s not what this moment is about, so against every instinct that wants more, I gently pull away to rest my forehead on hers.

We catch our breath for a moment, absorbing what just happened.

“Wow,” I say, straightening. “Now, that’s a proper thank you. You could have just gotten me a beer.”

Her eyes widen in disbelief before… yep. A playful smack.

God, I live for those.

“Yeah, well, these burgers better be worth it.”

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