Page 120 of Shattered

She couldn’t answer. She was far too focused on not making any inappropriate noises that might gain the attention of those nearby.

He quickly removed his hand, licked his fingers, and went back to eating his pizza as if nothing had happened.

Kristin was right. And wrong. This underwear definitely did it’s intended job on Callum, but his reaction was also now makingherneedy and breathless. By the time they finished the pizza, she could barely think straight. She was going to kill Kristin.

******

The walk from the pizzeria to the bar was even more torturous.

Callum never once let go of her. Either his hand was holding hers or his fingers were trailing up and down her arm. If he didn’t stop, she was going to make him take her up against the wall of a side street, onlookers be damned.

By the time they made it to the bar, Kristin, Micah, and Drew were waiting outside.

“Where did you two run off to?” Drew questioned.

“Pizza,” Callum answered matter-of-factly as they walked inside.

The bar was darker than she’d been expecting, with neon strobe lights shining through the air. The DJ was on a stage, and there were girls dancing in cages hanging from the ceiling above them. It was loud, and exciting, and somewhere she would normally never go.

“This place is insane!” Sam exclaimed in excitement as she looked up to Callum.

He brought his arm around her shoulders and pulled her in close as they made their way through the chaotic mess of half-drunken dancers.

It was so loud, there was no way Sam would be able to hear Kristin, who was currently yelling something to her from the other side of Micah.

Sam threw her hands up in the air with a wide-eyed laugh and Kristin rolled her eyes before turning back to Micah.

Callum waved the bartender over. “Sazerac and Negroni,” he requested, and Sam burst out laughing.

“Are you serious?” she asked incredulously, still basically yelling in order to make sure he could hear her.

He leaned down to her ear. “What? Those are the two drinksthat kind of brought us together, you know.”

Sam shook her head in disbelief. She truly couldn’t believe he actually remembered what they were called.

“I was sure we would never speak again after that night,” Sam admitted to him as the bartender handed over their drinks. She took a tentative sip. “Ew. This is disgusting,” she said as she pushed hers back toward Callum.

He laughed. “I figured you wouldn’t like them. What drink do you want?” Callum asked.

“I’ll take a beer. Michelob Ultra.”

Callum quickly ordered one for her. She swirled her stool toward the dance floor to take in the mayhem occurring before her.

“Full disclosure,” Callum said as he leaned in toward Sam. “I was pretty much sucked in by the end of that night.”

“What?” She had no idea what he was referring to.

He downed one of the cocktails in just a few sips. “I saw you earlier in the night waiting tables. I decided well before you asked me for those drinks that I wanted you. Well, I didn’t know you yet, but I at least knew I wanted to grab your ass.” He wiggled his eyebrows as Sam burst out laughing.

“Oh my God, are you already buzzed?”

“Maybe.” His smile was so infectious she couldn’t help but reciprocate it. She knew he’d had two beers at the pizza shop, and he and Drew had also busted open some ridiculously fancy bottle of scotch at the house before they’d left. She kind of liked the tipsy smile he now had on display.

“Did it live up to your expectations?” She thought she might as well continue this line of questioning, knowing he was getting drunk and thus probably more willing to talk.

“Your ass?” he questioned and Sam nodded. “Far exceeded anything I had imagined.”

Sam laughed so hard she choked a little on her beer.

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