Page 80 of Wicked Duty
My eyes fly open. “I’m fine. Good as new. No injuries.”
Except for Callum, but that detail will only shoot her into a deeper tailspin. Best to hold off as long as possible.
“By the grace of God.” Maya exhales so loudly, I can practically feel the wind on my face from across the ocean. “I watched the clips online, Lu. What were you thinking, for reals, destroying that set? You could’ve been hurt or worse!”
I smother a sigh. If I could rewind the past five minutes, I’d ignore Maya’s call until my brain started functioning. Nothing like suffering through a scolding first thing in the morning.
“I can imagine how scary it looked, but honestly, you don’t need to worry.” I snuggle up to Callum’s chest. His heart thumps a reassuring beat against my spine. “I promise I’m fine. I was safe the whole time.”
“Bullshit! Do I need to come home?”
“No.” I try not to sound like I’m keeping something from her. “Callum already reamed me out and made me swear to never take risks like that again. And even if I do get another wild hair, he’ll keep me safe.” My cheeks begin to burn from talking like this while I’m burrowed in his arms. “He’ll protect me from everyone…even myself.”
Maya launches into a monologue about safety, but my attention drifts the second Callum’s hand tightens at my hip. In one deft motion, he flips me over so I’m facing his chest.
My breath hitches.
He’s looking at me in a way he never has before, both of us lying here in silence while Maya drones on about the importance of not acting reckless.
I could lose myself forever in his expressive green eyes.
He studies me with an inscrutable expression.
“Understand?” Maya’s mini lecture finally comes to a conclusion.
“I understand.” My gaze remains locked on Callum. “Let’s catch up again soon, okay? Love you. Bye.”
I hang up without waiting for her reply, heat already pooling low in my belly due to the warmth in Callum’s eyes.
He’s quiet. I stare at a spot on his jaw, chewing on my bottom lip. “Didn’t mean to wake you.”
When he speaks, his voice is raw with emotion. “You meant that.”
“What?”
“About trusting me to protect you.”
I nod, and Callum shudders. When I open my mouth to ask what’s wrong, he cups my face with his right hand, his thumb brushing my lower lip.
“Callum.” Is the air thin in here?
Something primitive flares in his eyes. My eyelids flutter down to half-mast as he leans closer, his lips a breath away from mine, the tension between us crackling like electricity.
Callum doesn’t waste any more time. In one powerful, controlled movement, he rolls on top of me, his large hands pressing into the mattress on either side of my face.
The untamed lust in his eyes conveys his intentions. Fluid and skilled, he pins me with his body, covering every inch of me.
Heat and excitement flare to life beneath my skin, warring with the concern creeping through my mind. “Your wound?”
“Fuck it.” The tension between us strains like a wire about to snap. “Tell me you want this.”
My heart pounds a jagged beat. “I want this.”
And, unbelievably, I do.
Viktor Roguilin touched me in ways I’ll never forget. Ruined the idea of sex with anyone else ever again.
He told me, over and over, that I was his and his alone.
